Surgery: splint – brace – or bandage – Orthopedic bandage – Splint or brace
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-02
2001-06-12
Yu, Mickey (Department: 3764)
Surgery: splint, brace, or bandage
Orthopedic bandage
Splint or brace
C602S065000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06245035
ABSTRACT:
The invention relates to a medium heavy duty ankle brace, which comprises a medial part that is anatomically adapted to the lower leg, the ankle and the footshape, in which the medial part shows a recess at the location adapted to leave the medial ankle joint uncovered and has a substantially flat sole part below the foot, such as known form EP 0 372 452.
In certain cases, such as when the foot has a natural tendency to sprain inwards and/or during sports that give a heavy strain on the ankle, the stability and the protection against spraining inwards of the foot is insufficient. Thereby it is then possible, that the foot sprains inwards, by which so-called inversion traumas can occur in the ankle. These inversion traumas can only heal after an elaborate and long medical and/or physiotherapeutical treatment.
Ankle braces can be divided into light duty, medium heavy duty and heavy duty ankle braces.
At light duty ankle braces, which frequently have the shape of a stocking that has been reinforced with balleens, the stabilisation effect to be expected is practically nil.
Medium heavy duty ankle braces, which allow some freedom of movement to the ankle, are an intermediate shape between light duty and heavy duty ankle braces.
Heavy duty ankle braces, which are mostly provided with a stiff plastic or metal frame, which indeed have a great stabilisation effect, have the objection of a too large limitation of movement because of the stiffness of the material, among others during sport and play. With these heavy duty and stiff ankle braces problems of irritation of the foot and lower leg frequently occur.
There is therefore the need of a medium duty ankle brace, which at the one hand gives enough stability, when the foot has the tendency of spraining inwards. Next to this sufficient stability it is at the other hand of importance, that most normal movements of the foot and leg can take place without irritation.
At the medium heavy duty ankle bracing according to EP 0 372 452 firstly the objection is present, that the stirrup shaped, somewhat flexible ankle brace gives insufficient freedom of movement to the lateral side. Secondly the fastening band cuts over the frontside of the uncovered forefoot, by which damages of the skin can occur.
Thirdly the substantially flat support part has a fixed width, by which no setting for the adaptation of the several foot widths of several users is possible, so that the supplier must keep a larger number of several sizes in stock.
The object of the invention is removing these objections and providing an ankle brace with firstly such a stability, that when a foot has the natural tendency of spraining inwards and also at heavy ankle strains, the danger of spraining inwards of the foot is removed. Secondly so much freedom of movement must remain, that most normal movements of foot and leg can take place without irritation.
Thirdly it should also be possible to adapt as much as possible to the several foot widths of several users.
This object is reached according to the invention, in that the ankle brace is built up from two different asymmetrical shell parts, a substantially flexible medial part with one or more different, local stiffening elements and a lateral part being substantially more elastic than the medial part.
By the application of the invention the substantially flexible medial part gives the necessary differentiated brace to the ankle against spraining inwards, whereas the lateral part, which is substantially more elastic, at the one hand encounters an outward spraining and cooperates with the proper fixation of the ankle brace, but at the other hand allows sufficient freedom of movement and thirdly gives a greater freedom to the adaptation to different foot sizes.
According to a preferential embodiment of the invention the medial part is shaped as a shell, which extends from substantially the middle of the backside of the lower leg to the front side of the lower leg and leaves the front side of the lower leg free, whereas a heel recess extends from the level of the inner ankle joint to the sole, but the sole part extends substantially below the complete heel and below at least a part of the middle foot.
According to another preferential embodiment the lateral part has the shape of a shell of elastic material, which is closely connected to the medial part below the heel and has a heel recess at the backside at the medial side of the heel, whereas the front side is adapted the cover at least a part of the middle foot by means of a projecting rounded part.
REFERENCES:
patent: 1205206 (1916-11-01), Hofmeister
patent: 4651726 (1987-03-01), Holland
patent: 5099860 (1992-03-01), Amrein
patent: 5219324 (1993-06-01), Hall
patent: 5317820 (1994-06-01), Bell et al.
patent: 5366439 (1994-11-01), Peters
patent: 5778563 (1998-07-01), Ahlbaumer
patent: 5865778 (1999-02-01), Johnson
patent: 2241170 (1991-08-01), None
Michael & Best & Friedrich LLP
Pothier Denise
Yu Mickey
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