ADVANCED COMPRESSION GARMENTS AND SYSTEMS

• US 20170100300A1
• Filed: 10/07/2016
• Published: 04/13/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gary Rapp, Scott Rapp
• Original Assignee: Gary Rapp, Scott Rapp
• Inventors: Rapp, Scott, Rapp, Gary
• Granted Patent: US 10,973,413 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 1/002 adapted to accommodate electronic equipment patients' garments for medical monitoring A41D13/1281; luminous ornaments A41D27/085
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0053 by applying pressure, e.g. compression, indentation, palpation, grasping, gauging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/01 Measuring temperature of body parts ; Diagnostic temperature sensing, e.g. for malignant or inflamed tissue clinical contact thermometers G01K13/20
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6804 Garments; Clothes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6824 Arm or wrist
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6828 Leg
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/06 specially adapted for feet or legs; Corn-pads; Corn-rings
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/10 specially adapted for fingers, hands, or arms; Finger-stalls; Nail-protectors restraining devices for arms A61F5/37; shoulder bandages A61F13/14
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2013/00957 pressure
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 5/00 Orthopaedic methods or devices for non-surgical treatment of bones or joints surgical instruments or methods for treatment of bones or joints, devices specially adapted therefor A61B17/56; Nursing devices; Anti-rape devicesbandages, dressings or absorbent pads A61F13/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 5/0104 without articulation

Abstract

Advanced compression garments and their methods of use, including garments with compression applying straps, and associated sensors that are able to sense the compression applied to an underlying body tissue by the straps. Pressure and/or temperature information from the sensors may be conveyed to a wearer of the garment and/or to another party.

Claims

1. An advanced compression garment for donning over the limb of a wearer, comprising:

an inner layer adapted to be in contact with the skin of the wearer;

an outer compressive layer for applying pressure to the limb; and

at least one sensor adapted to sense the magnitude of compression exerted on the limb by the outer compressive layer when the advanced compression garment is worn by the wearer.

2. The advanced compression garment of claim 1, further comprising a transmitter/transceiver in electrical communication with the at least one sensor, the transmitter/transceiver adapted to receive data signals from the at least one sensor and to transmit the sensor data to a monitor/monitor-controller.

3. The advanced compression garment of claim 2, wherein:

the transmitter/transceiver comprises a display including a depiction of a human limb; and

wherein, indications of pressure applied to a limb by the advanced compression garment are provided on the depiction of the human limb.

4. The advanced compression garment of claim 3, wherein the depiction of the human limb is divided into a number of zones, each zone uniquely corresponding to a particular sensor of the advanced compression garment.

5. The advanced compression garment of claim 2, wherein:

the monitor/monitor-controller includes a display with a depiction of a human limb that is divided into a number of zones, each zone uniquely corresponding to a particular sensor of the advanced compression garment; and

wherein the monitor/monitor-controller is adapted to apply any of several colors to each zone depending on a pressure condition indicated by the sensor associated with the given zone.

6. The advanced compression garment of claim 2, wherein the monitor/monitor-controller includes control functionality by which settings and functions of the advanced compression garment may be manipulated.

7. The advanced compression garment of claim 2, wherein the transmitter/transceiver communicates with the monitor/monitor-controller via a wireless communication technology selected from the group consisting of Bluetooth, near-field communications, and WiFi.

8. The advanced compression garment of claim 2, wherein:

the monitor/monitor-controller is a device selected from the group consisting of a programmed smart phone, tablet, and computer; and

the monitor/monitor-controller includes specialized software that is usable to analyze and display sensor data.

9. The advanced compression garment of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor is selected from the group consisting of a force-sensing resistor, a piezoelectric sensor, a strain gauge sensor, and a near infrared spectroscopy sensor.

10. The advanced compression garment of claim 1, wherein the inner layer is comprised of piezoelectric fabric and the inner layer acts as the at least one sensor.

11. The advanced compression garment of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor is a force-sensing resistor that is printed on a substrate.

12. The advanced compression garment of claim 11, wherein the force-sensing resistor is printed from a material selected from the group consisting of a conductive polymer, a piezoresistive substance, and carbon.

13. The advanced compression garment of claim 11, wherein the force-sensing resistor is printed from a conductive silver ink on a substrate of coextruded thermoplastic film.

14. The advanced compression garment of claim 11, further comprising at least one flexible electrical conduit printed on the substrate and electrically coupling the at least one sensor to a connector that is also printed on the substrate.

15. The advanced compression garment of claim 14, wherein the connector includes:

a conductive pad adapted to transfer electrical energy via the at least one flexible electrical conduit to the at least one sensor; and

a conductive pad adapted to transfer data signals received from the at least one sensor via the at least one flexible electrical conduit to a transmitter/transceiver.

18. The advanced compression garment of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor is also adapted to sense and report skin surface temperature.

16. (canceled)

17. The advanced compression garment of claim 16, further comprising a magnet located on the connecting face of the transmitter/transceiver and a cooperating magnet or a ferrous element located on the connector, so as to provide magnetic retention of the transmitter/transceiver on the advanced compression garment.

19. An advanced compression garment for donning over the limb of a wearer, comprising:

an inner layer positioned to be in contact with the skin of the wearer;

a sensor assembly including a series of spaced apart pressure sensors distributed along a length of the inner layer;

an outer compressive layer in the form of a plurality of adjacent straps, the number of straps corresponding to the number of sensors, each strap attached at one end to the inner layer and adapted for at least partial wrapping under tension around the limb; and

a transmitter/transceiver in electrical communication with the sensors and adapted to transmit pressure data received therefrom to a monitor/monitor-controller.

20. The advanced compression garment of claim 19, wherein the sensors and straps are arranged such that the sensors will underlie the straps when the straps are placed in tension and secured.

22. The advanced compression garment of claim 19, wherein the sensor assembly further comprises:

a first portion including active sensor areas, a connector, and flexible electrical conduits conductively connecting the sensors and connector, the active sensor areas, connector and conduits comprised of conductive ink printed onto a first thermoplastic substrate;

a cooperating second portion including receptor areas corresponding in number and location to the active sensor areas on the first portion, and flexible electrical conduits conductively interconnecting the receptor areas, the active sensor areas and conduits comprised of conductive ink printed onto a second thermoplastic substrate;

the first portion and the second portion located to one another in a mirrored relationship such that the active areas on the first substrate and the receptor areas on the second substrate are aligned, in close proximity, and facing each other, so as to form individual pressure sensors; and

a separator layer located between the first substrate and the second substrate, the separator layer being of a thickness sufficient to produce an air gap between the active sensor areas and corresponding receptor areas of each pressure sensor when no compressive force is applied to the sensor assembly.

23. The advanced compression garment of claim 22, wherein adjacent faces of the substrates are joined to produce a sealed, water-resistant sensor assembly.

25. The advanced compression garment of claim 22, wherein the conductive ink is conductive silver ink and the substrates are a coextruded thermoplastic film.

26. The advanced compression garment of claim 22, wherein the connector includes:

a conductive pad adapted to transfer electrical energy to the sensors via at least one of the flexible electrical conduits; and

a plurality of additional conductive pads corresponding in number to the number of sensors in the sensor assembly, the additional conductive pads adapted to transfer to the transmitter/transceiver data signals received from the sensors via the flexible electrical conduits.

27. The advanced compression garment of claim 26, wherein the transmitter/transceiver includes a connecting face with electrically conductive spring-loaded pins that are located and arranged to electrically connect with the conductive pads of the connector.

21. (canceled)

24. (canceled)

28-29. -29. (canceled)

30. A method of applying controllable and monitorable compression to a mammalian limb, comprising:

(a) providing an advanced compression garment, the advanced compression garment comprising;

an inner layer positioned to be in contact with the skin of the wearer,

a sensor assembly including a series of spaced apart pressure sensors distributed along a length of the inner layer,

an outer compressive layer in the form of a plurality of adjacent straps, the number of straps corresponding to the number of sensors, each strap attached at one end to the inner layer and adapted for at least partial wrapping under tension around the limb, and

a transmitter/transceiver in electrical communication with the sensors and adapted to transmit pressure data received therefrom to a monitor/monitor-controller;

(b) placing the advanced compression garment on a limb;

(c) tightening the straps to apply pressure to the limb, while simultaneously monitoring the level of applied pressure using a display on the transmitter/transceiver;

(d) providing a monitor/monitor-controller, the monitor/monitor-controller including hardware and specialized software adapted to analyze and display sensor data;

(e) placing the monitor/monitor-controller in communication with the transmitter/transceiver;

(f) using the transmitter/transceiver to transmit sensor data to the monitor/monitor-controller; and

(g) using the monitor/monitor-controller to monitor the level of pressure applied to the limb by the advanced compression garment.

31. (canceled)