US20050178939A1

US20050178939A1 - Crutch basket assembly

Info

Publication number: US20050178939A1
Application number: US10/779,097
Authority: US
Inventors: Christina Krieg; Charles Frescura
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2004-02-14
Filing date: 2004-02-14
Publication date: 2005-08-18

Abstract

A crutch basket assembly comprising a crutch, a basket hanging bracket and a basket is disclosed. The basket hanging bracket is comprised of a bracket body and a pair of strikers. The bracket is attached to a crutch. The basket has an open top container, a pair of braces and a pair of latches. The braces are shaped to align the basket with the vertical members of the crutch. The latches are shaped to receive the strikers of the bracket body and to secure the basket to the bracket body. A person ambulating with crutches may easily create a receptacle attached to a crutch for carrying small items hands-free.

Description

BACKGROUND

It is an unfortunate fact of life that many people will occasionally require a pair of crutches to ambulate. Typically, when a person suffers a serious lower extremity injury, such as a broken leg or a sprained ankle, the person requires a pair of crutches to ambulate. The period of time during which crutches are required can be lengthy. A person can have a broken leg within a cast for months.
When a person ambulates with crutches his or her daily routine can be seriously interrupted. The daily routine of most persons involves carrying small handheld items. These items include, by way of example, soda pop, pencils, ink pens, cell phones, snacks, keys and a variety of documents and papers. Ambulation with crutches requires the use of a person's arms and hands to move and hold the crutches. This makes it difficult to hold handheld items. As a result, a person ambulating with crutches often does not carry desired handheld items, or carries those items with difficulty. An item is more easily dropped and is more difficult to pick up. There is also a risk of further injury because of the additional body movement required to avoid dropping an item, or picking it up after it has dropped.
What is needed is a device which easily attaches to a crutch, in varying locations, and which provides a container physically attached to the crutch.

SUMMARY

The present invention is directed to a device and an assembly which satisfies these needs. An object of the invention is to provide a bracket and basket which may be easily attached to a crutch in varying locations.
A typical crutch has two spaced apart opposing vertical members. Each vertical member has a plurality of fastener holes. The fastener holes are intended to provide a series of positions for attaching a crutch handle. The crutch handle uses only one fastener hole on each crutch vertical member. This leaves a plurality of remaining fastener holes which may be used to attach a bracket and basket to the crutch.
One version of the invention is a crutch basket assembly comprising a crutch, a basket hanging bracket and a basket. The crutch is a typical crutch. It has spaced apart opposing vertical members. Each vertical member has a plurality of fastener holes. The fastener holes are aligned on the vertical members such that a handle may be perpendicularly attached to the vertical members by a fastener inserted through a fastener hole into a threaded opening on the handle.
The basket hanging bracket has a bracket body sized and shaped to fit across the space between the opposing vertical members of the crutch. Each end of the bracket body is sized and shaped to wrap around a hole in a vertical member of the crutch. Each end of the bracket body has a mounting hole. Each mounting hole is alignable with a vertical member hole. When so aligned a fastener may be inserted through the mounting hole of the bracket and into the vertical member hole, thereby securing the bracket to the crutch.
A pair of strikers are perpendicularly attached to the bracket. The purpose of the strikers is to receive and engage mounting latch circular openings of a crutch basket, thereby securing the basket to the bracket. Each striker has a flange substantially coplanar to the bracket body. Each flange is attached to the distal end of its respective striker and spaced apart from the bracket body. The bracket is attached to the crutch by a fastener inserted through each bracket mounting hole into a crutch vertical member hole.
The basket is comprised of an open top container, a pair of braces and a pair of latches. The open top container has a bracket interface wall. The bracket interface wall has an interior side and an exterior side. A portion of the container may be shaped and sized to partially surround and contain a beverage container within the basket. This will permit a person using crutches to carry an open beverage within the basket without having the beverage tip over and spill due to normal crutch movement.
The braces are attached to the bottom periphery of the exterior side of the bracket interface wall. Each brace has a mating surface which is shaped and sized to fit a vertical member of the crutch. The braces are spaced apart substantially the same distance that the vertical members of the crutch are spaced apart. The braces stabilize the basket on the crutch and absorb shock to the basket.
The latches are formed within the bracket interface wall. Each latch comprises a slot connected to a circular opening. The circular opening is larger than each striker flange and the slot is smaller than each striker flange. The basket is attached to the crutch by positioning the basket slots between the bracket and the striker flanges. This is accomplished by inserting the flanges into the circular openings of the latches and sliding the basket such that the flanges are locked to the bracket interface wall of the basket by the slots. The basket is aligned with the crutch by fitting the mating surfaces of each brace to a vertical member of the crutch.
Preferably, a support member is centered between the ends of the bracket body and perpendicularly extends from the longitudinal axis the bracket body. The support member stabilizes the attached basket. It also protects the basket latches from damage by limiting the ability of the basket to rotate about the bracket. Stabilization and basket protection are further enhanced by attaching a resilient spacer, such as foam rubber, to the bracket body and to the bracket support member.
Preferably, a small parts holder is attached to the bracket on the bracket side opposite to the bracket side facing the basket. The small parts holder provides a container for holding small parts when only the bracket and not the basket are attached to the crutch. It also provides an additional container for holding small parts when the basket is attached to the crutch.
Another version of the invention is a crutch basket assembly comprising the basket hanging bracket and the basket. Additionally, other versions of the invention include the basket hanging bracket alone and the basket alone.

DRAWINGS

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings where:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a crutch basket assembly in use.
FIG. 2 is a front elevation view of the crutch basket assembly of FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a front elevation view of a basket hanging bracket attached to the crutch shown in FIG. 1.
FIG. 4 is a plan cross-sectional view of the basket hanging bracket of FIG. 3.
FIG. 5 is a back elevation view of the basket hanging bracket of FIG. 3.
FIG. 6 is a back elevation view of the basket attached to the crutch shown in FIG. 1.
FIG. 7 is a side elevation view of the crutch basket assembly shown in FIG. 1.
FIG. 8 is a plan cross-sectional view of the crutch basket assembly shown in FIG. 8.

DESCRIPTION

The preferred embodiment of the present invention is a crutch basket assembly 10 comprising a crutch 12, a basket hanging bracket 18, and a basket 38.
The crutch 12 is a typical common crutch. It should be constructed from aluminum or wood. The crutch 12 has two spaced apart opposing vertical members 14. Each vertical member 14 contains a plurality of fastener holes 16. On a typical crutch the fastener holes 16 are positioned to allow a crutch handle to be perpendicularly attached to the vertical members 14. A typical crutch contains the plurality of fastener holes 16 to permit the adjustable positioning of the crutch handle. After the crutch handle is secured to the vertical members 14 many fastener holes 16 remain unused. One of the objects of the present invention is to provide for the adjustable positioning of the basket hanging bracket 18 along the vertical members 14 of the crutch 12. This is accomplished by allowing the basket hanging bracket 18 to be secured to any one of the vertical member fastener holes 16 by a fastener 36.
The basket hanging bracket 18 is preferably fabricated from aluminum or molded plastic. The basket hanging bracket 18 has a bracket body 19. The bracket body 19 is sized and shaped to fit across the space between the opposing vertical members 14 of the crutch 12. Each end 20 of the bracket body 19 is sized and shaped to wrap around a hole 16 in a vertical member 14 of the crutch 12, as shown in FIG. 4. Each end 20 of the bracket body 19 has a mounting hole 24. Each mounting hole 24 of the bracket body 19 is sized and shaped to be alignable with a vertical member hole 16 such that the basket hanging bracket 18 may be secured to the crutch 12 by a fastener 36 inserted through each bracket mounting hole 24 into a vertical member fastener hole 16.
A pair of strikers 32 are perpendicularly attached to the bracket 18, as shown in FIG. 4. Each striker 32 has a flange 34 which is substantially coplanar to the bracket the body 19. Each flange 34 is spaced apart from the bracket body 20 and attached to the distal end of the striker 32. Each flange 34 is small enough to receive and protrude through a mounting latch circular opening 60 of a crutch basket 38 and secure the crutch basket 38 to the bracket body 19. The bracket 18 is attached to the crutch 12 by a fastener 36 inserted through each bracket mounting hole 24 into a crutch vertical member fastener hole 16. The fastener holes 16 of the crutch may be threaded to receive a fastener 36 and not require a corresponding fastener nut. On the other hand, the fastener holes 16 of the crutch 12 may be so large relative to the diameter of the fastener 36 that a nut is required to secure the fastener 36 and bracket 18 to the crutch 12.
Preferably, a support member 26 is centered between the ends 20 of the bracket body 18. The support member 26 extends perpendicularly from the longitudinal axis of the bracket body 18. This will provide additional support to a basket 38 attached to the bracket 18 and limit the susceptibility of the basket 38 to damage caused by rotation about the bracket 18 after the basket 38 is attached to the bracket 18. A resilient spacer 28 is attached to the bracket 18 between the ends 20 of the bracket 18, as shown in FIG. 3. A resilient spacer 28 is also attached to the support member 26 of the bracket 18, as shown in FIG. 3. The preferred material out of which the resilient spacers 28 are constructed is foam rubber. The resilient spacers 28 serve to stabilize a basket 38 mounted to the bracket 18, to absorb shock to the basket 38 and to facilitate the nondestructive removal of a crutch basket 38 attached to the bracket 18.
Optionally, a small parts holder 30 is attached to the bracket body 18. The small parts holder 30 is attached to the face of the basket hanging bracket 18 which is opposite to the face of the bracket side to which the strikers 34 are attached. Preferably, the small parts holder 30 is secured to the bracket 18 by Velcro 31. This will facilitate removing and attaching the small parts holder 30 to the bracket 18 whenever desired. A person ambulating on crutches may use an attached small parts holder 30 to easily carry small parts.
The basket 38 is comprised of an open top container 40, a pair of braces 52 and a pair of latches 56. Preferably, the basket 38 is fabricated by plastic molding. The open top container 40 has a bracket interface wall 42. The bracket interface wall 42 has an interior side 44 and an exterior side 46. Optionally, a portion 50 of the open top container 40 is sized and shaped to partially surround and contain a beverage container within the basket 38. The shape is designated by reference numeral 50 in FIG. 8. This shaping of the open top container 40 will tend to prevent a beverage container placed within the basket 38 from tipping and spilling caused by crutch movement during ambulation.
The braces 52 are attached to the bottom periphery of the exterior side 46 of the bracket interface wall 42. Each brace 52 has a mating surface 54 shaped and sized to fit a vertical member 14 of the crutch 12. The braces 52 are spaced apart substantially the same distance that the vertical members 14 of the crutch 12 are spaced apart. This stabilizes the basket 38 on the crutch 12 and absorbs shock received by the basket 38.
A pair of latches 56 are formed within the bracket interface wall 42. Each latch 56 is comprised of a slot 58 connected to a circular opening 60. The circular openings 60 are larger than each striker flange 34. The slots 58 are smaller than each striker flange 34. The basket 38 is attached to the crutch 12 by the basket slots 58 being positioned between the bracket 18 and the striker flanges 34 while the basket 38 is aligned with the crutch 12 by fitting the mating surface 54 of each brace 52 to a vertical member 14 of the crutch 12. This is accomplished by inserting the striker flanges 34 into the circular openings 60 of the latches 56 and then covering the flanges by the bracket interface wall 42 by sliding the basket 38 along the strikers 32.
A second version of the invention comprises the crutch basket assembly as described, but without the crutch. Other versions of the invention include the basket hanging bracket 18, alone and the basket 38 alone.
This invention is simple to use. A user attaches a basket hanging bracket 18 to a crutch 12 by aligning the bracket mounting holes 24 with a pair of crutch fastener holes 16. The bracket 18 is secured by threading a fastener 36 through each bracket mounting hole 24 and corresponding vertical member fastener hole 16. The basket 38 is attached to the bracket 18 by inserting the bracket flanges 34 through the latch circular openings 60 and then sliding the basket 38 along the strikers 32, thereby locking the basket 38 into place. The Velcro attachable small parts holder 30 may be secured to the bracket 18 by pressing it onto the bracket 18. It may be removed by pulling it off.

Claims

1. A basket hanging bracket for use on a crutch having spaced apart opposing vertical members, wherein each vertical member of the crutch has one or more fastener holes, the basket hanging bracket comprising:

(a) a bracket body sized and shaped to fit across the space between the opposing vertical members, each end of the bracket body being sized and shaped to wrap around a hole in a vertical member and having a mounting hole alignable with said vertical member hole for securing the basket hanging bracket to each vertical member; and

(b) a pair of strikers perpendicularly attached to the bracket, each said striker having a flange substantially coplanar to the bracket body, each said flange being spaced apart from the bracket body and attached to the distal end of said striker, for receiving mounting latch circular openings of a crutch basket and securing the crutch basket to the bracket body.

2. The basket hanging bracket of claim 1 further comprising a support member centered between the ends of the bracket body and perpendicularly extending from the longitudinal axis of the bracket body.

3. The basket hanging bracket of claim 1, further comprising a resilient spacer attached to the bracket body for stabilizing a crutch basket attached to the bracket and facilitating the nondestructive removal of a crutch basket attached to the bracket.

4. The basket hanging bracket of claim 2, further comprising a resilient spacer attached to the bracket body for stabilizing a crutch basket attached to the bracket and facilitating the nondestructive removal of a crutch basket attached to the bracket.

5. The basket hanging bracket of claim 2, further comprising a resilient spacer attached to the support member for stabilizing a crutch basket attached to the bracket and facilitating the nondestructive removal of a crutch basket attached to the bracket.

6. The basket hanging bracket of claim 1, further comprising a small parts holder attached to the bracket body.

7. The basket hanging bracket of claim 2, further comprising a small parts holder attached to the bracket body.

8. The basket hanging bracket of claim 3, further comprising a small parts holder attached to the bracket body.

9. The basket hanging bracket of claim 4, further comprising a small parts holder attached to the bracket body.

10. A basket for use on a crutch having spaced apart opposing vertical members, wherein each vertical member of the crutch has one or more fastener holes, the basket comprising:

(a) an open top container having a bracket interface wall, said bracket interface wall having an interior side and an exterior side;

(b) a pair of braces attached to the bottom periphery of the exterior side of the bracket interface wall, each said brace having a mating surface shaped and sized to fit a vertical member of the crutch, the braces being spaced apart substantially the same distance that the vertical members of the crutch are spaced apart, for stabilizing the basket on the crutch and absorbing shock to the basket; and

(c) a pair of latches formed within the bracket interface wall, each said latch comprising a slot connected to a circular opening, wherein the circular opening is larger than each striker flange and the slot is smaller than each striker flange.

11. The basket for use on a crutch of claim 10, wherein a portion of the container is shaped and sized to partially surround and contain a beverage container within the basket.

12. A crutch basket assembly comprising:

(a) a crutch having spaced apart opposing vertical members, wherein each vertical member of the crutch has one or more fastener holes;

(b) a basket hanging bracket comprising:

(i) a bracket body sized and shaped to fit across the space between the opposing vertical members, each end of the bracket body being sized and shaped to wrap around a hole in a vertical member and having a mounting hole alignable with said vertical member hole for securing the basket hanging bracket to each vertical member; and

(ii) a pair of strikers perpendicularly attached to the bracket, each said striker having a flange substantially coplanar to the bracket body, each said flange being spaced apart from the bracket body and attached to the distal end of said striker, for receiving mounting latch circular openings of a crutch basket and securing the crutch basket to the bracket body, wherein the bracket is attached to the crutch by a fastener inserted through each bracket mounting hole into a crutch vertical member hole; and

(c) a basket comprising:

(i) an open top container having a bracket interface wall, said bracket interface wall having an interior side and an exterior side;

(ii) a pair of braces attached to the bottom periphery of the exterior side of the bracket interface wall, each said brace having a mating surface shaped and sized to fit a vertical member of the crutch, the braces being spaced apart substantially the same distance that the vertical members of the crutch are spaced apart, for stabilizing the basket on the crutch and absorbing shock to the basket; and

(iii) a pair of latches formed within the bracket interface wall, each said latch comprising a slot connected to a circular opening, wherein the circular opening is larger than each striker flange and the slot is smaller than each striker flange, the basket being attached to the crutch by the basket slots being positioned between the bracket and the striker flanges and the basket being aligned with the crutch by fitting the mating surface of each brace to a vertical member of the crutch.

13. The crutch basket assembly of claim 12, further comprising a support member centered between the ends of the bracket body and perpendicularly extending from the longitudinal axis of the bracket body.

14. The crutch basket assembly of claim 12, further comprising a resilient spacer attached to the bracket body for stabilizing the crutch basket attached to the bracket and facilitating the nondestructive removal of the crutch basket attached to the bracket.

15. The crutch basket assembly of claim 13, further comprising a resilient spacer attached to the bracket body for stabilizing the crutch basket attached to the bracket and facilitating the nondestructive removal of the crutch basket attached to the bracket.

16. The crutch basket assembly of claim 13, further comprising a resilient spacer attached to the support member for stabilizing the crutch basket attached to the bracket and facilitating the nondestructive removal of the crutch basket attached to the bracket.

17. The crutch basket assembly of claim 12, further comprising a small parts holder attached to the bracket body.

18. The crutch basket assembly of claim 12, wherein a portion of the container is shaped and sized to partially surround and contain a beverage container within the basket.

19. A crutch basket assembly for use on a crutch having spaced apart opposing vertical members, wherein each vertical member of the crutch has one or more fastener holes, the crutch basket assembly comprising:

(a) a basket hanging bracket comprising:

(ii) a pair of strikers perpendicularly attached to the bracket, each said striker having a flange substantially coplanar to the bracket body, each said flange being spaced apart from the bracket body and attached to the distal end of said striker, for receiving mounting latch circular openings of a crutch basket and securing the crutch basket to the bracket body; and

(b) a basket for attaching to the bracket comprising:

(iii) a pair of latches formed within the bracket interface wall, each said latch comprising a slot connected to a circular opening, wherein the circular opening is larger than each striker flange and the slot is smaller than each striker flange.

20. The crutch basket assembly of claim 19, further comprising a support member centered between the ends of the bracket body and perpendicularly extending from the longitudinal axis of the bracket body.

21. The crutch basket assembly of claim 19, further comprising a resilient spacer attached to the bracket body for stabilizing the crutch basket attached to the bracket and facilitating the nondestructive removal of the crutch basket attached to the bracket.

22. The crutch basket assembly of claim 20, further comprising a resilient spacer attached to the bracket body for stabilizing the crutch basket attached to the bracket and facilitating the nondestructive removal of the crutch basket attached to the bracket.

23. The crutch basket assembly of claim 20, further comprising a resilient spacer attached to the support member for stabilizing the crutch basket attached to the bracket and facilitating the nondestructive removal of the crutch basket attached to the bracket.

24. The crutch basket assembly of claim 19, further comprising a small parts holder attached to the bracket body.

25. The crutch basket assembly of claim 19, wherein a portion of the container is shaped and sized to partially surround and contain a beverage container within the basket.