AU2003252702A1 - Support device - Google Patents

Description

Regulation 3.2 -1-

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT

APPLICANT:

NUMBER:

FILING DATE: APPLIED MACHINERY PTY. LIMITED Invention Title: SUPPORT DEVICE The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me: SUPPORT DEVICE Technical Area The invention relates to the area of support devices and in particular, to a support device which is adapted to be worn around a limb, providing a means S of supporting the limb when the user is suffering from strained muscles, tennis elbow, carpal tunnel syndrome, arthritis or the like.

While the invention relates to a support device which can be applied to different areas of any limb, for convenience sake it will be described herein in terms of a forearm support.

Background to the invention There have previously been proposed various support devices for use on limbs which are adapted to apply compression to an area which is to be treated and/ or supported. Within the limits of what these devices do, they have been quite satisfactory.

Many traditional support devices however, not only support the area which is to be treated, but also the area adjacent to, or surrounding the effected area. This can often leave the user with a somewhat restricted movement of their effected limb, making long term use of the support device less comfortable.

Outline of the invention It is an object of the present invention to overcome or substantially ameliorate the disadvantages of the prior art by providing a support device which supports the effected area of the limb, whilst also providing a positive reaction to the effected area upon which it is worn.

The invention provides, a support device having at least one member which is adapted to abut and support part of a limb, and at least one adjustable means, wherein the member is adapted to provide a positive reaction that is localised to an effected area upon which the support device is worn.

It is preferred that the or each member is curved so that it is able to abut against the natural curve of a user's limb.

It is preferred that the or each member comprises a backing plate and a support pad wherein provided on an outer surface of the support pad, are a plurality of extensions which act to massage the effected area promoting circulation and relieving discomfort in the area.

It is further preferred that the member have a relatively rigid backing so that, there is a combination of firm support for the effected area to be treated, together with the massaging effect provided by the extensions which are in the form of dimples.

is It is preferred that the adjustable means be a strap which enables the support device to be easily adjustable to suit all size limbs, and allows the user to increase or reduced the amount of pressure that is applied by the support device as required.

In order that the invention be more readily understood we will describe by way of non limiting example a specific embodiment thereof.

Brief description of the Drawing Figure Figure 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the support device according to the invention with the sub-components shown partly exploded.

Figure 2 is a front view of an embodiment of the support device showing the positioning of the device in normal use.

Figure 3 is a plan view ofan embodiment fo the support device taken along line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Description of an Embodiment of the Invention Figures 1 to 3 show a preferred embodiment of the invention as it relates to a means for providing support and acting to relieve and prevent pain and damage associated with limb injuries.

In this embodiment of the invention the support device has a pair of members 18, 19 which can have a length that is longer than the width and which have a curve such that they are able to abut relatively close to the forearm. The support device 1 is situated such that, each member 18, 19 sits on either side of the arm and is placed along the length of the arm.

Each member 18, 19 of the support device 1 comprises a backing plate 3, which can be made of a semi-rigid plastics material, and a support pad 4 which fits into the backing plate 3 such that, the outer surface 15 of the support pad forms the inner surface of the member 18, 19. The inner surface 5 of the backing plate 3 is indented and has complimentary shape to that of the support pad 4 such that, the support pad is able fit snug against the backing plate. The support pad 4, is further held in place by two integrally formed, outwardly extending members 6 which are adapted to be received by two corresponding holes 7 in the backing plate 3. The inner surface 5 of the backing plate 3 may also have provided an adhesive strip 17 for securing the support pad 4 to the backing plate.

The support device 1 can have provided at least one strap 8 which can be s permanently connected to one end of the first member 18, and movably connected to the second member 19 such that, the members can be properly located on either side of the arm, regardless of the size of the arm, and then the strap can be connected to the other end of the first member 18, with the free end of the strap being able to be connected to the remainder of the body of the strap.

In a preferred form of the invention, the backing plate 3 of each member 18, 19 has a pair of slots 9 adjacent each side thereof, whereby the strap can pass through the first slot 10 at the end adjacent to the position at which the strap 8 is connected to the first member downwardly through the second slot 11, exteriorly of the member 18, 19 to close at its other end where it again passes inwardly through the third slot 13 and again outwardly through the fourth slot 12.

Alternatively, the strap 8 may pass downwardly through a first pair of slots 9, run across the back of the member 18, 19 for a short distance, and then pass downwardly and outwardly through the second pair of slots 14. From the arrangement shown it can be seen that there is no substantial intrusion of the strap onto the inner surface of the members.

It is envisaged that if the members 18, 19 are of a substantial length, one or more further straps 8 could be provided along this length.

It is preferred that the free end of the strap 8 be connected to the remainder of the body of the strap by Velcro (Registered Trade Mark) connection. The Velcro arrangement can be on the inside of the free end of the strap 8 and the other part of the Velcro connector can be on the strap adjacent the first member so that the strap can be pulled through the slot 10, 11, 13, 12 and moved over the strap as it passes into the member and will make a positive connection therewith.

The support device 1 of the invention has a support pad 4 whose outer surface 15 is formed so that it is not flat.

In a preferred form of the invention, the outer surface 15 of the support pad 4 may have a plurality of outwardly extending dimples 16 of a relatively deformable material. The actual size of these is not critical, but there could be as many as or 50 spaced evenly apart across the outer surface 15 of the support pad 4.

The support pad 4 may also have provided ribs which extend across the inner surface of the pad at a diagonal to form a diamond shaped pattern, as shown in figure 1. These ribs also extend outwardly from the support pad 4 in a manner similar to that provided by the dimples, and are made of a firm but resilient material. This pattern can provide a further reinforcement to the support pad 4 in addition to the backing plate 3.

In use, the support device 1 is placed onto the arm with the curved members 18, 19 located on opposite sides of the arm such that, the inner surface 15, bearing the dimples 16, abuts the injured portion of the arm. The flexible strap 8 can then be pulled through the various slots 10, 11, 12, 13 and tightened until there is a relatively even pressure being applied between the two members. As the support device 1 is tightened, the outwardly extending dimples 16 will be in close contact with the skin.

When the limb is then used, and there is movement of the muscles, these muscles are effectively massaged by the outwardly extending dimples 16. If the support device 1 is being used on a limb which is being used in relatively strong exercise, such as the racquet arm of a tennis player, this massage effect can be quite substantial.

The result is a dimpled massage pad which not only supports tendons and muscles by putting pressure directly onto the troubled area, but one which acts to gently massage the effected area promoting circulation and relieving any discomfort in the area. Thus, the support device, instead of only minimising any further damage to the area, as is the case with normal support devices, can indeed have a therapeutic effect on the underlying injury while it is being used.

Whilst in the specification we have described one particular form of support, it will be appreciated that, depending upon the area of the limb to which the support is to be applied, both the width and length of the support device 1 may vary, as may the radius of the curvature or form of the bend of each member 18, 19 to better suit the limb.

In addition, each member 18, 19 may have different shapes to better suit the configuration of the limb. If for example, the support device 1 was being used on a calf, the forward member would be adapted to closely abut the bone in the leg whilst the rearward member would require a different curvature so that it can extend partially about the calf muscle.

It is also envisaged that the manner by which the dimples 16 or other outwardly extending portions are formed can also be done in several different ways. A first method involves the backing plate 3 of the member 18, 19 being moulded from a relatively firm plastics material, and the support pad and dimples being made of a relatively soft resilient material, with the two materials later being connected by an adhesive strip 17 or the like.

A second method could provide a two stage injection process where the semirigid material is first injection moulded and then is placed in a mould where the material to form the dimpled portion is injected and this becomes closely united with the rear portion during moulding.

A further method could involve the use of a intermediate material which has a degree of rigidity but also a degree of resilience so that the backing and the S support material could be integrally formed, enabling the member to be moulded in one shot.

We have described herein one method of interconnecting the members however, it is to be understood that it would be quite feasible to provide two connectors (not shown), one on each side, of the two members and these connectors could be such as to be able to adopt at different positions to cope with portions of limbs which are of different sizes or could in fact be of a relatively fixed size and with different size devices being provided to users.

It is envisaged that different embodiments of the device may have the dimpled support pad on only one of the members which would be placed directly over the effected area, whilst the other member which is located on the other side of the limb for support and the application of evenly distributed pressure, could have a support pad made from a material such as neoprene or the like.

Alternatively, the neoprene support pad could be utilised on both members to apply support that is localised to the effected area only. This could be used for instances when the injury has already been treated using the dimpled support however, the muscles are still vulnerable to repeated injuries that may arise if precaution is not taken.

Whilst we have described herein a specific embodiment of the invention it is to be understood that variations and modifications in this can be made without departing from the scope thereof.

Claims (11)

1. A support device having at least one member which is adapted to abut and support part of a limb, and at least one adjustable means, wherein the member is adapted to provide a positive reaction that is localised to an effected area upon which the support device is worn.

2. A support device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the or each member is curved so that it is able to abut against the natural curve of a user's limb.

3. A support device as claimed in claim 2 wherein the or each member comprises a backing plate and a support pad.

4. A support device as claimed in claim 3 wherein provided on an outer surface of the support pad of the member, are a plurality of extensions which act to massage the effected area promoting circulation and relieving discomfort in the area.

A support device as claimed in claim 4 wherein the plurality of extensions can be in the form of dimples or the like which extend outwardly from the member.

6. A support device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the or each adjustable means can be a strap which provides a means of adjusting the support device such that, it is able to fit all size limbs, and the user can readily increase or decrease the amount of pressure applied by the support device as required.

7. A support device as claimed in any one of claims 3 to 6 wherein the backing plate is made of a relatively rigid plastics material to provide sufficient pressure and firm support for the effect area.

8. A support device as claimed in claim 7 wherein the backing plate has provided an adhesive strip or the like for connecting the support pad to the backing plate.

9. A support device as claimed in claim 7 or 8 wherein the backing plate has at least one slot adapted to receive the or each strap therethrough.

A support device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the support pad can be a neoprene insert.

11. A support device substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings. DATED this 3 day of October, 2003 APPLIED MACHINERY PTY LIMITED By Its Patent Attorneys A TATLOCK ASSOCIATES