Universally adjustable cervical collar

Abstract

A universally adjustable cervical collar is in the form of a U-shaped base with a front joined to a pair of rearwardly extending wings. Left and right planar chin supports are pivotally connected at their distal ends to the distal ends to of respective wings with a chin piece connected between the upper proximal ends of the chin supports. An adjustable latch is individually coupled between each wing and the lower proximal end of the associated chin supports. Preferably the latch is in the form of 1) an arcuate slot in each wing arranged around the respective pivot axis with a track formed on opposite sides of the slot having inwardly projecting ribs and 2) a retractable locking pin carried by each chin support and moveable within the respective slot, the locking pins having outwardly projecting ribs adapted to engage adjacent ribs in the associated track to lock the chin support to the associated wing when in the locked position and to allow the chin support to be moved relative to the associated wing when in the retracted position

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]The present invention relates to portable neck braces and more particularly to a cervical collar that is universally adjustable to provide the quality of “one size fits all”, easy to install and provides a comfortable fit to enable a patient to wear the collar in compliance with the physician's orders.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]Portable neck braces have been used for years to immobilize the head and neck of a patient and put them in proper alignment after an injury as a result of trauma or disease. Cervical collars are generally of two types, either off-the-shelf-stock type which comes in a variety of sizes to accommodate a population of patients or collars which have certain adjustable features to reduce or hopefully eliminate the need for a variety of sizes.[0003]The art relating to portable neck braces and cervical collars is crowded, particularly in the patent literature. The various prior art braces have certain shortcomings, leaving a need to ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0008]In the preferred embodiment the latch mechanism includes a curved track positioned on each of the arms or the chin supports with a releasable locking pin positioned on the other member. Most preferably an arcuate slot is formed in the wings with a track having ribs or teeth extending inwardly from each side of the slot. A retractable locking pin is carried by the chin supports and provided with outwardly projecting ribs or teeth for engaging adjacent teeth on the track when in the locked position. When the pin is retracted from its locked position the proximal end of the chin supports are free to move relative to the wings and independently of each other. This allows the chin piece to not only be raised or lowered but canted at an angle to the base, i.e. to the vertical as is illustrated in FIG. 7.

Problems solved by technology

With respect to the prior art noted in certain patents see U.S. Pat. No. 7,674,234, (“234 patent”) which discloses a cervical collar that uses a somewhat complicated rack and pinion arrangement to raise and lower a chin strap; however, there is no ability to adjust the chin strap supports independently so the patient's head can be canted to one side (tilted relative the vertical) to accommodate a required anatomical constraint.

It would not appear to be user friendly or economical to manufacture.

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