Patent ID: 8303527

Claim:
A cast system for supporting a body part, said cast system comprising: a protective shell configured to be generally positioned at least partially circumferentially around the body part and moldable during a patient forming process at a target temperature range between 160 and 220 degrees Fahrenheit that is maintained by said shell during said patient forming process for a target dwell time of between 3 and 10 minutes, said shell having: an inner layer defining an area generally facing toward the body part; an outer layer defining an area generally facing away from the body part, said area of said outer layer being generally similar to said area of said inner layer; and a middle layer generally coextensive with said areas of said inner layer and said outer layer and completely encapsulated and sandwiched between said inner layer and said outer layer, wherein said inner layer and said outer layer each comprise a foam layer and said middle layer comprises a polymer layer that is thermoformable within said target temperature range and generally rigid at temperatures below said target temperature range, and wherein said foam layers have a lower density than said polymer layer of said middle layer and said foam layers and said middle layer are integrally formed as a composite layer material, such that said foam layers stretch to conform to a moldable shape of said middle layer during said patient forming process and said foam layers insulate said middle layer to maintain said middle layer at said target temperature range during said target dwell time when said shell is heated to an initial temperature before said patient forming process of not more than 300 degrees Fahrenheit.