Patent ID: 6402711
Filing Date: 2002-06-11
Classification: A41D,A61F

Abstract:
A knee brace hinge comprising:a first gear support having a first end, and a second end and a first pivot aperture near said second end and having a first set of gear teeth arranged to at least one of increase and decrease about a radial distance in a first direction, at said second end and radiused with respect to said first pivot aperture; a second gear support having a first end and a second end and a second pivot aperture near said second end and having a second set of gear teeth arranged to at least the other of increase and decrease about a radial distance in a second direction, and such that said first set of gear teeth are complementary to said second set of gear teeth to permit flexure of said first gear support with respect to said second gear support, at said second end and radiused with respect to said second pivot aperture, said first pivot aperture having a fixed distance from said second pivot aperture; a cover and support plate for providing adjacent support to said first and said second gear supports and having a first support aperture in alignment with said first pivot aperture of said first gear support and a second support aperture in alignment with said second pivot aperture of said second gear support; and pivot support structures extending through said first and second support apertures and said first and second pivot apertures for pivotably supporting said first and second gear supports in a pivoting relationship with said cover and support plate, said pivot support structures, cover and support plate and said first and second gear supports forming a first hinge; and wherein said first and said second set of gear teeth have an elliptical arrangement, and wherein said first end of said first gear support and said first end of said second gear support includes attachment structure for attaching said hinge to an upper and a lower brace support, said first set of gear teeth radially increasing with respect to said first pivot aperture and said second set of gear teeth radially decreasing with respect to said second pivot aperture such that said first set of gear teeth radially increase while said second set of gear teeth radially decrease upon flexing of said first and second gear supports relative to each other.