U.S. patent application number 10/447905 was filed with the patent office on 2004-12-30 for illuminated cane.
Invention is credited to Roberts, Hess M..
Application Number | 20040264172 10/447905 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 33543939 |
Filed Date | 2004-12-30 |
United States Patent
Application |
20040264172 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Roberts, Hess M. |
December 30, 2004 |
Illuminated cane
Abstract
An illuminated cane, having a shaft arranged between a handle
and lower end cap, the shaft may be solid or tubular formed, having
a light source provided therein, and which light source may be
permanently illuminated, by depressing of a button, or ignition
switch, to illuminate the light and light the entire height of the
shaft for the cane, or the light may be turned on either by
depressing a switch in the vicinity of the hand grip or actuating a
push button at the bottom of the cane, as when the cane is rested
upon the surface of the ground. Or, a flasher may be included
within the structure of the light source, which may include a
battery, spring, ignition switch, or even a flasher, to provide for
either permanent, temporary, or blinking lighting, along the height
of the cane shaft.
Inventors: |
Roberts, Hess M.; (St.
Louis, MO) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Paul M. Denk
763 S. New Ballas Road
St. Louis
MO
63141
US
|
Family ID: |
33543939 |
Appl. No.: |
10/447905 |
Filed: |
May 29, 2003 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60383701 |
May 29, 2002 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
362/102 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A45B 3/04 20130101; A45B
9/04 20130101; A45B 2009/005 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
362/102 |
International
Class: |
A45B 003/02 |
Claims
1. An illuminated cane including a shaft portion that extends a
sufficient heighth to allow for support for its user, said shaft
being at least in part formed of a transparent material, the upper
end of the shaft having a handle portion, the bottom end of the
shaft having a lower end, and illuminating means including a light
means provided within the transparent shaft, which when
illuminated, provides for lighting of the cane to provide for
cautioning to those in the surrounding area the presence of an
invalid, aged, or handicapped person.
2. The illuminated cane of claim 1 wherein the shaft is formed of
fluted material to provide for enhanced reflection of light.
3. The illuminated cane of claim 1 wherein a switch is provided in
the handle, and which when initiated, provides for illumination of
the light means within the cane.
4. The illuminated cane of claim 3 and including battery means,
which when contacted, provides for illumination of the cane light
means.
5. The illuminated cane of claim 1 wherein a lower cap provided
upon the lower end of the cane, said lower cap is shiftable
relative to the shaft upon which it mounts, the lower cap having
switch means provided therein, which when contacted, provides for
energization and lighting of the lighting means.
6. The illuminated cane of claim 2 wherein the flutes provided upon
the transparent shaft is etched therein.
7. The illuminated cane of claim 6 wherein the etching extends the
full heighth of the transparent shaft.
8. The illuminated cane of claim 5 wherein the lower cap includes a
spring, said spring normally biasing said light into a
non-illuminated condition, and when the illuminated cane is
pressured upon the ground, against the bias of the spring, the
battery energizes the light for illumination.
9. The illuminated cane of claim 1 wherein the handle is threadedly
engaged by means of a metal band to the cane shaft.
10. The illuminated cane of claim 5, and including a push button
provided extending from the lower cap of the cane, the push button
normally biasing against the spring, to provide for contact of the
battery means with the light to furnish its illumination, whereby
upon raising of the cane off of the ground, the spring breaks
contact with the battery and deenergizes the light into
non-illumination.
11. The illuminated cane of claim 6, wherein the etching is
arranged horizontally upon the transparent shaft.
12. The illuminated cane of claim 6, wherein the etching is
provided spirally upon the transparent shaft.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application is based upon the provisional patent
application having Ser. No. 60/383,701 which was filed on May 29,
2002.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] As is well known in the art, canes have long been used as a
means for assisting the invalid, and more particularly, have added
further indicia, generally relating either to red or white
markings, upon the cane, to indicate that the user is blind, or
legally blind. Such canes are all the blind person possesses as a
means for indicating to those in the immediate vicinity that the
person is substantially impaired, is being directed by the cane in
an effort to motivate, and to provide a caution to all of those
nearby, and particularly the motorists, that extreme caution should
be undertaken to assist the person in attempting to move about the
vicinity.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0003] This invention contemplates means for providing further
warning to anyone in the vicinity of a blind person, the aged, or
the invalid, that the party displaying the cane of this invention,
which illuminates, is in need of extreme caution on the part of
those nearby, whether they be walking, driving a vehicle, or other
means of motivation, to use caution to protect the invalid against
being bumped, hit, or injured. This invention includes basically a
cane structure, having a handle part, connecting with a transparent
or translucent generally cylindrical material, incorporating means
for illuminating the interior of the cylindrical tube is provided,
and lighted, so as to provide a highly visible display to all
within the vicinity that the person using the cane, requires
attention, some degree of care, so as to avoid any impact,
particularly when the invalid is attempting to cross the street,
and thereby one must exercise extreme safety, generally cautioned
through the illumination of the tube of the cane, as can be
understood. The cane includes further means for illuminating its
interior, and the transparent or translucent material may have
certain indicia provided thereon, or be molded or cut to provide
grooves, and function in the manner of a fiber optic, so as to
illuminate the grooved surfaces, to add further enhanced lighting
to the cane for displaying a warning or cautioning to those in the
vicinity of the plight of its user and owner.
[0004] Further means are provided to furnish the energization of
the light, and this can be either a form of a switch means, that
ignites the light permanently until shut off, or has a
manipulatable button means, that can ignite the light when the cane
lower cap is depressed against the sidewalk, roadway, or other
surface, for providing momentary illumination of the light until
such time as the pressure of the cane is released, upon its lifting
off of the ground. Other means may be provided to furnish such
illumination, such as batteries, spring means that cooperates with
a finger button to furnish a lighting of the lamp, and yet
immediately shut it off when the cane's button or switch is
released.
[0005] Hence the principal object of this invention is to provide a
cane that furnishes illumination, along its height, to function as
a cautionary warning to those in the immediate vicinity of the
plight of its user and owner.
[0006] Another object of this invention is to provide a transparent
or translucent tubular portion for a cane, which may be lighted
interiorly, to further display a cautionary warning to those in the
immediate vicinity.
[0007] Yet another object of this invention is to provide an
illuminated cane that may be lighted permanently or which may have
temporary lighting as the cane is pressed upon the ground, or
perhaps even a thumb switch that either permanently or temporarily
lights the emergency light located within the cane structure.
[0008] These and other objects may become more apparent to those
skilled in the art upon review of the summary as provided herein,
and upon undertaking a study of the description of its preferred
embodiment in view of the drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
[0009] In referring to the drawing, FIG. 1 is a side view of the
illuminated cane of this invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0010] In referring to the drawings, and in particular FIG. 1, the
cane 1 of this invention is readily disclosed. It includes its
handle portion 2, which may be to any shape or configuration,
generally to provide some type of a pistol grip to facilitate its
grasping and holding by the user. The cane includes a shank or
shaft which is formed preferably of tubular or cylindrical material
3, generally having a hollow interior, generally as noted at 4,
although it is conceivable that the shaft may be formed of a solid
transparent type of material, such as a polymer, and which is
designed for the reflecting of light therethrough, in a manner of a
fiber optic.
[0011] In the preferred embodiment, though, the hollow tube 3,
forming the shaft for the cane extends the full height of the cane,
from its handle portion 2, down to its lower cap 5, as can be
noted. The lower cap 5 is designed to provide for a friction fit
over the bottom end of the shaft 3 as can be seen. In addition,
mounted in the bottom of the tubular portion is the illuminating
means, comprising the light 6, at least one battery 7, a spring 8,
which normally maintains the light out of contact with the battery,
and lower pin or push button 9, which is known in the art has a
retaining flange 10 integrally formed thereof. As the lower part of
the push button 9 is depressed, as when the cane is pressed upon a
surface, or the ground, the button 9 forces the battery 7 upwardly,
contacting the bottom of the retained light 6, to illuminate it and
to provide for a glow of light upwardly through the tubular portion
3, forming the shaft of the shown cane.
[0012] Obviously many variations could be made to the structure of
this device. For example, instead of being a white light it could
be a red lamp, in order to provide a red glow throughout the
interior 4 of the shaft 3. This would provide an illuminated
caution to anyone in proximity with the user of the cane. In
addition, it is just as likely that the light source disclosed
herein may comprise a series of light emitting diodes, which may
extend its strand along the height of the shaft 3, and perhaps the
strand could be twisted so that the LEDs, when lighted, will be
displayed at all angles along the height of the cane, in order to
provide a lighted caution to those within the vicinity. The LEDs
may be white light, red light, or any light that is considered the
proper caution to warn others that the user of the cane is impaired
and needs protection.
[0013] In addition to the foregoing, the light at the bottom of the
cane, rather than being a temporarily illumination device, the push
button 9 may operate a switch which can permanently light the
light, once illuminated, and when the push button compresses
against it a second time, can provide for its turn off. Likewise,
it is just as likely that a related type of switch could be
provided at the upper segment, as in the vicinity of the portion
11, to provide a push button at that location, or at least one that
will extend down to the upper end of the shaft, to illuminate a
light located thereat, similar to the light structure 6, as
previously explained. And, the push button, which may be compressed
by the thumb, or the hand, could retain the light illuminated so
long as pressure is applied to such an upper arranged push button,
or the button may be used to compress a switch, that permanently
illuminates the approximate lamp, at the upper end of the shaft,
and keeps it on until such time as the switch is de-energized,
through a second depressing of such a push button switch arranged
at that location.
[0014] In addition to the foregoing, and as previously summarized,
it is likely that the length of the shaft may be either molded or
cut with a spiral type of groove, cross-hatch type grooves, or to
any design or configuration, and which grooves may function as a
fiber optic type of means, for redirecting the light, out the
surface of the grooves, in the manner as a scintillating fiber
optic, and which can provide for a greater illumination of the
cane, throughout the length of its shaft, as can be understood.
[0015] These are examples as to how the structure of this
illuminated cane may be fabricated, to greatly enhance the warning
provided to those in the near vicinity that the user of the cane
may be blind, or have other impairment, or be an invalid, and that
extreme caution must be undertaken by those in the approximate
area, so as to prevent harm to the cane user.
[0016] Variations or modifications to the subject matter of this
invention may occur to those skilled in the art upon reviewing the
description of the development as provided herein. Any variations
or modifications, if within the spirit of the development as
provided herein, are intended to be encompassed within the scope of
the invention as disclosed. The description of the preferred
embodiment, as depicted in the drawings, is set forth for
illustrative purposes only.
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