US2889830A - Fracture preventing hip protecting means - Google Patents

Description

M. L. RAYMOND FRACTURE PREVENTING HIP PROTECTING MEANS Filed Feb. 21, 1957 Malcolm 1.. Raymond,

INVEN TOR.

BY M

Unite States Patent FRACTURE PREVENTING HIP PROTECTING MEANS Malcolm L. Raymond, Johnstown, Pa.

Application February 21, 1957, Serial No. 641,673

2 Claims. (Cl. 128-522) The present invention relates to protective and safeguarding appliances, generally speaking, and has reference in particular to a combination and association of hip pads and attaching and retaining means which is expressly designed for use by elderly people in diminishing the likelihood of hip fractures at the neck of the femur or thigh bone.

It is a matter of common knowledge to those conversant with protective accessories and appliances that time and again an elderly person may strike the hip on the floor or similar surface resulting from a fall sideways. A smaller percentage of fracture difiiculties are chargeable to the unusual fragility of the neck of the bone which may be easily disturbed and perhaps fractured by force exerted up the leg from the foot resulting from a jar. With a view toward minimizing expensive operative treatment and prolonged morbidity, the invention herein disclosed is offered in the belief that it will help to cope with the problems of the aged insofar as the vulnerable and fracturable hip areas are concerned.

Briefly summarized, the concept has to do with simple, practical and reasonably comfortable means wherein pads serve to absorb the direct blow of a sidewise fall in a manner to ofier protection for the wearers hips.

Novelty is also predicated on a structure which atfords extra support to an anatomic pelvic girdle or belt by aptly binding the femurs to the pelvic girdle and wherein the girdle has the incidental function of supporting the lower portion of the abdomen of the wearer, resulting, as is commonly the situation, from debilitated muscle tone.

Other objects, features and advantages will become more readily apparent from the following description and the accompanying sheet of illustrative, but not restrictive, drawing.

In the drawing, wherein like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same:

Fig. l is a perspective view of the over-all appliance characterized as before emphasized by the shock absorband and hip protecting pads;

Fig. 2 is a view of the same on a slightly smaller scale and illustrating how the appliance looks when it is applied to ones person;

Fig. 3 is an exaggerated view taken on the plane of the line 3-3 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows; and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view similar to Fig. 3 but showing a modification in the construction of one of the hip pads.

Referring now to the drawing with the aid of reference numerals and lead lines, the aforementioned bodyencircling belt, more specifically a pelvic girdle, is denoted by the numeral 6, and the frontal portion thereof is relatively wide, as at 8, to provide an abdominal supporter. The end portions are overlapped and suitably and adjustably connected together by appropriate fastening elements 12. This belt may be of any appron I, 2,889,830 Patented June 9, 1959 priate material and serves as an anchor for the diametrically opposite hip pads 14. The pads are each the same in construction and a description of one will sufiice for both. Each pad is generally pear-shaped in form and has a convex upper end portion 16 and a gradually reduced and tapering lower end portion 18. The pad is cushioned by way of a filler of sponge rubber 20 contained in a suitable confining and shaping jacket 22. The exterior surface portions are not particularly important insofar as the configuration is concerned. However, the surface which actually bears against the protectable hip area is significant in that it has a suitably shaped and contoured accommodation recess 24, which recess conformingly fits over each hip prominence (great trochanters) and so that the upper and more prominent end portion 16 is situated at the desired plane or level to absorb the shock of a sidewise fall against the side of the hip bone (ilium) just above and to thus prevent it against the trochanter and shaft just below.

As already mentioned, the protectors or pads are made essentially of sponge rubber or an equivalent material and may be of the form seen in Fig. 3 or the form seen in Fig. 4 which is a modification showing a coil spring shock absorber 26 embodied in and forming a part of the pad. In this form of the invention, as well as in Fig. 3, there is a leather or an equivalent strap which is embedded in the pad and extends lengthwise through the same, as denoted at 28. The upper extending end provides an attaching car 30 and the lower extending end 32 provides a similar hold-down ear. The latter is fixedly connected to the inner peripheral portion of an adjustable thigh strap 34. The end portions are connected by an adjustable tip 36 cooperating with an adjusting and retaining buckle 38. A slide and adapter 40 is also provided and this has a loop portion 42 which is slidable on the cooperating portion of the girdle or band 6. It has also a depending portion 44 which is connected with the ear 30 by way of a pivoting rivet or equivalent fastener 46, all as seen in Fig. 3.

As before mentioned, the body-encircling belt 6 has a wider central or median portion to provide an abdominal support. The pivotal connections between the pars and the girdle permits the relative movement of the components to permit sitting and walking without distortion or displacement of the protectors. The entire appliance is light in weight and comfortable and is not unsightly when the wearer is fully clothed.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. For use by elderly people with a view toward diminishing hip fracture at the neck of the femur which could happen by striking the hip during a sidewise fall or similar accident; a waist encircling belt having adjustably connected overlapping end portions and having a wide median portion constituting an abdominal supporter, a pair of individually adjustable thigh encircling straps, adapters slidingly mounted on diametrically opposite portions of said belt, and a pair of diametrically opposite cushioned pads having means at their respective lower ends connecting said ends with cooperating portions of said thigh encircling straps and having upper end portions pivotally connected to said adapters below the lower edge of said belt, the anatomy contacting surfaces of each pad being adapted to have immediate and direct contact with hip prominences and be- 3 ing indented to provide a conformingly applicable depression to accommodate the great trochanters.

2. The structure definedin claim 1 and wherein each pad is provided with a non-elastic relatively narrow strap which is embedded lengthwise in the pad and has its respective ends extending beyond the upper and lower ends of the pad, each upper extending end providing an attaching ear which is pivotally connected with the cooperating adapter, the lower extending end providing a References Cited in the file of this patent hold-down ear which is fixedly connected to an inner 10 2,543,644

peripheral portion of the cooperating thigh strap.

UNITED STATES PATENTS Craig Oct. 2, 1888 Kuebler June 20, 1911 Rider June 20, 1916 Levinson Dec. 28, 1926 Snavely Dec. 23, 1930 McCoy Dec. 23, 1941 Satori Feb. 27, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS Austria July 15, 1953 Canada Nov. 1, 1955

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