[0001] The invention relates to a means for taking off elastic stockings, in particular
therapeutic elastic stockings (also called support stockings). In the first place
the invention is designed for people who have little strength to take off the support
stocking by themselves. Besides the invention can be used by anyone else to be able
to take off a stocking with more convenience and less effort. Also the service life
of the stocking is increased.
[0002] It is generally known that taking off stockings requires a substantial effort. During
the years many implements and means were designed to make the taking off easier.
[0003] As an example,
US-A-5,924,609 discloses that a muff/sack of smooth material is pulled over the stocking and the
stocking is folded over this muff/sack. According to this proposal the smooth material
however remains insufficient below the folded over stocking and because of that a
good eye-hand coordination and fine locomotion are required to use this means.
[0004] Since several years the easy-off is available on the market, a means also relating
to a muff/sack of smooth material which is pulled over the stocking and which is temporarily
fixated above the ankle by means of a rigid strap or tension strip which by means
of Velcro is tightened around the leg into a closed loop. As soon as the stocking
is suspended at the ankle, this strap must be removed by pulling loose of the Velcro,
to be able to further take off the stocking.
[0005] Also recently a product came onto the market comparable to the easy-off wherein the
said strap is made of elastic stretching material while it is not required to untie
it during taking off of the stocking.
[0006] According to
US2007119882 use is made of an elastic yielding strap for fixation at the calf. This patent document
only generally addresses the dimensions of the means.
[0008] All above cited inventions make use of the principle that it takes less effort to
move two bodies across each other if the friction resistance between these bodies
is lowered. Apart from that there are means for taking off stockings with which external
force is applied, see e.g.
NL 1014263 and
NL 9300731, wherein the stocking is heavy loaded mechanically such that the chance for damaging
and/or early compression loss is big. This invention is not directed to this type
of means.
[0009] This invention is made to remove the disadvantages of the known means. The object
of the invention is versatile. The invention is, according to one aspect, based on
the recognition that for proper functioning the correct ratio between the general
size of the means, the size of the elastic strap and the stiffness of the strap is
probably essential.
[0010] The inventor has determined the following shortcomings of the prior art: In
US2007119882 no mention is made about the dimensions relating to the strap. When taking off the
stocking it is difficult to untie the strap at the right moment. When the strap is
too tightly tightened, the muff/sack does not function. When the strap is too weakly
tightened, the muff/sack does not remain below the folded over stocking. To put on
and tighten the strap a proper eye-hand coordination is required, plus the understanding
to remove the strap at the right time. With many elderly which are in particular the
users of elastic stockings, the fine eye-hand coordination is absent and also the
understanding to carry out several operations in the correct order.
[0011] The invention is as disclosed in the attached claims.
[0012] The invention will be further described by way of an in the drawing illustrated example.
Fig. 1 shows the means in a perspective view and in sectional view according to line
II-II.
Fig. 2 shows the means in the ready for use state, slid across a stocking around a
foot, in side view.
Fig. 3 shows the means around a foot at the time the stocking is almost taken off,
in a sectional side view.
[0013] The means 1 (viz. fig. 1) has the shape of a supple, possibly cylindrical tube, sleeve,
sheath, sack or muff 2, open at the lower 3 and upper side 4. The sleeve 2 can also
have the shape of a truncated cone, to save material. The lower side 3 could possibly
be closed.
[0014] The sleeve 2 is made of a supple pliable and preferably not yielding and stretch
free material with a low coefficient of friction, such as e.g. rayon (artificial silk),
silk, spinnaker cloth, a nylon cloth with Teflon coating or a cloth of the company
Eriks with the name Chemglass PTFE glass fabric 100-3, or another preferably textile
or cloth like material.
[0015] At the top 4 of the sleeve 2 and fixed thereto there is an around the sleeve extending
border or tunnel 5 which forms a passage. The border 5 is of the same material as
the sleeve 2 and is an integral part of the sleeve 2.
[0016] The border 5 provides a channel containing an elastic yielding loop, ring or wire
6 of which the circumference measures between approximately 45 and 55% of the circumference
of the sleeve 2 at the level of the top side 4 (differently spoken the length of the
border 5). The circumference of the loop 6 can not be changed other than by stretching
of its material. The loop 6 has a yield of at least 100% and a stiffness of approximately
1, 6 N/m and can freely move within the border 5. The cross section of the wire of
the loop 6 has a diameter of approximately 2 millimetres.
[0017] The sleeve 2 preferably has a length of 20 centimetres and the top side 4 a circumference
of 44 centimetres.
[0018] As an alternative the loop 6 can be fixed within the border 5, e.g. by stitches.
It is preferred that the loop 6 can not or hardly displace in the direction parallel
to the direction from the lower side 3 towards the top side 4 of the sleeve. For a
proper functioning it is preferred that the loop 6 is completely surrounded by the
material of the sleeve and/or the loop 6 is evenly along its length connected to the
sleeve 2, e.g. with spacing along its length.
[0019] To pull off the stocking 10, the procedure is as follows (viz. fig. 2). First the
sleeve 2 with the border 5 at the top is pulled over the foot 7 and heel 8 such that
the border 5 is present at the thinnest part of the ankle 9. Subsequently the stocking
10 is held at the top and in a single layer folded over the heel 8, such that the
in fig. 3 illustrated situation is obtained.
[0020] Due to the correct ratio between the diameter of the sleeve 2, the diameter of the
loop 6 and the correct stiffness of the loop 6, the means stays suspended from the
ankle while the stocking 10 slides with little effort across the sleeve 2. From the
time that the folded part 11 of the stocking 10 arrives at the border 5, the stocking
will take the means 1 with it. Since the loop 6 can sufficiently yield elastically,
the means 1 will follow across the ankle with only a small additional effort and will
not obstruct the stocking during unrolling across ankle 9, heel 8 and foot 7.
[0021] For a proper functioning it is required that the means 1 is available in several
sizes. The variation is determined by the diameter of the sleeve 2 with the corresponding
diameter of the loop 6. The ratio between heel-instep size (cY) and the ankle (cB)
is critical. With two or three diameters the biggest part of the users can be supplied.
[0022] The Total length of the sleeve 2 is such that the part between the thinnest part
of the ankle 9 and at least the mid of the foot 7 is covered by the means. In most
cases 20 centimetres suffices.
[0023] Also different embodiments of the invention are feasible, such as an embodiment wherein
the loop is not inside a border but in maximum stretched state circular or partly
circular stitched or differently mounted to the end of the sleeve, such that the border
5 can be absent. The border 5 can also be located remote from the ends of the sleeve
2, e.g. midway the length of the sleeve 2 such that during taking off the stocking
from the time the stocking takes the means with it the effort becomes even lower since
in this state even two smooth parts of the slang 2 slide across each other.
[0024] The invention is not limited in use in different situations or application. All described
or in the drawing illustrated measurements determine as such or in arbitrary combination
the subject matter of the invention, also independent from their combination in the
claims or their references.
1. A method for taking off support stockings wherein a means is used which is temporary
fixated at the level of the ankle by means of an elastic belt which is mounted within
or at the means.
2. A means for taking off support stockings comprising a circular tube or sleeve (2)
open at the lower (3) and/or top side (4) and preferably wherein at the top side there
is a circular tunnel of border (5) providing a free passage and being an integral
part with the cylindrical tube.
3. A means according to claim 2, wherein the tunnel contains an elastic belt or wire
(6) which can move freely within the tunnel and has a circumference between 45 and
55 % of the circumference of the cylindrical tube.
4. A means according to any of claims 2-3 wherein it has an elastic belt or wire (6)
with a yield of more then 100% and a stiffness of approximately 1,6 N/m
5. A means according to any of claims 2-4 wherein the cylinder (2) is made of a supple,
thin, non elastic material with a coefficient of friction which is as low as possible
between the material of the cylinder and the material of the stocking.
6. A means according to any of claims 2-5, wherein it comprises one or more of the following
measurements:
- de wire (6) is permanently mounted to the see (2);
- de wire is completely surrounded by the sleeve.
- de wire (6) is part of or makes a closed loop of fixed dimension, apart from elastic
yield;
- at the location where the loop is present at the sleeve, the wire or loop has a
circumference with a dimension at least 10% smaller than the circumference of the
sleeve, preferably between approximately 40 and 60%, more preferably between approximately
45 and 55% of the circumference of the sleeve (2) ;
- the wire or loop has an elastic yield of at least 50% or 100% or 125% or 150%
- the wire or loop has a stiffness of 5 N/m at the most, such as between 1 and 2 N/m,
e.g. approximately 1,6 N/m;
- the cross section of the wire of the loop (6) has a diameter of 5 or 10 millimetres
at the most, e.g. approximately 2 millimetres;
- the wire is located within a border or channel at the sleeve;
- the wire is evenly along its length mounted to the sleeve;
- if the sleeve is slid across the foot ready for use, the wire is stretched around
the ankle of the foot;
- the sleeve (2) has, measured from an end to the wire, a length between 10 and 30
centimetres, e.g. approximately 20 centimetres;
- the sleeve (2) has at the location where the loop is present at the sleeve a circumference
between 40 and 50 centimetres, e.g. approximately 44 centimetres.