Patent ID: 7744552
Filing Date: 2010-06-29
Classification: A61F,A61H

Abstract:
1. A personal upper-body support device configured to be worn by a person for reducing, even eliminating the stress otherwise imposed on the lower back muscles as a result from leaning or bending forward when worn, said personal upper-body support device comprising: (a) a belt assembly that is configured to be worn around hips of the person and encircle the buttocks, the belt having a quick release buckle to secure the belt about the hips, further including a sleeve and a secondary belt that is slidably received within said sleeve, said secondary belt having an adjustable ring buckle at its ends configured to pull and hold the device against the person's body; (b) a main body having a central horizontal tubular member having right and left distal ends, whereas its right distal end has left hand internal threads and its left distal end has right hand internal threads, a right shaft having mating external left hand threads screws partially into and extends from said main-body's right distal end and a left shaft having external right hand threads partially screws into and extends from its left distal end, wherein the inner distal ends of said shafts make contact either directly or indirectly through either a solid or compressive means when they screw together, and at least one vertical upper member provided at the central portion of and attached to said main-body; (c) an upper-body engagement means to engage with the person's chest or stomach, said upper-body engagement means is configured to be attached to said vertical upper member(s) to leverage a forward rotation of the main body; (d) saddle assembly having a saddle plate and two hooks, wherein the saddle assembly holds said main-body in a fashion that allows partial forward and backward rotation and is configured to position the main-body in cooperating relationship with the belt assembly when the saddle assembly's two hooks are engaged with the ring buckles of said belt assembly; (e) a right vertical lower member having upper and lower distal ends, wherein the upper distal end is non-rotatably affixed to the outer distal end of the right shaft extending from the right distal end of said central horizontal tubular member, (f) a left vertical lower member having upper and lower distal ends, wherein the upper distal end is non-rotatably affixed to the outer distal end of the left shaft extending from the left distal end of said central horizontal tubular member, (g) each of said right and left vertical lower members having a leg engagement member extending from the lower distal ends of said right and left lower vertical members for engagement with the front side of the person's upper leg areas, each of said leg engagement members having an upper and lower end; (h) a curved plate attached to each of the lower distal end of the leg engagement members configured to engage with the front upper portion of the person's legs, said plates are curved to provide a self-centering action against the legs making strapping unnecessary; and (i) a compressive means enclosed within the central horizontal tubular member of said main-body which allows for free rotation of said right and left shafts when walking and simultaneously providing a spring resistance when said right and left shafts rotate together in one direction when bending forward.