AU778550B2

AU778550B2 - A wear indicating foot

Info

Publication number: AU778550B2
Application number: AU16435/01A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Kerry John Ford
Original assignee: KDB Engineering Pty Ltd
Current assignee: KDB Engineering Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2000-01-25
Filing date: 2001-01-24
Publication date: 2004-12-09
Anticipated expiration: 2021-01-24
Also published as: AU1643501A

Description

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT Applicant(s): KDB ENGINEERING PTY LTD Invention Title: A WEAR INDICATING FOOT The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us: -2- A WEAR INDICATING FOOT The present invention relates to a wear indicating foot for use on the bottom of a leg of a walking aid and other mobility assisting devices.

Walking aids and other mobility assisting devices such as for example, walking sticks and walking frames are typically provided with one or more ground engaging rubber or plastics material feet. Depending on the specific purpose of the aid, the feet may be designed to provide frictional resistance to sliding motion, for example with a walking stick or to provide minimal friction resistance to assist in facilitating a sliding motion, for example for a walking frame. In both instances the foot/feet will eventually wear to the point where replacement is required, in order to ensure proper operation of the aid and avoid damage to both the ground engaging end of the aid and floor surfaces over which the aid traverses.

Often however, it is not possible to detect when the foot is approaching, or indeed beyond, the time for replacement. Particularly so as the users of such aids and devices may not "have sufficient physical mobility or dexterity to manoeuvre themselves or the aids/devices to a position to inspect the foot.

The present invention was developed to attempt to address the above problem.

4i According to the present invention there is provided a wear indicating foot, for use on the bottom ofa leg ofa mobility assisting device, said foot comprising: 25 a coupling means for coupling the foot to said leg; S. a ground engaging base attached to an end of the coupling means opposite the leg, said base having a bottom surface for contact with the ground and an upper surface extending laterally from the coupling means substantially opposite the bottom surface; and at least one void opening on the upper surface and extending into the base to a predetermined depth in a direction generally towards the bottom surface, whereby, in use, excessive wearing of the bottom surface is indicated when the bottom surface of the base is worn away to the extent that the bottom surface meets the void.

-3- Preferably, the foot includes a plurality of voids are spaced around the base. The voids may be evenly spaced around the base.

Preferably, the base includes an attachment portion for connecting the foot to the leg and a replaceable wearing portion that includes the bottom surface, the attachment portion including the upper surface and said at least one void.

I.

Preferably the voids are in the form of a recessed hole. Alternatively, or in addition, the voids are in the form of a notch in the side of the base portion.

In one embodiment, the replaceable wearing portion is pivotally attached to the attachment portion.

In order to provide a better understanding, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described in detail, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is an upper perspective view of a wear indicating foot in accordance with the present invention: 20 Figure 2 is a cross-sectional side view of the wear indicating foot of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a cross-sectional side view of the foot of Figures 1 and 2, having been worn through use; **Figure 4 is a cross-sectional side view of an alternative wear indicating foot in accordance with the present invention, with a pivotal attachment between a 25 base of the foot and a leg coupling means of the foot; and Figure 5 is the foot of Figure 4 showing the base in a pivoted position.

Referring to Figure 1, there is shown a foot or glide tip 10 which includes a ground engaging base portion 12. The foot 10 is coupled to a leg 14 of a mobility assisting device by a coupling means between the foot 10 and the leg 14, in the form of a tightly fitting sleeve portion 16. The base portion 12 is in the form of a cylinder having a top surface 18, a side wall 19 and bottom surface 20. The bottom surface 20 is arranged to make contact -4with the ground in use. Extending from the top surface towards the bottom surface are recessed holes 22 and a notch 24 in the side wall 19. The holes 22 and notch 24 are laterally spaced from the sleeve portion 16.

As shown in Figure 2, the recessed hole 22 and the notch 24 extends to a predetermined depth, indicated by D, into the base portion 12. The depth is determined so as to provide enough of the base portion 12 to wear to some extent, but when the bottom surface 20 of the base portion 12 has worn excessively the wearing of the bottom surface will reach the bottom of the hole 22 or notch 24 as indicated in Figure 3 by 28.

Figure 3 shows a worn foot 11, which has its bottom surface 20, worn. The worn away section is indicated by 26. It is usual for wearing to be even, but at an angle to the horizontal. When the wearing of the base portion is excessive the bottom surface 26 will be worn away to the extent that it will meet the hole 22 or notch 24. In the case of the hole 22 this will be readily apparent as the ground will shown through the hole 22. The hole 22 or the notch 24 provides an easily detectible indication of when the base portion has become excessively worn. Without the hole (or notch), wearing of the base would not be readily detectable.

Figures 4 and 5 show an alternative embodiment of the foot 10, with the base portion 12 attached to the sleeve portion 16 by a universally pivoting joint 40 that allows the leg to engage ground at an angle or allows even wear on the base portion 12 when used on uneven ground.

S

The pivoting joint 40 includes a socket 44 in a bottom end 42 of the sleeve portion 16 and a ball 46 projecting from the top surface 18 of the base portion 12. The ball 46 is received in the socket 44 to form the joint It will be clear to a skilled addressee that various modifications and variations can be made to the present invention, such as the number and position of voids within the base portion may be whatever is suitable; the base portion may be divided into two separate regions, the top region having the voids being of one colour and the wearing region, below the H:\mcamp\keep\etypc\P41018 Amended Pages KDB.doc depth of the voids, of another colour so as to assist in the detection of wearing of the base portion has become excessive; the wearing region may be detachable from the top region so that a worn wearing region may be replaced, the replacement wearing region may engage the top region by means of, for example, a threaded screw or an interference connection. The shape of the foot may be disc-like, as shown, or rectangle, oblong with an upturned front end (commonly called a ski) or any other suitable shape.

All such modifications and variations are intended to be within the scope of the present invention, the nature of which is to be determined from the foregoing description.

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Claims

1. A wear indicating foot, for use on the bottom of a leg of a mobility assisting device, said foot comprising: a coupling means for coupling the foot to said leg; a ground engaging base attached to an end of the coupling means opposite the leg, said base having a bottom surface for contact with the ground and an upper surface extending laterally from the coupling means substantially opposite the bottom surface; and at least one void opening on the upper surface and extending into the base to a predetermined depth in a direction generally towards the bottom surface, whereby, in use, excessive wearing of the bottom surface is indicated when the bottom surface of the base is worn away to the extent that the bottom surface meets the void.

2. A wear indicating foot in accordance with claim 1, wherein the foot includes a plurality of voids are spaced around the base.

3. A wear indicating foot in accordance with either claim 1 or 2, wherein the base includes an attachment portion for connecting the foot to the leg and a replaceable wearing portion that includes the bottom surface, the attachment portion including the upper surface and said at least one void.

4. A wear indicating foot in accordance with claim 2, wherein the voids are in the form of a recessed hole.

5. A wear indicating foot in accordance with claim 2, wherein at least one of the 1•"voids is in the form ofa notch in the side of the base portion.

6. A wear indicating foot in accordance with claim 3, wherein the replaceable wearing portion is pivotally attached to the attachment portion.

7. A mobility assisting device, comprising: at least one leg; and a wear indicating foot, coupled to an end of each leg, each wear indicating foot comprising: 35 a coupling means for coupling the foot to said leg; S: a ground engaging base attached to the coupling means, said base having a bottom H: mcamp\keep\retypc\P41018 Amended Pages KDB.doc 00 -7- surface for contact with the ground and an upper surface extending laterally from the coupling means substantially opposite the bottom surface; and at least one void opening on the upper surface and extending into the base to a predetermined depth in a direction generally towards the bottom surface, whereby, in use, excessive wearing of the bottom surface is indicated when the bottom surface of the base is worn away to the extent that the bottom surface meets the void.

8. A wear indicating foot substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings. .0

9. A mobility assisting device substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Dated this 20th day of September 2004 KDB ENGINEERING PTY LTD By Their Patent Attorneys GRIFFITH HACK Fellows Institute of Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys of Australia 4@ 4 0 0 4, 0**S 0 4 9.00 S. 0 0 06 \\perth0 I\home$\mcamp\keep\retype\P41018 Amended Pages KDB.doc