knitted orthosis including at least one protrusion
The knitted orthosis integrates protrusions via knitting yarns in a single step, simplifying production and enhancing adjustability, addressing the complexity of existing orthosis production methods.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- FR2024001952
- Authority / Receiving Office
- FR · FR
- Patent Type
- Patents
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-02-28
- Publication Date
- 2026-02-27
- Estimated Expiration
- 2044-02-28
AI Technical Summary
Existing orthoses, such as knee or ankle braces, are complex to produce due to the integration of additional inserts, requiring multiple assembly steps and materials, which complicates the production process and limits the adjustability of protrusion shape, dimensions, and location.
A knitted orthosis where the protrusions are formed directly by knitting yarns, allowing for a single-step production using a single knitting machine, with adjustable shape, dimensions, and location through machine settings or programming, eliminating the need for additional elements.
Enables easy integration of protrusions into the orthosis, simplifying production and enhancing adjustability, while maintaining support and comfort through elastic and padded structures.
Smart Images
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Abstract
Description
Title of the invention: Knitted orthosis comprising at least one protrusion
[0001] The present invention relates to a knitted orthosis, of the type comprising a body having a substantially tubular shape and at least one protrusion extending outward from at least one face of the body, said body and said protrusion being knitted from at least two knitting yarns and one weft yarn, the two knitting yarns being knitted together to form the body, the weft yarn being deposited in said body.
[0002] Orthoses, such as knee or ankle braces, comprising a tubular body made of textile material and one or more inserts forming one or more protrusions in the orthosis, are known. Such orthoses are described, for example, in standard NF S97-117 (May 2022) entitled "Medical compression orthoses - Technical specifications". The insert, for example a patellar insert in the case of a knee brace or malleolar inserts in the case of an ankle brace, for example made of silicone, thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) or foam, allows, for example, improved support and / or orientation of the joint of the limb receiving the orthosis.
[0003] Such orthoses are complex to produce because the insert(s) must be integrated into the orthosis, for example during the making or knitting of the orthosis or by inserting the insert(s) between two layers of textile which are then assembled together to ensure the retention of the insert(s).
[0004] One of the aims of the invention is to provide an orthosis comprising one or more protuberances that can be easily integrated into the orthosis.
[0005] For this purpose, the invention relates to a knitted orthosis of the aforementioned type, in which the knitting yarns are knitted separately and are separated from each other to form the protrusion, the weft yarn being deposited in said protrusion so as to pad said protrusion.
[0006] Thus, in the knitted orthosis according to the invention, the protrusion(s) are directly formed by the yarns constituting the knitted orthosis, so that it is not necessary to add any additional elements to be attached to or within the knitted orthosis. A finished knitted orthosis can therefore be obtained in a single knitting step with a single knitting machine. Furthermore, the shape, dimensions, location, and / or number of protrusions can be easily adjusted by setting the knitting machine or by means of a knitting machine control program that allows modification of the number of needles and / or the number of rows. knitting, which allows the size of the protrusion(s) in the knitted orthosis to be modified.
[0007] The knitted orthosis according to the invention may further comprise one or more of the following features, taken individually or in any technically feasible combination: - the weft yarn is elastic; - the weft yarn is laid tautly in the said body and in a free manner and loose in the protuberance; - at least one of the two knitting yarns is elastic; - the protuberance extends in an elongated shape on at least one of the faces of the body; - the shape of the protuberance extends along a closed contour extending around a part of the body or an opening crossing the knitted orthosis in a thickness direction, said closed contour being surrounded at least in part by a part of the body; - the protuberance forms at least one patellar insert or at least one malleolar insert; - the protuberance has a hardness, on at least one of the faces of the protuberance, between 25 sh 00 and 85 sh 00; - a first knitting yarn of the knitting yarns is knitted according to a 1 and 1 rib structure and a second knitting yarn of the knitting yarns is knitted according to a reverse stockinette structure or according to a 1 and 1 rib structure to form the body; - the first knitting strand is knitted in a reverse stockinette stitch pattern and the second knitting strand is knitted in a stockinette stitch pattern in the protrusion; and - the knitted orthosis further includes a third knitting yarn, said third knitting yarn being knitted with the two knitting yarns in the body and being knitted with only one of the knitting yarns in the protrusion or being laid with the weft yarn to pad the protrusion.
[0008] Other aspects and advantages of the invention will become more apparent upon reading the following description, given solely by way of non-limiting example, and made with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
[0009] [Fig-1] [Fig.1] is a schematic representation of the top of a knitted orthosis according to the invention,
[0010] [Fig.2] - [Fig.2] is a schematic cross-sectional representation of a part of the knitted orthosis of [Fig. 1] according to a first embodiment of the invention showing a protrusion,
[0011] [Fig.3] - [Fig.3] is a schematic representation of the knit of the knitted orthosis of [Fig.2] in a part forming the body of the knitted orthosis,
[0012] [Fig.4] - [Fig.4] is a schematic representation of the knitted orthosis of the [Fig.2] in a part forming a protrusion of the knitted orthosis,
[0013] [Fig.5] - [Fig.5] is a schematic cross-sectional representation of part of a knitted orthosis according to a second embodiment of the invention showing a protrusion,
[0014] [Fig.6] - [Fig.6] is a schematic representation of the knit of the knitted orthosis of [Fig.5] in a part forming a protrusion of the knitted orthosis,
[0015] [Fig.7] - [Fig.7] is a schematic cross-sectional representation of part of a knitted orthosis according to a third embodiment of the invention showing a protrusion,
[0016] [Fig.8] - [Fig.8] is a schematic representation of the knit of the knitted orthosis of [Fig.7], a part forming the body of the knitted orthosis, and
[0017] [Fig.9] - [Fig.9] is a schematic representation of the knitted orthosis of the [Fig.7] in a part forming a protrusion of the knitted orthosis.
[0018] With reference to [Fig. 1], a knitted orthosis 1 is described, comprising a body 2 and at least one protrusion 4. According to the embodiment shown in [Fig. 1], the knitted orthosis forms a knee brace. It is understood, however, that the invention can be applied to any type of orthosis, such as an ankle brace, a wrist brace, an elbow brace, or the like.
[0019] The body 2 comprises at least one portion having a generally tubular shape so as to form a sleeve that can surround the part of a user's limb on which the knitted orthosis 1 is to be worn. The body 2 defines a wrong side 6, intended to be applied against the user's skin, and a right side 8, opposite the wrong side 6 and facing outwards. The thickness of the knitted orthosis 1 is defined, along the direction from the wrong side 6 to the right side 8, referred to as the thickness direction, as the distance between the wrong side 6 and the right side 8.
[0020] It is understood that the body may include other parts made of material with the tubular part of the body 2, for example other tubular sections whose opening leads into the opening of the tubular part of the body 2. It may thus be one or more tubular sections to receive the thumb and / or other fingers of a user in the case of a wrist orthosis or a glove.
[0021] The protrusion 4 is arranged to form a functional insert of the knitted orthosis 1, for example a patellar insert in the case of a knee brace, a malleolar insert in the case of an ankle brace, a thumb support insert in the case of a wrist orthosis or other.
[0022] The protrusion 4 extends outward from the body 2 along the thickness direction. More particularly, as can be seen in Figs. 2, 5 and 7, the protrusion extends outward from the reverse face 6 and / or the front face 8 of the body 2.
[0023] In the case of a knee brace, shown in [Fig. 1], the protrusion 4, for example, has an elongated shape and a closed contour extending outwards from the knitted orthosis to form a patellar insert. Thus, in this case, the protrusion 4 extends primarily outwards from the front face 6 of the knitted orthosis 1. The protrusion 4, for example, has a substantially ovoid or ellipsoidal shape, surrounded at least partially by a portion of the body 2. The protrusion 4 surrounds an opening 10 that passes through the body 2 along its thickness, the opening 10 being designed to receive the patella of a user who has put on the orthosis. It is understood that the protrusion 4 may have a different shape and various dimensions to accommodate different sizes of orthoses.It is also understood that such an orthosis may have other protrusions to form other types of inserts and / or that the closed contour of a protrusion 4 may surround a part of the body 2 of the knitted orthosis 1, instead of an opening 10. Thus, according to one embodiment, a part of the body 2 surrounds the opening 10 and the protrusion surrounds this part of the body 2.
[0024] In the case of an ankle brace, several protrusions 4 are provided, for example, to form malleolar inserts extending outward on the underside 6 of the knitted orthosis 1 around the ankle of a user who has put on the orthosis. Such protrusions may, for example, have an elongated shape. More particularly, the protrusions may, for example, be in the form of ribs extending outward from the underside 6 of the knitted article in order to be applied against the skin of a user, the ribs being surrounded and connected to each other by one or more parts of the body 2 of the knitted orthosis 1.
[0025] In the case of a wrist orthosis, the protrusion is, for example, arranged to maintain a gap between the thumb and index finger of a user who has put on the orthosis. The protrusion 4, for example, has a cushion-like shape that conforms to the shape of the neck between the thumb and index finger.
[0026] It is understood that other forms of protrusions may be envisaged, for example, a cushion-like shape intended to replace a gel insert or other material. It is also understood that a single knitted orthosis may have several different types of protrusions, for example, by combining embodiments relating to different types of orthoses described above. When several protrusions are provided, they do not necessarily have the same shape or dimensions.
[0027] The body 2 has, for example, a thickness of approximately between 0.5 mm and 3 mm and the protrusion(s) have, for example, a thickness of approximately between 5 mm and 25 mm.
[0028] In addition, the protrusion 4 has a hardness, on the reverse face 6 and / or on the front face 8, between 25 sh 00 and 85 sh 00, in accordance with standard NF S97-117demai2022.
[0029] Several embodiments of the structure of the knit of the knitted orthosis according to the invention will now be described with reference to Figs. 2 to 9.
[0030] Generally, the knitted orthosis according to the invention is obtained by knitting at least two knitting yarns, namely a first knitting yarn 12 and a second knitting yarn 14, and a weft yarn 16. More particularly, the body 2 is obtained by knitting together the first and second knitting yarns 12, 14 and by placing the weft yarn 16 in this knitting, and the protrusion(s) 4 are obtained by knitting separately the first and second knitting yarns 12, 14 so that they are separated from each other and by placing the weft yarn 16 in the protrusion 4 thus formed so as to form a padding of the protrusion 4. By knitted together, it is understood that the first and second knitting yarns 12, 14 cross in the body. At the level of a protuberance 4, the first knitting yarn 12 forms the wrong side 6 of the protuberance 4 and the second knitting yarn 14 forms the right side 8 of the protuberance 4.
[0031] In the figures, the first knitting yarn 12 is represented in a regular line, the second knitting yarn 14 in a dotted line and the weft yarn 16 in a bold line.
[0032] The first knitting yarn 12 may be an elastic or non-elastic yarn with a count, for example, between 17 dtex and 680 dtex. Elastic yarn is defined as a yarn that can be stretched under external stress intended to elongate the yarn and that returns to its initial length when this stress is removed. An elastic yarn, for example, has a maximum elongation before breaking of 300% or more. Non-elastic yarn is defined as a yarn that is substantially inextensible under external stress intended to stretch the yarn. A non-elastic yarn, for example, has a maximum elongation before breaking of 100% or less.
[0033] A non-elastic yarn is, for example, a yarn made of one or more of the following textile materials: - Natural fibers, such as cotton, wool, linen, hemp, etc.; - Fibers made of artificial materials, such as viscose, etc.; - Synthetic fibers, such as polyamide, polyester, etc. polypropylene, etc.
[0034] An elastic yarn is for example a single wrapped yarn, a double wrapped yarn or a structure of the type "core spun yarn".
[0035] In the case of a single-wrapped or double-wrapped yarn, the wrapping operations are carried out by a spiral winding technique around an elastic core yarn, or by air-jet interlacing around an elastic core yarn. The core yarn is, for example, made of one or more elastane or latex filaments, with a density, for example, between 17 dtex and 475 dtex. The cover yarn(s) are made of one or more of the following textile materials: - Natural fibers, such as cotton, wool, linen, hemp, etc.; - Fibers made of artificial materials, such as viscose, etc.; - Synthetic fibers, such as polyamide, polyester, etc. polypropylene, elastane, etc.
[0036] In the case of a core-spun yarn structure, the core yarn is, for example, made of an elastane or latex filament with a density between 17 dtex and 475 dtex. The fiber layers surrounding the core are, for example, made of one or more of the following textile materials: - Natural fibers, such as cotton, wool, linen, hemp, etc.; - Fibers made of artificial materials, such as viscose, etc.; - Synthetic fibers, such as polyamide, polyester, etc. polypropylene, etc.
[0037] The second knitting yarn 14 can also be an elastic or non-elastic yarn, examples of which are given above.
[0038] According to different embodiments, the first and second knitting yarns 12, 14 may be identical or different from each other. It should be noted, however, that at least one of the first and second knitting yarns 12, 14 is an elastic yarn.
[0039] The weft yarn 16 is an elastic yarn. The weft yarn 16 has, for example, a count of approximately between 300 dtex and 1500 dtex. More particularly, the weft yarn 16 is, for example, a double-wrapped yarn, comprising a core made of an elastane monofilament with a count of 1280 dtex and two polyamide wrapping yarns.
[0040] According to various embodiments, particularly those shown in Figs. 2 to 6, the knitted article further comprises at least one third knitting yarn 18, which may or may not be elastic. In the case of a non-elastic third knitting yarn 18, the third knitting yarn 18 is, for example, a non-elastic yarn as described previously for the first and second knitting yarns 12 and 14. In the case of an elastic yarn, the third knitting yarn 18 is, for example, an elastic yarn as described previously for the first and second knitting threads 12 14. In the figures, the third knitting thread 18 is represented in thin line.
[0041] As previously stated and as shown in Figs. 3 and 8, in body 2, the yarn is in the form of a tubular sheet formed by knitting the first and second yarns 12, 14 together. If present, the third yarn 18 is also knitted with the first and second yarns 12, 14 to form body 2, as shown in Fig. 4. As shown in Figs. 3 and 8, in body 2, the weft yarn 16 is laid taut in the sheet, being held in place in particular by the first yarn 12, as will be described in more detail later.
[0042] In the protrusion(s) 4, the first and second knitting yarns 12, 14 are knitted separately from each other and separated from each other, so as to define between them a pocket 20, receiving the weft yarn 16. More particularly, the first knitting yarn 12 forms the wrong side 6 of the knitted orthosis 1 in the protrusion(s) 4 and the second knitting yarn 14 forms the right side 8 of the knitted orthosis 1 in the protrusion(s) 4. In the pocket 20, the weft yarn 16 is received freely and loosely so as to form padding for the pocket 20, as shown in the Figs. 2, 5 and 7. By "freely and loosely", it is meant that the weft yarn 16 fills the pocket 20 by forming folds inside this pocket 20, the length of weft yarn 16 present inside the pocket 20 allowing the thickness and flexibility of the pocket 20 to be adjusted.In this way, the knitted orthosis 1 includes a pad in the protrusion 4, this pad being able to form an insert for a joint, as described previously.
[0043] When a third knitting yarn 18 is provided, it is, according to a first embodiment shown in Figs. 2 and 4, knitted with the first knitting yarn 12 in the protrusion 4 so as to form with the first knitting yarn 12 the wrong side 6 of the knitted orthosis 1 in the protrusion 4. According to a second embodiment, shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the third knitting yarn 18 is received loosely and freely with the weft yarn 16 in the pocket 20 so as to form padding of the pocket 20 with the weft yarn 16 in the protrusion 4 of the knitted orthosis 1.
[0044] The knitting of the different yarns of the knitted orthosis will now be described according to different embodiments.
[0045] According to a first embodiment, the knitting of which is shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the knitted orthosis 1 comprises three knitting yarns 12, 14 and 18, the third knitting yarn 18 forming the reverse side 6 of the knitted article in the or each protrusion 4 with the first knitting yarn 12 as described previously.
[0046] According to this embodiment, in the body 2, the knitting of which is shown in [Fig. 3], the first knitting yarn 12 is knitted in a 1x1 rib pattern, and the second knitting yarn 14 is knitted in a reverse stockinette stitch pattern. The third knitting yarn 18 is also knitted in a reverse stockinette stitch pattern. This pattern is produced using a knitting machine with n needles in the front bed and n needles in the back bed. "n" represents an integer number of needles, and this number is used to adjust the body 2. As previously stated, the weft yarn 16 is laid taut in the fabric thus formed by being placed between the front and back beds of the knitting machine.
[0047] In the protrusion or protrusions 4, the knitting of which is shown in [Fig. 4], the first knitting yarn 12 is knitted in a reverse stockinette stitch pattern, and the second knitting yarn 14 is knitted in a front stockinette stitch pattern. The third knitting yarn 18 is knitted in a back stockinette stitch pattern and, together with the first knitting yarn 12, forms the wrong side of the knitted orthosis 1 in the protrusion or protrusion 4. In the protrusion or protrusion 4, the first knitting yarn 12 and the third knitting yarn 18 are knitted using n' needles from the back bed, and the second knitting yarn 14 is knitted using n' needles from the front bed. "n" corresponds to an integer number of needles other than n, and the choice of this number allows the width of the protrusion or protrusion 4 to be adjusted. The length of the protrusion or protrusion 4 depends on the number of successive knitting rows.As previously stated, the weft yarn 16 is laid loosely and freely in the pocket or pockets 20 thus formed by being placed between the front and rear bed frames of the knitting machine.
[0048] Such an embodiment allows the size of the protrusions on one side to be varied thanks to the presence of an elastic knitting yarn. Furthermore, when three knitting yarns are used, it is possible to have yarns of different colors to give the knitted orthosis a particular appearance.
[0049] According to a second embodiment in which the knitting of a protuberance 4 is shown in [Fig.6], the knitted article 1 comprises three knitting yarns 12, 14 and 18, the third knitting yarn 18 forming the padding of the pocket 20 in the protuberance 4 with the weft yarn 16 as described previously.
[0050] According to this second embodiment, the knitting of body 2 is identical to that of body 2 of the first embodiment described above.
[0051] In the protrusion or protrusions 4, the first knitting yarn 12 is knitted in a reverse stockinette stitch pattern and the second knitting yarn 14 is knitted in a stockinette stitch pattern. The third knitting yarn 18 is loosely and freely laid with the weft yarn 16 in the pocket 20 thus formed by being placed between the front and back bed frames of the knitting machine. In the protrusion or protrusions 4, the first yarn of Knitting 12 is done using n needles from the back of the bed, and the second knitting strand 14 is done using n needles from the front of the bed. The choice of n' allows you to adjust the width of the 4 protrusion(s). The length of the 4 protrusion(s) depends on the number of successive knitting rows.
[0052] Such an embodiment makes it possible to increase the thickness of the protuberance(s), or even their hardness.
[0053] According to a third embodiment, shown in Figs 7 to 9, the knitted orthosis 1 comprises only the first knitting yarn 12, the second knitting yarn 14 and the weft yarn 16. In other words, the knitted orthosis 1 does not include the third knitting yarn 18 described previously.
[0054] According to this embodiment, in the body 2, the knitting of which is shown in [Fig. 8], the first knitting yarn 12 and the second knitting yarn 14 are knitted in a 1x1 rib pattern. This pattern is produced using a knitting machine with n needles in the front bed and n needles in the back bed. The choice of n allows the width of the body 2 to be adjusted. As previously stated, the weft yarn 16 is laid taut in the sheet thus formed by being placed between the front and back beds of the knitting machine.
[0055] In the protrusion or protrusion 4, the knitting of which is shown in [Fig. 9], the first knitting yarn 12 is knitted in a reverse stockinette stitch pattern and the second knitting yarn 14 is knitted in a stockinette stitch pattern. The first knitting yarn 12 is knitted using n needles from the back bed and the second knitting yarn 14 is knitted using n needles from the front bed. The choice of n' allows the width of the protrusion or protrusion 4 to be adjusted. The length of the protrusion or protrusion 4 depends on the number of successive knitting rows. As previously stated, the weft yarn 16 is loosely and freely placed in the pocket 20 thus formed by being deposited between the front and back beds of the knitting machine.
[0056] Having only two knitting threads makes it possible to reduce the thickness of the layer forming the body 2 and to lighten the resulting knitted orthosis.
[0057] The knitted orthosis 1 according to the invention can therefore be obtained by knitting on a single knitting machine, the number, shape and dimensions of the or more protuberances 4 in relation to the body 2 being adjustable simply by varying the number of needles and the number of rows of knitting to produce the body 2 and the protuberance(s) 4.
Claims
Demands
1. Knitted orthosis (1) comprising a body (2) having a substantially tubular shape and at least one protrusion (4) extending outward from at least one face of the body (2), said body (2) and said protrusion (4) being knitted from at least two knitting yarns (12, 14) and one weft yarn (16), the two knitting yarns (12, 14) being knitted together to form the body (2), the weft yarn (16) being deposited in said body (2), characterized in that the knitting yarns (12, 14) are knitted separately and are separated from each other to form the protrusion (4), the weft yarn (16) being deposited in said protrusion (4) so as to pad said protrusion (4).
2. Knitted orthosis according to claim 1, wherein the weft yarn (16) is elastic.
3. Knitted orthosis according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the weft yarn (16) is laid taut in said body (2) and loosely and freely in the protrusion (4).
4. Knitted orthosis according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein at least one of the two knitting yarns (12, 14) is elastic.
5. Knitted orthosis according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the protrusion (4) extends in an elongated shape over at least one of the faces of the body (2).
6. Knitted orthosis according to claim 5, wherein the shape of the protrusion (4) extends along a closed contour extending around a part of the body (2) or an opening (10) passing through the knitted orthosis in a thickness direction, said closed contour being surrounded at least in part by a part of the body (2).
7. Knitted orthosis according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the protrusion (4) forms at least one patellar insert or at least one malleolar insert.
8. Knitted orthosis according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the protrusion (4) has a hardness, on at least one of the faces of the protrusion (4), of between 25 sh 00 and 85 sh 00.
9. A knitted orthosis according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein a first knitting yarn (12) is knitted in a 1x1 rib pattern and a second knitting yarn (14) knitting yarn is knitted according to a reverse stockinette stitch structure or according to a 1 and 1 rib stitch structure to form the body (2).
10. Knitted orthosis according to claim 9, wherein the first knitting yarn (12) is knitted in a reverse stockinette stitch structure and the second knitting yarn (14) is knitted in a stockinette stitch structure in the protrusion (4).
11. Knitted orthosis according to any one of claims 1 to 10, further comprising a third knitting yarn (18), said third knitting yarn (18) being knitted with the two knitting yarns (12, 14) in the body (2) and being knitted with only one of the knitting yarns (12, 14) in the protrusion (4) or being laid with the weft yarn (16) to pad the protrusion (4).