Lumbar belt including a positioning indicator

Abstract

Lumbar belt including a positioning indicator The lumbar belt (1) comprising a main body (2) extending along a main direction (D) between two body ends (6) reversibly attachable to each other to encircle the abdomen of a user, said lumbar belt comprising a back panel (4) comprising at least two stays (18) extending along an elevation direction (E) substantially perpendicular to the main direction (D) and spaced apart along the main direction (D) on either side of a central area (24) of the back panel (4). The central area (24) of the back plate (4) includes at least one tactile centering indicator element (30), said tactile element (30) extending from the inner face (8) to the outer face (10) of the back plate (4) and being arranged to allow identification of the part of the user's body extending against the inner face (8) of the back plate (4).Figure for the abridged version: 3.

Description

Title of the invention: Lumbar belt comprising a positioning indicator

[0001] The present invention relates to a lumbar belt of the type comprising a main body extending in a main direction between two body ends attachable to each other in a reversible manner to surround the abdomen of a user, said lumbar belt comprising a dorsal plastron provided substantially in the center of the lumbar belt in the main direction, said dorsal plastron comprising an internal face, intended to be applied against the patient's back, and an external face, opposite the internal face, said dorsal plastron comprising at least two stays extending in a direction of elevation substantially perpendicular to the main direction and spaced apart from each other in the main direction on either side of a central zone of the dorsal plastron extending in the center of the dorsal plastron in the main direction.

[0002] Such a lumbar belt is arranged to provide support and elastic reinforcement on the lumbar area of ​​a user in order to relieve pain in the lower spine of this user. The dorsal plastron, positioned thanks to the main body opposite the spine of the user, provides in particular the support necessary for postural recall.

[0003] In order to be effective, the lumbar belt must be correctly oriented relative to the user's abdomen. Indeed, the dorsal plastron must in particular be correctly centered relative to the user's spine so that the structural elements of the dorsal plastron, such as the stays, fulfill their lumbar support role in an optimized manner by being arranged on either side of the spine without covering it.

[0004] However, when a user places the lumbar belt around his abdomen and secures the body ends to each other to hold the lumbar belt in place, it is particularly difficult for him to ensure that the lumbar belt is correctly oriented and the centering of the back plate is generally done approximately.

[0005] One of the aims of the invention is to overcome this drawback by proposing a lumbar belt allowing a user to correctly orient it in a simple and precise manner.

[0006] To this end, the invention relates to a lumbar belt of the aforementioned type, in which the central zone of the dorsal plastron comprises at least one tactile element for indicating centering, said tactile element extending from the internal face to the external face of the back plate and being arranged to allow identification of the part of the user's body extending against the internal face of the back plate opposite said tactile element from the external face of the back plate.

[0007] The tactile element of the dorsal plastron allows a user to correctly center the dorsal plastron on his spine, because the user can feel the spine through the dorsal plastron by touch when the tactile element, which is itself centered on the dorsal plastron, is opposite the spine. Thus, the user can, without needing to see the dorsal plastron, orient the lumbar belt simply and precisely without external intervention.

[0008] The lumbar belt according to the invention may further comprise one or more of the following characteristics, considered alone or in any technically conceivable combination of tactile element is formed by an opening crossing the central zone of the dorsal plastron and opening into the internal face and into the external face of the dorsal plastron: - the tactile element is formed by an element of material different from the material of the dorsal plastron, extending into an opening passing through the central area of ​​the dorsal plastron; - the tactile element has a thickness, measured in the direction from the internal face to the external face, less than the thickness of the dorsal plastron at the level of the whales; - the difference in thickness between the tactile element and the ribs is approximately between 0.5 mm and 4 mm; - the central area of ​​the dorsal plastron comprises a plurality of tactile elements distributed over the central area in the direction of elevation; - two strap ends attachable to each other and / or to the body ends in a reversible manner opposite the body ends, said additional strap being permanently fixed to the external face of the dorsal plastron without covering the tactile element; - the additional strap comprises two strap sections each extending from one dorsal end to one of the strap ends, the dorsal ends of the strap sections extending on either side of the central area of ​​the dorsal breastplate; - the dorsal ends of the strap sections are each fixed in the vicinity of one of the stays of the dorsal breastplate, along one edge of said stay; - the distance between the dorsal ends of the strap sections is approximately between 40 mm and 60 mm depending on the main direction.

[0009] Other aspects and advantages of the invention will appear more clearly on reading of the following description, given solely as a non-limiting example, and made with reference to the appended drawings, in which:

[0010] [Fig.l] - [Fig.l] is a schematic perspective representation of a lumbar belt according to the invention seen from the front,

[0011] [Fig.2] - [Fig.2] is a schematic representation of the external face of the body main part of the lumbar belt of [Fig.l] according to one embodiment of the invention,

[0012] [Fig.3] - [Fig.3] is a schematic representation of the external face of the body main part of the lumbar belt of [Fig.l] according to another embodiment of the invention, and

[0013] [Fig.4] - [Fig.4] is a schematic representation of a part of the external face of the lumbar belt of [Fig.3], showing the attachment areas of an additional strap.

[0014] With reference to Figs. 1 to 3, a lumbar belt 1 is described comprising a main body 2 and a dorsal breastplate 4.

[0015] The main body 2 is more particularly shown in Figs. 2 and 3 and extends in a main direction D between two body ends 6. The main body 2 defines an inner face 8, intended to be applied against or turned towards the body of a user when the lumbar belt 1 is worn, and an outer face 10, opposite the inner face and turned towards the outside when the lumbar belt 1 is worn. The two body ends 6 are reversibly attachable to each other to close the lumbar belt around the abdomen of the user. For this purpose, the body ends 6 comprise for example complementary and reversible fastening elements extending at least on the inner face 8 of one of the body ends 6 and on the outer face 10 of the other body end 6.Such additional fixing elements are, for example, of the self-gripping type, such as loops cooperating with hooks, or other.

[0016] The dorsal breastplate 4 is arranged to be positioned opposite the spinal column of a user wearing the lumbar belt 1. For this purpose, the dorsal breastplate 4 is placed substantially in the center of the main body along the main direction D between the two ends of the body 6, that is to say substantially equidistant from the two ends of the body 6.

[0017] More particularly, according to the embodiment shown in the figures, the body 2 comprises two sections of textile sheet 12 extending on either side of the dorsal plastron 4 in the main direction D and each forming one of the ends of the body 6. Each section of textile sheet 12 is permanently fixed, for example by sewing or welding, to the dorsal plastron 4, the sections of textile sheet 12 and the dorsal plastron 4 forming the body 2 of the lumbar belt 1, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

[0018] Each section of textile sheet 12 comprises for example at least one strip of textile material 14 extending between an edge 16 of the dorsal plastron 4 and one of the ends of the body 6. The strip of textile material 14 is for example extensible or elastic so that the tightening of the body 2 around the abdomen of a user is adjustable by stretching the sections of textile sheet 12 before fixing the ends of the body 6 to each other. According to the embodiment shown in the figures, each section of textile sheet 12 comprises two strips of textile material 14 adjacent to each other at the edge 16 of the dorsal plastron 4 in an elevation direction E substantially perpendicular to the main direction D and gradually superimposing one on the other going towards the end of the corresponding body 6 in the main direction D, as more particularly visible in Figs. 2 and 3.When the lumbar belt 1 is worn, the elevation direction E corresponds to the direction in which the user's spine extends.

[0019] The dorsal breastplate 4 is for example formed by a substantially rigid plate shaped to have the desired shape so that the dorsal breastplate 4 can fulfill its lumbar support function.

[0020] The dorsal plastron 4 comprises at least two stays 18 extending in the elevation direction E between a lower end 20 and an upper end 22. The stays 18 are spaced apart from each other in the main direction D and are, for example, connected to each other by a bridge of material extending between the two stays 18. When the lumbar belt 1 is worn, the stays 18 extend on either side of the spinal column parallel to it and without covering it. The area of ​​the dorsal plastron 4 extending between the two stays 18 forms a central area 24 of the dorsal plastron 4. The central area 24 thus covers the spinal column when the lumbar belt is worn. The edges of the whales 18 opposite the bridge 24 form for example the edges 16 of the breastplate 4 to which the sections of textile sheet 4 are fixed. According to the embodiment shown in Figs.2 and 3, the dorsal plastron 4 further comprises extensions 26 extending projecting from the edges of the ribs 18 in the main direction D and forming complementary lumbar support elements extending substantially in the elevation direction E. Such extensions 26 extend for example on the internal face 8 or on the external face 10 of the sections of textile sheet 12. When the dorsal plastron 4 is made of a single plate, the extensions 26 are connected to the ribs 18 by at least one bridge of material 28 extending for example from the upper end 22 of the ribs 18 according to the embodiment shown in [Fig.2] or extending projecting from the edge of the ribs between the lower 20 and upper 22 ends according to the embodiment shown in [Fig.3].

[0021] It is understood that such an embodiment of the dorsal breastplate 4 is given only by way of example and that the dorsal breastplate 4 may have another shape as long as it comprises the two ribs 18, for example by comprising additional ribs or by being made in several pieces fixed to each other by means of sections of textile sheet, as shown in [Fig.l]. Thus, according to one embodiment, the dorsal breastplate 12 is made in two pieces intended to extend on either side of the spinal column when the lumbar belt is worn. These two pieces are for example fixed to each other by a flexible material, such as a textile material or other. In this case, each piece of the dorsal breastplate 12 comprises for example at least one rib 20 and the flexible material connecting the two pieces forms the central zone 24.Also as a variant, the dorsal plastron 4 is removably attached to the main body 2, for example on the internal face 8 of the main body. In this case, the part of the body 2 extending over the dorsal plastron 4 is considered to be part of the dorsal plastron 4.

[0022] In a known manner, the whales 18 of the dorsal breastplate 4 are for example plastically deformable so that their shape in the direction of elevation adapts to the morphology of the user of the lumbar belt 1.

[0023] According to the invention, the central zone 24 of the back plate 4 comprises at least one tactile element 30 for centering indication extending from the inner face 8 to the outer face 10 of the back plate 4 and being arranged to allow identification of the part of the user's body extending against the inner face 8 of the back plate 4 opposite the tactile element 30 from the outer face 10 of the back plate 4. In other words, a user wearing the belt and touching the tactile element 30 on the side of the outer face 10 of the back plate 4 is able to feel the part of his body which is arranged on the other side of the tactile element 30, that is to say on the side of the inner face 8 of the back plate 4.It will be noted that such identification is not possible outside the tactile element 30, the thickness of the plate forming the dorsal plastron 4 preventing the part of the body against which the part of the dorsal plastron 4 touched on the side of the external face 10 thereof extends from being felt. In other words, the tactile element 30 has a different feel from that of the rest of the dorsal plastron and this feel makes it possible to feel what extends on the other side of the tactile element 30. Such a property can be obtained in different ways, as will be described later.

[0024] The tactile element 30, due to its position on the dorsal breastplate 4, makes it possible to correctly position the lumbar belt 1 on the user's spine. Indeed, as will be described later, the tactile element 30 is placed in the center of the lumbar belt 1 in the main direction D, that is to say opposite the user's spine when the lumbar belt 1 is worn and correctly oriented on the user's abdomen. Thus, when the user places the belt lumbar belt around his abdomen, he can touch the tactile element 30 to ensure that it is correctly oriented by feeling his spine through the tactile element 30. If the user does not feel the spine through the tactile element 30, he can reposition the lumbar belt 1 until he feels it, which means that the lumbar belt 1 is worn correctly and that the back protector 4 is fulfilling its function as well as possible.

[0025] According to the embodiment shown in [Fig. 2], the tactile element 30 is formed by an opening passing through the central zone 24 and opening into the internal face 8 and into the external face 10. Thus, a user passing his finger on the side of the external face 10 of the dorsal plastron 4 can directly feel the part of the body extending on the side of the internal face 8 when the finger passes over the opening passing through the central zone 24. According to one embodiment, the through opening is formed in a part of the central zone 24 having a reduced thickness compared to that of the dorsal plastron 4 at the ribs 18, measured in the direction from the internal face 8 to the external face 10 of the dorsal plastron 4. The thickness of the plastron at a rib 18 comprises the thickness of this rib and, possibly, a thickness of a material encapsulating at least a part of the rib 18.According to one embodiment, the entire central zone 24 has a thickness less than the thickness of the ribs 18.

[0026] According to the embodiment shown in [Fig. 3], the tactile element 30 is formed by an element of material different from the material of the dorsal plastron 4, extending into an opening passing through the central zone 24 of the dorsal plastron 4. More particularly, the material of the tactile element 30 is for example a flexible material, such as a textile material, making it possible to feel by touch the part of the user's body extending on the other side of the tactile element 30. The tactile element 30 is then for example glued, sewn or welded to the edges of the opening and closes it, as shown in [Fig. 3]. Advantageously, the tactile element 30 has a thickness less than that of the dorsal plastron at the level of the ribs 18, which improves the identification of the body part extending on the side of the internal face of the tactile element 30 when a user touches the external face of the tactile element 30.Any suitable material may be used to produce the tactile element 30, as long as it is compatible with a simple and robust attachment to the dorsal plastron. According to one embodiment, the tactile element 30 is produced in a different color from that of the dorsal plastron 4 in order to allow a user to quickly locate the location of the tactile element 30 on the dorsal plastron 4 and thus facilitate its contact by the user's hand.

[0027] Whatever the embodiment, the difference in thickness between the tactile element 30 and the ribs 18 is for example between 0.5 mm and 4 mm. The greater the The greater the difference in thickness, the thinner the touch element 30, which can improve the detection of the body part extending opposite the inner face of the touch element.

[0028] The touch-sensitive element 30 may have any suitable shape, such as a rectangular, ovoid or elliptical shape. Preferably, the largest dimension of the touch-sensitive element 30 extends along the elevation direction E and the smallest dimension extends along the main direction D. Thus, the touch-sensitive element 30 has a shape corresponding to a portion of the user's spine, which makes it possible to precisely orient the lumbar belt 1 on the user's abdomen. According to one embodiment, the largest dimension of the touch-sensitive element 30 is substantially between 5 mm and 40 mm, for example substantially equal to 35 mm. The smallest dimension is for example substantially between 5 mm and 25 mm, for example substantially equal to 20 mm.

[0029] The tactile element 30 is centered on the central zone 24 of the dorsal plastron 4 along the main direction D. In other words, the edges of the tactile element 30 along the main direction D extend equidistant from the whales 18 adjacent to these edges. The dorsal plastron 4 itself being centered on the lumbar belt, this means that the tactile element 30 extends in the center of the lumbar belt 1 along the main direction D, at the location where the user's spine must be placed when the lumbar belt 1 is worn correctly by the user.

[0030] According to an embodiment shown in [Fig.2], the dorsal breastplate 4 comprises a plurality of tactile elements 30 distributed over the central zone 24 in the elevation direction E so as to follow a part of the user's spinal column when the lumbar belt 1 is worn and correctly positioned.

[0031] According to the embodiment shown in Figs. 1 and 4, the lumbar belt 1 further comprises an additional strap 32 fixed to the external face 10 of the back plate 4 so as to extend above the main body 2 and the back plate 4 and to cover a portion of the main body 2 when the lumbar belt 1 is worn by a user. As will be described in more detail later, the additional strap 32 extends in the main direction D between two strap ends 34 and is permanently fixed to the external face 10 of the back plate 4. Apart from this fixing, the additional strap 32 is free relative to the main body 2 when the additional strap 32 is not secured to the main body 2 by means of its strap ends 34.Indeed, the strap ends 34 are reversibly attachable to each other and / or to the body ends 6 of the main body 2 opposite the body ends 6 to reversibly fix the additional strap 32 on the main body and around the user's body, as shown in [Fig.l]. For this purpose, the strap ends 34 comprise fixing elements. complementary and reversible elements extending on the internal face and / or on the external face of the strap ends 34, these fixing elements being compatible with those provided on the body ends 6 in order to allow the strap ends 34 to be fixed to each other or to the body ends 6. According to one embodiment and as known per se, the strap ends 34 each comprise, for example, a gripping element, for example in the form of a pocket, allowing a user to adjust the fixing position of said strap ends 34 to each other and / or to the body ends 6.The additional strap 32 is for example made of a textile material having an extensibility or an elasticity in the main direction D less than that of the main body 2 in order to ensure tightening of the main body on the abdomen of the user when the lumbar belt 1 is worn and the strap ends 34 are fixed to each other and / or to the main body 2.

[0032] As indicated previously, the additional strap 32 is permanently attached to the dorsal breastplate 4. By “permanently attached”, it is meant that the attachment of the additional strap 32 is not reversible, that is to say that, to detach the additional strap 32 from the dorsal breastplate 4, it would be necessary to destroy the attachment between these two elements.

[0033] More particularly, the additional strap 32 is fixed on the external face 10 of the dorsal breastplate 4 without covering the tactile element 30, as visible in [Fig. 4]. Thus, the additional strap 32 does not prevent access to the tactile element 30 for a user, the latter remaining accessible from the outside of the lumbar belt 1 despite the presence of the additional strap 32.

[0034] For this purpose, according to one embodiment, the additional strap 32 is made in a single piece comprising an opening, having for example a diamond, ovoid or elliptical shape between the ends of the strap 34 in the main direction D. In this case, the opening in the additional strap 32 extends around the touch-sensitive element 30 so as to leave the touch-sensitive element 30 accessible from the outside of the additional strap 32.

[0035] According to another embodiment shown in Fig. 4, the additional strap 32 comprises two strap sections 36 each extending between a dorsal end 38, fixed to the dorsal plastron 4, and one of the strap ends 30. More particularly, the dorsal ends 38 of the strap sections 36 are spaced apart from each other in the main direction D so as not to cover the tactile element 30. More particularly, for each strap section 36, the dorsal end 38 is for example fixed in the vicinity of a whalebone 18, for example along an edge thereof. Thus, according to this embodiment, the entire external face 10 of the central zone 24 of the dorsal plastron 4 is clear and not covered by the additional strap, as shown in [Fig. 4]. This embodiment also makes it possible to leave the tactile element 30 accessible from the outside of the additional strap 32, to lighten the additional strap 32 and to improve the breathability of the dorsal breastplate 4 while preserving the lumbar relief generated by this additional strap 32. The distance 1 separating the dorsal ends 38 of the two sections of strap 36, measured along the main direction D, is for example substantially between 40 mm and 60 mm, for example substantially equal to 50 mm.

[0036] Each section of strap 36 is for example sewn or welded to the back plate 4 so as to ensure the permanent attachment of the additional strap 32 to the main body 2.

[0037] The lumbar belt 1 described above can be positioned simply and quickly on the abdomen of a user while ensuring that its orientation is correct so that the back plate 4 fulfills its lumbar support function optimally. It will also be noted that the tactile element(s) 30 make it possible to lighten the back plate 4 and improve its breathability. Thus, the tactile element(s) 30 also improve the comfort of the lumbar belt 1.

Claims

Claims

1. Lumbar belt (1) comprising a main body (2) extending in a main direction (D) between two body ends (6) attachable to each other in a reversible manner to surround the abdomen of a user, said lumbar belt comprising a dorsal breastplate (4) provided substantially in the center of the lumbar belt in the main direction (D), said dorsal breastplate (4) comprising an internal face (8), intended to be applied against the patient's back, and an external face (10), opposite the internal face (8), said dorsal breastplate (4) comprising at least two stays (18) extending in an elevation direction (E) substantially perpendicular to the main direction (D) and spaced apart from each other in the main direction (D) on either side of a central zone (24) of the dorsal breastplate (4) extending in the center of the dorsal breastplate (4) in the main direction (D),characterized in that the central zone (24) of the dorsal plastron (4) comprises at least one tactile element (30) for indicating centering, said tactile element (30) extending from the internal face (8) to the external face (10) of the dorsal plastron (4) and being arranged to allow identification of the part of the user's body extending against the internal face (8) of the dorsal plastron (4) opposite said tactile element (30) from the external face (10) of the dorsal plastron (4).,

2. Lumbar belt according to claim 1, in which the tactile element (30) is formed by an opening passing through the central zone (24) of the dorsal plastron (4) and opening into the internal face (8) and into the external face (10) of the dorsal plastron (4).

3. Lumbar belt according to claim 1, wherein the tactile element (30) is formed by an element of material different from the material of the dorsal plastron (4), extending into an opening passing through the central zone (24) of the dorsal plastron (4).

4. Lumbar belt according to any one of claims 1 to 3, in which the tactile element (30) has a thickness, measured in the direction from the internal face (8) to the external face (10), less than the thickness of the dorsal plastron (4) at the level of the whales (18).

5. Lumbar belt according to claim 4, in which the difference in thickness between the tactile element (30) and the ribs (18) is substantially between 0.5 mm and 4 mm.

6. A lumbar belt according to any one of claims 1 to 5, in in which the central zone (24) of the dorsal plastron (4) comprises a plurality of tactile elements (30) distributed over the central zone (24) in the elevation direction (E).

7. Lumbar belt according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising an additional strap (32) extending between two strap ends (34) attachable to each other and / or to the body ends (6) reversibly opposite the body ends (6), said additional strap (32) being permanently fixed to the external face (10) of the dorsal plastron (4) without covering the tactile element (30).

8. Lumbar belt according to claim 7, in which the additional strap (32) comprises two strap sections (36) each extending from a dorsal end (38) to one of the strap ends (34), the dorsal ends (38) of the strap sections (36) extending on either side of the central zone (24) of the dorsal breastplate (4).

9. Lumbar belt according to claim 8, in which the dorsal ends (38) of the strap sections (36) are each fixed in the vicinity of one of the stays (18) of the dorsal breastplate (4), along an edge of said stay (18).

10. Lumbar belt according to claim 8 or 9, in which the distance (1) between the dorsal ends (38) of the strap sections (36) is substantially between 40 mm and 60 mm in the main direction (D).

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