Surgery: splint – brace – or bandage – Orthopedic bandage – Splint or brace
Reexamination Certificate
1998-10-13
2001-08-28
Lewis, Kim M. (Department: 3761)
Surgery: splint, brace, or bandage
Orthopedic bandage
Splint or brace
C602S005000, C602S026000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06280404
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an artificial limb joint device comprising body protecting members which adjoin to each other in a vertical direction and one of which can turn on an axial core in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction with respect to the other body protecting member.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are generally known three different types of artificial limb joint devices shown in
FIGS. 15A
, B and C according to the prior art.
A first type of artificial limb joint device shown in
FIG. 15A
is manufactured by Fillauer Co. and makes it possible to adjust an angle between an upper body protecting member
50
and a lower body protecting member
51
continuously by interconnecting the upper body protecting member
50
and the lower body protecting member
51
by a pair of upper and lower plate-like joints
52
,
53
and rotating a pair of vertical screws
55
,
56
provided to a joint body
54
.
A second type of artificial limb joint device shown in
FIG. 15B
is manufactured by USMC Co., and makes it possible to adjust an angle between an upper body protecting member
50
and a lower body protecting member
51
in increments of 5° to 10° by interconnecting the upper body protecting member
50
and the lower body protecting member
51
by a plate-like joint
57
and replacing a cam
58
for angle adjustment provided to the lower body protecting member
51
with another cam (available in seven types).
A third type of artificial limb joint device shown in
FIG. 15C
is manufactured by Becker Co., and makes it possible to adjust an angle between an upper body protecting member
50
and a lower body protecting member
51
in increments of 5° to 10° by interconnecting the upper body protecting member
50
and the lower body protecting member
51
by a pair of upper and lower joints
59
,
60
and replacing a cam
62
for angle adjustment provided to a joint body
61
with another cam (available in seven types).
Although the first type of artificial limb joint device can eliminate the need, as in the second and third types, for replacing the cam
58
or
62
for angle adjustment and can adjust the angle continuously, it has such inconvenience that the adjustable range of the angle is narrow (about 5°). Since the upper body protecting member
50
and the lower body protecting member
51
are interconnected by a joint, these artificial limb joint devices manufactured by the above three companies have at least two connectors: a connector between the upper body protecting member
50
and the joint and a connector between the lower body protecting member
51
and the joint. Therefore, the two connectors cannot absorb a torsion load received from the body during walking, for example. As a result, the joint is used to absorb the above torsion load efficiently. However, the joint is made from a metal in most cases. When the joint is made from a metal, it has poor flexibility and hence, prevents the natural motion of a man disadvantageously.
When the joint is made from a metal, it is excellent in strength but it is hardly returned to its original shape when it is deformed by a torsion load and may not be usable any longer. Therefore, as the joint must be constructed to be strong enough to withstand long-time use, the above inconvenience becomes marked and there is room for improvement.
When a man walks, one side of the pelvis first turns at 4°, the thighbone turns at 8° relative to the pelvis, and the shinbone turns at 9° relative to the thighbone. The total turning angle of the lower limb of these three segments is about 25°. During walking, the inclination of the pelvis and hip, knee and ankle joints are used for bending and stretching. That is, the artificial limb joint device requires the knee joint and the ankle joint to turn at 9° on a horizontal plane, and the shinbone turns when the repulsion force of the bottom of a foot against the floor is used to fix a foot portion. Therefore, it is ideal that the artificial limb joint device should have flexibility to absorb torsion and it is important that the artificial limb joint device should be returned to its original shape even when it is twisted.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the above circumstances, it is an object of the present invention to provide an artificial limb joint device which can absorb a torsion load received from the body during walking efficiently though it has sufficient strength as a joint, can return to its original shape immediately after absorption and can angularly adjust continuously.
The above object of the present invention can be attained by an artificial limb joint device comprising body protecting members which adjoin to each other in a vertical direction and one of which can turn with respect to the other body protecting member, wherein the body protecting members are made from a material having flexibility, a support member for rotatably supporting the adjoining side end portion of the body protecting member is placed on the adjoining side end portion of the other body protecting member, a stopper member which contacts a contact portion provided in the adjoining side end portion of the body protecting member to limit the rotation angle of the body protecting member is installed on the support member, and the position of the stopper member can be changed along the rotation locus of the contact portion and controlled.
Therefore, since the body protecting members are made from a material having flexibility, and the adjoining side end portions of the body protecting members which adjoins to each other in a vertical direction are interconnected by the support member in such a manner that they are placed one upon the other in a horizontal direction, while sufficient strength can be ensured at connectors, a torsion load received from the body during walking can be absorbed efficiently by the bending of the body protecting members, and the body protecting members can restore their original shapes by restoring force immediately when they do not receive the load. The rotation angle range of the rotating body protecting member can be adjusted continuously to a wider extent compared with prior art devices by changing the position of the stopper member along the rotation locus of the contact portion. In addition, by moving the stopper member along the rotation locus of the contact portion, the contact location between the stopper member and the contact portion is always along the rotation locus even when the position of the stopper member is changed and hence, the same force can be always applied to the stopper member from the contact portion in the same direction, thereby making it possible to make the contact state of the stopper member to the contact portion always the same. Therefore, the damage or breakage of the contact portion and the stopper member by contact therebetween can be reduced as much as possible, and the artificial limb joint device can be advantageously made durable. By changing the size of the stopper member along the rotation locus of the contact portion or providing a plurality of stopper members, the range of the rotation angle can be changed and the rotating body protecting member can be fixed so that it is completely unrotatable.
Out of the body protecting members which adjoin to each other in a vertical direction, the unrotating body protecting member, the adjoining side end portion of which does not rotate, is arranged on an inner side which is in contact with the body, the support member is installed on the outer side of the adjoining end portion of the unrotating body protecting member, and the rotating body protecting member, the adjoining side end portion of which rotates, is rotatably supported by bringing into contact with the outer side of the support member. On the contrary, when the rotating body protecting member is located on the inner side, it is sandwiched between the body and the unrotating body protecting member, whereby rotation resistance is not provided to the rotating body p
Hino Takumi
Morinaka Yoshihiro
Armstrong Westerman Hattori McLeland & Naughton LLP
Lewis Kim M.
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