Patent ID: 9545356
Date: 2017-01-17
CPC Classifications: A61H,A63B

Claim:
1. A therapeutic hand exercise device, comprising: one or more pliant sleeves for receiving one or more digits of a human hand; a chamber provided in at least a dorsal region of each of the one or more pliant sleeves; a liquid inlet to the chamber; means for moving the one or more pliant sleeves into a relaxed state; a pump for supplying pressurized liquid from a closed reservoir to the liquid inlet of the one or more chambers, the pump disposed between and in communication with the liquid inlet of the one or more chambers and the closed reservoir, the one or more pliant sleeves being movable between the relaxed state and a stiffened state in which the pliant sleeve forms a substantially rigid elongate member for holding a finger disposed within the sleeve in an extended position; a valve having a first open position and a second open position, the valve disposed between and in communication with the one or more chambers and the pump, the valve disposed between the one or more chambers and the closed reservoir, the valve in communication with the closed reservoir, the valve in communication with the one or more chambers via a first port in the valve, the valve in communication with the pump via a second port in the valve, and the valve in communication with the closed reservoir via a third port in the valve; and an automatic control adapted to control an actuation of the valve and thereby a flow of the pressurized liquid to and from the one or more chambers for automatic exercising of the one or more digits, wherein switching on the pump and opening the valve to the first open position draws the liquid from the closed reservoir to the liquid inlet of the one or more chambers through the second port and the first port of the valve, thereby allowing the supplying of the pressurized liquid to the one or more chambers, and wherein switching off the pump and opening the valve to the second open position allows free return of the liquid into the closed reservoir through the first port and the third port of the valve, thereby allowing passive motion exercise of the hand to occur.