US2949914A

US2949914A - Ankle ice pack

Info

Publication number: US2949914A
Application number: US757350A
Authority: US
Inventors: Waldrum John Carter
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1958-08-26
Filing date: 1958-08-26
Publication date: 1960-08-23
Anticipated expiration: 1977-08-23

Description

Aug. 23, 1960 J. c. WALDRUM ANKLE ICE PACK Filed Aug. 26, 1958 FIG.

FIG. 5

INVENTOR JOHN CARTER WALDRUM ATTORNEY ANKLE ICE PACK John Carter Waldrum, Box 321, Bandera, Tex.

Filed Aug. 26, 1958, Ser. No. 757,350 9 4 Claims. 01. 128-402) This invention relates generally to packs for applying cold or heat to ailing members of the human body; and r it relates more particularly to an ice pack for applying cold to a sprained or injured ankle.

The usual first aid for a sprained ankle is to wrap it tightly and then apply an ice pack. The sooner that is done the quicker the recovery since the swelling is thereby reduced.

The principal object of the invention is to provide an ankle ice pack which may be carried in the first aid kit of an athetic coach or trainer, a doctor or other person who may have to render first aid to a sprained ankle and which may be applied to the injured ankle in the minimum of time.

Another object of the invention is to provide an ankle pack having a tubular inner casing or sock to enclose the ankle with elastic upper and lower bands to surround and grip the leg and the foot, and an outer tube-like casing or sock which surrounds and encloses the inner one for holding ice or cold water, the lower end of the outer casing being attached to the lower foot-encircling band and the upper end extending above the upper leg-encircling band and being adapted to be closed around the upper portion of the leg by a draw string or equivalent means.

A further object is to provide an ankle pack of the above character with partitions in the ice-receiving space or chamber between the two sock-like casings, whereby to keep the ice from falling to the heel after a part of it has melted.

With the above and other objects and advantages in view, the invention resides in the novel combinations and arrangements of parts and the novel features of construction hereinafter described and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings which show the present preferred embodiment of the invention.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a side view, with parts broken away and in section, of the ankle pack with the parts in a collapsed or flattened condition so that it may be rolled or folded for storage;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken on line 2-2 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken on the line 33 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail vectical section through the hem at the lower end of the pack;

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic vertical section, on a reduced scale, showing the pack in use; and

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5 showing two modifications that might be used.

Referring more in detail to the drawings the numerals 10 and 11 denote inner and outer sock-like casing members made of any suitable flexible and waterproof material such as polyethylene, rubber, rubberized fabric or similar rubber-like material. The inner casing 10 has open ends and is of a size to surround the ankle of the user and the adjacent portions of the foot and the leg. The outer casing 11 is also tube-like but of greater size 2,949,914 Patented Aug. 23, 196i} so that when the lower ends of the two casings are suitably united at 12 by a water tight connection, a chamber 13 is formed between the two casings to receive ice or other temperature-changing medium. At or adjacent to the united lower ends of the casings is an elastically-contractable band member 14 which surrounds and grips the intermediate portion of the users foot. This band means may be constructed as shown in Fig. 4 by stitching together the sheets of the two casings to form a hem 15 in which is disposed an endless elastic band 16. The contraction of the latter causes gathers or folds in the hem according to the size of the foot. At the top of the inner casing .10 is formed a hem 16 which also contains an endless elastic band 17 so that the upper end of that casing will be gathered around and grip the users leg at a suitable distance above the ankle.

The other or upper end of the outer casing 11 is provided with means for contracting it toward the leg at a point preferably above the band means 16-17. This contracting and fastening means may be a draw string 18 in a hem 19 formed by a folded strip of textile fabric stitched as at 20 over the upper edge of the casing sheet 11. The outer casing is larger in circumference than "the inner one so that a substantial quantity of crushed :ice deposited in the chamber 13 will surround the ankle, as will be understood on reference to Fig. 5. As some of the ice melts, the remainder will have a tendency to settle in the heel portion of the chamber. and in order to keep some of it adjacent the instep and front portion of the ankle, I preferably provide at each side of the chamber an upright partition 21. These may be strips of flexible sheet material which extend from a point adjacent to the hem 16 to a point adjacent to the bottom of the chamber and which have their upright edges suitable fastened to opposed portions of the inner and outer casings. The ice chamber is thus divided into an upper front portion and a lower rear portion.

In Fig. 6 I have shown two optional features which may be used in connection with my ankle ice pack. If desired, any suitable flexible and soft heat-insulating covering 22 may be applied to the outer casing 11 to check the melting of the ice. Also if desired, a part sock 23 of wool or other cloth may be fastened to the hem 14 to enclose the toes and front portion of the foot to provide warmth.

The inner casing or sock will be large enough to easily slip over the foot and ankle even when a bandage has been applied to the sprained ankle, and hence the foot and bandage will be kept dry while the cold penetrates the ankle. The use of the partitions insures that ice will be kept entirely around the ankle. The manner of fastening the parts together will, of course, depend upon the materials used. It will be obvious that the pack permits of first aid to a sprained ankle in the minimum of time; and that, for example, a football coach may carry one or more of the packs with his first aid material and treat a sprained ankle of one of his players so quickly that the player will be back in the game in a matter of days rather than weeks.

From the foregoing, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, it will be seen that novel and advantageous provision has been made for carrying out the objects of the invention, and while preferences have been disclosed, attention is invited to the possibility of making variations within the scope of the invention as claimed.

I claim:

1. An ice pack for a sprained joint in a human limb comprising an inner open-ended tubular casing of flexible waterproof material to enclose the entire joint and extend above and below the same, resilient lower and upper openings for the casing adapted to closely fit portions of the limb below and above the joint, an outer open-ended tubular casing of flexible waterproof material surrounding said inner casing, a water-tight connection between the lower end portions of the two casings providing between them an open top chamber for ice and cold water, said outer casing being of substantially greater size than said inner casing to permit pieces ofice to be deposited in said chamber around the entire open top of the outer casing when the latter is distended, and means for contracting the open top of the outer casing and holding said top around the limb adjacent the resilient upper opening of the inner casing to retain the ice and water in said chamber. 1

2. The pack of claim 1 together with upright partitions in said chamber at opposite sides thereof to provide the chamber with an upper front portion around the front of the joint and a lower rear portion around the rear of the joint, said partitions being flexible strips united at their upright edges to the opposed portions of the two casings to prevent the ice in the front portion of the chamber from dropping to the rear portion thereof.

3. An ice pack for a sprained ankle or other joint comprising an inner open-ended tubular casing of flexible waterproof material to enclose the entire joint and extend below and above the same, a resilient lower opening for the casing adapted to closely fit the foot adjacent the joint, a resilient upper opening for the casing adapted to closely fit the leg adjacent the joint, an outer open 4 ended casing of flexible waterproof material surrounding said inner casing and of greater length thanthe latter, a water-tight connection between the lower end portions of the two casings providing between them an open-top chamber for ice and cold water, said outer casing being of substantially greater diameter than said inner casing to permit pieces of ice to be deposited in said chamber around the entire open top of the outer casing when the latter is distended, a hem around the top of said outer casing, and a draw string in said hem for contracting the top of the outer oasing and holding it around the leg above the top of the inner casing to retain the ice and water in said chamber.

References Citedin the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,374,088 Miller Apr. 5, 1921 25 2,320,467 Rabil June 1, 1943 2,706,988 Weber Apr. 26, 1955 H FOREIGN PATENTS 343,237 Italy Sept. 18, 1936