AU723756B2 - Collapsible crutch - Google Patents

Description

I

-1- P/O/01 1 Regulation 3.2

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990

ORIGINAL

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT Invention Title: "Collapsible Crutch" The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us: GH REF: P23900-B/RPW 2 COLLAPSIBLE

CRUTCH

Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a collapsible crutch, and in particular to a crutch that can be used by wheelchair-bound handicapped people or people with injuries requiring crutch/walking stick support. The invention will be described primarily with reference to these applications, but it should be appreciated that the invention may find application beyond the medical and health-care fields.

Background to the Invention Wheelchair-bound persons can have considerable difficulty in raising and lowering themselves from a wheelchair. Often assistance from another person is required, or alternatively appropriate support bars and surfaces need to be provided to enable the persons to move themselves from the wheelchair. This can be extremely inconvenient where inappropriate facilities are Sooprovided in a given location.

Also, in general medical uses of crutches, different sized crutches need to be provided for different users.

o Adjustable crutches are known, but these are cumbersome and time-consuming to operate.

oo. Summary of the Invention The present invention provides in a first aspect a oo collapsible crutch comprising: 30 a support member including first and second sections, the second section being telescopically and slidably received within the first section to facilitate the movement of the support member between extended and collapsed positions; actuating means actuable on the second section to cause the sliding thereof within and relative to the first section, wherein a piston end of the second section, H:\MaraR\Keep\SpeCi\P 3 1077.doc 2a integrally formed therewith, slides within a chamber integrally formed within the first section in response to the introduction of air into the chamber and impinges upon the piston end to cause the second section to slide towards the extended position, and a pneumatic pump for pumping air to the chamber.

By providing a collapsible crutch, a wheelchair user can carry one or two crutches with them on the wheelchair in the collapsed position and can then activate these crutches to the extended position to raise themselves **e 4 e H: \MaraR\Keep\Speci\P31077 .doc 3 from the wheelchair. Also, in some embodiments, the crutch may be collapsible to positions intermediate the collapsed and extended positions for usage by different sized users and for use as a walking stick or medical crutch substitute. Thus the term "crutch" extends 'to include walking sticks and either like supports for human users.

The support member includes a plurality of sections, more preferably first and second sections, with the second section being telescopically and slidably received within the first section, etc to facilitate the movement of the support member between the extended and collapsed positions. Thus, the extension and collapse of the crutch can be a straight up and down motion for a user of the wheelchair.

Brief Description of the Drawings Notwithstanding any other forms which may fall within the scope of the present invention, preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the -accompanying drawings in which: Figures 1 and 2 show respectively front and side elevations of a preferred crutch according to the invention; and Figures 3 and 4 show schematic perspective views illustrating how a preferred crutch according to the invention can be used by a wheelchair-bound person.

Mode for Carrying out the Invention 9 oe SI\omeS\Tsalbo1lH\keep\speci\3107 7.doc 4 Referring to the drawings, a collapsible crutch includes a first tubular member 12 and a second tubular member 14 that has a closed end 16, the second tubular member being slidably and telescopically received within the first tubular member. It should immediately be appreciated that more than two tubular members can be employed with the crutch, however, the use of two members simplifies construction and operation of the crutch.

A sealing ring 17 is arranged at one end of the first tubular member and prevents the end 16 of the second tubular member from being displaced out from the first tubular member. In addition, the sealing ring combines with the closed end 16 and the exterior of the second tubular member to enclose and seal a variable volume chamber 18 within the first tubular member (ie.

with the second tubular member being slidable within this chamber) An actuating means in the form of motor-driven pneumatic pump 20 is mounted to the exterior of the first 20 tubular member using a pair of straps 21 and so as to be accessible to and activatable by a user of the crutch (ie. through hand engagement and activation). The pump 20 is in fluid communication with the chamber via tube 22, which is fabricated from a material suitable for the 25 transfer of relatively high pressure air. In some embodiments pressures of up to 50 psi may be generated (providing a lifting capacity for a person of weight on the crutch of up to about 140 kg) a. ~In addition, the pump 20 is driven by a variable speed motor 24 (which may for convenience be a rechargeable battery-driven variable speed drill). The motor includes a handle 26 for grasping by a user of the crutch into which is recessed a trigger 28 to be engaged by a user's finger for control (eg. variable speed control) by the user, usually through depression of the trigger.

Also in fluid communication with the chamber is a second tube 30 which extends therefrom to a second S:23900B 5 similar or like crutch (not shown) so that only one motor-driven pneumatic pump is required (ie. on the first crutch).

That end of the first tubular member opposite the sealing ring is provided with rest 32 which is adapted for being comfortably received in a user's hand (and/or for resting in the armpit of a user) during use and is preferably padded. When a user's hand is placed on rest 32, a release valve 33 can be engaged by a user's finger to release pressure in chamber 18 to enable collapsing of the crutch. This release valve can be provided at other suitable positions (eg. in tube 22, in pump 20 etc); or pressure release may be achieved by eg. reversing the motor 24 to progressively lower the crutch etc.

The free end 34 of the second tubular member is provided with a flat foot 36 pivotally mounted thereto via a ball and socket mounting arrangement 38. The flat foot is prevented from a loose mounting at the ball and socket by the employment of a pair of restoration springs 40, each mounted between a respective free end of the flat foot and a tube-clamping bracket 42. The restoration springs function to generally maintain the flat foot in an orthogonal orientation with respect to the second tubular member 14 and aid the user when 25 walking on the crutch. The underside of the flat foot 36 can be provided with a suitable textured suyface for grip (eg. resilient polymeric rubber ribs).

Figures 1 and 2 show the collapsible crutch in a fully extended position. However, referring to Figure 3, a collapsed configuration of the crutch 10 is shown.

Referring to Figures 3 and 4, a user 50 (eg. a wheelchair-bound paraplegic user) is shown seated in a wheelchair 52. The collapsible crutch 10 can be clipped to the wheelchair frame through an appropriate releasable wheelchair clipping bracket arrangement (not shown specifically). When clipped to the wheelchair, the second tubular member is retracted sufficiently such that foot 36 does not scrape or drag along the ground when the S:23900B 6wheelchair is moved. The collapsible crutch is also positioned for easy access of handle 26 and trigger 28 by the user 50 when seated in the wheelchair.

The user can be provided with a supporting harness 54, that assists a user to distribute their weight when standing in the erect position, possibly even allowing the user to walk with a pair of extended collapsible crutches. In this regard, a pair of lateral connecting pieces may extend, each between a respective harness side and a given collapsible crutch to function to transfer the bulk of the user's weight onto the crutch, rather than through the user's arms and legs. The harness is provided with a pair of armpit rests 56 to provide a more comfortable mounting of the harness to the user, and to easily facilitate weight distribution through the harness. These rests can be mounted to rests 32 or alternatively may be contiguous with (eg. the same as) rests 32 on the crutch In use, a user activates the pneumatic pump 20 by grasping handle 26 and depressing the trigger 28. This causes the pump to pump air through tube 22 and into chamber 18 where it is compressed. The compressed air impinges upon closed end 16 of member 14, (which then acts as a piston), so that it is driven downwardly in chamber 18 (ie. causing the second tubular member to progressively extend outwardly from the sealing ring end of the first tubular member). Thus, the length of the collapsible crutch is progressively increased.

When attached to a wheelchair, the foot 36 engages the ground, whilst the user grasps the rest 32, thus through crutch extension the user is progressively lifted from the position shown in Figure 3 to the position shown in Figure 4. At the same time, the crutch on the other side of the wheelchair of Figure 3 is driven upwardly at the same rate as air also enters tube 30 and passes into the chamber of the second crutch (ie. by causing a similar downward driving action on second tubular member 14 of that crutch).

S:23900B 7 When in the erect position shown in Figure 4, the user can practise walking by rocking backwardly and forwardly; a supportive rocking action is facilitated by the action of restoration springs 40 on foot 36 (ie.

which provide a resistance against toppling of the collapsible crutch).

The crutch shown in Figures 3 and 4 is shown in use primarily as a walking stick, but the crutch can also function as a full length crutch (ie. for engagement under the armpit of a user) by appropriate adjustment and dimensioning of the apparatus. Thus the collapsible crutch can be used both as a variable height full length crutch, and as a walking stick.

Components of the crutch can be formed from metal and/or plastics material as appropriate, with plastics being preferred where possible to reduce weight of the device. The crutch can find application with all types of handicapped people, and also people recovering from injuries such as broken legs, hip damage, foot damage, torso damage etc.

Whilst a motor-driven pneumatic pump has been shown as the preferred actuating means, primarily because of its ease of use and safety, other types of suitable actuating means could be employed, including motor-driven rack and pinion-type gearing, electrically-driven telescopic-type mechanisms (ie. as employed with power aerials in automobiles), hydraulic ram-type arrangements, and mechanical spring-type arrangements.

A crutch employing two tubular members has been described, but crutches employing more than two tubular members (eg. in telescopic arrangement) could also be employed especially where greater height in the extended form is required.

Whilst the invention has been described with reference to a number of preferred embodiments it should be appreciated that the invention can be embodied in many other forms.

S:23900B

Claims (8)

1. 2. A crutch as claimed in claim i, wherein the actuating means is arranged to be activatable by a user of oooo 20 the crutch.
2. 3. A crutch as claimed in claim 2, wherein the actuating means includes a release valve that is activatable by a user of the crutch and is located at a given position in a fluid circuit between the chamber and the actuating means, the release thereof reducing fluid ou pressure in the chamber to enable the second section to •go• :slid within the first section towards the collapsed S" position. ooo•
3. 4. A crutch as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, 30 wherein activation of the pneumatic pump is controlled by a :e switch accessible to the user. A crutch as claimed in claim 4, wherein the pneumatic pump driven by a variable speed motor and the switch is a trigger that can be variably depressed by the user to control the motor speed.
4. 6. A crutch as claimed in either one of claims 4 or wherein a second, like collapsible crutch is provided H:\Isabe1H\Speci\31077.doc 9 that is in fluid communication with the actuating means of the first crutch such that extension and collapse in the second crutch occurs simultaneously with the first crutch.
5. 7. A crutch as claimed in claim 6, wherein a fluid pipe extends between the chambers of the first and second crutches to facilitate the fluid communication.
6. 8. A crutch as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein a foot end of the second section opposite to the piston end is provided with a foot pivotally mounted thereto and adapted for supporting the crutch on the ground in use.
7. 9. A crutch as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the piston end is received in the first section at an open end thereof, and an opposing support end of the first section is provided with an armpit rest that is mounted thereto and is adapted for being received in the hand and/or armpit of a user. A crutch as claimed in any one of the preceding claims including releasable clip-fastening means for r releasably fastening the or each crutch to a wheelchair when in the collapsed position.
8. 11. A collapsible crutch substantially as herein *:so described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Dated this 27 th day of June 2000 4 a *go* ALEX MONAGHAN By his Patent Attorney a' 30 GRIFFITH HACK S.q S S oa H:\MaraR\Keep\Speci\P31077.doc