Patent ID: 7628817

Claim:
An improvement in a component part of a prosthetic joint in which component parts are to be seated upon an area of natural bone at an implant site and held in place relative to one another by surrounding soft tissue extending in an anatomical direction for holding the component parts in place during articulation of the component parts, the area of natural bone having a peripheral boundary and the component part including a seating area for engaging the area of natural bone upon implant of the component part, the seating area having a perimeter, the improvement wherein the component part includes: a peripheral edge extending along the perimeter of the seating area for juxtaposition with the peripheral boundary of a corresponding area of natural bone upon placement of the component part at the implant site, the peripheral edge presenting a sharp corner along the perimeter of the seating area; and a deflector placed adjacent at least a portion of the sharp corner of the peripheral edge for juxtaposition with soft tissue adjacent the portion of the sharp corner of the peripheral edge upon seating of the component part at the implant site with the portion of the sharp corner of the peripheral edge spaced away from a corresponding portion of the peripheral boundary of the area of natural bone in a direction transverse to the anatomical direction such that the portion of the sharp corner is exposed with respect to the area of natural bone, the deflector being located, configured, dimensioned and directed for deflecting the juxtaposed soft tissue away from contact with the exposed portion of the sharp corner of the peripheral edge during articulation of the prosthetic joint; the deflector comprising a protuberance spaced away from the sharp corner of the peripheral edge along an inferior-superior direction and projecting in the transverse direction beyond the exposed portion of the sharp corner of the peripheral edge, the protuberance having a convex surface contour configuration providing a smooth surface for engaging the juxtaposed soft tissue to divert the juxtaposed soft tissue away from contact with the exposed portion of the sharp corner of the peripheral edge during articulation of the prosthetic joint.