U-Shaped Stocking Applicator With Heel Opening for Easy Removal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing stocking applicators are difficult to use, particularly for fitting over the heel and ankle, require significant effort, and are not easily removable without sliding back over the foot, making them painful and often requiring assistance, with many being limited to lower limbs and not suitable for upper limbs.
Innovation Solution
A U-shaped stocking applicator with a heel opening and smooth, rigid design that facilitates easy application and removal by allowing the heel to be placed through the opening, enabling smooth sliding over the limb without needing to be removed over the foot, and can be used on both upper and lower limbs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a rigid tube applicator is used, then it may have some advantages over the simple ring, but it suffers from the same disadvantage of needing to be removed back over the foot and is not entirely satisfactory in fitting the stocking
Solution Approach 1:
The U-shaped channel design segments the applicator into two separate ends that can be independently manipulated for removal, allowing the applicator to be taken off the limb without sliding back over the foot, thus maintaining rigidity while improving removal ease
Solution Approach 2:
The applicator transitions from a closed circular ring to an open U-shaped structure, adding the dimension of open ends that enables new removal methods by pulling ends away from the limb rather than sliding back over the foot
2Ease of operation
If complicated mechanical stocking applicators are used, then they may provide comprehensive assistance, but they are expensive to manufacture, difficult to use, and difficult to transport
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts only the essential functional elements needed for stocking application - a simple U-shaped channel without complex mechanical mechanisms - thereby reducing manufacturing cost, device complexity, and portability issues while maintaining ease of operation
Solution Approach 2:
The applicator is designed as a simple, inexpensive, single-use device made from basic materials like plastic or foam, eliminating the need for expensive, complex, reusable mechanical systems while providing adequate functionality for one-time stocking application
Data Source
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AI summary
A medical compression stocking applicator comprises an elongate member which comprises a pair of opposed sidewalls and an interconnecting wall and therefore may be substantially U-shaped in cross-section and is open at each end, the elongate member comprising a heel opening between the ends of the elongate member, said heel opening extending entirely through the elongate member, the heel opening adapted to support a person's heel during application of a stocking.