Patent ID: 7615020

Claim:
A support for an area of a body including a hinge joint, comprising: (a) a flexible, elastically stretchable framework having a surface for abutment with an area of a body including a hinge joint, said framework comprising an integrally molded network of interconnected, elongate, elastomeric segments, some of said interconnected segments forming an inner periphery defining a permanent opening in said surface, said permanent opening extending completely through said framework; and (b) a member entirely separable from said framework that is removably securable to said framework via interlocking engagement of a channel defined by said member with one of said interconnected segments such that said member is disposed between said framework and the area of the body to be supported and extends beyond the inner periphery formed by said some of said interconnected segments; (c) wherein said member is contoured to receive therein a joint protuberance of the hinge joint such that said member is seated on said hinge joint and said framework, at least in the area of said member, is held at a spacing from the body (d) wherein said framework includes: (i) left and right sides comprising first and second exterior lateral segments and top and bottom sides comprising first and second exterior transverse segments, which left, right, bottom and top sides collectively define a perimeter of the framework, (ii) first, second, third, and fourth interior, mutually exclusive subsets of transverse segments, each of which extends between and interconnects the left and right sides of the perimeter of the framework, (iii) first and second interior, mutually exclusive subsets of lateral segments, each of which extends between and interconnects the top side of the perimeter of the framework and the second interior subset of transverse segments, and each of which intersects and interconnects the first interior subset of transverse segments, and (iv) third and fourth interior, mutually exclusive subsets of lateral segments, each of which extends between and interconnects the bottom side of the perimeter of the framework and the second interior subset of transverse segments, and each of which intersects and interconnects the third and fourth interior subsets of transverse segments, (v) wherein each subset of segments comprises one or more segments.