US 4,538,595 AGranted

Passive exercising device

OwnerMuhamad A. Hajianpourinventor

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

An exercising device of the type designed to cause movements of predetermined, designated limb portions about a predetermined joint wherein first and second brace assemblies are designed to be mounted in at least partially gripping relation to limb portions on opposite sides of designated joints. A driving means including a drive motor and gear assembly drives an action arm in a substantially reciprocal path of travel so as to cause selected movement of one brace assembly relative to the other brace assembly about a predetermined joint without the patient exercising muscle control or coordination. A control assembly as well as the drive motor and gear assembly are housed as a contained unit and removably mounted on one of the brace assemblies in such a manner as to be movable therewith so as to allow ambulatory movement of the patient during the exercising period.

Claims27

Dependent claims

A passive exercising device of the type designed to impart selective movement to a predetermined joint of a patient, said device comprising:

(a) brace means including at least a first and a second brace assembly each configured for securement to respective limbs of a patient's body adjacent to and on opposite sides of a predetermined joint thereof.
(b) drive means secured to said first brace assembly and including a drive motor and a gear assembly interconnected to said drive motor in driven relation thereto,
(c) casing means structured for supporting both said drive motor and gear assembly in interconnected relation to one another and configured to support said drive means as a substantially contained unit and further structured for securing said contained unit on said first brace assembly and said respective limb portion so as to move therewith,
(d) positioning means including an action arm means connected in driven relation to said drive means and extending therefrom into driving interconnection with said second brace assembly,
(e) control means interconnected in activating relation to said drive motor and structured to regulate sequence and directional operation thereof,
(f) said action arm means being structured to move in a path of travel substantially fixed relative to said casing means and disposed substantially parallel to a path of travel of the respective limb portions secured to said second brace assembly as it moves about the predetermined joint relative to the limb portions secured by said first brace assembly upon preselected activation and control of said drive motor by said control means,
(g) said action arm comprising a substantially elongated configuration having one end interconnected in driven relation to said gear means, said action arm extending outwardly from said casing means a predetermined space distance into movable driving interconnection with said second brace assembly,
(h) attachment means for securing said action arm means to said second brace assembly and being rotatably secured to said second brace asembly and structured to slidably move along a portion of the length of said action arm means adjacent a distal end thereof,
(i) whereby selective movement of the predetermined joint is accomplished passively, independent of muscle control and actuation of the patient.

6 more elements

A passive exercising device of the type designed to impart selective movement to a predetermined joint of a patient, said device comprising:

(a) brace means including at least a first and a second brace assembly each configured for securement to respective limbs of a patient's body adjacent to and on opposite sides of a predetermined joint thereof
(b) drive means secured to said first brace assembly and including a drive motor and a gear assembly interconnected to said drive motor in driven relation thereto,
(c) casing means structured for supporting both said drive motor and gear assembly in interconnected relation to one another and configured to support said drive means as a substantially contained unit and further structured for securing said contained unit on said first brace assembly sand said respective limb portion so as to move therewith,
(d) positioning means including an action arm means connected in driven relation to said drive means and extending therefrom into driving interconnection with said second brace assembly,
(e) control means interconnected in activating relation to said drive motor and structured to regulate sequence and directional operation thereof
(f) said action arm means configured to move in a path of travel substantially parallel to said casing means and further structured and cooperatively disposed relative to said drive means to cause substantially predetermined movement of said second brace assembly and its respective limb portion about the predetermined joint relative to said first brace assembly and its respective limb poriton upon preselected activation and control of said drive motor by said control means, whereby selective movement of the predetermined joint is accomplished passively, independent of muscle control and actuation by the patient.
(g) said drive motor comprising a power take-off shaft disposed in direct driving interconnection with one gear element of said gear assembly, said drive motor disposed and structured relative to said casing means and gear assembly to orient said power take-off shaft in substantially coplanar relation to said one gear element,
(h) said drive motor extending substantially linearly outwardly from one longitudinal end of said casing means and being drivingly interconnected to said gear assembly through said one gear element at a correspondingly positioned end of said gear assembly, said drive motor being oriented such that its longitudinal axis is disposed in substantially parallel relation to a longitudinal axis of said gear assembly and said casing and said power take-off shaft is disposed substantially colinear with a central longitudinal axis of said drive motor and at an angular and parallel relation to a central longitudinal axis of said casing,
(i) said gear assembly comprising a drive shaft interconnected in driven rotation through a plurality of gear elements defining a gear assembly to said drive motor and extending upwardly and outwardly from said casing means, said action arm means fixedly attached to said drive shaft so as to rotate therewith and disposed substantially perpendicular to a path of travel of said action arm means and a plane of interconnection defined by said one gear element and said power take-off shaft.

6 more elements

A passive exercising device of the type designed to impart selective movement to a predetermined joint of a patient, said device comprising:

(a) brace means including at least a first and a second brace assembly each configured for securement to respective limbs of a patient's body adjacent to and on opposite sides of a predetermined joint thereof,
(b) drive means secured to said first brace assembly and including a drive motor and a gear assembly interconnected to said drive motor in driven relation thereto,
(c) casing means structured for supporting both said drive motor and gear assembly in interconnected relation to one another and configured to support said drive means as a substantially contained unit and further structured for securing said contained unit on said first brace assembly and said respective limb portion so as to move therewith,
(d) positioning means including an action arm means connected in driven relation to said drive means and extending therefrom into driving interconnection with said second brace assembly,
(e) control means interconnected in activating relation to said drive motor and structured to regulate sequence and directional operation thereof,
(f) said first brace assembly comprising a primary portion disposed and configured for mounting engagement with a lower leg portion of a patient and further including an auxiliary portion secured to said primary portion and extending outwardly therefrom into attached engagement with said second brace assembly, said primary portion disposed in adjacent and spaced relation to an ankle joint of the patient and an auxiliary portion extending substantially across a spaced distance between said primary portion and said second brace assembly and across the ankle joint,
(g) said second brace assembly being configured and structured in substantially gripping engagement with a foot portion of the patient and disposed in adjacent and at least partially spaced relation to said ankle;
said casing means mounted on said first brace assembly and disposed in communicating relation with said second brace assembly through said action arm means, said action arm means extending from a driven interconnection with said drive means across a spaced distance between said first and said second brace assemblies into a driven interconnection with said second brace assembly, said action arm means cooperatively disposed and structured to cause a repeated sorsi flex and plantar flex of the foot portion as said brace assembly travels a substantially predetermined arcuate path of travel upon actuation of said drive motor, said second brace assembly comprising a supporting platform means secured about the undersurface of the foot portion so as to move therewith;
(h) attachment means secured at least in part to said support platform and comprising an anchor element fixedly mounted on said platform, a head portion structured to slidably engage said action arm means and travel along a predetermined length thereof, link means fixedly secured to said ankle element and rotatably engaging said head portion;
said action arm means and said attachment means cooperatively disposed and structured to cause repeated and predetermined sorsi and plantar flexing of the foot portion about the ankle joint upon actuation of said drive motor,
(i) said action arm means configured to move in a path of travel substantially parallel to said casing means and further structured and cooperatively disposed relative to said drive means to cause substantially predetermined movement of said second brace assembly and its respective limb portion about the predetermined joint relative to said first bracing assembly and its respective limb portion upon preselected activation and control of said drive motor by said control means, whereby selective movement of the predetermined joint is accomplished passively, independent of muscle control and actuation by the patient.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.