The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Dec. 09, 1997
Filed:
Jun. 01, 1994
Tracy E Grim, Broken Arrow, OK (US);
Kevin R O'Donnell, Thousand Oaks, CA (US);
Alec D Bobroff, Saratoga, CA (US);
Mark D Holt, Moorpark, CA (US);
Joseph M Iglesias, Agoura, CA (US);
John M Bourne, Redondo Beach, CA (US);
William K Arnold, Pasadena, CA (US);
Other;
Abstract
An orthopaedic support includes a sheet of foam material that has been compression molded in specific areas. These areas have a thickness and density that is different from other areas of the support and serve to better fit the support to the body. The support may include compression molded grooves or cavities to accommodate straps, struts, gel-filled pads, inflatable bladders, pumps, and other accessories. The support may also include compression molded grooves that reduce bunching when the support is bent, and may include molded edges to minimize skin irritation during activity. The brace may also be a back brace or an ankle brace having compression molded components. A method of compression molding an orthopaedic support includes compression molding at least one sheet of resilient foam material in selected areas to reduce the thickness and increase the density of the material in those areas. Various embodiments of the present invention may include compression-molded bladders having walls which are compression-molded about the bladder perimeter.