Joint arrangement with multi-positional locking means for a prosthetic surgical appliance

Claim 1

A JOINT ARRANGEMENT FOR A PROSTHETIC APPLIANCE COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION: (A) TWO STRUCTURAL MEMBERS; (B) HINGE MEANS CONNECTING SAID MEMBERS FOR ROTATION ABOUT A FIXED FIRST AXIS (C) FIXED ABUTMENT MEANS ON SAID STRUCTURAL MEMBERS FOR PREVENTING ROTATION THEREOF IN A FIRST DIRECTION FROM A PREDETERMINED RELATIVE POSITION THEREOF; (D) A LOCKING MEMBER ROTATABLE ABOUT A SECOND AXIS ON ONE OF SAID STRUCTURAL MEMBERS BETWEEN THREE ANGULARLY SPACED POSITIONS, THE OTHER ONE OF SAID STRUCTURAL MEMBERS HAVING AN ABUTMENT FACE, SAID LOCKING MEMBER HAVING (1) FIRST ENGAGING FACE MEANS ABUTTINGLY ENGAGING SAID ABUTMENT FACE WHEN SAID LOCKING MEMBER IS IN A FIRST POSITION THEREOF AND SAID STRUCTURAL MEMBERS ARE IN SAID PREDETERMINED POSITION THEREOF FOR PREVENTING ROTATION OPPOSITE TO SAID MEMBERS IN A SECOND DIRECTION OPPOSITE TO SAID FIRST DIRECTION, AND (2) SECOND ENGAGING FACE MEANS SPACED FROM SAID FIRST ENGAGING FACE MEANS AND ABUTTINGLY ENGAGING SAID ABUTMENT FACE WHEN SAID LOCKING MEMBER IS IN A SECOND POSITION THEREOF FOR LIMITITING RELATIVE ROTATION OF SAID STRUCTURAL MEMBERS FROM SAID PREDETERMINED POSITION THEREOF IN SAID SECOND DIRECTION TO A PREDETERMINED ANGLE, (3) SAID FIRST AND SECOND FACE MEANS OF SAID LOCKING MEMBER BEING SPACED FROM SAID ABUTMENT FACE WHEN SAID LOCKING MEMBER IS IN THE THIRD POSITION THEREOF; AND (E) YIELDABLY RESILIENT MEANS FOR SELECTIVELY URGING SAID LOCKING MEMBER TOWARD SAID THREE POSITIONS THEREOF, AND FOR URGING SAID LOCKING MEMBER INTO ABUTTING ENGAGEMENT OF THE RESPECTIVE FACE MEANS THEREOF WITH SAID ABUTMENT FACE WHEN SAID LOCKING MEMBER IS IN SAID FIRST POSITION AND IN SAID SECOND POSITION THEREOF.