Abstract:
Foot elevator comprising a compound prismatoid capable of controlled vertical and horizontal expansion is described. The foot elevator comprising an inflatable material that describes a compound prismatoid when deployed, an air pump for inflating the foot elevator, an electric operated vibrator that can provide movement of the surface of the foot elevator during use. The foot elevator is designed to provide relief and relaxing feeling to the lower extremities of the human body.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
   Pursuant to 35 USC Section 119, this application claims the benefit of priority from Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/469,128 with a filing date of May 12, 2003. 

   STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
   Not Applicable 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   This invention relates generally to situations where it is necessary to elevate the feet to reduce discomfort in the lower legs and feet of a person. 
   2. Status of Prior Art 
   There is a specialized field of medical science dealing with the use of mechanical devices that are designed to support feet and legs in the rehabilitation of injured or impaired joints and muscles. Scott, U.S. Pat. No. 5,046,487 discloses a leg elevator for use after surgical procedures. Pecheaux, U.S. Pat. No. 4,323,060 and Andrews, U.S. Pat. No. 4,336,796 disclosed leg and foot elevators for the postoperative period. These devices unlike that of Engleman, U.S. Pat. No. 5,725,486 are intended for specific applications and teach a leg elevator that is useful in all applications where the leg is immobilized. None of these devices are designed for general applications where a user simply desires to elevate the feet to minimize discomfort caused by edema or swelling of the feet and lower legs after hours of being ambulatory. 
   Jackson, U.S. Design Pat. No. 416,428 disclosed an ornamental design for an inflatable orthopedic pillar with aperture. Though not specifically designed for elevating the foot, Raftery, U.S. Pat. No. 5,432,967 disclosed a multiple position resilient support cushion that could be formed of a foam material or an air inflatable bladder. The apparatus of Raftery was designed to support the head and body of the user when in a lying, sitting and in an in-between resting position. LeVert et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,442,779 discloses a device for selectively elevating the feet to variable heights depending on the desire of the user. The height of the device is set by a user by controlling the air input to a plastic prismatoid. 
   It is an object of this invention to provide an improved appliance that can be used to elevate and to vibrate the feet and lower legs so as to serve to reduce the edema and swelling of the lower body extremities (hereafter referred as LBE). 
   It is a further object of this invention to provide an inflatable prismatoid shaped feet and legs elevator with widthwise undulations. 
   Yet another object of the invention is to provide a foot elevator with selectable vertical heights and horizontal lengths&#39; 
   These and other objects will become apparent during the course of the detailed description of the apparatus of this invention. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   An air impervious inflatable foot and leg elevator designed to be applicable to situations where it is necessary to eliminate discomfort in the feet and lower leg regions of the body by elevating the feet above a plane that is coplanar with the axial center of a lying human body or in general elevating the feet. The compound prismatoid is capable of controlled vertical and horizontal expansion The foot elevator comprising an inflatable material that describes a compound prismatoid when deployed, a gas pump for inflating the foot elevator, an electric operated vibrator operating in cooperation with the air pump to provide movement of the surface foot elevator during use, a valve through which the inflating gas is introduced into the inner volume of the elevator and a non slip mechanism to prevent displacement of the foot elevator during use. 

   
     DETAILED LIST OF FIGURES 
       FIG. 1  is a frontal view of the apparatus of the first embodiment of this invention 
       FIG. 2  is a side view of the invention of  FIG. 1   
       FIG. 3  is a prospective view of the second embodiment of the device of this invention. 
       FIG. 4  is a sectional view of the third embodiment of the foot elevator of this invention. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   FIRST EMBODIMENT 
   Referring now to the figures, and more particularly to  FIG. 1 , a sketch according to one embodiment of the present invention is shown as referenced by the numeral  2 . The inflatable prismatoid shaped foot elevator  2  of the first embodiment has multiple chambers designed to support the inflation of the prismatoid shaped foot elevator to at least one or more different operational vertical heights and horizontal lengths during use. The prismatoid shaped foot elevator of  FIG. 1  comprises: chambers  1  and  3  the bottom and top of which, respectively, are defined by sheet  16  of  FIG. 1  Chamber  1  is the topmost chamber. One way flow of fluid between chambers  1  and  3  is controlled by relief valves  14 . These valves permit the operation of the foot elevator at two different vertical heights. The foot elevator of  FIG. 1  could be operated at one vertical height with the relief valves  14  replaced by a throughhole in sheet  16 . The foot elevator of  FIG. 1  will hereafter be referred to as FE  2 . 
   FE  2  when fully or partially inflated is designed to support the feet, legs and knees (These body parts will hereafter be referred to as the lower body extremities (LBE)) in a manner so as to achieve the gradual increase in the elevation of the legs relative to the knees and the feet relative to the legs. Chamber  1  is inflated to slightly less than 0.3 psig when FE 2  is partially inflated while chamber  3  remains essentially deflated. At pressures higher than 0.3 psig, which is the cracking pressure of relief valves  14 , fluid from chamber  1 , by way of relief valves  14 , begins to flow into chamber  3 . In  FIG. 1 , the topmost chamber  1 , because of the orientation of one or more relief valves relative to the interior of chamber  3  is the first to be inflated while the second chamber  3  is only inflated after chamber  1  is inflated to 0.3 psig. The relief valves could be orientated relative to chamber  1  such that chamber  3  is the first chamber inflated. Alternatively, as mentioned above, the relief valves  14  could be replaced by throughhole(s) in sheet  16  such that both chambers would essentially be inflated almost simultaneously. Also, while multiple relief valves are used in this invention, a single relief valve could have been used. FE  2  is designed to provide topmost surface  13  with one or more undulations (see  FIG. 1 ) in a widthwise direction such that all or portions of the LBE can be held together in a single trough or apart in the separate troughs  13   a  and  13   b  as shown in  FIG. 1 . Additionally, lengthwise the topmost surface  13  is designed to provide support for the LBE by strategically positioning crest  13   c  and trough  13   d  (see  FIG. 2 ), respectively. Under normal circumstances, in the case of a single recess at the center of the foot elevator (not shown in  FIG. 1 ), the feet tend to slip under the force of gravity toward the center of the FE  2  away from its lateral edges. The recesses  13   a  and  b  in surface  13  are controlled by anti-ballooning variable height vanes  11   a   1  (typical of six) in chamber  1  and  11   a   2  (typical of four) in chamber  3  mounted in the interior of chambers  1  and  3  of FE  2  as given in  FIG. 1 . In  FIG. 1 , the number of anti-ballooning variable height vanes is chosen as  5  and  4  for chambers  1  and  3 , respectively; however the number may vary, depending on the desired contour or general shape of topmost surface  13 . The material of construction of the FE  2  may be plastic, vinyl, rubber or other non-porous materials. Also, the topmost surface  13  may be textured as by flocking with rayon or other polymeric or non-polymeric materials. 
   In  FIG. 1 , the topmost surface  13  is composed of a single sheet of vinyl that is radio frequency (RF) welded to the lateral sides and front and back surfaces of the FE  2 . The topmost surface  13 , first end  5   a  and the second end  5   b  along with the lateral sides of the foot elevators were made of plain and flocked vinyl. The chambers  1  and  3  may share a common surface such as sheet  16  with its first and second surfaces  16   a  and  16   b  forming the bottom and top surfaces of chambers  1  and  3 , respectively. Chambers  1  and  3  may also be fabricated with separate sheets similar to sheet  16  such that the only communication between the two chambers must be via valves  14 . Typically valves  14  may have cracking pressures greater than or equal to 0.3 Psig. The valves may be relief valves or check values. The relief valves  14  are mounted such that fluid (e.g., air)  15  can only be transferred from chamber  1  to chamber  3  by way of the valves. The inflatable FE  2  is inflated by activating pump  6 , which is connected to FE  2  by way of Schrader valve  4 , detachable non-leak connector  9  (not shown in  FIG. 1 ) and flexible tube  12 . The Schrader valve  4  is shown mounted on the second end  5   b  of FE  2 . However, it could be mounted on either of the two exposed lateral surfaces of the FE  2  shown in  FIG. 1 . Fluid  15  can also be pumped into the interior of FE  2  via a push-pull or relief valve instead of a Schrader valve. Schrader valve  4  is designed to prevent the back flow of pressurized air  15  from the FE  2 . The control of the OFF/ON status of the pump  6  is accomplished through an ordinary switch in switch box  7 , which is electrically attached to electrical pair  8   a . The pump  6  may be powered by ordinary dc or ac sources activated by switch  7  shown in  FIG. 1 . Pouch  6   b , (not shown in  FIG. 1 ) which is shown in  FIG. 2  is mounted on distal end  5   b  of FE  2 , is designed to accept vibrator  6   a  with virtual mechanical interference. The vibrator  6   a  can also be controlled by an ordinary switch in switch box  7  which is connected to vibrator  6   a  by paired electrical lead  8   b . The amplitude and frequency of operation of vibrator  6   a  is controlled by an ordinary frequency and voltage controller (not shown in the figures) included in switch box  7 . The vibrational mode of operation of vibrator  6   a  in this invention is achieved by mounting an eccentric load on the shaft of a motor that is mounted in a hard plastic enclosure. It could be achieved by other methods such as translational movement of a load. In order to prevent sliding of FE  2  during use, Magnet buttons  18  are attached to the lower outer surface  13   e  of the bottom chamber  3  of the inflatable FE  2  by inserting one each in plastic pouches  20 . Retaining magnet buttons  22  are placed beneath the surface of bed covering  24  or a covering on which the user may be reclining. The retaining magnets prevents foot elevator  2  from slipping from beneath the LBE during use. While the paired magnets may be used to anchor the foot elevator, the foot elevator may be used without this anchoring method or other stabilizing methods. 
   The source of air for pressurization of the inflatable FE  2  in the first embodiment is pump  6 . It could, however, be a small container of pressurized air or other mechanical sources of pressurizing air. Fluid  15  can be evacuated from chambers  3  and chamber  1  via push-pull valve  4   a  and Schrader  4 (see  FIG. 2 ), respectively. 
   As stated previously, Schrader  4  may be a push-pull valve or furthermore it could be any inherently two way flow valve. 
   SECOND EMBODIMENT 
     FIG. 3  shows the second embodiment of the device of this invention. The inflatable foot elevator  30  of the second embodiment comprises chambers  32   a  and  32   b , which are isolated/sealed from each other by relief valves  34   a  and  34   b , sheet  36 , and extension  30   a  which is functionally isolated from chambers  32   a  and  32   b  by vertical sheet  53  and relief valves  33   a  and  33   b  . The extension  30   a  is divided into chambers or cavities  38  and  39  by sheet  37 . Fluid communication between these cavities is supported by relief valve  35  which provides for flow from  33   a  to  33   b  . Inflation and deflation air can be supplied to foot elevator or removed therefrom, respectively, by way of push-pull valves  56   a  and  56   b . When the pressure in chamber  32   a  is less than the cracking pressure of relief valves  34   a  and  34   b , only chamber  32   a  can be inflated. Relief valves  34   a  and  34   b  are designed to open only when the air pressure in the topmost chamber  32   a  reaches a prescribed pressure (i.e., the cracking pressure of relief valves  34   a  and  b ) at which time the relief valves  34   a  ( FIG. 3  shows one of three relief valves aligned transversely on plastic sheet  36 ) and  34   b  (one of three valves aligned transversely on plastic sheet  36 ) are designed to open so that the second chamber  32   b  (i.e., bottom chamber) may be pressurized. When  32   a  and  32   b  are inflated the foot elevator is designed to accommodate a certain set of users. Lengthwise, the surface  31  contains one undulation with crest  41  and trough  42 . While not shown in  FIG. 3 , widthwise the surface  31  may have one or more undulations. The trough  42  extends across the width of foot elevator  30  (hereafter referred to as FE  30 ). 
   The FE  30  has the inflatable extension  30   a  which contain chambers  39  and  38 . The chambers  38  and  39  are separated from chambers  32   a  and  32   b  via vertical extending sheet  53 . The chambers  38  and  39  when inflated enable the foot elevator to accommodate tall users. The chambers  38  and  39  are separated by sheet  37  which contains valve  35 . The valve  35  may be a relief or check valve. The extension  30   a  is connected to chamber  32   a  via relief valve  33   a  which has a higher cracking pressure than relief valves  34   a  and  34   b . Valves  33   a  and b are mounted in sheet  53  where they allow flow from chambers  32   a  to  38  and  32   b  to  39 , respectively. The difference in cracking pressure is such that it is at least 10% higher than that of the relief valves  34   a  and  b . The inflatable foot elevator  30  in  FIG. 3  is shown, as it would be fully deployed. Push-pull valves  56   a  and  56   b  are mounted on one of the lateral sides of chambers  32   a  and  32   b.    
   The vibrator  66  is electrically connected to switch  60  via the electrical lead  58 . The vibrator is mounted in pouch  54  in a manner that it causes vibrational modes to enter the fluid and the exterior surface of the foot elevator  30 . Also in  FIG. 3 , electrical leads  59  are connected to pump  62  which in turn are connected to push-pull valve  56   a  by tubing  64 . The extension  30   a  makes it possible for the invention of the second embodiment to be used by people of different heights. The FE  30  has magnet button  67  mounted in pouch  68  which is attached to bottom  72  of chamber  32   b.    
   THIRD EMBODIMENT 
     FIG. 4  shows the third embodiment of the foot elevator. The foot elevator  82  has two horizontally disposed cavities  70  and  72  with vinyl exterior surfaces  77 . All of the exterior surfaces can be made of vinyl or a combination of vinyl with flocked surfaces. Fluid communication between cavities  70  and  72  is controlled by relief valve  73  which is mounted in sheet  86 . Inflation or deflation of cavities is accomplished via electrical pumps coupled to push-pull valves  74  and  75 . The foot elevator  82  is inflated with an electric air pump. It could however be inflated with a mechanical air pump The topmost surface of the foot elevator in  FIG. 4  is made using a laminate of vinyl sheet  80  memory foam  78  vinyl sheet  76 , which when combined provide a surface that automatically conforms to the shape of the body parts resting thereupon. The laminate of  FIG. 4  is a sandwich of vinyl-memory-vinyl. It could be formed with a single sheet of vinyl in contact with memory foam or other materials. The shape of the foot elevator  82  will be maintained by anti ballooning elements  84 . 
   BEST MODE FOR OPERATING THE DEVICE OF THIS INVENTION 
   The operation of FE  2  of the first embodiment will now be explained. When the inflatable FE  2  is deployed on a bed, the retaining magnets  22  may be used to hold the FE  2  in its position by placing an intervening sheet or bed covering  24  between the magnet buttons  18  and the retaining magnets  22 . The button magnets  18  and retaining magnets  22  may be made of ceramic magnets such as neodymium, cobalt or other high strength magnetic materials. When the bed covering or sheet is captured between the two pairs of magnets, they will provide non-slip positioning of the foot elevator of the first and second embodiments of this invention. When pump  6  is powered and mechanically coupled to tube  12  with its non-leak connector  9  which is in term connected to the Schrader valve  4 , FE  2  can be inflated to a comfortable height by controlling the OFF or ON position of switch  7  Once the desired elevator height is achieved, the flexible hose is decoupled from the Schrader valve  4  where it is held by non-leak detachable connector  9  When fully deployed, FE  2  is designed to support the feet, the lower legs and the knees. The non-leak connector  9  contains a valve stem depressor for opening Schrader  4 . The user may inflate only the chamber  1  or inflate both chambers  1  and  3  during use. Returning to the use of foot elevator retention magnets, the device has been shown to exhibit good stability when in use without the magnetic pairs separated by an intervening member for stability. Also, the Schrader valve may be replaced by an ordinary push-pull or relief valve. 
   The prismatoid FE  2  of the first and second embodiments of this invention is here described an inflatable apparatus having a rectangular shape with a vibrator mounted upon one of its lateral surfaces to provide vibratory input energy to the LBE of a user. The foot elevator could, however, have one of many different three-dimensional shapes. They also could have been made using a solid three-dimensional contoured polymeric material designed to receive and support the lower members of the human body at elevated positions relative to the upper portions of a person. 
   Two embodiments of the invention have been described. Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims.