DR. RICHARD STESS
Medical Practice in Mill Valley, CA

6808501, Oct 26, 2004

Oct 22, 2002

10/277274

Richard M. Stess - San Anselmo CA 94960
Peter M. Graf - San Francisco CA 94118

A61F 500

602 6, 602 5, 128 90

Custom molded wrist area impression sleeve ( ) having a configuration substantially covering the wrist area (WA) of a patient. The impression sleeve ( ) is formed from a thin, resin-impregnated, resilient fabric sleeve ( ) mounted over a thin, flexible, resin-impervious release layer ( ), and preferably over a cushioning and thermally insulating foam sleeve ( ). The hardenable sleeve ( ) can include one, and preferably two, longitudinally extending weakened strips ( ) which facilitate severing and act as a hinge ( ) for the resulting hardened wrist brace. In the present method, the wrist area impression sleeve ( ) is hardened on the patients wrist, cut off and then used as a removable brace or to form a custom orthosis in a fabrication laboratory.

6533971, Mar 18, 2003

Sep 12, 2000

09/660310

Richard M. Stess - San Anselmo CA
Peter M. Graf - San Francisco CA

Synthetic Tubular Socks, Inc. - Mill Valley CA

B29C 3338

264 401, 264222

Custom molded orthopedic impression shirt ( ) having a configuration substantially covering the torso of a patient. The impression shirt is formed from a thin, resin-impregnated elastic fabric shirt layer ( ) mounted over a thin, flexible, resin-impervious release shirt layer ( ), and preferably over a thin, elastic, thermally insulating fabric shirt layer ( ). In the present method, the impression shirt is hardened on the patients torso, cut off the patients torso and then used to form a custom thoracic lumbar sacral orthosis in a fabrication laboratory.

5980576, Nov 9, 1999

Feb 27, 1998

9/032719

Peter M. Graf - San Francisco CA
Richard M. Stess - San Anselmo CA

A61F 278, B29C 3340

623 33

A method of providing prosthetic sockets (30) for a patient's residual limb (21). While the residual limb (21) is swollen with post-trauma edema (22-25), a resin-impregnated temporary shell forming sock (52) is placed onto the edema-swollen residual limb (21). The resin is activated to cause it to harden into a temporary prosthetic shell (30), but prior to hardening of the resin, the sock (52) is conformed to the patient's edema-swollen limb (21). After swelling of the residual limb (21) has substantially dissipated, a permanent prosthetic socket conforming to the patient's unswollen residual limb (22b-25c) is formed and the temporary prosthetic socket (30) is replaced with the permanent prosthetic socket. A temporary prosthetic socket (30) is also disclosed in which a resin-hardened temporary sock (52) is bonded to a socket liner (49) over a prosthetic attachment assembly (48) in a configuration substantially conforming to the patient's residual limb (21) when in an edema-swollen (22-25) condition.

4662079, May 5, 1987

Oct 30, 1985

6/793492

Peter M. Graf - San Francisco CA
Richard M. Stess - San Anselmo CA

G01B 1126

33512

A process and apparatus for forming customized footwear, such as shoes, boots or inner bladders for shoes or boots, and particularly an athletic shoe or boot, is disclosed in which an impression of the foot is used to make a positive mold, around which the shoe, boot or bladder is constructed. In the improved process a range-of-motion measuring apparatus is used to accurately determine the neutral position of the bone structure of the rearfoot complex of the foot. The foot is maintained in that position by means of the apparatus while the impression or casting of the foot is being made. The process provides a shoe, boot or inner liner or bladder therefor which will evenly support the foot in a neutral position. The range-of-motion measuring apparatus includes a beam generating laser that is directed toward a mirror mounted on the leg of the person being fitted. The mirror, in turn, is directed to reflect the laser beam onto a measuring device, such as a scale, which can be used to electronically or visually measure leg rotation during pronation and supination of the foot and, accordingly, to position the bone structure of the foot in its neutral position.

6981856, Jan 3, 2006

Oct 2, 2003

10/678917

Peter M. Graf - San Francisco CA, US
Richard M. Stess - San Anselmo CA, US

B29D 31/50

425 2, 264223

An orthopedic casting slipper kit () including a resilient fabric impression slipper () formed to extend on a patient's foot () from a plantar aspect or surface () to about one-third of the way from the base of the toes to the dorsum of the foot. A longitudinally resiliently extensible band () is provided on the slipper () proximate the open end (), and an arch strap () dimensioned to span transversely over the dorsum () of the foot () is used to pull the impression slipper () up into contact with the arch () of the foot to prevent bridging of the arch. A method of using the arch strap () to aid in conformance also is disclosed.

5228164, Jul 20, 1993

Aug 10, 1990

7/565565

Peter M. Graf - San Francisco CA
Richard M. Stess - San Anselmo CA
Dennis C. Bartizal - Woodbury MN
Timothy C. Sandvig - Woodville WI

Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company - St. Paul MN

A43D 300

12133R

A kit for use in preparing a last, i. e. , an anatomical model of the human foot for use in the contruction of custom footwear, as well as a method of preparing lasts, the lasts prepared by such a method, and the custom footwear constructed by the use of such lasts. The kit includes a hardenable, shell-forming fabric that can be conformed to the shape of the foot, hardened in its conformed shape, and removed from the foot in a manner that does not substantially destroy its conformed shape. The resultant shell, being sufficiently smooth and being of substantially the same size and shape as the foot, can be used directly as a positive model of the foot.

7540987, Jun 2, 2009

Nov 16, 2005

11/280496

Peter M. Graf - San Francisco CA, US
Richard M. Stess - San Anselmo CA, US

B29C 33/00

264223, 425 2

An orthopedic casting slipper kit for custom molding of a foot impression including a low-cut impression slipper shaped to extend upwardly on a patient's foot from a plantar surface of the foot to an open end. The impression slipper is made from a fabric that is sufficiently resilient so as to enable the impression slipper to substantially conform to the patient's foot. A support element is coupled to the impression slipper and extends around at least a portion of the patient's foot for holding the impression slipper snug against the patient's foot. A quantity of curable resin is provided for impregnation into the fabric of the impression slipper and is sufficient to harden the impression slipper into a cast foot impression.