US20040264172A1

US20040264172A1 - Illuminated cane

Info

Publication number: US20040264172A1
Application number: US10/447,905
Authority: US
Inventors: Hess Roberts
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2002-05-29
Filing date: 2003-05-29
Publication date: 2004-12-30

Abstract

An illuminated cane, having a shaft arranged between a handle and lower end cap, the shaft may be solid or tubular formed, having a light source provided therein, and which light source may be permanently illuminated, by depressing of a button, or ignition switch, to illuminate the light and light the entire height of the shaft for the cane, or the light may be turned on either by depressing a switch in the vicinity of the hand grip or actuating a push button at the bottom of the cane, as when the cane is rested upon the surface of the ground. Or, a flasher may be included within the structure of the light source, which may include a battery, spring, ignition switch, or even a flasher, to provide for either permanent, temporary, or blinking lighting, along the height of the cane shaft.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is based upon the provisional patent application having Ser. No. 60/383,701 which was filed on May 29, 2002.[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

As is well known in the art, canes have long been used as a means for assisting the invalid, and more particularly, have added further indicia, generally relating either to red or white markings, upon the cane, to indicate that the user is blind, or legally blind. Such canes are all the blind person possesses as a means for indicating to those in the immediate vicinity that the person is substantially impaired, is being directed by the cane in an effort to motivate, and to provide a caution to all of those nearby, and particularly the motorists, that extreme caution should be undertaken to assist the person in attempting to move about the vicinity.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention contemplates means for providing further warning to anyone in the vicinity of a blind person, the aged, or the invalid, that the party displaying the cane of this invention, which illuminates, is in need of extreme caution on the part of those nearby, whether they be walking, driving a vehicle, or other means of motivation, to use caution to protect the invalid against being bumped, hit, or injured. This invention includes basically a cane structure, having a handle part, connecting with a transparent or translucent generally cylindrical material, incorporating means for illuminating the interior of the cylindrical tube is provided, and lighted, so as to provide a highly visible display to all within the vicinity that the person using the cane, requires attention, some degree of care, so as to avoid any impact, particularly when the invalid is attempting to cross the street, and thereby one must exercise extreme safety, generally cautioned through the illumination of the tube of the cane, as can be understood. The cane includes further means for illuminating its interior, and the transparent or translucent material may have certain indicia provided thereon, or be molded or cut to provide grooves, and function in the manner of a fiber optic, so as to illuminate the grooved surfaces, to add further enhanced lighting to the cane for displaying a warning or cautioning to those in the vicinity of the plight of its user and owner.

Further means are provided to furnish the energization of the light, and this can be either a form of a switch means, that ignites the light permanently until shut off, or has a manipulatable button means, that can ignite the light when the cane lower cap is depressed against the sidewalk, roadway, or other surface, for providing momentary illumination of the light until such time as the pressure of the cane is released, upon its lifting off of the ground. Other means may be provided to furnish such illumination, such as batteries, spring means that cooperates with a finger button to furnish a lighting of the lamp, and yet immediately shut it off when the cane's button or switch is released.

Hence the principal object of this invention is to provide a cane that furnishes illumination, along its height, to function as a cautionary warning to those in the immediate vicinity of the plight of its user and owner.

Another object of this invention is to provide a transparent or translucent tubular portion for a cane, which may be lighted interiorly, to further display a cautionary warning to those in the immediate vicinity.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide an illuminated cane that may be lighted permanently or which may have temporary lighting as the cane is pressed upon the ground, or perhaps even a thumb switch that either permanently or temporarily lights the emergency light located within the cane structure.

These and other objects may become more apparent to those skilled in the art upon review of the summary as provided herein, and upon undertaking a study of the description of its preferred embodiment in view of the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

In referring to the drawing, FIG. 1 is a side view of the illuminated cane of this invention.[0009]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

In referring to the drawings, and in particular FIG. 1, the cane [0010] 1 of this invention is readily disclosed. It includes its handle portion 2, which may be to any shape or configuration, generally to provide some type of a pistol grip to facilitate its grasping and holding by the user. The cane includes a shank or shaft which is formed preferably of tubular or cylindrical material 3, generally having a hollow interior, generally as noted at 4, although it is conceivable that the shaft may be formed of a solid transparent type of material, such as a polymer, and which is designed for the reflecting of light therethrough, in a manner of a fiber optic.
In the preferred embodiment, though, the [0011] hollow tube 3, forming the shaft for the cane extends the full height of the cane, from its handle portion 2, down to its lower cap 5, as can be noted. The lower cap 5 is designed to provide for a friction fit over the bottom end of the shaft 3 as can be seen. In addition, mounted in the bottom of the tubular portion is the illuminating means, comprising the light 6, at least one battery 7, a spring 8, which normally maintains the light out of contact with the battery, and lower pin or push button 9, which is known in the art has a retaining flange 10 integrally formed thereof. As the lower part of the push button 9 is depressed, as when the cane is pressed upon a surface, or the ground, the button 9 forces the battery 7 upwardly, contacting the bottom of the retained light 6, to illuminate it and to provide for a glow of light upwardly through the tubular portion 3, forming the shaft of the shown cane.
Obviously many variations could be made to the structure of this device. For example, instead of being a white light it could be a red lamp, in order to provide a red glow throughout the [0012] interior 4 of the shaft 3. This would provide an illuminated caution to anyone in proximity with the user of the cane. In addition, it is just as likely that the light source disclosed herein may comprise a series of light emitting diodes, which may extend its strand along the height of the shaft 3, and perhaps the strand could be twisted so that the LEDs, when lighted, will be displayed at all angles along the height of the cane, in order to provide a lighted caution to those within the vicinity. The LEDs may be white light, red light, or any light that is considered the proper caution to warn others that the user of the cane is impaired and needs protection.
In addition to the foregoing, the light at the bottom of the cane, rather than being a temporarily illumination device, the push button [0013] 9 may operate a switch which can permanently light the light, once illuminated, and when the push button compresses against it a second time, can provide for its turn off. Likewise, it is just as likely that a related type of switch could be provided at the upper segment, as in the vicinity of the portion 11, to provide a push button at that location, or at least one that will extend down to the upper end of the shaft, to illuminate a light located thereat, similar to the light structure 6, as previously explained. And, the push button, which may be compressed by the thumb, or the hand, could retain the light illuminated so long as pressure is applied to such an upper arranged push button, or the button may be used to compress a switch, that permanently illuminates the approximate lamp, at the upper end of the shaft, and keeps it on until such time as the switch is de-energized, through a second depressing of such a push button switch arranged at that location.
In addition to the foregoing, and as previously summarized, it is likely that the length of the shaft may be either molded or cut with a spiral type of groove, cross-hatch type grooves, or to any design or configuration, and which grooves may function as a fiber optic type of means, for redirecting the light, out the surface of the grooves, in the manner as a scintillating fiber optic, and which can provide for a greater illumination of the cane, throughout the length of its shaft, as can be understood. [0014]
These are examples as to how the structure of this illuminated cane may be fabricated, to greatly enhance the warning provided to those in the near vicinity that the user of the cane may be blind, or have other impairment, or be an invalid, and that extreme caution must be undertaken by those in the approximate area, so as to prevent harm to the cane user. [0015]
Variations or modifications to the subject matter of this invention may occur to those skilled in the art upon reviewing the description of the development as provided herein. Any variations or modifications, if within the spirit of the development as provided herein, are intended to be encompassed within the scope of the invention as disclosed. The description of the preferred embodiment, as depicted in the drawings, is set forth for illustrative purposes only. [0016]

Claims

1. An illuminated cane including a shaft portion that extends a sufficient heighth to allow for support for its user, said shaft being at least in part formed of a transparent material, the upper end of the shaft having a handle portion, the bottom end of the shaft having a lower end, and illuminating means including a light means provided within the transparent shaft, which when illuminated, provides for lighting of the cane to provide for cautioning to those in the surrounding area the presence of an invalid, aged, or handicapped person.

2. The illuminated cane of claim 1 wherein the shaft is formed of fluted material to provide for enhanced reflection of light.

3. The illuminated cane of claim 1 wherein a switch is provided in the handle, and which when initiated, provides for illumination of the light means within the cane.

4. The illuminated cane of claim 3 and including battery means, which when contacted, provides for illumination of the cane light means.

5. The illuminated cane of claim 1 wherein a lower cap provided upon the lower end of the cane, said lower cap is shiftable relative to the shaft upon which it mounts, the lower cap having switch means provided therein, which when contacted, provides for energization and lighting of the lighting means.

6. The illuminated cane of claim 2 wherein the flutes provided upon the transparent shaft is etched therein.

7. The illuminated cane of claim 6 wherein the etching extends the full heighth of the transparent shaft.

8. The illuminated cane of claim 5 wherein the lower cap includes a spring, said spring normally biasing said light into a non-illuminated condition, and when the illuminated cane is pressured upon the ground, against the bias of the spring, the battery energizes the light for illumination.

9. The illuminated cane of claim 1 wherein the handle is threadedly engaged by means of a metal band to the cane shaft.

10. The illuminated cane of claim 5, and including a push button provided extending from the lower cap of the cane, the push button normally biasing against the spring, to provide for contact of the battery means with the light to furnish its illumination, whereby upon raising of the cane off of the ground, the spring breaks contact with the battery and deenergizes the light into non-illumination.

11. The illuminated cane of claim 6, wherein the etching is arranged horizontally upon the transparent shaft.

12. The illuminated cane of claim 6, wherein the etching is provided spirally upon the transparent shaft.