Patent US3934583A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US3934583A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Therapeutic musculoskeletal support sleeve and method of manufacturing same
Assignee: Individual
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Filing: 1974-09-27
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Granted: 1976-01-27
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Expires: 1994-09-27
Abstract
Abstract A flexible therapeutic anatomical support of form-fitting, compressive, heat-retaining elastic foam material, the supportive, compressive and movement-resisting forces of which are selectively reinforced and relieved, for supporting, protecting and resisting the movement of the muscles and skeletal structure at joints and other limb areas during pre-surgery conditioning, post-trauma, and post-surgery convalescence. A limb-ensheathing sleeve of sufficient length to cover the affected portion of the lib is fabricated from a sheet of foam neoprene material bent around to form a tube and adhesively secured at its seam edges with contact cement. The sleeve is configured according to measurements taken from the actual limb or joint after such measurements have been suitably modified to ensure that the resulting sleeve will provide the desired amount of support and compression. Selective reinforcement of the supportive, compressive and movement-resisting forces of the support sleeve is achieved by the securement of a plurality of elastic-fabric-backed strips of elastic foam material to the inside and outside surfaces of the sleeve by adhesive attachment thereto while the strips are either in a relaxed state or held in tension, as desired. Selective relief is achieved by removing a portion of the support sleeve material over the area of the limb to be relieved and either leaving the relieved area exposed or covering the opening with a patch of elastic-fabric-backed elastic foam material adhesively-attached to the outside surface of the sleeve. The sleeve support can be readily removed by the wearer for cleaning or treatment of the afflicted joint or limb and reapplied, as oftentimes as necessary.
Inventors
- 👤 Donald W. Hollingshead
- 👤 Cecil E. Phillips
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 10:03
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61F; A61F13/00; A61F13/10; A61F13/06; A61F13/061; A61F5/00; A61F5/01; A61F5/04; A61F5/05; A61F5/058; A61F5/05841; A61F5/0585
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 14
Claim 1
Independent Claim
119 words
A musculoskeletal shin support device comprising: a. an elongate form-fitted sleeve of elastic, heat-retaining foam material adapted to extend from above the ankle to below the knee for compressively ensheathing the area around and about the lower leg; and b. a plurality of elongate elastic strips adhesively attached in a relaxed condition along their entire lengths to the interior surface of said sleeve and spaced substantially anterior and parallel to the longitudinal axis of said sleeve in positions so that, when said sleeve is fitted in place about the lower leg, the elastic strips will not resist movement, but will increase the compressive force of the sleeve and press the anterior muscles of the lower leg against the tibia.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
119 words
A musculoskeletal shin support device comprising: a. an elongate form-fitted sleeve of elastic, heat-retaining foam material adapted to extend from above the ankle to below the knee for compressively ensheathing the area around and about the lower leg; and b. a plurality of elongate elastic strips adhesively attached in a relaxed condition along their entire lengths to the interior surface of said sleeve and spaced substantially anterior and parallel to the longitudinal axis of said sleeve in positions so that, when said sleeve is fitted in place about the lower leg, the elastic strips will not resist movement, but will increase the compressive force of the sleeve and press the anterior muscles of the lower leg against the tibia.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
115 words
A musculoskeletal knee support sleeve for supporting the tissues and bones of the leg around and about the knee joint comprising: a. a form-fitted sleeve of elastic, heat-retaining foam material, extending from above the knee joint to below the knee joint, for compressively ensheathing the area around and about said knee joint; and b. a plurality of elongate strips of elastic foam material attached along their entire lengths to the outer surface of said sleeve and extending substantially from the top to the bottom of said sleeve, said strips being in tension relative to said sleeve whereby said tensioned strips serve to reinforce said sleeve and increase its resistance to flexing motion of the knee.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
115 words
A musculoskeletal knee support sleeve for supporting the tissues and bones of the leg around and about the knee joint comprising: a. a form-fitted sleeve of elastic, heat-retaining foam material, extending from above the knee joint to below the knee joint, for compressively ensheathing the area around and about said knee joint; and b. a plurality of elongate strips of elastic foam material attached along their entire lengths to the outer surface of said sleeve and extending substantially from the top to the bottom of said sleeve, said strips being in tension relative to said sleeve whereby said tensioned strips serve to reinforce said sleeve and increase its resistance to flexing motion of the knee.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
68 words
The knee support of claim 2 wherein one of said elastic strips extends from the upper rear of said sleeve, down around one side and across the front of said sleeve, and another of said strips extends from the upper rear of said sleeve, down around the other side and across the front of said sleeve, both of said strips terminating at the lower rear of said sleeve.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
65 words
The knee support of claim 3 further comprising means defining a patella-sized aperture in the surface of said sleeve anterior and proximate said knee joint when said support sleeve is fitted in place, said aperture serving to relieve the compressive force of said sleeve over the patella, and wherein said elastic strips extending across the front of said sleeve are positioned below said aperture means.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
46 words
The knee support of claim 4 further comprising a patch of elastic foam material adhesively attached to the exterior surface of said sleeve and covering said aperture to maintain the compressive integrity of said sleeve across said aperture and to protect the patella from contact injury.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
46 words
The knee support of claim 4 further comprising a reinforcing border of elastic foam material adhesively attached to the interior surface of said sleeve around said aperture to reinforce the material of said sleeve and thereby maintain the compressive integrity of said sleeve across said aperture.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
24 words
The knee support of claim 2 wherein one of said elastic strips extends along either side of and proximate the front of said sleeve.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
69 words
A musculoskeletal knee support comprising: a. a form-fitted sleeve of elastic, heat-retaining foam material, extending above and below the knee joint, for compressively ensheathing the area around and about said knee joint; and b. a plurality of elongate strips of elastic material adhesively attached along their entire length to the surface of said sleeve, the material of said strips being in tension relative to the material of said sleeve.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
69 words
A musculoskeletal knee support comprising: a. a form-fitted sleeve of elastic, heat-retaining foam material, extending above and below the knee joint, for compressively ensheathing the area around and about said knee joint; and b. a plurality of elongate strips of elastic material adhesively attached along their entire length to the surface of said sleeve, the material of said strips being in tension relative to the material of said sleeve.
Claim 12
Independent Claim
222 words
A method of manufacturing a custom-fitted musculoskeletal knee support sleeve for supporting the tissue and bone structure of the leg around and about the knee joint comprising the steps of: a. measuring the leg to be supported to obtain a first circumferential measurement above the knee, a second circumferential measurement at the knee, and a third circumferential measurement below the knee; b. decreasing each of said circumferential measurements by respective predetermined amounts; c. cutting an approximately trapezoidal pattern having two substantially mutually parallel edges from a sheet of elastic, heat-retaining foam material with the length of one of said parallel edges of said pattern substantially equal to said decreased first circumferential measurement, the length of the other of said parallel edges of said pattern substantially equal to said decreased third circumferential measurement, and the length of a width dimension located approximately mid-way between and parallel to said mutually parallel edges substantially equal to said decreased second circumferential measurement; d. attaching a pair of elongate strips of elastic material from corner to corner diagonally across said pattern; e. forming said pattern into a substantially tubular sleeve configuration by bending the two non-parallel edges of said approximately trapezoidal pattern around until they come together; and f. adhesively joining said non-parallel edges to one another to form a seam along the length of said sleeve.
Claim 13
Independent Claim
222 words
A method of manufacturing a custom-fitted musculoskeletal knee support sleeve for supporting the tissue and bone structure of the leg around and about the knee joint comprising the steps of: a. measuring the leg to be supported to obtain a first circumferential measurement above the knee, a second circumferential measurement at the knee, and a third circumferential measurement below the knee; b. decreasing each of said circumferential measurements by respective predetermined amounts; c. cutting an approximately trapezoidal pattern having two substantially mutually parallel edges from a sheet of elastic, heat-retaining foam material with the length of one of said parallel edges of said pattern substantially equal to said decreased first circumferential measurement, the length of the other of said parallel edges of said pattern substantially equal to said decreased third circumferential measurement, and the length of a width dimension located approximately mid-way between and parallel to said mutually parallel edges substantially equal to said decreased second circumferential measurement; d. attaching a pair of elongate strips of elastic material from corner to corner diagonally across said pattern; e. forming said pattern into a substantially tubular sleeve configuration by bending the two non-parallel edges of said approximately trapezoidal pattern around until they come together; and f. adhesively joining said non-parallel edges to one another to form a seam along the length of said sleeve.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
27 words
The method of claim 9 wherein said step (d) includes holding said elastic strips in tension while attaching said strips along their entire length to said pattern.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1979-01-26 | 1979-07-28 | 1980-01-27 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1983-01-26 | 1983-07-28 | 1984-01-27 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1987-01-26 | 1987-07-28 | 1988-01-27 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |