Collapsable safety cane with shock absorbing feature

Abstract

A shock absorbing handle for a white cane for blind people or visually impaired, incorporates resilient members within its handle, primarily in the form of a spring located in the handle region of the cane, in order to cushion the impact when the lower tip of the cane encounters an obstruction. A length of resilient cord, such as a bungee cord, extends from the top of the handle of the cane, to the lower tip of its bottom most segment, so that when the cord is stretched, the various segments can be separated from their connecting ferrules, and contracted into a smaller size for packaging. The various segments can be stretched, through their resilient cord, and secured together, to form the lengthy white cane, having cushioning impact provided within its handle, to relieve stress upon the user, when obstructions are encountered during usage of the cane during its application.

Claims

1. A white cane for the visually impaired, including a lengthy cane made up of various segments, the various segments being interconnected together to form the length of the white cane, a handle provided upon the upper segment of the cane, a spring provided within the handle and biasing against the upper segment of the cane, the handle being telescopically applied to the upper segment, so that when an obstacle is encountered by the user, the compression spring cushions the impact relieving the user from stress to his/her hand during application of said device; a resilient cord extending from the upper end of the handle, through the handle and it's in place spring, and through the various segments, and securing within the bottom most segment of the cane, to hold the segments of the cane and its handle together when assembled for usage, but to allow the various segments to be separated from each other, and from the handle, through stretching of said resilient cord, when dismantled for storage or conveyance; ferrules or sleeves secure the various cane segments together during assembly; and said resilient cord extends above the cushioned handle for the cane, forming a loop, to provide for grasping or securement about the wrist of the user, to prevent inadvertent loss during usage of the said white cane.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) In referring to the drawings:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a partial view of the white cane of this invention, showing its resilient handle, and its upper segment, and further disclosing the resilient cord that extends through the entire cane;

(3) FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing the various internal components, including the compression or recoil spring, that hold the handle in position for movement, when an obstruction is encountered by the user;

(4) FIG. 3 provides a lengthy view of the recoil or compression spring that locates within the handle to add resiliency to the white cane, during its usage;

(5) FIG. 4 shows a lengthy view of the entire white cane, its various segments, held together by ferrules, and having the handle located at its upper end, all the segments and the handle being held together through the usage of a resilient cord; and

(6) FIG. 5 shows how the various segments of the cane can be separated from each other, pulling against the resiliency of its internal cord, all the segments and the handle being held in adjacency, ready for packaging or storage.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

(7) As previously reviewed, the concept of this invention is essentially a lengthy type of white cane, one that may be collapsible to reduce its size for packaging and conveyance, but once assembled, incorporates resilient means, primarily in the form of a spring located in the handle region of the white cane, in order to cushion the impact when the lower tip of the cane encounters an obstruction, that impedes its further movement. When a white cane is used by the visually impaired, without any shock absorbing feature, and if it is used for any length of time, the hand and wrist holding the cane can get fatigued.

(8) The structure of the preferred embodiment includes a white cane or walking stick type of structure, as noted at 1, in FIG. 1, which includes a handle portion 2 at its upper end, and which can be conveniently gripped by the user. The handle portion may be ergonomically designed, to facilitate its retention and holding by the user, during its application. The cane includes a series of length of segments, one as noted at 3, with the various segments being held together through the use of sleeves or ferrules, as noted at 4, in FIG. 4, so that when the various segments 3 are interconnected together, and held by their sleeves, as noted, they form a lengthy white cane, or walking stick, for the user. The handle 2 telescopically fits upon the upper segment 3, as noted, while the bottom segment includes a lower tip, as at 5, which is the portion of the cane that detects and encounters any obstacle, during its usage. And, as is commonly structured into such a white cane, there is generally a band of material, as at 6, normally red, so as to alert others that the user of the white cane is visually impaired, and that caution must be exercised.

(9) The upper handle 2, as stated, is telescopically located over the upper part of the upper segment 3 of the cane. This can also be seen in FIG. 2. Within this area, there is located a recoil or compression spring 7 that is arranged between the upper interior end of the handle, as noted at 8, and biases against the top 9 of the upper segment 3, of the structure. There is a resilient cord, similar to a bungee cord, as noted at 10, that extends entirely through the structured cane, securing interiorly at the tip 5 of the cane structure or to the bottom segment 3, extends upwardly, and is secured at the upper end 8, by means of a washer or other retainer, as at 11. The bottom end of the recoil spring 7 will bias upon the top of the segment 3, and there may be another washer (not shown) located at that location for stabilizing the bias of the recoil spring against it, at that location.

(10) Where the upper end of the resilient cord extends exteriorly of the white cane, as noted at 12, it may be formed into a loop, as noted in FIG. 4, which provides for the convenience of holding by the user, or the cord loop may be wrapped around the wrist of the user, in order to provide for some securement of the white cane to the visually impaired, to assure that he/she can retain the cane, when any obstruction is encountered, in order to prevent its dropping, or loss.

(11) As previously reviewed, the recoil or compression spring 7 can contract approximately up to about 5 inches, on impact, in order to cushion the shock of encountering such an obstruction, and then can immediately extend to its normal condition, once the impact or obstacle has been removed. Such a compression spring 7 can be seen in FIG. 3, which discloses that the spring is capable of compression, retraction, when the white cane encounters any obstruction.

(12) FIG. 5 shows how the various segments of the cane can be separated, laid in adjacency, ready for packaging, or placing into a carrying bag, for just that, for conveyance, or for storage. As noted, the handle 2 and all of the segments of the cane, as at 3, can be pulled against the resistance of its resilient cord 10, so as to separate each segment 3 from its associated sleeve or ferrule 4, allowing the white cane to be contracted, down to approximately 12 inch segments, as can be noted. When collapsed in this manner, the various segments can be secured together, into a very condensed configuration, and can be packaged in a carrying bag, as can be understood. Even when in the bag, the upper loop of the cord 12 can extend out of the bag, and function as a handle.

(13) Variations or modifications to the subject matter of this invention may occur to those skilled in the art upon review of the Description of the Preferred Embodiment as provided herein. Such variations, if within the spirit of this invention, are intended to be encompassed within the scope of any claims to patent protection issuing herein. The Description of the Preferred Embodiment, and its depiction in the drawings, are set forth for illustrative purposes only.