Hand joint supporter

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9579229-B2
Application number	US-201514628929-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 23, 2015
Priority date	Jan 22, 2010
Publication date	Feb 28, 2017
Grant date	Feb 28, 2017

Abstract

A hand joint supporter which can reduce the load on hand joints includes a first anchor section for tightening the wearer's forearm with a tubular knitted fabric, a second anchor section for tightening the palm and back of the wearer's hand with the fabric and a hole anchor section formed as a roughly circular through-hole in the vicinity of the second anchor section. A supporting section extends lengthwise in the fabric across the part covering the caprometacarpal joint and is joined to the first anchor section and the hole anchor section so as to support the wearer's hand joints. Stretch resistance, in the circumferential direction of the fabric of the first anchor part is larger than that of a base fabric section, and stretch resistance, in the length width direction of the fabric, of the supporting section is larger than that of the base fabric section.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A hand joint supporter comprising a tubular knitted fabric that is knitted by circular knitting, and is adapted to come into close contact with the body surface of a wearer, thereby assisting hand joints, the hand joint supporter comprising:
a first anchor section which is arranged to go around one end of the tubular knitted fabric and adapted to make the tubular knitted fabric tighten on a forearm of the wearer;
a second anchor section which is arranged to go around another end of the tubular knitted fabric, is adapted to surround portions corresponding to a second metacarpal bone, a third metacarpal bone, a fourth metacarpal bone, and a fifth metacarpal bone in a vicinity of the metacarpophalangeal joints of the wearer, and adapted to make the tubular knitted fabric tighten on a palm and a back of the hand of the wearer;
a hole anchor section comprising an approximately circular through-hole in a vicinity of the second anchor section in the tubular knitted fabric to insert a thumb of the hand of the wearer therethrough;
a supporting section which is arranged to extend in a length direction of the tubular knitted fabric and adapted to extend over portions of the tubular knitted fabric corresponding to the carpometacarpal joints of the wearer on the front face and/or back face side of the tubular knitted fabric and is connected to the first anchor section and the hole anchor section, thereby supporting the hand joints of the wearer;
a base fabric section which is arranged to surround portions corresponding to the hand joints of the wearer along with the supporting section and adapted to support the hand joints of the wearer along with the supporting section; and
a buffer section which is a knitted fabric surrounded by the second anchor section, the hole anchor section, the supporting section, and the base fabric section in the tubular knitted fabric and provides flexibility between the second anchor section and the supporting section;
wherein a stretch resistance of the first anchor section in a circumferential direction of the tubular knitted fabric is larger than a stretch resistance of the base fabric section in the circumferential direction of the tubular knitted fabric; and
a stretch resistance of the supporting section in the length direction of the tubular knitted fabric is larger than the stretch resistance of the base fabric section in the length direction of the tubular knitted fabric.

2. The hand joint supporter according to claim 1 , wherein a stretch resistance of the base fabric section in the length direction of the tubular knitted fabric is larger than a stretch resistance of the first anchor section in the length direction of the tubular knitted fabric,
the stretch resistance of the first anchor section in the length direction of the tubular knitted fabric is larger than a stretch resistance of the second anchor section in the length direction of the tubular knitted fabric, and
the stretch resistance of the second anchor section in the length direction of the tubular knitted fabric is larger than a stretch resistance of the buffer section in the length direction of the tubular knitted fabric.

3. The hand joint supporter according to claim 2 , wherein stretch resistances of the base fabric section and the supporting section in a circumferential direction of the tubular knitted fabric are larger than the stretch resistance of the second anchor section in the circumferential direction of the tubular knitted fabric, and
the stretch resistance of the second anchor section in the circumferential direction of the tubular knitted fabric is larger than a stretch resistance of the buffer section in the circumferential direction of the tubular knitted fabric.

4. The hand joint supporter according to claim 2 , further comprising:
an anchor reinforcing section which is made of a second tubular knitted fabric that is knitted by circular knitting continuously from the second anchor section of the tubular knitted fabric, and is adapted to span between the palm and the back of the hand of the wearer in a webbing between an index finger and a middle finger of the wearer, a webbing between the middle finger and a ring finger, and/or a webbing between the ring finger and a little finger, thereby being engaged with each of said webbings of the wearer.

5. The hand joint supporter according to claim 1 , wherein the stretch resistances of the base fabric section and the supporting section in the circumferential direction of the tubular knitted fabric are larger than a stretch resistance of the second anchor section in the circumferential direction of the tubular knitted fabric, and
the stretch resistance of the second anchor section in the circumferential direction of the tubular knitted fabric is larger than a stretch resistance of the buffer section in the circumferential direction of the tubular knitted fabric.

6. The hand joint supporter according to claim 5 , further comprising:
an anchor reinforcing section which is made of a second tubular knitted fabric that is knitted by circular knitting continuously from the second anchor section of the tubular knitted fabric, and is adapted to span between the palm and the back of the hand of the wearer in a webbing between an index finger and a middle finger of the wearer, a webbing between the middle finger and a ring finger, and/or a webbing between the ring finger and a little finger, thereby being engaged with each of said webbings of the wearer.

7. The hand joint supporter according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an anchor reinforcing section which is made of a second tubular knitted fabric that is knitted by circular knitting continuously from the second anchor section of the tubular knitted fabric, and is adapted to span between the palm and the back of the hand of the wearer in a webbing between an index finger and a middle finger of the wearer, a webbing between the middle finger and a ring finger, and/or a webbing between the ring finger and a little finger, thereby being engaged with each of said webbings of the wearer.

8. A hand joint supporter comprising a tubular knitted fabric that is knitted by circular knitting, and is adapted to come into close contact with the body surface of a wearer, thereby assisting hand joints, the hand joint supporter comprising:
a first anchor section which is arranged to go around one end of the tubular knitted fabric and adapted to make the tubular knitted fabric tighten on a forearm of the wearer;
a second anchor section which is arranged to go around another end of the tubular knitted fabric, is adapted to surround portions corresponding to a second metacarpal bone, a third metacarpal bone, a fourth metacarpal bone, and a fifth metacarpal bone in a vicinity of the metacarpophalangeal joints of the wearer, and adapted to make the tubular knitted fabric tighten on a palm and a back of the hand of the wearer;
a hole anchor section comprising an approximately circular through-hole in a vicinity of the second anchor section in the tubular knitted fabric to insert a thumb of the hand of the wearer therethrough;
a supporting section which is arranged to extend in a length direction of the tubular knitted fabric and adapted to extend over portions of the tubular knitted fabric corresponding to the carpometacarpal joints of the wearer on the front face and/or back face side of the tubular knitted fabric and is connected to the first anchor section and the hole anchor section, thereby supporting the hand joints of the wearer;
a base fabric section which is arranged to surround portions corresponding to the hand joints of the wearer along with the supporting section and adapted to support the hand joints of the wearer along with the supporti

Assignees

• Kowa Co

Inventors

• Matsuo Kazuhiko
• Koga Hidefumi

Classifications

• D10B2509/028

  Elastic support stockings or elastic bandages · CPC title

• D04B1/22

  specially adapted for knitting goods of particular configuration · CPC title

• D04B1/18

  elastic threads · CPC title

• D04B1/102

  with stitch pattern (D04B1/06, D04B1/08 take precedence) · CPC title

• A61F13/107

  for wrist support (incorporating non-textile reinforcing elements, e.g. springs or metal braces A61F5/0118); Compression devices for tennis elbow (epicondylitis) · CPC title