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 reversibly attachable to each other to encircle the abdomen of a user, said lumbar belt comprising a dorsal plate provided substantially in the center of the lumbar belt in the main direction, said dorsal plate comprising an inner face, intended to be applied against the back of the patient, and an outer face, opposite to the inner face, said dorsal plate comprising at least two stays extending in an elevation direction substantially perpendicular to the main direction and separated from each other in the main direction on either side of a central area of ​​the dorsal plate extending in the center of the dorsal plate in the main direction.

[0002] Such a lumbar belt is designed to provide support and elastic reinforcement to the lumbar region of a user in order to relieve lower back pain. The back panel, positioned by means of the main body opposite the user's spine, provides the necessary support for postural correction.

[0003] In order to be effective, the lumbar belt must be correctly oriented in relation to the user's abdomen. Specifically, the back support panel must be correctly centered in relation to the user's spine so that the structural elements of the back support panel, such as the stays, fulfill their role of providing optimal lumbar support by being positioned on either side of the spine without covering it.

[0004] However, when a user places the lumbar belt around his abdomen and fixes the extremities of the body together 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 panel is generally done in an approximate manner.

[0005] One of the aims of the invention is to overcome this drawback by providing a lumbar belt that allows a user to orient it correctly in a simple and precise way.

[0006] To this end, the invention relates to a lumbar belt of the aforementioned type, in which the central area of ​​the dorsal panel comprises at least one tactile centering indicator element, said tactile element extending from the inner to the outer face of the dorsal breastplate and being arranged to allow identification of the part of the user's body extending against the inner face of the dorsal breastplate opposite said tactile element from the outer face of the dorsal breastplate.

[0007] The tactile element of the back support panel allows a user to correctly center the back support panel on their spine, because the user can feel the spine through the back support panel when the tactile element, which is itself centered on the back support panel, is positioned opposite the spine. Thus, the user can, without needing to see the back support panel, 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 features, considered alone or according to any technically feasible combination of tactile elements, formed by an opening passing through the central area of ​​the dorsal plate and opening into the inner and outer faces of the dorsal plate: - the tactile element is formed by an element of material different from the material of the dorsal plastron, extending into an opening crossing the central area of ​​the dorsal plastron; - the tactile element has a thickness, measured along the direction from the inner face to the outer 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 whalebones is approximately between 0.5 mm and 4 mm; - the central area of ​​the dorsal plastron includes a plurality of tactile elements distributed over the central area according to the direction of elevation; - two strap ends that can be attached 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 breastplate without covering the tactile element; - the additional strap comprises two webbing sections, each extending from one dorsal end to one of the strap ends, the dorsal ends of the webbing sections extending on either side of the central area of ​​the dorsal breastplate; - the dorsal ends of the webbing sections are each fixed in the vicinity of one of the dorsal plastron's ribs, along one edge of said rib; - the distance between the dorsal ends of the webbing sections is approximately between 40 mm and 60 mm depending on the main direction.

[0009] Other aspects and advantages of the invention will become clearer upon reading of the description that follows, given solely as a non-limiting example, and made with reference to the attached drawings, in which:

[0010] [Fig.1] - [Fig.1] is a schematic perspective representation of a lumbar belt according to the invention viewed from the front,

[0011] [Fig.2] - [Fig.2] is a schematic representation of the external face of the body main lumbar belt of the [Fig. 1] according to an embodiment of the invention,

[0012] [Fig.3] - [Fig.3] is a schematic representation of the external face of the body main lumbar belt of the [Fig. 1] 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 for 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 plate 4.

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

[0016] The back plate 4 is arranged to be positioned opposite the spine of a user wearing the lumbar belt 1. For this purpose, the back plate 4 is placed substantially in the center of the main body along the main direction D between the two ends of body 6, that is to say substantially equidistant from the two ends of 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 plate 4 along the principal 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 plate 4, the sections of textile sheet 12 and the dorsal plate 4 forming the body 2 of the lumbar belt 1, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

[0018] Each section of the textile sheet 12 comprises, for example, at least one strip of textile material 14 extending between an edge 16 of the dorsal breastplate 4 and one end of the body 6. The strip of textile material 14 is, for example, stretchable or elastic so that the tightness of the body 2 around the abdomen of a user is adjustable by stretching the sections of the textile sheet 12 before attaching the ends of the body 6 to each other. According to the embodiment shown in the figures, each section of the textile sheet 12 comprises two strips of textile material 14 adjacent to each other at the edge 16 of the dorsal breastplate 4 along an upward direction E substantially perpendicular to the main direction D and overlapping one another progressively towards the corresponding end of the body 6 along the main direction D, as 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 plate 4 is for example formed by a substantially rigid plate shaped to have the desired shape so that the dorsal plate 4 can fulfill its lumbar support function.

[0020] The dorsal breastplate 4 comprises at least two stays 18 extending along the upward direction E between a lower end 20 and an upper end 22. The stays 18 are separated from each other along the principal 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 vertebral column parallel to it and without covering it. The area of ​​the dorsal breastplate 4 extending between the two stays 18 forms a central area 24 of the dorsal breastplate 4. The central area 24 thus covers the vertebral 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 attached. According to the embodiment shown in the Figs.2 and 3, the dorsal breastplate 4 further includes extensions 26 projecting from the edges of the stays 18 along the main direction D and forming additional lumbar support elements extending substantially along the elevation direction E. Such extensions 26 extend, for example, on the inner face 8 or on the outer face 10 of the textile sheet sections 12. When the dorsal breastplate 4 is made in a single plate, the extensions 26 are connected to the stays 18 by at least one bridge of material 28 extending, for example, from the upper end 22 of the stays 18 according to the embodiment shown in [Fig. 2] or projecting from the edge of the stays between the lower end 20 and upper end 22 according to the embodiment shown in [Fig. 3].

[0021] It is understood that such an embodiment of the backplate 4 is given only by way of example and that the backplate 4 may have another shape as long as it includes the two stays 18, for example by including additional stays or by being made of several pieces attached to each other by means of sections of fabric, as shown in [Fig. 1]. Thus, according to one embodiment, the backplate 12 is made of two pieces intended to extend on either side of the spine when the lumbar belt is worn. These two pieces are, for example, attached to each other by a flexible material, such as a textile or other material. In this case, each piece of the backplate 12 includes, for example, at least one stay 20 and the flexible material connecting the two pieces forms the central area 24.Alternatively, the dorsal breastplate 4 is removably attached to the main body 2, for example on the inner face 8 of the main body. In this case, the part of the body 2 extending over the dorsal breastplate 4 is considered to be part of the dorsal breastplate 4.

[0022] In a known way, the whalebone 18 of the dorsal plastron 4 are for example plastically deformable so that their shape according to the direction of elevation adapts to the morphology of the user of the lumbar belt 1.

[0023] According to the invention, the central area 24 of the back panel 4 comprises at least one tactile centering indicator element 30 extending from the inner face 8 to the outer face 10 of the back panel 4 and arranged to allow identification of the part of the user's body extending against the inner face 8 of the back panel 4 opposite the tactile element 30 from the outer face 10 of the back panel 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 panel 4 is able to feel the part of his body which is located on the other side of the tactile element 30, that is to say on the side of the inner face 8 of the back panel 4.It should be noted that such identification is not possible outside of the tactile element 30, as the thickness of the plate forming the dorsal plastron 4 prevents the body part against which the touched portion of the dorsal plastron 4 extends from the outer face 10 of the latter. In other words, the tactile element 30 has a different tactile quality than the rest of the dorsal plastron, and this tactile quality allows the body to be felt on the other side of the tactile element 30. Such a property can be obtained in various ways, as will be described later.

[0024] The tactile element 30, by virtue of its position on the back panel 4, allows the lumbar belt 1 to be correctly positioned 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 along the principal 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 puts on the belt lumbar support 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 support 4 is fulfilling its function at best.

[0025] According to the embodiment shown in [Fig. 2], the tactile element 30 is formed by an opening passing through the central area 24 and opening into the inner face 8 and the outer face 10. Thus, a user passing their finger along the outer face 10 of the dorsal plate 4 can directly feel the part of the body extending along the inner face 8 when the finger passes over the opening passing through the central area 24. In one embodiment, the through-opening is formed in a portion of the central area 24 having a reduced thickness compared to that of the dorsal plate 4 at the level of the ribs 18, measured along the direction from the inner face 8 to the outer face 10 of the dorsal plate 4. The thickness of the plate at the level of a rib 18 includes the thickness of that rib and, optionally, a thickness of a material encapsulating at least a portion of the rib 18.According to one embodiment, the entire central zone 24 has a thickness less than the thickness of the whales 18.

[0026] According to the embodiment shown in [Fig. 3], the tactile element 30 is formed by an element of a material different from that of the dorsal breastplate 4, extending into an opening through the central area 24 of the dorsal breastplate 4. More particularly, the material of the tactile element 30 is, for example, a flexible material, such as a textile, allowing the user to feel the part of their 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 breastplate at the level of the stays 18, which improves the identification of the body part extending on the inner side of the tactile element 30 when a user touches the outer side of the tactile element 30.Any suitable material can be used to produce the tactile element 30, provided that it is compatible with simple and robust attachment to the backplate. In one embodiment, the tactile element 30 is made in a different color from that of the backplate 4 to allow a user to quickly locate the position of the tactile element 30 on the backplate 4 and thus facilitate its contact by the user's hand.

[0027] Regardless of 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 larger the The greater the difference in thickness, the thinner the touch element (30), which can improve the detection of the body part extending towards the inner face of the touch element.

[0028] The tactile element 30 can have any suitable shape, such as a rectangular, ovoid, or elliptical shape. Preferably, the longer dimension of the tactile element 30 extends along the elevation direction E, and the shorter dimension extends along the principal direction D. Thus, the tactile element 30 has a shape corresponding to a portion of the user's spine, which allows the lumbar belt 1 to be precisely positioned on the user's abdomen. In one embodiment, the longer dimension of the tactile element 30 is substantially between 5 mm and 40 mm, for example, substantially 35 mm. The shorter dimension is, for example, substantially between 5 mm and 25 mm, for example, substantially 20 mm.

[0029] The tactile element 30 is centered on the central area 24 of the dorsal breastplate 4 along the principal direction D. In other words, the edges of the tactile element 30 along the principal direction D extend equidistant from the stays 18 adjacent to these edges. Since the dorsal breastplate 4 is itself centered on the lumbar belt, this means that the tactile element 30 extends to the center of the lumbar belt 1 along the principal direction D, at the point where the user's spine should be positioned when the lumbar belt 1 is worn correctly by the user.

[0030] According to an embodiment shown in [Fig.2], the back panel 4 comprises a plurality of tactile elements 30 distributed over the central area 24 along the elevation direction E so as to follow a part of the user's spine 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 outer face 10 of the back panel 4 so as to extend over the main body 2 and the back panel 4 and to cover part 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 along the main direction D between two strap ends 34 and is permanently fixed to the outer face 10 of the back panel 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 via 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 to the main body and around the user's body, as shown in [Fig. 1]. For this purpose, the strap ends 34 include fastening elements. complementary and reversible extending on the inner and / or outer face of the strap ends 34, these fastening elements being compatible with those provided on the body ends 6 in order to allow the fastening of the strap ends 34 to each other or to the body ends 6. According to one embodiment and as known per se, the strap ends 34 each include, for example, a gripping element, for example in the form of a pocket, allowing a user to adjust the fastening 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 extensibility or elasticity along the main direction D less than that of the main body 2 in order to ensure tightening of the main body on the user's abdomen 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 previously stated, the additional strap 32 is permanently fixed to the back plate 4. By "permanently fixed", it is meant that the fixing of the additional strap 32 is not reversible, that is to say, in order to detach the additional strap 32 from the back plate 4, it would be necessary to destroy the fixing between these two elements.

[0033] More specifically, the additional strap 32 is attached to the outer face 10 of the back panel 4 without covering the tactile element 30, as shown in [Fig. 4]. Thus, the additional strap 32 does not prevent access to the tactile element 30 for a user, as it remains accessible from outside 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 of a single piece comprising an opening, having for example a diamond, ovoid or elliptical shape between the ends of the strap 34 along the main direction D. In this case, the opening in the additional strap 32 extends around the tactile element 30 so as to leave the tactile 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 breastplate 4, and one of the strap ends 30. More specifically, the dorsal ends 38 of the strap sections 36 are separated from each other along the principal direction D so as not to cover the tactile element 30. More specifically, for each strap section 36, the dorsal end 38 is, for example, fixed in the vicinity of a rib 18, for example along one of its edges. Thus, according to this embodiment, the entire outer face 10 of the central area 24 of the dorsal breastplate 4 is uncovered and not covered by the additional strap, as shown in [Fig. 4]. This embodiment also allows the tactile element 30 to remain accessible from outside the additional strap 32, to lighten the additional strap 32 and improve the breathability of the back panel 4 while preserving the lumbar unloading generated by this additional strap 32. The distance 1 separating the dorsal ends 38 of the two strap sections 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 strap section 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 quickly and easily on a user's abdomen, ensuring that its orientation is correct so that the back support 4 performs its lumbar support function optimally. It should also be noted that the tactile element(s) 30 make the back support 4 lighter and improve its breathability. Thus, the tactile element(s) 30 also improve the comfort of the lumbar belt 1.

Claims

Demands

1. 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 plate (4) provided substantially in the center of the lumbar belt along the main direction (D), said back plate (4) comprising an inner face (8), intended to be applied against the back of the patient, and an outer face (10), opposite the inner face (8), said back plate (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 plate (4) extending in the center of the back plate (4) along the main direction (D),characterized in that the central area (24) of the backplate (4) comprises 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 backplate (4) and being arranged to allow identification of the part of the user's body extending against the inner face (8) of the backplate (4) opposite said tactile element (30) from the outer face (10) of the backplate (4).

2. Lumbar belt according to claim 1, wherein the tactile element (30) is formed by an opening through the central area (24) of the dorsal plate (4) and opening into the inner face (8) and into the outer face (10) of the dorsal plate (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 back plate (4), extending into an opening through the central area (24) of the back plate (4).

4. Lumbar belt according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the tactile element (30) has a thickness, measured along the direction from the inner face (8) to the outer face (10), less than the thickness of the dorsal breastplate (4) at the level of the stays (18).

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

6. Lumbar belt according to any one of claims 1 to 5, in which the central area (24) of the dorsal plastron (4) comprises a plurality of tactile elements (30) distributed over the central area (24) according to the direction of elevation (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 breastplate (4) without covering the tactile element (30).

8. Lumbar belt according to claim 7, wherein 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 area (24) of the dorsal breastplate (4).

9. Lumbar belt according to claim 8, wherein the dorsal ends (38) of the webbing 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, wherein the distance (1) between the dorsal ends (38) of the webbing sections (36) is substantially between 40 mm and 60 mm along the principal direction (D).

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