US 12,201,579 B2
Mechanical self-leveling walker
Ronald J. Triolo, Cleveland Heights, OH (US); Marc Louis Vitantonio, Cleveland, OH (US); Robert Craig Allen, Cleveland, OH (US); Shawn William Dellinger, Cleveland, OH (US); and Anna E. Krakora, Cleveland, OH (US)
Assigned to The United States Government As Represented By The Department Of Veterans Affairs, Washington, DC (US); and Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH (US)
Filed by CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY, Cleveland, OH (US); and The United States Government As Represented By The Department Of Veterans Affairs, Washington, DC (US)
Filed on Jun. 7, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/206,678.
Application 18/206,678 is a continuation of application No. 16/994,119, filed on Aug. 14, 2020, granted, now 11,707,401.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/923,974, filed on Oct. 21, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2023/0310252 A1, Oct. 5, 2023
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. A61H 3/00 (2006.01)
CPC A61H 3/00 (2013.01) [A61H 2003/001 (2013.01); A61H 2201/0192 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A walker comprising:
a first leg pair;
a second leg pair;
a cross beam connecting the first and second leg pairs in a parallel, spaced apart relationship, wherein each leg pair comprises:
a front leg;
a rear leg;
a front strut extending from the front leg and adapted to move axially relative to the front leg;
a rear strut extending from the rear leg and adapted to move relative to the rear leg; and
a mechanical linear actuator including a rotating element adapted to rotate relative to at least one of the front leg or the rear leg of the respective leg pair, wherein the rotating element is adapted to interact with a respective strut so the respective strut moves axially responsive to rotation of the rotating element and the rotating element rotates responsive to axial movement of the respective strut; and
a drive mechanism coupled to the rotating element and adapted to drive the rotation of the rotating element.