Handle assembly for an adjustable multi-purpose crutch
OwnerWilliam H. Bakerinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The invention is for a handle assembly for an adjustable crutch having two upper tubes each of which slides inside one of two lower tubes to adjust the height of the crutch. The handle assembly has a body, a lever attached to the outside of the body; and two locking pins positioned inside the body. Each locking pin is mechanically coupled to the lever and each locking pin is normally biased through tube holes formed in the upper tubes and through tube openings defined in the lower tubes to prevent the sliding of the upper tubes inside the lower tubes. The depression of the lever causes the locking pins to retract from the tube holes and the tube openings such that a user may slide the upper tube inside the lower tube to change the crutch height.
Claims12
A handle assembly for an adjustable crutch having two upper tubes each of which slides inside one of two lower tubes to adjust the height of the crutch, the handle assembly comprising:
- (a) a body, wherein the body comprises:
- a generally cylindrical palm grip around which a user wraps a palm of his hand to grip the body;
- a generally vertical front post
- a generally vertical rear post;
- a web which a web of the hand of the user contacts when the user grips the body;
- and
- a thumb rest upon which the user positions a thumb to more securely grip the body of the handle assembly, and wherein the body further comprises a gripping contour surface, wherein a plane tangent to the gripping contour surface forms a gripping angle with an imaginary line that is parallel to a center line of either one of the lower tubes, and wherein the gripping angle has a value between seventy and seventy-five degrees to reduce rolling and twisting motions of the user's hand and wrist while gripping the handle assembly;
- (b) a lever attached to the outside of the body;
- and
- (c) two locking pins positioned inside the body, wherein each locking pin is mechanically coupled to the lever, wherein each locking pin is normally positioned through tube holes formed in the upper tubes and through tube openings defined in the lower tubes to prevent the sliding of the upper tubes inside the lower tubes, and wherein the depression of the lever causes the locking pins to retract from the tube holes and the tube openings such that a user may slide the upper tube inside the lower tube.
A handle assembly for an adjustable crutch, wherein the adjustable crutch has two upper tubes having tube holes defined therein, and two lower tubes with tube openings defined therein, wherein each of the upper tubes slides inside one of the two lower tubes, the handle assembly comprising:
- (a) a body;
- (b) a lever having a thumb portion and a bore defined in the lever;
- (c) a spindle with a cylindrical round portion and with diametrically opposed paddles, wherein the diametrically opposed paddles comprise an upper paddle and a lower paddle, and wherein the spindle cylindrical round portion fits into the bore formed in the lever;
- (d) a slide with a paddle-engaging portion at a slide first end and an angle piece at a slide second end;
- (e) a first and second locking pin, each locking pin having a notch defined therein, wherein the lower paddle fits into the notch formed in the first locking pin, and wherein the slide angle piece fits into the notch formed in the second locking pin;
- (f) a compression spring positioned between the first and second locking pins wherein the compression spring biases the first and second locking pin in an extended position;
- (g) wherein, when the locking pins are in the extended position, the locking pins are positioned through the tube openings and the tube holes to prevent sliding of the upper tubes in the lower tubes;
- and
- (h) wherein when the lever is depressed, the spindle rotates and the locking pins are moved to a retracted position such that a user may slide the upper tubes inside the lower tubes to adjust a height of the crutch.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.