Walker and carrier therefor

• US 4,676,416 A
• Filed: 06/06/1986
• Issued: 06/30/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/1986
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Carol A. Harmon
• Original Assignee: Carol A. Harmon
• Inventors: Harmon, Carol A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Marcus, Stephen
• Application Number:
  US06/871,258
• Time in Patent Office: 389 Days
• Field of Search: 297/5, 297/6, 297/DIG. 4, 135/67, 224/32 R, 224/32 A, 224/35, 224/36, 224/253, 224/42.46 R, 224/901, 150/55, 150/127, 150/129, 150/130, 150/50, 383/121
• US Class Current: 224/407
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2003/004 Trays
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 3/00 Appliances for aiding patients or disabled persons to walk about apparatus for helping babies to walk A47D13/04; orthopaedic devices for correcting deformities of, or supporting, limbs A61F5/0102; exercising apparatus for the feet or toes A63B23/10; stairways or ramps E04F11/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 297/04 Wheelchair

Abstract

An invalid walker and carrier therefor, wherein the carrier is constructed so as to be readily collapsible and portable, and to provide for greater utility and purpose; and which is constructed so that it can be detachably connected to any of the more popular walkers. The carrier includes a bottom panel having a connected circumscribing side wall, both of which are formed from flexible sheet fabric type materials, wherein the bottom panel is formed with a co-extensive pocket for detachably receiving a rigid member for stabilizing the carrier. The carrier is also provided with straps to form hanging loops for suspending the carrier from the upper frame portion of the walker. The hanging loops or straps are arranged so that the carrier can be readily attached to any of the popular walker constructions so that the carrier is disposed within the area defined by the leg members of the walker.

Claims

1. In combination with an invalid walker of various known standard construction that includes a horizontally disposed upper frame member having opposed side frame portions which may or may not include an interconnecting cross piece, and a plurality of rectangularly disposed leg members connected to said upper frame member, a readily collapsable and light weight portable carrier for holding various articles adapted to be readily attached to said various standard walkers,

said carrier comprising a flexible rectangularly shaped bottom panel formed of a readily washable material sized to fit within the area defined by the rectangularly disposed leg members of said standard walkers,

a flexible circumscribing end wall panel formed of a washable material connected to the peripheral portions of said flexible bottom panel to define rectangularly disposed end wall portions,

a pocket panel formed of washable material connected in overlying relationship to said bottom panel to define an open ended pocket,

a rigid board member removably mounted in said pocket to provide rigidity to said bottom panel,

and a plurality of hanging straps formed of a readily washable material circumferentially spaced about said end wall panel,

each of said straps having one end fixedly connected to said circumscribing end wall panel adjacent to the corner portions thereof,

and each of said straps having a free end which is adapted to be reversely folded over the upper frame member of a walker,

and fastening means for detachably securing the free end of the respective strap whereby said carrier is suspendedly supported from said upper frame member so as to be disposed within the area of the rectangularly disposed leg members so that the weight of the carrier and articles carried thereby is distributed over the center of gravity of the walker,

said fastening means including complementary interlocking fabric type fasteners,

said rectangularly disposed end wall portions defining a front and rear end wall portion interconnected by a pair of opposed end, end wall portions,

and whereby said plurality of straps include a pair of straps spacially connected to said front end wall portion adjacent the opposed ends thereof, and a strap connected to each of said end, end wall portions adjacent the end thereof remote from said front end wall portion whereby said straps are rectangularly disposed so that said pair of straps connected to said front end wall portion of said carrier can be optionally secured to either the opposed side frame portions or interconnecting cross piece of a walker depending upon the construction thereof, and each of said other strap being securable to the opposed side frame portion so that said carrier is rendered universally adaptable for connection to the upper frame member of a given walker construction.