Walker Glide Segmented Body for Replaceable Wear Parts
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing walker glides and tips wear out over time, requiring frequent replacement, and solutions like using a tennis ball as a cover are inefficient as the fleece wears out, necessitating the entire ball's replacement.
Innovation Solution
A walker glide with a hollow, spherical body and a removable bottom element, where the sleeve is designed to fit over the walker leg, allowing for easy replacement of the worn-out gliding surface, and the use of a resilient material like a tennis ball for the body enhances durability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If rubber or plastic tips are mounted at the end of walker legs, then sliding of the legs across the underlying surface is permitted, but the tips wear out over time requiring frequent replacement
Solution Approach 1:
The walker tip is divided into two separate components: a durable outer body (hollow spherical structure) and a replaceable inner glide element. This segmentation allows the glide element to be replaced when worn while retaining the durable outer body, resolving the contradiction between initial sliding capability and long-term durability.
Solution Approach 2:
The design enables selective discarding of only the worn glide element while recovering and reusing the durable outer body. The removable bottom element allows users to discard the consumable sliding surface and recover the permanent structural component, addressing the wear-out problem without replacing the entire tip assembly.
2Ease of operation
If a tennis ball is used as a cover for the walker leg tip, then the gliding surface is provided, but the fleece cover wears out requiring replacement of the entire tennis ball
Solution Approach 1:
The tip assembly is segmented into a permanent outer body and a replaceable inner glide element, allowing the worn fleece-like glide surface to be replaced without discarding the durable outer structure, thus reducing material loss compared to replacing the entire tennis ball.
Solution Approach 2:
The glide element is extracted as a separate removable component from the outer body. This extraction allows the consumable glide surface to be taken out and replaced independently from the durable outer shell, preventing the need to discard the entire assembly when the glide surface wears.
3Reliability
If the entire walker tip assembly is replaced when the gliding surface wears out, then a fresh gliding surface is provided, but waste is increased and cost is higher
Solution Approach 1:
The design enables selective discarding of only the worn glide element while recovering and reusing the durable outer body multiple times. This prevents waste of the permanent structural component and reduces overall material consumption compared to replacing the entire assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the replaceability parameter of the tip components, making the glide element removable while the outer body remains permanent. This parameter change allows partial replacement rather than total replacement, reducing waste while maintaining reliable gliding performance.
4Reliability
If a removable bottom element is implemented, then the glide can be reused by replacing only the bottom element, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The tip is segmented into removable and permanent parts connected through a standardized interface (sleeve with mounting element). This segmentation enables reusability through selective replacement while keeping the added structural complexity localized to the connection mechanism rather than the entire assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The outer body with its standardized sleeve interface serves multiple functions: structural support, connection interface for the glide element, and a reusable component that can accommodate different glide elements. This multi-functionality justifies the additional structural elements by providing multiple benefits beyond simple replacement capability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution enables the reuse of the walker glide by allowing for the easy replacement of the worn-out bottom element, reducing waste and extending the product's lifespan, while the resilient material ensures prolonged performance.
Implementation Method 1
The inner diameter of the sleeve is dimensioned so as to fit over the leg of a walker
Implementation Method 2
The mounting element has a peg dimensioned to fit into the through hole with a friction fit so that when the sleeve and the hollow body are connected together, the mounting element, with the attached bottom element, can be releasably connected to the sleeve via the friction fit of the peg in the hole in the bottom of the sleeve
Implementation Method 3
For additional security an adhesive can be provided in the gap to facilitate holding of the hollow body material
Data Source
AI summary
A walker glide having a hollow body with a substantially semi-spherical shape, a top opening and a removable bottom element that are arranged along a common axis. A sleeve is arranged in the hollow body so as to extend from the top opening toward the bottom element. A mounting element is attached to an upper side of the bottom element and is releasably attachable to a lower end of the sleeve whereby the bottom element is replaceable.