Patent Document

This application claims a priority to U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/058,250, filed Sep. 9, 1997. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     The present invention relates to an apparatus for allowing able-bodied individuals of varying sizes to test and appreciate the functions of a prosthetic foot during all walking phases, including the heel strike, mid-stance and toe off phases. 
     A problem with foot prosthesis is that someone with both feet cannot experience the foot&#39;s attributes. This is particularly problematic for prosthetists. A typical prosthetist cannot personally experience the foot functions of a foot prosthesis. The advantages and disadvantages of various foot prosthesis are only learned through communicating with the prosthesis manufacturer and the patient. Actually experiencing the foot&#39;s operation is not possible unless the prosthetist is an amputee. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention overcomes the above problem by providing footwear to which a foot prosthesis can be attached and worn by an able-bodied individual. A person can then wear the footwear to experience the prosthetic. In the preferred embodiment, the footwear is a boot and more preferably an air cast boot. The boot has a mounting plate which is secured to the inside base of the boot. The mounting plate and the prosthesis have mating connectors for attaching the prosthesis to the boot. In the preferred embodiment, the mating connectors include an adapter that is fastened by screws to the mounting plate. The prosthesis has a mating member that is received by the adapter to fix the prosthesis to the adapter and mounting plate. 
     It should be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that the preferred footwear is a boot, such as an air cast because it restrains movement of the wearer&#39;s foot and ankle. However, any type of footwear would work, such as for example a shoe, sandal, etc. 
     The foregoing detailed description shows that the preferred embodiments of the present invention are well suited to fulfill the objects of the invention. It is recognized that those skilled in the art may make various modifications or additions to the preferred embodiments chosen herein to illustrate the present invention, without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the subject matter sought to be afforded protection should be deemed to extend to the subject matter defined in the appended claims, including all equivalents thereof. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the mounting plate viewed from the bottom. 
     FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the mounting plate viewed from the top. 
     FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a prosthesis. 
     FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention with a foot prosthesis attached. 
     FIG. 6 is a prospective view from the bottom of the boot. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     In the preferred embodiment, the footwear  10 , which is illustrated as an air cast, has an upper or calf support portion  12  and foot support portion  14 . The back  16  of the calf support portion  12  and the sole dr base  18  of the foot support portion  14  are illustrated as an integrally formed unit to rigidly hold the leg with respect to the foot. A leg retention plate  20  can be secured to the front of the leg by straps  22  and a foot retention portion  24  can be strapped to the foot by straps  26 . By tightening the straps, the user&#39;s leg and foot can be restrained within the air cast and the foot held rigid with respect to the leg. By inflating the bladders of the air cast through air tubes  21 , the boot can be adjusted to fit different sizes and facilitate foot retention. 
     A mounting plate  30  shown in FIGS. 1-3 and  6  is mounted to the inside of the sole or base of the foot support portion  14 . Fasteners  29 , preferably cap screws with washers, are threaded through the base  18  of foot support portion  14  through openings  31  in the mounting plate  30 . As shown in FIG. 1, the mounting plate  30  is on the inside of the boot. In the preferred embodiment, a foam pad is placed over the plate  30 . The plate  30  is mounted to the inside of the boot to direct the individual&#39;s weight directly to the prosthetic  34  and not to the boot  10 . 
     The illustrated mounting plate  30  is a preferred design, but it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that other designs are available and would work for the intended purpose of mounting the prosthetic foot to the air cast. With reference to FIG. 3, the top of the mounting plate  30  is flat and is intended to form a surface on which foam padding is placed to comfortably support the user&#39;s foot. Preferably, bolt holes  31  are formed in the adapter plate to receive bolts, preferably cap screws  37  that are inserted through the base  14  of the air cast  10 . It will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that other methods of attaching the mounting plate  30  to the bottom of the foot portion  14  of the air cast are available and will provide adequate mounting means for mounting the plate to the air cast. 
     With reference to FIG. 2, the bottom of the mounting plate  30  is illustrated. The bottom has cut-outs  33  for weight reduction purposes. In the preferred embodiment, the mounting plate  30  is formed from an aluminum plate. The cut-outs  33  help to reduce the weight of the plate. It should be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that materials other than aluminum can be used, such as for example plastic, steel, wood, etc. The material selected only needs to be sturdy enough to withstand the user&#39;s weight and to withstand the stress associated with walking on the attached prosthesis. 
     An adapter  32  is mounted to the mounting plate  30  for attaching the foot prosthesis  34  to the mounting plate  30  and the air cast. In the preferred embodiment, the adapter  32  is an Otlo Bock 4R51 Titanium Rotatable Adapter. The adapter  32  is shown bolted by bolts  35  to the mounting plate through bolt holes  39 . Adapter  32  has a central recess at  36  which is configured to receive a pyramid  38  mounted to the top of the prosthesis  34 . This can be seen in FIG.  4 . As those of ordinary skill in the art will understand, pyramid  38  can be inserted into the recess  36  and then fixed by set screws that are threaded into openings  37 . The bolts not only fix the pyramid, but also allow for adjustment. The adapter and pyramid allow adjustments for toe in and out, plantar flexion, dorsi flexion, inversion and eversion relative to the boot. The attached prosthesis is illustrated in FIG.  5 . In FIG. 5, the prosthesis has a foot shaped cover over it. 
     To assemble the testing apparatus, an opening  41  is formed in the bottom of the boot  10 . See FIG.  6 . The mounting plate  30  is then inserted into the boot shell and cap screws  37  are threaded through the boot bottom and into threaded openings  31  in the plate  30 . The adapter  32  is fixed to the plate  30  and is adjacent the opening  41 . As shown in FIG. 2, there are two locations for the adapter, either left or right of the longitudinal centerline of the plate  30 . The plate  30  is designed for left or right use and if left, the adapter must be left of center and if right, right of center to provide better balance. 
     Once the plate  30  is installed, the prosthesis pyramid  38  is inserted into adapter  32  and the set screws are installed to properly adjust the prosthesis with respect to the boot. 
     Once the foot is attached to the air cast and the user&#39;s leg and foot are secured within the air cast, the user can walk upon the foot prosthesis to experience the feel of the foot prosthesis through all walking phases including heel strike, mid-stance, and toe off. In the preferred embodiment, the user would wear an air cast with a prosthesis attached on each foot. If desired, the prosthesis could be different so that comparative testing can be done. 
     Other advantages and meritorious features of the present invention will become more fully understood from the following description of the preferred embodiments, the appended claims and the drawings, a brief description of which follows.

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