Apparel – Nether garments – Stockings
Reexamination Certificate
2000-09-25
2001-11-06
Calvert, John J. (Department: 3765)
Apparel
Nether garments
Stockings
Reexamination Certificate
active
06311334
ABSTRACT:
The invention relates to a compression hose made of elastic textile base material for the treatment of leg conditions.
Such compression hoses are mostly use together with a foot part, thereby constituting a compression stocking. In the case of such compression stockings, in order to generate a particularly high pressure on the leg which is to be treated, several compression stockings have already been applied one over the other in accordance with DB GBM 29001000.8, thereby affording a corresponding increase in pressure. When treating leg conditions by means of compression stockings, it is necessary to take into account the measurements of the patient's leg which is to be treated and the particular compression pressure which is required in each case. This normally involves the use of compression hoses with an attached foot part, which combination then forms the complete compression stocking in which, nevertheless, the desired therapeutic effect derives from its compression hose. To satisfy these requirements, compression stockings are produced in different sizes and from different materials, it being possible to achieve a particularly desired compression pressure in each case on the basis of the different materials. For this purpose, a considerable number of differently designed compression stockings are needed, which entails correspondingly high production outlay, since a correspondingly large number of different compression stockings normally have to be made available to take account of the various requirements.
The object of the invention is to design a compression hose which, essentially in one size, can be adapted to different leg sizes and additionally allows a desired individual compression pressure to be set. In connection with the compression hose mentioned in the introduction, this problem is solved by the fact that a rhombic lattice is integrated into the base material, with diagonals of the rhombuses lying in the longitudinal direction of the hose, and with intersecting strips which extend helically and continuously obliquely relative to the longitudinal direction of the hose and form the rhombic lattice, the elasticity of these strips being less than the base material enclosed by the strips, and the length of the hose in each case defined by longitudinal stretching of the hose determining its compression pressure.
The rhombic lattice integrated into the elastic textile base material acts along the entire length of the compression hose such that a compression hose set to a short length is widened to a relatively large diameter, its compression pressure being determined by this diameter. If, by contrast, the compression hose is stretched to a greater length, it has a correspondingly smaller diameter, so that the compression hose can be used on a relatively thin leg. If a particularly high compression pressure is then needed, this can be achieved by expanding the hose. Here, the function of the rhombic lattice plays a decisive role since, upon shortening of its diagonals lying in the longitudinal direction of the hose (longitudinal diagonals), the rhombic lattice widens correspondingly, and does so on account of the associated lengthening of the transverse diagonals which extend in the circumferential direction of the compression hose. If, by contrast, the compression hose is stretched in its longitudinal direction, the abovementioned transverse diagonals of the individual rhombuses shorten, with the compression hose contracting and exerting a correspondingly increased pressure on the leg which is to be treated. The said rhombic lattice thus makes it possible to take account of the dimensions of the leg to be treated by corresponding adaptation of the diameter of the compression hose, and also to set selectively the compression pressure of the compression hose in each case. Thus, the compression hose according to the invention covers a wide range of applications, including both thin and thicker legs and permitting a considerable variation in the required compression pressure. Thus, a single size of the compression hose according to the invention can be used to a large extent to satisfy conditions which vary quite considerably from patient to patient, and this considerably simplifies its production and reduces its production costs.
The use of a criss-cross plaiting of bands for an orthopaedic stocking for the thigh extension is known per se, namely from DE-OS 4,412,040. That document concerns pulling a hose, designated as a stocking, over the thigh the hose projecting by a defined length past the end of the leg (possibly a leg stump) and here being exposed to a load, whereupon the hose in the area of the thigh contracts and thus bears on the thigh with such firmness that the hose cannot slip off from the thigh, This is intended to facilitate application of tensile forces to the thigh, by which means it is then possible to act on the thigh and thus on the hip joint via the tensile forces applied to the thigh. Thus, no adjustable compression pressure is conceived of in this case.
The rhombic lattice permitting the above-mentioned adaptability of the compression hose can be knitted into the base material. Compression stockings are normally made of a knitted textile base material, so that the hose part of such compression stockings is created by a patterning of the base material known for knitting. A preferred patterning entails preventing mesh formation in the area of the intersecting strips, so that these positions have a shortened thread run in which is the elasticity afforded by a mesh formation is absent, which simply means that at the positions concerned the elasticity of the strip is reduced. The intersecting strips of lesser elasticity thus form the rhombic lattice in which, at the intersections of the strips, the knitting process used has the effect that, in the area of its strips, the rhombic lattice causes the transverse diagonals of the individual rhombuses to contract to a greater or lesser extent depending on the longitudinal stretching of the hose, which then permits the adaptation to the particular leg size and the setting of the required compression pressure.
A further possibility for integration of the rhombic lattice is for the latter to be bonded or welded onto the base material. In this case, the rhombic lattice can consist of an elastic foil material from which the rhombic lattice is punched out or cut out, so that a rhombic lattice consisting of intersecting strips is provided, which is then placed on the compression hose, in order then to be bonded on or welded on by heating. The foil material used for this purpose is elastic, but its elasticity is less than that of the base material.
However, it is possible to influence the base material itself to form the strips, to be specific in such a way that a local welding or bonding of the base material takes place in the area of the strips, and this is made possible by the base material being acted upon by radiation while covered by a corresponding mask, from which only the areas of the strips are left free, so that heating takes place in these areas, which leads to welding or bonding of the base material in the area of the strips.
A further possibility for forming the rhombic lattice is to apply a liquefied plastic to the base material, following the intersecting strips of the rhombic lattice, whereupon the liquefied plastic is hardened, with the result that the rhombic lattice has a correspondingly lower elasticity in the area of the hardened plastic.
It should be noted that the above-described compression hose can of course also be provided with a foot part, thus resulting overall in a compression stocking.
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Bauerfeind Hans B.
Reinhardt Holger
Banner & Witcoff , Ltd.
Bauerfeind Orthopadie GmbH & Co. KG
Calvert John J.
Hoey Alissa L.
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