Walking stick ferrules and walking sticks

Abstract

To provide a ferrule that excels in durability by preventing the function of a universal coupling from being lost by a foreign object and also that enables a cane to be used more safely at ease.SOLUTION: A cane ferrule is capable of being connected to a cane body and is equipped with: a stud part 1000 whose upper end side can be connected to the cane body; a ball stud 100 that has a ball head 1002 provided on the lower end side of the stud part 1000; a socket 102 that houses the ball head 1002 by making it abutted on a ball head receiving part 1020, that has an opening part 1022 with the stud part 1000 protruding on the upper end side, and that holds the ball stud 100 in a manner freely tilting and rotating; an elastic boot 104 in which a small diameter opening part 1040 is formed so that the stud part 1000 is tightly inserted on the upper end side, and in which a large diameter opening part 1042 is formed so that the lower end side is tightly in contact with the socket 102; and a grounding body 106 which is held on the socket 102 in the upper end side and which is designed to come into contact with the ground surface on the lower end side.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a cane ferrule attached to the tip of a cane, such as a cane that supports the body of a disabled person or an elderly person to help them walk, or a walking pole for maintaining and improving health, and to a cane equipped with such a cane ferrule. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, the ferrule attached to the tip of a walking stick has a non-slip part made of rubber or the like at the part that comes into contact with the ground to prevent the walking stick from slipping when the walking stick is thrust into the ground, thereby ensuring safety when using the walking stick.

[0003] However, when the cane is perpendicular to the ground, the contact part of the cane tip makes sufficient contact with the ground, providing a sufficient anti-slip effect and ensuring safety in use. However, when the cane is not perpendicular to the ground, the contact part of the cane tip does not make sufficient contact with the ground, resulting in a problem in which safety in use cannot be ensured.

[0004] For this reason, a cane has been proposed that has an anti-slip body (ferrule) fixed to the tip of the cane via a universal joint, so that the anti-slip body always abuts perpendicularly against the ground regardless of the angle the cane is at relative to the ground, thereby providing sufficient anti-slip effect and ensuring safety in use (Reference 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-276222 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, in a cane using a universal joint such as that in Reference 1, the ball 8 of the universal joint is exposed to the outside, and there is a concern that the universal joint may stop functioning if a foreign object gets inside the storage section 9.

[0007] For example, it is conceivable that the pressure on the notched spherical arcuate surface 10 may loosen due to aging, allowing foreign matter to enter the housing portion 9 through the gap between the ball 8 and the notched spherical arcuate surface 10, or that foreign matter attached to the ball 8 may enter the housing portion 9 as the ball 8 rotates. If foreign matter enters between the ball 8 and the hard plate 13 (or ball receiving base 13a), there is a concern that the functionality of the universal joint may be reduced or lost, reducing safety in use, and shortening the service life by accelerating wear on the contact surface between the ball 8 and the hard plate 13. Furthermore, if moisture such as muddy water enters, rust may form inside the housing portion 9, further shortening the service life.

[0008] Furthermore, with a walking stick using a conventional universal joint, when the walking stick is in contact with the ground via the cane tip, the contact part of the cane tip will remain in sufficient contact with the ground even if the angle of the cane body changes. However, once the cane tip leaves the ground, the angle between the contact part of the cane tip and the ground will no longer remain constant, and the angle may no longer be adjustable.

[0009] In other words, when the cane tip is off the ground, if the frictional force of the operating surface (in cited document 1, the frictional force of the contact surface between ball 8 and hard plate 13) is greater than or equal to the position-changing force caused by the weight of the cane tip part that is located closer to the ground than the operating surface, the positional relationship between the cane body and the cane tip when they were last in contact with the ground will be maintained, but if the position-changing force caused by the weight of the cane tip part that is located closer to the ground than the operating surface exceeds the frictional force of the operating surface, the cane tip will change direction in accordance with the direction of gravity, and the positional relationship between the cane body and the cane tip will change from when they were last in contact with the ground.

[0010] In other words, when walking with a conventional cane, the cane tip repeatedly touches and lifts off the ground, but just before the cane touches the ground via the cane tip, the relative positions of the cane body and the cane tip are not fixed, and the behavior of the cane tip when it touches the ground may differ each time the cane is pushed, preventing stable walking. Furthermore, if the cane tip behaves in an unexpected way, there is a risk of falling, posing a safety issue when using it.

[0011] To provide a cane ferrule which prevents the loss of function of a universal joint due to foreign matter, has excellent durability, and enables the cane to be used more safely and securely, and a cane equipped with the cane ferrule. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] (stone tip for cane) The present invention provides a cane ferrule connectable to a cane body, a ball stud having a stud portion connectable at one end to the cane body and a ball head portion provided at the other end of the stud portion; a socket in which the ball head of the ball stud is received by abutting against the ball head receiving portion, and which has an opening at one end through which the stud portion of the ball stud protrudes, and which holds the ball stud in a tiltable and rotatable manner; an elastic boot having a first opening at one end through which the stud portion of the ball stud is inserted so as to fit closely to the boot, and a second opening at the other end which fits closely to the socket; a grounding body having one end held in the socket and the other end grounded to the ground; The present invention is characterized by the following features.

[0013] (Boot elasticity) The elastic force of the boot is set so as to return the positional relationship between the cane body and the cane ferrule to a predetermined initial state when the cane ferrule is connected to the cane body and is in a ground-off state.

[0014] (Details of the elasticity of the boots) The elastic force of the boot is set so that the elastic restoring force of the boot, which attempts to return the positional relationship between the cane body and the cane tip to a predetermined initial state, is greater than the sum of the frictional force between the operating surface of the ball head of the ball stud and the operating surface of the ball head receiving part of the socket, and the position changing force due to the weight from the socket to the grounding body.

[0015] Here, the "operating surface" refers to the surface where the ball head of the ball stud and the ball head receiving portion of the socket come into contact when the ball stud is moved to tilt and rotate freely.

[0016] (Initial positional relationship between the cane body and the cane tip 1) The predetermined initial state is a state in which the cane ferrule and the cane body are positioned in a positional relationship in which the axis of the cane ferrule and the axis of the cane body are aligned in a straight line.

[0017] (Initial positional relationship between the cane body and the cane tip 2) The predetermined initial state is a state in which the cane ferrule and the cane body are positioned in a positional relationship in which the axis of the cane body is inclined at a predetermined angle relative to the axis of the cane ferrule.

[0018] (The grounding body is held in close contact with the socket) The grounding body is held in the socket in a state where one end of the grounding body covers the other end of the socket in close contact with the socket.

[0019] (A cane with a ferrule and cane body connected together) The present invention also relates to a walking stick in which the aforementioned walking stick ferrule and walking stick body are connected together. [Effects of the Invention]

[0020] (Basic effect) The present invention provides a cane ferrule connectable to a cane body, comprising: a ball stud having a stud portion connectable at one end to the cane body and a ball head portion provided at the other end of the stud portion; a socket that receives the ball head of the ball stud by abutting it against the ball head receiving portion, and has an opening at one end through which the stud portion of the ball stud protrudes, and holds the ball stud so that it can tilt and rotate freely; an elastic boot having a first opening at one end through which the stud portion of the ball stud is inserted so as to fit closely, and a second opening at the other end that fits closely to the socket; and a grounding body whose one end is held by the socket and whose other end comes into contact with the ground.As such, the opening at one end of the socket that receives the ball head of the ball stud is completely covered by the boot, preventing foreign matter from entering the socket and suppressing wear and rust on the working surfaces of the ball head of the ball stud and the ball head receiving portion of the socket, making it possible to provide a highly durable cane ferrule.

[0021] (Effect of the elasticity of the boots) In addition, the elastic force of the boot is set so that when the cane tip is connected to the cane body and off the ground, the positional relationship between the cane body and the cane tip returns to a predetermined initial state. Specifically, the elastic force of the boot is set so that the elastic restoring force of the boot, which attempts to return the positional relationship between the cane body and the cane tip to the predetermined initial state, is greater than the sum of the frictional force between the working surface of the ball head of the ball stud and the working surface of the ball head receiving part of the socket, and the position-changing force due to the weight from the socket to the grounding body.As a result, when the cane tip leaves the ground, the positional relationship between the cane body and the cane tip returns to the predetermined initial state, and the relative position of the cane tip to the cane body can always be kept constant when the user begins to push the cane, allowing the user of the cane to walk safely and stably.

[0022] Furthermore, by utilizing the elastic restoring force of the boot to return the positional relationship between the cane body and the cane ferrule to a predetermined initial state, an additional mechanism or configuration for returning the positional relationship between the cane body and the cane ferrule to the predetermined initial state is not required, and the performance of the cane ferrule can be improved at low cost without increasing the number of parts that make up the cane ferrule.

[0023] (Effect of the initial positional relationship between the cane body and the cane tip) Furthermore, the predetermined initial state is either a state in which the cane ferrule and the cane body are positioned such that the axis of the cane ferrule and the axis of the cane body are in a straight line, or a state in which the cane ferrule and the cane body are positioned such that the axis of the cane body is inclined at a predetermined angle to the axis of the cane ferrule.As a result, the predetermined initial state positional relationship between the cane body and the cane ferrule can be set taking into account the angle of the cane body in relation to the ground when the user thrusts the cane, allowing the cane user to walk more safely and stably.

[0024] (Effect of keeping the grounding body in close contact with the socket) Furthermore, because the grounding body is held in the socket in a state where one end of the grounding body is in close contact with the other end of the socket and covers that end, it is possible to prevent foreign objects from entering the other end of the socket, and so the durability of the cane ferrule can be maintained even if the other end of the socket has a hole that connects to the part that houses the spherical head of the ball stud. Therefore, even if the joint has a structure where the other end of the socket has an opening, no part is required to close that opening, making it possible to inexpensively improve the performance of the cane ferrule.

[0025] (The effect of a cane with a ferrule and cane body connected together) The cane in which the cane ferrule and cane body are connected as described above has the same effect as the cane ferrule, so a description thereof will be omitted. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0026] [Figure 1] 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an embodiment of a walking stick equipped with a walking stick ferrule according to the present invention. [Figure 2] 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a first embodiment of a cane ferrule according to the present invention. [Figure 3] 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an embodiment of a boot according to the present invention. [Figure 4] 1A and 1B are explanatory diagrams showing the state in which the cane according to the present invention is in contact with the ground and the state in which the cane is in contact with the ground. [Figure 5]FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a second embodiment of a cane ferrule according to the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0027] Hereinafter, embodiments of the cane ferrule and cane according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The contents will be described separately as follows. a. Cane embodiment b. First embodiment of cane ferrule c. Positional relationship between the cane body and the cane tip when in contact with the ground and when off the ground d. Second embodiment of cane ferrule e. Modifications of the present invention

[0028] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments. In addition, the terms "upper and lower" used in the description of the present embodiments are defined as "lower" referring to the side that is positioned closer to the ground when in use.

[0029] [a. Cane embodiment] 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an embodiment of a walking stick according to the present invention. The walking stick 1 is made up of a walking stick ferrule 10 and a walking stick body 20.

[0030] A hollow portion is formed at the lower end of the cane body 20, and the stud portion 1000 of the ball stud provided on the cane ferrule 10 is inserted and fixed into the hollow portion of the cane body 20 to connect the cane ferrule 10 and the cane body 20 to form the cane 1. Furthermore, the cane ferrule 10 and the cane body 20 may be integrated without being separated into separate structures, and the method of connecting the cane ferrule 10 and the cane body 20 is not limited to this.

[0031] [b. First embodiment of walking stick ferrule] 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a first embodiment of the walking stick ferrule according to the present invention. The walking stick ferrule 10 comprises a ball stud 100, a socket 102, a boot 104, and a grounding member 106.

[0032] The ball stud 100 comprises a stud portion 1000 whose upper end can be inserted into the hollow portion of the cane body 20 to enable connection, and a ball head portion 1002 provided at the lower end of the stud portion 1000, and is made of a rigid material such as metal. Note that the "upper end" of the stud portion 1000 corresponds to the "one end" in the claims, and the "lower end" corresponds to the "other end" in the claims.

[0033] The socket 102 receives the ball head 1002 of the ball stud 100 by abutting it against the ball head receiving portion 1020, and has an opening 1022 at its upper end through which the stud portion 1000 of the ball stud 100 protrudes, thereby holding the ball stud 100 in a tiltable and rotatable manner. An opening 1024 at the lower end of the socket 102 is closed by fixing the cap 103 by caulking, press-fitting, or the like.

[0034] The "upper end" of the socket 102 corresponds to the "one end" in the claims, and the "lower end" corresponds to the "other end" in the claims. When the ball stud 100 is moved to tilt and rotate freely, the surface where the surface of the ball head receiving portion 1020 and the spherical surface of the ball head 1002 come into contact is hereinafter referred to as the "operating surface."

[0035] The boot 104 is made of an elastic material such as rubber, and has a small-diameter opening 1040 at its upper end through which the stud portion 1000 of the ball stud 100 is inserted so as to fit closely, and a large-diameter opening 1042 at its lower end which fits closely to the socket 102. In addition, the boot 104 covers the opening 1022 at the upper end of the socket 102, thereby preventing foreign matter such as water and dust from entering the housing portion of the socket 102.

[0036] In addition, the "upper end side" of the boot 104 corresponds to the "one end side" in the claims, the "lower end side" corresponds to the "other end side" in the claims, the "small diameter opening 1040" corresponds to the "first opening" in the claims, and the "large diameter opening 1042" corresponds to the "second opening" in the claims.

[0037] Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a boot, which is a component of the cane ferrule according to the present invention. Boot 104 in Figure 3 has a small-diameter opening 1040 formed at the upper end of membrane portion 1044, and a large-diameter opening 1042 formed at the lower end of membrane portion 1044. Large-diameter opening 1042 is also provided with a reinforcing ring 1046 made of a highly rigid material such as metal or synthetic resin.

[0038] Then, by fitting the large diameter opening 1042 of the boot 104 into the socket 102, the socket 102 and the boot 104 are attached with the outer periphery of the upper end of the socket 102 tightly contacting the inner periphery of the large diameter opening 1042 of the boot 104.

[0039] Furthermore, when the socket 102 is attached, the inner peripheral portion of the small diameter opening 1040 is fitted onto the outer peripheral surface of the stud portion 1000 of the ball stud 100, thereby attaching the ball stud 100 and the boot 104 with the stud portion 1000 of the ball stud 100 and the small diameter opening 1040 of the boot 104 in close contact with each other. During attachment, the small diameter opening 1040 elastically expands in diameter, allowing it to pass through the flange 10002 provided on the stud portion 1000.

[0040] The upper end of the ground contact member 106 is held in the socket 102, and the lower end of the ground contacts the ground when the cane is pushed in. To ensure safety when walking, the ground contact member 106 is made of an elastic material such as rubber, and the lower end is formed with a non-slip portion 1060 made of multiple recesses.

[0041] The "upper end side" of the grounding body 106 corresponds to the "one end side" in the claims, and the "lower end side" corresponds to the "other end side" in the claims.

[0042] In the cane ferrule 10 of this embodiment, the opening 1022 of the socket 102 is covered by the boot 104, and the stud portion 1000 of the ball stud 100 is inserted in close contact with the small-diameter opening 1040 of the elastic boot 104, thereby reliably preventing wear on the operating surface due to the intrusion of sand, etc., and rust on the operating surface due to the intrusion of muddy water, etc., resulting in a highly durable cane ferrule.

[0043] [c. Positional relationship between the cane body and the cane tip when in the ground contact state and when in the ground release state] Figure 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the ground-contact state and ground-lift state of a cane according to the present invention. Figure 4(A) shows the ground-contact state and ground-lift state when the cane body is perpendicular to the ground, and Figure 4(B) shows the ground-contact state and ground-lift state when the cane body is tilted relative to the ground.

[0044] In the cane 1 according to the present invention, when the user is using the cane 1, the boot 104 of the cane tip 10 is elastic so that the cane tip 10 does not release its contact with the ground but maintains that contact state even if the angle of the cane body 2 relative to the ground changes, thereby ensuring a sufficient anti-slip effect by the non-slip part 1060 of the ground contact member 106 and ensuring safety when walking. Note that although Figure 4 shows the case where the ground is a flat surface, the anti-slip effect by the non-slip part 1060 of the ground contact member 106 is also sufficient when the ground is an inclined surface, ensuring safety when walking.

[0045] In the walking stick 1 of the present invention, when the user lifts the walking stick 1 off the ground to thrust the walking stick 1 again in another location and the walking stick ferrule 10 leaves the ground, the positional relationship between the walking stick ferrule 10 and the walking stick body 20 returns to a predetermined initial state.

[0046] Here, the "predetermined initial state" in this embodiment refers to a state in which the cane ferrule 10 and the cane body 20 are positioned in a positional relationship in which the axis of the cane ferrule 10 and the axis of the cane body 20 are aligned in a straight line, as in the cane's ground-lift state shown in Figures 4(A) and (B).

[0047] In this embodiment, the elastic force of the boot 104 is adjusted so that the positional relationship between the cane ferrule 10 and the cane body 20 returns to its initial state when the cane 1 leaves the ground. Specifically, when the axis of the cane ferrule 10 and the axis of the cane body 20 are not aligned, the elastic restoring force of the boot 104, which attempts to return the positional relationship between the cane ferrule 10 and the cane body 20 to their initial state, is set to be greater than the sum of the frictional force between the operating surface of the ball head 1002 of the ball stud 100 and the operating surface of the ball head receiving portion 1020 of the socket 102, and the position changing force due to the weight from the socket 102 to the ground-touching body 106, thereby returning the positional relationship between the cane ferrule 10 and the cane body 20 to their initial state when the cane 1 leaves the ground.

[0048] In other words, when the condition (elastic restoring force of boot 104) > (frictional force of the operating surface) + (position changing force) is satisfied, the positional relationship between the cane tip 10 and the cane body 20 can be returned to its initial state when the cane 1 is off the ground.

[0049] In this embodiment, when the cane 1 is off the ground, the positional relationship between the cane tip 10 and the cane body 20 returns to its initial state, so that when the user begins to push the cane, the relative position of the cane tip to the cane body is always kept constant, allowing the user to push the cane in the same manner every time, eliminating problems such as the risk of falling, and making it possible to provide a cane that allows for safe and stable walking.

[0050] Furthermore, by utilizing the elastic restoring force of the boot 104 to return the positional relationship between the cane ferrule 10 and the cane body 20 to a predetermined initial state, there is no need for an additional mechanism or configuration to return the positional relationship between the cane ferrule 10 and the cane body 20 to the predetermined initial state, and the performance of the cane ferrule 10 can be improved at low cost without increasing the number of parts that make up the cane ferrule 10.

[0051] [d. Second embodiment of cane ferrule] 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a second embodiment of a walking stick ferrule according to the present invention. It is basically the same as the first embodiment, but differs from the first embodiment in that the opening 1024 on the lower end side of the socket 102 is not closed by the cap 103.

[0052] This is because in this embodiment, the inner periphery of the upper end of grounding body 106 is brought into close contact with the outer periphery of the lower end of socket 102, and the upper end of grounding body 106 covers the lower end of socket 102, thereby preventing sand and water such as muddy water from entering the lower end of socket 102. Furthermore, in this embodiment, there is no need to close opening 1024 on the lower end of socket 102 with a separate part such as cap 103, which has the effect of reducing the number of parts when socket 102 has a structure in which the lower end is open.

[0053] Furthermore, the method of tightly fitting the upper inner periphery of the grounding body 106 to the lower outer periphery of the socket 102 may be any suitable method that provides a tight seal, such as fitting the grounding body 106 into the socket 102 using its elastic force or bonding the grounding body 106 to the socket 102.

[0054] [e. Modifications of the present invention] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but includes appropriate modifications that do not impair the objects and advantages thereof, and is not limited by the numerical values ​​shown in the above-described embodiments.

[0055] (Boot configuration) The embodiment of boot 104 shown in Figure 3 is just one example, and any appropriate configuration may be used as long as it has an elastic structure that covers the opening 1022 at the upper end of socket 102 that houses ball head receiving portion 1002 of ball stud 100 and is capable of preventing foreign matter such as water and dust from entering the housing portion within socket 102.

[0056] (How to install ball studs, sockets and boots) The method of attaching the ball stud 100, socket 102 and boot 104 in this embodiment is merely an example, and the present invention is not limited to this and other attachment structures and methods may be adopted.

[0057] (Positional relationship between the cane ferrule and the cane body in a predetermined initial state) In this embodiment, the "predetermined initial state" is defined as the state in which the cane ferrule 10 and the cane body 20 are positioned in a positional relationship in which the axis of the cane ferrule 10 and the axis of the cane body 20 are in a straight line; however, since a user will not necessarily thrust the cane with the cane body 20 perpendicular to the ground, and it is expected that the cane body 20 will be thrust more often at an angle to the ground rather than perpendicular, the "predetermined initial state" may also be defined as the state in which the cane ferrule 10 and the cane body 20 are positioned in a positional relationship in which the axis of the cane body 20 is inclined at a predetermined angle to the axis of the cane ferrule 10. [Explanation of symbols]

[0058] 1: Cane 10: Stone tip for cane 100: Ball stud 1000: Stud section 10002: Tsuba section 1002: Ball head 102: Socket 1020: Ball head holder 1022, 1024: Opening 103: Cap 104: Boots 1040: Small diameter opening 1042: Large diameter opening 1044: Membrane part 1046: Reinforcement ring 106: Ground body 20: Cane body

Claims

1. A cane ferrule connectable to a cane body, a ball stud having a stud portion whose one end can be connected to the cane body and a ball head portion provided on the other end of the stud portion; a socket in which the ball head of the ball stud is received by abutting against a ball head receiving portion, one end of which is provided with an opening through which the stud portion of the ball stud protrudes, and which holds the ball stud tiltably and rotatably; an elastic boot having a first opening at one end through which the stud portion of the ball stud is inserted so as to fit closely to the boot, and a second opening at the other end which fits closely to the socket; a grounding body having one end held by the socket and the other end grounded to the ground; Equipped with The elastic force of the boot is set so as to return the positional relationship between the cane body and the cane ferrule to a predetermined initial state when the cane ferrule is connected to the cane body and off the ground, and the elastic restoring force of the boot attempting to return the positional relationship between the cane body and the cane ferrule to the predetermined initial state is set so as to be greater than the sum of the frictional force between the operating surface of the ball head of the ball stud and the operating surface of the ball head receiving part of the socket, and the position changing force due to the weight from the socket to the ground-contacting body.

2. The cane ferrule according to claim 1, A cane ferrule characterized in that the predetermined initial state is a state in which the cane ferrule and the cane body are positioned in a positional relationship in which the axis of the cane ferrule and the axis of the cane body are aligned in a straight line.

3. The cane ferrule according to claim 1, A cane ferrule characterized in that the predetermined initial state is a state in which the cane ferrule and the cane body are positioned in a positional relationship in which the axis of the cane body is inclined at a predetermined angle relative to the axis of the cane ferrule.

4. The cane ferrule according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The ferrule for a walking stick is characterized in that the grounding body is held in the socket in a state where one end side of the grounding body covers the other end side of the socket in close contact with the socket.

5. A walking stick, comprising the walking stick ferrule according to any one of claims 1 to 4 and the walking stick body connected thereto.

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