WO1998000074A1

WO1998000074A1 - Compress

Info

Publication number: WO1998000074A1
Application number: PCT/AU1997/000403
Authority: WO
Inventors: Marlene Joy Cunliffe; Brian Lesley Cunliffe
Original assignee: Marlene Joy Cunliffe; Brian Lesley Cunliffe
Priority date: 1996-06-28
Filing date: 1997-06-25
Publication date: 1998-01-08
Also published as: JP2000515034A; AUPO071196A0

Abstract

A reusable compress (5) for treatment of a limb of an animal, said compress (5) comprising a pouch portion (12) of textile material, the interior of which pouch portion (12) contains water absorbent crystals (11) adapted to absorb water and form an expanded fluid mass in the pouch portion (12) when immersed in water, and means to fasten (9) the compress (5) in its expanded form around the limb of an animal.

Description

TITLE: COMPRESS

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention provides a reusable compz-ess which may be temporarily attached to an animal's limb, where the animal is typically a horse, and although the invention is applicable to application to a limb of any animal, it will hereinafter be described as applied to the treatment of the leg of a horse for which it was specifically developed.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

It is common for horses to have sore or swollen legs and tendons as a result of knocks, kicks, jarring, and during stabling and travelling. Similar injuries in humans are often treated by the application of cold or hot compresses to the injury site. Hence, it is an object of the present invention to provide a compress which may be selectively located on an animal's (horse) limb and retained in that location by secure, but easily fixed and removable, attachment means for a desired period of treatment. Further objects of the invention are that the compress be reusable, and that it be useable as a hot or cold compress.

Further it is an object of the invention to provide a compress which will not burn an animal ' s skin as with the use of ice, is non-toxic, and durable in stable use.

It is known in the prior art to provide separate gel pads used with an orthopaedic device which in use, requires removal and insertion of the pads in the device. It is also known to provide cold compress bandages of strip material whereby refrigerant packs are removably placed within said bandage. Also it is known to provide a compress formed from rectangularly shaped waterproof panels having a closable opening for the introduction of ice or hot water.

The disadvantage of this prior art is that separate packs have to be located before use in the compress and removed after use. The present invention as will be hereinafter described overcomes these disadvantages by providing a compress which does not require the use of separate insertable and removable pads or packs to achieve the function of a cold or hot compress for application to an animal's limb and this provides for ease of use by stable hands and like persons on agistment properties.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTI0N

According to the invention, there is provided a reusable compress for treatment of the limb of an animal, said compress comprising a pouch portion of textile material, the interior of which pouch portion contains water absorbent crystals adapted to absorb water and form an expanded fluid mass in the pouch portion when immersed in water, and means to fasten the compress in its expanded form around the limb of an animal.

PREFERRED ASPECTS OF THE INVENTION

According to a preferred feature of the invention, the pouch portion is constructed of two rectangular pieces of water permeable textile material such as cotton sewn together and it is further preferred that a rectangular cover piece of water impermeable material such as canvas is attached as by sewing to one side of the pouch.

The two pieces of water permeable textile material forming the pouch portion are partitioned, as by sewing, into a plurality of compartments. Before sealing the pouch portion, the water absorbent crystals are placed in the several compartments.

The means to fasten the pouch portion of the compress and its cover canvas sheet around a limb of an animal may comprise velcro straps secured at one side of the canvas cover and engaging over and onto velcro anchoring strips secured to the canvas cover at the other side thereof.

One preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

Figure 1 is a perspective view from the pouch portion side of the compress of one of the preferred embodiments of the invention with multiple vertical stitching although single stitching is sufficient for most applications of the compress.

Figure 2 is a perspective view from the canvas piece side of the compress of Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a part cross-sectional view taken along line 3- 3 of Figure 1, and

Figure 4 is a part cross-sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of Figure 1 showing the compress in an expanded condition after being soaked in water.

INTEGER LIST

5. Compress

6. Horse boot

7. Pouch portion

8. Canvas cover sheet

9. Attachment straps 10. Binding around compress

11. Water absorbent crystals

12. Pouch portion compartments

13. Stitching between pouch compartments

14. Velcro anchoring strips 15. Passive surface

16. Attachment of Velcro straps

17. Canvas side of boot

DETAILED DESCRIPTION WITH RESPECT TO THE DRAWINGS

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the compress 5 is made in the style of a horse boot 6 and consists of a pouch portion 7, a pouch cover 8 and attachment means 9. The pouch portion 7 is generally constructed from two rectangular pieces of textile material pervious to water, such as cotton material. The two pieces of cotton material are sewn together with a canvas cover sheet 8 in the normal manner to form a rectangular boot 6. Binding 10 is used on the edges of the boot to prevent fraying. Before the pouch portion 7 is sealed, water absorbent crystals 11, such as polyacrylamide crystals are placed inside. The pouch portion is typically partitioned into a plurality of compartments 12, in this case nine, in order to maintain a roughly uniform distribution of the crystals 11.

The walls for the partitions between the compartments 12 are formed by stitching the two pieces of the cotton pouch material together parallel to the top and bottom edges and the side edges of the rectangular pouch portion 7. The stitching 13 must be small enough so as to prevent the crystals 11 from passing from one partition to another. The canvas cover material 8 is sewn to the pouch portion 7 along the outside edges and along two horizontal lines of the pouch portion 7. The attachment means in this embodiment consists of corresponding velcro straps. As is well known, velcro straps consist of two types of material which interlock when they come into contact with each other, but which may be pulled apart by the Judicious application of force. Said materials are woven in such a manner that they have an active (bonding) surface 14 and a passive surface 15. In the preferred embodiment, three rectangular strips of the velcro material 15 are sewn onto the outer side of the canvas at 16 adjacent a vertical edge of the boot 6. Obviously, the strips are sewn onto the pouch with the active surface 15 exposed. Strips of the second velcro material 14 are sewn on to the canvas at the opposite side of the boot so that a length of the strip roughly equivalent to the length of a strip of the first material, extends beyond the edge of the boot. The strips of the second material are arranged so that their active or anchoring surfaces 14 face in the same direction as the outer side 17 of the canvas cover 8. Hence, when the boot 6 is wrapped around the horse's limb, the two active surfaces may be brought into contact in order to fix the horse boot in place.

To use the horse boot as a compress, it needs to be soaked in water for approximately thirty minutes. The temperature of the water may be varied in order to achieve either a hot or cold compress. When placed in water, the crystals 11 contained within the cotton pouch portion 7 absorb water and expand. After soaking, the temperature of the expanded crystals will approximate that of the water the horse boot was soaked in.

When the compress is to be used in the cold state, it is preferred that the vertical lines of sewing for the compartments of the pouch portion be in multiple form as shown in Figure 1 to allow for bending of the boot around the limb for maximum contact or engagement of the pouch compartments around the limb. It has been found that a cold compress in a frozen state will not bend around a single row of stitching to form a tubular compress when applied to an animal's limb. This multiple vertical stitching is not necessary when the boot is used as a hot compress.

When applied to the horse's limb, the differential in temperature between the limb and the compress will aid the healing process. When the compress reaches thermal equilibrium with the horses external body temperature, it may be resoaked in water for approximately one minute in order to reactivate the compress to the desired treatment temperature.

It will be appreciated that the fastening means may be other than velcro straps and may be any known quick engagement and release means which will not hinder movement of the horse's limbs. It will also be appreciated that the compress may be constructed in accordance with the invention so as to be usable on animals of various sizes. It will also be appreciated that the compress of the invention may be shaped to be applied to the fetlock and hock areas of an animal's limb.

Claims

THE CLAIMS DEFINING THE INVENTION ARE AS FOLLOWS:-

1. A reusable compress for treatment of the limb of an animal, said compress comprising a pouch portion of textile material, the interior of which pouch portion contains water absorbent crystals adapted to absorb water and form an expanded fluid mass in the pouch portion when immersed in water, and means to fasten the compress in its expanded form around the limb of an animal.

2. A compress according to Claim 1, wherein the pouch portion is constructed of two rectangular pieces of water permeable textile material sewn together with a cover piece of water impermeable material on one side thereof.

3. A compress according to Claim 2, wherein one rectangular piece of the pouch portion is adapted to contact the limb of the animal.

4. A compress according to any one of Claims 1 to 3, wherein the two pieces of textile material forming the pouch portion are partitioned, as by sewing, into a plurality of compartments.

5. A compress according to Claim 4, wherein before sealing and closing the partitions of the pouch portion, the water absorbent crystals are placed in equal amounts in the several compartments.

6. A compress according to any one of the preceding Claims 2 to 5 wherein the fastening means for the compress comprise velcro straps secured at one side of the cover sheet and engaging over and onto velcro anchoring strips secured to the cover piece at the other side thereof.

7. A compress according to any one of the preceding Claims wherein binding is secured along the edges of the pouch portion and the cover sheet to prevent fraying thereof.

8. A reusable compress according to any one of the preceding Claims wherein the water permeable pouch portion is of cotton material.

9. A reusable compress according to any one of Claims 2 to 8 wherein the water impermeable cover piece is of canvas material.

10. A reusable compress according to any one of the preceding Claims and shaped for treatment of the fetlock of an animal.

11. A reusable compress according to any one of Claims 1 to 9 and shaped for treatment of the hock of an animal.

12. A reusable compress according to any one of the preceding Claims wherein the water absorbent crystals are particles of a polyacrylamide.

13. A reusable compress for treatment of the limb of an animal substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.