WALKING STICK

Provided is a walking stick having a pole configured by a plurality of connecting pipes. The walking stick includes: an upper connecting pipe; and a lower connecting pipe inserted into the upper connecting pipe, wherein first and second through-holes are provided in both sides of the lower connecting pipe at opposing positions to each other, first and second button members are slidably inserted into the first and the second through-holes, respectively, a spring for elastically supporting the first and the second button members in a radial direction is provided inside the first and the second button members, and third and fourth through-holes are provided in the upper connecting pipe at positions corresponding to the first and the second through-holes of the lower connecting pipe so that the first and the second button members are moved in and out through the first to the fourth through-holes.

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Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to Korean Utility Model Application No. 20-2008-0015410, filed on Nov. 19, 2008, and all the benefits accruing therefrom under 35 U.S.C. §119, the contents of which in its entirety are herein incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

This disclosure relates to a walking stick having a pole configured by connecting a plurality of connecting pipes, and more particularly, to a walking stick capable of actively managing a malfunction of a locking device and minimizing deformation of connecting pipes and the locking device by distributing impacts.

2. Description of the Related Art

In general, a walking stick is used by many people for climbing and sports activities or by patients for walking. The walking stick includes a pole and a handle provided to an end portion of the pole. The pole is generally configured by connecting a plurality of connection pipes so as to be folded in a longitudinal direction for convenience of storage and use.

An example of the walking stick is illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the walking stick includes a handle 2 that comes in various shapes for different purposes, a pole 4 configuring a body, and a sharp head portion 6 contacting with the ground.

The pole 4 is configured by connecting a plurality of connecting pipes 10, 20, and 30 in a longitudinal direction so as to be folded, and locking devices 40 and 40a are provided for connecting portions to lock the walking stick with a maximum length or release the locking in order to fold the walking stick.

More specifically, into the first connecting pipe 10 the second connecting pipe 20 having a smaller diameter is inserted, into the second connecting pipe 20 the third connecting pipe 30 having a smaller diameter is inserted, and the locking devices 40 and 40a are provided for the connecting portion between the first and the second connecting pipes 10 and 20 and the connecting portion between the second and the third connecting pipes 20 and 30, respectively. As needed, walking sticks having a variety of lengths may be manufactured by increasing or decreasing the number of the connecting pipes 10, 20, 30.

In the connecting portions between the upper connecting pipe and the lower connecting pipe, that is, between the lower end of the first connecting pipe 10 and the upper end of the second connecting pipe 20, and between the lower end of the second connecting pipe 20 and the upper end of the third connecting pipe 30, vibration prevention members 51, 52, 61, and 62 are provided to prevent vibration while using the walking stick.

The locking devices 40 and 40a includes buttons 41 and 41a and springs 42 and 42a. The button 41 and the spring 42 lock the first and the second connecting pipes 10 and 20, and the button 41a and the spring 42a lock the second and the third connecting pipes 20 and 30.

FIG. 2 illustrates inner and outer shapes of the locking devices. In FIG. 1, the connecting pipe on the upper side is referred to as the upper connecting pipe, and the connecting pipe on the lower side is referred to as the lower connecting pipe. The locking devices 40 and 40a technically have the same configuration although they have difference sizes according to the diameters of the connecting pipes. Thus, only one thereof will be described with reference to the figure.

The button 41 of the locking device is moved along with the lower connecting pipe 20 while a head portion thereof is inserted into a hole 21 formed on the lower connecting pipe 20, and is inserted into a hole 11 of the upper connecting pipe 10 at the last point of the extension operation, thereby locking the upper and the lower connecting pipes 10 and 20.

During the use of the walking stick, there may be a case where the walking stick cannot be used anymore due to various problems.

For example, during the use of the walking stick, the sharp head portion 6 (see FIG. 1) comes in contact with the ground repeatedly, and sometimes, a user leans on the walking stick, so that irregular impacts are repeatedly applied to the connecting pipes. The impact is directly transmitted to the locking device or to the connecting pipe through the locking device, and due to the impacts, many portions between the locking devices and the connecting pipes are damaged as the walking stick is used.

That is, as illustrated in FIG. 2, impacts are applied to the lower connecting pipe 20 and the button 41 in the directions shown by dashed arrows, and impacts are applied to the upper connecting pipe 10 in the direction shown by the solid arrow. Here, the impact applied to the lower connecting pipe 20 is directly applied to the hole 11 of the upper connecting pipe 10 through the button 41.

Therefore, when impacts are repeatedly exerted, the holes 11 and 21 of the upper and the lower connecting pipes 10 and 20 may be damaged in the longitudinal direction of the walking stick as illustrated in FIG. 2, or the button 41 may be deformed. In this case, gaps between the button 41 and the holes 11 and 21 grow in size and the connecting pipes 10 and 20 clatter and move vertically, so that the walking stick cannot be used normally, or the walking stick cannot be used anymore.

In addition, due to unexpected situations such as a case where a foreign material penetrates into the button or a case where the hole into which the button is inserted is deformed by a sharp impact, the operations of the spring 42 and the button 41 may be problematic, and the walking stick itself may not be used anymore.

If such a situation occurs during mountain climbing or sports activities or when a patient walks with the help of the walking stick without a carer, the user may be confronted with a dangerous situation because he/she cannot use the walking stick.

It is thought that the damage of the connecting pipe and the locking device due to the impacts is caused by the concentration of all impacts onto the single button as the single button is provided for the single connecting portion.

In addition, a problem in that the walking stick cannot be used because the locking device malfunctions and does not operate is caused by the configuration in which only the single locking device is provided for the single connecting portion. Therefore, when a problem occurs in the locking device, there is no replacement, and the walking stick itself cannot be used.

SUMMARY

This disclosure provide a walking stick capable of preventing damage and deformation of connecting pipes and locking devices by increasing areas receiving impacts and distributing the impacts, and preparing for malfunctions and deformation of the locking device by compensating for a problem in which a single locking device does not operate for a single connecting portion.

In one aspect, there is provided a walking stick, including: an upper connecting pipe; and a lower connecting pipe inserted into the upper connecting pipe, wherein first and second through-holes are provided in both sides of the lower connecting pipe at opposing positions to each other, first and second button members are slidably inserted into the first and the second through-holes, respectively, a spring for elastically supporting the first and the second button members in a radial direction is provided inside the first and the second button members, and third and fourth through-holes are provided in the upper connecting pipe at positions corresponding to the first and the second through-holes of the lower connecting pipe so that the first and the second button members are moved in and out through the first to the fourth through-holes.

An inner sleeve may be joined to an upper portion of the lower connecting pipe, and the inner sleeve may be provided with an accommodating area for accommodating the first and the second button members.

In another aspect, there is provided a walking stick, including: an upper connecting pipe; and a lower connecting pipe inserted into the upper connecting pipe, wherein a first through-hole is formed to penetrate one side of the lower connecting pipe, and a second through-hole is formed to penetrate the other side of the lower connecting pipe at a position that is not opposed to the first through-hole, first and second button members are slidably inserted into the first and second through-holes in an opposite direction, first and second springs for elastically supporting the first and the second button members respectively in an outer radial direction are provided inside the lower connecting pipe, and the upper connecting pipe is provided with third and fourth through-holes at positions corresponding to the first and the second through-holes of the lower connecting pipe so that the first button member is moved in and out through the first and the third through-holes and the second button member is moved in and out through the second and the fourth through-holes.

An inner sleeve may be joined to an upper portion of the lower connecting pipe, and the inner sleeve may be provided with a first accommodating area for accommodating the first button member and a second accommodating area for accommodating the second button member.

In the walking stick according to the embodiment, since the two button members are provided in the opposite direction and are connected to the lower connecting pipe and the upper connecting pipe at the same time during locking, the impact is distributed and the surface pressures applied to each button member and each through hole are decreased so that the deformations of the button member and the through-hole (connecting pipe) can be minimized.

In addition, as the two locking devices (button members) complement with each other, in the case where one of them is damaged, the walking stick can be used continuously using the other one so that an emergency situation may be prevented from taking place or a user can deal with the emergency situation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other aspects, features and advantages of the disclosed exemplary embodiments will be more apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an example of an existing walking stick;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view illustrating a locking device portion of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view illustrating a locking device portion according to an embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a transverse cross-sectional view of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a view illustrating a state where locking is released by pushing a button member in FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a transverse cross-sectional view of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view illustrating a locking device portion according to another embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a transverse cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a transverse cross-sectional view taken along the line B-B of FIG. 7;

FIG. 10 is a view illustrating a state where locking is released by pushing a button member in FIG. 7;

FIG. 11 is a transverse cross-sectional view taken along the line C-C of FIG. 10; and

FIG. 12 is a transverse cross-sectional view taken along the line D-D of FIG. 10.

 DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Exemplary embodiments now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which exemplary embodiments are shown. This disclosure may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the exemplary embodiments set forth therein. Rather, these exemplary embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of this disclosure to those skilled in the art. In the description, details of well-known features and techniques may be omitted to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the presented embodiments.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of this disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Furthermore, the use of the terms a, an, etc. does not denote a limitation of quantity, but rather denotes the presence of at least one of the referenced item. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising”, or “includes” and/or “including” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, regions, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, regions, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and the present disclosure, and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.

In the drawings, like reference numerals in the drawings denote like elements. The shape, size and regions, and the like, of the drawing may be exaggerated for clarity.

In the following exemplary embodiments, configurations of only connecting portions of connecting pipes composing a pole and a locking device are illustrated and described, and the illustration and description of a handle or a sharp head portion will be omitted. In addition, although there are two connecting portions and two locking devices in the configuration having three or more connecting pipes, the configurations of the connecting portions and the locking devices are the same.

Embodiment 1

FIGS. 3, 4, 5, and 6 illustrate a locking device portion according to an embodiment. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view, FIG. 4 is a transverse cross-sectional view, FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a state in which locking is released by pushing a button member, and FIG. 6 is a transverse cross-sectional view of FIG. 5.

As illustrated In FIGS. 3 and 4, into an upper connecting pipe 100 a lower connecting pipe 200 having a smaller diameter is inserted.

First and second through-holes 202 and 204 are provided in both sides of the lower connecting pipe 200 in a transverse direction (radial direction), and first and second button members 510 and 520 are inserted into the first and second through-holes 202 and 204 so as to slide in the opposite directions. A single spring 600 is provided inside the first and second button members 510 and 520 so as to elastically support the first and second members 510 and 520 in the radial direction.

Third and fourth through-holes 102 and 104 are provided in the upper connecting pipe 100 at positions opposed to the first and the second through-holes 202 and 204 of the lower connecting pipe 200, so that the first button member 510 is moved in and out through the first and the third trough-holes 202 and 102, and the second button member 520 is moved in and out through the second and the fourth through-holes 204 and 104.

In the case of a walking stick having an inner sleeve 400 joined to an upper portion of the lower connecting pipe 200 as in this embodiment, an accommodating area 401 is provided in the inner sleeve 400. The accommodating area 401 slidably accommodates the first and the second button members 510 and 520 and guides the first and the second button 510 and 520 to enable a more stable sliding movement.

An outer sleeve 300 corresponding to the inner sleeve 400 may be provided. The outer sleeve 300 is provided on a lower end of the upper connecting pipe 100 and comes in close contact with the lower connecting pipe 200 to prevent vibration.

In the walking stick according to the embodiment, the two button members 510 and 520 are provided in the opposite direction, and the two button members 510 and 520 are supported by the single spring 600. As illustrated in FIG. 3, during locking, the two button members 510 and 520 simultaneously protrude through the through-holes 202 and 204 of the lower connecting pipe 200 and the through-holes 102 and 104 of the upper connecting pipe 100. Therefore, areas where the button members 510 and 520 and the connecting pipes 100 and 200 come in contact with become twice the area of an existing case, and the surface pressure applied to each individual button member 510 or 520 and each individual through-hole 102, 104, 202, or 204 is reduced to half.

Therefore, the impact exerted on the walking stick in the longitudinal direction is distributed to the two button members 510 and 520 and the two through-holes 102 and 202 or 104 and 204, so that loads applied on the button members 510 and 520 and the through-holes 101 and 202 and 104 and 204 and deformation of the button members 510 and 520 and the through-holes 101 and 202 and 104 and 204 may be significantly reduced.

In addition, even when a problem occurs in one of the button members during use, for example, even when a situation occurs where one of the through-holes 102 and 104 of the upper connecting pipe 100 is deformed during use and the corresponding button member cannot pass therethrough, the walking stick can still be used if the remaining one operates properly.

During the use of the walking stick according to the embodiment, a state where the locking of the connecting pipes is released is illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6. When head portions of the first and the second button members 510 and 520 protruding in both directions are pushed inwards by a thumb and an index finger at the same time through the through-holes 102 and 104 of the upper connecting pipe 100, the locking is released and the lower connecting pipe 200 can be moved to be folded.

Embodiment 2

FIGS. 7 to 9 and FIGS. 10 to 12 are enlarged views of a locking device portion according to another embodiment. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view, FIG. 8 is a transverse cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A of FIG. 7, FIG. 9 is a transverse cross-sectional view taken along the line B-B of FIG. 7, FIG. 10 is a view illustrating a state where locking is released by pushing a button member in FIG. 7, FIG. 11 is a transverse cross-sectional view taken along the line C-C of FIG. 10, and FIG. 12 is a transverse cross-sectional view taken along the line D-D of FIG. 10.

As compared with the above-described embodiment, in the walking stick according to this embodiment, two button members are spaced from each other to improve convenience for use and stability for operations.

As illustrated in FIGS. 7 to 9, in a lower connecting pipe 250, first and second through-holes 252 and 254 are provided to be opposed to each other at a predetermined interval in a longitudinal direction. That is, the first through-hole 252 penetrates one side of the lower connecting pipe 250, and the second through-hole 254 penetrates the other side of the connecting pipe 250 at a position that is not opposed to the first connecting pipe 252.

The first through-hole 252 is provided with first button member 550 and first spring 611, and the second through-hole 254 is provided with second button member 560 and second spring 612.

Third and fourth through-holes 152 and 154 are provided in an upper connecting pipe 150 at a predetermined interval in the longitudinal direction. The third and fourth through-holes 152 and 154 are formed at positions corresponding to the first and the second through-holes 252 and 254 of the lower connecting pipe 250, and the first and second button members 550 and 560 are moved in and out therethrough for locking and unlocking.

In addition, in a case where an inner sleeve 450 is provided in an upper portion of the lower connecting pipe 250, first and second accommodating areas 451 and 452 are formed at positions corresponding to the first and second through-holes 252 and 254 in the inner sleeve 450. The first and second button member 550 and 560 are slidably accommodated in the first and the second accommodating areas 451 and 452.

In the walking stick having the above-mentioned configuration according to this embodiment, the first button member 550 and the first spring 611 are disposed independently of the second button member 560 and the second spring 612, so that the button members 550 and 560 are allowed to have large lengths. Therefore, as illustrated in FIGS. 7 to 9, lengths of guide flange portions 552 and 562 of the button member 550 and 560 are allowed to be large, and accordingly the button members 550 and 560 are not inclined and may be moved stably.

In addition, according to this embodiment, since a single spring 611 or 612 mates with one button member 550 or 560, the springs 611 and 612 are allowed to have large lengths and sufficient compression margin length can be guaranteed. Therefore, smaller force is needed to push the button member 550 or 560 as compared with the above-described embodiment.

A state where locking of the connecting pipes is released during the use of the walking stick according to this embodiment is illustrated in FIGS. 10 to 12. When the two button members 550 and 560 spaced from each other in the longitudinal direction of the walking stick are pushed inwards by a thumb and an index finger or by both hands at the same time through the through-holes 152 and 154 of the upper connecting pipe 150, the lower connecting pipe 250 can be moved to be folded.

While the exemplary embodiments have been shown and described, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure as defined by the appended claims.

In addition, many modifications can be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of this disclosure without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that this disclosure not be limited to the particular exemplary embodiments disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this disclosure, but that this disclosure will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A walking stick comprising:

an upper connecting pipe; and
a lower connecting pipe inserted into the upper connecting pipe,
wherein first and second through-holes are provided in both sides of the lower connecting pipe at opposing positions to each other,
first and second button members are slidably inserted into the first and the second through-holes, respectively,
a spring for elastically supporting the first and the second button members in a radial direction is provided inside the first and the second button members, and
third and fourth through-holes are provided in the upper connecting pipe at positions corresponding to the first and the second through-holes of the lower connecting pipe so that the first and the second button members are moved in and out through the first to the fourth through-holes.

2. The walking stick according to claim 1,

wherein an inner sleeve is joined to an upper portion of the lower connecting pipe, and
the inner sleeve is provided with an accommodating area for accommodating the first and the second button members.

3. A walking stick, comprising:

an upper connecting pipe; and
a lower connecting pipe inserted into the upper connecting pipe,
wherein a first through-hole is formed to penetrate one side of the lower connecting pipe, and a second through-hole is formed to penetrate the other side of the lower connecting pipe at a position that is not opposed to the first through-hale,
first and second button members are slidably inserted into the first and second through-holes in opposite directions,
first and second springs for elastically supporting the first and the second button members respectively in an outer radial direction are provided inside the lower connecting pipe, and
the upper connecting pipe is provided with third and fourth through-holes at positions corresponding to the first and the second through-holes of the lower connecting pipe so that the first button member is moved in and out through the first and the third through-holes and the second button member is moved in and out through the second and the fourth through-holes.

4. The walking stick according to claim 3,

wherein an inner sleeve is joined to an upper portion of the lower connecting pipe, and
the inner sleeve is provided with a first accommodating area for accommodating the first button member and a second accommodating area for accommodating the second button member.
Patent History
Publication number: 20100122718
Type: Application
Filed: Nov 13, 2009
Publication Date: May 20, 2010
Inventor: Jeh-Kun LAH (Suh-Gu)
Application Number: 12/617,784
Classifications
Current U.S. Class: Telescopic (135/75)
International Classification: A45B 9/00 (20060101);