US3032634A - Protective device for lower extremities - Google Patents

Description

y 1962 E. H. STEINEL ETAL 3,032,634

PROTECTIVE DEVICE FOR LOWER EXTREMITIES Filed March 30, 1960 INVENTORS files/v5 c. ROWE 3 RICHARD w. s/Mv Eon/0v STE/MEL B) QWMV;

ATTORNEY-S moves along the floor.

United States Patent M 3,032,634 PROTECTIVE DEVICE FGR LOWER EXTREMITIES Edwin H. Steinel 26301 Meadow Crest, Huntington Woods, Mich., and Eugene C. Rowe, 1914 Wayne St,

and Richard W. Sinn, 2505 Brockman Blvd, both of Ann Arbor, Mich.

Filed Mar. 30, 1960, Ser. No. 18,556 1 Claim. (Cl. 21919) This invention relates in general to a structure for protecting the lower extremities of a human and, more particularly, to a structure which is adapted for warming the feet and shielding the legs of a human while said human is in either the sitting or standing position.

It is a well established fact that during cold weather relatively cool air, even in a well heated room, normally It is equally well-known that persons, such as typists or clerks, must often remain for long periods of time with their feet in the path of this air movement. Such exposure, in addition to the discomfort, frequently results in a high incidence of illness. This problem is materially increased where the floor is supported directly upon the ground or above an unheated crawl space. Thus, it is not unusual during cold weather to see clerks, typists and other persons in similar occupations wearing heavy, fleece lined boots to avoid such discomforts. However, heavy boots create additional problems, such as they often become too warm and they often interfere with the movements of the person wearing them. It has also been found that circulation in the lower ex tremities of typists, for example, is often sluggish due to inactivity and is sometimes impeded by improper posture or equipment. The result is a reduction of the normal fiow of body heat to the feet, thereby aggravating the problem. Thus, it can be seen that the persons who frequently are placed in a position where their feet are exposed to the discomforts resulting from cold drafts are very often the same persons who are unable because of their work to generate the normal flow of heat producing circulation.

In addition to the above problems arising from the exposure of the feet and legs to cold air, there is the further problem of exposing the feet and legs to View. More specifically, the lack of shielding for the feet and/ or legs of a seated woman sometimes results in embarrassment for the woman. For example, it is not uncommon for stenographers, who must remain in one place, to remove their shoes in order to avoid the discomforts imposed by fashion. Needless to say, this is not considered acceptable appearance, even though it would create no problem if it could not be seen. Moreover, and as a further extension of this problem, excessive amounts of the lower extremities sometimes become exposed accidentally under these circumstances, completely without the knowledge of the person involved.

Accordingly, a primary object of this invention has been the provision of a protective structure including a device for developing an external source of heat for warming the feet while, at the same time, protecting the feet and legs of a human against the discomforts created by cold drafts or the embarrassment arising out of inadvertent exposure of the lower extremities.

A further object of this invention has been the provision of a structure for warming and shielding the lower extremities of a human, as aforesaid, which can be used by a person who is either standing or sitting, which will fit conveniently with a conventional desk, table or the iike, which is light in weight and sturdy in construction, which is attractive in appearance, yet simple in construction, which can be operated effectively at a minimum of cost,

3,032,534 Patented May 1, 1962 and which requires little or no maintenance for continued successful operation.

Other objects and purposes of this invention will become apparent to persons familiar with this type of equipment upon reading the following specification and examining the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a front perspective view of a protective structure embodying the invention in association with a table.

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of said protective structure substantially as seen from the rear thereof.

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view of said protective structure substantially as taken along the line III-III in FIG- URE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view taken along the line IV-IV in FIGURE 3 and showing a modified form thereof.

For convenience in description, the terms upper, lower, and derivatives thereof will have reference to the protective structure as appearing in FIGURES l, 2 and 3. The terms front, rear and derivatives thereof will have reference to the portions of the protective structure which are respectively remote from and adjacent to the person using this structure. The terms inner, outer and derivatives thereof will have reference to the geometric center of said protective structure.

General Description The objects and purposes of the invention, including those set forth above, have been met by providing a housing which is open at one end and has a portion of its top removed adjacent to its open end so that the feet and ankles of a human, whether in the standing or sitting position, can be received comfortably into the housing. A plurality of risers are mounted beneath the housing for resting it upon, and spacing it from, a supporting surface. An electrically energized heating member is mounted upon or in the bottom wall of the housing and is connected to a source of electrical energy. A flanged shield is mounted in an upright position on top of the foot housing so that said shield extends between the sides of the foot housing near said open end and the flanges on the shield extend rearwardly along and above the sides of the housingto protect the legs of a person whose feet are located within the housing.

Detailed Construction The protective structure 10 (FIGURES l and 2) is comprised of a foot housing 11 upon which a combined draft guard and modesty shield 12 is mounted. The foot housing 11 includes a bottom wall 13, a pair of substantially parallel side walls 16 and 17, a front end wall 18 and a partial top wall 19. The top wall extends rearwardly from the front end wall 18 about half as far as the bottom wall 13 extends from the end wall 18. A leg recess 23 (FIGURE 2) is defined by the rearward edge of the top wall 19 and the portions of the side walls 16 and 17 which extend rearwardly from the top wall 19. Thus, as shown in FIGURE 3, the legs 22 of a person using the protective structure 10 can be comfortably received into the recess 23 when the feet 24 of said person are disposed within the housing 11.

A heating member 26 (FIGURE 3), which may be an electrical heating element of a conventional type, is mounted upon or in one of the walls of the foot housing 11. In this particular embodiment, the heating member 26 is imbedded in the bottom wall 13 and is connected by electrical conductors 27 to a source of electrical energy, not shown. The bottom wall 13, as well as the heating member 26, may be covered by a rubber mat 29 which serves not only as a resilient foot rest, but also as an electrical insulator from the heating member 26. The walls of the housing 11 may be fabricated from any light weight, durable material such as wood, sheet metal, plastic or the like.

A plurality of risers 28 are secured to the lower side of the bottom wall 13 for spacing same from a supporting surface, such as the floor. Accordingly, the risers 28 materially reduce the heat losses which would occur by conduction if the bottom wall 13, hence the housing 11, were in direct contact with the fioor.

The draft guard or modesty shield 12 (FIGURES 2 and 3) has a front end wall 31 and a pair of side walls 32 and 33 which are substantially perpendicular to the front wall and may be upward extensions of the side walls 16 and 17, respectively, of the housing 11. In this particular embodiment, the front wall 31 extends upwardly from the rearward edge of the top wall 19, and the sidewalls 32 and 33 extend rearwardly along the side walls 16 and 17 of the housing 11. The front wall 31 may be sloped slightly frontwardly, as shown herein, to minimize interference with knees, outer garments and the like. The draft guard 12, like the housing 11, may be fabricated from any suitable material, such as wood, plastic or the like.

The draft guard 12 may be detachable from the housing 11, but is preferably secured thereto, as illustrated herein. Thus, a hand grip opening 34 can be provided near the upper edge of the front wall 31 for the purpose of engaging and transporting the entire protective structure 10.

Resiliently flexible strips 36 and 37 may be secured to and along the rearward edges of said side walls 16 and 32, and 17 and 33, respectively, to protect clothing and limbs.

The operation of the protective structure 10, which is self evident from the above disclosure, is effected merely by connecting the conductive element 27 to a source of electrical energy, such as the 110 volt outlet of a conventional electrical system, whereby the heating member 26 is energized and commences to radiate heat. The structure 11) may be moved into any desired position so that the person using same can place his or her feet upon the bottom wall 13 while in either a standing or sitting position, as may be required. The bottom wall 13 and risers 28 are of suflicient strength to support the weight of a person while holding the bottom wall 13 away from the supporting floor.

The heating member 26 is preferably located at least partially under the top wall 19 so that some of the heat radiated therefrom tends to be pocketed in the front end of the housing from which it slowly rises by convexion adjacent to the rear surface of the front wall of the draft guard 12. Thus, the heat produced by the member 26 also moves upwardly along the legs 22 of the persons using the protective structure 10.

The front end walls 18 and 31, as well as the top wall 19 protect the legs 22 and feet 24 from drafts approaching the legs from the front. Any drafts which approach from the opposite direction are at least warmed up by the warm air developed within the housing 11 by the heating member 26. Cold drafts moving along the floor beneath the bottom Wall 13 are warmed by radiation from the heating member 26.

Under some circumstances it may be either advantageous or desirable to have the heating member 26a (FIG- URE 4) located in the front end wall 18a of the housing 11a. Thus, although a particular preferred embodiment of the invention has been described in detail for illustrative purposes, it will be understood that variations or modifications of such disclosure, which lie within the scope of the appended claim, are fully contemplated.

What is claimed is:

An apparatus for warming the legs and feet of a human, comprising: a foot housing including a bottom wall, a pair of substantially parallel side walls, an end wall and a top wall, said top wall extending from said end wall along the upper edges of said side walls with its rearward edge lying in a line substantially connecting the midpoints of said upper edges, said housing being open on its rearward side; an electrically energized heating member mounted upon the central portion of said bottom wall and located at least in part forwardly of said rearward edge of said top Wall; a resilient, electrically non-conductive pad covering said bottom wall and the heating member thereon; electrical conductor means for connecting said heating member to a source of electrical energy; a plurality of riser elements secured to and extending along the lower side of said bottom wall for spacing same from a supporting surface; a shield mounted upon said housing, said shield having a substantially vertical front wall and a pair of spaced, parallel side walls, said front wall extending upwardly from said rearward edge and said side walls of said shield being substantially and respectively coplanar with the side walls of said housing and substantially perpendicular to the front wall of said shield, whereby both the feet and legs of a human can be both heated and shielded from air movement.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS D. 139,897 Smith -1 Jan. 2, 1945 1,520,800 Blume Dec. 30, 1934 2,658,640 Bayles Nov. 10, 1953 2,684,071 Story July 20, 1954 2,781,439 Lane Feb. 12, 1957 2,851,573 Muccilli Sept. 9, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 115,272 Switzerland June 16, 1926 907,931 France July 30, 1945

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