Motion limiter for short leg walker
First Claim
1. A motion limiter for a short leg walker of the type having an upper member joined to a lower member to permit relative movement therebetween, the motion limiter comprising:
- a shaft having a first end, a second end, a length therebetween and defining a cross section, the second shaft end adapted to be pivotally attached to a chosen one of the upper and lower members;
a guide having upper and lower surfaces and defining a hole therethrough sized to accommodate the cross section of said shaft, the guide adapted to be pivotally attached to the unchosen one of the upper and lower members;
said shaft being disposed within said hole whereby a sliding movement of the shaft through said guide is permitted as the first and second members move relative to one another; and
first and second stop members positioned along the shaft on either side of the guide to limit the movement of the shaft through the guide thereby limiting the range of motion of the upper member relative to the lower member, at least said first stop member being adjustably positionable along the shaft to adjust said range of motion.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A motion limiter (2) for use with a short leg walker (4) includes a threaded shaft (20) passing freely through a hole (42) in a sliding block or guide (36) that is pivotally attached preferably to an upper part (6) of the walker. The lower end (28) of the shaft is preferably pivotally mounted in a recess (34) in the lower portion (10) of the walker and the remainder of the shaft is free to slide within the hole in the sliding block within a recess (26) in the upper part of the walker. The position of stop members (64, 68), threaded to the shaft above and below the block, determine the amount or fraction of the shaft permitted to pass through the hole in the sliding block. As the stop members are positioned along the shaft relatively far apart from one another, a greater length of the threaded shaft is permitted to pass through the sliding block, thereby increasing the range of motion of the walker. Conversely, as the stop members are moved relatively closer together, the range of motion decreases. If the stop members are positioned so as to abut the sliding block, no range of motion is permitted. The stop members may be positioned by a user without using tools.
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Citations
21 Claims
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1. A motion limiter for a short leg walker of the type having an upper member joined to a lower member to permit relative movement therebetween, the motion limiter comprising:
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a shaft having a first end, a second end, a length therebetween and defining a cross section, the second shaft end adapted to be pivotally attached to a chosen one of the upper and lower members; a guide having upper and lower surfaces and defining a hole therethrough sized to accommodate the cross section of said shaft, the guide adapted to be pivotally attached to the unchosen one of the upper and lower members; said shaft being disposed within said hole whereby a sliding movement of the shaft through said guide is permitted as the first and second members move relative to one another; and first and second stop members positioned along the shaft on either side of the guide to limit the movement of the shaft through the guide thereby limiting the range of motion of the upper member relative to the lower member, at least said first stop member being adjustably positionable along the shaft to adjust said range of motion. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 9)
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5. A motion limiter for a short leg walker of the type having an upper member joined to a lower member to permit relative movement therebetween, the motion limiter comprising:
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a threaded shaft having an upper end, a lower end, a length therebetween and defining a cross section, the lower shaft end adapted to be pivotally attached to the lower member; a guide having upper and lower surfaces and defining a hole therethrough sized to accommodate the cross section of said shaft, the guide adapted to be pivotally attached to the upper member; said shaft being disposed within said hole whereby a sliding movement of the shaft through said guide is permitted as the first and second members move relative to one another; and a first stop member defining a threaded opening sized to threadably engage said shaft, the first stop member being threadably attached to said shaft between the upper surface of said guide and the upper end of said shaft; the position of said first stop member on said shaft determining an upper portion of the shaft length permitted to slide through said hole in said guide so as to limit a range of motion of the upper member relative to the lower member. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7)
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8. A motion limiter for a short leg walker of the type having an upper member joined to a lower member to permit relative movement therebetween, the motion limiter comprising:
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a shaft having a first end, a second end, a length therebetween and defining a cross section, and adapted to be pivotally attached at the second shaft end to a chosen one of the upper and lower members; a guide having upper and lower surfaces and defining a hole therethrough sized to accommodate the cross section of said shaft, the guide being adapted to be pivotally attached to the unchosen one of the upper and lower members; said shaft being disposed within said hole whereby a sliding movement of the shaft through said guide is permitted as the first and second members move relative to one another; and means for limiting a portion of the shaft length permitted to slide through said hole in said guide as the first and second walker members move relative to one another, so as to correspondingly limit a range of motion of the walker determined by the portion of the shaft length permitted to slide through said hole in said guide.
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10. A short leg walker with an adjustable limit of range of motion, comprising:
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an upper member sized to receive a user'"'"'s lower leg; a lower member sized to receive a user'"'"'s foot; means for joining the lower member to the upper member to permit relative movement therebetween; a shaft having a first end, a second end, a length therebetween and defining a cross section, the second shaft end being pivotally attached to a chosen one of the upper and lower members; a guide having upper and lower surfaces and defining a hole therethrough sized to accommodate the cross section of said shaft, the guide being pivotally attached to the unchosen one of the upper and lower members; said shaft being disposed within said hole to permit sliding movement of the shaft through said guide as the first and second members move relative to one another; first and second stop members positioned along the shaft on either side of the guide to limit the movement of the shaft through the guide thereby limiting the range of motion of the upper member relative to the lower member, at least said first stop member being adjustably positionable along the shaft to adjust said range of motion. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A short leg walker with an adjustable limit of range of motion, comprising:
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an upper member sized to receive a user'"'"'s lower leg; a lower member sized to receive a user'"'"'s foot; means for joining the lower member to the upper member to permit relative movement therebetween; a threaded shaft having an upper end, a lower end, a length therebetween and defining a cross section, the lower shaft end being pivotally attached to the lower member; a guide having upper and lower surfaces and defining a hole therethrough sized to accommodate the cross section of said shaft, the guide being pivotally attached to the upper member; said shaft being disposed within said hole to permit sliding movement of the shaft through said guide as the first and second members move relative to one another; and a first stop member defining a threaded opening sized to threadably engage said shaft, the first stop member being threadably attached to said shaft between the upper surface of said guide and the upper end of said shaft; the position of said first stop member on said shaft determining a fraction of an upper shaft length permitted to slide through said hole in said guide so as to limit a range of motion of said walker. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18)
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19. A method for limiting motion in a short leg walker of the type having an upper member joined to a lower member to permit relative movement therebetween, the method comprising:
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pivotally attaching a shaft at a lower shaft end to the lower member of the walker; pivotally attaching a guide to the upper member of the walker, the guide defining a through hole sized to allow said shaft to slide therethrough; disposing said shaft such that an upper portion thereof slides through said hole in said guide as the upper and lower members of the walker are moved relative to one another; limiting an amount of the shaft permitted to slide through said hole as the upper and lower members of the walker are moved relative to one another, so as to limit a range of motion of the walker. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21)
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Specification