U.S. patent application number 11/138610 was filed with the patent office on 2006-12-14 for rolling knee support with detachable knee pad.
Invention is credited to Mark P. Legenstein.
Application Number | 20060277642 11/138610 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 37522688 |
Filed Date | 2006-12-14 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060277642 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Legenstein; Mark P. |
December 14, 2006 |
Rolling knee support with detachable knee pad
Abstract
A rolling knee support comprises a base with a detachable knee
pad. The base includes a knee pad receiving portion and roller
attachment portions. Each of the roller attachment portions has a
caster mounted thereto. The knee pad is detachably mounted to the
knee pad receiving portion. A strap extends from the rolling knee
support for attachment of the rolling knee support to a wearer's
knee area.
Inventors: |
Legenstein; Mark P.;
(Lancaster, PA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BARLEY SNYDER
PO BOX 1559
LANCASTER
PA
17608-1559
US
|
Family ID: |
37522688 |
Appl. No.: |
11/138610 |
Filed: |
May 26, 2005 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
2/24 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A41D 13/065
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
002/024 |
International
Class: |
A41D 13/06 20060101
A41D013/06 |
Claims
1. A rolling knee support, comprising: a base including a knee pad
receiving portion and roller attachment portions, each of the
roller attachment portions having a caster mounted thereto; a knee
pad detachably mounted to the knee pad receiving portion; and a
strap extending from the rolling knee support for attachment of the
rolling knee support to a wearer's knee area.
2. The rolling knee support of claim 1, wherein the knee pad
includes a shell and a cushion.
3. The rolling knee support of claim 2, wherein the strap extends
around a bottom surface of the shell and is attached thereto.
4. The rolling knee support of claim 2, wherein the cushion
includes a knee receiving area and a shin receiving area.
5. The rolling knee support of claim 2, wherein the cushion
includes a plurality of cavities.
6. The rolling knee support of claim 2, wherein the cushion
substantially covers the shell.
7. The rolling knee support of claim 2, wherein the shell includes
shell support ribs.
8. The rolling knee support of claim 1, wherein the knee pad
receiving portion is substantially concave in shape.
9. The rolling knee support of claim 1, wherein the base is molded
from a plastic material.
10. The rolling knee support of claim 1, wherein the knee pad
receiving portion includes first and second latching projections
for securing the knee pad to the base.
11. The rolling knee support of claim 1, wherein the knee pad
includes a release member for detaching the knee pad from the knee
pad receiving portion.
12. The rolling knee support of claim 1, wherein the knee pad
receiving portion includes a knee support area and a shin support
area.
13. The rolling knee support of claim 1, wherein the base includes
a base support ribs.
14. The rolling knee support of claim 1, wherein the knee pad
receiving portion and the roller attachment portions are formed
from a single piece of material.
15. The rolling knee support of claim 1, wherein the castors are
arranged in a substantially triangular shape.
16. A knee pad, comprising: a shell having a top surface and a
bottom surface; a cushion attached to a top surface of the shell;
and a strap extending from the shell for attaching the knee pad to
a wearer's knee.
17. The knee pad of claim 16, wherein the strap extends around the
bottom surface of the shell.
18. The knee pad of claim 16, wherein the shell includes shell
support ribs formed on the bottom surface thereof.
19. The knee pad of claim 16, wherein the cushion includes a knee
receiving area and a shin receiving area.
20. The knee pad of claim 19, wherein the cushion substantially
covers the shell.
21. The knee pad of claim 16, wherein the cushion includes a
plurality of cavities.
22. The knee pad of claim 16, wherein the shell is formed from a
substantially rigid material.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The invention generally relates to a rolling knee support
and, more particularly, relates to a rolling knee support having a
detachable knee pad.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Knee pads are designed to cushion and protect a wearer's
knee area when the wearer is kneeling on a support surface. Some
types of knee pads comprise only a cushion to protect the wearer's
knee area while other types of knee pads comprise a cushion that
directly or indirectly contacts the wearer's knee area and a shell
that contacts the support surface. Still other types of knee pads
have a base to facilitate rolling the knee pad along the support
surface. These rolling knee supports are designed to protect the
wearer's knee area while also providing the wearer with a degree of
mobility while the wearer is kneeling. The rolling knee support is
attached to the wearer's knee area so that wearer is able to rise
and kneel back upon the rolling knee support without having to
re-adjust its orientation.
[0003] In conventional rolling knee supports, the knee pad is
permanently attached to the base. Because the knee pad is
permanently attached to the base, the entire rolling knee support
must be replaced if the base and/or the knee pad becomes worn or
damaged. It would therefore be desirable to develop a rolling knee
support where the knee pad is quickly and easily detachable from
the base so that either the base or the knee pad may be replaced
without having to dispose of the remainder of the rolling knee
support.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] The invention provides for a rolling knee support comprising
a base including a knee pad receiving portion and roller attachment
portions. Each of the roller attachment portions has a caster
mounted thereto. A knee pad is detachably mounted to the knee pad
receiving portion. A strap extends from the rolling knee support
for attachment of the rolling knee support to a wearer's knee
area.
[0005] The invention further provides for a knee pad comprising a
shell having a top surface and a bottom surface. A cushion is
attached to a top surface of the shell. A strap extends from the
shell for attaching the knee pad to a wearer's knee.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0006] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a rolling knee support
according to the invention;
[0007] FIG. 2 is a side view of the rolling knee support;
[0008] FIG. 3 is a partial sectional view of the rolling knee
support;
[0009] FIG. 4 is a top perspective view of a knee pad; and
[0010] FIG. 5 is a bottom perspective view of the knee pad.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0011] FIGS. 1-3 show a rolling knee support 1 according to the
invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the rolling knee support 1 comprises
a base 2 with a plurality of casters 3. A knee pad 4 is detachably
mounted to the base 2. The knee pad 4 comprises a shell 5 and a
cushion 6. A strap 7 is attached to the shell 5. The rolling knee
support 1 is secured to a wearer's knee area by the strap 7.
[0012] Each of the individual elements of the rolling knee pad 1
will now be described in greater detail. As shown in FIGS. 1-3, the
base 2 includes a knee pad receiving portion 8 and roller
attachment members 9. The knee pad receiving portion 8 is
substantially concave in shape and consists of a knee support area
19 and a shin support area 10. The shin support area 10 extends
from the knee support area 19 and has a release aperture 11 formed
therein, as best shown in FIG. 3. It will be appreciated by those
skilled in the art that the knee pad receiving portion 8 may
alternatively be formed without the shin support area 10.
[0013] As shown in FIG. 1, first and second latching projections
12, 13, respectively, extend from an inner surface 14 of the base
2. The first latching projections 12 extend toward the knee support
area 19 and are positioned adjacent thereto. The second latching
projections 13 extend from the shin support area 9. It will be
appreciated by those skilled in the art that the first and second
latching projections 12, 13 may alternatively be arranged at other
positions on the knee pad receiving portion 8. Additionally, it
will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that other
attachment mechanisms may be used. As shown in FIG. 2, base support
ribs 15 are formed on an outer surface 16 of the base 2. Although
the base support ribs 15 are only shown as being formed on the knee
pad receiving portion 8, it will be appreciated by those skilled in
the art that the base support ribs 15 may be formed anywhere on the
base 2 to provide additional support for the base 2.
[0014] As shown in FIG. 1, the roller attachment members 9 extend
from the knee pad receiving portion 8. In the illustrated
embodiment, the base 2 has three of the roller attachment members 9
arranged in a substantially triangular shape for adequate mobility
and balance. Although the base 2 is shown as having three of the
roller attachment members 9 in the illustrated embodiment, it will
be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the base 2 could
alternatively have any number of the roller attachment members 9
arranged in various positions. As shown in FIG. 3, each of the
roller attachment members 9 has a slot 17 extending from the outer
surface 16 of the base 2 toward the inner surface 14.
[0015] The base 2 may be formed, for example, by molding a plastic
material, such as polycarbonate. Alternatively, the base 2 may be
made, for example, from metal or wood. Although in the illustrated
embodiment the knee pad receiving portion 8 and the roller
attachment members 9 are integrally formed from a single piece of
material, it will be appreciated by those in the art that the knee
pad receiving portion 8 and the roller attachment members 9 may be
formed separately.
[0016] As shown in FIG. 2, each of the casters 3 consist of a
roller 18 mounted on an axle 33. The axle 33 is mounted to a
housing 20 such that the roller 18 is free to rotate therein. A
support pin 21 extends from the housing 20, as shown in FIG. 3. The
support pin 21 is rotationally mounted in a support shaft 22 such
that the roller 18 is capable of moving in any direction. The
support shaft 22 may be press-fit or otherwise mounted in the slot
17 of the wheel attachment member 9. Although the casters 3 are
described as having a specific structure herein, it will be
appreciated by those skilled in the art that casters are well known
in the art and that other structures are possible and may be
substituted for the structure described herein.
[0017] FIGS. 4-5 show the knee pad 4. As shown in FIGS. 4-5, the
shell 5 of the knee pad 4 substantially corresponds to the knee pad
receiving portion 8 of the base 2. The shell 5 has a top surface 23
and a bottom surface 24. As shown in FIG. 4, the shell 5 has
latching projection receiving apertures 25 corresponding to the
second latching projections 13 of the base 2. As shown in FIG. 5, a
release member 26 that corresponds to the release aperture 11 of
the base 2 extends from the bottom surface 24 of the shell 5. Shell
support ribs 27 are formed adjacent to the release member 26.
Although the shell support ribs 27 are only shown as being formed
only on a portion of the shell 5, it will be appreciated by those
skilled in the art that the shell support ribs 27 may be formed
anywhere on the shell 5 to provide additional support for the shell
5. Strap receiving openings 28 are formed on opposite sides of the
shell 5. The shell 5 may be made, for example, from a plastic
material, such as polypropylene. Alternatively, the shell 5 may be
made, for example, from leather, cloth, or rubber.
[0018] As shown in FIG. 4, the cushion 6 is provided on the top
surface 23 of the shell 5. The cushion 6 has a knee receiving area
34 and a shin receiving area 29. The cushion 6 has a plurality of
cavities 30 that extend from a bottom of the cushion toward the
knee receiving area 34 and shin receiving area 29, as shown in FIG.
3. The cushion 6 may be formed, for example, from a foam material,
such as santoprene or foam polystyrene. Alternatively, the cushion
6 may be formed, for example, from an air pad, a gel pack, or any
other known cushioning material. The cushion 6 may be attached to
the shell 5 by an adhesive (not shown) or any other known
attachment method. Although the cushion 6 is shown as covering
substantially all of the shell 5, it will be appreciated by those
skilled in the art that the cushion 6 could alternatively cover
only a portion of the shell 5.
[0019] As shown in FIG. 5, the strap 7 extends around the bottom
surface 24 of the shell 5. The strap 7 extends through the strap
receiving openings 28, so that the strap 7 is secured to the shell
5. As shown in FIG. 4, the strap 7 has first and second ends 29,
30, respectively. The first end 29 is secured to a fastening member
31. The second end 30 passes through the fastening member 31 such
that the strap 7 may be adjusted to a desired tightness. Although
in the illustrated embodiment the fastening member 31 is shown as a
buckle, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that
other types of conventional fastening members may be used. The
strap 7 may also be formed without a fastening member and/or formed
to be un-adjustable. Additionally, although only one strap is shown
in the illustrated embodiment, it will be appreciated by those
skilled in the art that multiple straps may be used.
[0020] To assemble the rolling knee support 1, the bottom surface
24 of the shell 5 is positioned adjacent to the inner surface 14 of
the base 2 such that the shell 5 aligns with the knee pad receiving
portion 8. The shell 5 is pressed into contact with the base 2 so
that the release member 26 is received in the release aperture 11,
the second latching projections 13 are received in the latching
projection receiving apertures 25, and the top surface 23 of the
shell 5 is received under the first latching projections 12. The
knee pad 4 is thereby secured to the base 2 by the first and second
latching projections 12, 13.
[0021] To detach the knee pad 4 from the base 2, the release member
26 extending through the outer surface 16 of the base 2 is pressed
back through the release aperture 11 such that the shell 5
disengages from the first and second latching projections 12, 13.
Because the knee pad 4 is detachable from the base 2, the knee pad
4 may easily be replaced if the knee pad 4 becomes damaged or worn.
Likewise, the base 2 may be replaced if the base 2 becomes damaged
or worn without having to dispose of the knee pad 4.
[0022] In use, a wearer places the cushion 6 of the knee pad 4
adjacent to or against their knee area. The wearer secures the
strap 7 to their knee area by inserting the second end 30 of the
strap 7 through the fastening member 31 and adjusting the second
end 30 of the strap 7 until the cushion 6 securely rests against
their knee area. The wearer is then capable of standing or kneeling
with the rolling knee pad 1 securely attached to their knee area.
When the wearer is kneeling on a support surface, the rolling knee
support 1 protects the wearer's knee area and enables the wearer to
easily move about the support surface in any desired direction. The
rolling knee support 1 may be used, for example, to protect the
wearer's knee area when performing such functions as laying
flooring, playing sports, etc. Additionally, the cavities 30 in the
cushion 6 provide additional comfort and support for the wearer's
knee area.
[0023] It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the
knee pad 4 may also be used without the base 2. When the knee pad 4
is used without the base 2, the knee pad 4 is attached to the
wearer's knee area in substantially the same manner as when the
rolling knee support 1 is attached thereto. The wearer is then
capable of standing or kneeling with the knee pad 4 securely
attached to their knee area. When the wearer is kneeling on the
support surface, the knee pad 4 protects the wearer's knee
area.
[0024] The foregoing illustrates some of the possibilities for
practicing the invention. Many other embodiments are possible
within the scope and spirit of the invention. It is, therefore,
intended that the foregoing description be regarded as illustrative
rather than limiting, and that the scope of the invention is given
by the appended claims together with their full range of
equivalents.
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