Abstract:
A knee brace hinge deflector is provided for preventing interference and/or locking of the medial hinges of bilateral knee braces. The hinge deflector includes a shell having rounded surfaces for encasing a first medial hinge assembly and deflecting a second medial hinge assembly of bilaterally worn knee braces.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0002]    The present invention relates to medical devices and, in particular, to an improved knee brace hinge.  
           [0003]    2. Description of the Related Art  
           [0004]    Many types of braces have been made available for the support of body joints which have become weakened as a result of sports activity, accident, deterioration due to age, or disease. Braces for the knee are designed primarily to provide support while enabling the knee to function during normal activity.  
           [0005]    Knee braces are often utilized by people who have suffered a knee injury and require some means of protection against further aggravation of the knee during rehabilitation. A knee brace can limit the amount of damage to an injured knee by providing the patient with adequate knee stabilization and control. Stabilization and control is achieved in such a manner as to permit the patient relative freedom in the normal use of the knee joint while, at the same time, permitting control over the joint so as to optimize healing.  
           [0006]    In addition, knee braces are often employed by a person having previously suffered a knee injury who wishes to actively participate in strenuous and demanding physical activity. In such cases where the person seeks knee support in furtherance of activities involving heavy running or sprinting, it is extremely advantageous to design a knee brace which most accurately simulates the true motions of the anatomical knee joint. This will minimize the leg forces required to overcome mismatched motions and generally increase comfort levels.  
           [0007]    Knee braces generally serve two purposes. Firstly, the brace has to support the knee at all times, but especially during movement. Secondly, the brace should limit knee movements in flexion or extension within limits beyond which injury to the knee may occur. Further, movements are confined to the varus/valgus plane.  
           [0008]    Flexion is defined as flexing of the knee from the extended position to a position where the foot and ankle is bent towards the thigh. Extension is defined as being the opposite movement. An extended leg is normally straight with virtually no bending at the knee joint.  
           [0009]    Knee braces for providing support for the knee of a person are well known in the art. Such braces generally include a tibial shell which is constructed so as to be closely configured to the shape of the lower leg and a femoral shell which is constructed so as to be closely configured to the shape of the thigh area of the leg. The two shells are secured to their respective areas on the leg and are interconnected by some type of mechanism so as to pivot relative to each other as the knee is bent. The mechanism is usually a pair of hinge joints, one on each side of the knee brace, with the tibial shell usually being attached to the lower part of each one of the two knee joints and the femoral shell usually being attached to the upper part of each one of the two hinge joints.  
           [0010]    Often, a person will wear knee braces bilaterally. When wearing double upright rigid knee braces bilaterally, the medial hinges often interfere with one another. The hinges sometimes lock together, causing the knee brace wearer to fall or injure himself. This problem is evident during normal walking and running, but becomes pronounced in activities such as snow skiing or motocross.  
           [0011]    Therefore, there is a need for an improved knee brace which prevents interference and/or locking between the medial hinges.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0012]    The present invention provides an improved knee brace including an upper portion and a lower portion pivotally attached at a hinge, which permits rotation of the upper portion with respect to the lower portion. A plurality of adjustable straps secures the knee brace to the leg. A hinge deflector encases the hinge and prevents locking of opposite medial hinges during bilateral knee brace use.  
           [0013]    The hinge assembly includes a hinge cover, parallel plates and a plurality of fasteners for connecting the plates, cover, and hinge deflector to the knee brace. The hinge deflector comprises a shell having rounded surfaces, which encase the internal components of the medial hinge and also deflects the opposing medial hinge. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0014]    [0014]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a knee brace of the present invention.  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 2 is a perspective exploded view of a knee brace hinge of the knee brace of FIG. 1.  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 3 is a perspective exploded view of a knee brace hinge of the knee brace of FIG. 1.  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a knee brace hinge deflector of the knee brace of FIG. 1.  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 5 is a top view of the knee brace hinge deflector of FIG. 4.  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 6 is a side view of the knee brace hinge deflector of FIG. 4.  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 7 is an end view of the knee brace hinge deflector of FIG. 4.  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the knee brace hinge deflector of FIG. 5 through line  8 - 8 .  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 9 is a bottom view of the knee brace hinge deflector of FIG. 4. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0023]    Knee Brace  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 1 shows an orthopedic brace for supporting a joint having a plurality of complaint support components. The knee brace  100  of the present invention includes a hinged shell  105  and a plurality of adjustable support straps  110  engaging the brace at two points on opposite sides of the hinge to stabilize the weakened joint throughout its range of motion. The shell  105  has an upper portion  115  conformable to the thigh and a lower portion  120  conformable to the lower leg. Each of the shell portions  115 ,  120  is preferably formed from a single continuous shaped piece of a stiff material such as certain plastics, fiberglass, composites, certain metals, and the like, as are known to those of skill in the art.  
         [0025]    The upper portion  115  includes a cuff  125 , having a lateral arm  130  and a medial arm  135 . The cuff  125  has a preformed arcuate shape sized to snugly conformingly engage the anterior portion of the thigh.  
         [0026]    The lower portion  120  includes a cuff  140 , having a lateral arm  145  and a medial arm  150  extending therefrom. The lower portion  120  has substantially the same structure as the upper portion, but is sized to conform to the lower leg of the user. The lower cuff  140  has substantially the same configuration as the upper cuff  125 , but the preformed arcuate shape thereof is sized somewhat smaller to snugly conformingly engage the calf of the lower leg.  
         [0027]    The upper and lower portions  115 ,  120  are connected across rotatable hinges  155 ,  160 . More specifically, lateral upper arm  130  is pivotally connected to lateral lower arm  145  and medial upper arm  135  is pivotally connected to medial lower arm  150  across lateral hinge  155  and medial hinge  160 , respectively. A resilient pad  180  may also be provided to cushion the knee joint from the rigid hinges  155 ,  160 . (For simplicity, a pad is only shown on the hinge  155 .)  
         [0028]    Medial hinge  160  also preferably includes a hinge deflector  165  for preventing interference between medial hinges when a user is wearing a knee brace on each leg. The hinge deflector  165  acts as a shield to the internal components of the medial hinge  160  and deflects the opposite medial hinge, preventing the hinges from locking together.  
         [0029]    The support straps  110  are preferably adjustable in length, enabling the user to modify the support strap tension, and consequently the degree of support the brace provides to the joint. Support straps  110  are preferably formed from a wear-resistant supple material such as pliant leather, or natural or synthetic cloth, such as nylon and the like. The material should be compliant, but substantially unstretchable.  
         [0030]    Support straps  110  enable closure of brace  100  around the limb on which the brace is mounted. As seen in FIG. 1, each of the cuffs  125 ,  140  is held in place by straps, and a strap connector. A separate strap is provided at the upper arms, surrounding the upper leg. A separate strap is provided at the lower arms, surrounding the lower leg. Each strap is integrally provided with a tab and cap fastener assembly  175  at the ends thereof to fix the strap and enable adjustment to the length of the straps  110  for close conformance of the shell  105  to the limb on which the brace is mounted.  
         [0031]    Hinge Assembly  
         [0032]    Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, an exploded medial hinge assembly  160  and hinge deflector  165  are shown. Lateral hinge assembly  155  is also shown. It will be apparent to one of skill in the art that the hinge assembly  160  and an associated hinge deflector  165  can be incorporated into many other types of conventional hinged orthopedic braces without substantial modification. It is also appreciated that lateral hinge assembly  155  has the same features as medial hinge assembly  160 . Although hinge deflector  165  is intended for use with medial hinge assembly  160 , it is appreciated that hinge deflector  165  may also be used with lateral hinge assembly  155 .  
         [0033]    The hinge assembly  155 ,  160  comprises a hinge cover  205 , parallel plates  210 ,  215 , an upper rotary connector  220  and a lower rotary connector  225 . Washers  230  may also be provided between parallel plates  210 ,  215  and connectors  220 ,  225 . The cover  205  and plates  210 ,  215  are formed from one or more high-strength, rigid materials, such as metals or plastics. Upper and lower rotary connectors  220 ,  225  are respectively formed integrally with the upper and lower cuff arms  130 ,  135  and  145 ,  150 . The connectors  220 ,  225  have semi-circular ends that are pivotally anchored by rivets  235  and are provided with interlocking teeth  240 . This construction of the hinge assembly  155 ,  160  enables rotatable engagement of the upper and lower rotary connectors  220 ,  225  and correspondingly enables rotation of the upper and lower portions  115 ,  120  relative to each other.  
         [0034]    The hinge deflector  165  is secured to the parallel plates  210 ,  215 , and connectors  220 ,  225  by rivets  235 , or other suitable fasteners, passing through apertures  245 . Hinge cover  205  is secured to the parallel plates  210 ,  215  and connectors  220 ,  225  by screws  250 , or other suitable fasteners, passing through apertures  255 .  
         [0035]    A hinge extension stop  260  is preferably provided to interface with rotary connectors  220 ,  225  at interlocking teeth  240 . Extension stop  260  limits the range of motion of the rotary connectors  220 ,  225  and, consequently, brace  100 .  
         [0036]    Hinge Deflector  
         [0037]    The hinge deflector  165  shown in detail in FIGS.  4 - 9  comprises a thin walled shell  400  which is configured to encase the hinge assembly. The shell  400  has a generally elliptical shape as viewed in FIGS. 4 and 5. The shell has an outer or hinge side  415  which faces the hinge, encasing the hinge assembly, and facing away from the knee. The shell also has an inner side  420  which faces the knee, and thus may be referred to as the knee side. As seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, the shell is actually positioned between the knee and the brace hinge, although shell portions extend to the outer side of the hinge.  
         [0038]    The shell outer side  415  includes an outer perimeter surface  422  surrounding a central recess  425  having a generally elliptical shape also. The plate  215  and washer  230  of the hinge assembly fit within the recess  425 .  
         [0039]    The bottom wall of the recess includes a plurality of apertures  430  for attaching the hinge assembly to the knee brace. Two apertures  430  are shown, lying approximately on a longitudinal axis of the recess for attaching the hinge deflector to the knee brace with the fasteners or rivets  235  which pass through the components of the hinge assembly and the knee brace. Two apertures  435  are also shown, lying on an axis generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, for securing the stops  260  to the plates  210  and  215  with the screws or fasteners  250 .  
         [0040]    The outer side  415  includes a projection  405  which extends along a majority of the length of one side of the elliptically-shaped shell  400 . This can be referred to as the forward side or edge in that it is the side closest to the forward portion of a person&#39;s knee when the brace is in use. The projection includes a straight inner wall  405   a  which protrudes from the recess  415  and the surrounding surface  422 , with a portion of that wall being flush with one side of the wall of the recess. The projection includes an outer surface  405   b  which slopes toward a peripheral skirt  442 , and an outer edge  441  of the shell  400 , as seen in FIGS. 7 and 8. While the central portion of the projection curves basically toward the edge  441 , as seen in FIG. 7, the projection ends taper or curve to the surface  422 , as seen in FIGS. 4 and 6.  
         [0041]    The outer side  415  also includes a projection  440  extending from surface  422  on the edge of the shell opposite from the projection  405 . That edge of the shell can be referred to as the rear edge since it is closest to the back of the knee when the brace is in use. As seen, the projection  440  is only in the central portion of that edge in that space is needed for the rotational movement of the hinge. The projection  440  limits this movement. The projection  440  also has a straight inner wall  440   a  and an outer curved surface  410 , for deflecting external objects. The curve surfaces  405  and  410  curve inward toward the knee brace and hinge assembly when assembled, for deflecting an interfering external object. The curved surfaces  405  and  410  have approximately the same slope; however, different slopes may be employed and the curved surface  405  preferably extends further than the curved surface  410 . The outer skirt  442  of the outer side  415  is also slightly tapered, so that there are no edges for interfering with the hinge. As seen, both projections extend above the surface  422  about the same amount to perform their deflector function.  
         [0042]    The shell inner side  420  preferably includes a plurality of ribs  445  for providing additional strength to the hinge deflector.  
         [0043]    In a preferred embodiment, hinge deflector  165  is a molded plastic material. However, any material having sufficient rigidity to withstand impact forces encountered during impact of hinge assemblies during physical activities are contemplated herein.  
         [0044]    Resilient pad similar to the pad  180  shown on hinge  155  in FIG. 15 is preferably releasably fastened to the shell inner side  420  by conventional releasable fastening means such as a hook and hoop fastener coupling, commonly referred to as VELCRO, wherein one element of the coupling is substantially permanently affixed to the inner side  420  and the other element of the coupling is substantially permanently affixed to resilient pad  180 . The resilient pad may be any knee brace pad, as known to those of skill in the art.  
         [0045]    Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3 as well as the description of the deflector shell, it may be seen that the deflector is positioned on the knee or inner side of the knee brace hinge. The plate  210  and washer  230  fit into the recess in the hinge side of the shell. The hinge side is next placed against the rotary hinge connectors  220  and  225 , with the connectors fitting between the projections  405  and  440 . A washer  230  and the plate  215  covered by the hinge cover  205  are next positioned adjacent the connectors and between the projections  405  and  440 . The upper edges of the projections are about flush with the outer surface of the hinge cover  205  so that interference of that cover with adjacent objects is deflected by the curved surfaces  405   b  and  410 . Thus, it can be seen that an entire hinge assembly is substantially encased by the deflector shell.  
         [0046]    The hinge deflector prevents locking and/or interference of a medial hinge with a medial hinge of another knee brace or, alternatively, prevents locking with other external devices, such as components of a motocross bike. The hinge deflector  165  encases the hinge and deflects the external object with curved surfaces  405 ,  410 . The curved surfaces  405 ,  410  of the hinge deflector  165  prevent the locking because the external object slides along and off the curved surfaces  405 ,  410 . The protruding curved surfaces  405 ,  410  extend out and over knee brace and hinge assembly to deflect any surfaces or objects that may interfere with knee brace function.  
         [0047]    Although the present invention has been described in terms of certain preferred embodiments, other embodiments of the invention including variations in dimensions, configuration and materials will be apparent to those of skill in the art in view of the disclosure herein. In addition, all features discussed in connection with any one embodiment herein can be readily adapted for use in other embodiments herein. The use of different terms or reference numerals for similar features in different embodiments does not imply differences other than those which may be expressly set forth. Accordingly, the present invention is intended to be described solely by reference to the appended claims, and not limited to the preferred embodiments disclosed herein.