Packaging for a Size Varying Series of Femoral Components for Artificial Knee Joints

An easily openable presentation package for any one of a series of femoral components of different sizes for a prosthetic knee comprising:

• a. a base portion with a generally quadrilateral peripheral shape with at least one vertical projection;
• b. two generally quadrilateral side portions, each hingedly attached to one of two opposed edges of the periphery of said base such that an edge of each side portion is essentially coextensive with one of said opposed edges of the periphery of said base, each of said side portions having
• i. a set of three outer vertical walls rising from the three peripheral edges not hingedly connected to said base;
• ii. a generally horizontal ledge extending inward from each of said vertical walls;
• iii. a arcurate wall extending downward from the middle ledge to intersect with a horizontal plane which encompasses said peripheral edges of said base portion and a generally vertical wall extending downward from each of the other two generally horizontal ledges to also intersect with said horizontal plane;
• iv. wherein one of said vertical projections from said base and said arcurate wall extending from said middle ledge of one of said side portions are configured such that when said portion is rotated about its hinged connection with said base portion to bring its ledges into a generally vertical configuration or to meet with the ledges of said other side portion, said vertical projection and said arcurate wall define a clearance which approximates an approximate common thickness dimension of a series of femoral components which are each of a different size.

A package for the transport and handling of any one of a series of femoral components of different sizes for a prosthetic knee comprising:

• a. an insert portion having
• i. a generally rectangularly shaped horizontal base;
• ii. a generally rectangularly shaped top which is narrower than, generally parallel to and spaced from said base;
• iii. two side walls connecting the shorter sides of said base to said top, said walls being generally vertical so as to connect the portions of the top which lie generally above the shorter edges of said base to said shorter edges;
• and
• iv. two long walls connecting the long edges of said base to the long edges of said top with one or both of said long walls having a portion at an angle between vertical and horizontal which accommodates the fact that said top is narrower than said base, said angled portion or portions optionally carrying a series of steps;
• b. a retainer portion with a surface which generally follows the outside contours of the central portion of a femoral component of a prosthetic knee and being so dimensioned that it defines a narrow range of clearances between a portion of said top of said insert and a portion of its contoured surface when held a fixed distance from said top;
• and
• c. a tray comprising a bottom wall and four sidewalls which define a volume into which said insert and said retainer fit, said tray having engaging means for holding said insert and said retainer in said volume and keeping them at fixed distance from each other such that said narrow range of clearances approximates an approximately common dimension of a series of femoral components which are each otherwise of a different size.