Knee walker

1. A knee walker assembly comprising:

a frame with opposing front and rear ends;

a support platform mounted to the frame;

a handle mounted to the frame;

at least one rear wheel mounted to the frame proximate the rear end thereof;

at least two front wheels, each of the front wheels being swivel mounted to the frame proximate the front end thereof;

a locking mechanism operatively engaged with the at least two front wheels, the locking mechanism being configured to substantially simultaneously lock both of the at least two front wheels in a rigid-type mounting configuration; and

a steering mechanism mounted to the frame and operatively engaged with the at least two front wheels, the steering mechanism being operable to selectively reposition the at least two front wheels, the steering mechanism being rendered inoperable when the at least two front wheels are released by the locking mechanism.

2. The knee walker assembly of claim 1 , wherein the locking mechanism comprises at least two retractable locking pins each of which is mounted to the frame and configured to selectively engage a respective one of the at least two front wheels to thereby lock the respective front wheel in the rigid-type mounting configuration.

3. The knee walker assembly of claim 2 , wherein the locking mechanism further comprises at least two locking discs each of which is mounted for rotation with a respective one of the at least two front wheels and configured to receive a respective one of the at least two retractable locking pins to thereby lock the respective front wheel in the rigid-type mounting configuration.

4. The knee walker assembly of claim 2 , wherein each of the retractable locking pins comprises a housing, a pin slidably mounted at least partially within the housing, a biasing member urging the pin out of the housing, and a retractor cable configured to draw the pin into the housing.

5. The knee walker assembly of claim 1 , further comprising at least two swivel forks each mounting a respective one of the at least two front wheels to the frame, the at least two swivel forks each being configured to rotate about a respective non-rolling axis, and the at least two front wheels each being configured to rotate about a respective central rolling axis.

6. The knee walker assembly of claim 5 , wherein the swivel forks are restricted from rotating about the non-rolling axes when the at least two front wheels are locked by the locking mechanism.

7. The knee walker assembly of claim 1 , wherein the steering mechanism comprises a steering column attached at a first end to the frame and at a second end to the handle, the steering column being selectively repositionable between an upright position and a collapsed position.

8. The knee walker assembly of claim 7 , wherein the steering mechanism further comprises a locking hub configured to retain the steering column in a plurality of positions relative to the frame.

9. The knee walker assembly of claim 1 , wherein the at least one rear wheel consists of a single wheel rigidly mounted to the frame and centrally aligned with respect to the at least two front wheels.

10. The knee walker assembly of claim 1 , wherein the at least two front wheels, when released by the locking mechanism, are operable to pivot less than 360 degrees about a non-rolling axis.

11. The knee walker assembly of claim 1 , wherein the support platform is vertically adjustable relative to the frame.

12. The knee walker assembly of claim 11 , further comprising at least one stanchion attached at a first end to the support platform and at a second end to a trolley, the trolley being slidably mounted to the frame and configured to adjust the vertical height of the support platform.

13. The knee walker assembly of claim 1 , wherein the locking mechanism comprises an activating lever configured to selectively disengage the locking mechanism from the at least two front wheels.

14. A knee walker assembly for aiding a physically impaired person in walking, the knee walker assembly comprising:

a rigid frame with opposing front and rear ends;

a support platform mounted to the frame, the support platform being configured to support at least one human appendage;

at least one rear wheel mounted proximate the rear end of the frame;

at least two front wheels;

a variable mounting assembly mounting the at least two front wheels proximate the front end of the frame, the variable mounting assembly being configured to substantially simultaneously transition both of the at least two front wheels between a swivel-type mounting configuration and a rigid-type mounting configuration; and

a steering mechanism mounted to the frame and configured to reposition the at least two front wheels, the steering mechanism being rendered inoperable when the at least two front wheels are in the swivel-type mounting configuration.

15. The knee walker assembly of claim 14 , wherein the variable mounting assembly comprises at least two retractable locking pins each of which is mounted to the frame and configured to selectively engage a respective one of the at least two front wheels to thereby lock the respective front wheel in the rigid-type mounting configuration.

16. The knee walker assembly of claim 15 , wherein the variable mounting assembly further comprises at least two locking discs each of which is mounted for rotation with a respective one of the at least two front wheels and configured to receive a respective one of the at least two retractable locking pins to thereby lock the respective front wheel in the rigid-type mounting configuration.

17. The knee walker assembly of claim 14 , further comprising at least two swivel forks each mounting a respective one of the at least two front wheels to the frame to rotate about a respective non-rolling axis, wherein the swivel forks are restricted from rotating about the non-rolling axes when the at least two front wheels are in the swivel rigid-type mounting configuration.

18. The knee walker assembly of claim 14 , wherein the at least one rear wheel consists of a single wheel rigidly mounted to the frame and centrally aligned with respect to the at least two front wheels.

19. A method of manufacturing a knee walker assembly, the method comprising:

mounting a support platform to a rigid frame, the support platform being configured to support at least one human appendage;

mounting a handle to the frame;

mounting at least one rear wheel proximate a rear end of the frame;

mounting at least two front wheels proximate a front end of the frame such that the front wheels can transition between a swivel-type mounting configuration and rigid-type mounting configuration;

attaching a locking mechanism to the frame, the locking mechanism being configured to substantially simultaneously lock both of the at least two front wheels in the rigid-type mounting configuration; and

mounting a steering mechanism to the frame, the steering mechanism being operable to reposition the at least two front wheels, the steering mechanism being rendered inoperable when the at least two front wheels are in the swivel-type mounting configuration.

20. The method of claim 19 , further comprising:

mounting at least two swivel forks to the frame, the at least two swivel forks each being configured to rotate about a respective non-rolling axis.