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58 reference numerals
~16 pages
Jurisdiction
United States (USPTO)
Type
Utility
Entity Size
Small
Technology
The present disclosure is directed to the field of mobility assistance devices. More particularly, the present invention relates to a walker for assisting ambulation of users with lower-limb impairments.
Inventors
Dan Mabey
1. A mobility walker comprising: a structural frame comprising six ground-engaging legs arranged to support the mobility walker in an upright configuration; an upper support assembly coupled to the structural frame and comprising a plurality of hand-grip arms; and a lower-limb support platform mounted to the structural frame in a central region of the structural frame, wherein the lower-limb support platform is configured to support a lower-leg portion of a user and transfer a portion of a body weight of the user through the structural frame to at least one of the six ground-engaging legs.
2. The mobility walker of claim 1, wherein the six ground-engaging legs comprise a front pair of legs, a middle pair of legs, and a rear pair of legs.
3. The mobility walker of claim 2, wherein the lower-limb support platform is positioned between the middle pair of legs and the rear pair of legs.
4. The mobility walker of claim 1, wherein the lower-limb support platform is selectively configurable between a right-leg support arrangement and a left-leg support arrangement.
5. The mobility walker of claim 1, wherein the structural frame is configured to transition between a deployed configuration for ambulation and a folded configuration for transport.
6. The mobility walker of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of rolling ground interfaces, wherein each rolling ground interface of the plurality of rolling ground interfaces is coupled to a respective leg of the six ground-engaging legs.
7. The mobility walker of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of non-rolling ground interfaces coupled to distal ends of the six ground-engaging legs.
8. The mobility walker of claim 1, wherein the upper support assembly further comprises a height adjustment mechanism configured to selectively adjust a vertical position of the plurality of hand-grip arms relative to the structural frame.
9. The mobility walker of claim 1, wherein the structural frame and the six ground-engaging legs are configured to permit forward movement of the mobility walker while maintaining ground contact with at least three legs of the six ground-engaging legs.
10. A mobility assistance system comprising: a foldable structural frame having a front section, a rear section, and a central region disposed between the front section and the rear section; six ground-engaging legs coupled to the foldable structural frame and extending downwardly to contact a ground surface; an upper support assembly extending upwardly from the foldable structural frame and providing a pair of hand-grip arms; and a lower-limb support platform secured to the central region of the foldable structural frame, wherein the lower-limb support platform is configured to receive an impaired lower limb of a user and route a load path from the impaired lower limb through the foldable structural frame to the six ground-engaging legs.
11. The mobility assistance system of claim 10, wherein the foldable structural frame comprises a pivoting member configured to allow the front section to fold toward the rear section.
12. The mobility assistance system of claim 10, wherein the lower-limb support platform comprises a padded knee rest.
13. The mobility assistance system of claim 10, wherein the six ground-engaging legs comprise at least two legs having wheeled ground interfaces and at least two legs having stationary friction ground interfaces.
14. The mobility assistance system of claim 10, wherein the lower-limb support platform is laterally adjustable relative to a longitudinal centerline of the foldable structural frame to accommodate a right leg or a left leg of the user.
15. A method of assisting ambulation of a user having an impaired lower limb, the method comprising: providing a mobility walker comprising a structural frame having six ground-engaging legs, an upper support assembly, and a lower-limb support platform positioned in a central region of the structural frame; receiving the impaired lower limb of the user on the lower-limb support platform; transferring a body weight of the user from the lower-limb support platform through the structural frame to the six ground-engaging legs to reduce upper-body weight bearing of the user; and advancing the mobility walker across a ground surface while maintaining continuous contact between the ground surface and a plurality of legs of the six ground-engaging legs.
16. The method of claim 15, further comprising transitioning the structural frame from a folded configuration to an upright deployed configuration prior to receiving the impaired lower limb.
17. The method of claim 15, further comprising adjusting a height of the upper support assembly to match an arm height of the user.
18. The method of claim 15, further comprising selectively mounting the lower-limb support platform in one of a right-leg support position and a left-leg support position based on an identity of the impaired lower limb.
19. The method of claim 15, wherein advancing the mobility walker comprises sliding at least one non-rolling ground interface coupled to at least one leg of the six ground-engaging legs along the ground surface.
20. The method of claim 15, wherein advancing the mobility walker comprises rolling at least one wheeled ground interface coupled to at least one leg of the six ground-engaging legs along the ground surface.