Patent ID: 7708783

Claim:
A prosthetic joint assembly, comprising: a shell; a liner rotatably receivable within said shell and defining a longitudinal axis and a hemispherical axis located in a hemispherical plane, said longitudinal axis extending perpendicular to said hemispherical plane, said liner being configured to rotate about said longitudinal axis relative to said shell while being constrained from translating axially along said longitudinal axis relative to said shell, said liner comprising: a base portion substantially disposed on a first side of said hemispherical plane; and at least one constraining element projecting from said base portion and substantially disposed on a second side of said hemispherical plane, each said constraining element including at least one inclined surface; and a prosthesis including a neck and a head, said head receivable within said liner, whereby contact between said neck and said at least one inclined surface induces primarily rotational movement of said liner within said shell about said longitudinal axis.