Compression Stocking Donning Frame With Offset Stretching Members
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing assistance systems for donning medical compression stockings require significant effort and unnatural orientations, which can lead to muscle and joint disorders in caregivers, and are not easily automated or portable.
Innovation Solution
An assistance system with two stretching members mounted on a support, where the retaining parts and bases are offset to allow for a larger passage, and the members can be elastically deformed, combined with a drive device for automated operation, enabling easier and less forceful donning of compression stockings.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the stretching members are spaced significantly apart to allow passage of the limb and foot, then the ease of operation is improved, but the device complexity and effort required to maintain position increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent offsets the retaining part and base in the longitudinal direction (another dimension) rather than simply increasing transverse spacing. This creates a three-dimensional configuration where the retaining part is positioned forward along the longitudinal axis, allowing the limb to pass through the offset space without requiring excessive transverse separation of the stretching members.
Solution Approach 2:
The rod is shaped to form multiple functional components (body, connecting arm, retaining part) as integrated nested structures. The connecting arm extends from the support, the body extends from the connecting arm, and the retaining part is positioned on the body, creating a compact nested configuration that reduces overall complexity.
2Ease of operation
If the stretching members are spaced significantly apart to allow passage of the foot, then the ease of operation is improved, but the force required to separate and maintain position increases
Solution Approach 1:
By positioning the retaining part offset in the longitudinal direction rather than increasing transverse spacing, the patent creates sufficient passage space for the foot without requiring the stretching members to be separated by large forces. The offset configuration allows the limb to pass through the available space while the stretching members remain closer together, reducing the force needed to maintain separation.
3Ease of operation
If the patient's limb is wet or covered with products after medical care, then the ease of operation deteriorates due to increased friction, but no design modification is made to address this condition
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates additional spatial parameters (offset in longitudinal direction, recess in transverse direction) that provide clearance and reduce contact between the compression stocking and the limb surface. This dimensional adjustment helps mitigate the harmful effect of increased friction from wet or coated skin by providing more space for the stocking to be donned without requiring excessive force.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Reduces the effort required to put on compression stockings, allowing for automated and portable assistance, minimizing strain on caregivers and improving the ease of use for both patients and caregivers.
Implementation Method 1
The rod can be made of spring steel... The body of each of the stretching members may have a concavity oriented in a direction opposite to the second stretching member at the level of the retaining part of said first stretching member... the stretching members can be placed in a plurality of relative positions
Data Source
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AI summary
An assistance system for fitting a medical compression device onto a limb of a patient. An assistance system (1) comprising: - a support (5), - two stretching members (30), in which a retaining part (39a, 39b) and a base (40) of at least a first of the stretching members (30) extend respectively in transverse planes, the transverse plane containing the retaining part (39a, 39b) of the first stretching member (30) being offset towards the retaining part (39a, 39b) of the second stretching member (30) relative to the base (40) of said first stretching member (30), and the first stretching member (30) comprises: - a shaped rod comprising a cradle (35) for forming a body (32) having a recess (45), - an external connecting element (33) to which the base (40) is linked, and - an internal connecting element (34) parallel to the external connecting element (33).