Foot prosthesis having cushioned ankle
AssigneeFlex-Foot, Inc.
InventorVan L. Phillips
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A simple, inexpensive prosthetic foot is provided incorporating a cushioned ankle including an ankle block formed of a resilient material or bladder having desired compliance and energy return characteristics. The ankle block is sandwiched between a foot element and an ankle element. One or more optional spring inserts may be embedded inside the ankle block to increase the rigidity of the prosthetic foot and to improve the degree of energy storage and return. The shape of the spring inserts is preferably one that supports compression during relative angular rotation of the ankle plate and foot plate elements, such as during toe and heel roll, and also vertical compression, such as in response to vertical shock loads.
Claims19
A prosthetic foot comprising:
- a foot plate element having a length approximately equal to the length of a human foot, the foot plate element comprising a resilient material capable of flexing along its length;
- an ankle plate element having a length substantially shorter than the foot plate element;
- and
- an ankle block comprising at least two portions of relatively soft, compressible material disposed closely adjacent one another and sandwiched between the ankle plate element and the foot plate element, the ankle block being disposed substantially entirely between the foot plate element and the ankle plate element and providing substantially the sole means of support and connection between the foot plate element and the ankle plate element and wherein at least one portion of the ankle block is formed of a material having a compliance characteristic which is different from that of at least one other portion of the ankle block.
A prosthetic foot, comprising:
- a lower foot plate having a length approximately equal to the length of a natural human foot;
- an upper ankle plate disposed above and generally over said lower foot plate and being spaced therefrom;
- and
- a compressible bladder disposed between the upper ankle plate and the lower foot plate and separating the upper plate from the lower plate, said bladder being disposed substantially entirely between the foot plate and the ankle plate and providing substantially the sole means of support between the foot plate and the ankle plate and wherein the foot plate and the bladder flex in a cooperative manner to provide substantially smooth and continuous rollover transition from heel-strike to toe-off.
A prosthetic foot comprising:
- a foot plate element having a length approximately equal to the length of a human foot, the foot plate element comprising a resilient material capable of flexing along its length;
- an ankle plate element having a length substantially shorter than the foot plate element;
- an anterior ankle block made of resilient material connecting the foot plate to the ankle plate;
- and
- a posterior ankle block made of resilient material connecting the foot plate to the ankle plate.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.