Portable system for assisting body movement

a technology of body movement and portable devices, which is applied in the field of mammalian body motion and physical health, can solve the problems of damage to body bones or joints, injury, damage to body joints, etc., and achieve the effects of reducing body weight, flexing with minimal force, and being portable and convenien

Inactive Publication Date: 2009-10-15
LITE RUN
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  • Summary
  • Abstract
  • Description
  • Claims
  • Application Information

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0016]The present invention provides a differential pressure body suit with external support against body suit migration. In its preferred embodiment, such body suit may comprise a close-fitting, multi-layered suit sealed against a mammal's skin to contain the differential pressure, or a looser-fitting suit that bends at the mammal's joints with minimal force. External support means include either fixed or movable mechanical supports attached to the body suit, extraordinary air pressure levels for making the body suit rigid, or exoskeletons attached to the body suit. A cyclic control system can turn the differential pressure condition within the body suit on and off on a selective basis to accommodate the movement of the legs of the mammal. This differential pressure body suit provides a portable and convenient system for rehabilitating a skeletal joint injury or training the mammal for injury prevention or athletic performance. The pressurization reduces the weight of the

Problems solved by technology

Over time, body bones or joints can become damaged.
Such damage may result from the aging process, manifested by arthritis, osteoporosis, and slips and falls.
But injuries are also caused by sports activities.
In addition to bodily injuries caused by falls, prolonged bicycling can result in groin discomfort or numbness.
These can be cumbersome and expensive systems that do not necessarily reduce the stress on the body caused by gravity.
However, these types of systems are not portable, since the person is confined to the pool or water tank.
Moreover, pools or water tanks may be unavailable or expensive to install.
But the straps and attachment devices create localized pressure points and stresses on the body, and restrict the range of motion of the body and its limbs.
Such a mechanical weight off-loading system may also lack portability.
Howe

Method used

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  • Portable system for assisting body movement
  • Portable system for assisting body movement
  • Portable system for assisting body movement

Examples

Experimental program
Comparison scheme
Effect test

example 1

[0182]A working model of pressure shorts (waist to above the knees) to reduce the effective body weight of an individual was constructed and tested as follows. Shorts were sewn using airproof, rubberized nylon material (Harris Canvas, Minneapolis, Minn.), following a standard shorts pattern with legs extended to reach just above the knees. Seals were created above each knee by obtaining commercially available compression leggings. The leggings were made airtight by applying a complete coat of seam sealer (Seam Lock sold by REI, Inc. of Sumner, Wash.). The leggings were worn by the test individual from mid-thigh, and they terminated just above the knee joint. Each legging was interfaced to a leg of the nylon exterior shorts by placing each over a 7″ diameter steel ring, and then clamping together with a worm gear of said diameter. This was done for expediency. In a commercial application, this union would simply be sewn together, and seam sealed. The waist seal was constructed using ...

example 2

Prototype Pressurizing Suit

[0185]A prototype pressurizing suit extending from the waist to around the feet having an air bladder-type seas was constructed. The suit was constructed of two neoprene waders sized large and extra-large. The neoprene waders were both waterproof and airproof. The smaller waders were placed inside the larger-sized waders. The waders were fastened together at the waist using an epoxy adhesive to form an airtight seal. This formed an airproof compartment between the outer wader and the inner wader, which could be pressurized. When pressurized, the inner wader formed a seal against the body; the outer wader formed the pressurized body suit. An automobile air valve was attached to the outer wader to allow the unit to be pressurized.

[0186]The body suit was pressurized using a standard air compressor. A hose from the air compressor was attached to the valve in the suit. When pressurized, the user could feel pressure on his legs and reduced force on his legs. Mov...

example 3

Pressurized Leg Unit

[0188]A pressurized leg unit extending from the thigh to around the foot was constructed. The unit was constructed as follows: A waterproof hip wader was fitted tightly over a section of plastic PVC pipe. The pipe had an inner diameter slightly larger than the user's thigh. An airtight seal was formed between the leg and the neoprene. On the top of the unit, an inner seal was formed by applying neoprene to the inner diameter of the PVC tube to a sufficient thickness, so that a tight airtight seal was formed between the neoprene and the user's thigh. A pressure hose fitting was attached to the PVC pipe to allow the unit to be pressurized. The unit was pressurized to less than 3 psi. The pressure was sufficient that the user noticed a reduction in weight and pressure on his foot.

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PUM

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Abstract

The present invention provides a differential pressure body suit with external support against body suit migration. In its preferred embodiment, such body suit may comprise a close-fitting, multi-layered suit sealed against a mammal's skin to contain the differential pressure, or a looser-fitting suit that bends at the mammal's joints with minimal force. External support means include either fixed or movable mechanical supports attached to the body suit, extraordinary air pressure levels for making the body suit rigid, or exoskeletons attached to the body suit. A cyclic control system can turn the differential pressure condition within the body suit on and off on a selective basis to accommodate the movement of the legs of the mammal. This differential pressure body suit provides a portable and convenient system for, e.g., rehabilitating a skeletal joint injury or training the mammal for injury prevention or athletic performance. The pressurization reduces the weight of the body to greater or lesser extents, and offloads the weight to the ground through the external support means.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION[0001]This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application Nos. 61 / 010,034 filed on Jan. 7, 2008, and 61 / 131,919 filed on Jun. 13, 2008, both of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]This invention relates generally to the motion and physical health of the mammalian body, and more specifically to portable systems for assisting humans or other animals to medically rehabilitate or train specific body parts through the application to such body parts of differential pressure.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]Vertebrate animals feature a flexible, bony skeletal framework that provides the body shape, protects vital organs, and enables the body to move. The human skeleton comprises approximately 206 separate bones. These bones meet at joints, the majority of which are freely movable. The skeleton also contains cartilage for elasticity, and muscular ligaments consisting of strong strips o...

Claims

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Application Information

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IPC IPC(8): A61F5/28
CPCA61F5/24A61D3/00A61H3/04A61H9/0078A61H2201/165A61H2201/5071A61H2203/03A61H2205/08A61H2205/10A61H2209/00A63B21/00181A63B22/02A63B22/20A63B69/0064A63B2208/05A63B2208/14A63B71/0009A61H3/00A61H2201/1616A61H2201/1621A61H2201/163A61H2201/1642A63B2022/0094A61H9/0057A61H3/008
Inventor JOHNSON, DOUGLAS E.HAUCK, JOHN A.OSLAND, ODDJOHNSON, MARK T.
Owner LITE RUN
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