Patent ID: 11957611
Assignee: TAYCO BRACE, INC.
Field: Medical technology (Instruments)
Classification: CPC A | IPC A

Claim 0:
1. An external ankle brace, comprising:
a rigid heel enclosure having a rear portion and a forward portion, wherein
said rear portion is for receiving a heel portion of a shoe,
the external ankle brace is configured to restrict movement of an ankle in a first direction and permit movement of the ankle in a second direction, wherein said external ankle brace is configured to be disposed on an exterior of the shoe and the shoe having the heel portion, a sole, a toe, a top, and oppositely disposed sides,
said forward portion includes a medial sidewall and a lateral sidewall for respective placement adjacent the oppositely disposed sides of the shoe, the medial and lateral sidewalls being cantilevered from the rear portion of the rigid heel enclosure, the medial and lateral sidewalls each being configured to extend away from the heel portion of the shoe in a longitudinal direction toward a wearer's toe and beyond a talus of the wearer's foot, each of the medial and lateral sidewalls being at least partially located adjacent to an instep area of a corresponding medial or lateral side of the shoe, and
the external ankle brace further comprises:
a lateral upright extension selectively perpendicular to at least the lateral sidewall of said rigid heel enclosure and pivotally attached to said lateral sidewall;
a medial upright extension selectively perpendicular to at least the medial sidewall of said rigid heel enclosure and pivotally attached to said medial sidewall;
a lower fastening system comprising at least one connecting strap for connecting said lateral sidewall to said medial sidewall underneath the sole of the shoe forward of the talus of the wearer's foot, the lower fastening system being configured so that when the external ankle brace is worn over the wearer's shoe, the lower fastening system does not extend over the top of the shoe in use, and the lower fastening system is the only structure connecting the lateral and medial sidewalls underneath the sole of the shoe such that a sole of the shoe underneath a heel of the wearer's foot is exposed to ambient space beneath the shoe; and
an upper fastening system comprising at least one connecting strap for connecting said lateral sidewall to said medial sidewall only across the top of the shoe.