Liquid brace
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A brace for supporting an injured body part of wearer, comprising:
- at least one flexible compression bag containing a liquid;
a plurality of valves, each valve having a first open position and a second closed position, said valves segmenting said at least one compression bag into serially arranged bag sections and arranged to provide liquid flow in a controlled manner through said at least one compression bag.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A brace has a number of flexible compression bags filled with liquid disposed around the injured body part. The liquid is pressurized by a pump, which may be driven by muscle contracting or weight-bearing activities. The pump may provide a dynamic, oscillatory pressure, or a constant pressure, which pressure may be equal to the normal resting liquid pressure in the injured limb. The bags are segmented with valves allowing the liquid to flow in a controlled manner through the bags. The bags may be containing bags, or may be selectively placed to create pressures to resist specific injury effects and potential deformations when healing.
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Citations
24 Claims
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1. A brace for supporting an injured body part of wearer, comprising:
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at least one flexible compression bag containing a liquid;
a plurality of valves, each valve having a first open position and a second closed position, said valves segmenting said at least one compression bag into serially arranged bag sections and arranged to provide liquid flow in a controlled manner through said at least one compression bag. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A brace for supporting an injured body part of a wearer, comprising:
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at least one flexible compression bag adapted for holding a liquid;
a plurality of valves segmenting said at least one compression bag and arranged to provide liquid flow in a controlled manner through said at least one compression bag;
a pump for pumping liquid through said at least one compression bag a liquid reservoir in fluid communication with said at least one flexible compression bag for providing a static pressure in said at least one compression bag.
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19. A brace for supporting an injured body part of a wearer, comprising:
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at least one flexible compression bag adapted for holding a liquid;
a plurality of valves segmenting said at least one compression bag and arranged to provide liquid flow in a controlled manner through said at least one compression bag;
a pump for pumping liquid through said at least one compression bag wherein said pump comprises a pivoted pump plate with the pivot located approximately at the center of weight-bearing when a wearer of the brace is standing and a pair of flexible pump bags, one on each side of said pivot, each pump bag connected between an inlet and outlet of at least one of said at least one compression bag, said pump plate arranged for attachment to a foot of the wearer such that, in use, one pump bag is disposed under a sole of said wearer and another pump bag is disposed under a heel of said wearer. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21)
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22. A brace for supporting an injured body part of a wearer, comprising:
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at least one flexible compression bag adapted for holding a liquid;
a pump;
conduit extending between said at least one flexible compression bag and said pump;
said pump comprising an annular member adapted for encircling a healthy body part which expands on muscle contraction, said annular member comprising a flexible pump bag such that upon muscle contraction, liquid is pumped from said flexible pump bag to said at least one flexible compression bag, said brace further comprising a plurality of valves, each valve having a first open position and a second closed position, said valves segmenting said at least one compression bag and arranged to provide liquid flow in a controlled manner through said at least one compression bag. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24)
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Specification