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Artificial ankle joint and prosthetic devices formed therewith

  • US 6,436,149 B1
  • Filed: 08/27/1996
  • Issued: 08/20/2002
  • Est. Priority Date: 09/30/1994
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
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1. In a prosthetic leg device adapted to be worn by a human amputee wherein said leg device has a proximal end portion adapted to be secured to the amputee and a distal foot structure, the improvement comprising a pivoting ankle joint disposed between said proximal end portion and said foot structure, said ankle joint including a matable socket and head assembly that includes a shaft secured to said proximal end portion and extending along a central axis to terminate in said head, said matable socket and head assembly interconnecting said proximal end portion and said foot structure for relative pivotal movement about a pivot axis between a first pivot position wherein said foot structure is oriented at an acute angle with respect to the central axis and a second pivot position wherein said foot structure is oriented at an obtuse angle with respect to the central axis, said socket and head assembly including a socket disposed on one of said proximal end portion and said foot structure and a head sized to be matably received by said socket and disposed on another of said proximal end portion and said foot structure, said pivoting ankle joint further including a load-sensitive locking mechanism associated with said socket and head assembly, said locking mechanism operative in response to a triggering compressive force between said socket and head in excess of a threshold magnitude to cause said socket and head assembly to lock at a selected locking position between the first and second pivot positions corresponding to said foot structure being oriented substantially perpendicular to the central axis, thereby to prevent relative pivotal movement of said socket and head and operative in an absence of a triggering compressive force to permit relative pivotal movement of said socket and head between the first and second positions, and including a spring element associated with said socket and head assembly and operative to resiliently bias said socket and head assembly into the first pivot position.

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