Ankle brace with cuff and strap

• US 20040167453A1
• Filed: 02/20/2004
• Published: 08/26/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ultra Athlete LLC
• Original Assignee: Ultra Athlete LLC
• Inventors: Peters, Rick E.
• Granted Patent: US 6,858,017 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 602/27
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 5/0127 for the feet A61F5/0111 takes precedence

Abstract

An ankle brace includes a heel stirrup including a base and left and right upright portions. Left and right pivot legs are pivotably connected to the left and right uprights, respectively. A cuff joins the left and right pivot legs. In most preferred embodiments, the rear cuff is flexible.

Claims

1. An ankle brace, comprising:

a substantially U-shaped heel stirrup, including a bottom portion adapted to extend under a wearer'"'"'s foot and left and right upright portions adapted to extend upwardly along the left and right sides of a wearer'"'"'s foot;

left and right pivot legs pivotably attached to said left and right upright portions at left and right pivot points, respectively;

left and right arms projecting rearwardly from said left and right pivot legs, respectively, wherein said left and right arms are joined together to form a flexible rear cuff.

2. An ankle brace, as recited in claim 1, wherein said left and right arms are pivotably connected to form said flexible rear cuff.

3. An ankle brace as recited in claim 2, wherein said left and right arms are connected to each other at a pivot point.

4. An ankle brace as recited in claim 2, wherein said left and right arms are connected through an intermediate cuff member that is connected to said left and right arms at left and right cuff pivot points, respectively.

5. An ankle brace as recited in claim 1, wherein said flexible rear cuff includes a first member defining at least one elongated slot and a second member including at least one projection received in said elongated slot.

6. An ankle brace as recited in claim 5, wherein said first member defines a plurality of elongated slots, and the width of said cuff is adjustable by selecting which of the elongated slots receives said projection.

7. An ankle brace as recited in claim 5, wherein said elongated slot is on one of said arms and said projection is on the other of said arms.

8. An ankle brace as recited in claim 5, wherein said cuff includes an intermediate cuff member connected to said first and second arms.

9. An ankle brace as recited in claim 5, wherein said slot is slightly curved.

10. An ankle brace, as recited in claim 1, wherein said flexible rear cuff is formed by said left and right arms being joined together in a unitary piece, having a central portion that is substantially dimensionally smaller than the rest of said left and right arms so as to be substantially more flexible than the rest of said left and right arms.

11. An ankle brace as recited in claim 1, wherein the left arm and the left pivot leg are formed as a single piece, and the right arm and right pivot leg are formed as another single piece, and the left and right arms are at least as rigid as the left and right pivot legs.

12. An ankle brace as recited in claim 1, and further comprising a strap mounted on at least one of said pivot legs for wrapping around the front of a wearer'"'"'s leg.

13. An ankle brace as recited in claim 1, and further comprising a forwardly-projecting tongue extending from the bottom portion of the heel stirrup, so as to give stability to the brace without interfering with the spreading of the wearer'"'"'s foot.

14. An ankle brace as recited in claim 13, wherein said heel portion defines a rear edge, said left and right pivot points are located at least one inch forward of said rear edge, and said left and right uprights extend at an angle from the rear edge to the pivot points to limit interference between the stirrup and a person'"'"'s foot while providing stability.

15. An ankle brace as recited in claim 1, wherein said flexible rear cuff includes an intermediate cuff member that is more flexible than said first and second arms, said intermediate cuff member being secured to said first and second arms.

16. An ankle brace, comprising:

a substantially U-shaped heel stirrup, including a bottom portion adapted to extend under a wearer'"'"'s foot and left and right upright portions adapted to extend upwardly along the left and right sides of a wearer'"'"'s foot;

left and right pivot legs pivotably attached to said left and right upright portions at left and right pivot points, respectively;

left and right arms projecting rearwardly from said left and right pivot legs, respectively, wherein said left and right arms are joined together to form a rear cuff;

a first outwardly-projecting U-shaped post having top and bottom ends secured to said left arm and defining a first slot between said first post and said left arm;

a second outwardly-projecting U-shaped post having top and bottom ends secured to said right arm and defining a second slot between said second post and said right arm, said second post extending generally parallel to said first post;

a first fastener located on the outer surface of one of said arms forward of its respective post; and

,

a closure strap having first and second ends and first and second surfaces, said first end having a second fastener which cooperates with said first fastener to secure said first end of said strap to said one arm, and said strap further including a securing means to secure the second end of said strap to an intermediate portion of said strap, wherein said strap is fed through said first slot and through said second slot, and said second end of said strap folds back over and is secured onto itself at said intermediate portion.

17. An ankle brace as recited in claim 16, wherein said first fastener is the hook side of a hook-and-loop type fastener, said second fastener is the loop side of a hook-and-loop type fastener, and said securing means is the hook side of a hook-and-loop type fastener.

18. An ankle brace as recited in claim 16, wherein said rear cuff is flexible.

19. An ankle brace, comprising:

a U-shaped heel stirrup, including a base and first and second uprights projecting upwardly from the base, wherein the base and uprights are formed as a unitary piece;

first and second pivot legs pivotably attached to said first and second uprights, respectively;

a flexible rear cuff extending rearwardly from and attached to the upper portion of each of said pivot legs;

a first outwardly-projecting U-shaped post secured to said first pivot leg and defining a slot between said first post and said first pivot leg;

a second outwardly-projecting U-shaped post secured to said second pivot leg and defining a slot between said second post and said second pivot leg, said second post lying generally parallel to said first post;

a first fastening means located on the outer surface of said first pivot leg forward of said first post; and

,

a closure strap having first and second ends and first and second surfaces, said first end having a second fastening means which cooperates with said first fastening means to secure said first end of said strap to said first pivot leg, and said second end of said strap having third fastening means to secure said strap to itself, wherein said strap is fed through said first slot and through said second slot, and said second end folds back over onto itself.