Patent Publication Number: US-2019192375-A1

Title: Portable Lower Leg Compression Device

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     Not Applicable 
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
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     THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT 
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     INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC OR AS A TEXT FILE VIA THE OFFICE ELECTRONIC FILING SYSTEM. 
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     STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES BY THE INVENTOR OR JOINT INVENTOR 
     Not Applicable 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     (1) Field of the Invention. 
     (2) Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98 
     The disclosure and prior art relates to compression devices and more particularly pertains to a new compression device for applying pressure to a lower leg of a user. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a panel. Each of a plurality of bladders is coupled to an inner face of the panel and extends from adjacent to a first side to proximate to a second side of the panel. A plurality of first couplers is coupled to the panel proximate to the first side of the panel. A plurality of second couplers is coupled to the panel proximate to the second side of the panel. A compressor assembly is coupled to the panel and is operationally coupled to the plurality of bladders. Each second coupler is positioned to couple to a respective first coupler to couple the panel around the lower leg. The compressor assembly is positioned to selectively inject air into the bladders to inflate the bladders to apply pressure to the lower leg. 
     There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. 
     The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S) 
       The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a front view of a portable lower leg compression device according to an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 2  is a back view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 3  is an in-use view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 5  is an in-use view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to  FIGS. 1 through 5  thereof, a new compression device embodying the principles and concepts of an embodiment of the disclosure and generally designated by the reference numeral  10  will be described. 
     As best illustrated in  FIGS. 1 through 5 , the portable lower leg compression device  10  generally comprises a panel  12  that is configured to position around a lower leg of a user. In one embodiment, the panel  12  is sized to extend from proximate to an ankle to proximate to a knee of the leg. The panel  12  has a top  14  and a bottom  16 . In another embodiment, the top  14  is dimensionally wider than the bottom  16  such that a first side  18  and a second side  20  of the panel  12  extend transversely between the top  14  and the bottom  16 . 
     A plurality of bladders  22  is coupled to an inner face  24  of the panel  12 . Each bladder  22  extends from adjacent to the first side  18  to proximate to the second side  20  of the panel  12 . In one embodiment, the plurality of bladders  22  comprises from two to three bladders  22 . In another embodiment, the plurality of bladders  22  comprises two bladders  22 . 
     A plurality of first couplers  26  is coupled to the panel  12  proximate to the first side  18  of the panel  12 . In one embodiment, each first coupler  26  is positioned on an outer face  30  of the panel  12  and extends toward the second side  20 . A plurality of second couplers  28  is coupled to the panel  12  proximate to the second side  20  of the panel  12 . The second couplers  28  are complementary to the first couplers  26 . Each second coupler  28  is positioned to couple to a respective first coupler  26  to couple the panel  12  around the lower leg of the user. The bladders  22  are positioned between the panel  12  and the lower leg. 
     In one embodiment, the plurality of second couplers  28  comprises one second coupler  28  that is coupled to the inner face  24  of the panel  12 . The second coupler  28  extends from proximate to the top  14  to proximate to the bottom  16  so that the second coupler  28  is positioned to couple to the plurality of first couplers  26 . In another embodiment, each second coupler  28  and the respective first coupler  26  comprise a hook and loop fastener  32 . 
     A compressor assembly  34  is coupled to the panel  12  proximate to the second side  20 . The compressor assembly  34  is operationally coupled to the plurality of bladders  22 . The compressor assembly  34  is positioned to selectively inject air into the bladders  22  to inflate the bladders  22 . Pressure is applied to the lower leg to promote return of blood from the lower leg to a heart of the user and to decrease the likelihood of the user suffering a deep vein thrombosis. In one embodiment, the compressor assembly  34  is coupled to the outer face  30  of the panel  12  proximate to the second side  20 . 
     The compressor assembly  34  comprises a housing  36  that defines an interior space  38 . In one embodiment, the housing  36  is substantially rectangularly box shaped. A power module  40  and a pump  44  are coupled to the housing  36  and are positioned in the interior space  38 . The pump  44  is operationally coupled to the power module  40 . The pump  44  is positioned to selectively inject the air into the bladders  22  to inflate the bladders  22  to apply the pressure to the lower leg. In another embodiment, the power module  40  comprises at least one battery  42 . In yet another embodiment, the at least one battery  42  is rechargeable. 
     A controller  46  is coupled to the housing  36 . The controller  46  is operationally coupled to the power module  40  and the pump  44 . The controller  46  is positioned to selectively couple the pump  44  to the power module  40  to inject the air into the bladders  22  to inflate the bladders  22  to apply the pressure to the lower leg. In one embodiment, the controller  46  comprises a button  48 . The button  48  is depressible. The button  48  is configured to be depressed a first time to couple the pump  44  to the power module  40  to inject the air into the bladders  22  to inflate the bladders  22  to apply the pressure to the lower leg. The button  48  is configured to be depressed a second time to decouple the pump  44  from the power module  40  to release the air from the bladders  22  to deflate the bladders  22 . 
     A connector  50  is coupled to the housing  36 . The connector  50  is operationally coupled to the at least one battery  42 . The connector  50  is configured to couple to a source of direct current to recharge the at least one battery  42 . In one embodiment, the connector  50  comprises a micro-Universal Serial Bus port  52 . 
     A plurality of apertures  54  is positioned through the housing  36 . The apertures  54  are configured to vent the interior space  38 . 
     In use, each second coupler  28  is positioned to couple to a respective first coupler  26  to couple the panel  12  around the lower leg of the user. The bladders  22  are positioned between the panel  12  and the lower leg. The button  48  is configured to be depressed the first time to couple the pump  44  to the power module  40  to inject the air into the bladders  22  to inflate the bladders  22 . The pressure is applied to the lower leg to promote the return of the blood from the lower leg to the heart of the user and to decrease the likelihood of the user suffering the deep vein thrombosis. The button  48  is configured to be depressed the second time to decouple the pump  44  from the power module  40  to release the air from the bladders  22  to deflate the bladders  22 . The apertures  54  are configured to vent the interior space  38 . The micro-Universal Serial Bus port  52  is configured to couple to the source of direct current to recharge the at least one battery  42 . 
     With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure. 
     Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.