Orthopedic walker boot having an inflatable bladder

• US 8,251,932 B2
• Filed: 07/21/2009
• Issued: 08/28/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Breg Incorporated (Breg Acquisition Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Breg Incorporated (Breg Acquisition Corp.)
• Inventors: Fout, James M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bianco, Patricia
• Assistant Examiner(s): Patel, Tarla
• Application Number:
  US12/506,266
• Publication Number:
  US 20100100018A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,134 Days
• Field of Search: 602/13, 602/5, 602/1, 602/23, 602/24, 602/25, 602/27, 602/28, 602/29, 602/32, 36/15, 36/83, 361/171, 361/40, 361/69
• US Class Current: 602/13
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 5/0111 for the feet or ankles
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 5/012 inflatable
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 5/0195 Shoe-like orthopaedic devices for protecting the feet against injuries after operations

Abstract

An orthopedic walker boot for wearing on a lower limb of a wearer has a rigid external shell and a pliant internal boot received within the external shell. The internal boot includes a leg panel having an inflatable bladder and a pump panel having a pump for inflating the bladder. The leg panel is configured to wrap around a leg of a wearer and the external shell is sized and configured to receive the internal boot with the leg of the wearer wrapped therein. The pump panel has a first end fixably attached to the leg panel and has a selective and releasable operational orientation, wherein the pump panel is in an overlapping outer position relative to the leg panel.

Claims

1. An orthopedic walker boot comprising:

an internal boot having a closed on-the-leg configuration, said internal boot including a leg panel having an inflatable bladder and a pump panel having a pump for inflating said bladder, wherein said leg panel is configured to wrap around a leg of a wearer when said internal boot is in said closed on-the-leg configuration and said pump panel is configured with a first end and a second end, said first end fixably attached to said leg panel; and

an external shell sized and configured to receive said internal boot when in said closed on-the-leg configuration, wherein said second end of said pump panel is free when said pump panel is in a non-operational orientation and said pump panel is placed in an operational orientation by selectively and releasably attaching said second end of said pump panel to said leg panel or said external shell when said leg panel is in said closed on-the-leg configuration and said internal boot is received within said external shell such that said pump panel is in an overlapping outer position relative to said leg panel when in said operational orientation.

2. The orthopedic walker boot of claim 1, wherein said external shell is substantially rigid.

3. The orthopedic walker boot of claim 2, wherein said substantially rigid external shell includes a non-rigid retention strap.

4. The orthopedic walker boot of claim 3, wherein said pump panel is in an overlapping outer position relative to said retention strap of said external shell when said pump panel is in said operational orientation.

5. The orthopedic walker boot of claim 1, wherein said bladder is integrally formed with the remainder of said leg panel.

6. The orthopedic walker boot of claim 5, wherein said bladder and a cloth and foam laminate sheet are integrally welded together in said leg panel.

7. The orthopedic walker boot of claim 1, wherein said pump panel is in an overlapping outer position relative to said external shell when said pump panel is in said operational orientation.

8. The orthopedic walker boot of claim 1, wherein said pump panel has a relatively narrow elongate linear configuration and said leg panel has a relatively broad areal configuration.

9. The orthopedic walker boot of claim 1, wherein said pump panel is fixably attached to an upper portion of said leg panel and extends from said upper portion when said pump panel is in said non-operational orientation.

10. An orthopedic walker boot comprising:

an internal boot having an on-the-leg configuration and an off-the-leg configuration, said internal boot including a leg panel having an inflatable bladder and a pump flap having a pump for inflating said bladder, wherein said leg panel is configured to engage a leg of a wearer when said internal boot is in said on-the-leg configuration and wherein said pump flap has a first end attached to said leg panel and a second end selectively releasably attachable to said leg panel or said external shell; and

an external shell configured to receive said internal boot when in said on-the-leg configuration, wherein said second end of said pump flap is unattached when transitioning said internal boot from said off-the-leg configuration to said on-the-leg configuration and wherein said second end of said pump flap is releasably attached to said leg panel or said external shell in an overlapping outer position relative to said leg panel when said internal boot is in said on-the-leg configuration received within said external shell.

11. The orthopedic walker boot of claim 10, wherein said external shell is substantially rigid.

12. The orthopedic walker boot of claim 10, wherein said external shell includes a retention strap.

13. The orthopedic walker boot of claim 12, wherein said pump flap is in an outer position relative to said retention strap of said external shell when said internal boot is in said on-the-leg configuration.

14. The orthopedic walker boot of claim 10, wherein said bladder is integrally formed with at least a portion the remainder of said leg panel.

15. The orthopedic walker boot of claim 10, wherein said bladder and a cloth and foam laminate sheet are integrally welded together in said leg panel.

16. The orthopedic walker boot of claim 10, wherein said pump flap has a relatively narrow elongate linear configuration and said leg panel has a relatively broad areal configuration.

17. The orthopedic walker boot of claim 10, wherein said pump flap is fixably attached to an upper portion of said leg panel with said second end unattached and extending from said upper portion when transitioning said internal boot from said off-the-leg configuration to said on-the-leg configuration.