Universally adjustable cervical collar

Abstract

A universally adjustable cervical collar is in the form of a U-shaped base with a front joined to a pair of rearwardly extending wings. Left and right planar chin supports are pivotally connected at their distal ends to the distal ends to of respective wings with a chin piece connected between the upper proximal ends of the chin supports. An adjustable latch is individually coupled between each wing and the lower proximal end of the associated chin supports. Preferably the latch is in the form of 1) an arcuate slot in each wing arranged around the respective pivot axis with a track formed on opposite sides of the slot having inwardly projecting ribs and 2) a retractable locking pin carried by each chin support and moveable within the respective slot, the locking pins having outwardly projecting ribs adapted to engage adjacent ribs in the associated track to lock the chin support to the associated wing when in the locked position and to allow the chin support to be moved relative to the associated wing when in the retracted position

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A universally adjustable cervical collar comprising:
 a) a generally U-shaped base having a front, adapted to extend over a patient's sternum, joined to left and right rearwardly extending arms, adapted to extend over the patient's shoulders,   b) left and right chin supports pivotally connected along generally horizontal axes to the distal ends of respective arms of the base and extending forwardly to upper and lower front sections.   c) a chin piece disposed between the upper front sections of the chin supports and,   d) an adjustable latch mechanism coupled between each of the arms and the lower front sections of the respective chin supports, each latch mechanism being arranged along an arc arranged about the respective pivot axis to allow each chin support to be moved relative to the collar base.   
     
     
         2 . The collar of  claim 1  wherein the latch mechanism is arranged to change the height of the chin piece. 
     
     
         3 . The collar of  claim 2  wherein the latch mechanism is arranged to change the angle of the chin piece relative to the vertical. 
     
     
         4 . The collar of  claim 3  wherein the latch mechanism includes a curved track positioned on each of the arms or the chin supports and a releasable locking pin positioned on the other member, the tracks having a plurality of spaced inwardly projecting ribs and the pins having outwardly projecting ribs arranged to engage adjacent ribs on the track in the locked position. 
     
     
         5 . The collar of  claim 4  wherein each track comprises a pair of tracks located on each side of a curved slot. 
     
     
         6 . The collar of  claim 5  wherein the tracks are located on the arms with each chin support is located inwardly of the respective arm. 
     
     
         7 . The collar of  claim 6  wherein the pin is arranged to travel within the respective slot and movable toward the respective arm to lock the chin support to the arm and away from the arm to allow the respective chin support to move relative to the arm, whereby the chin piece may be positioned at a desired height and angle relative to the base. 
     
     
         8 . A universally adjustable cervical collar comprising:
 a) a generally U-shaped base having a front adapted to extend over a patient's sternum and clavicle joined to left and right rearwardly extending wings, adapted to extend over the patient's shoulders, each wing having a distal end,   b) left and right chin supports, each chin support having a distal section pivotally connected to the distal ends of respective wings, and defining upper and lower proximal sections,   c) a chin piece connected between the upper proximal sections of the chin supports, and   d) an adjustable latch mechanism located between the lower proximal section of each chin support and the associated wing, each latch mechanism being arranged along a sector of a circle having a center at the respective pivot axis to allow the proximal sections of the chin supports to be independently adjusted relative to its associated wing.   
     
     
         9 . The collar of  claim 8  wherein the latch mechanism is in the form of an arcuate slot formed in the respective wing or chin support with a track section formed on at least one side of the slot and a movable locking pin mounted on the other member for engaging the track and independently locking each chin support to a selected position on the associated wing. 
     
     
         10 . The collar of  claim 9  wherein the slot is formed in the wings and the locking pin is carried by the chin supports. 
     
     
         11 . The collar of  claim 10  wherein the track is formed with inwardly projecting ribs on each side of the slot and the locking pin is formed with outwardly projecting ribs for selectively engaging the track ribs. 
     
     
         12 . The collar of  claim 11  wherein the locking pin is carried in a sleeve which rides in the slot. 
     
     
         13 . The collar of  claim 12  wherein the slot if framed by an annular shelf with the tract extending above and around the shelf and the sleeve is in the form of a receptacle having a flange adapted to ride on the shelf as the pin is moved relative to the wing to adjust the height of the proximal sections of the associated chin support. 
     
     
         14 . A universally adjustable cervical collar comprising:
 a) a generally U-shaped base having a front joined to left and right rearwardly extending wings,   b) an elongated chin piece having two ends,   c) a pair of generally planar chin supports, each chin support being pivotally connected at a distal end to a respective wing and at the other end to a respective end of the chin piece, and   d) a latch individually connected between each associated wing and chin support and arranged to allow each chin support to be selectively raised and lowered and inclined relative to the vertical.   
     
     
         15 . The collar of  claim 14  in which the latch is arranged to lock the chin piece in a selected position. 
     
     
         16 . The collar of  claim 15  wherein each chin support defines an upper and lower proximal section with the associated chin support being pivotally connected between the upper proximal sections of the chin supports. 
     
     
         17 . The collar of  claim 16  wherein the latch comprises a curved slot in each wing with the curve forming a sector of a circle having a center at the respective pivot axis of the chin support, a track adjacent the slot and a locking pin carried by each chin support, the locking pin being moveable within the slot and arranged to selectively engage the track to lock each chin support in a selected position relative to the associated wing. 
     
     
         18 . The collar of  claim 17  wherein each chin support is located inwardly of its associate wing.