U.S. patent application number 13/523380 was filed with the patent office on 2013-10-31 for auxiliary device for disabled personnel to get off bed.
This patent application is currently assigned to CHUNG-YUAN CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY. The applicant listed for this patent is Chih-Wei LU, Yan-Ling Wu. Invention is credited to Chih-Wei LU, Yan-Ling Wu.
Application Number | 20130284222 13/523380 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 47048406 |
Filed Date | 2013-10-31 |
United States Patent
Application |
20130284222 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
LU; Chih-Wei ; et
al. |
October 31, 2013 |
AUXILIARY DEVICE FOR DISABLED PERSONNEL TO GET OFF BED
Abstract
An auxiliary device for helping disabled person to get off bed
has a handle, a telescopic rod extended directly from a bottom of
the handle and a foot support pivotally connected to a distal end
of the telescopic rod.
Inventors: |
LU; Chih-Wei; (Chung Li,
TW) ; Wu; Yan-Ling; (Chung Li, TW) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
LU; Chih-Wei
Wu; Yan-Ling |
Chung Li
Chung Li |
|
TW
TW |
|
|
Assignee: |
CHUNG-YUAN CHRISTIAN
UNIVERSITY
Chung Li
TW
|
Family ID: |
47048406 |
Appl. No.: |
13/523380 |
Filed: |
June 14, 2012 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
135/75 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A45B 9/04 20130101; A45B
2009/007 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
135/75 |
International
Class: |
A45B 9/00 20060101
A45B009/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Apr 25, 2012 |
TW |
101207706 |
Claims
1. An auxiliary device for helping disabled person to get off bed,
the auxiliary device comprising: a handle; a telescopic rod
extended directly from a bottom of the handle; and a foot support
pivotally connected to a distal end of the telescopic rod.
2. The auxiliary device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the handle
and the telescopic rod together forms a T shape.
3. The auxiliary device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the handle
is rotatable relative to the telescopic rod.
4. The auxiliary device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the handle
has a sleeve integrally extended from a bottom of the handle to
receive therein a top of the telescopic rod, the sleeve has a track
to receive therein a boss formed on the top of the telescopic rod
so that engagement between the handle and the telescopic rod is
secured.
5. The auxiliary device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the handle
has series of continuous recessed defined in a side of the
handle.
6. The auxiliary device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the
telescopic rod is divided into three parts.
7. The auxiliary device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the foot
support is rotatable relative to the telescopic rod.
8. The auxiliary device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the foot
support has a ledge pivotally extended from the foot support.
9. The auxiliary device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the ledge
has a semicircular cutout defined therein to receive therein the
telescopic rod.
10. The auxiliary device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the foot
support has a ledge pivotally extended from the foot support and
having a semicircular cutout defined therein to receive therein the
telescopic rod.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims priority from application No.
101207706, filed on Apr. 25, 2012 in the Taiwan Intellectual
Property Office.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The invention relates to an auxiliary device, and more
particularly, to an auxiliary device for disabled personnel,
especially those who suffer from Hemiplegia, to get off bed
easily.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Hemiplegia, according to definition, is a person who lost
control of half of his/her body, including one side of the face,
limb, trunk or even only a small part of the body. The primary
reason causing hemiplegia is middle cerebral artery occlusion
(MCAO) or damage. Sometimes, brain tumors may be the reason
responsible for paralysis of half of one's body. Paralysis of half
of one's body means the control of arm and leg of the same side is
simultaneously lost, which mainly results from a stroke, damage in
the brain or Cerebral Palsy (CP).
[0004] In addition to that, senior citizens are most vulnerable to
all kinds of diseases as their daily activities reduce
dramatically. Some may easily expose themselves to the risk of
having a stroke or the like and end up with paralysis of half of
their bodies. According to the census conducted by governmental
institutions, the population of senior citizen, aged above 65, in
1993 in Taiwan is over 7% of the total population. This index shows
that Taiwan is moving toward an aged society. As a result, senior
citizen nursing becomes a big issue to the society. Rooted in the
minds of Chinese for thousands of years, raising the kids to ensure
that the kids will return parents' care when the parents become
aged in the future is now facing a great challenge because people's
concept and idea toward this old tradition are changing. And the
aged people gradually knew they are only the ones they can count
on, financially and physically.
[0005] According to a study conducted last year, the population of
senior citizens who live alone doubles in the last 15 years, from
1,190,00 to 3,000,00. Financially, 47% senior citizens, live on the
support from their children, and the rest live on their own
pensions or savings. From the statistics, it is learned that senior
citizen nursing will have a great impact to the society and to the
nation as well.
[0006] Observing the obvious trend, the inventor of the present
invention produces an auxiliary device for paralyzed personnel,
especially those who lost control of their lower limbs to help them
to move out of the bed all by themselves.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] The primary objective of the present invention is to provide
an auxiliary device for disabled personnel to assist them to get
off the bed all by themselves with ease.
[0008] To accomplish the objective of the present invention, it is
noted that the auxiliary device has a handle, a telescopic rod and
a foot support. The handle is designed for holding by a user and
the telescopic rod is extended directly from the bottom of the
handle. The foot support is pivotally and rotatably connected to a
free distal end of the telescopic rod to support the user's
foot.
[0009] One objective of the preferred embodiment of the present
invention is that the handle has a sleeve extending downward for
receiving therein a distal end of the telescopic rod.
[0010] Still another objective of the present preferred embodiment
is that the foot support has a ledge movably extending outward from
a face of the foot support for limiting movement of the user's
foot.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the auxiliary device
constructed in accordance with the present invention;
[0012] FIG. 2 is a side plan view showing the application of the
foot support of the present invention;
[0013] FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing that the handle is
movable relative to the telescopic rod and the foot support is able
to detachably connect to the body of the telescopic rod;
[0014] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing how the handle is
connected to the telescopic rod;
[0015] FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing the application of the
auxiliary device of the present invention;
[0016] FIG. 6 is still another schematic view showing the
application of the auxiliary device of the present invention;
and
[0017] FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing that the user is off the
bed with the assistance of the auxiliary device of the present
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0018] In order to describe details of the preferred embodiment of
the present invention, description of the structure, and the
application as well as the steps are made with reference to the
accompanying drawings. It is learned that after the description,
any variation, modification or the like to the structure and the
steps of the embodiments of the preferred embodiment of the present
invention is easily made available to any person skilled in the
art. Thus, the following description is only for illustrative
purpose only and does not, in any way, try to limit the scope of
the present invention.
[0019] With reference to FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the first preferred
embodiment of the present invention, it is noted that the auxiliary
device 1 is constructed in accordance with the present invention
has a handle 2, a telescopic rod 3 and a foot support 4.
[0020] The handle 2 is designed for holding by a user and not
limited in types or structure. For easy holding, the handle 2 is
thus provided with a series of recesses 23 defined in a side face
thereof such that the user's fingers are able to be received in the
corresponding recesses 23. A sleeve 21 is integrally formed and
extended downward from a bottom of the handle 2. A T shaped track
22 is defined through an outer periphery of the sleeve 21.
[0021] The telescopic rod 3 is extended directly from the bottom of
the handle 2 and forms a T shape together the handle 2. The
telescopic rod 3 is able to extend or contract and then fixed when
desired. The telescopic rod 3 normally is divided into, but not
limited to, three parts. With such a convenient design, the user is
able to adjust the rod into a appropriate length to fit the user's
height demand. The upper portion of the telescopic rod 3 is
received in the sleeve 21 of the handle 2 and has a boss 31
corresponding to the T shaped track 22. With the relative rotation
between the handle 2 and the telescopic rod 3, the boss 31 is able
to extend into the T shaped track 22 and secure the engagement
between the handle 2 and the telescopic rod 3.
[0022] The foot support 4 is pivotally and rotatably connected to a
free distal end of the telescopic rod 3 to support thereon the
user's foot. On top of the foot support 4, a slide proof device is
designed so that whenever the user's foot is on top of the foot
support 4, the foot is somewhat controlled to stay on top of the
foot support 4. The slide proof device may be a ledge 41 pivotally
formed on a peripheral edge of the foot support 4 and has a
semicircular cutout (not numbered) defined therein such that when
the ledge 41 is not used, the ledge 41 is pivoted to have the body
of the telescopic rod 3 received inside the semicircular cutout. In
order to do that the semicircular cutout has a radius slightly
larger than the telescopic rod 3 so that the telescopic rod body is
able to be received in the semicircular cutout.
[0023] With reference to FIGS. 5, 6 and 7, it is noted that the
auxiliary device of the preferred embodiment of the present
invention is used by a hemiplegia person, the user first moves
his/her normal leg away from the bed and then operates the
auxiliary device by holding the handle 2 with his/her normal
fingers received in the recesses 23. The user moves the auxiliary
device to reach for the disabled foot to have the foot fully abut
on the top of the foot support 4 with the ledge 41, extended away
from the foot support 4 such that the user's foot is securely
placed on the top of the foot support 4 and then the user may move
the disabled foot away from the bed. By the time when both the
user's legs are away from the bed, the user is then able to use the
auxiliary device of the present invention as a walking stick with
the foot support 4 pivoted toward the telescopic rod 3 and having
the telescopic rod 3 securely received in the semicircular cutout
of the ledge 41 which is also pivoted toward the top of the foot
support 4.
[0024] It is also noted that because the design of the telescopic
rod 3, the pivotal relationship between the ledge 41 and the foot
support 4, as well as the pivotal relationship between the foot
support 4 and the telescopic rod 3, the auxiliary device of the
present invention is compact and thus small in size for
storage.
[0025] While the invention has been described in connection with
what is considered the most practical and preferred embodiment, it
is understood that this invention is not limited to the disclosed
embodiment but is intended to cover various arrangements included
within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to
encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements.
* * * * *