US2670734A - Therapeutic pad and belt structure - Google Patents

Description

March 2, 1954 A. E. WITTENBERG I 2,670,734

THERAPEUTIC PAD AND BELT STRUCTURE Filed Dec. 11, 1952 Patented Mar. 2, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE THERAPEUTIC PAD AND BELT STRUCTURE Aladar Elias Wittenberg, New York, N. Y.

Application December 11, 1952, Serial N0. 325,354

3 Claims. 1 r

This invention relates to therapeutic belt structures for the relief and support of ,ailing parts of the human body.

It is one of the objects of the present invention to provide means facilitating the construction of a compact, strong and very practical combination belt and pad structure, which may be easily and efficaciously applied to human body part or parts.

It is another object of the invention to provide means affording adjustability of the pad or like part relative to the belt structure, whereby the pad may be slid in lengthwise or-transverse direction of the belt and also pivotally displaced thereon, whereby the pad may assume various positions on the face of the beltto be brought in contact with the body part under treatment.

It is still another object of the invention to provide means rendering the possibility of supporting a body part by means of a built-in pad in the belt structure and to combine the latter with an adjustable and detachable pad which may be displaced relative to and within the confines of said built-in pad.

Yet a further object of the present invention is to provide means contributing to a reinforced belt-pad structure having bones or bars, at least one of which being employable as a rail for guiding a slide thereon, which carries a further reinforced pad structure removably attached to said slide.

Still another object of the invention is to provide means influencing frictional engagement of the aforesaid built-in pad structure with said detachable pad structure and determining the positions of the latter by limit or stop means associated with said reinforcing bars.

It is still a further object of the invention to provide means conducive to a dual-action-belt and pad structure of the aforesaid type, whereby the belt with built-in pad may be used either along or in conjunction with an interchangeable or removable pad structure, selectively.

The above and other objects and features will become apparent from the following detailed description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. l is a front elevational view showing the inner face of the pad and belt made in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged and exaggerated sectional view taken along the line 2--2 of Fig. 1 with the pad shown" in Fig. 1 omitted;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view through a detachable pad made in accordance with the invention;

2 Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view of the pad of Fig. 3. Referring now more particularly to the drawin'g, a pad 10 is shown in Fig. 1 fixed to and built-in between the ends I! and I2 of a belt l3, which may be elastic except for the built-in pad I0. While the belt ends Ii and l2are preferably made from elastic web material, the pad 10 has an outer and rather heavy leather surface 14,

while a layer of chamois or similar soft leather material I5 is fixed to and is coextensive'with said leather layer l4.

As'can be visualized from Fig. l, pad 10 has a median portion is which extends in transverse direction to belt. I3 and therebeyond at opposite sides thereof. The built-in pad Ill is reinforced by suitable bars I7, I8, I9, preferably made from springy steel band or strips and enclosed in pockets Ila, l8a, l9a.

The bar or bone I8 is seated with its opposite ends in end pocket portions lab and We, while the remainder of bar is is exposed, as clearly shown in the lower part of Fig. 1. Due to the creation of pockets 18b and we, stop or limiting means 20, 2! are obtained for purpose about to be described. on the exposed median portion of the middle bar Hi there is slidingly affixed a slide in the form of a leather strip 22 in which is recessed a socket element 2-3 complementary to snap element 24 which is arranged on detachable pad 25.

As may be visualized from Fig. 1, slide 22 may be moved lengthwise of bar i8 and be brought, for instance, into the position designated by numeral 22a, later herein referred to.

Connectible with slide 22 by means of socket 23 and snap button 24 is the aforesaid elongated pad 25 which has the reinforcing members 26, 21, preferably made from spring steel material. The outer layer 28 of removable pad 25 is made of leather, while the inner layer 29 is preferably also made from a soft or chamois leather layer. Between these layers 28 and 29 there may extend a filler 30, if desired, in order to increase the padding action. If attached pad 25 extends with its longer axis in the direction of bar l8, as shown in full-lines in Fig. 1, it will be noted that this pad 25 is not fully co-extensive with the transverse axis of built-in pad [0.

As further shown in Fig. 1, pad 25 may be swung with its longer axis into position 2511 about pivot 2324, whereby the slide assumes approximately the position at 22c whereby the outer edge of pad 25 coincides approximately with the contour of the built-in pad at 3|, 32, as shown in Fig. 1.

It will be further noted that layers [4 and I5. with or without further padding or filling, are stitched together along stitch-line 33, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2.

In Fig. 2, the slide 22 together with its bar 18 have been shown somewhat exaggerated with respect to their position over and relative to the reinforcing bars or bones I! and I9. It is well understood that the bones or bars l1, l8, and 19 remain substantially in one and the same plane on pad I!) despite the fact that slide 22 is of extreme thinness and is carried by bar l8.

The new belt and pad structure, according to the invention, may be used in the treatment of various ailments, such as sacroiliac and for the relief of pains on the skin, joints, or other parts of the human body. The new device readily facilitates the displacement of the detachable pad 25 lengthwise of bar [8 and in pivotal relation thereto, even if the structure is worn on the body of a person. It is further apparent that built-in pad I may also be used without pad 25; and, since the pad 25 may be readily detached from pad I9, other suitable and medicamentcarrying pads of any desirable size and shape may replace detachable pad 25.

It is to be understood that instead of the pad 25 as hereinabove disclosed, an air-filled bladder with snap button 24 fixed thereto may be employed.

It is further to be noted that between layers H and of the built-in pad It an inflatable air cushion or bladder may be inserted in order to facilitate equalization of differences in height between the slide member 22 with part 23 of the fastening means and the remainder of the builtin pad 10, so that the latter may be used per se and offers a planar contact surface.

The superposition of pads l0 and 25 leads to the particular advantage that increased pressure may be had at a location or locations where particular pain on the human body prevails.

Although one embodiment of the invention has been described and shown in the drawing, it should be noted that the invention may be realized in modified form and adaptations of the arrangement herein disclosed may be made, as may readily occur to persons skilled in the art, without constituting a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the ob jects and in the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is:

l. A therapeutic device comprising a first pad, at least three springy reinforcing bars accommodated within said first pad and extending spaced from and substantially parallel to each other, the median one of said bars being at least partially exposed without said first pad to thereby provide a support, a slide member arranged for movement along said support, a second pad arranged on said slide member, and complementary fastening means on said slide member and on said second pad, whereby the latter may be moved in unison with said slide member along said support as well as rotated about said complementary fastening means relative to said slide member and said first pad, selectively.

2. A belt structure for therapeutic and like purposes, comprising elastic web means, a substantially non-elastic pad fixed to said web means, said pad including two layers of material, one of said layers being made from heavy gauge leather, the other layer being made of soft chamois leather, reinforcing means in the form of springy steel strips sandwiched between said layers, and means for retaining said strips in position between said layers, one of said strips extending at least partly without said layers to form a support for a slide.

3. A structure according to claim 2, including a slide carried by said support, and a relatively yieldable supplementary pad connected to said slide and extending in superposed position on said first-named pad.

ALADAR ELIAS WI'I'I'ENBERG.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 619,185 Kellogg Feb. 7, 1899 2,606,551 Piper Aug. 12, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 522,089 France Mar. 21, 1921

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