U.S. patent number 3,710,790 [Application Number 04/881,535] was granted by the patent office on 1973-01-16 for elastic bandage.
Invention is credited to George E. Lemon.
United States Patent |
3,710,790 |
Lemon |
January 16, 1973 |
ELASTIC BANDAGE
Abstract
An elastic bandage for use on human limbs which consists of a
length of tubular elastic material which can be easily slipped over
the user's hand or foot. When the bandage is at the desired
location a portion of the bandage is doubled over itself to provide
sufficient tension. Suitable fastening means, such as mating pieces
of Velcro, are provided to hold the doubled over portion in
place.
Inventors: |
Lemon; George E. (Youngstown,
OH) |
Family
ID: |
25378677 |
Appl.
No.: |
04/881,535 |
Filed: |
December 2, 1969 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
602/63; 602/64;
128/DIG.15 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61F
13/108 (20130101); Y10S 128/15 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A61F
13/10 (20060101); A61f 013/10 () |
Field of
Search: |
;128/77,157,165,166,DIG.15,169 ;273/54B,166 ;2/162,163 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
318,767 |
|
Sep 1929 |
|
GB |
|
1,263,391 |
|
May 1961 |
|
FR |
|
Primary Examiner: Michell; Robert W.
Claims
I claim:
1. An elastic bandage for use on a human limb, comprising:
a circumferentially continuous tubular elastic sleeve of such
diameter as to have free sliding relation with the portion of the
limb on which the bandage is to be applied; and
at least one set of fastening members including a first fastening
member secured to the outer surface of the sleeve and a second
fastening member in the form of an elongated strip secured along
only one end thereof to the outer surface of the sleeve in
circumferentially spaced relation to the first fastening member, a
portion of the second member fastening spaced from the point of
attachment, said portion being adapted for retaining engagement
with the first fastening member, the distance between the secured
end of the second fastening member and said portion being less than
the distance along the surface of the sleeve between the secured
end of the second fastening member and the first fastening member
whereby a portion of the sleeve is retained in folded-over relation
by the fastening members when the members are in retaining
engagement with one another.
2. An elastic bandage according to claim 1 further characterized in
that one of said fastening members comprises a piece of material
having numerous closely spaced hook-like elements on one surface
thereof and the other of said fastening members comprises a piece
of material having numerous closely spaced loop-like elements on
one surface thereof.
3. The elastic bandage according to claim 1 wherein the bandage has
a plurality of sets of fastening members.
4. The elastic bandage according to claim 3 wherein the first
fastening members are longitudinally aligned with one another and
the second fastening members are longitudinally aligned with one
another.
Description
This invention relates to an elastic bandage for use on human arms
or legs and more particularly to an elastic bandage which may be
easily positioned in the desired location and which may be easily
secured to apply the desired amount of tension.
Presently employed elastic bandages used to protect sprained
muscles and weak joints, among other uses, are difficult for the
wearer to properly apply without assistance. This is especially
true when the bandage must be applied to an arm as the wearer then
has only one hand free to position the bandage, wrap it so as to
apply the desired amount of tension, and secure the bandage in
place.
It is the primary object of the present invention to provide an
improved elastic bandage which a user may readily position and
secure in the desired location without assistance. It is also an
object of the present invention to provide an elastic bandage which
the user may position and secure in the desired location and with
the desired amount of tension with the use of only one hand. A
further object of the invention is the provision of an elastic
bandage which when installed, presents a neat appearance. Another
object of the present invention is the provision of an elastic
bandage which is of simple and inexpensive construction.
In accordance with the principles of my invention these objectives
are fulfilled by providing an elastic bandage in tubular form which
may be folded over itself along a portion of its circumference and
which includes easily fastened securing means to hold the
folded-over portions in place.
The above and other objects and advantages of my invention will
become apparent upon consideration of the following specification
and the accompanying drawing wherein there is shown a preferred
embodiment of the invention.
In the drawing:
FIG. 1 is a perspective side view of the elastic bandage of my
invention;
FIG. 2 is a plan view of the bandage of FIG. 1 in which the bandage
has been slit and flattened to show the relative locations of the
fastening members;
FIG. 3 is a pictorial view showing the elastic bandage positioned
on the user's arm in an untightened state;
FIGS. 4 and 5 are pictorial views showing the bandage in various
stages of being secured to the user's arm;
FIG. 6 is a pictorial view showing the bandage applied and
tightened on a user's arm;
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the bandage in a tightened
position; and
FIG. 8 is a perspective side view of a second embodiment of the
elastic bandage of my invention.
As will be seen from FIGS. 1 and 2, the bandage of my invention
consists of a length of tubular elastic material 10. Secured to the
outer surface of the band 10 are a pair of mating fastening members
11 and 12. These fastening members 11 and 12 preferrably consist of
mating pieces of Velcro, one member consisting of a piece of
material having numerous closely spaced hook-like elements on one
surface and the other member having numerous closely spaced
loop-like elements on one surface. The first fastening member 11 is
secured along its entire length to the elastic band 10 midway
between opposite edges of the band. The second fastening member 12
is also secured to the band 10 midway between its edges but is
spaced from the first fastening member 11 and is secured to the
band 10 along only one edge 13 of the fastening member 12.
Preferrably, the distance between the first fastening member 11 and
the edge 13 of the second fastening member 12, designated by the
reference numeral 14, is equal to approximately one third of the
circumference of the band 10.
The band 10 may be formed of a seamless tubular elastic material or
of a flat elastic material stitched or otherwise joined to form a
tubular member. The diameter of the band 10 is such that the band
may be slipped over the wearer's hand or foot easily.
The bandage is applied to the desired location on the arm or leg of
the user by first slipping the band onto the limb and positioning
it in the area to which it is desired to apply tension. When the
band is in this position, as shown in FIG. 3, it loosely surrounds
the limb and may be easily moved to the exact location desired. The
user now grips the band 10 between his thumb and fingers so that
the thumb is in the region 14 and the fingers are on the opposite
side of the point 13 at which the fastening member 12 is attached
to the band. As shown in FIG. 4, while holding the band in this
manner the user pulls the gripped portion of the band away from the
limb. It should be noted that the band is gripped in such a manner
that the point of attachment 13 of the second fastening member 12
is on the fold line 15 between the regions of the band gripped by
the user's thumb and fingers. When the band has been pulled
sufficiently tight that the desired amount of tension is provided,
the portion of the band 16 gripped between the thumb and fingers is
folded so that the region 14 is doubled over itself. During the
folding of the portion 16 the thumb and fingers remain firmly
clamped to the band to maintain the desired tension. As shown in
FIG. 5, as the region 16 is folded the user's thumb and fingers are
gradually slid toward the fold 15. When the fold has been
completed, the user maintains his fingers on the folded-over
portions 16 closely adjacent to the fold 15 and uses his thumb to
press the fastening member 12 into contact with the fastening
member 11 thereby securing the fold in place. The band 10 is now
tightly wrapped around the user's limb applying the desired tension
thereto. The fastening members 11 and 12 hold the folded-over
portions 16 securely in place, maintaining the desired tension. In
order to release the bandage it is merely necessary to pull the
fastening member 12 free from its mating member 11. This returns
the bandage to the position shown in FIG. 3 and permits its easy
removal.
This technique for applying the bandage is, of course, not the only
one which may be used. Other techniques may be employed and, when
the bandage is to be applied to certain areas of the body, a
technique different from that described may be preferred. However,
regardless of the method used to apply the bandage, the basic
method remains the same. The band 10 is positioned at the desired
location, stretched to achieve the desired tension, doubled over
itself, and secured by the fastening members.
When bandage 10 is in its applied position on the user's limb, a
portion of the second fastening member 12 is in engagement with the
first fastening member 11. This portion is separated from the
attachment point 13 by a distance which is less than the distance
14, measured along the surface of the sleeve, between the point of
attachment 13 and the first fastening member 11.
When it is desired to apply the bandage to a larger area the
embodiment shown in FIG. 8 may be used. In this embodiment there is
provided an elongated tubular band 20 provided at spaced intervals
along its length with first fastening members 21, 22, 23 and
associated second fastening members 24, 25, 26. Preferrably, the
first fastening members consist of pieces of Velcro secured to the
band in the same manner as the fastening members 11 of the
previously described embodiment. Likewise, the second fastening
members 24-26 are preferrably tabs of a mating Velcro material, in
the same fashion as a second fastening members 12 of the previously
described embodiment. In applying this bandage the same sequence is
followed as with the previous embodiment, the middle pair of
fastening members 22 and 25 preferrably being fastened first and
the end pairs of fastening members 21, 24, and 23, 26 being then
fastened.
It should be noted that while the use of Velcro material for the
first and second fastening members facilitates the application of
the bandage, other fastening means may be used, if desired. For
example, the first fastening means may consist of a clamping type
buckle and the second fastening means of a strip of tape secured at
one end to the band 10 and threaded through the buckle forming the
first fastening means.
It should also be noted that the band 10 may be provided with
auxiliary straps to apply tension across the user's wrist to his
fingers. For example, the band 10 of the present invention may be
substituted for the wrist encircling band shown in my copending
application Ser. No. 813,546, filed Apr. 4, 1969, for "Wrist
Restraint for Golfers and Bowlers," now U.S. Pat. No. 3,606,343
granted 1971. 20, 191 .
* * * * *