Patent Publication Number: US-2004054308-A1

Title: Joint brace

Description:
[0001] This invention relates to a joint brace and the use thereof. 
     
    
    
     [0002] In the drawings, which illustrate an embodiment of the present invention, specifically, an embodiment wherein the joint brace is a wrist brace:  
     [0003]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an example of such a wrist brace according to the present invention;  
     [0004]FIG. 2 is a drawing depicting the underside of the hand of a user showing the generally cylindrical portion of such exemplary wrist brace positioned over the wrist of the user;  
     [0005]FIG. 3 is a drawing depicting a cross-section of the generally cylindrical portion of such exemplary wrist brace during the process of folding (indicated by the dashed line and arrow) one portion of the generally cylindrical portion, which comprises a stiffener, against a remaining portion of the generally cylindrical portion; and  
     [0006]FIG. 4 is a drawing depicting the topside of the hand of the user showing such exemplary wrist brace fully applied to the wrist of the user. 
    
    
     [0007] Referring now to the embodiment shown in the drawings, it can be seen that the exemplified wrist brace  10  comprises a generally cylindrical portion  11  attached at some point to strap  12 . The generally cylindrical portion is made of elastic material and has a circumference C and a height H sufficient to embrace the wrist of a user. The generally cylindrical portion also has a central axis A, and the strap is joined to the generally cylindrical portion along a line substantially parallel to central axis A. The strap generally has a length L which is sufficient to wrap the strap about the wrist of a user in the manner as will be explained in greater detail hereinbelow. Both the generally cylindrical portion and the strap could be made out of neoprene, neoprene blends, woven or knit elasticized material. The neoprene material could be laminated with suitable textile products to provide the generally cylindrical portion with a soft lining to provide comfort.  
     [0008] On an end opposite that to which the strap is joined to the generally cylindrical portion, the strap comprises a first part  14  of a two-part fastener system. The strap also comprises on a surface thereof a second part of said two-part fastener system, so that said first part of said two-part fastener system can be fastened to said second part of said two-part fastener system to secure said strap about the wrist of said user. The first part of said two-part fastener system could comprise hook or loop fasteners, in which case, the second part of said two-part fastener system would comprise mating loop or hook fasteners.  
     [0009] Referring now to FIG. 2, the exemplified wrist brace is applied by slipping the hand through the generally cylindrical portion  11  so that the generally cylindrical portion becomes positioned over the wrist of the user. The generally cylindrical portion  12  comprises a sewn in, boxed portion  13 , comprising a stiffener (not illustrated), which, as depicted in FIG. 3, is then folded against a remaining portion of the generally cylindrical portion  11 , and acts to keep the generally cylindrical portion from moving relative to the wrist of the hand of the user while the strap is being wrapped around that wrist of the user. The stiffener could be of plastic, metal, paper or other suitable material, and can be positioned along the underside of the wrist to provide support thereto. As depicted in FIG. 4, the strap  12  is then wrapped around that wrist of the user and secured upon itself by means of fastener  14 .  
     [0010] Although the foregoing embodiment relates to a wrist brace, the invention include braces for application to any body joint, for example, knees, ankles, elbows, etc., and, as with the described wrist brace, all such braces provide user adjustable compression to the joint being supported. In all of the inventive embodiments, the sizes of the generally cylindrical portion and the strap are a simple matter of design choice.  
     [0011] It should be understood that the preceding is merely a detailed description of one embodiment of this invention and that numerous changes to the disclosed embodiment can be made in accordance with the disclosure herein without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. The preceding description, therefore, is not meant to limit the scope of the invention. Rather, the scope of the invention is to be determined only by the appended claims and their equivalents.