Immobilization brace with overlapping ventilation ports within semi-flexible boot and foam sheet material liner

• US 6,021,780 A
• Filed: 07/09/1998
• Issued: 02/08/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Darco International Incorporated (Stryker Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Darco International Incorporated (Stryker Corporation)
• Inventors: Darby, H. Darrel
• Primary Examiner(s): Brown, Michael A.
• Application Number:
  US09/112,239
• Time in Patent Office: 579 Days
• Field of Search: 128/869, 128/882, 602/5, 602/12, 602/13, 602/23, 602/27, 602/65
• US Class Current: 128/882
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 7/085 in the upper
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 5/0111 for the feet or ankles

Abstract

A lower leg, ankle and foot immobilization brace utilizing a semi-flexible open front boot fixed to the top of a walker sole with a plurality of spaced ventilation ports in the boot carries a foam liner within the boot sized to surround the lower leg, ankle, foot and dorsum of the user'"'"'s limb. Spaced closures spanning the open front boot apply gentle and focal compression to the foam liner encased limb. Appropriate elongated ventilation ports within the foam liner overlap a plurality of spaced ventilation ports in the boot to facilitate cooling air flow directly from the boot exterior to the skin of the user'"'"'s limb encased by the foam liner.

Claims

1. In a lower leg, ankle and foot immobilization brace preventing torsion of the lower leg, ankle and foot of a limb of the user while preventing dorsiflexion and plantar flexion of an ankle joint comprising:

a generally rigid walker sole;

a semi-flexible open front boot fixedly attached to the top of the walker sole;

at least one elongated ventilation port in the boot;

a foam liner within said boot surrounding the lower leg, ankle, foot and dorsum of the user;

closure means spanning the open front boot for applying general and focal compression to said foam liner encased limb of the user over the lower leg, ankle and dorsum thereby minimizing edema induced swelling over the full extent of the boot;

the improvement comprising;

at least one elongated ventilation port within said foam liner in a position for overlapping of said at least one elongated ventilation port in said boot to facilitate cooling air flow directly from the boot exterior onto the skin of the user'"'"'s limb encased by the foam liner and exposed through said at least one elongated ventilation port within said foam liner.

2. The immobilization brace as claimed in claim 1, wherein said boot has a foot portion directly overlying said walker sole and a boot upper fixed to and extending above the foot portion proximate to said user'"'"'s ankle, and wherein said at least one elongated ventilation port of said boot comprises vertically spaced, generally horizontal elongated ventilation ports within said boot upper, and said at least one elongated ventilation port within said liner comprises at least one elongated, generally vertical port within said liner in a portion surrounded by said boot upper and extending along a line so as to intersect a line passing through given ones of said plurality of elongated ventilation ports within said boot upper.

3. The immobilization brace as claimed in claim 2, wherein said plurality of elongated ventilation ports within said boot includes a plurality of spaced, generally horizontal elongated ventilation ports within said boot foot portion, and wherein said liner includes at least one generally horizontal, elongated ventilation port within a portion of said liner overlying the dorsum of the user'"'"'s limb and along a line intersecting at least given ones of said boot foot portion ventilation ports.

4. The immobilization brace as claimed in claim 1, wherein said boot has a foot portion directly overlying said walker sole, and a boot upper fixed to and extending above the foot portion at a position proximate to said user'"'"'s ankle, and wherein said at least one elongated ventilation port within said boot comprises a plurality of spaced, generally horizontal elongated ventilation ports within said boot foot portion, and wherein said liner includes at least one generally horizontal, elongated ventilation port within a foot portion of said liner overlying the dorsum of the user'"'"'s limb and along a line intersecting at least given ones of said boot foot portion ventilation ports.

5. The immobilization brace as claimed in claim 1, wherein said foam liner is formed of an open pore foam material sheet.

6. The immobilization brace as claimed in claim 5, wherein said open pore foam material sheet is covered on opposite faces by porous cloth.

7. The immobilization brace as claimed in claim 1, wherein said at least one elongated ventilation port within said liner further include a binding ribbon extending about edges of said port bound by stitching.

8. The immobilization brace as claimed in claim 1, wherein said at least one elongated ventilation port within said liner is covered by loose woven material fixed to the periphery of said liner about said at least one elongated ventilation port on the surface of the foam liner contacting the skin of the user'"'"'s limb to keep soft tissue of the limb from pushing through the at least one elongated ventilation port of said liner in case of edema without materially interfering with the escape of heat from the exposed foot and/or leg, while allowing ambient air to circulate through the vented area defined by overlapping elongated ventilation ports of said boot and liner.

9. A vented foam liner for use in a lower leg, ankle and foot immobilization brace preventing torsion of the lower leg, ankle and foot of a limb of a user while preventing dorsiflexion and plantar flexion of an ankle joint, said brace comprising:

a generally rigid walker sole;

a semi-flexible open front boot fixedly attached to the top of the walker sole;

at least one elongated ventilation port in the boot;

said vented foam liner being positionable within the boot surrounding the lower leg, ankle, foot and dorsum of the user'"'"'s limb, and said semi-flexible boot comprises closure means spanning the open front boot for applying general and focal compression to said foam liner encased limb of the user over the lower leg, ankle and dorsum thereby minimizing edema induced swelling over the full extent of the boot;

the improvement wherein said foam liner includes at least one elongated ventilation port within said foam liner in a position generally overlapping said at least one elongated ventilation port in said boot to facilitate cooling air flow directly from the boot exterior to the skin of the user'"'"'s limb encased by the foam liner and open to said at least one elongated ventilation port within said foam liner.

10. The vented foam liner as claimed in claim 9, wherein said at least one elongated ventilation port in said boot comprises a plurality of spaced ventilation ports and the liner is formed of molded foam sheet material cut and edge sealed together to form an L-shaped enclosure in side elevation to receive the lower leg, ankle and foot of the user, and wherein said at least one elongated ventilation port within said liner comprises a vertical elongated ventilation port within the vertical portion of the L-shaped enclosure positioned so as to overlap a plurality of vertically spaced, generally horizontal elongated ventilation ports within said semi-flexible boot.

11. The vented foam liner as claimed in claim 9, wherein said at least one elongated ventilation port within said foam liner comprises at least one generally horizontal elongated ventilation port within a horizontally extending foot portion of said L-shaped enclosure and positioned therein so as to overlap given ones of a plurality of elongated ventilation ports within the boot.

12. The vented foam liner as claimed in claim 9, wherein said liner is of open pore foam sheet material with cloth layers on opposite faces of said L-shaped enclosure walls, and wherein the exposed edge of said at least one elongated ventilation port within said foam liner has a stitched ribbon along said edge to prevent raveling of the cloth layers on opposite faces of the open pore foam material sheet forming said L-shaped enclosure.

13. The vented foam liner as claimed in claim 12, wherein said L-shaped enclosure includes L-shaped foam liner sheet portions, each including an elongated, vertical ventilation port within the vertical portion of the L-shaped enclosure and an elongated horizontal ventilation port within the horizontally projecting portion of said L-shaped enclosure for each of the two sides of the enclosure.

14. The vented foam liner as claimed in claim 9, wherein said at least one elongated ventilation port within said liner is covered by loose woven material fixed to the periphery of said liner about said at least one elongated ventilation port on the surface of the foam liner contacting the skin of the user'"'"'s limb to keep soft tissue of the limb from pushing through the at least one elongated ventilation port of the liner in case of edema without materially interfering with the escape of heat from the exposed foot and/or leg, while allowing ambient air to circulate through the vented area defined by overlapping elongated ventilation ports of said boot and liner.