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Passive Ankle Prosthesis with Energy Return Simulating That of a Natural Ankle

  • US 20120203359A1
  • Filed: 02/03/2012
  • Published: 08/09/2012
  • Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2011
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A prosthetic device comprising:

  • (a) a top body for attaching to a residual leg limb of an amputee;

    (b) a middle body movably attached to the top body via a bracket and via a substantially vertical spring mechanism biasing the top body away from the middle body, namely SM1;

    (c) a foot body movably attached to the top body and the middle body via;

    (i) the bracket, the foot body rotatably attached to the bracket at an ankle joint;

    (ii) a substantially horizontal or vertical spring mechanism, namely SM2, rotatably attached to the foot body via a back axle and rotatably attached to the bracket via a center axle, the SM2 biasing the foot body away from the bracket;

    (iii) a substantially vertical spring mechanism, namely SM3, rotatably attached to the foot body via a bottom axle and rotatably attached to the bracket via a top movable axle, the SM3 biasing the foot body away from the bracket, wherein the bracket comprises a curved slot that curves downward and forward, the top movable axle being positioned in the curved slot and being movable from a top position of the curved slot to a bottom position of the curved slot via substantially downward vertical movement of the top body;

    (iv) a substantially diagonal spring mechanism, namely SM4, rotatably attached to the foot body via a front axle and rotatably attached to the bracket via the center axle, the substantially diagonal spring mechanism biasing the foot body away from the bracket;

    (d) a catch mechanism attached to the bracket that catches and holds the top movable axle in the bottom position of the curved slot; and

    (e) a release mechanism rotatably connected to the bracket via a top axle, wherein the release mechanism moves the catch mechanism via substantially upward vertical movement of the top body thereby permitting the top movable axle to move from the bottom position of the curved slot to the top position of the curved slot.

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