Patent Publication Number: US-10786409-B2

Title: Gait belt

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present application for patent is a continuation of patent application Ser. No. 14/801,454 entitled “GAIT BELT” filed Jul. 16, 2015, and claiming priority to application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/026,397, entitled “GAIT BELT” and filed Jul. 18, 2014. The entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Field of the Invention 
     The field of art disclosed herein generally pertains to devices for moving or assisting ambulation-impaired individuals, and more particularly, to a device that is configurable and adjustable to serve as a belt, harness and straps for assisting individuals in being lifted and in walking. 
     Description of the Related Art 
     In medical or assistive care situations, persons that are restricted or limited in movement or ambulation due to age, illness or injury pose difficulties for caretakers. Such caretakers may find it challenging to move or assist such persons without injuring themselves or the ambulatory-impaired person. A transfer belt is a device that is used to move such persons. However, generally-known transfer belts can have utility limited to specific assistance scenarios and not be particularly suited to a range of situations. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In one aspect, the present disclosure provides a support belt for caretaker assisting an ambulatory-impaired person. The support belt includes a belt connector and a strap having a plurality of attachment fixtures that are longitudinally spaced and a buckle for engaging the strap around a torso of an individual. The belt connector is engageable between a selected two of the attachment fixtures to draw one portion of the strap to closely encircle the ambulatory-impaired person and to form another portion of the strap into a grasping loop. 
     In another aspect, the present disclosure provides a support belt system for caretaker assisting of an ambulatory-impaired person. The support belt system includes a patient support harness attachable to a torso of a patient. A caregiver harness is attachable to a torso of a caregiver. A strap is attached at one end and selectably connected at another end between the patient harness and the caregiver harness. 
     In an additional aspect, the present disclosure provides a support belt for caretaker assisting of an ambulatory-impaired person that is seated. In one embodiment, the support belt includes a grasping strap having left and right gripping ends that is sized to encircle a torso of a seated patient. A torso strap is lengthwise attached to the grasping strap and comprises an adjustable strap attachment for fastening around a front of the torso of the patient. A buttock strap is attachable between each lateral side of a combination of the grasping strap and torso strap for placement under buttocks or thighs of the seated patient. 
     These and other features are explained more fully in the embodiments illustrated below. It should be understood that in general the features of one embodiment also may be used in combination with features of another embodiment and that the embodiments are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
       The description of the illustrative embodiments can be read in conjunction with the accompanying figures. It will be appreciated that for simplicity and clarity of illustration, elements illustrated in the figures have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements are exaggerated relative to other elements. Embodiments incorporating teachings of the present disclosure are shown and described with respect to the figures presented herein, in which: 
         FIG. 1  illustrates a perspective, disassembled view of a support apparatus that includes a gait belt and belt connector, according to one embodiment; 
         FIG. 2  illustrates a perspective, assembled view of the support apparatus of  FIG. 1  configured with a gripping handle; 
         FIG. 3  illustrates a detail view of the support apparatus of  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 4  illustrates a perspective view of an example support apparatus including two gait belts to support lifting an ambulatory-impaired person, according to one embodiment; 
         FIG. 5  illustrates a perspective view of another example support apparatus including two gait belts configured into a double-wide gait belt, according to at least one embodiment method; 
         FIG. 6  illustrates a perspective view of a caregiver support harness, according to one embodiment; 
         FIG. 7  illustrates a perspective view of a caregiver support harness attached to an adjustable gate belt and connectors, according to one embodiment; 
         FIG. 8  illustrates a perspective view of a patient wearing an adjustable gate belt connected as an upper torso harness that is connected to an adjustable height caregiver support harness, according to one embodiment; 
         FIG. 9  illustrates a perspective view of a patient wearing an adjustable gate belt wrapped around an abdomen of a patient with connectors forming two rearward connecting loops that are attached to respective caregiver support harnesses, according to one embodiment; 
         FIG. 10  illustrates a perspective view of another example patient support harness for attaching to a seated patient, according to one embodiment; 
         FIG. 11  illustrates a side view of a patient wearing the example patient support harness of  FIG. 10  being assisted by a caregiver that is wearing a caregiver support harness, according to one embodiment; 
         FIG. 12  illustrates a front view of a patient wearing an example patient support harness for full torso support, according to one embodiment; and 
         FIG. 13  illustrates a front detail view of the example patient support harness of  FIG. 12 , according to one embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Turning now to the Drawings, the detailed description set forth below in connection with the appended drawings is intended as a description of various configurations and is not intended to represent the only configurations in which the concepts described herein may be practiced. The detailed description includes specific details for the purpose of providing a thorough understanding of various concepts with like numerals denote like components throughout the several views. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that these concepts may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well known structures and components are shown in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring such concepts. 
     With initial reference to  FIGS. 1-3 , a support belt assembly  100  is provided for a caretaker  102  to assist an ambulatory-impaired person  104 . Each gait belt  106  of the support belt assembly  100  is formed from a strap  108  having a plurality of attachment fixtures, depicted as grommets  110 , that are longitudinally spaced. A buckle  112  can engage the strap  108  around a torso  114  of an individual such as the ambulatory-impaired person  104 . Examples of the buckle  112  include cam buckles, ratchet buckles, double D-ring straps, side release buckles, strap adjusters, and 3-bar slide buckles. The strap  108  can for example be a woven fabric belt such as flat nylon, tubular nylon, polypropylene, polyester, ribbon seat belt, cotton, etc. 
     With particular reference to  FIGS. 2-3 , the support apparatus  100  is modular, allowing adjustment and configuration to a range of uses and support. For instance, the gait belt  106  can be formed into handles. in particular, a first gait belt  106  of the exemplary support belt assembly  100  of  FIG. 2  can be used with a belt connector  120 , depicted as a carabiner. Examples of other belt connectors  120  include loops, hooks or chains. The belt connector  120  is engageable between a selected two of the attachment fixtures (grommets  110 ) to draw one encircling portion  122  of the strap  108  to closely encompass the ambulatory-impaired person  104  and to form another portion of the strap  108  into a grasping loop  124 . 
     By contrast, a generally known belt can often become displaced from a patient&#39;s waist during the transfer process, thereby potentially injuring the patient. A patient with a rib, abdominal or chest injury/surgery cannot be easily manipulated with the belt. Standard belts are generally without handles making it difficult to transfer or move obese or even thin but muscular patients. The helper has to find a secure hold on the belt in order to accomplish a safe and steady transfer of the patient. Although the current gait belts are usually long and adjustable for multiple circumferences, usually they are usually only used around the waist and often are not able to be used functionally for every person in the same way. 
     Patients that have fallen on the floor are difficult to move as well. With a belt in place, lifting this patient can be done but requires tight control of a belt that is approximated to the patient. If several people are required to move or lift the patient, having several individuals grab the same gait belt becomes incrementally more difficult. Patients with an injured limb are also difficult to control with a single gait belt. Often the belt pulls up towards the axilla as it is being pulled taut. If there is a shoulder injury then the belt can create additional injury as it is being utilized. 
     With reference to  FIGS. 4-5 , example support apparatuses  100  can include additional gait belts  106  that can enable a full harness, or attachments to healthcare straps to allow for a lifting platform. With particular reference to  FIG. 4 , a second gait belt  106  can encircle a pelvic or thigh region  130  of the ambulatory-impaired person  104  to provide better distribution of weight than achievable with one gait belt  106  around the torso  114 . Similarly, in  FIG. 5 , the second gait belt  106  is attached in parallel to the first gait belt  106  creating a double wide gait belt  132  that can distribute loads to the torso  114 , such as avoiding undue pressure to certain ribs. It should be appreciated that a patient can be lifted and adjusted with support of the gait belt  106 . The support apparatus  100  formed there with provides a transfer apparatus that can ensure correct and proper positioning and can be adjusted around a patient&#39;s waist throughout the entire transfer process. 
       FIG. 6  illustrates a caregiver support harness  200  for a caregiver  201  that has an adjustable height shoulder strap  202  that is fixedly attached on a back side and slidably received on a front side to an abdominal belt  204  according to one embodiment. One end of the abdominal belt  204  includes a strap buckle  206  and another end of the abdominal belt  204  is a strap  208  with grommets  210  for serving as an integral gait belt  212 . Height adjustment can be provided by a slidable belt loop  214  that receives the abdominal belt  204  at one end and a slide ring  216  on the other. A velcroed end  218  of the adjustable shoulder strap  202  can be adjusted for length within the slide ring  216 .  FIG. 7  illustrates a caregiver support harness  300  attached to an adjustable gate belt  106 , according to one embodiment. 
       FIG. 8  illustrates a gait belt system  400  wherein a patient  402  is wearing a gait belt arranged in a double over the shoulder arrangement connected between the shoulder blades with a connector  120  that is also attached to the caregiver support harness  200  worn by a caregiver  406  that has the adjustable height shoulder strap  202 , according to one embodiment. 
       FIG. 9  illustrates a gait belt system  500  perspective view of a patient  502  wearing an adjustable gate belt  106  wrapped around an abdomen of the patient  502  with connectors  120  forming two rearward connecting loops  504 ,  506  that are attached to respective caregiver support harnesses  200  worn by caregivers  508 ,  510 , according to one embodiment. 
       FIG. 10  illustrates another example patient support harness  600  for attaching to a seated patient, according to one embodiment. A grasping strap  602  with left and right gripping ends  604 ,  606  includes a wide strap  608  is sized to encircle a torso of a seated patient. A torso strap  610  is lengthwise attached to the grasping strap  602  and includes an adjustable strap attachment  612  for fastening around a front of the torso of the seated patient. A buttock strap  614  is attachable between each lateral side of a combination of the grapsing strap  602  and torso strap  610  for placement under buttocks or thighs of the seated patient. In an exemplary embodiment, one side of the buttock strap  614  is permanently attached at one side to the wide strap  608  and has another end terminated in an attachment loop  616 . The right gripping end  606  is disconnected from the wide strap  608  with both having an attachment loop  616 . All three attachment loops  616  are selectively attached to one another by a connector  120  after encircling the patient. 
       FIG. 11  illustrates a patient  700  wearing the example patient support harness  600  being assisted by a caregiver  702  that is wearing a caregiver support harness  200 , according to one embodiment. 
       FIGS. 12-13  illustrate a patient  1202  wearing the example patient support harness  1200 , according to one embodiment. Grommets. A first gait belt  1206   a  encircles a left shoulder, a second gait belt  1206   b  encircles a right shoulder, a third gait belt  1206   c  encircles a left hip, and a fourth gait belt  1206   d  encircles a right hip. Attachment fixtures of the gait belts  1206   a - 1206   d , depicted as grommets  1210 , can be spaced 5″ apart. Belt connectors  1220 , depicted as a carabiners, attach the gait belts  1206   a - 1206   d  together in the front. 
     All publications, patents and patent applications cited herein, whether supra or infra, are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety to the same extent as if each individual publication, patent or patent application was specifically and individually indicated as incorporated by reference. It should be appreciated that any patent, publication, or other disclosure material, in whole or in part, that is said to be incorporated by reference herein is incorporated herein only to the extent that the incorporated material does not conflict with existing definitions, statements, or other disclosure material set forth in this disclosure. As such, and to the extent necessary, the disclosure as explicitly set forth herein supersedes any conflicting material incorporated herein by reference. Any material, or portion thereof, that is said to be incorporated by reference herein, but which conflicts with existing definitions, statements, or other disclosure material set forth herein, will only be incorporated to the extent that no conflict arises between that incorporated material and the existing disclosure material. 
     It must be noted that, as used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an” and “the” include plural referents unless the content clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to a “colorant agent” includes two or more such agents. 
     Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the invention pertains. Although a number of methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice of the present invention, the preferred materials and methods are described herein. 
     References within the specification to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” “embodiments”, or “one or more embodiments” are intended to indicate that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. The appearance of such phrases in various places within the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment, nor are separate or alternative embodiments mutually exclusive of other embodiments. Further, various features are described which may be exhibited by some embodiments and not by others. Similarly, various requirements are described which may be requirements for some embodiments but not other embodiments. 
     It is understood that the use of specific component, device and/or parameter names and/or corresponding acronyms thereof, such as those of the executing utility, logic, and/or firmware described herein, are for example only and not meant to imply any limitations on the described embodiments. The embodiments may thus be described with different nomenclature and/or terminology utilized to describe the components, devices, parameters, methods and/or functions herein, without limitation. References to any specific protocol or proprietary name in describing one or more elements, features or concepts of the embodiments are provided solely as examples of one implementation, and such references do not limit the extension of the claimed embodiments to embodiments in which different element, feature, protocol, or concept names are utilized. Thus, each term utilized herein is to be given its broadest interpretation given the context in which that terms is utilized. 
     As will be appreciated by one having ordinary skill in the art, the methods and compositions of the invention substantially reduce or eliminate the disadvantages and drawbacks associated with prior art methods and compositions. 
     It should be noted that, when employed in the present disclosure, the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” and other derivatives from the root term “comprise” are intended to be open-ended terms that specify the presence of any stated features, elements, integers, steps, or components, and are not intended to preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, integers, steps, components, or groups thereof. 
     As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention, which may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed structure. 
     While it is apparent that the illustrative embodiments of the invention herein disclosed fulfill the objectives stated above, it will be appreciated that numerous modifications and other embodiments may be devised by one of ordinary skill in the art. Accordingly, it will be understood that the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and embodiments, which come within the spirit and scope of the present invention.