Claims
- 1. Apparatus for providing a ventilated shielding over a skin region of a user's body part, said apparatus comprising:
- a pair of support members separated a distance from each other and adapted for approximately parallel placement from each other straddling said skin region;
- a plurality of resilient arcuate cage members each having opposing ends connected to said support members, said cage members being arranged parallel and spaced from one another thereby defining air circulation passages between said cage members, said cage members being resiliently deformable springs having a relaxed condition wherein said members have a relaxed effective length which is greater than said distance and a compressed arched condition inducible by urging said opposing ends towards each other;
- position maintenance means connecting said support members and extending adjacent said skin region for maintaining said support members in relative positions separated by said distance, thereby urging said opposing ends of said cage members toward each other and inducing said cage members to said compressed condition; and
- attachment means adapted to extend away from said cage members and encircle said user's body part for attaching said cage members to said user's body part above said skin region with said support members held against said user's body part.
- 2. The ventilated skin shielding apparatus of claim 1 wherein said position maintenance means is flexible and comprises a pair of straps, one strap fastened to an end of each of said support members, and the other strap fastened to the other end of each of said support members.
- 3. The ventilated skin shielding apparatus of claim 1 wherein said position maintenance means comprises a fabric panel with a central aperture configured to circumscribe said region.
- 4. The ventilated skin shielding apparatus of claim 1, wherein said attachment means further includes adjustment means for adjusting said attachment means to fit said user's body part.
- 5. The ventilated skin shielding apparatus of claim 4, wherein said attachment means comprises at least one strap having a first end connected to an end of one of said cage members, a second end, and buckle means connecting said second end to an opposite end of said cage member for adjusting the length of said strap.
- 6. The ventilated skin shielding apparatus of claim 1, further including latch means associated with at least one end of each said cage members for releasably connecting said cage members to said support members.
- 7. The ventilated skin shielding apparatus of claim 6, wherein said latch means is a normally closed resilient clasp having a lever movable to open said clasp to insert or remove one of said end support members therein.
- 8. The ventilated skin shielding apparatus of claim 7, wherein said cage member ends having said latch means further include connection means for interconnecting said cage member with said attachment means.
- 9. The ventilated skin shielding apparatus of claim 8, wherein said attachment means further includes adjustment means for adjusting said attachment means to fit said user's body part.
- 10. The ventilated skin shielding apparatus of claim 9 wherein said attachment means comprises at least one strap having a first end connected to an end of one of said cage members, a second end, and buckle means connecting said second end to an opposite end of said cage member for adjusting the length of said strap.
- 11. A ventilated skin shielding apparatus for protecting an area of damaged skin on a body part, comprising:
- a pair of support members adapted for placement in approximately parallel spaced relationship to each other to straddle an area of damaged skin;
- a plurality of resilient arcuate cage members each having opposing ends connected to said support members and latch means associated with at least one of said ends for releasably connecting said cage member to one of said support members, said cage members being disposed above said damaged skin and arranged parallel to one another in a spaced array defining air circulation passages between said cage members,
- said latch means comprising a normally closed clasping jaw resiliently movable to an open position for placement or removal from one of said support members; and
- attachment means associated with said cage member ends for affixing said support members against the skin of said body part.
- 12. The ventilated skin shielding apparatus of claim 11, wherein said latch means further includes a lever disposed for movement by a user to effect opening of said normally closed clasp.
- 13. The ventilated skin shielding apparatus of claim 11, wherein said cage member ends having said latch means further include connection means for interconnecting said cage member with said attachment means.
- 14. The ventilated skin shielding apparatus of claim 13, wherein said attachment means further includes adjustment means for adjusting said attachment means to fit said user's body part.
- 15. The ventilated skin shielding apparatus of claim 14 wherein said attachment means comprises at least one strap having a first end connected to an end of one of said cage members, a second end, and buckle means connecting said second end to an opposite end of said cage member for adjusting the length of said strap.
- 16. The ventilated skin shielding apparatus of claim 11, further including position maintenance means disposed below said cage members for holding said support members in said spaced relationship.
- 17. A protective cage member with associated connection elements for use in a skin protection apparatus having parallel spaced end support members connected by at least one attachment element extending around a user's body part to affix the skin protection apparatus thereto, comprising
- a bowed elongate frame having two ends which are connectable to end support members, and at least one of said ends having
- latch means associated thereto for releasably connecting said bowed elongate frame to and from an end support member, said latch means comprising a normally closed clasp which is resiliently movable to an open position for placement or removal of an end support member; and
- connection means associated thereto for interconnecting said bowed elongate frame with an attachment element for affixing the skin protection apparatus to a user.
- 18. The protective cage member of claim 17, wherein each of said ends has said latch means and said connection means.
- 19. The protective cage member of claim 17, wherein said normally closed clasp has a lever formed thereon, said lever being movable to open said clasp to insert or remove an end support member.
- 20. The protective cage member of claim 19, wherein said connection means is a hook.
- 21. Apparatus for providing a ventilated shielding over a skin region of a user's body part, said apparatus comprising:
- a pair of support members separated a distance from each other and adapted for approximately parallel placement from each other straddling said skin region, said support members being attached to each other by a material which at least partially circumscribes said region;
- a plurality of resilient arcuate cage members each having opposing ends connected to said support members, said cage members being arranged parallel and spaced from one another thereby defining air circulation passages between said cage members, said cage members being resiliently deformable springs having a relaxed condition wherein said members have a relaxed effective length and a compressed condition inducible by urging said opposing ends towards each other, whereby the stiffness of said cage members is increased, and said material connecting said support members having a length which limits the distance between said support members to a distance less than said relaxed effective length of said cage members, thereby inducing said cage members to said compressed condition; and
- attachment means adapted to extend away from said cage members for holding said cage members above said region with said support members affixed against a user's body part.
- 22. Apparatus for providing a ventilated shielding over a skin region which is sensitive on a user's body part, said apparatus comprising:
- a pair of support members separated a distance from each other and adapted for approximately parallel placement from each other straddling said skin region for connecting said support members to each other, sized to establish said distance between said support members, and arranged to avoid said skin region;
- a plurality of resilient arcuate cage members each having opposing ends connected to said support members, said cage members being arranged parallel and spaced from one another, said cage members being resiliently deformable springs having a relaxed condition wherein said members have a relaxed effective length which is greater than said distance and a compressed condition inducible by urging said opposing ends towards each other to limit their separation to said distance; and
- attachment means adapted to extend away from said cage members for attaching said cage members to said user's body part above said region with said support members positioned against said user's body part.
Parent Case Info
This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 339,208, filed Apr. 14, 1989 now abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (9)
Foreign Referenced Citations (3)
Number |
Date |
Country |
165664 |
Oct 1955 |
AUX |
0902613 |
Sep 1945 |
FRX |
8904157 |
May 1989 |
WOX |
Continuations (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
339208 |
Apr 1989 |
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