END CAP STRUCTURE FOR CANE/CRUTCH/TREKKING POLE

Abstract

An end cap structure for a cane/crutch/trekking pole includes a main body, an elastic interlayer, and a bottom layer. The elastic interlayer is disposed between the main body and the bottom layer to ensure the structural strength of the end cap. When the user swings the cane/crutch/trekking pole in all directions, the whole underside of the bottom layer is kept in contact with the ground due to the elastic interlayer to ensure that the anti-slip function is not affected, thereby improving the safety of the product when in use.

Claims

1: An end cap structure for a cane, comprising: a main body having a top end recessed with a receiving hole; an elastic interlayer attached and fixed to an underside of the main body, wherein the elastic interlayer has a top cavity recessed from a top planar surface of the elastic interlayer to receive a protrusion of the main body; and a bottom layer attached and fixed to an underside of the elastic interlayer.

2: The end cap structure of claim 1, wherein the elastic interlayer comprises an expanded thermoplastic urethane (ETPU) material.

3: The end cap structure of claim 1, wherein the protrusion of the main body protrudes from a bottom planar surface of the main body.

4: The end cap structure of claim 1, wherein an underside of the bottom layer is provided with a convex anti-slip texture.

5: The end cap structure of claim 1, wherein the elastic interlayer has a bottom cavity recessed from a bottom planar surface of the elastic interlayer to receive a protrusion of the bottom layer.

6: The end cap structure of claim 5, wherein the protrusion of the bottom layer protrudes from a top planar surface of the bottom layer.

7: The end cap structure of claim 1, wherein the elastic interlayer has a sidewall contiguous to a sidewall of the main body.

8: The end cap structure of claim 1, wherein the elastic interlayer has a sidewall contiguous to a sidewall of the bottom layer.

9: An end cap structure for a cane, comprising: a main body having a top end recessed with a receiving hole; an elastic interlayer attached and fixed to an underside of the main body, wherein the elastic interlayer has a bottom cavity recessed from a bottom planar surface of the elastic interlayer; and a bottom layer attached and fixed to an underside of the elastic interlayer, wherein the bottom layer has a protrusion to be received in the bottom cavity of the elastic interlayer.

10: The end cap structure of claim 9, wherein the protrusion of the bottom layer protrudes from a top planar surface of the bottom layer.

11: The end cap structure of claim 9, wherein the elastic interlayer has a top cavity receiving a protrusion of the main body, wherein the protrusion of the main body protrudes from a bottom planar surface of the main body.

12: The end cap structure of claim 9, wherein the elastic interlayer comprises an expanded thermoplastic urethane (ETPU) material.

13: The end cap structure of claim 9, wherein an underside of the bottom layer is provided with a convex anti-slip texture.

14: The end cap structure of claim 9, wherein the elastic interlayer has a sidewall contiguous to a sidewall of the main body.

15: The end cap structure of claim 9, wherein the elastic interlayer has a sidewall contiguous to a sidewall of the bottom layer.

16: An end cap structure for a cane, comprising: a main body having a top end recessed with a receiving hole, wherein the main body has a protrusion protruding from a bottom planar surface of the main body; an elastic interlayer attached and fixed to an underside of the main body, wherein the elastic interlayer has a top cavity receiving the protrusion of the main body; and a bottom layer attached and fixed to an underside of the elastic interlayer.

17: The end cap structure of claim 16, wherein the elastic interlayer has a bottom cavity receiving a protrusion of the bottom layer, wherein the protrusion of the bottom layer protrudes from a top planar surface of the bottom layer.

18: The end cap structure of claim 16, wherein the elastic interlayer comprises an expanded thermoplastic urethane (ETPU) material.

19: The end cap structure of claim 16, wherein an underside of the bottom layer is provided with a convex anti-slip texture.

20: The end cap structure of claim 16, wherein the elastic interlayer has a sidewall contiguous to a sidewall of the bottom layer.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] FIG. 1 is a perspective view according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

[0016] FIG. 2 is another perspective view according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

[0017] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view according to the first embodiment of the present invention; and

[0018] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0019] Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0020] Referring to FIGS. 1 through 3, a specific structure of a first embodiment of the present invention comprises a main body 10, an elastic interlayer 20, and a bottom layer 30.

[0021] The top end of the main body 10 is recessed with a receiving hole 11. In the embodiment, the main body 10 has a truncated cone shape. The inner bottom surface of the receiving hole 11 is concavely provided with a recess 12 to provide a buffer space, so that the connection of the walking cane/crutch/trekking pole and the receiving hole 11 is more stable.

[0022] The elastic interlayer 20 is attached and fixed to the underside of the main body 10. The bottom layer 30 is attached and fixed to the underside of the elastic interlayer 20. In this embodiment, both the elastic interlayer 20 and the bottom layer 30 are in the shape of a disk. The outer diameters of the elastic interlayer 20 and the bottom layer 30 are the same as the maximum outer diameter of the main body 10. The underside of the bottom layer 30 is provided with a convex anti-slip texture 31.

[0023] The main body 10 and the elastic interlayer 20 are assembled and positioned with each other through a first protrusion 13 and a first cavity 21. The elastic interlayer 20 and the bottom layer 30 are assembled and positioned with each other through a second protrusion 32 and a second cavity 22. In the embodiment, the underside of the main body 10 is provided with the first protrusion 13, the surface of the elastic interlayer 20 is recessed with the first cavity 21, and the first protrusion 13 is embedded in the first cavity 21. In this embodiment, the first protrusion 13 is located at the center of the underside of the main body 10, and the first cavity 21 is located at the center of the surface of the elastic interlayer 20 to function as a positioning, a fulcrum and a connection. Both the height of the first protrusion 13 and the depth of the first cavity 21 are 3 mm. The underside of the elastic interlayer 20 is recessed with the second cavity 22. The surface of the bottom layer 30 is provided with the second protrusion 32. The second protrusion 32 is embedded in the second cavity 22. In this embodiment, the second protrusion 32 is located at the center of the surface of the bottom layer 30, and the second cavity 22 is located at the center of the underside of the elastic interlayer 20 to function as a positioning, a fulcrum and a connection. Both the height of the second protrusion 32 and the depth of the second cavity 22 are 3 mm. The thickness of the elastic interlayer 20 is 8-10 mm.

[0024] In addition, both the main body 10 and the bottom layer 30 are made of a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) material. The elastic interlayer 20 is made of an expanded thermoplastic urethane (ETPU) material. The main body 10, the elastic interlayer 20 and the bottom layer 30 are superposed and fixed together by bonding, thereby achieving a stable connection of the main body 10, the elastic interlayer 20 and the bottom layer 30.

[0025] The use of this embodiment is described as follows:

[0026] In use, the lower end of the walking cane/crutch/trekking pole is inserted into the receiving hole 11 to be fixed. During the use of the walking cane/crutch/trekking pole, the bottom layer 30 is pressed against the ground, and the whole underside of the bottom layer 30 is in contact with the ground. The user can swing the walking cane/crutch/trekking pole in various directions. Due to the arrangement of the elastic interlayer 20, the whole underside of the bottom layer 30 is kept in contact with the ground, thereby improving the safety of use.

[0027] FIG. 4 shows a specific structure of a second embodiment of the present invention. The specific structure of the second embodiment is substantially similar to the specific structure of the foregoing first embodiment with the exceptions described hereinafter.

[0028] In this embodiment, the first cavity 21 communicates with the second cavity 22. The first protrusion 13 and the second protrusion 32 leans against each other to function as a better positioning, a fulcrum and a connection.

[0029] Although particular embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail for purposes of illustration, various modifications and enhancements may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the present invention is not to be limited except as by the appended claims.