A mobile, rehabilitative walker, configured for use outdoors on an irregular and rough support surface, the walker comprising:
- a support frame, configured for supporting a person in an upright position including a plurality of frame members defining opposite sides, a front between the sides, an open rear end opposite the front, and an interior space bounded by the plurality of frame members and accessible through the open rear end, the open rear end and interior space being sized for receiving a wheelchair and for receiving a user and configured for allowing leg movement of the user, the plurality of frame members including
- a plurality of upwardly extending columns, extending to a height above the person,
- a plurality of lateral rails, attached to and extending between the columns including lower rails attached to lower ends of the columns providing a base for the columns, and a rotatable upper rail attached to upper ends of the columns and located directly over the interior space of the frame;
- a plurality of wheels, rotatably coupled to the support frame and elevating the support frame above the support surface, the wheels being configured for multidirectional movement on the irregular and rough support surface and having a diameter sized to reduce friction between the wheels and the support surface and sized to easily roll over the irregular and rough surface;
- a pair of hand grips, directly attached to and extending inwardly from opposite columns into the interior space, and configured for being grasped and held by the user's hands;
- a support harness, vertically suspended from the rotatable upper rail of the support frame, configured for securing about the user's body, such that the support harness, and thus the user, is suspended in the interior space of the frame;
- at least one suspension strap, coupled to the rotatable upper rail and releasably coupled to the support harness, configured to be drawn upward by the upper rail when the upper rail rotates in a lifting direction;
- a safety seat, separate from the support harness, suspended from the frame and positioned and configured for passing between the user's legs, having a front strap coupled to and between the front of the frame and the seat, and a rear strap coupled to the seat and releasably coupled to the rear of the frame, such that the rear strap may be selectively coupled and uncoupled to the rear of the frame to secure and remove the user from the frame, respectively;
- and
- a crank mechanism, attached to the frame and coupled to the rotatable upper rail, configured to rotate the upper rail in the lifting direction to cause the suspension strap to be drawn up therearound, and to resist undesired opposite rotation of the upper rail, the crank mechanism including:
- a selectively engageable ratchet wheel, disposed on an axle substantially parallel to the upper rail;
- a crank shaft, having a handle disposed near the rear end of the frame;
- a right-angle reduction gear system, coupled between the crank shaft and the axle;
- a lower sprocket, attached to the axle;
- an upper sprocket, attached to the rotatable upper rail;
- an endless chain, interconnecting the lower sprocket and the upper sprocket;
- the crank mechanism being configured such that applying a relatively small rotational force in a lifting direction upon the handle causes the upper rail to rotate with a relatively large rotational force in the lifting direction, to thereby allow lifting of a portion of the user's weight.