Source: http://www.google.com/patents/US20060206045?ie=ISO-8859-1&dq=U.S.+Patent+No.+4,528,643
Timestamp: 2015-08-04 13:58:00
Document Index: 504313985

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 3', 'art 3', 'arts 3', 'art 3', 'art 3', 'art 3', 'art 3', 'art 5', 'art 5']

Patent US20060206045 - Post operative knee brace with multiple adjustment features - Google PatentsSearch Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More »Sign inAdvanced Patent SearchPatentsA knee brace having adjustment mechanisms that are easy and economical to produce while being very user friendly, and which is more comfortable to wear. The brace has a joint mechanism formed of a plurality of plates with notches, openings and range of motion surfaces, the relative positions of which...http://www.google.com/patents/US20060206045?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US20060206045 - Post operative knee brace with multiple adjustment featuresAdvanced Patent SearchPublication numberUS20060206045 A1Publication typeApplicationApplication numberUS 11/073,737Publication dateSep 14, 2006Filing dateMar 8, 2005Priority dateMar 8, 2005Publication number073737, 11073737, US 2006/0206045 A1, US 2006/206045 A1, US 20060206045 A1, US 20060206045A1, US 2006206045 A1, US 2006206045A1, US-A1-20060206045, US-A1-2006206045, US2006/0206045A1, US2006/206045A1, US20060206045 A1, US20060206045A1, US2006206045 A1, US2006206045A1InventorsJeffrey Townsend, Steven KnechtOriginal AssigneeTownsend Industries, Inc.Export CitationBiBTeX, EndNote, RefManReferenced by (3), Classifications (9) External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, EspacenetPost operative knee brace with multiple adjustment features
US 20060206045 A1Abstract
A knee brace having adjustment mechanisms that are easy and economical to produce while being very user friendly, and which is more comfortable to wear. The brace has a joint mechanism formed of a plurality of plates with notches, openings and range of motion surfaces, the relative positions of which are used as part of a flexion-extension stop arrangement and also as part of an adjustable locking arrangement by which the brace can be locked, temporarily released or indefinitely released. Furthermore the lateral-medial angulation of the femoral strut is able to be adjusted relative to the joint mechanism and tibial strut. Images(9) Claims(29)
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION FIG. 1 shows a post-operative knee brace 1 in accordance with the present invention, and while only one side of the brace 1 is shown and described below, it is to be understood that identical structure is present on the opposite side of the brace 1 in mirror-image fashion. Thus, each side of the brace 1 has adjustable length tibial (lower) and femoral (upper) struts 3, 5, respectively. Each tibial strut 3 is connected to each femoral strut 5 by a joint mechanism 7. For attachment to the leg of the patient, a series of straps S are attached to the struts 3, 5 by being passed through slots in the struts and/or being attached to the struts via a fastener. Additional, for comfort purposes, pads P are provided on the inner sides of the struts 3, 5. To this extent, the brace 1 conforms with known knee braces. As can be seen most clearly in FIGS. 4-8, the adjustable length struts 3, 5 are comprised of a joint connector part 3 a, 5 a and an extension part 3 b, 5 b. The extension parts 3 b, 5 b are inserted into a pocket slot recess arrangement and are secured in place at a desired relative position (strut length) by a screw 9 that is inserted through the joint connector part 3 a, 5 a and threaded into the extension part 3 b, 5 b. The pocket slot recess arrangement, besides providing guidance for adjustment of the extension part 3 b, 5 b relative to the joint connector part 3 a, 5 a, also provides the added benefits of increasing the strength of the strut parts and of providing as low a profile as possible. In accordance with a first feature of the invention, shown in FIGS. 9-12, the angle of the femoral bar 5 relative to the joint 7 and tibial bar 3 can be adjusted and then fixed. In particular, a knurled pin 10 is press-fit in eyelets 12 on the lower end of the joint connector part 5 a so that it is not free to rotate in the eyelets 12. The knurled pin also passes through a locking clamp 14 which is riveted onto the upper end of the strut connector 7 a of the joint mechanism 7 and that can be spread apart or drawn together by a locking screw 16. When the screw is loosened, the knurled pin is free to rotated within the clamp so as to enable the angle of the femoral strut to be changed relative to the joint 7 and tibial strut 3, after which tightening of the screw holds the knurled pin tight within the clamp so that no further relative movement is possible. A simpler and less costly alternative for obtaining adjustment of the angle of the femoral strut 5 relative to the joint mechanism 7 and tibial strut 3 can be seen in FIG. 4. In particular, in this version, instead of the hinge type arrangement described in the preceding paragraph, the strut connector 7 a of the joint mechanism 7 and the joint connector part 5 a are integrated into a single one-piece component 5′a, a slot 18 being formed at a location corresponding to that of pin 10 of the FIG. 9-12 version. The slot 18 forms a weakened area which allows the component 5′a to be bent about its centerline by placing the slot 18 over the edge of a table and applying pressure above and below it. With either version, the brace can be better matched to the contour of the patient's thigh in medial-lateral directions. Where cost is a primary factor and it is not expected that readjustment or fine adjustments will be required, the version with slot 18 will be preferred. On the other hand, where cost is not a primary factor and/or it is expected that the brace may be reused by other patients, so that the need for significant readjustment can be expected, then the version shown in FIGS. 9-12 may be preferable. Furthermore, either of these versions can be use with or without any of the other features described below. Numerous knee braces are provided with flexion and/or extension stops, as noted in the Background portion of this application and many those braces use joint mechanisms formed of two or more plates; see, e.g., the above-mentioned U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,463,751 and 5,105,805. Likewise, the flexion and extension stop feature of the present invention is formed by a joint mechanism 7 being comprised of a plurality of plates one of which is an extension stop plate 21 and another of which is a flexion stop plate 23, and both of which are provided with a plurality openings 21 a, 23 a along a portion of their periphery (see, FIG. 4). To set the flexion and extension ranges of motion (ROM), the rotational angle of the respective plate is set at the appropriate point with the locking lever 25 in the position shown in FIG. 13. When the plates are in the proper position, the locking lever 25 is moved to its position shown in FIG. 14, in which a fixing pin 25 a, that is provided on the underside of the locking lever 25, is inserted into the respective opening(s) 21 a, 23 a of the extension and flexion stop plates, thereby fixing their rotational position relative to the struts 3, 5. The range of motion is set by the position of the ROM reduced diameter portions 21 b, 23 b of the extension and flexion plates 21, 23, and the radial stop surfaces formed at their ends, which are engaged by the latch pin 33 when the set maximum extension and/or flexion is reached. Of particular significance is the resilient extension 25 b formed on the distal side of the pivot from the free end of the lever 25. This extension is shaped so that, in the locked position of FIG. 14, it will hold the lever in that position. However, it is also shaped so that, when force is applied to the lever to lift it, the resilient extension 25 b will cam inward so as to permit the locking lever to be lifted. Then, in the open position of FIG. 13, it functions in the manner of a leaf spring to hold the locking lever in the raised open position. However, by appropriate setting of the tolerances in the sizing of the locking lever 25 and the plate 30 (and/or the pin on which lever 25 pivots), frictional forces can be made sufficient to hold the locking lever 25 in its raised, unlocked position. In such a case, it becomes necessary only to provide a means for holding the locking lever 25 in its locked position. FIG. 19 shows an alternative locking lever 25′. The locking lever 25′ lacks the resilient extension 25 b shown in FIG. 14, and instead, has a resilient finger 25 c which projects outward at each side. The fingers 25 c have detent projections 25 d at their ends which clip within a notch 55 a of a retainer plate 55 that is attached on the upper end of the tibial strut 3. The inner edge of the detent projections 25 d is beveled so that pulling up on the locking lever 25′ will cause them to cam inward and disengage. Likewise the outer end is also beveled to facilitate insertion of the fingers 25 c through notch 55 a, after which the resiliently spring outward and engage the retainer plate 55. Another feature of the present invention an adjustable locking arrangement that allows the brace to be locked in any of a number of different angular positions, released to allow the knee to bend, e.g., for sitting, and then, lock back into the preset position. With reference to the exploded view of FIG. 4 and FIGS. 15-17, it can be seen that a locking plate 30 has a plurality of peripheral notches 30 a while an adjustment lock plate 32 has only one peripheral notch 32 a, all of which fall within the ROM reduced diameter portions 21 b, 23 b of the extension and flexion plates 21, 23. As can be appreciated, the notch 32 a in the adjustment lock plate 32 can be rotated so as to be aligned with one of the plurality of notches 30 a in the locking plate 30 to lock the femoral and tibial struts 3, 5 in axial alignment (O� position in which the struts form an included angle of 180�) or in a selected positive or negative angle. A latch pin 33 is able to engage in only the notch 30 a that is aligned with the adjustment lock plate notch 32 a. An indicator 34 and a scale 35 are provided to give a visual indication of the angle that the femoral strut 5 has been shifted relative to the tibial strut 3. This adjustable locking arrangement is a drop lock mechanism that allows for the brace to be fixed at one of several preset positions (e.g., −10�, 0�, 10�, 20�, 30�). In some cases, the prescribing physician's protocol calls for the patient to be able to walk with the leg in a fixed position for optimum stabilization and/or to prevent post-surgical injury. The adjustable locking arrangement on both sides of the leg can be manually raised by the patient to clear the designated slot 30 a in the locking plate 30 and the slot 32 a in the lock plate 32. This is done by sliding the release slide 40 against the action of a return spring 42 and allows the patient to bend his/her knee (to sit down, get into a car, etc.). Once the leg is bent from the designated position, the latch pin 33 is held up against the force of return spring 42 since in now rides on the periphery of lock plate 32. When the patient stands back up, the adjustable locking arrangement automatically re-engages in the selected slot when the leg reaches the designated angular position since the return spring 42 is now free to move the latch pin 33 back into the aligned notches 30 a, 32 a. Additionally, it is possible to disengage the adjustable locking arrangement, when it is desired not to require patient to ambulate with the leg in a fixed position. To do this, the release slide 40 is moved to its maximally raised position at which point a disengagement pin 45 is forced into a retaining notch 47 under the action of a disengagement spring 50. To re-engage the adjustable locking arrangement, an engagement button 52, on which disengagement pin 45 is mounted, is pressed in against the action of disengagement spring 50, thereby moving the disengagement pin 45 back out of the retaining notch 47, at which point the return spring 42 will move disengagement pin 45 back down below the retaining notch 47, and when the leg is in the appropriate position, will engage in the selected notch 30 a and the notch 32 a of the adjustment lock plate 32. Another alternative feature of the present invention is can been seen in FIGS. 19 & 20. Since it may not always be easy to align the flexion stop, extension stop and lock plates 21, 23, 32, since one may move out place while another is being turned, a detent assembly can be provided to hold the plates against unintended movement. In particular, a portion of the perimeter of the flexion stop, extension stop and lock plates 21, 23, 32 is given a corrugated or undulating contour 60 of rounded peaks and valleys. Furthermore, the retainer plate 55 is provided with spring-loaded arms 60, at the ends of which cylindrical detent pins 62 are provided which engage in the valleys of the undulating contour 60 and are able to pass over the peaks of the contour 60 as the wheels are physically turned. Instead of pins 62 which span all three rotatable plates, the pins 62 can be divided into three separate pin segments. In either case, the individual plates will be held in the position to which they are set with their respective openings axially aligned until a positive force is deliberately applied to turn one or more of the flexion stop, extension stop and lock plates 21, 23, 32. As can be seen from the foregoing, the present invention provides a knee brace that possesses a number of features that can be used separately or together. These features allow the knee brace of the present invention to be easy and economical to produce while still being very user friendly and more comfortable to wear. Referenced byCiting PatentFiling datePublication dateApplicantTitleUS7984531 *Sep 23, 2005Jul 26, 2011Restorative Care Of America IncorporatedRachet hinge for a knee or elbow orthosisUS8639455Feb 9, 2010Jan 28, 2014Alterg, Inc.Foot pad device and method of obtaining weight dataWO2009099671A2 *Feb 6, 2009Aug 13, 2009Tibion CorpMulti-fit orthotic and mobility assistance apparatus* Cited by examinerClassifications U.S. Classification602/26, 602/23, 602/5, 602/16International ClassificationA61F5/00Cooperative ClassificationA61F2005/0134, A61F2005/0167, A61F5/0125European ClassificationA61F5/01D3FRotateOriginal ImageGoogle Home - Sitemap - USPTO Bulk Downloads - Privacy Policy - Terms of Service - About Google Patents - Send FeedbackData provided by IFI CLAIMS Patent Services