Patent Publication Number: US-7216787-B2

Title: Device for fitting a support stocking on a person and for taking off the same

Description:
This application is a continuation-in-part of prior U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/509,014, filed Sep. 27, 2004 now abandoned, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein, at least by reference if need be. 

   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates to a device for fitting an extendible elastic support stocking (or sock) on the leg of a person, either by the user himself or with the aid of a third party, as well as to a method for fitting such a stocking or sock on a person by means of said device. 
   The present invention also relates to a device for taking off a support stocking or sock worn on the leg of a person, and to a method for doing so by means of said device. 
   Support stockings (The word is intended here to mean socks as well, depending on the height of textile covering the leg) are compressive orthoses that are currently used by persons suffering from venous disorders to achieve venous compression of the affected leg. Venous compression, a unanimously recognized technique for preventing and curing venous disorder, is effective only by virtue of the controlled high pressure exerted by the elastic fibers of the stocking on the limb. 
   A method currently used for fitting the stocking on consists in holding the support stocking at its top in order to slip the leg therein. However, the high tension exerted by the elastic fibers of the stocking makes it exceedingly difficult to extend the stocking in order to put it on. This is especially difficult when it has to be done by people with reduced mobility who are unable to overcome the resistance of the textile with their hands in order to “pass the heel”, and who have furthermore difficulties bending forward, which is indeed frequently the case. 
   A means currently used for fitting a support stocking on a person consists in a “substocking” made of a silk textile, which plays the role of a liner in the stocking proper and makes it easier to slip the leg into the support stocking. 
   However, such a means does not solve the technical problems linked with the considerable resistance of the elastic textile and with the mobility difficulties of the users. 
   The same problem is encountered for the removal of a support stocking worn on the leg of a person: this operation is extremely dificult to carry on by the wearer himself, and especially so when the wearer additionnally suffers from reduced mobility. 
   It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a device for facilitating fitting a support stocking on a person&#39;s leg. 
   It is another object of the invention to provide a device that allows to sufficiently distend the compressive stocking (or sock) to allow easy fitting and the “passing of the heel”. 
   It is a further object of the invention to provide a device that allows an easy putting on of the stocking by the user alone. 
   It is a further object of the invention to provide a device that is easy to disengage from around the leg once the support stocking has been fitted thereon. 
   It is still another object of the invention to provide a device for facilitating taking off a support stocking worn on the leg of a person, and more particularly for facilitating the passing of the heel. 
   It is another object of the invention to provide a device for taking off a support stocking that allows an easy removal by the wearer himself. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates to a device for fitting an extendible support stocking on a person, optionally oneself. This device comprises a fixed part supporting a first upper plate having a first upper tongue secured thereto, a movable part slidably mounted on a guide system of the fixed part and supporting a second lower plate having a second lower tongue secured thereto, lever means to move the movable part with respect to the fixed part by making it slide along the guide system from an initial position wherein the first tongue and the second tongue are close to each other and thereby cooperate to form a sleeve that can be fitted inside said stocking, to an operating position wherein the first tongue and the second tongue are progressively moved apart from each other thereby extending the stocking fitted onto the sleeve, then to a releasing position wherein the lower plate is removed separate from the upper plate. 
   In a prefered embodiment the device comprises lateral handles, which may be removable, for use for putting the stocking on oneself. 
   The present invention therefore describes a technical solution, on the one hand to sufficiently distending the compressive stocking (or sock) to allow easy fitting and the “passing of the heel”, and, on the other hand, by virtue of the addition of elongate handles, to putting on the stocking by the user alone, who will be able to place the device, and therefore the stocking, at the end of his foot without effort. 
   Furthermore, this device may be used by a third party (for example a nurse applying a stocking to a patient) by removing the detachable handles. 
   The invention also relates to a device for taking off a support stocking worn on the leg of a person. This device comprises an auxiliary element comprising a front tongue of a hemicylindrical form secured to a back strip, the space formed between the strip and the back face of the tongue being larger at the top than at the bottom of said auxiliary element, and a pushing element comprising a pushing tongue of a hemicylindrical form bearing long handles on its upper part and having a bottom part to be introduced in the space formed in the auxiliary element between the front tongue and the back strip, thereby pinching the stocking between the front tongue and the pushing tongue while pushing the auxiliary elemen tdownwards by means of the handles. 
   The pushing element of the device, by virtue of its elongate handles, will allow the user to remove his support stocking by himself. 
   The device for taking off a support stocking worn on a person according to the invention preferably comprises the movable part of the device for fitting a support stocking on a person. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The description herein makes reference to the accompanying drawings in which: 
       FIG. 1  represents a device for fitting a support stocking on a person according to a prefered embodiment of the invention, seen in a front three-quarters view in the closed position; 
       FIG. 2  shows the device illustrated in  FIG. 1  seen in a front three-quarters view in the open position; 
       FIG. 3  shows the movable part of the device illustrated in  FIG. 1  usable for taking off the support stockings; 
       FIG. 4  is a schematic representation of the first step of a method for taking off a support stocking by means of the movable part illustrated in  FIG. 3 ; 
       FIG. 5  is a schematic representation of a further step of the method for taking off a support stocking illustrated in  FIG. 4 ; 
       FIG. 6  represents a general view of a device for fitting a support stocking on a person according to another prefered embodiment of the invention, in an intermediate open position 
       FIG. 7  shows a general view of the device illustrated in  FIG. 6  in the closed position; 
       FIG. 8  shows a general view of the device illustrated in  FIG. 6  in the completely open position; 
       FIG. 9  represents a side view of the device illustrated in  FIG. 6  with lateral handles; 
       FIG. 10   a  shows a cross-sectional view of the device illustrated in  FIG. 6  in the closed position; 
       FIG. 10   b  shows a cross-sectional view of the device illustrated in  FIG. 6  in an intermediate open position; 
       FIG. 10   c  shows a cross-sectional view of the device illustrated in  FIG. 6  in a further intermediate open position; 
       FIG. 10   d  shows a cross-sectional view of the device illustrated in  FIG. 6  in the completely open position; 
       FIG. 11  represents a general view of an auxiliary element for taking off a support stocking 
       FIG. 12  shows a general view of a device for taking off a support stocking according to a prefered embodiment of the invention. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   The device for fitting an extendible support stocking on a person comprises a-fixed part supporting a first upper plate having a first upper tongue secured thereto, a movable part slidably mounted on a guide system of the fixed part and supporting a second lower plate having a second lower tongue secured thereto, and lever means for moving the movable part with respect to the fixed part by making it slide along the guide system. 
   When brought close to each other, the upper tongue and the lower tongue form a sleeve onto which the stocking to be fittted on can be slid. Then, by way of the lever means, the movable lower plate can be easily moved apart from the fixed upper plate, which leads to the parting of the lower tongue from the upper tongue and to the subsequent extension of the stocking by distending the elastic material it is made of. 
   The extension is maximal when the device reaches the releasing position, wherein the lower plate may be removed separate from the upper plate, but the lower tongue is held joint to the upper tongue by the stocking fitted on the enlarged sleeve formed by both tongues. Such an extension allows the passage of the foot, including the heel, inside the stocking, then that of the person&#39;s leg. 
   Once the stocking has been fitted on the leg, by pulling the device positioned in front of the foot towards the person, so as to insert the foot and the heel inside the stocking then to unroll the stocking around the leg, the lower plate, which is not held joint to the upper plate by the stocking any longer, is removed separate from the upper plate. The device is then separated into two distinct parts, and it can be easily disengaged from around the leg. 
   In a prefered embodiment, the guide system comprises two parallel slide guides which are interconnected at one end by the first plate supporting the first upper tongue and which are free at the other end, allowing translational movement of the second lower plate with respect to the first upper plate. The movable part can then be uncoupled from the rest of the device by sliding it down out of the free ends of the slide guides. The slide guides are preferably 20 to 35 cm long, and they are separated from one another by at least 20 cm. 
   Preferably the lever means are hollow and they can be lowered to a position where they come over said slide guides. In a prefered embodiment the lever means and the slide guides are beveled at their respective free ends which get inserted into one another, so as to avoid any risk of the user&#39;s fingers being pinched between them. 
   The device preferably comprises lateral handles for use for putting said stocking on oneself, which are fixed on each side of the movable part, and which are preferably removable. 
   These handles have preferably a variable length. In a prefered embodiment, this is achieved by providing an extension piece for each of the handles secured to the device, each said piece being removably affixed to the latter when needed. 
   In a prefered embodiment, the handles are 60 cm long, they have an ergonomic form, and their outer surface bears a series of notches facilitating their handling. Such handles are particularly useful in that they facilitate the fitting on of the sock or stocking on oneself, by allowing to present the device in front of one&#39;s foot without having to bend on oneself exaggerately, and to pull it towards oneself without high efforts. 
   According to an advantageous feature of the invention, the handles are fixed to the movable part with an adjustable inclination, between a resting position where they are both in the same plane as the second lower plate, and different operating positions, where the angle between them is between 0 and 90 degrees, preferably around 40 degrees. The inclination of the handles can be adjusted according to the wishes and particularities of the user. 
   In a prefered embodiment, the first upper tongue and the second lower tongue show a curved section, the upper tongue having a larger radius of curvature and thereby being more flattened than the lower tongue, while the latter has a smaller radius of curvature and is downwardly more concave to allow the passage of the heel. The upper tongue and the lower tongue form a rectilinear ovoid sleeve, when brought close together by sliding the lower plate towards the upper plate along the guide system. 
   The lever means preferably comprise a lever fastened on the fixed part on each side of the device, which is operative to push the movable part away from the fixed part by way of two connecting rods bearing on blocking members on the movable part. This feature reduces the effort required to move the lower plate against the elastic reaction of the stocking which is engaged onto the sleeve, in the position wherein the tongues are distant from each other and the stocking is thereby in an extended conformation. 
   In a prefered embodiment the lever means bear two handles for their manipulation, which are fixed on each side of the device. The invention advantageously provides that these handles be hollow and fit around the slide guides when the lever means are lowered in order to extend the stocking fitted over the sleeve. 
   The lever means preferably bear an abutment that prevents them from being raised above an angle of 60 degrees with respect to the guide system. 
   In a prefered embodiment the movable part is mounted on the guide system through two sleeves slidably mounted respectively on two slide guides of the guide system, with each presenting three blocks or blocking members in alignment with the corresponding slide guide, onto which the connecting rods successively bear during the operation of the device. Each of the slide guides comprises three distinct partitions associated each with one of the blocking members, for receiving a pin which is rotatably fixed on one end to the corresponding sleeve, and which is free on the other end to fall into one of the partitions, blocking the movable part in its corresponding position on the slide guides, when the connecting rods push on the corresponding blocking members. 
   The extension of the stocking fitted onto the sleeve is thereby performed in three successive steps, by pushing by means of the connecting rods successively on each of the blocking members. This results in a displacement of the pins moving them successively from one partition to another, until complete extension of the stocking is achieved. The pins are blocked in the partitions by the elastic strength of the stocking which tends to bring the first and second tongues toward each other, thereby jamming the pin against the wall of the partition. The device remains in this position until the connecting rods push on the next blocking members, thereby releasing the pins from the partitions, and moving them to the next ones. Thus is advantageously performed, in three steps, a large extension of the stocking. 
   In a prefered embodiment of the invention in accordance with the above, the upper tongue and the lower tongue can be moved apart from each other by a distance of up to 18 cm, so as to allow an easy passage of the heel in between, without the risk of tearing the stocking. 
   The partitions preferably have a slanting bottom for receiving the pins, which favours the blocking of the pins in the partitions, while ensuring a good solidity of the device. 
   In a prefered embodiment the device comprises means for strongly blocking the pins in the partitions which are the farthest away from the fixed part. Preferably, the free ends of the pins are made of a metallic material and a magnet is fixed in the bottom of the partitions which are the farthest away from the fixed part, so that the pins are blocked in these partitions, in a position where the stocking is fully extended. 
   The connecting rods and the blocking members preferably have cooperating forms, so as to facilitate the pushing of the movable part by the connecting rods. 
   In a prefered embodiment, the lever means bear a hook which fastens onto a cooperating bar on the fixed part for locking the device in a completely open position in which the first upper tongue and the second lower tongue are far enough from each other to allow the passage of the heel in between, and in which the upper plate and the lower plate are still connected together through the guide system. 
   Once the stocking has been sufficiently extended, the device is thus blocked in the open position, and it remains in this position until the user decides to fit the stocking on. This also eliminates the risk that the device come back to the initial position, wherein the stocking is not extended, during its handling by the user when positioning it in front of the foot and pulling it towards the wearer in order to fit the stocking on. 
   In another prefered embodiment it is the magnet fixed in the bottom of the partitions which ensures the blocking of the device in a position where the stocking is fully extended, while the upper plate and the lower plate are still connected together through the guide system. 
   According to the invention, the upper tongue and the lower tongue are shaped so as to ensure that the stocking will not slip from the sleeve they form together. In a prefered embodiment, they both widen upwards in all planes, preferably by 2 to 3 degrees with respect to their longitudinal axes. 
   According to an advantageous feature of the invention, the upper tongue and the lower tongue bear each a thicker collar at their upper edge, so that the stocking fitted onto the sleeve cannot slip from this position. This collar preferably presents an upwardly inclined outer side face, which is preferably inclined by 5 to 15 degrees, and more preferably by 10 degrees, with respect to the longitudinal axes of the tongues. Such an inclination advantageously ensures on the one hand that the stocking will not slip from the sleeve during the extension movement, and on the other hand that it will be released from the sleeve at the right time in order to be fitted on the leg of the user. In a prefered embodiment, the collar has a planar lower face and round wedges, thereby avoiding that any damage is caused to the stocking. 
   The device preferably comprises wedges for supporting it when resting on a support surface. 
   In a prefered embodiment the device for fitting a support stocking on a person according to the invention comprises an upper fixed part comprising a first upper plate having a first upper tongue fastened thereon, and a lower movable part which is slidably mounted on a guide system and comprising a second lower plate having a second lower tongue fastened thereon, the first tongue and the second tongue forming a sleeve for the stocking to be fitted onto when brought close to each other, and a lever for separating the first tongue and the second tongue from each other by sliding on the guide system after the stocking has been introduced by being slid onto the sleeve, so as to enlarge the stocking by distending the material it is made of to allow the passage of the heel and the leg of the person, which comprises detachable lateral handles, and wherein the lower movable part of the device can be removed separate from the rest of the device. 
   A method for fitting an extendible support stocking on a person by means of the device according to the invention comprises fitting the stocking onto the sleeve formed by the first upper tongue and the second lower tongue brought close to each other, then moving the lower plate apart from the upper plate by way of the lever means, thereby extending said stocking by distending it, positioning the device in front of the person&#39;s foot, and pulling the device towards the person so as to pass the person&#39;s foot and leg inside the stocking and thereby fit the stocking on. 
   The lower movable part of the device, comprising the second lower plate and the second lower tongue, and lateral handles fixed on each side of the movable part, may also be used for taking off the support stocking worn on a person&#39;s leg, by pushing an upper part of the stocking toward the person&#39;s foot by means of the second lower tongue slipped into the top of the stocking, and passing the stocking over the person&#39;s heel. 
   The invention also relates to a device for taking off a support stocking worn on a leg of a person. 
   This device comprises an auxiliary element comprising a front tongue of a hemicylindrical form secured to a back strip, the space formed between the strip and the back face of the tongue being larger at the top than at the bottom of said auxiliary element, and a pushing element comprising a pushing tongue of a hemicylindrical form bearing long handles on its upper part, and having a bottom part to be introduced in the space formed in the auxiliary element between the front tongue and the back strip, for thereby pushing the stocking pinched between the front tongue and the pushing tongue downwards by means of the handles 
   In a prefered embodiment, the pushing element comprises the movable part of the device for fitting a support stocking on a person according to the invention, comprising the second lower plate, the second lower tongue and the lateral handles. 
   According to an advantageous feature of the invention, the front tongue and the pushing tongue have complementary forms, so that the front tongue and the pushing tongue can be applied perfectly against one another, and thereby pinch strongly the stocking in between. 
   In a prefered embodiment, the width of the space between the front tongue and the back strip decrases from a value larger, to a value smaller, than the thickness of the bottom part of the pushing tongue, so that the stocking inserted between the front tongue and the back strip can be pinched strongly between the front tongue and the pushing tongue inserted in the auxiliary element. Preferably, the bottom part of the pushing tongue is between 8 to 10 mm thick, and the width of the space between the front tongue and the back strip decrases from a value larger than 20 mm at the top of the auxiliary element, to a value between 6 to 8 mm at the bottom. 
   In a prefered embodiment, the auxiliary element bears on its upper part, extending upwards from the back strip, a small tongue for its gripping. This small tongue is preferably straight and long enough to abut against a complementary part on the pushing element when the pushing tongue is almost completely inserted between the front tongue and the back strip, avoiding thereby that the pushing tongue penetrates between the front tongue and the back strip so far that it pushes the stocking outside the auxiliary element. 
   In such an embodiment, the invention advantageously provides that the pushing element comprises the movable part of the device for fitting a support stocking on a person according to the invention, comprising the second lower plate and the second lower tongue, and that the complementary part of the small tongue is the second lower plate. 
   The invention also relates to a method for taking off a support stocking worn on a leg of a person, which comprises applying between the leg and the stocking an auxiliary element comprising a front tongue of a hemicylindrical form secured to a back strip, the space formed between the strip and the back face of the tongue being larger at the top than at the bottom of the element, in such a way that the stocking is inserted between the front tongue and the back strip, then introducing a pushing element comprising a pushing tongue of a hemicylindrical form bearing long handles on its upper part, by making a bottom part of this pushing tongue penetrate in the space formed in the auxiliary element between the front tongue and the back strip, so as to pinch the stocking between the pushing tongue and the front tongue, and pushing downwards by means of the handles the stocking pinched between the front tongue and the pushing tongue. 
   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
   The description of the apparatus given below makes it necessary to state details regarding dimensions, which may be subject to modifications depending on the size of the apparatus (for a large adult, a normal adult or a child) and on technical improvements. The dimensions are given by way of example. 
   In a prefered embodiment of the invention, which is illustrated in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the apparatus, manufactured in metal or plastic, is composed of a flat plate  1  which is 28 cm long by 4.5 cm wide, securing two rods  10  and  11  of 20 mm diameter which are welded at its ends and which act as a slide guide, and supporting a rectangular tongue  2  which is 9 cm wide by 10 cm long in the form of an upwardly convex, flattened semicylinder perpendicular to said plate, constituting the upper part of the system for opening the stocking (or the support sock). Underneath, a flat plate  3  having a height of 8.5 cm, fastened to two tubes which slide on the slide guides  10  and  11 , supports a tongue  4  which is 9 cm wide by 10 cm long in the form of a downwardly very concave, small-radius cylinder portion, that constitutes the lower part of the sock-opening system. 
   The stocking is introduced by being slid over the ovoid tube formed by the two tongues  2  and  4 . By means of a lever  5  fastened to the top plate  1  and by way of 15-cm-long connecting rods  6  and  7  fastened onto the lever  5  at a distance of 5.5 cm from its hinge pins, the user will exert a relatively small downward force after taking hold by his other hand of the handle  12  provided at the top of the apparatus and made in the fixed plate  1 . The action of the lever will make it possible to separate the two plates  1  and  3  by moving away the sliding plate  3  and therefore to separate the two tongues  2  and  4  in order to distend the stocking. The apparatus will thus be able to remain “locked” in the open position by virtue, on the one hand, of the alignment of the connecting rods with the lever and, on the other hand, of a small hook  13  which will hook onto the slide rods. 
   The opening thus formed between the two tongues, which opening is 14 cm high by 9 cm wide, makes it possible to enlarge the support stocking by distension and to keep it open and to ensure the passage of the foot, which will push, at the bottom of the tubular part formed by the two tongues  2  and  4 , against the sock blocking the end. The passing of the heel, which was one of the technical difficulties, will be accomplished with very great ease (which would make it possible, for example, to fit support stockings in a gentle manner, and without causing any pain, to bedridden patients after they have been chirurgically operated on). 
   The detachable elongate handles  8  and  9 , which are fastened on each side of the apparatus and can be adjusted in length for greater ergonomics, allow a seated user to place the apparatus at the end of his foot without needing to bend forward, thus being advantageous for elderly people, and to perfectly control the maneuver with one hand on each side of the leg. The handles make it possible to keep the apparatus at a distance and vertical, if necessary placed on the ground and resting on the two slide rods  10  and  11 , so that the tip of the foot can be easily inserted between the two tongues  2  and  4 . While extending his leg, the user will pull the apparatus toward him, thereby allowing the sock (or the stocking) to slip over, become free of the tongues and be applied to the foot and the leg. By virtue of its moving lower plate  3 , the apparatus will allow easy passage of the knee and may be raised as far as the thigh (in the case of a thigh stocking). 
   The operation of taking off the support stocking is carried out simply with the aid of the moving part of the apparatus, which is shown in  FIG. 3 , that is to say the bottom plate  3  which is flanked by the two elongate handles  8  and  9  and supports, fastened perpendicularly, a tongue  4  which is 10 cm long by 9 cm wide in the form of a downwardly concave, small-radius cylinder portion. The user will slip this tongue between the sock and the calf until the sock comes to rest against the plate  3 , as illustrated in  FIG. 4 . The user will push the apparatus toward the ankle by means of the two lateral handles  8  and  9 , which allow accurate guided movement along the axis of the leg. The stocking, held by the tongue  4  at its upper orifice, will be folded over between the tongue and the leg, as illustrated in  FIG. 5 ; in a movement of bending the stocking around the heel made possible by virtue of the hollow shape of the tongue and by virtue of the length of the two handles and of the precision of the action that they allow, and the stocking will be thereby removed from the foot with effortless ease ( FIGS. 4 and 5 ). 
   It is quite clear that this apparatus may also be used for ordinary socks or stockings (not support ones) where appropriate following some technical modifications. 
   By way of nonrestrictive example, the lever and the connecting rods could have different dimensions, as could the tongues. 
   The technical and industrial implementation of the apparatus does not raise any particular problems. The apparatus is composed of five different parts which can be produced by compression molding and injection molding (polymer material for example). 
   Only two assembly operations have to be performed: these are the assembly of the connecting rods  6  and  7  on the lever  5  by means of a hinge pin, and the assembly of the lever  5  on the fixed plate  1 . The other two assemblies (moving part  3  on fixed part  1  and elongate handles  8  and  9  on moving part  3 ) are linked with the operating mode of the apparatus and are therefore carried out by the user. 
   Another prefered embodiment of the device of the invention is illustrated on  FIGS. 6 to 10 . 
   It comprises the fixed part supporting the first upper plate  1  having the first upper tongue  2  secured thereto, and the movable part supporting the second lower plate  3  having the second lower tongue  4  secured thereto. 
   The slide system comprises two parallel slide guides  10  and  11 , onto which the movable plate  3  is slidably mounted by means of two sleeves  14  and  15  respectively fitted around the slide guides  10  and  11 . The slide guides are 30 cm long, and they are separated by a 20 cm distance. 
   Each of the sleeves  14  and  15  bears on its upper face three blocking members  16  which are aligned with the slide guides, respectively  10  and  11 . 
   Each of the slide guides  10  and  11  presents three partitions  17  arranged along its length, which are open on their upper face and correspond to the three blocking members  16  on each of the sleeves  14  and  15 . 
   The lever means comprise a lever  5  which bear two handles  18  which extend longitudinal, respectively on each side of the device. The handles  18  are hollow. They are hinged on an axis  19  which is perpendicular to the slide guides  10  and  11  in such a way that then can be lowered to a position where they come over the slide guides  10  and  11  and the sleeves  14  and  15 . The lever  5  can be raised up to an angle of 60 degrees with respect to the slide guides  10  and  11 . It is blocked in this position in its upward motion by abutments arranged at the rear side of the device. 
   The handles  18  present at their free end an aperture  20  that allows them to fit around and embrace the sleeves  14  and  15  when they are in their lower position. 
   The handles  18  and the slide guides  10  and  11  are beveled at their respective free ends  30  and  31 . They show there cooperating forms. 
   Each handle  18  of the lever means is secured to a connecting rod  6  and  7 , which is rotatably fixed to the handle at one of its ends. At the other end, the connecting rods  6  and  7  are provided with a transversal bar  21 , which cooperates with a hook-forming part of each of the blocking members  16 , so that they are able to push efficiently the sleeves  14  and  15 , and thus the movable part, away from the fixed plate  1 . 
   The first tongue  2  and the second tongue  4  form together a sleeve which can be fitted inside the stocking. They bear each a thicker collar  22  at their upper edge, so that the stocking when engaged over the sleeve cannot slip from this position. The collar  22  presents an upwardly inclined outer side face, which is inclined by 10 degrees with respect to the longitudinal axes of the tongues  2  and  4 . It has a planar lower face and round wedges, thereby avoiding that any damage is caused to the stocking. 
   The device comprises support wedges  23  at its rear side. 
   Each of the sleeves  14  and  15  is associated with a pin  24  which is rotatably fixed by one end to its inner upper face, facing the partitions  17  of the slide guides  10  and  11 . The pins  24  are free at their other end to fall inside the partitions  17  when placed above them. 
   Each of the pins  24  is made of a metallic material. It is associated with a magnet  25  fixed at the bottom of each of the partitions  17  which are the farthest away from the fixed part, as shown in  FIG. 10   b.    
   The device may comprise lateral handles  8  and  9  for its manipulation, as shown in  FIG. 9 . These handles are rotatably fixed on each side of the movable plate  3 , so that their inclination with respect to the movable plate  3  may be adjusted between different positions. 
   The operation of the device proceeds as follows. 
   In the initial position, as illustrated on  FIG. 7 , the upper tongue  2  and the lower tongue  4  are close to each other, and the lever  5  is in its lower position, the handles  18  covering the guide slides  10  and  11  and the sleeves  14  and  15 . The sleeves  14  and  15  are in a rear position, the pins  24  being folded parallel to the slide guides  10  and  11 , as illustrated on  FIG. 10   a.    
   In this position the stocking is fitted over the sleeve formed by the upper tongue  2  and the lower tongue  4 . 
   Then the lever  5  is raised to its upper position, where it forms an angle of 60 degrees with the fixed plate  1 , as shown in  FIG. 10   a . The connecting rods  6  and  7  are placed so as to bear respectively on the farthest block  16  of each of the sleeves  14  and  15 . 
   The lever  5  is then lowered, and the connecting rods  6  and  7  push on the blocking members  16 , thereby making the sleeves  14  and  15  slide along the slide guides  10  and  11 . When the pins  24  come to a position where their free ends are above the first partitions  17 , they fall in these respective partitions. The device is blocked in this position, as illustrated in  FIG. 10   b,  by means of the elastic strength of the stocking fitted over the tongues  2  and  4 , which tends to bring them closer to one another, thereby blocking the pins  24  against the rear walls of the partitions. The lever  5  is then in its lower position. During that pushing step, the device, which is preferably resting on a plane surface, remains stable owing to the wedges  23 . This operation only requires a small effort by the user. 
   The lever  5  is then raised again, as illustrated on  FIG. 10   c,  and the connecting rods  6  and  7  are placed so as to be facing the second serie of blocking members  16 . When the lever  5  is lowered again, the connecting rods push on blocking members  16 , thereby moving the movable part away form the fixed part. The pins  24  are then disengaged from the partitions  17 , and moved towards the next partitions, where they fall and get jammed when the lever  5  is in its lower position. 
   This operation is repeated with the last serie of blocking members  16 , until the position illustrated on  FIGS. 8 and 10   d  is reached, where the first tongue  2  and the lower tongue  4  are far away from each other, the pins  24  being blocked in the last serie of partitions  17 , and maintained there by the action of the magnets  25 . In this position, the stocking is completely extended and ready to be fitted on the user. The first tongue  2  and second tongue  4  are about 18 cm away from each other. 
   The stocking can then be fitted on a person in the same way as described above. Once it has been fitted on, the movable part is removed separate from the rest of the device. 
   The whole operation is easy to carry on, and it allows a large extension of the stocking without needing any strong efforts. 
   The movable part, once separated from the rest of the device, can also be used as part of a device for taking off a support stocking worn on the leg of a person. 
   This device of the invention as described herein further comprises an auxiliary element  26  which is shown on  FIG. 11 . 
   The auxiliary element  26  comprises a front tongue  27  of a hemicylindrical form, which is secured to a back strip  28 . 
   The space between the back strip  28  and the tongue  27  is larger at the top, than at the bottom of the element. 
   The auxiliary element  26  bears a small tongue  29  on its upper part, which extends upwards from the back strip  28 , and which is useful for gripping the element. 
   The device for taking off a support stocking also comprises a pushing element which is the movable part  4  of the device for fitting a support stocking, comprising a pushing tongue which is the lower tongue  4 , of a hemicylindrical form, and bearing the handles  8  and  9 . 
   The front tongue  27  and the pushing tongue  4  have complementary forms, so that they can be applied against one another. 
   The width of the space between the front tongue  27  and the back strip  28  decreases from 20 mm at the top of the element, to 6 to 8 mm at its bottom, whereas the pushing tongue  4  is 8 to 10 mm thick. 
   The small tongue  29  of the auxiliary element is straigth, and it is long enough to abut against the lower plate  3  when the pushing tongue  4  is almost completely inserted between the front tongue  27  and the back strip  28 . 
   The device for taking off a support stocking worn on a person&#39;s leg is operated as illustrated on  FIG. 12 . 
   The auxiliary element  26  is applied between the leg and the stocking, the back strip  28  coming into contact with the leg and the stocking being inserted between the front tongue  27  and the back strip  28 . 
   The pushing tongue  4  of the pushing element is then inserted, by its bottom part, in the space formed between the front tongue  27  and the back strip  28 , in such a way as to pinch the stocking between the front tongue  27  and the pushing tongue  4 . 
   The dimensions of the elements, and more particularly the thickness of the pushing tongue  4  and the width of the space between the front tongue  27  and the back strip  28 , ensures that the stocking is pinched strongly between the two elements. 
   Because of the presence of the small tongue  29 , which abuts against the plate  3 , the pushing tongue  4  does not penetrate in the auxiliary element  26  so far as to push the stocking outside the auxiliary element  26 . 
   Once the elements have been put into place, the user pushes the device downwards by means of the handles  8  and  9 , so as to push down the stocking pinched between the two elements, and then to pass the heel. The taking off of the stocking is thus easily performed. 
   Without further elaboration, it is believed that one skilled in the art can, using the preceding description, utilize the present invention to its fullest extent. The preceding preferred specific embodiments are, therefore, to be construed as merely illustrative, and not limitative of the remainder of the disclosure in any way whatsoever. 
   In the foregoing and in the examples, all temperatures are set forth uncorrected in degrees Celsius and, all parts and percentages are by weight, unless otherwise indicated. 
   The entire disclosure of all applications, patents and publications, cited herein and of corresponding U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 10/509,014, filed Sep. 27, 2004, is incorporated by reference herein. 
   The preceding examples can be repeated with similar success by substituting the generically or specifically described reactants and/or operating conditions of this invention for those used in the preceding examples. 
   From the foregoing description, one skilled in the art can easily ascertain the essential characteristics of this invention and, without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, can make various changes and modifications of the invention to adapt it to various usages and conditions.