Patent ID: 8439042

Claim:
A neck brace comprising a stiff body defining: a bridge configured to extend behind the neck of a wearer; two legs connected to the bridge and shaped and configured to extend laterally on either side of the neck of the wearer and along the front of the wearer's torso, the legs being spaced apart to define a gap between them, each of said legs configured to extend from the region of a shoulder of the wearer; shoulder protuberances extending from the bridge and shaped and configured to conform to the shoulders of the wearer and be received underneath shoulder straps of a harness worn by the wearer; and chest protuberances extending laterally from each leg of the neck brace, said chest protuberances being shaped and configured to be received underneath the shoulder straps of the harness, to be aligned with the wearer's chest and to be held against the wearer's chest by the shoulder straps; each leg of the neck brace defining a recess on an underside of the leg, between the shoulder protuberance and the chest protuberance, so that the part of the leg extending between the shoulder protuberance and the chest protuberance forms a beam with an underside that is configured to be elevated above the wearer's chest, when the shoulder protuberance is held against the wearer's shoulder and the chest protuberance is held against the wearer's chest.