US3724458A

US3724458A - Toe harness

Info

Publication number: US3724458A
Application number: US00086113A
Authority: US
Inventors: T Piper
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1970-11-02
Filing date: 1970-11-02
Publication date: 1973-04-03
Anticipated expiration: 1990-04-03

Abstract

An elastic band of a suitable length to contract about the foot just behind the toes to retain itself in place, this band having cotton-tuft-retaining elastic strips secured to its forward edge at points located above the foot and aligned with vertical planes in which the toes are contiguous, said elastic strips extending downward between said toes and being connected at their lower ends by a transverse elastic strip, the opposite ends of said transverse strip being connected with the front edge of said band by wing elastic strips which pass outwardly and upwardly around the big and little toes and serve to keep said transverse elastic strip taut, said cotton-tuft-retaining elastic strips overlying and retaining in place medicated tufts of cotton placed between the toes.

Description

United States Patent 1 Piper 51 Apr. 3, 1973 [54] TOE HARNESS [76] Inventor: Tracy D. Piper, 7900 Teesdale Avenue, North Hollywood, Calif. 91605 [22] Filed: Nov. 2, 1970 [21] Appl. No.: 86,113

Primary Exaininer-William E. Kamm Assistant Examiner-J. Yasko Attorney-Dana E. Keech 57 ABSTRACT An elastic band of a suitable length to contract about the foot just behind the toes to retain itself in place, this band having cotton-tuft-retaining elastic strips secured to its forward edge at points located above the foot and aligned with vertical planes in which the toes are contiguous, said elastic strips extending downward between said toes and being connected at their lower ends by a transverse elastic strip, the opposite ends of said transverse strip being connected with the front edge of said band by wing elastic strips which pass outwardly and upwardly around the big and little toes and serve to keep said transverse elastic strip taut, said cotton-tuft-retaining elastic strips overlying and retaining in place medicated tufts of cotton placed between the toes.

3 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures PATENTEDAPR 3 I975 I/vvE/v 70/2. IZQCV D. P/PER TOE HARNESS SUMMARY OF INVENTION In the treatment of athletes foot and other fungus ailments of the feet, medicaments are applied to the skin areas between the toes as with tufts of cotton. There is a tendency for these tufts however, to work out from between the toes so as to render the treatment ineffective.

Among the objects of the present invention are the following: to provide a toe harness which is inexpensive to manufacture, which may thus be sold at a price warranting its disposal after a single days use, which is easy to apply and comfortable to wear, which stays in place and holds cotton tufts between the toes until the harness is removed, and which is readily reversible so as to fit either the right or the left foot.

Another object is to provide such a harness, the strips of which extending between the toes are coated with wool yarn fibers which have a fungicidal effect.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the invention as it is held in the hands in readiness for applying to the right foot.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the invention as it appears after its application to the right foot.

FIG. 3 is a left side elevation of FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The toe harness of the invention preferably includes an elastic band 11 of a size requiring it to be stretched when applied to a foot 12 so that when said band contracts on said foot, it will hold the harness 10 in place.

The purpose for providing the harness 10 is to hold tufts 13 of medicated cotton between the

toes

14, 15, 16, 17 and 18 of the foot 12 as required in treating certain diseases of the feet. Secured to the front edge 19 of a delta-shaped central portion 20 of the upper half of the band 11 are four

elastic strips

21, 22, 23, and 24 which lie in the vertical planes in which said toes are respectively contiguous with each other. Said strips overlie cotton tufts 13 and extend downwardly between said toes to be joined together at their lower ends by a transverse elastic strip which underlies toes 15, 16 and 17.

Opposite ends of transverse strip 25 are connected by wing

elastic strips

26 and 27 to the front edge of elastic band 1 1 close to the points at which

elastic strips

21 and 24 connect to said band, said strips passing outwardly around the big and

little toes

14 and 18 of the foot 12 and holding the transverse strip 25 taut beneath toes 15, 16 and 17, thus also holding the

strips

21, 22 23 and 24 taut and pressing downwardly against the cotton tufts l3 and preventing their dislodgement from the positions in which they have been placed between the toes.

As may be seen by inspection of FIG. 1, the harness 10 of the invention is there viewed as when held for application to the right foot. The same harness, when turned inside out, is applicable to the left foot. It is therefore unnecessary to manufacture the invention in two styles, one for the right foot and the other for the left foot, as any harness 10 is applicable to either the right foot or the left foot by the simple expedient above described.

The elastic band 11 and

elastic strips

21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26 and 27 are preferably made of fabric covered rubber so that the rubber itself does not touch the skin of the foot.

The harness 10 is preferably applied to a foot 12 in the following manner:

The band 11, held in the two hands, as shown in FIG. 1, is slipped over the toes and allowed to contract onto the foot just behind the toes in the position in which the band is shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, but, with the

elastic strips

21, 22, 23, 24, 26 and 27, which are secured at their rear ends to the upper portion 20 of band 11 and at their front extremities to elastic strip 25, lie above the toes and on top of the foot just forwardly of the band 11.

Four cotton tufts 13 are now pulled from a roll of absorbent cotton and tucked between the toes.

Opposite ends of transverse elastic strip 25 are now siezed between the thumbs and forefingers of the two hands and shifted forwardly and downwardly over the toes to lodge said strip 25 directly under the toes as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 with cotton tufts l3 individually and respectively being held in place between said toes by

elastic strips

21, 22, 23 and 24.

I claim:

1. In a toe harness for holding four cotton tufts (13) between the toes (14, 15, 16, 17 and 18) of a human foot, the combination of:

an elastic band (11) of a length, enabling it, by stretching, to be applied around the entire foot just back of the toes;

four elastic strips (21, 22, 23 and 24) spaced distances apart adapting said strips to lie respectively in four vertical planes in which the five toes of a human foot are continguous, said strips being connected at their rear upper ends to the front upwardly disposed edge of said band (1 1),

the front ends of said strips being adapted to pass forwardly and downwardly in said planes between said toes; and

a transverse elastic strip spaced from said elastic band (25) connecting the front,lower ends of the strips (21, 22, 23 and 24) and adapted to underlie the middle three of said toes whereby strips (21, 22, 23 and 24) will hold in place four cotton tufts inserted between the toes of said foot.

2. A combination as recited in claim 1 wherein wing elastic strips are provided connecting to outer ends of said transverse elastic strip, said wing strips being adapted to extend outwardly and upwardly respectively around the big and little toes, outer, upper ends of said wing strips connecting to the front edge of said elastic band.

3. A combination as recited in claim 2 wherein the central portion of the upper half of said band, adapted to be disposed opposite said middle three toes, is delta-shaped and pointed forwardly,

said four first recited elastic strips being secured to the front edge of said delta-shaped band portion, and

the upper ends of said wing elastic strips being secured to the front edge of said delta band portion close to the points of juncture therewith of the outermost of said four first recited elastic strips.

Claims

1. In a toe harness for holding four cotton tufts (13) between the toes (14, 15, 16, 17 and 18) of a human foot, the combination of: an elastic band (11) of a length, enabling it, by stretching, to be applied around the entire foot just back of the toes; four elastic strips (21, 22, 23 and 24) spaced distances apart adapting said strips to lie respectively in four vertical planes in which the five toes of a human foot are continguous, said strips being connected at their rear upper ends to the front upwardly disposed edge of said band (11), the front ends of said strips being adapted to pass forwardly and downwardly in said planes between said toes; and a transverse elastic strip spaced from said elastic band (25) connecting the front,lower ends of the strips (21, 22, 23 and 24) and adapted to underlie the middle three of said toes whereby strips (21, 22, 23 and 24) will hold in place four cotton tufts inserted between the toes of said foot.

3. A combination as recited in claim 2 wherein the central portion of the upper half of said band, adapted to be disposed opposite said middle three toes, is delta-shaped and pointed forwardly, said four first recited elastic strips ; being secured to the front edge of said delta-shaped band portion, and the upper ends of said wing elastic strips being secured to the front edge of said delta band portion close to the points of juncture therewith of the outermost of said four first recited elastic strips.