Patent ID: 6350286
Filing Date: 2002-02-26
Classification: A61F

Abstract:
A prosthetic ankle for use between a pylon and a prosthetic foot to support a person's weight on the ground, the prosthetic ankle comprising:an upper leg adapted for connecting to a lower end of the pylon; a lower leg adapted for connecting to an upper surface of the prosthetic foot; and an interconnecting member interconnecting the upper and lower legs and integrally formed with one another in a generally C-shaped flexure member, the interconnecting member being formed by a curved resilient leg extending from a forward edge of the upper leg to a forward edge of the lower leg in a rearwardly-facing arc to resiliently bias the upper and lower legs apart from one another as the legs rotate about a medial/lateral axis positioned forward of the pylon, the legs being spaced apart from each other when the person's weight is off the prosthetic ankle and the legs rotating toward one another about the medial/lateral axis when the person's weight is placed on the prosthetic ankle at heel strike, thereby allowing a toe portion of the prosthetic foot to rotate toward the ground at heel strike, the curved leg narrowing between the forward edges of the upper and lower legs to facilitate medial/lateral canting of the prosthetic foot with respect to the pylon.