Cane and Method of Use
A cane that has: a handle; a first tube attached to the handle; a second tube in slideable communication with the first tube, the second tube in communication with a cane tip; a spring located in the first tube, and in operable communication with the second tube; the spring preloaded such that when the second tube is fully extended from the first tube, the spring exerts generally about a value F1 of force on the second tube, tending keep the second tube extended from the first tube. A method for using a retractable cane to assist in sitting down. A method of using a retractable cane to rise from a sitting position. A method of using a retractable cane to assist in picking an object up.
The present application is a continuation of patent application Ser. No. 13/051,124 to Clement A. Senatro, entitled “Cane and Method of Use” filed on Mar. 18, 2011, the entire contents of which are fully incorporated by reference herein. Patent application Ser. No. 13/051,124 claimed the benefit of provisional patent application No. 61/395,155 filed on May 7, 2010 by Clement A. Senatro, the entire contents of which was fully incorporated by reference therein, and was also related to patent application Ser. No. 12/927,909 filed on Nov. 29, 2010 by Clement A. Senatro, the entire contents of which was fully incorporated by reference therein.
TECHNICAL FIELDThe present invention relates to a cane, and more specifically relates to a cane with a retractable member.
BACKGROUNDKnown canes assist people in walking, maintaining balance, and providing support. However, when a cane user attempts to sit down, or get up from a seated position, a standard cane is difficult to use. The length of the cane makes it cumbersome to use as leverage when getting up or sitting down. The length of the cane requires a person to place a lot of stress and strain on his or her hands, wrists and arms when attempting to get up or sit down.
Thus, there is a need for a cane that overcomes the above listed and other disadvantages.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe invention relates to a cane comprising: a handle; a first tube attached to the handle; a second tube in slideable communication with the first tube, the second tube in communication with a cane tip; a spring located in the first tube, and in operable communication with the second tube; the spring preloaded such that when the second tube is fully extended from the first tube, the spring exerts generally about a value F1 of force on the second tube, tending keep the second tube extended from the first tube.
The invention also relates to a method for using a retractable cane to assist in sitting down, the method comprising: standing with the cane slightly in front of the user, with one or two hands on top of the handle; bending knees and at the waist so that user's torso or chest approaches the cane's handle; applying a force down on the cane, causing the retraction of the second tube into the first tube; tilting the cane back towards torso or chest; resting chest or torso on hands located on the cane's handle; applying more down on the cane, causing more retraction of the second tube into the first tube; and easing into a sitting position.
The invention, in addition, relates to a method of using a retractable cane to rise from a sitting position, the method comprising: sitting with cane slightly in front of a user, with one or two hands on top of the handle; applying a force down on the cane, causing the retraction of the second tube into the first tube; tilting the cane back towards user's torso or chest; bending over the cane so that chest or torso rests on hands that are on the cane's handle; applying more force down on the cane, causing more retraction of the second tube into the first tube; and rising to a standing position by pushing down on the cane, and using his or her legs.
Also, the invention relates to a method of using a retractable cane to assist in picking an object up, the method comprising: standing with the cane slightly in front of a user, with one or two hands on top of the handle; bending knees and bending at the waist so that the user's torso or chest approaches the cane's handle; applying a force down on the cane, causing the retraction of the second tube into the first tube; resting user's chest or torso on user's hands located on the cane's handle; reaching and grabbing the desired object; and pushing down on the cane to rise to an upright standing position.
The present disclosure will be better understood by those skilled in the pertinent art by referencing the accompanying drawings, where like elements are numbered alike in the figures, in which:
The data sheet above shows one embodiment of the spring 40. In this embodiment the spring is about 25 inches in length. Table 1 shows the force generated by the spring 40 during compression. In column FREE no compression is on the spring, and the spring is at 25 inches (see row labeled Length). Referring to column Point 1, in order to compress the spring by 9 inches (listed at row labeled Deflection), a force value F of about 20.674 pounds is required. The spring may be configured to have a preloaded compression of 9 inches when in the first tube 18, and the second tube 22 is fully extended. Referring now to column Point 2, in order to compress the spring by 18 inches, a force of about 41.349 pounds is required. Referring now to column solid, to compress the spring about 18.03 inches, a force of about 41.417 is required (the spring in this embodiment is fully compressed when compressed by 18.03 inches.) The spring may be coated with any suitable lubricant, including but not limited to Teflon, grease, graphite, high performance gloss oil based enamel (in one embodiment two coats or three coats of the enamel may be used). The lubricant may help the spring to move within the first tube 18 with reduction in frictional losses, and with a reduction in noise generated by the spring rubbing against the interior of the first tube 18.
Due to the configuration of the disclosed cane 10, the cane may be used to assist users in getting into and out of a seated position. The cane may also be used to assist a user to bend over from a standing position in order to pick something up from the ground.
Tests have shown that when a person uses the disclosed cane in order to get up and or sit down, this creates forces in the handle of the cane. These forces can be used to compress the cane to a configuration gives a better “mechanical advantage” to the user when the user attempts to sit, get up from sitting, or to reach down to pick something up, and to return to standing position. This compressed cane configuration results in lower forces in the hand and arm when tested side by side with a known standard cane. In addition, when the cane is in the compressed position, there is energy stored in the spring of the cane that may be used to assist the user back to an upright or standing position. It should be noted that there are many different up and down movements that a person who uses a cane, must perform each day. The disclosed cane can assist those users.
The following are test results.
A disabled person lowers him/herself into the seat of a chair using both hands cupped on the cane handle. The disclosed cane had a 25% less force on the hand and arms compared to the standard cane.
A disabled person on the floor in a kneeling position uses both hands to get up using one hand on the handle and the other on the shaft. The disclosed cane in the compressed position lowered the force on the hand and arm by 31% over the standard cane.
A disabled person picking up an item off of the floor requires one hand on the cane handle and the other to reach the item. With the disclosed cane, when the person reaches down, the body-weight of the person “compresses” the cane. This reduces the distance for the person to reach making this an easy exercise. At this compressed position, the disclosed cane has now captured the kinetic energy in the spring which will now help bring the person back up to an upright position. This compressed position reduced the load on the hand and arm by 33% over the standard cane.
A disabled person getting up from a chair requires putting both hands on the cane handle with the cane positioned between the legs and in front of the chair. The person must now push up and over the cane to get up. The disclosed cane now in a compressed position reduced the force on the hand and arm by 42% over the standard cane.
A disabled person with an injured leg going down the stairs lowers him/her self with one hand on the railing and the other using a cane. Putting first the cane on the next lower step and leaning on the cane to lower his/her leg to the next lower stair in a gentle way. The disclosed cane in a compressed position reduced this force thru the hand and arm by 40% over the standard cane.
A study has shone that the maximum normal load a person bears down on a cane handle, while walking or for balance, results in a 20 lb. load. The disclosed cane has a spring preload of about 20 lbs, thereby providing for use as a standard cane for walking and balancing.
Further, the preload of about 20 lbs in the assembled condition and the subsequent increase in spring compression, prevents a uses from feeling that the cane is not sturdy enough to support him or her. Further, the retraction of the second tube 22 into the first tube 18 is limited to about 9 inches.
Also, a study was concluded showing people trying to pickup an object off the floor. The study showed that when a person bends over the cane handle (for stability) the person was about 6-8 inches short of reaching a an object located on the floor, when using a standard cane, depending on the size of the person (this is when a person has the cane handle against his or her chest/torso for support).
The disclosed invention has many advantages. It allows a user to use the cane to help the user get into or out of a sitting position, while putting less stress and strain on the user's wrists, hands, and arms. In addition, the cane allows a user to pick something up that is position in a hard to reach place, such as the floor. The cane may also use a lubricated spring, for quite use.
It should be noted that the terms “first”, “second”, and “third”, and the like may be used herein to modify elements performing similar and/or analogous functions. These modifiers do not imply a spatial, sequential, or hierarchical order to the modified elements unless specifically stated.
While the disclosure has been described with reference to several embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the disclosure. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the disclosure without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the disclosure not be limited to the particular embodiments disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this disclosure, but that the disclosure will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.
Claims
1. A cane comprising:
- a handle, the handle located at the top of the cane with no other cane structures above the handle;
- a first tube attached to the handle, the handle being generally perpendicular to the first tube;
- a second tube in slideable communication with the first tube, the second tube in communication with a cane tip, the cane tip located at the bottom of the cane, with no other cane structures below the tip;
- a spring located in the first tube, and in operable communication with the second tube;
- a slot located generally along a portion of the length of the second tube;
- a first opening located on the surface of the first tube;
- a connecting member attached to the first opening and in slideable communication with the slot; the spring preloaded such that when the second tube is fully extended from the first tube, the spring exerts generally about a value F1 of force on the second tube, tending to keep the second tube extended from the first tube, and wherein F1 is large enough so that the second will not generally retract into the first tube when the cane is used during walking, and that the second tube will generally only retract into the first tube if a user purposefully applies enough force to the handle to overcome F1.
2. The cane of claim 1, wherein F1 ranges from about 5 pounds to about 25 pounds.
3. The cane of claim 1, wherein F1 is about 20 pounds.
4. The cane of claim 1, wherein when the second tube is fully extended from the first tube, the total cane length is about 35 inches.
5. The cane of claim 1, wherein when the second tube is retracted into the first tube by about 9 inches from the fully extended position, thus making the cane about 26 inches in length in this retracted configuration, the spring exerts generally about a value F2 of force on the second tube, tending keep the second tube extended from the first tube.
6. The cane of claim 5, where F2 ranges from about 30 to about 50 pounds.
7. The cane of claim 5, wherein F2 is about is about 41 pounds.
8. The cane of claim 1, wherein when the spring is not in a compressed state, the spring has a length of about 25 inches.
9. The cane of claim 1, further comprising:
- a second opening located on the surface of the first tube;
- wherein the connecting member is removeably attachable to either the first opening or the second opening, and when the connecting member is attached to the second opening the fully extended length of the cane is greater than when the connecting member is attached to the first opening.
10. The cane of claim 1, further comprising:
- a third opening located on the surface of the first tube;
- wherein the connecting member is removeably attachable to either the first opening or the third opening, and when the connecting member is attached to the third opening the fully extended length of the cane is less than when the connecting member is attached to the first opening.
11. The cane of claim 1, wherein the connecting member is a clevis and cotter pin.
12. The cane of claim 1, further comprising:
- a lubricant located on the surface of the spring.
13. The cane of claim 1, wherein the lubricant is an oil based enamel.
14. The cane of claim 1, further comprising:
- a lubricant located on the inner surface of the first tube.
Type: Application
Filed: Dec 5, 2011
Publication Date: Dec 6, 2012
Inventor: Clement A. Senatro (Newington, CT)
Application Number: 13/311,048