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US 4,822,363 AGranted
Modular composite prosthetic foot and leg
OwnerVan L. Phillipsinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A prosthesis fabricated from filamentary laminates including a pylon having an upper extremity, a shin portion, an ankle portion and a forwardly extending foot portion, all integral with one another. A separate heel portion is secured directly to the foot portion and is provided in different modules of stiffness which serve, when secured to the foot portion, to greatly enhance the life-like movement of the foot and the entire prosthesis. The pylon is provided in different modules to match the weight and activity levels of a wide spectrum of individuals.
Claims18
A lower leg prosthesis comprising:
- an elongated pylon formed form resin-impregnated, high-strength filament, said pylon having an upper extremity, an intermediate shin portion and a lower forward foot portion formed integrally with one another, said foot portion extending downwardly and forwardly of said shin portion so as to have substantially low energy absorption compliance in response to vertical loads thereon, and a heel portion secure to said forward foot portion and fabricated from said resin-impregnated, high-strength filament, said shin portion of said pylon having a cross section with a high moment of inertia about an axis generally aligned with the fore and aft direction and a relatively low area moment of inertia about a horizontal axis perpendicular to the fore and aft direction, whereby said shin portion and said forward foot portion may flex in a vertical fore an after plane and not in a vertical transverse plane, the upper extremity of said pylon being rigid and of greater cross section than said shin portion to restrict the length of said shin portion and provide for modular fitment of said pylon by being cut and adjusted to an amputee without affecting the compliant response of said shin and foot portions of said pylon.
A lower leg prosthesis comprising:
- an elongated, generally vertically oriented pylon formed from resin-impregnated, high-strength filament, said pylon having an upper, rigid extremity, an intermediate shin portion and a lower forwardly extending foot portion, all of said upper extremity, shin portion and foot portion being formed integrally with one another and having said high-strength filaments extending from said upper extremity into and through said forwardly extending foot portion, and a rearwardly extending heel portion secured to said forwardly extending foot portion, said rearwardly extending heel portion being demountable from said forwardly extending foot portion and being fabricated from resin-impregnated, high-strength filaments.
A lower leg prosthesis comprising:
- a generally vertically oriented pylon fabricated from resin-impregnated, high-strength filamentary materials, said pylon including a rigid upper extremity having a lower end, an intermediate shin portion and a forwardly oriented foot portion, a rearwardly extending heel portion formed from resin-impregnated filamentary material, said heel portion being secured to the underside of said forwardly extending foot portion, the lower end of said upper extremity being vertically positioned no more than ten inches above the supporting surface of said foot and heel portions, wherein the configuration of said upper extremity renders it more rigid than said intermediate shin portion.
A lower leg prosthesis comprising:
- a generally vertically oriented pylon fabricated from resin-impregnated, high-strength filamentary materials, said pylon including an upper extremity, an intermediate shin portion and a forwardly oriented foot portion, a rearwardly extending heel portion formed from:
- resin-impregnated filamentary material, said heel portion being secured to the underside of said foot portion, said underside and the upper surface of said heel portion adjacent said securement of said heel portion to said foot portion defining a space, and lever arm length-determining means interposed between said foot and heel portions in said space to determine the length of the lever arm of said heel portion.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.