Knee guard and brace with adjustable medial condyle support pad

Claim 1

A knee guard and brace, which comprises: (a) lateral and medial side members which are adpated to fit on the outer and inner sides, respectively, of a wearer's leg, the lateral side member having first and second ribs and a pair of elongated thigh and calf support pads, the first and second ribs being rigidly connected to the thigh and calf support pads, respectively; the medial side member having third and fourth ribs; an elongated condyle support pad; and means hingedly connected to the third rib for supporting the condyle support pad, the supporting means lacking means for applying a spring-like bias to the condyle support pad, the supporting means including a plate on which the condyle support pad is rigidly mounted; (b) first means situated generally between the pads for interconnecting the first and second ribs, the first and second ribs and the first interconnecting means forming a lateral bridge over the knee joint; (c) a thigh cross member which is rigidly connected to the first and third ribs and a calf cross member which is rigidly connected to the second and fourth ribs; (d) second means situated generally between the thigh and calf cross members for interconnecting the third and fourth ribs, the third and fourth ribs and the second interconnecting means forming a medial bridge over the knee joint; (e) the thigh cross member and the first and third ribs forming an upper frame and the second and fourth ribs and the calf cross member forming a lower frame, the upper and lower frames preventing the lateral bridge from deforming medially under the impact of a blow; (f) means for suspending the upper and lower frames along the wearer's leg; and (g) means mounted on said supporting means for limiting the travel, in a direction toward the second interconnecting means, of an end of the condyle support pad which is distal from points at which said supporting means is hingedly connected to the third rib, the limiting means including means for adjusting the extent to which said end of the condyle support pad can travel in a direction toward the second interconnecting means; the limiting means further comprising means including a spacer rotatable about a pivot on the plate for determining the angle at which the longitudinal centerlines of the condyle support pad and of the third rib can be inclined with respect to each other.