Compact folding walking aid

Claim 1

A compact folding walking aid for supporting persons who have difficulty walking, comprising: a pair of parallel elongated frame tubes each having upper, intermediate and lower portions, said frame tubes generally defining a first plane therebetween; a pair of parallel elongated side tubes each having upper, intermediate and lower portions, said upper portions of each of said side tubes being pivotally attached at a fixed position along said upper portion of a different one of said frame tubes, said side tubes generally defining a second plane therebetween that intersects said first plane at an acute angle, and generally defining respective parallel third and fourth planes between themselves and associated frame members, which planes are orthogonal to said first and second planes; a front x-brace having a pair of pivotally interconnected front brace members, the upper ends of each of said front brace members being pivotally attached to a different one of said upper portions of said frame tubes; a pair of side brace members each pivotally attached at their rear ends to said intermediate portion of a different one of said side tubes, the length of said brace members primarily determining the maximum amount of said acute angle; folding means including an individual guide movably mounted along said intermediate poriton of each of said frame tubes, each of said guides being pivotally attached to an associated one of the respective lower and front ends of said front and side brace members, for simultaneously causing the decreasing of said acute angle between said first and second planes and lessening the distance between said third and fourth planes when said guides move downwardly along respective frame tubes to a fully folded walking aid position, and for simultaneously causing the increasing of said acute angle and the increasing of said distance between said third and fourth planes when said guides move upwardly along respective frame tubes to a fully unfolded walking aid position; and releasable pivoted locking means for maintaining said walking aid in said unfolded walking aid position with all pivotal attached members remaining pivotally attached when the walking aid is fully folded.