Description BACKGROUND Field of Invention
The present invention relates generally to a walker in particularly to a Low Cost Walker cum seater for elderly people. Related art
In this modern world mobility aids are becoming more important due to increase in ageing population and people with disabilities and injuries. Mobility aids are devices that helps elderly people, disabled or injured person to move from one place to another as independently as possible. Depending on the needs they vary from a simple walking stick to a complicated mechanized wheel chair, to make the person self-reliant.
Figure 1 shows the four legged straight walker. Four legged straight walker is a basic walker that has four legs joined by cross bars. A rubber shoe-stopper on each leg gives the walker a steady base when the patient is using it. The patient must lift the walker, move it ahead of him, and then pull the rest of his body forward, balancing his weight on the walker. This process of lifting and moving can be an inconvenience.
Foldable walking frame is light weight and is suitable for indoor and outdoor use. It is made of lightweight aluminium tubing and its folding mechanism makes it excellent for storage and portability. The walking frame comes with two comfortable handles to grip when using the frame.
Front wheeled lightweight walking frame is suitable for indoor and outdoor use. It is made of aluminum tubing and its folding mechanism makes it an excellent for storage and portability. It features two front wheels to make it easier to move when being used. It has height adjustable legs with 2 rubber grips for comfort and security. But the disadvantages with these walking frames are there is no seat and back rest provided which may be useful if the person wants to rest while on his/her movement and also here the folding should be done manually.
Four wheel walkers or rollators are another type of walkers that have 4 wheels. Generally the 2 front castors will swivel to enable the frame to turn, whilst the rear 2 are fixed for stability. Four wheel walkers usually incorporate a seat between the handle bars which can be extremely useful if you need to rest during your movement. But here the seat is not foldable which makes

the walker inconvenient while walking. So there is a need for a walker that overcomes all the
above mentioned difficulties.
Brief description of drawings
Figure 1 shows the prior four legged straight walker.
Figure 2 is a table that shows the factors that have taken into account in the present invention
Figure 3 shows the different postures of a human with respect to the present invention.
Figure 4 is a table illustrating several parameters and percentile considerations for respective
postures.
Figure 5 shows the several examples for CAD (Computer Aided Design) modeling and
rendering.
Figure 6 shows the final example which is chosen as the finest example out of several examples.
Figure 7 illustrates different parts of example 5.
Figure 8 shows the walker cum seater of the present invention.
Summary of Invention
The present invention develop a low cost walker-cum-seater for elderly people, which enables them to move around independently whist they may use the seat in the walker for resting when they are tired or wish to relax at home or parks or other locations. Preliminary study regarding walkers is carried out using questionnaires and ethnography. Low cost and/or affordability with seat mechanism were the factors considered while developing the invention and several embodiments are generated based on the same. Detailed Description
Figure 2 is a table that shows the factors that have taken into account in the present invention. Figure 3 represents the different postures of a human with respect to the present invention. Ergonomic considerations in designing Low cost walker are one of the important criteria. It is much critical since the product users are mainly old age people (age group >65). Poor ergonomic design of the product results in repetitive strain injuries. A detailed ergonomic analysis has been made for the walker including the seater arrangement. Basically the postures that are taken into account while developing a walker cum seater may be Body Breadth, Lower Position Height, Popliteal length, Hip Breadth, Bi-Deltoid, and Fist Circumference etc.
Figure 4 is a table illustrating several parameters and percentile considerations for respective postures. The parameters may include maximum body breadth, lower position height,

popliteal height, buttock to popliteal height, hip breadth, elbow rest, grip inside diameter etc. Percentile considerations are made for better designing and development for the postures shown in figure 3.
Figure 5 shows the several examples for CAD (Computer Aided Design) modeling and rendering. Initially computerized models are created and images are generated in order to choose the final example. The desired modifications that are required in the prior walker are implemented in the present invention.
The example 1 in the figure 5 shows walker with a fixed seat. Example 2 shows a walker with foldable seat with sliding mechanism. Example 3 is a walker with support for getting up and seat with hinge mechanism. Example 4 is a walker with seat made of cloth with roller mechanism. Example 5 is a walker with foldable seat with hinge mechanism. Among these several examples example 5 is chosen as a suitable example as is modified as per our present invention.
Figure 6 shows the final example which is chosen as the finest example out of several examples. The example 5 is chosen because it has a foldable seat with hinge mechanism which will be helpful for our present invention. Figure 7 illustrates different parts of example 5. The part 1 is a main frame, 2 is the arm and back rest, 3 is the seat support, 4 is the frame support, 5 is a seat frame, 6 is the hand grip, 7 is the bush made of rubber, 8 is a hinge, 9 is the bush made of nylon and additional requirements may be button head screws, a washer, a nut etc.
Figure 8 shows the walker cum seater of the present invention. The invention provides a low cost walker cum seater with several other advantages. The advantages may be improving balance by increasing the person's base of support, enhancing lateral stability, supporting weight, easily foldable seat etc. The walker has all these advantages since the present invention is using knitting technique. Knitting is a method by which thread or yarn is turned into cloth or other fine crafts.
In the present invention, seater 120 and back rest 130 is knitted to form a seat and back rest respectively. This kind of walker is mainly useful for old people who may use for resting at various locations such as parks, temples and at banks where they have to wait for getting pension. The operation of open and closing of seat is made easier by providing buttons on the main frame (part 1). Button 150 is used to open the folded seat when the user wants to rest. Button 160 is used to close the seat back to its position and can start moving.

A hinge is one of the parts in the walker which helps in movement of the seat. A hinge is a type of bearing that connects two solid objects and allowing only a limited angle of rotation between them. The seat is inclined downwards from the backrest position parallel to the ground when the person wants to rest and the seat is moved upwards or towards the back rest after resting. Conclusion:
While various embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it should be understood that they have been presented by way of example only, and not limitation. Thus, the breadth and scope of the present invention should not be limited by any of the above described exemplary embodiments, but should be defined only in accordance with the following claims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is
1. A low cost walker cum seater for elderly people comprising;
a movable seater wherein the said seater is moved downwards parallel to the ground;
a non movable back rest which is fixed at an angle of 90 degree or 120 degree with respect to the
ground;
a hinge wherein the said hinge connects the seater and back rest and allows a limited angle of
rotation between them; and
two buttons wherein the said buttons are used to move the seater to normal position and seating
position.
2. Method of claim 1, wherein said buttons comprising; Button 150 is used to move the seater downwards for resting; Button 160 is used to move the seater backwards after resting.
3. Method, system, apparatus providing one or more features as described in the paragraphs of this specification.