MXPA00000823A - Ankle support brace - Google Patents

Abstract

An improved ankle support brace (10) is disclosed. The ankle support brace includes a first flexible lateral piece (12) and a second flexible lateral piece (14) attached to and disposed over the first lateral piece (12). The ankle support brace also includes a first flexible medial piece (16) and a second flexible medial piece (18) attached to and disposed over the first medial piece (16). A first plurality of lace loops is disposed along a front edge of the first medial piece (16). Each of the first plurality of lace loops comprises a flexible material strip (56) attached at a plurality of points to the surface of the first medial piece (16). A second plurality of lace loops, each comprising a flexible material strip (50) attached at a plurality of points to a surface of the second medial piece (18), is disposed along a front edge of the second medial piece (18). A third plurality of lace loops (58), each comprising a flexible material strip (56) attached at a plurality of points to a surface of the first lateral piece (12), is disposed along a front edge (28) of the first lateral piece (12). A fourth plurality of lace loops (52), each comprising a flexible material strip (50) attached at a plurality of points to a surface of the second lateral piece (14), is disposed along a front edge (40) of the second lateral piece (14). A lace (24) is threaded through the first, second, third and fourth plurality of lace loops. The lace loops provide high-friction contact with the lace (24) and distribute tension from the tightened lace across the various surfaces of the ankle support brace.

Description

ANKLE SUPPORT CLAMP TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to support clamps more particularly to ankle support clamps that can be used for both athletic and medical purposes.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION For athletes in contact with certain high-impact sports, it is important that additional ankle support is provided to prevent injuries. Preferably, the ankle support fixes the heel against turning over to prevent the ankle from twisting or snapping. Such a support is also useful for those recovering from ankle injuries.

Several ankle support clamps have been developed to provide ankle support in both athletic and medical contexts. Two important qualities of such clamps are the stability provided for the user's ankle and the durability of the clamp itself, particularly when used in athletic activities.

Some known tobill support clamps use a conventional shoe lacing arrangement in which a series of openings in the fabric on each side of the clamp are used to retain the laces. The tension exerted when the laces are tight is located around these openings, creating the potential for breaks which can easily be repaired. This is a particular concern in the ankle support clamps which typically must be tightened to fit very tightly around the user's ankle. The shoe openings are thus typically reinforced with metal eyes which can be disengaged from the clamp material and be lost or fail to prevent breakage under high tension.

SYNTHESIS OF THE INVENTION Therefore, a need has arisen for an ankle support clamp that addresses the disadvantages and shortcomings of the prior art.

An improved ankle support clamp is described. The ankle support clamp comprises a first flexible middle part and a second flexible middle part attached to and disposed on the first center part. The ankle support clamp also includes a first flexible side piece and a second flexible side piece clamped and disposed on the first side piece.

A first plurality of lanyard loops are positioned along the front edge of the first center piece. Each of the first plurality of lacing loops comprises a strip of flexible material joined at a plurality of points to the surface of the first center piece. A second plurality of shoe loops is positioned along a front edge of the second center piece. Each of the second plurality of lacing loops comprises a strip of flexible material joined at a plurality of points to a surface of the second center piece. A third plurality of the lanyard loops is placed along a front edge of the first side piece. Each of the third plurality of shoelace loops comprises a strip of flexible material joined at a plurality of points to a surface of the first side piece. A fourth plurality of shoe loops is positioned along a front edge of the second side piece. Each of the fourth plurality of shoe loops comprises a strip of flexible material joined at a plurality of points to a surface of the second side piece. A loop is threaded through the plurality of first, second, third and fourth lace-up loops.

A technical advantage of the present invention is that the shoe loops distribute the tension from a tight shoe through the various surfaces of the ankle support bracket, rather than at the localized point. Another technical advantage is that the shoe loops provide a high frictional contact with the shoe, thus preventing slippage of the shoe during use.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS For a more complete understanding of the present invention and for the additional features and advantages thereof, reference is now made to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of an ankle support brace according to the present invention.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the ankle support bracket with cut portions.

Figure 3 is a rear view of the ankle support bracket; Y Figure 4 is a side view of the ankle support bracket, DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring to Figures 1 to 4, there is shown an ankle support brace 10 constructed in accordance with the present invention. The ankle support bracket 10 comprises an inner side piece 12, an outer side piece 14, an inner half piece 16, an outer middle piece 18, an upper piece 20, a rear connecting piece 22 and a shoe 24.

Preferably, the inner and outer side pieces 12 and 14 are identical to the inner and outer center pieces 16 and 18 r so that the ankle support bracket 10 is bilaterally symmetrical and can be used on any foot. For purposes of illustration, therefore, only the side pieces 12 and 14 will be described in detail.

The inner side piece 12 preferably comprises an essentially inelastic, flexible and durable material such as vinyl, skin, canvas or the like. The inner side piece 12 can be lined on its inner surface with a cushioning material to cushion the wearer's ankle.

The inner side piece 12 has an upper edge 26, a front edge 28, a leading edge 30, a lower edge (not shown) and a trailing edge 32. A seam 34 is stitched along the upper edge 26, of the front edge 28 and the leading edge 30. The inner side piece 12 has a plurality of openings 36 along the upper and lower parts of the front edge 28 to hold the shoe 24. The openings 36 are reinforced by the metal eyes 37.

The outer side piece 14 preferably comprises an essentially inelastic, flexible and durable material such as vinyl, skin, canvas or the like. The outer side piece 14 has an upper edge 38, a front edge 40, a leading edge 42, a lower edge (not shown) and a trailing edge 44. A joint. 6 is stitched along the upper edge 38, the leading edge 40 and the leading edge 42.

The outer side piece 14 is fastened to the inner side piece 12 at several points. The trailing edge 44 of the outer side piece 14 is sewn to the trailing edge 32 of the inner side piece 12 along the entire length of the trailing edge 44. Similarly, the bottom edge of the outer side piece 14 is stitched to the back edge. bottom edge of the interior side piece 12 along its entire length. The outer side piece 14 is also sewn to the inner side piece along a seam line 48.

A plurality of canvas strips 50 are stitched to the outer side piece 14 to form the loops 52 able to hold the shoe 24. Each strip 50 extends along the outer surface of the outer side piece 14 to the trailing edge 44 Each strip 50 extends slightly further there and is bonded on the front edge 40 and extends the length of the inner surface of the outer side piece 14 to the seam line 54. Each strip 50 is sewn to the outer surface of the piece outer side 14 along both sides of the strip, from the trailing edge 44 of the outer side piece 14 for attachment 46 along the front edge 40 of the outer side piece 14. Each strip 50 is also sewn to the outer surface of the outer side piece 14 along the seam line 54 on the joint edge 46. Each strip 50 is sewn to the inner surface of the outer side piece 14 along the seam line 54 and at the joining edge 46.

The outer side piece 14 can be reinforced between the seam line 54 and the front edge 40 by a semi-rigid plastic insert (not shown). This insert can be sewn into a bag that extends the full length of the front edge 40 and is joined by a seam line 54 on one side and by the joint 46 along the top edge 38, the front edge 40 and the seam. front edge 42. This insert serves to reinforce and fix the outer side part 14 at the primary attachment points for the loops 52.

A plurality of canvas strips 56 are sewn to the inner side piece 12 to form the loops 58 capable of holding the laces 24. An overlying segment 56a of each 56 extends along the outer surface of the inner side piece 12 to the trailing edge 32. An underlying segment 56b of each strip 56 extends below the overlying segment 56a along the outer surface of the inner side piece 12, beyond the stitch line 60. Each strip 56 is sewn to the outer surface of the inner side piece 12 along the entire length of the strip from the trailing edge 32 to the seam line 60. Each strip 56 is also sewn to the outer surface of the inner side piece 12 throughout of the seam line 60 and the trailing edge 32. The strips 56 are positioned so that the loops 58 are placed between the loops 52 attached to the outer side piece 12.

An open bag at the top is formed between the inner side piece 12 and the outer side piece 14. The bottom edge of this bag occurs at the seam line 48, and the trailing edge is formed by the rear seam bead edges 32 and 44 together. The shoe 24 forms a barrier along the front edge of the bag.

Within this bag is contained a semirigid plastic support insert 62. The support insert 62 e is generally planar and triangular in shape, with a slightly concave front bord 62a. An opening 64 is formed in the support insert 62. When the ankle support bracket 10 is placed on the user's foot 66, the user's ankle bone protrudes through the opening 64. The support insert 62 serves to stiffening the ankle support bracket 10, thereby increasing the support provided by the ankle support bracket 10.

- Co or previously described, the middle pieces 16 and 18 are identical in construction, .y. they form an identical image of the side pieces 12 and 14. The interconnection between these two symmetrical halves of the ankle support bracket 10 will now be described.

Referring to Figure 3, the upper connecting piece 22 is sewn to the side pieces 12 and 14 along a segment of the rear edges 32 and 44. The rear connection piece 22 is similarly sewn to the pieces of the center 16 and 18 along a corresponding segment of the trailing edge. The rear connection piece 22 preferably comprises an elastic material. Downstream of the rear connection piece 22, the rear edges of the side and center pieces 12 to 18 form an opening 68 through which the heel 70 of the user protrudes.

The ankle support clamp 10 can also have a front connection piece (not shown) similar in construction to the rear connection piece 22. The front connection piece, in addition to holding the side and center pieces 12 to 18 together, it can cushion the foot of the user 66 with respect to the shoe 24.

Referring to Figure 1, the upper piece 20 is stitched to the inner side piece 12 along the upper edge '26 and a segment of the leading edge 40. - The top piece 20 preferably comprises an essentially inelastic, flexible and durable material such as like vinyl, skin, canvas or similar. The upper part 20 has a plurality of openings corresponding to the openings 36 of the inner side part 12. Each opening 36 of the inner side part 12, together with the corresponding opening of the upper part 20, is reinforced by a metal eyelet. 37 The upper piece 20 extends around the back of the user's leg and is similarly joined to the inner center piece 16 along its upper and front edges. A lower edge 20a of the upper piece 20 overlaps the upper edge 38 of the outer side piece 14. The top piece 20 thus covers the open upper part of the bag formed by the inner and outer side pieces 12 and 14. The edge, lower 20a of top piece 20 can be lifted to provide access to this bag for removal or adjustment of support insert 62.

The lower edges (not shown) of the side pieces and the center 12 to 18 are joined below the foot of the user 66. In this joint, the edges are each sewn to a tie strip (not shown), which fastens the edges together.

The rear edges of the side pieces and the inner center 12 and 16 are put together above the rear connecting piece 22 and below the upper piece 20. In this joint, the edges can be clamped together a joining strip as previously described with respect to the bottom edges of these pieces. Alternatively, the inner side piece 12 and the inner center piece 16 can be cut as a unit of a single piece of material and thus joined along this segment of these rear edges.

The side and middle pieces 12 to 18 are also connected by the nozzle 24. As illustrated in Figure 1, the shoe 24 is tied in a conventional manner through a bottom set of openings 36 in the inner side and center pieces. 12 and 16. A segment of the shoe 24 is then linked alternately through the loops 52 of the outer side piece 14 and of the loops of the inner middle piece 16. Another segment of the shoe 24 is alternately attached through the loops. loops of the piece of the outer center 18 and of the loops 58 of the inner side piece 12. The shoe 24 is then tied in a conventional manner through the upper set of the openings 36 in the inner side and center pieces 12 and 16 and the support piece 20.

When the shoe 24 is tightened, all the four side pieces and from the center 12 to 18 are pulled forward and come together in front of the user's foot and leg, with approximately the same tension being exerted on the four pieces 12 to 18 This tight makes the lateral and center pieces 12 to 18 and the semi-rigid support inserts 62 on each side of the ankle stabilize said ankle, thereby restricting and preventing the ankle from being injured or twisted when the twisting force is applied during athletic or other activities.

The loop and shoe arrangement described above provides several advantages over conventional ankle support clamps. For example, the seam that holds the straps 50 and 56 to the side pieces 14 and 12, respectively, distributes the tension exerted by the shoe 24 on the loops 52 and 58 through the surfaces of the side pieces 14 and 12. This it is contrast to a conventional eyelet arrangement, in which all the force exerted by the footgear is located in a series of points on the ankle clamp, resulting in possible breakage of the eyelet openings. The ankle support clamp 10 is therefore more durable than clamps that use conventional eye bolt arrangements.

In addition, the loops 52 and 58 engage the tab 24 with more frictional contact than the conventional metal eyelets. The additional friction between the loops 52 and 58 and the shoe 24 reduce the slipping of the shoe 24 after tightening, thereby providing a more stable support for the wearer's ankle.

It will be understood that various changes can be made to the relative collocations of the loops 52 and 58 and to the lacing technique described above without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Furthermore, even though the invention has been particularly shown and described by the detailed description above, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various other changes in form and detail may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims (14)

R E I V I N D I C A C I O N S
1. An ankle support clamp comprising: a piece of metal from the centre¬ a flexible side piece connected to the center piece; a first plurality of lacing loops operable to receive a lanyard, each of the first plurality of lacing locks comprises a strip of flexible material joined at a plurality of points to a surface of the center piece; Y. "~ • '-' _": a second plurality of lacing loops operable to receive the lacing, each of the second plurality of lacing locks comprises a strip of flexible material attached to a plurality of points on a surface of the side piece.
2. 2. The ankle support clamp as claimed in clause 1 further characterized in that it comprises a thread threaded through the plurality of first and second shoe loops.
3. 3. The ankle support clamp as claimed in clause 1 characterized in that the center piece and the side piece each comprise a plurality of operable openings for receiving the shoe.
4. 4. The ankle support clamp as claimed in clause 1 further characterized in that it comprises a connected and operable connection piece for connecting the center piece and the side piece.
5. 5. The ankle support clamp as claimed in clause 1 characterized in that the first plurality of lacing locks is placed along a front edge of the center piece, and wherein the second plurality of lacing locks is placed along the front edge of the side piece.
6. 6. The ankle support clamp as claimed in clause 1 further characterized in that it comprises a clamped and operable back connection piece for connecting a trailing edge of the middle piece and a trailing edge of the side piece.
7. 7. The ankle support clamp as claimed in clause 6 characterized in that the middle piece, the side piece and the rear connection piece form an operable opening for receiving a heel of the user's foot.
8. An ankle support brace comprising a first piece of flexible center; a second piece of the flexible center fastened and placed on the first piece of the center; a first flexible side piece; a second flexible side piece attached and placed on the first side piece; a first plurality of lacing loops placed along a front edge of the first center piece, each of the first plurality of lacing locks comprise a strip of flexible material attached at a plurality of points to a surface of the first middle piece; a second plurality of lacing loops placed along a front edge of the second center piece, each of the second plurality of lacing locks comprises a strip of flexible material joined at a plurality of points to a surface of the second center piece; a third plurality of shoe loops placed along a front edge of the first side piece, each of the third plurality of shoe loops comprises a strip of flexible material joined at a plurality of points to a surface of the first piece side; a fourth plurality of lacing loops and placed along a front edge of the second side piece, each of the fourth plurality of lacing locks comprises a strip of flexible material joined at a plurality of points to a surface of the second side piece; a needle threaded through the plurality of first, second, third and fourth hook loops.
9. 9. - The ankle support clamp as claimed in clause 8 further characterized in that it comprises a connected and operable connecting piece for connecting the center pieces and the side pieces.
10. 10. The ankle support clamp as claimed in clause 9 characterized in that the center pieces, the side pieces and the connecting piece form an operable opening for receiving a heel of a user's foot.
11. 11. The ankle support clamp as claimed in clause 8 characterized in that the first and second side pieces form a pocket between an outer surface of the first side piece and an inner surface of the second side piece, the bag is operable to receive a semi-rigid support insert.
12. 12. The ankle support clamp as claimed in clause 11 further characterized in that it comprises a semi-rigid support insert placed in the bag.
13. 13. The ankle support clamp as claimed in clause 11 further characterized in that it comprises a flexible upper part attached to the first middle part and to the first side part, the upper part extends around a rear edge of the first part of the first part. center and a trailing edge of the first side piece, the top piece forms an upper limit of the bag.
14. 14. The ankle support clamp as claimed in clause 8 characterized in that the first center piece and the first side piece each comprise a plurality of operable apertures for receiving the shoe. 15, The ankle support clamp as claimed in clause 8 characterized in that the anchor comprises: a first segment threaded alternately through the first, and fourth plurality of loops; Y a second segment threaded alternately through the second, and third plurality of loops. R E U M E N An improved tobill support clamp is described. The ankle support clamp includes a first flexible side piece and a second flexible side piece attached and placed on the first side piece. The ankle support bracket includes a first piece of flexible center and a second piece of the attached flexible center placed on the first piece of the center. A plurality of hook loops is positioned along the front edge d of the first center piece. Each of the first plurality of lacing locks comprises a strip of flexible material joined at a plurality of points to the surface of the first piece of the center. A second plurality of the hook loops, each comprising a strip of flexible material joined at a plurality of points to a surface of the second center piece, is positioned along the front edge of the second center piece. A third plurality of tack loops, each comprising a strip of flexible material, joined at a plurality of points to a surface of the first side piece, is positioned along a front edge of the first side piece. A fourth plurality of tack loops, each comprising a flexible strip material bonded at a plurality of points to a surface of the second side piece, is positioned along a front edge of the second side piece. A shoe is threaded through the plurality of first, second, third and fourth shoe loops. The shoelace loops provide high friction contact with the shoe and distribute the tension from the tight hole through the various surfaces of the ankle support bracket.