Surgery: splint – brace – or bandage – Bandage structure – Support covering
Reexamination Certificate
2000-09-27
2003-05-20
Lucchesi, Nicholas D. (Department: 3764)
Surgery: splint, brace, or bandage
Bandage structure
Support covering
C606S202000, C600S485000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06565524
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to compression devices for living being, wound around a wrist, an upper arm, or a similar site to be measured, to exert pressure thereon for measuring blood pressure.
2. Description of the Background Art
A conventional compression device for living being of the above type is such as shown in FIG.
7
. Compression device
30
for living being is formed of an outer cloth
31
and an inner cloth
32
together forming a belt-like bag, an air bag
33
provided internal to the belt-like bag, and an elastic curved plate
34
arranged outwardly of air bag
33
to prevent air bag
33
from expanding outwards, and also elastically holding a predetermined curvature. Outer cloth
31
and inner cloth
32
are provided with hook and loop fasteners
35
and
36
, respectively, for fastening device
30
wound around a site to be measured.
A site to be measured significantly varies in size from individual to individual and for example some people have a thin wrist and other people have a thick wrist and there can be a significant difference therebetween. In the conventional compression device
30
is crucial the shape of elastic curved plate
34
: If elastic curved plate
34
previously adapted to fit a thick site to be measured is used on a thin site to be measured a gap is formed therebetween and there does not build a force to hold the site to be measured and to fill the gap air bag
33
needs to further expand. As such, elastic curved plate
34
is typically adapted to fit a thin site to be measured.
In doing so, if elastic curved plate
34
is adapted to have a length corresponding to the circumference of an elliptic, thin site to be measured (wrist)
20
, as shown in
FIG. 8
, elastic curved plate
34
fits along site to be measured
20
. If this elastic curved plate
34
is applied to a person having a thick site to be measured
20
, as shown in
FIG. 9
, elastic curved plate
34
would have an end
30
b
readily ingrowing into site to be measured
20
and thus causing pain to the person wearing the device. This pain increases if site to be measured
20
is thicker.
If elastic curved plate
34
is adapted to fit a thin site to be measured (wrist) and also have a length corresponding to half the circumference of an elliptic site to be measured
20
, as shown in
FIG. 10
(see its state before use), a person with a thin site to be measured
20
would wear the device with elastic curved plate
34
fitting site to be measured
20
, as appropriate. However, if a person with a thick site to be measured
20
would wear the device then elastic curved plate
34
at an end
30
a
in particular exerts a force acting in a direction causing elastic curved plate
34
to come off, as shown in FIG.
11
. As such, elastic curved plate
34
readily comes off site to be measured
20
. Thus there does not occur a force to hold site to be measured
20
and device
30
can hardly be wound around site to be measured
20
closely.
As described above, elastic curved plate
34
adapted to fit a thin site to be measured
20
has the disadvantages as described above when it is applied on a thick site to be measured
20
, and it is thus difficult to apply compression device
30
for living being to sites to be measured
20
of different sizes, as appropriate. Consequently, if device
30
is used with a sphygmomanometer mounted thereon the sphygmomanometer cannot provide a reliable blood pressure measurement.
To overcome this disadvantage, there has been developed an arm band having a bag in the form of a band with an air bag fixed thereto which spirally curves with a plurality of radii of curvature increasing from one side thereof with the air bag fixed thereto toward the remaining portion of the bag and also is elastically deformable, as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laying-Open No. 62-6804. With this structure, when it is applied on a thick site to be measured it does not have an end ingrowing into the site to be measured. However, the radius of curvature gradually increased prevents the band from exerting force enhanced to sufficiently grip the thick site to be measured when the band is applied on the thick site to be measured. This prevents the band from temporarily holding the site to be measured closely. As such, the band wound around the site to be measured readily moves, often resulting in inaccurate blood pressure measurement.
To overcome this disadvantage, there has been proposed an arm band using a hinge to allow a curvature corresponding to a superior arc and a curvature corresponding to an inferior arc to have a clamping force, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 8-10233. With this method, the arm band applied on a thick site to be measured can exert force enhanced to sufficiently grip the thick site to be measured. However, the hinge is provided in the form of a spring plate or the like and this increases the number of components and the number of fabrication steps and hence the manufacturing cost and it also prevents the arm band from having a simple structure in design.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention contemplates a compression device for living being, simply structured and fitting a site to be measured of any size.
The present invention in one aspect provides compression device for living being, including a fluid bag internal to the compression device, expanding and contracting when the fluid bag receives and discharges fluid, respectively, and an elastic plate formed in one piece and provided internal to the compression device, arranged outwardly of the fluid bag to prevent the fluid bag from expanding outwards, and also elastically holding a predetermined curvature, the elastic plate including a first curvature substantially matching a lateral cross section of a thin site to be measured, a second curvature and a connection connecting the first and second curvatures together, the connection allowing the second curvature to be arranged outwardly of a virtual extension of the first curvature substantially matching the lateral cross section of the thin site to be measured, the second curvature extending inwardly of a virtual extension of the connection extending toward the second curvature.
In this device the elastic plate has the first curvature formed to substantially match a lateral cross section of a thin site to be measured. As such, when the device is applied on a thin site to be measured the device fits the site to be measured closely. In addition, the elastic plate has the second curvature arranged outward by means of the connection and also extending inward from the connection. As such, when the device is applied on a thick site to be measured, (1) a portion of the first curvature closer to an end of the first curvature, (2) a portion of the first curvature adjacent to the center of the first curvature and closer to the connection and (3) an end of the second curvature, a total of three points act to exert force to clamp the site to be measured in three directions. As such, the elastic plate holds the site to be measured with large force and the compression device does not ingrow into the site to be measured and thus fits the site to be measured closely.
It should be noted that in the present description a site to be measured refers to a wrist, an upper arm or a similar site. If a wrist is to be measured, then a thin site to be measured means a wrist having its entire circumference of no more than approximately 16.5 cm. If an upper arm is to be measured, then a thin site to be measured means an upper arm having its entire circumference of no more than approximately 23 cm. A thick site to be measured for a wrist corresponds to no less than approximately 18.5 cm and that for an upper arm corresponds to no less than approximately 27 cm. The virtual extension of the connection curving as seen in lateral cross section means a curvature corresponding to an extension approximating to the curvature of the connection, and the virtual extension of the connection formed in a straight li
Itonaga Kazunobu
Kato Hiroyuki
Sano Yoshihiko
Sato Hironori
Tanaka Takahide
Hamilton Lalita M.
Lucchesi Nicholas D.
Morrison & Foerster / LLP
Omron Corporation
LandOfFree
Compression device for living being does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Compression device for living being, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Compression device for living being will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3030333