Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02260585 1999-02-02
TITLE OF THE INVENTION:
A Rollator Braking Device
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a handy care rollator braking device, and
more particularly to a device to achieve braking motion either by pushing or
pulling a controller grip of the brake, to allow smooth and stable operation
by the
use of a rod, and to temporarily hold still the motion of pushing to brake so
that
the rollator user does not have to hold on to the brake.
Description of the Prior Art
A controller grip of braking is generally provided at a handle of a handy
care rollator for elders or those who have walking problems to help them
control
the movement of the rollator, and on considering that the user might also have
problems with the movement of his/her hands. The brake is designed so that it
is linked to a braking device either by pushing or pulling the braking grip to
ensure safe and convenient use of a rollator. To cope with the requirements as
described above, there are various braking grips in the market. As shown in
Fig.
7, a prior art complies with the design of a linkage braking device activated
either by pushing or pulling the grip. However, if a user wants to remain
braking hislher rollator, he/she has to continue pushing or pulling the grip.
As
illustrated in Fig. 8, an improved design by this Inventor to correct the
defect of
the prior art, is essentially comprised of a mobile combination of a base(8)
and a
grip(9), wherein, an accommodation chamber(81) is formed inside the base(8),
one mounting hole(82) for a braking wire(7) is provided at one end of the
base(8)
to penetrate the chamber(81) while a stopper slot{84) and a restriction
slot(83)
are integrated to the chamber(81) and a stopper edge(85) is formed at the
bottom
of the chamber(81); a flange(91) with a restriction nose(92) is formed at the
lower part of the root to the grip(9), a penetration hole(93) to receive and
fasten
the braking wire(7) is provided on top of the flange(91), and a crank(94) is
provided at the upper part of its root; when the root of the grip(9) is placed
into
CA 02260585 1999-02-02
the chamber(81) and the grip(9) is pushed upward, a crank(94) of the grip (9)
sinks and holds against the stopper slot(84) which is then used as a support
for
turning to allow the flange(91) below a displacement for pulling the braking
wire(?). Furthermore, if the grip(9) is pushed down, its bottom holds against
the stopper edge(85) of the base(8), and the edge(85) is used as the support
for
turning clockwise to allow the braking wire(?) be pulled by the flange(91 ),
finally, the grip(9) is held steady in its braking status. Once the grip(9) is
slightly pulled backward to disengage the restriction nose(92) from the
restriction slot(83) to release braking status.
However, said improved design of the braking device in the form of a
two-piece mobile combination of the grip(9) and the base(8) though provides
the
benefits of simplifying the number of members required, the braking wire(?)
may escape from its relative defined position when over-drawn due to excessive
force is applied to pull or push the grip. In that case, re-positioning is
required
and causes inconvenience.
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SL)lvIMARY OF THE INVENTION
The primary purpose of the present invention is to provide a rollator
braking device with a grip which when pushed or pulled to achieve braking by
use of connection mechanism at a fixed pivot, and when the grip is pushed
down,
S it remains to be temporarily fixed in braking status while a user of the
rollator
will not have to push the grip all the time before he/she wants to release the
braking. The present invention is essentially comprised of three members of a
base, a rod and a grip; wherein, said base is fastened to the handle of the
rollator and forms inside an accommodating space, a circular slot and a
through
hole is provided in the upper accommodating space, a positioning protrusion is
formed at the middle section of the inner wall of the space, and a stopper
wall is
formed at the bottom of the space; the box end of the rod is accommodated in
the
circular slot and pivoted with a bolt while the other end of the rod is
provided
with a bore slot to permit penetration of a braking wire. Furthermore, the rod
is
1S sandwiched by said grip at its root and pivoted at its middle section with
the
protruding end at the top of said root of the grip holding against the pivot
of the
rod, two noses are formed at the middle section of the root, and a holding
tongue
is formed at one side of the lower end of the root; so that when the grip is
pushed
downward, the grip holds with the tongue against the stopper wall and becomes
a
sliding support while the braking wire is pulled by the biased swinging of the
rod
being pulled by the pivot at its middle section, and the grip is pushed all
way
down to hold against the rod to form a proper angle for the noses to merely
hold
against and stop at the positioning protrusion. In practice, the grip is
pulled
upward just to allow the protrusion end at the top hold against the pivot of
the
2S rod, and forms two-point restriction by two pivots located in the middle
sections
of both the pivot to the rod and the grip, further to forthwith swing the rod
with
its pivoted bolt along with the pulling of the grip so to draw the braking
wire; the
braking wire can be also drawn when the grip is pushed downward to hold
against the stopper wall with the tongue as a sliding support, further to
swing the
rod by means of those two pivots, and if the grip is pushed down to form a
proper
angle with the rod so that the protrusion end just stops at the positioning
protrusion to temporarily prevent the grip from being pulled back so that the
user
may release his/her hand with the rollator in braking status.
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION CAF THE DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 is a schematic view of the structure of the present invention;
Fig. 2 is a schematic view of the present invention in its original
combination;
Fig. 3 through Fig. 6 are views of a preferred embodiment of the present
invention in operation;
Fig. 7 is a view of the structure and the operation of a prior art; and
Fig. 8 is a view of the structure and the operation of the previous model
of the present invention.
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring to Fig. 1 showing the structure of a braking grip of the present
invention is essentially comprised of a base(1), a rod(2) and a grip(3);
wherein,
the base( 1 ) forms a loop( 11 ) at its top side, and at its rear end recessed
to from
an accommodation space(12) while at where below its front end a block(4)
inserted and penetrated through with a braking wire(5) with an inner cable(51)
of
the braking wire(5) invading into the space(12); a circular slot(13) is
provided at
the front end on the top of the space(12) with an externally lateral
penetration
hole(14) as a pivot to a bolt(15); a positioning protrusion(16) is formed
integrally
at the middle section of inner wall of the space( 12), and a stopper wall( 17)
in
proper thickness is provided at the bottom of the space(I2).
At the box end of the rod(2), a circular pivot(21 ) is formed with its center
and one side respectively provided with a pivot hole(211) and a slot(212), a
pin
hole(22) and a corresponding slot(23) are formed respectively in the middle
section and the lower end of the connection rod(2).
A trough(31 ) with its width corresponding to that of the connection rod(2)
is formed at the root of the grip(3) and guarded by a pair of noses(32), each
of
the noses(32) has a pivot hole(33) to receive a pivot pin(34), a protrusion
end(35)
extends from the upper end and a stopper tongue(36) is at the lower end of the
grip(3).
The trough(31) is used for the grip(3) to fit into the connection rod(2)
which is connected with a pivot pin(34) penetrating through the relative pivot
hole(33) and the pin hole(22). So to pivot both of the grip(3) and the
connection rod(2) while allowing the protrusion end(35) at the upper end of
the
grip(3) penetrated to hold against in relation to the slot(212) of the
pivot(21) of
the connection rod(2). The base( 1 ) is capped on a handle(6) with the loop(
11 ).
And the pivot(21) of the connection rod(2) is placed into the circular
slot(13) of
the space( 12) while the loop( 11 ) is also fastened by means of the bolt( 15)
penetrating the through hole(14) and the pivot hole(211) at the pivot(21), so
that
the pivot(21) used as a support for the connection rod(2) to swing. The inner
cable(51) of the braking line(5) penetrating through the space(12) is secured
by
the corresponding slot(23) at the lower end of the connection rod(2). Before
S
CA 02260585 1999-02-02
the grip(3) being pulled or pushed, the original combination status is as
shown in
Fig. 2, wherein, the stopper tongue(36) at the lower end of the grip(3) is
used to
hold against the stopper wall( 17) of the base( 1 ) to achieve a static
status.
Furthermore, once the grip(3) is pulled upward as shown in Fig. 3,
wherein, the protrusion end(35) holds against the slot(212) of the pivot(21)
of the
swinging connection rod(2). Since the grip(3) is pivoted to the middle section
of the swinging connection rod(2), the swinging connection rod(2) is driven by
the grip(3) to swing in conjunction with the rotation by the bolt(15) in the
pivot(21), and the cable(51) of the braking line(5) is forthwith pulled by the
lower end of the swinging connection rod(2) to achieve the control of braking
status.
As shown in Figs. 4 and 5, when the grip(3) is pushed downward, the
stopper tongue(36) of the grip(3) holds against the stopper wall(17) of the
base(1)
to form a sliding support. When the connection rod(2) swings as driven by the
pivot point at the middle section, thus the root of the grip{3) travels a
lateral
movement and the cable(51) of the braking wire(5) is pulled by the rod(2) to
achieve the braking. Furthermore, when the grip(3) is continuously pushed
downward until the lower end of the connection rod(2) holds against the inner
end of the trough(31 ) to get in position at a proper angle, and the noses(32)
move
to the outer end of the positioning protrusion(16), then released as
illustrated in
Fig. 6, the noses(32) at the root of the grip(3) holds against the positioning
protrusion( 16) of the base( 1 ) and remains in that status for the time
being. The
cable (S 1 ) of the braking wire(5) is pulled in braking status, so the user
may sit
down by holding the collator or do something else without having to push the
grip(3).
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