US 5,632,424 AGranted

Sock donning assist device

OwnerManfred Maier, H. Millicent MacCannellinventors

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Abstract

A sock donning assist device that allows a caretaker to put a sock on a disabled person who can not put the sock on themselves. The sock donning assist device includes a hollow rigid substantially L-shaped frame. The hollow rigid substantially L-shaped frame consists of a plurality of different sized and shaped slender members. The plurality of different sized and shaped slender members form a substantially vertically-oriented portion for retaining a sock during donning wherein the sock has an upper portion and a lower portion, and a horizontally-oriented portion extending forwardly from the substantially vertically-oriented portion of the hollow rigid substantially L-shaped frame for gripping by a user during donning the sock. Prior to donning the sock the substantially vertically-oriented portion of the hollow rigid substantially L-shaped frame receives the lower portion of the sock and the substantially vertically-oriented portion of the hollow rigid substantially L-shaped frame is received by the upper portion of the sock. During donning the substantially vertically-oriented portion of the hollow rigid substantially L-shaped frame is progressively removed from the upper portion of the sock.

Claims16

Dependent claims

A sock donning assist device comprising a hollow rigid substantially L-shaped frame consisting of a plurality of different sized and shaped slender members and having a substantially vertically-oriented portion for retaining a sock during donning wherein the sock has an upper portion and a lower portion, and a horizontally-oriented portion extending forwardly from said substantially vertically-oriented portion of said hollow rigid substantially L-shaped frame for gripping by a user during donning the sock, so that prior to donning the sock said substantially vertically-oriented portion of said hollow rigid substantially L-shaped frame receives the lower portion of the sock and said substantially vertically-oriented portion of said hollow rigid substantially L-shaped frame is received by the upper portion of the sock and during donning said substantially vertically-oriented portion of said hollow rigid substantially L-shaped frame is progressively removed from the upper portion of the sock;

said horizontally-oriented portion of said hollow rigid substantially L-shaped frame including a pair of lower side, straight, substantially parallel-disposed, spaced-apart, horizontally-oriented, elongated, and slender members;
each of said pair of lower side, straight, substantiality parallel-disposed, spaced-apart, horizontally-oriented, elongated, and slender members of said horizontally-oriented portion of said hollow rigid substantially L-shaped frame having a front end, a back end, and a length.

A method of using a sock donning assist device, said device comprising a hollow rigid substantially L-shaped frame comprising a substantially vertically-oriented portion with an interior space, an exterior, and a U-shaped top, horizontally oriented, forwardly opening, elongated, and slender member, said hollow rigid substantially L-shaped frame further comprising a horizontally-oriented portion with a pair of lower front, straight, substantially parallel-disposed, spaced-apart, substantially vertically-oriented, elongated, and slender members and pair of lower intermediate side, straight, substantially parallel-disposed, skew-oriented, elongated, and slender members, comprising the steps of:

a) placing a lower portion of a sock through said U-shaped top, horizontally oriented, forwardly opening, elongated, and slender member of said substantially vertically-oriented portion of said hollow rigid substantially L-shaped frame of said sock donning assist device with the lower portion of the sock positioned in said interior space of said substantially vertically-oriented portion of said hollow rigid substantially L-shaped frame;
b) stretching an upper portion of the sock over said U-shaped top, horizontally oriented, forwardly opening, elongated, and slender member of said substantially vertically-oriented portion of said hollow rigid substantially L-shaped frame;
c) pulling down the upper portion of the sock over said exterior of said substantially vertically-oriented portion of said hollow rigid substantially L-shaped frame and releasing so as to be compressingly secured thereto and ready for application;
d) gripping said pair of lower front, straight, substantially parallel-disposed, spaced-apart, substantially vertically-oriented, elongated, and slender members of said horizontally-oriented portion of said hollow rigid substantially L-shaped frame by the hands of a user with the forefingers being separated from the remaining fingers by said pair of lower intermediate side, straight, substantially parallel-disposed, skew-oriented, elongated and slender members of said horizontally-oriented portion of said hollow rigid substantially L-shaped frame, so that gripping ability is increased and unwanted rotation of the sock donning assist device is reduced during use;
e) inserting a toe portion of a foot of a leg into the lower portion of the sock;
f) pushing gently said sock donning assist device and the sock upwards on the leg with the upper portion of the sock pulling up and off said exterior of said substantially vertically-oriented portion of said hollow rigid substantially L-shaped frame and becoming compressingly secured to the leg;
and
g) removing said sock donning assist device with the leg leaving said U-shaped top, horizontally oriented, forwardly opening, elongated, and slender member of said substantially vertically-oriented portion of said hollow rigid substantially L-shaped frame.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.