Patent Publication Number: US-10306991-B2

Title: Travel leg restraint

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS 
     The present non-provisional application claims priority under 35 USC 119 from co-pending U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/336,001 filed on May 13, 2016 by Matthew J. Behlen and entitled TRAVEL LEG RESTRAINT, the full disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     During travel, passengers frequently sleep. During such sleep, the legs of the passenger may have a natural tendency to pivot outwardly. Such outward movement of the passenger&#39;s legs may result in the passenger&#39;s legs undesirably contacting an adjacent passenger. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  the top perspective view of an example travel leg restraint. 
         FIG. 2A  is a sectional view of another example travel leg restraint used by first example person. 
         FIG. 2B  is a sectional view of the example travel leg restraint of  FIG. 2A  used by a second example person. 
         FIG. 3A  is a sectional view of another example travel leg restraint used by first example person. 
         FIG. 3B  is a sectional view of the example travel leg restraint of  FIG. 3A  used by a second example person. 
         FIG. 4A  is a fragmentary top view of the example travel leg restraint of  FIG. 3A  used by the first example person. 
         FIG. 4B  is a fragmentary top view of the example travel leg restraint of  FIG. 3B  used by the second example person. 
         FIG. 5  is a sectional view of another example travel leg restraint being worn by an example person. 
         FIG. 6  is a sectional view of the example travel leg restraint of  FIG. 5  in a collapsed state. 
         FIG. 7  is a sectional view of another example travel leg restraint in a collapsed state. 
         FIG. 8  is a sectional view of another example travel leg restraint worn by an example person. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLES 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an example travel leg restraint  20  that may be worn by a passenger to restrain his or her legs during travel. Travel leg restraint  20  cradles both legs and retains both legs relative to one another. Travel leg restraint  20  comprises a single elongate member  24  and at least one top strap  28 . 
     Member  24  comprises a structure which forms two cradles or two upwardly facing concave surfaces or contours  30 ,  32 . Contours  30 ,  32  are concave and are sized to underlie and receive bottom surface or portions of the thighs of a person or passenger, just above the knees of the passenger. In the example illustrated, each of contours  30 ,  32  has a partial curved, semicircular circular or semi oval cross sectional shape. In other implementations, each of contours  30 ,  32  may have a polygonal cross sectional shape, such as a hexagonal or octagonal cross sectional shape. In one implementation, each of contours  30 ,  32  has a radius of at least 3 inches for children and at least 4 inches for adults. 
     In the example illustrated, member  24  has the shape of a W. In the example illustrated, member  24  comprises a spacer wall  38 , bottom walls  40 ,  42  and sidewalls  44 ,  46 . Spacer wall  38  extends between contours  30 ,  32  and forms inner sides of contours  30  and  32 . Bottom walls  40  and  42  extend outwardly from spacer wall  38  and form the underside of each of contours  30  and  32 . Sidewalls  44  and  46  rise upwardly from bottom walls  40  and  42  to form the outer sides of contours  30  and  32 , respectively. In the example illustrated, bottom walls  40 ,  42  curve upwardly to form sidewalls  44  and  46 , respectively, lacking sharp corners at the junctures with sidewalls  44  and  46 . In the example illustrated, member  24  additionally comprises a recess  50  between bottom walls  40  and  42 . Recess  50  provides airflow and ventilation while facilitating pivoting or bending of bottom walls  40 ,  42  and sidewalls  44 ,  46 . 
     In one implementation, member  24  is formed from a single elongate piece of foam, such as memory foam. In one implementation, member  24  is covered with a breathable and soft fabric that overlies the foam. In one implementation, the fabric layer forms a case over and about the inner core formed from foam. In one implementation, the fabric layer is closed about the core foam with a zipper, button or hook and loop (VELCRO) securement mechanism, facilitating separation and removal of the outer case from the inner foam core to facilitate repair, replacement or cleaning of the outer case. 
     In yet another implementation, member  24  comprises at least one inflatable chamber. In one implementation, member  24  comprises at least one inflatable chamber configured to be filled with a gas, such as air. In one implementation, member  24  comprises at least one inflatable chamber configured to be filled with a liquid, such as water. In such implementations, member  24  facilitates passenger customized filling of the one or more chambers to different pressure levels per the passenger&#39;s individual preferences. In yet other implementations, member  24  comprises at least one chamber which is filled with a particulate material, such as particles or beads of compressible or incompressible materials, such as those materials found in beanie babies. 
     In one implementation, member  24  has a uniform degree of flexibility or stretchability throughout. In yet other implementations, member  24  has different degrees of flexibility and/or stretchability in selected portions. Stretchability refers to the ability of a portion to be elongated are stretched in response to a given amount of force. Such stretchability may be provided due to dimensioning or may be provided due to material composition. For example, a foam material forming member  24  may have a greater thicknesses in some regions to provide less stretchability as compared to other thinner regions. Portions of member  24  maybe formed from a first foam composition while other portions maybe formed from a second different foam composition, wherein the first foam composition has a greater degree of stretchability as compared to the second foam composition. In some implementations different portions of the casing about foam material or core med different degrees of stretchability or flexibility. For example, the casing may have a first portion formed from a first material having a first degree of resilient stretchability and may have a second portion formed from a second different material having a second different, lesser or greater degree of resilient stretchability. Likewise, in cases where member  24  is formed by one or more filled chambers. Different chambers may be filled with different material or to different extents to provide different degrees of stretchability. In addition, or alternatively, the walls forming the chambers may vary in composition, wherein some walls have greater degrees of stretchability as compared to other walls. 
     Top strap  28  comprises an elongate flexible band of material secured to opposite ends of member  24  so as to extend across and span concave contours  30  and  32 . In the example illustrated, strap  28  has an adjustable length. In one implementation, strap  28  is elastic to provide an adjustable length. In another implementation, strap  28  may employ a buckle or other similar mechanism to adjust the length of strap  28  extending between the opposite ends of member  24 . 
     In the example illustrated, strap  28  has a first end  54  secured to a top of sidewalls  46  by stitching, welding or other securement mechanisms. Strap  28  has a second end  56  that is looped through a loop  58 . In one implementation loop  58  comprises a buckle to secure and adjust the length of strap  28  extend between connection points  60  and  62 . In other implementations, loop  58  comprises a simple loop, wherein end  56  is retained and secured in place by other mechanisms. In the example illustrated, and  56  of strap  28  is secured and retained in place by a hook and loop fastening mechanism  64 , wherein hooks are provided on a first portion of strap  28  while corresponding engaging loops are formed on a second portion strap  28 . As a result, a passenger may grasp end  56  and pull end  56  through loop  58  to retain sidewalls  44  and  46  in proximity to spacer wall  38 , inhibiting the received legs from accidentally pivoting outward into contact with an adjacent passenger. 
     In the example illustrated, restraint  20  additionally comprises loop  70 . Loop  70  is formed as part of or is connected to spacer wall  38  on a top side of member  24 . Strap  28  extends through loop  70 . Loop  70  guides and retain strap  28  across and over top of member  24  such that the length of strap  28  spanning between connection points  60  and  62  does not inadvertently change. Strap  70  further assists in pulling spacer wall  38  upwardly (or preventing spacer wall  38  from being pulled downwards) such that the two legs received within the cradles provided by contours  30  and  32  remain comfortably spaced or separated from one another. 
       FIGS. 2A and 2B  are sectional views illustrating another example travel leg restraint  120  receiving legs of a passenger. Leg restraint  120  is similar to leg restraint  20  described above except that restraint  120  comprises a single elongate member  14  in lieu of member  24 . Member  14  is similar to member  24  except that member  14  is illustrated as having a smaller recess and as having stretch zones  174  (shown in darker shaded regions. Those remaining components or elements of member  124  and of restraint  120  which correspond to components or elements of member  24  and restraint  20  are numbered similarly. 
     As shown by the darker shaded regions of the Figures, stretch zones  174  extend across and within divider or spacer wall  38  and sidewalls  44 ,  46 . Stretch zones  174  comprise regions having higher degrees of stretchability as compared to portions of member  14  that do not have such stretch zones. Stretchability refers to the ability of a member structure to resiliently elongate in shape without permanent structural damage or permanent alteration of the structure, in response to a given amount of stretching force, and then return to the initial length and shape upon removal of the stretching force. In the example illustrated, bottom walls  40  and  42  omit stretch zones  174 . 
       FIG. 2A  illustrates restraint  120  worn by a larger passenger, such as an adult, while  FIG. 2B  illustrates restraint  120  worn by a smaller passenger, such as a child. As shown by  FIG. 2A , stretch zones  174  facilitate stretching of sidewalls  44 ,  46  and spacer wall  38  to accommodate the larger passenger. At the same time, the resilient nature of such stretch zones allows member  24  to resiliently return to its initial original shape and size for use with a smaller passenger. As further shown by  FIG. 2B , sidewalls  44 ,  46  are flexible so that they may partially wrap around the smaller legs of the smaller passenger. In one implementation, sidewalls  44 ,  46  are limited in height so as to not completely wrap over top of the smaller passengers legs, leaving upper surfaces of the person&#39;s legs or thighs exposed for ventilation. 
     In one implementation, stretch zones  174  are created by forming sidewalls  44 ,  46  and spacer wall  38  from a material composition that is more resiliently stretchable as compared to the material composition of other portions of member  124 . For example, in some implementations, the entire thickness of sidewalls  44 ,  46  and spacer wall  38  may be formed from more resulting stretchable material composition. In another implementation, the entirety of member  14  may have a core is formed from the same material composition which offers a high degree of resilient stretchability, wherein stretch zones  174  are formed by one or more outer cover layers, such as an elastic fabric, which are more stretchable as compared to the outer cover layers that extend over those portions of member  124  which omit stretch zones  174 . In some implementations, not each of sidewalls  44 ,  46  and  38  may be provided with stretch zones  174 . In some implementations, the extent of such as zones  174  may be different than that illustrated. 
       FIGS. 3A and 3B  are sectional views illustrating another example travel leg restraint  220  worn by differently sized passengers. Restraint  220  is similar to restraint  120  described above except that restraint  220  additionally comprises bottom strap  178 . Those remaining components of restraint  220  which correspond to components of restraint  120  or restraint  20  are numbered similarly. 
     Bottom strap  178  comprises an elongate inflexible band of material secured to and extending across the bottom of restraint  220 . In the example illustrated, bottom strap  178  has a first end portion  180  affixed (such as by stitching, welding, adhesive or the like) to member  124  proximate the junction of bottom wall  40  and sidewalls  44 . Bottom strap  178  has a second end portion  182  affixed (such as by stitching, welding, adhesive or the like) to member  124  proximate the junction of bottom wall  42  and sidewall  46 . In one implementation, the span of material forming bottom  178  between and portions  180  and  182  is not adhered or fixed to anything. In another implementation, the same span of material is affixed to the underside of bottom walls  40  and  42 . Bottom strap  178  is a lower degree of flexibility or substantially no flexibility as compared to stretch zones  174 . Bottom strap  178  restricts or inhibits the stretching of bottom walls  40  and  42 . For purposes of this disclosure, a “strap” refers to a band of material having a thickness of no greater than 0.25 inches. In contrast, members  24  and  14  are not straps. In one implementation, each of members  24  and  14  have a thickness of at least 0.5 inches and in some instances, a thickness of at least 1 inch. 
       FIGS. 4A and 4B  illustrate travel leg restraint  120  worn by the differently sized passengers. Leg restraints  20  and  120  may be worn by different sized passengers in a similar fashion. As shown by such Figures, a passenger or person positions his or her legs within and against concave cavities  30 ,  32  with spacer wall  38  extending between the person&#39;s legs, just above the person&#39;s knees. The person then pulls strap  28  through loops  70  and through loops  62  is needed depending upon the person&#39;s size. And  56  of strap  28  is then secured in place at the selected length, such as where loops  62  comprise the buckle or in implementations where end portion  56  is secured to remaining portions of strap  28  other securing mechanisms such as hook and loop fasteners, snaps, buttons or the like. 
       FIG. 5  is a sectional view of another example travel leg restraint  320 . Restraint  320  is similar to restraints  20 ,  120  and  220  except that restraint  320  is configured to be collapsible to facilitate storage and packing for travel. Restraint  320  is similar to restraint  120  described above except that restraint  320  comprises member  324  in place of member  124 . Member  324  itself is similar to member  14  except that member  324  comprises a bottom panel  384  interconnecting sidewalls  44 ,  46  and spacer wall  38 . Those remaining components of restraint  320  are numbered similarly. 
     Bottom panel  384  comprises a thin panel affixed or joined to each of sidewalls  44 ,  46  and spacer wall  38 . Bottom panel  384  is substantially inflexible and rigid. Bottom panel  34  comprises hinges  386 . In one implementation, hinges  386  may comprise perforated lines or fold lines. In another implementation hinges  36  may comprise small bridges a flexible material, such as a fabric or polymer, spanning between and flexibly connecting the rigid portions of panel  384 . In other implementations hinges  386  may comprise a mechanical hinges or other structures that facilitating bending or folding of panel  384 . 
     As shown by  FIG. 5 , when unfolded, panel  34  forms bottom walls  40  and  42 , wherein bottom walls  40  and  42  are substantially inflexible and un-stretchable. In one implementation, spacer wall  38  and sidewalls  44 ,  46  comprise stretch zones  174  described above. As shown by  FIG. 6 , when restraint  320  is not being utilized, sidewalls  44  and  46  may be collapsed towards spacer wall  38 , whereas panel  384  pivots about hinges  386  and folds between sidewall  44  and  38  and between spacer  38  and sidewall  46 . At the same time, strap  28  may be pulled completely through loops  70  and  58  as needed. The resulting collapsed restraint  320  shown in  FIG. 6  is more compact for storage and transportation, such as during a trip when not being utilized. 
       FIG. 7  is a sectional view illustrating travel leg restraint  420 . Restraint  420  similar to restraints  320  described above except that restraints  420  comprises panel  484  in place of panel  384 . Panel  484  comprises a panel of flexible, but un-stretchable material. In one implementation, panel  484  comprises a panel of un-stretchable fabric. In another implementation, panel  484  comprises a panel of other flexible, but unstretchable material such as leather, a synthetic leather or a polymer. In one implementation, panel  484  comprises a panel of a mesh material or a latticework, providing enhanced ventilation or breathability. As shown by  FIG. 7 , panel  484 , like panel  384 , facilitates the collapse of sidewalls  44  and  46  towards spacer wall  38 . In the example illustrated, panel  44  may be folded upon itself during such collapse. Although each of sidewalls  44  and  46  and  38  are illustrated as having sharp corners at the junction with panel  384  and  484  one forming concave contours  30 ,  32 , in other implementations, such corners may be rounded or curved with the concave side facing the legs. 
       FIG. 8  is a sectional view of travel leg restraint  520 , another example implementation of restraint  20 . Restraint  520  is similar to restraint  420  described above except that restraints  520  comprises bottom strap  584 , loop  588  and loop  590  in lieu of panel  484 . Those remaining components of restraint  520  which correspond to components of restraint  420  or any of the other above-described restraints are numbered similarly. 
     Bottom strap  584  comprises an elongate band of material having a first end portion  592  affixed to sidewall  46  (such as by the illustrated stitching  593  or by welds, adhesives or the like). In some implementations, bottom strap  584  may be integrally formed with an outer covering of sidewall  44 . Bottom strap  584  passes through loops  588  and through loop  590 . Bottom strap  584  has an adjustable length. In one implementation, strap  584  is formed from a substantially unstretchable of material such that provided bottom walls  40  and  42  do not stretch when restraint  520  is being utilized. For purposes of this disclosure, “substantially unstretchable” refers to a material that stretches less than or equal to 5% without permanent structural damage to the material. In other implementations, bottom strap  584  may be formed from a stretchable or elastic material. 
     Loop  588  is similar to loops  70 . Loop  588  extends along a bottom side of spacer wall  38 . Loop number  588  guides and retain bottom strap  584  across and beneath spacer wall  38  such that the length of bottom strap  584  spanning between connection points  60  and  62  does not inadvertently change. Strap  584  further assists in pulling spacer wall  38  downwardly, wherein spacer wall  30  may be stretched upwardly such that the two legs received within the cradles provided by contours  30  and  32  remain comfortably spaced or separated from one another. 
     Loop  590  is similar to loop  58  described above. Loop  590  secured to a bottom side of sidewall  46 . In other implementations, loop  590  may be secured to the bottom side of sidewall  44 , whereas and portion  592  is affixed to the bottom of sidewall  46 . In other implementations, in lieu of portions of strap  584  and loop  590  being secured to the bottom side of sidewalls  44 ,  46 , portion strap  584  loop  590  may alternatively be secured to the sides of sidewalls  44  and  46 , proximate to a bottom of sidewalls  44 ,  46 . 
     In one implementation loop  590  comprises a buckle to secure and adjust the length of strap  584 . In other implementations, loop  590  comprises a simple loop, wherein end  592  is retained and secured in place by other mechanisms. In the example illustrated, and  56  of strap  28  is secured and retained in place by a hook and loop fastening mechanism  596 , wherein hooks are provided on a first portion of strap  584  while corresponding engaging loops are formed on a second portion strap  584 . As a result, a passenger may grasp end  592  and pull end  592  through loop  590  to position sidewalls  44  and  46  in closer proximity to spacer wall  38 , such that the legs are more snuggly received. 
     Although the present disclosure has been described with reference to example implementations, workers skilled in the art will recognize that changes may be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and scope of the claimed subject matter. For example, although different example implementations may have been described as including one or more features providing one or more benefits, it is contemplated that the described features may be interchanged with one another or alternatively be combined with one another in the described example implementations or in other alternative implementations. Because the technology of the present disclosure is relatively complex, not all changes in the technology are foreseeable. The present disclosure described with reference to the example implementations and set forth in the following claims is manifestly intended to be as broad as possible. For example, unless specifically otherwise noted, the claims reciting a single particular element also encompass a plurality of such particular elements.