Thermal treatment garment and method of thermally treating body portions

• US 7,744,640 B1
• Filed: 05/17/2005
• Issued: 06/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Medical Products, Inc. (Novatek International Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Medical Products, Inc. (Novatek International Incorporated)
• Inventors: Faries, Durward I. Jr., Heymann, Bruce R., Hendrix, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Gibson; Roy D
• Assistant Examiner(s): SMITH, KAITLYN ELIZABETH
• Application Number:
  US11/130,416
• Time in Patent Office: 1,869 Days
• Field of Search: 607/96, 607108-112, 607/104
• US Class Current: 607/109
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 13/1245 for the upper part of the body
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 13/129 Donning facilities, e.g. characterized by the opening
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/00 Bandages or dressings radioactive dressings A61N5/1029; Absorbent pads
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2013/00574 shaped as a body part A61F2013/00187 take precedence; use of plasters A61F2013/00365; containing means for different purposes A61F2013/00902
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 7/007 characterised by electric heating

Abstract

A thermal treatment garment of the present invention includes an outer structure layer, an interior lining formed of a gel material that directly contacts a body portion of a user when the garment is worn by the user and a thermal treatment layer to thermally treat and control temperature of the garment. The thermal treatment layer heats and/or cools the gel material to a selected temperature or selected temperature range and is controlled by a controller. In an exemplary embodiment, the garment includes a cap to thermally treat the user'"'"'s head, where the structure layer has a generally convex outer surface and the interior surface of the gel layer is generally concave and contoured to engage with and at least partially envelop at least one selected portion of the user'"'"'s head.

Claims

1. A thermal treatment device for thermally treating a portion of a user'"'"'s body comprising:

a cap to thermally treat the user'"'"'s head and including;

a structure layer;

a gel layer coupled to the inner surface of the structure layer and forming an interior surface of the cap, wherein the interior surface of the gel layer is generally concave and contoured to engage with and at least partially envelop at least one selected portion of the user'"'"'s head; and

a thermal treatment layer coupled with the gel layer and configured to thermally treat the gel layer and the user;

wherein one or more of said gel layer and thermal treatment layer are configurable to treat specific portions of said user'"'"'s head and include a plurality of detachable sections each selectively removable from a corresponding layer to configure said one or more layers to cover and treat said specific portions of said user'"'"'s head.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein said structure layer includes a generally convex outer surface with first and second overlapping sections and an inner surface that faces toward the user when the cap is worn by the user, wherein an amount of overlap between said first and second overlapping sections is selectively adjustable by the user to adjust a size of the cap to the user'"'"'s head.

3. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

a controller to control the thermal treatment layer to thermally treat the gel layer and the user to a selected temperature or within a selected temperature range.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein the controller includes an input device to facilitate entry of the selected temperature or selected temperature range and the controller controls the thermal treatment layer in accordance with the selected temperature or selected temperature range.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein the cap includes a temperature sensor to measure temperature of a portion of at least one of the cap and the user, wherein the controller controls the thermal treatment layer in accordance with the temperature measured by the temperature sensor.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein the controller includes a display to display at least one of the selected temperature or selected temperature range and the measured temperature.

7. The device of claim 5, wherein the cap further includes a high limit temperature sensor to measure temperature of a portion of at least one of the cap and the user, wherein the controller prevents the thermal treatment layer from thermally treating the gel layer when the measured temperature of the high limit temperature sensor exceeds a preselected maximum value.

8. The device of claim 3, wherein the thermal treatment layer of the cap includes a thermal element that is controlled by the controller to thermally treat the gel layer by at least one of heating the gel layer and cooling the gel layer.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein the thermal treatment layer of the cap includes an electrical heater to heat the gel layer.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the electrical heater includes a wire mesh layer that engages a selected surface area portion of the gel layer.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the thermal treatment layer comprises tubing that engages at least one portion of the gel layer, the tubing being configured to receive a flow of thermal treatment fluid that thermally treats the gel layer.

12. The device of claim 11, further comprising:

a reservoir to store and supply the thermal treatment fluid to the tubing of the thermal treatment layer.

13. The device of claim 12, further comprising:

a thermal element disposed proximate the reservoir; and

a controller to thermally treat the thermal treatment fluid within the reservoir by at least one of heating the thermal treatment fluid and cooling the thermal treatment fluid.

14. The device of claim 12, further comprising:

a pump connected between the reservoir and the tubing of the thermal treatment layer to facilitate recirculating of thermal treatment fluid between the reservoir and the tubing.

15. The device of claim 1, wherein the thermal treatment layer comprises a phase change material.

16. The device of claim 1, wherein the cap includes:

at least one strap to secure the cap to the user'"'"'s head by looping under the user'"'"'s chin when the cap is worn by the user.

17. The device of claim 1, wherein the gel layer of the cap comprises one of a hydrogel gel and a polyurethane gel.

18. The device of claim 1, wherein the gel layer directly contacts portions of the user'"'"'s head when the cap is worn by the user.

19. The device of claim 1, wherein the gel layer includes a medicament for application to the user'"'"'s head.

20. A method of thermally treating a body portion via a cap including a structure layer, a gel layer coupled to the inner surface of said structure layer and forming a generally concave interior surface of the cap, and a thermal treatment layer coupled with the gel layer, the method comprising:

(a) receiving a portion of the user'"'"'s head within the cap such that the interior surface of the gel layer engages and at least partially envelops at least a selected portion of the user'"'"'s head, wherein one or more of said gel layer and thermal treatment layer are configurable to treat specific portions of said user'"'"'s head and include a plurality of detachable sections each selectively removable from a corresponding layer, and step (a) further includes;

(a.1) selectively removing one or more of said detachable sections from a corresponding layer to configure said one or more layers to cover and treat said specific portions of said user'"'"'s head;

(b) applying thermal energy to the gel layer and the head portion received within the cap via the thermal treatment layer; and

(c) controlling the application of the thermal energy from the thermal treatment layer to the gel layer and the head portion received in the cap.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein said structure layer includes a generally convex outer surface with first and second overlapping sections and an inner surface that faces toward a user, and step (a) further includes:

(a.2) selectively adjusting an amount of overlap between said first and second overlapping sections to adjust a size of the cap to the user'"'"'s head.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein step (c) further comprises:

(c.1) controlling the thermal treatment layer via a controller to thermally treat the gel layer and the user to a selected temperature or within a selected temperature range.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein step (c.1) includes:

(c.1.1) facilitating entry of the selected temperature or selected temperature range via an input device coupled with the controller.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein step (c.1) includes:

(c.1.1) measuring a temperature of a portion of at least one of the cap and the user via at least one temperature sensor secured to the cap and coupled with the controller; and

(c.1.2) controlling the thermal treatment layer via the controller based upon the temperature measured by the at least one temperature sensor.

25. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

(d) displaying at least one of a measured temperature and the selected temperature or selected temperature range via a display coupled to the controller.

26. The method of claim 22, wherein the thermal treatment layer comprises an electrical heater.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the electrical heater comprises a wire mesh layer that engages a selected surface portion of the gel layer.

28. The method of claim 20, wherein the thermal treatment layer comprises tubing that engages at least one portion of the gel layer, and step (b) includes:

(b.1) flowing a thermal treatment fluid through the tubing to thermally treat the gel layer.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein step (b.1) includes:

(b.1.1) circulating the thermal treatment fluid from a reservoir to and through the tubing via a pump.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein step (b.1) further includes:

(b.1.2) thermally treating the thermal treatment fluid via a thermal element disposed proximate the reservoir.

31. The method of claim 20, wherein the thermal treatment layer comprises a phase change material, and step (c) includes:

(c.1) thermally charging the phase change material prior to receiving the head portion within the cap.

32. The method of claim 20, wherein step (a) further includes:

(a.2) securing the cap to the user'"'"'s head by looping a strap connected to the cap under the user'"'"'s chin.