ALEXANDRIA, Va., Sept. 3 -- United States Patent no. 12,403,031, issued on Sept. 2, was assigned to TayCo Brace Inc. (South Bend, Ind.).
"External ankle brace" was invented by Michael W. Bean (South Bend, Ind.) and Frederick John Ferlic (South Bend, Ind.).
According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "An external ankle brace for restricting movement of an ankle in a first direction and permitting movement of the ankle in a second direction includes a rigid heel enclosure having a rear portion and a forward portion. A lateral upright extension is perpendicular to the rigid heel enclosure and is attached to the lateral sidewall. A medial upright extension is perpendicular to the rigid heel enclosure and is atta...