US2943859A - Arm stiffening device - Google Patents

Description

y 5, 1 w. A. KOSKI Em 2,943,859

ARM STIFFENING DEVICE Filed May 11, 1959 W/LLMM A [03%] PAUL MAGU/PE INVENTORS ATTOIQ/VEVS'.

United States Patent ARI STIFFENING DEVICE William Anthony Koski, 2423 .W. Palmyra, Orange,

v signments, to said Koski Filed May 11, 1959, Ser. No. 812,478

4 Claims. (Cl. 273-489) The present invention relates to devices for holding the leading arm of a golfer substantially rigid while the golfer is swinging a golf club, and more particularly to such a device which is easy to put on and take off, comfortable to wear, which may be left in position on the arm for an extended period of time without affecting the golfers game adversely and which is readily adjustable.

Most prior art devices designed to stiffen the elbow of the leading arm of a golfer as he is swinging a golf club have employed a wrapper of flexible material which is wrapped around the elbow and secured in position by buckles or a slide fastener arrangement. The use of such artificial securing means is uncomfortable and usually at least partially reduces blood circulation on the arm so that such devices could only be worn for short periods of time. In addition, many of the conventional devices employ a stiffening member of solid material such as, for example, an elongated piece of spring steel to limit benda ing of the arm.

- Attempts have also been made to employ elastic sheaths to cover the elbow of the leading arm. For such a device to provide suflicient stiffening action it was necesto a very small group.

The discomforts associated with wearing such conventional devices limited the use thereof to practice sessions. In view of these and other disadvantages found in the conventional devices, -it is an object of our present invention to provide an arm stilfening device for golfers which may be readily fitted over the elbow of the leading arm and which may be readily adjusted to provide any desired degree of stiffness to the'a'r'm.

It is a further object of our invention to provide such a device which is simple of construction, readily adjustable to fit a wide variety of arm sizes and which is comfortable to the wearer over an extended period of time.

A moreparticular object of our invention is to provide such a device which may be frictionally secured to the arm of the wearer without the necessity of using buckles, straps, or slide fasteners.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will, it is believed, be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is an elevation view of a golfer in the act of swinging a golf clubwith our present invention operatively disposed about his left or leading arm to hold this arm substantially straight during the swing.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of our device.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Referring now to the drawings, an arm stifiening dc vice in accordance With' the present invention is indicated generally at 10. The device includes an elongated tubuice lar inflatable sheath 12, a liner element 14 and a valve element 16. V

The sheath 12 includes an inner layer 18 and an outer layer 20 preferably formed from an air impervious flexible, substantially inelastic material such as, for example, polyethylene or polystyrene plastic. The layers 1S and 20 are, as will be more fully explained below, sealed to provide a substantially air tight sheath. In addition, portions of the respective layers are sealed to one-another to form ribs 22 paralleling'the central axis of the sheath.

In forming the sheath, the layers 18 and 20 are cut to the desired size and laid flat upon one another. The ends 24 and 26 and edges 28 and 30 are then heat-sealed together in a manner well known in the art. The outer sheath 20 is provided with an opening 32 which receives the valve 16. The flat layers as sealed at their respective ends and sides may be inflated to form a pillow-like structure.

If these layers were then formed into a sheath, an arm supporting device could be formed; We have found, however, that substantially improved results are obtained by providing a plurality of longitudinally extending stiffening ribs 22. Accordingly, the flat layers are sealed together by webs 34 extending longitudinally with respect to the central axis of the resulting sheath and perpendicularly to the ends 24 and 26 thereof. The Webs are formed by the conventional heat-sealing process and as best shown in Fig. 2, do not extend the entire length of'the resulting sheath but rather terminate short of either end 24 and 26 to provide an air passage space between the ends of the respective ribs 22.

In order to increase the comfort to the wearer, we have provided the sheath with a plurality of airpassages or holes 36 adjacent the ends of each web 34.

To form the arm stifiening device the edges 28 and'Sll ;of the sheath are then overlapped, as best shown in Fig. 3,

to provide a device of the desired diameter. The edge 28 is then sealed as at 38 to the overlapped portion of the edge 30. I To the inner surface of the layer 18 thereis then secured the liner element 14. This liner element may be formed from any suitable cushioning material such as, for example, sponge rubber. The thickness of the liner element 14 will be determined by the size of the sheath desired and the amount of cushioning necessary. The

liner element is provided with a plurality of openings, not

shown, to correspond with the air passages 36 to allow free passage of air into the inner surface. Of course, if

vthe cushioning material is sufficiently thin or porous, these inner openings would not be necessary.

The webs 34 are inflated by means of a conventional closable valve 16. The valve 16 may be replaced by an air inlet tube and stopper arrangement, or by any self-operating valve member. We prefer to use, however, the push-pull type valve so that air may be admitted v to thearea between the layers by pulling the valve element out and forcing into the ribs and the valve is then closed by depressing the movable element. Such valves are conventional and are well known in the art. The valve may be preferably positioned near one end 24 of the sheath and the layers 18 and 20 sealed together through an arc of approximately 270 to 300 around the base of the valve as shown at 40.

The materials from which the sheath or liner may be made may be varied over a wide range. We prefer, however, both for ease of manufacture and for general comfort of the wearer to form the sheath from plastic layers which may be readily heat-sealed together. The device that we have described is a straight sheath, having the same diameter at each end. If desired, the sheath may be tapered to more exactly conform to the general contour of the arm. Thus the diameter at one end will be greater than thediameter square or rectangular would be generally trapezoidal so 4 r s na :tape n r d te fin d g i Finally,; as previously stated, the precise type of valve. r rpa e e -mea y to a a a i s .be determined by-xrianufactnring requirements. Itis'only necessary;tliat the userbe-able to intr oduce air into the websjand {0:8681 "off the inner area? between the layers QHi1 oi t d tme ph e' "Iheedeyice' thus; described is imminently suitable as an stiffening idevice, the;infla td webs acting as'stiffenerstq r-constantlyrernind the zgdlfer to keep his left arm In 'the us e of a device thus-described, afright handed :golter -pulls the deflated 'device'over his left arm and straight.

-positions itintermediate the wrist and shoulder so that the'midpoint of thedevice is'slightly above the elbow.

"The valve :is positioned so as to lie on topot the mans the-greater'the pressure, the more firmly the arm will be held.

:Because o f the ready iuflatability of tliedevice, the

golfer 'ruay deflate it when he desires flexibility in his 7 a le are a r man e. whe Put ,Them by merely a raising his'left arm across his month, he can reinfiate the device to the desired degree to prevent the arm from ee in b in -V r f ile .the device described splints to prevent jlexing iof broken aud otherwise in- ;jured limbs. For egram'plefbi increasing the length of the device and :the' amount: of tape, the npperm lower 7 l lim o e ire. arm-s ihelt nia refi i 'd by a deviceihaving the same general structural elements.

Accordingly,'it,is.to be ders too'dthatWedo uotyvish 1' beliniited :to the firacise ddhrsaesauemre above set forth fbut maintainersbrin r1111sense of the. ap-

pended'clain si V Weclaim:

1. .An 'arm stiffening device a da ited tol bie Worri by a f -golfer-=on his-leadiirg arm comprising: an elongated tubular sheath having an inner layer and-an outerla-yer; said 7 inner and outer'layers being formed fireman air -imper vious, flexiblejsubstantiallyinelastic material; :acplurality oflongitudinally extending reinforcing ribs formed by *sealingslcted a'ortions of said inner and outer'laye'rs at the other. In forming a tapered sheath, the individual layers instead of being.

V M is 'pr'incipally ern aloyed"as a reminder or aid toi -golf e rs, Wefbelieve, thatathe same principle can -be utilized in the forming'of temporary to one another; and infiatingmeans carried by said sheath. for selectively inflating said ribs; 7

2. An arm stiffening device adapted to be worn by a golfer on his leading arm comprising: an elongated tubu- 5 lar sheath having an inner layer and any outer layer, said inner and outer layers being formed from an air impervious, flexible, snbstantially inelastic materiahmeans 'sealone another to forman inflatable air space therebetween; means sealing selected-pet tions "6f saidinnr a layers toone another to 'divid said aiijsfiace 1n rality of longitudinally extending reinforcing valve means carried by said sheath for selectively inflating said ribs. P 3. An arm stiifening device adapted to be wo'rnby a golfer on his leading arm comprising an elongated tubular sheath having an inner layer and an outer layer, said inner and outerlayers being formed from anairimper- I vious, flexible, substantially inelastic material'jirie'afisflsealing the ends and edges of said inner and outrlaye'rsto' one another to'forrn an inflatable airspace th'ere'bet means sealing selected puritans 'fof' said inner i'anil outer layers to one another to divide said air sriaceih'toei prurality oflongitudinally extending reinforeing ifibs; ya'lv'e means carried by said sheath'for selectively inflating said ribs; and a cushioning liner element secured to said inner. layer. a t W h h V 4. An' arm stitfening device adapted to eavers-011a golfers leading arm 'Icoinpris'ing': a tapered, lon d, tubular, inflatable sheath having an inn'er layerfa nd an outer layer, said inner. and outer layers being "formed froman air impervious, fleXibl'e,slibstantiallyune material, said inne'r'and outer-layers bein seai- Qan'othr 'at. their respective jlfdsfand' edges 'it'o form 7 air space therebetweenj afplurality o 'f uniforinlyj Q iced; laterally displaced 'Webjs formed by sealingslected tions of said inner andouter. layersto 'one anoth webs dividing. said air Spaceintoga plurality dinally extending inflatable V reinforcing ribs 40 of air passages carriedbylsaid"slieathadjacent 4 j said outer layerjbeing'pifovided Withfan opfe; 'ng -ad ent oneend of. said"sheath';iajvalye "elementjcar'ried J man -arenas "int-he file ot patent V UNITED PATENTS ing the ends and edges" :of sardine-er and outer layers to V

Images