Human hand mimetic and pediatric bolster support system device

Abstract

A human hand mimetic and pediatric support system device to provide comfort, positioning aid, sense of security and support for infants, especially premature infants or other users lacking full mobility. This device consists of a cavity in the shape of a human hand (glove/mitten) partially or totally filled with a freely flowable material and closed at the cuff. An optional extension to the cuff mimics an arm/forearm to provide extra length, weight and/or flexibility of usage. This device provides continual gentle pressure and subtle restraint by mimicking the touch of a human hand and conforming to the contour of the body. The device may be used directly touching the skin, is washable without disassembly, and it does not interfere with medical or other equipment. It may be used under or over the body of the infant (excluding the face) or to secure external items in place such as pacifiers, bottles, paperwork, toys, tubes, etc.)

I claim:  
     
         1 . A flexible device with a cavity of a shape of a human hand (glove or mitten), that provides comfort, support, positioning aid and sense of security to infants, especially those born prematurely. This cavity has a predetermined fill density to allow flexibility and contour of the body of the infant. The material of the filling is high-density polymer pellets and the cavity's is a soft, washable material that may be in contact with the skin of the infant.  
     
     
         2 . A comfort, positioning aid, support and sense of security device as defined in  claim 1  wherein the composition of said pellets is high density polyethylene (HDPE)  
     
     
         3 . A comfort, positioning aid, support and sense of security device as defined in  claim 1  wherein the material of the cavity is a soft, smooth, washable material such as 100% cotton or 100% polyester fabric.  
     
     
         4 . A comfort, positioning aid, support and sense of security device as defined in  claim 1  wherein the fill density of pellets comprises 60 to 80% of the total cavity.  
     
     
         5 . A comfort, positioning aid, support and sense of security device as defined in  claim 1  wherein the weight of the pellets may range from 100-300 grams.  
     
     
         6 . A comfort, positioning aid, support and sense of security device as defined in  claim 2  where said pellets are spherical in shape and about 1 to 3 mm in diameter.  
     
     
         7 . An optional extension to the device as defined in  claim 1  that increases the length of the cuff by 25-30 cms to mimic a forearm/arm or sleeve. This extension increases the volume and weight of the device keeping the same fill density of  claim 4  and increasing the weight of  claim 5 . This sleeve potentially converts into a pediatric bolster support system device.  
     
     
         8 . An optional tying mechanism added to the device as defined in  claim 1  where said tying mechanism is a string at the cuff and at the end of the “extension” as defined in  claim 7 . These strings of 25-30 cms of length are placed to secure external items, to store the device by hanging it, or to secure the pellets (as defined in  claim 4)  in either side of the device (the hand and the extension) to modify the volume density of both sides.