Ambulatory brace assembly

Claim 1

An ambulatory brace assembly of the type primarily designed to immobilize the foot of a patient and direct forces to which the brace assembly is subjected away form the heel during walking and like activities of the patient, said assembly comprising: (a) a cast structure having an open front face and an at least partially hollow interior configured to receive and at least partially enclose a lower leg and foot of the patient, (b) said cast comprising a substantially L-shaped configuration including a first portion thereof having a longitudinal dimension sufficient to extend from a calf portion of the leg to a location beneath a heel portion of the foot, (c) said L-shaped configuration comprising a second portion extending outwardly from said first portion along at least a majority of the length of the received foot, (d) said hollow interior further including an interior surface extending along the length of said first and said second portions and configured in substantial conformance to a correspondingly positioned exterior surface of the lower leg and foot received within said cast, (e) a support assembly comprising a support platform disposed outwardly from an undersurface of said second portion, and two support legs each including correspondingly positioned distal ends fixedly secured to said support platform, said support legs extending outwardly from said support platform in spaced, substantially parallel relation to one another and each being fixedly secured to an opposite side of said cast, said support legs disposed and structured in cooperative relation to said support platform to bear the majority of the axial load of said cast when supporting the patient during walking or standing, (f) said support platform mounted a first predetermined distance from one end and adjacent heel of said second portion and extending outwardly from said undersurface a second predetermined distance and into engagement with a supporting surface on which the patient is walking, (g) said first predetermined distance being of sufficient dimension from the heel and one end of said second portion to position said support platform beneath the metatarsal region of the foot and direct forces away from the heel portion of the foot, (h) said second predetermined distance being of sufficient dimension to maintain said one end of said second portion out of contact with the supporting surface during travel of said cast when the patient is walking, (i) said undersurface of said second portion including an apertured construction disposed directly beneath the heel of the foot received within said cast and being of sufficient dimension to prevent forced engagement between the heel of the foot and any cast portion located in the vicinity immediately below the heel of the foot, and (j) retaining means secured to said cast and extending across said open front face for maintaining the lower leg and foot of the patient within said hollow interior.