protective equipment

Abstract

This inexpensive and simple protective device effectively prevents people with skin conditions on their arms from unconsciously touching or scratching the affected area while sleeping, and prevents topical medications applied to the affected area from being rubbed off by clothing, thereby contributing to the improvement of their condition. [Solution] The protective device 10 comprises an end-side ring member 20 for attachment to the tip of the limbs or fingers and toes, a base-side ring member 30 for attachment to the base of the limbs or fingers and toes, and suspension members 40, 40... suspended between the end-side ring member and the base-side ring member. Therefore, the protective device 10 ensures a gap (space) between the suspension members 40, 40... and the surface of the skin on the arm, thereby effectively preventing the user (wearer) from unconsciously touching or scratching the affected area of ​​the arm affected by a skin disease while sleeping.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a protective device worn on the arm so that a person with a skin disease such as atopic dermatitis cannot touch or scratch the affected area of the skin disease on the arm during sleep or the like.

Background Art

[0002] A person with a skin disease such as atopic dermatitis on the arm may unconsciously scratch the affected area during sleep, worsening the condition. Scratching the affected area like this not only hinders the recovery of the skin disease, but also increases discomfort such as pain due to further damage to the affected area, which may lead to a situation where sleep is disturbed. Therefore, it is desirable to have a protective device that covers the arm so as not to unconsciously scratch the affected area during sleep. On the other hand, as a protective device for the arm, as in Patent Document 1, a device formed in a plate shape from a cushioning material and provided with a cutout on the outside of the elbow joint part to facilitate bending and stretching of the arm is known.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, since the protective device such as Patent Document 1 protects the arm in a state of touching the surface of the arm, when a person with a skin disease on the arm goes to sleep while wearing it, due to the friction between the inner surface of the protective device and the affected area, the condition may deteriorate further, or the applied medicine on the affected area may come off.

[0005] The object of the present invention is to eliminate the problems of conventional protective devices such as those described in Patent Document 1, and to provide a practical protective device that is inexpensive and simple in construction, which effectively prevents situations in which a person with a skin disease on their arm unconsciously touches or scratches the affected area while sleeping, or where ointments applied to the affected area come off due to friction with clothing, thereby contributing to the improvement of the symptoms of the skin disease. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The invention described in claim 1 of the present invention is a protective device for covering and protecting the surface of the limbs (arms and legs) or fingers and toes, characterized in that it comprises an end-side ring member for attachment to the tip side of the limbs or fingers and toes, a base-side (trunk side) ring member having a larger diameter than the end-side ring member for attachment to the tip side (trunk side) of the limbs or fingers and toes, and a suspension member suspended between the end-side ring member and the base-side ring member.

[0007] The invention described in claim 2 is characterized in that, in the invention described in claim 1, the tip-side ring member and the base-side ring member are provided with mounting portions for attaching the suspension member.

[0008] The invention described in claim 3 is characterized in that, in the invention described in claim 1 or 2, at least a portion of the tip-side ring member is formed of an elastic material. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] The protective device described in claim 1 comprises an end-side ring member for attachment to the fingertips of the limbs or fingers and toes (for example, the wrist side of the arm), a proximal-side ring member for attachment to the proximal-side of the limbs or fingers and toes (for example, the elbow joint side of the arm), and a suspension member suspended between the end-side ring member and the proximal-side ring member. Because a gap (space) can be secured between the suspension member and the surface of the skin on the arm, it is possible to effectively suppress situations in which the user (wearer) unconsciously touches or scratches the affected area of ​​the skin disease on the arm while sleeping, or situations in which ointments applied to the affected area come off due to friction with clothing, etc., with an inexpensive and simple configuration, and can contribute to the improvement of the condition of the skin disease.

[0010] The protective device described in claim 2 can be assembled very easily and in a short time because the tip-side ring member and the base-side ring member are provided with mounting portions for attaching the suspension member.

[0011] The protective device described in claim 3 has at least a portion of the tip-side ring member made of an elastic material, so that when inserting the fingertips of the hands or feet (the fist or toes) into the tip-side ring member, it is possible to insert them very smoothly, and after insertion, the tip-side ring member can be fitted to the wrist or ankle. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] This is an explanatory diagram showing protective equipment (a is a front view, b is a right side view, and c is a rear view). [Figure 2] This is an explanatory diagram showing how to use protective equipment. [Figure 3] This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a modification to protective equipment (front view of the wrist-side ring component). [Figure 4] This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a modification to protective equipment (front view of the wrist-side ring component). [Figure 5] This is an explanatory diagram showing examples of changes to protective equipment (a is a front view, b is a right side view, and c is a rear view). [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0013] <Structure of protective equipment> Hereinafter, one embodiment of the protective device according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 shows the protective device, which is designed to prevent scratching or touching the affected area of ​​a skin disease on the arm while sleeping, and comprises a tip-side ring member 20 attached to the wrist side of the arm, a base-side ring member 30 attached to the elbow joint side of the arm, and suspension members 40, 40... suspended between the tip-side ring member 20 and the base-side ring member 30.

[0014] The tip-side ring member 20 is formed from foamed synthetic resin (foamed polyurethane) into a ring shape (a flat cylindrical shape with a predetermined thickness), with an inner diameter of approximately 55 mmΦ (the inner diameter can be freely designed according to the size of the user), and a thickness of approximately 10 mm in the radial direction. In addition, a part of the ring of the tip-side ring member 20 is cut, forming a cut surface perpendicular to the circumferential direction (expanded portion 21). Furthermore, on the inner surface of the tip-side ring member 20, there are multiple mounting holes (cylindrical recesses with a predetermined depth (approximately 8.0 mm)) 21, 21·· with a diameter of approximately 4 mmΦ, which function as mounting parts for inserting the tip portion of the rod-shaped suspension member 40, and are provided at equal intervals of a predetermined length (approximately 9.4 mm) along the circumferential direction of the ring.

[0015] Furthermore, the base-end ring member 30 is formed from foamed synthetic resin (foamed polyurethane) into a ring shape (a flat cylindrical shape with a predetermined thickness) that is slightly larger than the wrist-end ring member 20 (with an inner diameter of approximately 65 mmΦ), and has a thickness of approximately 10 mm in the radial direction. In addition, on the inner surface of the wrist-end ring member 20, there are multiple mounting holes (cylindrical recesses with a predetermined depth (approximately 8.0 mm)) 31, 31·· with a diameter of approximately 4 mmΦ, which function as mounting parts for inserting the base end portion of the rod-shaped suspension member 40, and are provided at equal intervals of a predetermined length (approximately 11 mm) along the circumferential direction of the ring.

[0016] On one hand, each suspension member 40 is formed into a columnar shape with a predetermined diameter (diameter = approximately 4.1 mm Φ) and a predetermined length (approximately 180 mm) by a hard synthetic resin (polypropylene) and has flexibility. And the protector 10 is arranged such that the mounting hole 21, 21... installation surface and the mounting hole 31, 31... installation surface face each other, with the tip-side ring member 20 and the base-side ring member 30 arranged in parallel with a predetermined distance therebetween. The tip sides of the suspension members 40, 40... are inserted into the mounting holes 21, 21... of the tip-side ring member 20, and the base sides of the suspension members 40, 40... are inserted into the mounting holes 31, 31... of the base-side ring member 30, thereby being integrally assembled.

[0017] <Method of using the protector> Figure 2 shows the method of using the protector 10. When mounting the protector 10 on the arm, the fingertip side (the part of the fist) of the hand is first inserted from the outside of the base-side ring member 30 and then inserted from the inside of the tip-side ring member 20 and passed to the outside of the tip-side ring member 20. The tip-side ring member 20 is formed of an elastic material (foamed polyurethane) and provided with an expansion part 22. Therefore, when inserting the fingertip side (the part of the fist) of the hand as described above, it once expands in the radial direction and then restores to the original ring shape. Thus, the fingertip side of the hand can be inserted very smoothly and fits around the wrist after insertion.

[0018] The protector 10 mounted on the arm as described above can significantly suppress the situation where the user touches or scratches the affected part of the skin disease on the arm unconsciously during sleep in order to ensure a gap (space) between the suspension members 40, 40... and the surface of the skin of the arm. Also, as shown in Fig. 2(b), by covering the protector 10 mounted on the arm with an arm cover C (formed into a tubular shape by cloth or the like and sewn with a ring-shaped member made of an elastic material that expands and contracts in the radial direction at the wrist part and the elbow part, etc.), it becomes possible to more reliably prevent the situation where the user touches or scratches the affected part of the skin disease on the arm unconsciously during sleep.

[0019] <Effect of the protector> As described above, the protective device 10 includes a distal end side ring member 20 for attaching to the distal end side (i.e., the wrist side) of the arm, a proximal end side ring member 30 having a larger diameter than the distal end side ring member 20 for attaching to the proximal end side (the trunk side, i.e., the elbow side) of the arm, and suspension members 40, 40,... suspended between the distal end side ring member 20 and the proximal end side ring member 30. Since a gap (space) can be secured between the suspension members 40, 40,... and the surface of the skin of the arm, with an inexpensive and simple configuration, it is possible to effectively suppress a situation where the user (wearer) touches or scratches the affected part of the skin disease of the arm unconsciously during sleep, or a situation where the applied medicine on the affected part is removed due to friction with clothes, etc., and it can contribute to the improvement of the condition of the skin disease.

[0020] Also, since the protective device 10 is provided with attachment portions (attachment holes 21, 21,... and attachment holes 31, 31,...) for attaching the suspension members 40, 40,... to the distal end side ring member 20 and the proximal end side ring member 30, it can be assembled very easily in a short time.

[0021] Furthermore, since the distal end side ring member 20 of the protective device 10 is formed of an elastic material (foamed synthetic resin), when inserting the fingertip side (the part of the fist) of the hand into the distal end side ring member 20, it can be inserted very smoothly, and after insertion, the distal end side ring member 20 can be fitted to the wrist.

[0022] <Modification example of the protective device> The protective device according to the present invention is not limited in any way to the embodiments described above, and the material, size, shape, structure, and other configurations of the tip-side ring member, base-side ring member, suspension member, etc., can be appropriately changed as necessary without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the suspension member is not limited to one made of a hard synthetic resin, but may be made of a metal such as aluminum in a hollow cylindrical shape. Also, the protective device is not limited to one in which an expanding portion (cut portion) is provided on the tip-side ring member, but may have no expanding portion on the tip-side ring member, or may have an expanding portion on the base-side ring member. On the other hand, the tip-side ring member and base-side ring member are not limited to those made of foamed polyurethane as in the embodiments described above, but may be made of expanded polystyrene, foamed silicone resin, etc.

[0023] Furthermore, the protective device is not limited to having 20 suspension members as in the above embodiment, and the number of suspension members can be changed as needed. In addition, the configuration of the mounting parts of the tip-side ring member and the base-side ring member for attaching the suspension members is not limited to a simple cylindrical recess for inserting the suspension members (a recess with a diameter about 0.1 to 0.2 mm smaller than the diameter of the suspension member) as in the above embodiment, and can be changed to a structure that prevents the attached suspension member from coming off (for example, one with a fitting recess into which a projection provided at the tip of the suspension member can be fitted).

[0024] Furthermore, the tip-side ring member is not limited to one with an expandable portion as in the above embodiment, but can also be modified to be expandable and contractible (restored) in the radial direction by other means. Figure 3 shows an example of a wrist-side ring member that can be expanded and contracted in the radial direction in this way. The tip-side ring member 20' is formed by fixing ring bodies 24, 24... made by dividing a thick, flat cylindrical body (ring-shaped body) made of foamed synthetic resin (foamed polyurethane or expanded polystyrene, etc.) in the circumferential direction (for example, into 6 divisions) inside a wide, annular elastic material (rubber cord, etc.) 23 having a predetermined width (approximately 10 mm to 20 mm). Similar to the tip-side ring member 20 in the above embodiment, when inserting the fingertips (fist portion) of the hand, the tip-side ring member 20' expands radially at one end and then returns to its original ring shape, allowing the fingertips to be inserted very smoothly, and after insertion, it can be fitted to the wrist.

[0025] Figure 4 shows another example of a tip-side ring member that can be expanded and contracted radially. The tip-side ring member 20" is formed by fixing ring bodies 24, 24... made by dividing a thick, flat cylindrical body (ring-shaped body) made of foamed synthetic resin (foamed polyurethane or expanded polystyrene, etc.) in the circumferential direction (for example, into 6 divisions) to the inner surface of a wide tape-like member 25 having a predetermined width (approximately 10 mm to 20 mm) made of cloth or the like, and sewing male hook-and-loop fasteners 26a and female hook-and-loop fasteners 26b that can engage with each other to both ends of the tape-like member 25. With this tip-side ring member 20", both ends of the tape-like member 25 can be released to insert the fingertips, and after insertion, both ends of the tape-like member 25 can be tightened to fit the wrist. Furthermore, if the tip-side ring member is to have a tape-like member with both ends that can be released and fastened as described above, it is also possible to make the thick, flat cylindrical body made of foamed synthetic resin or the like that adheres to the inner surface of the tape-like member a single, integrated piece rather than a divided one.

[0026] Furthermore, the protective device is not limited to the long cylindrical suspension members as in the above embodiment, but can also be changed to thick rectangular prisms (approximately 10 mm or more in thickness) made of foamed synthetic resin (such as foamed polyurethane or expanded polystyrene), as shown in Figure 5. If the protective device 80 is equipped with thick rectangular prism suspension members 70,70, made of foamed synthetic resin, as shown in Figure 5, it is also possible to use double-sided adhesive tapes 71,71, to adhere the suspension members 70,70, to the front-end ring member 50 and the base-end ring member 60, or to attach the suspension members to the front-end ring member and the base-end ring member detachably using male and female hook-and-loop fasteners that can engage with each other. If protective equipment is equipped with a suspension member made of foamed synthetic resin, as described above, it has the advantage of lower manufacturing costs and reduced discomfort to the wearer while sleeping.

[0027] Furthermore, the protective device is not limited to covering the area from the wrist to the elbow joint, as in the above embodiment, but can also be changed to cover the area from the wrist to the shoulder, the area from the toes to the knee joint, the area from the toes to the hip joint, or the fingers and toes. When the protective device covers the area from the wrist to the shoulder or the area from the toes to the hip joint, it is also possible to provide an intermediate ring member (having an intermediate inner diameter between the inner diameter of the tip ring member and the inner diameter of the base ring member, etc.) between the tip ring member and the base ring member. [Industrial applicability]

[0028] As the protective device according to the present invention exhibits the excellent effects described above, it can be suitably used as a device to prevent people with skin diseases on their arms from unconsciously scratching the affected area while sleeping by wearing it on their arms. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0029] 10,80 ·· Protective equipment 20, 20', 20”, 50·· Tip-side ring member 21. Mounting holes (mounting parts) 30,60 ··Base end ring member 31. Mounting holes (mounting parts) 40,70··Suspension members

Claims

1. A protective device for covering and protecting the surface of the limbs or fingers and toes, A ring member for attachment to the fingertips of the limbs or toes, A proximal end ring member having a larger diameter than the aforementioned proximal end ring member, for attachment to the proximal end of the limbs or fingers and toes, A protective device characterized by comprising a suspension member suspended between the aforementioned tip-side ring member and the aforementioned base-side ring member.

2. The protective device according to claim 1, characterized in that the tip-side ring member and the base-side ring member are provided with mounting portions for attaching the suspension member.

3. The protective device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that at least a portion of the tip-side ring member is formed of an elastic material.

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