Patent Application
20240157223
Not Applicable.
This invention relates to the field of alpine sports and specifically that of snow skiing. In particular, it relates to a medially thickened shin pad embedded in an innovative ski sock that is designed to reduce discomfort in the lower leg and increase control for the snow skier.
Discomfort due to ski boots is nearly universal in the field of snow skiing. Much of this discomfort is caused by the large amounts of stress induced on the anterior lower leg. As ski boots have a uniform front shin pad, equal pressure is exerted on all aspects of the anterior lower leg. However, there exist major differences in the medial and lateral aspects of the anterior lower leg. The medial aspect of the anterior lower leg has the boney surface of the tibia. The middle and lateral aspects of the anterior lower leg are partly comprised of the anterior compartment of the leg composed of soft tissue including muscle and fascia. When skiing, repetitive trauma often occurs as the ski boot hits the shin area of the leg. This may result in inflammation of the muscles and fascia of the anterior compartment of the lower leg and leads to a condition called “shin-bang” resulting from skiing.
While various efforts have been made to distribute the force exerted on the shin, through thicker lined socks, different ski boot tongue designs, gel inserts on the heel and shin area, and custom insoles, there still exists a need for a better solution. The prior solutions lack any structure to reduce pressure exerted on the Tibialis Anterior muscle and the associated Tibialis Anterior Tendon by exerting additional pressure over the boney aspects of the tibia.
The present disclosure set forth wherein comprises a novel device that acts to dispense some of the force normally exerted directly on the middle part of the anterior compartment of the lower leg, to the more inflammation resistant boney surface of the medial tibia. The device, which may be comprised of various materials including, foam, gel, plastic, and/or cloth is either placed separately or embedded within a ski sock so that the medial portion of the device is thickened as compared to the rest of the device. The device may also be incorporated into the tongue of a ski boot. When worn, this thickened medial portion is configured to rest on the medial boney surface of the tibia, thereby exerting an exaggerated force on this surface and a less exaggerated force on the anterior compartment of the lower leg. This dispersion of force away from the anterior compartment reduces the likelihood of discomfort from inflammation and the development of “shin-bang.”
The figures provided herein illustrate one embodiment of the present Medially Thickened Shin Pad to Reduce Lower Leg Discomfort when Snow Skiing. While a variety of embodiments are described herein as examples, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited by the description provided herein or by the figures in the accompanying drawings, in which like references may indicate similar elements and in which:
For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles in accordance with this disclosure, reference will now be made to the embodiments illustrated in the drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the disclosure is thereby intended. Any alterations and further modifications of the features illustrated herein, and any additional applications of the principles of the disclosure as illustrated herein, which would normally occur to one skilled in the relevant art and having possession of this disclosure, are to be considered within the scope of the disclosure claimed.
Before the devices, systems, processes and methods will be disclosed and described, it is to be understood that this disclosure is not limited to the particular configurations, process steps, and materials disclosed herein as such configurations, process steps, and materials may vary somewhat. It is also to be understood that the terminology employed herein is used for the purpose of describing particular illustrative embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting since the scope of the disclosure will be limited only by the appended claims and equivalents thereof.
In describing and claiming the subject matter of the disclosure, the following terminology will be used in accordance with the definitions set out below.
It must be noted that, as used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
As used herein, the terms “comprising,” “including,” “containing,” “characterized by,” “having” and grammatical equivalents thereof are inclusive or open-ended terms that do not exclude additional, unrecited elements, method steps, and/or groups thereof.
Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical, medical, and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one having ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and the present disclosure and should not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly defined herein.
For convenience in describing the method and use of the current disclosure, singular masculine or feminine pronouns have been used to describe the person executing the methods described. It is to be understood that no limitation of the invention to use by one gender or the other is intended by such use.
In describing the embodiments of this disclosure, it will be understood that a number of techniques and steps are disclosed. Each of these has individual benefit and each can also be used in conjunction with one or more, or in some cases all, of the other disclosed techniques. Accordingly, for the sake of clarity, this description will refrain from repeating every possible combination of the individual steps or applications in an unnecessary fashion. Nevertheless, the specification and claims should be read with the understanding that such combinations are entirely within the scope of the invention and the claims.
New devices, apparatuses, and methods for an invention to reduce stress and discomfort in parts of the lower leg are discussed herein. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. It will be evident, however, to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details.
The devices will next be described by referencing the appended figures representing illustrative embodiments. In one embodiment of the device, depicted in
In another embodiment of the invention, shown in
In one embodiment, shown in
In one embodiment of a Medially Thickened Shin Pad to Reduce Lower Leg Discomfort, the device may be approximately 14 cm long and 10 cm wide with a uniform cross section with a medial 21 thickness of 10 mm and a middle 22 and lateral 23 thickness of 5 mm. In another embodiment, the device may be lengthened or shortened to appropriately fit a user's leg. Similarly, the width of the device may be adjusted to an individual user's needs. In general, the thickness of the device will have a medial thickness of approximately 10 mm and a middle and lateral thickness of approximately 5 mm, but these measurements may also be adjusted as required for a particular user's body, so long as the measurements are in keeping with the medial thickness being greater in order to keep the pressure mostly on the medial, boney portions of the tibia, taking pressure away from the middle and lateral portions of the tibia, while protecting the boney portions of the tibia with the additional padding.
In one embodiment the device may be comprised of one or more preferred material, including: foam, rubber, gel, cloth, thermoplastics, plastics, wool, and carbon fiber. In one embodiment the device may be comprised of either open or closed cell foam of with various hardness. In one embodiment, different types of foam may be used for different parts of the device, with different parts having a variety of hardnesses in order to properly cushion and distribute the force exerted on the leg. In another embodiment, the device may be comprised of a variety of fabric or yarn. While illustrative materials for the device have been described, the device is not limited by these materials. Wood, plastics, foam, rubber, fiberglass, metal allows, aluminum, vinyl, various fabrics, sand, and other material may comprise some or all of the elements of the device and devices in various embodiments of the present disclosure.
It will be appreciated that for the device to properly be positioned with the thicker portion over the medial area of the shin and thinner portions over the middle and lateral portions of the shin, a left and right device will not be identical, but must be separately constructed.
Although the present disclosure has been illustrated and described herein with reference to illustrative embodiments and specific examples thereof, it will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that other embodiments and examples may perform similar functions and/or achieve like results. All such equivalent embodiments and examples are within the spirit and scope of the present invention, are contemplated thereby, and are intended to be included within the scope of the following claims.
The device is placed so that the ski boot will exert less direct force on the middle part of the lower leg, the majority of the tibialis anterior muscle, and/or the upper part of the tibialis anterior tendon, and, consequently, may reduce inflammation of the anterior compartment of the lower leg and decrease the incidence of the “shin-bang” condition in many, if not all, users.
It will now be appreciated that the present apparatus reduces lower leg discomfort and incudes a device placed onto the anterior portion of the lower leg to reduce pressure on the Tibialis Anterior muscle and associated tendon when a direct force is applied to the anterior lower leg including a medially thickened shin pad, wherein a medial portion of the shin pad is thicker than a middle and a lateral portion and wherein the thickened medial portion of the shin pad is configured to put exaggerated pressure on the medial boney portion of the tibia. Moreover, the shin pad can be approximately 14 cm in length and 10 cm in width and the medially thickened shin pad has a medial thickness of approximately 10 mm, a middle thickness of approximately 5 mm, and a lateral thickness of approximately 5 mm. Still further, the medially thickened shin pad is comprised of closed cell foam of one or more varieties and can be comprised of one or more of the following: fabrics, yarn, plastics, metal, open cell foam, closed cell foam, wood, rubber, fiberglass, and sand and the medially thickened shin pad is split into two or more segments and can be attached to a sock. Still further, the method of the present disclosure can utilize one or more of the above reference elements to obtain the benefits described herein.
Although the present disclosure has been illustrated and described herein with reference to preferred embodiments and specific examples thereof, it will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that other embodiments and examples may perform similar functions and/or achieve like results. All such equivalent embodiments and examples are within the spirit and scope of the present invention, are contemplated thereby, and are intended to be covered by the following claims.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional patent application No. 63/416,650, filed Oct. 17, 2022, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety, including but not limited to those portions that specifically appear hereinafter, this incorporation by reference being made with the following exception: In the event that any portion of the above-referenced application is inconsistent with this application, this application supersedes the above-referenced application.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63416650 | Oct 2022 | US |
