Patent ID: 9539097
Date: 2017-01-10
CPC Classifications: A61F

Claim:
1. A joint implant assembly, comprising: a spherical shaped component adapted to securing to an end of a first joint defining bone; semi-spherical shaped component adapted to securing to an end of a second joint defining bone and within which is seated said spherical shaped component in inter-articulating supported fashion; each of said components establishing an opposing wear surface at which microscopic sized particles abraded from said components build up over time resulting from prolonged use of said joint; and a plurality of elongated and conical shaped entrapment chambers distributed across said semi-spherical shaped component, each of said chambers including a narrow-most diameter entranceway location communicating with said wear surface corresponding to a smallest diameter, said entrapment chambers each exhibiting progressively outwardly widening capture profiles extending away from said narrow-most entranceway locations through a first layer of said semi-spherical shaped component in an outwardly radial dispersed manner and so that a diameter of each of said entrapment chambers at any location farther away from said entranceway location is larger than a corresponding diameter at any location closer to said entranceway location, said entrapment chambers each terminating at a reverse surface of said first layer defining a thickness of said first layer in contact with a substrate mounting layer, such that a maximum diameter location of each entrapment chamber is located at an interface with said substrate layer for securing volumes of said microscopic particles passing through said narrow-most entranceway locations, and in order to segregate said particles away from a wear zone defined between said wear surfaces.