US1595087A - Foot and ankle brace - Google Patents

Description

Aug- 10 1926.

M. D. GIBSON FOOT AND ANKLE BRAGE Filed Nov. 2 1922 [N VENTOR A TTOR E Y Patented Aug. 10, 1926.

. UNITED STATES MARSH ALL D. GIBSON, OF WEBSTER GROVES, MISSOURI.

FOOT AND ANKLE BRACE.

Application filed November 23, 1922. Serial No. 602,731.

This invention relates to foot and ankle braces. It has for its object to produce a simple, inexpensive and efficient, bandagelike article or device for preventing, correcting and relieving foot troubles and deformities, particularly about the arch of the foot and the ankle, and, also, for use by athletes, tennis players, footballplayers, skaters, and others, where it is desirable to brace and support the arch of the foot and the ankle without interfering with the action of the parts or causing any discomfort to the wearer.

The invention consists in the parts and in 1 the combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and afterwards pointed out with particularity in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification and illustrating a practical adaptation of the invention,--

Figure 1 is a side view of a left foot shpwing the device applied;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the device detached from the foot and showing the relative loopings of the bandage;

Figure 3 is a flat face view of the archsupporting pad or plate with the bandage removed therefrom;

Figure 4 is a section taken substantially on the line 4- 4 of Figure 3; and

Figure 5 is a sectionon the Figure 3, the bandage being indicated by dotted lines to illustrate the manner of looping the starting end of the bandage through and about the pad or plate.

Referring now to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates a pad or plate, prefer ably of leather or relatively stifi' but pliable material, which will readily conform to the hollow of the foot below the arch and yet afford a substantial support when applied as herein later set forth. This pad or plate is generally rectangular,'but one end and side thereof is preferably curved substantially as shown in Figure 3 of the drawings, as at 2, whereit is to be turned up at the side of the foot as shown in Figure 1. The marginal portion of the pad is tapered to 'a thin edge, as at 3 (see Figure 4 or 5), so as to have that portion more pliable than the rest of the pad in order to relieve edge pressure of the pad upon the foot and thereby avoid discomfort to the wearer. Thepad or plate 1 is provided with two line 55 of parallel slots 4 to produce a bar (see Figure 3) for facilitating the attachment of the bandage 6 and securely hold the latter in ad usted relation to the pad 'or plate.

The bandage 6 preferably comprises a continuous, flexible strip or band (see Figures 1 and 2) which is looped about the foot and ankle and may be furnished in different lengths, depending upon the number of times 1t is desired to wrap the loopingsabout the foot and ankle. One end portion 7 of this bandage, hereinafter referred to as the starting end, is carried throu h the slots 4, over the bar 5 and about the ody of the pad or plate 1 as shown by dotted lines in Flgure 5 and full lines in Figure 2.

In applying the device, the pad or plate 1 is placed under the arch of the foot with a portion of the pad or late turned up on the inner side of the foot see Figure 1). Then, with the end portion 7 of the bandage underlying, the bandage is carried over the instep and about the pad or plate 1, thence up and around the ankle, as at 8, substantially in the form of a figure 8, and then down and about the instep again, the terminal end portion. of the bandage having strings 9 which are tied to tongues 10 providedtherefor on the pad or plate 1.

As shown more clearly in Figures 3 and 4, the tongues 10 are preferably formed by slitting the pad or plate 1 so that the tongues are normally inlaid or embedded, as it were, within and flush with the body of the pad or plate. These tongues have rounded end portions facilitating the attachment of the tying strings 9 thereto, and reduced neck portions afiording shouldered heads at the ends of the tongues and wedge-shape slots on opposite sides of the necks whereby the strings are held securelywhen attached. By this form and arrangement it is only nec essary to spring the tongue 10 up from the body of the pad or plate 1 as shown at the right in Figure 4, and then slip the tying string 9 about the neck portion thereof. The string is then drawn tight and the loop thereof about the neck of the tongue is pulled into the crotches of the V-shape slots so as to hold the bandage securely. After the tie is thus made, the tongue 10 is pressed back to its flush position within the body of the pad or plate 1. In this way, the fastem'n of the bandage is easily accomplished and t ere is no appreciable protuberance or bulging knot to interfere with the fitting of an overshoe or to cause any discomfort to the wearer.

The device may be applied either under or over the stocking as may be desired, and is worn with comfort under the shoe. The bandaging of the foot, with the pad or plate 1 interposed below the arch and conforming to the contour of the hollow of the foot, affords a substantial support, and this support is further augmente by the looping of the bandage around the ankle so as to produce, in efl'ect, an artificial ligament which greatly relieves much of the strain on the internal ligaments of the foot and ankle.

The bandage is readily-adjusted by pulling the end portion 7, initially, more or less over the pad or plate 1 and also by having the tying strings 9 of sufiicient length to compensate for different terminal positions of the end of the bandage when the final wrap is made. So, too, the bandage may be furnishedin suiiicient length to permit multiple wrapping of the loops about the foot and ankle; and a still further advantage is that the bandage may be quickly removed, re-adjusted and re-a plied when necessary to take care of foot sl irinkage which usually occurs after the bandage is worn for a while. Furthermore, the starting end portion of the bandage may be folded and piled upon itself several times to build up the pad to a considerable thickness under the arch of the foot in some cases.

The device admits of considerable modification and alteration without in the least departing from the s irit and scope of the invention as define by the appended claims. It is, therefore, not limited to the specific construction and arrangement shown in the accompanying drawings.

What is claimed 1s:

1. A foot and ankle brace comprising a pad placed under the arch of the foot, a flexible band having a longitudinally slidable and foldingly adjustable attachment with said pad at its starting end, said band being wrapped around the instep and said pad, thence carried up about one side of the foot,'across the instep and around the ankle, and then down across the instep, about the opposite side of the foot and again under said pad, and means for securing the terminal end of said band adj ustably to said pad.

2. A foot and ankle brace comprising a] continuous, flexible band and a pliable, yet

relatively} stiflr', pad interposable between;

said band and the hollow of the foot, said pad havin provision for the'adjustable attachment t ereto of the starting end portion of the band, said band having tying strings at its terminal end, said pad having means for the attachment of said tying strings thereto.

3. A foot and ankle brace comprising a continuous, flexible band and a pad of the character of leather and being interposable between said band and the hollow of the foot, said pad having parallel slots afi'ording a bar between them and also being slitted to form tongues within its body, the start ing end ortion of said band being looped adjustabl y through said slots, over said bar, and about the body of the ad, and the, terminal end of said band aving tying strin extending therefrom and being at-. tacha le to said tongues.

4. A foot and ankle brace comprising a continuous, flexible band and a pad of the character of leather and being interposable between the band and the hollow .of the foot, said pad having parallel slots afi'ording a bar between them and also being slitted to 'form tongues within its body, said tongues having reduced neck portions afi'ording heads at the ends and slots on opposite sides of the necks, the startiu end portion of the band being loope adjustably through said slots, over said bar, and about the body of the pad, so as to underlie the band when applied, and the terminal end of said band having string extensions for attachment to said tongues.

5. A foot and ankle brace comprising a continuous, flexible band and a pad 'of the character of leather and being interposable between the band and the hollow of the foot, said pad having parallel slots affording a bar between them and alsohaving tongues adjacent to the ends of said bar, said tongues being normally flush within the body of the pad and being formed by slitting through the body with curvature at' the ends of the tongues and convergently at the sides of the tongues, said tongues having reduced neck portions affording shouldered heads at their ends, the starting end portion of said band beinglooped through said slots, over said bar, and about the body of the pad, so as to underlie the band when applied, and the terminal end of said band having string extensions for attachment to said tongues.

,. I MARSHALL D. GIBSON.

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