Orthopaedic brace assembly
AssigneeEbi, LLC
InventorJeffrey Stearns
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An orthopaedic brace assembly includes a thigh cuff component, a calf cuff component and a pair of hinge assemblies. The thigh cuff component engages the wearer's leg above the knee and includes a suspension assembly having a pair of cantilevered arms. The calf cuff component engages the wearer's leg below the knee. The pair of hinge assemblies couples the thigh cuff component and the calf cuff component for relative articulation. The hinge assemblies include first and second arms interconnected for relative movement to one another through a range of articulation by first and second links. The hinge assemblies additionally include a series of stops which selectively snap fit to the first arm for limiting the range of articulation.
Claims18
An orthopaedic brace assembly for constraining movement of a knee of a wearer's leg, the orthopaedic brace assembly comprising:
- a thigh cuff component for engaging the wearer's leg above the knee, the thigh cuff component including a suspension assembly having a pair of cantilevered arms for engaging the wearer's leg;
- an elastic strap connecting the pair of cantilevered arms;
- a calf cuff component for engaging the wearer's leg below the knee;
- and
- a pair of hinge assemblies coupling the thigh cuff component and the calf cuff component for relative articulation.
A polycentric hinge assembly for pivotally connecting first and second cuff components of an orthopaedic brace, the hinge assembly comprising:
- a first arm for fixed attachment to the first cuff component;
- a second arm for attachment to the second cuff component;
- a first link and a second link for interconnecting the first and second arms for relative movement to one another through a range of articulation, the first link pivotally interconnected to the first arm and the second arm, the second link pivotally interconnected to the first arm and the second arm;
- and
- a series of stops which selectively snap fit directly to the first arm for articulation with the first arm, the series of stops for limiting the range of articulation of the hinge assembly.
A hinge assembly for pivotally connecting first and second cuff components of an orthopaedic brace, the hinge assembly comprising:
- a first arm for attachment to the first cuff component;
- a second arm for attachment to the second cuff component;
- a first link and a second link for interconnecting the first and second arms for relative movement to one another through a range of articulation, the first link pivotally interconnected to the first arm and the second arm, the second link pivotally interconnected to the first arm and the second arm;
- and
- at least one removable stop directly attached direct to the first arm for articulation with the first arm, the at least one stop for limiting the range of articulation of the hinge assembly.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.