Device for detachably connecting an implement to a shaft of an arm prosthesis and joint comprising said device

Claim 2

A separable joint for rotatably connecting a first member to a second member in an arm prosthesis assembly, said joint comprising: a sleeve mounted on one of said members; a seat mounted on the other of said members and receivable in said sleeve, said sleeve being formed with an internal annular raceway opening in the direction of said seat; a cage surrounding said seat within said sleeve and provided with a plurality of roller elements radially shiftable in said cage into and out of engagement with said raceway and rolling therein while being axially retained by said sleeve when radially received in said raceway; a camming ring axially shiftable on said seat toward and away from said elements and biasing said elements into said raceway in one axial position of said ring and permitting said elements to radially withdraw from said raceway in another axial position of said ring; and a shifting mechanism on said seat for axial displacing said ring from one of said positions into another of said positions.

Claim 3

The joint defined in claim 1 wherein said sleeve is provided with a pair of inwardly open annular grooves and a pair of wire rings received in said grooves and forming said raceway.

Claim 4

The joint defined in claim 2 wheRein each of said wire rings has abutting ends.

Claim 5

The joint defined in claim 1 wherein said roller elements are balls.

Claim 6

The joint defined in claim 1 wherein said seat is provided with a second ring engageable by said camming ring in said one position of said camming ring for retaining said elements in said raceway.

Claim 7

The joint defined in claim 1 wherein said mechanism is so constructed and arranged as to spread said camming ring simultaneously with its displacement from said one position into said other position.

Claim 8

A separable joint for rotatably connecting a first member to a second member in an arm prothesis assembly, said joint comprising: a sleeve mounted on one of said members; a seat mounted on the other of said members and receivable in said sleeve, said sleeve being formed with an internal annular raceway opening in the direction of said seat; a cage surrounding said seat within said sleeve and provided with a plurality of roller elements radially shiftable in said cage into and out of engagement with said raceway and rolling therein while being axially retained by said sleeve when radially received in said raceway; a camming ring axially shiftable on said seat toward and away from said elements and biasing said elements into said raceway in one axial position of said ring and permitting said elements to radially withdraw from said raceway in another axial position of said ring; a shifting mechanism on said seat for axial displacing said ring from one of said positions into another of said positions; and a second ring mounted on said seat and of a diameter smaller than that of said camming ring, said camming ring being nearer to an axial inner end of said seat than said second ring.

Claim 9

A separable joint for rotatably connecting a first member to a second member in an arm prothesis assembly, said joint comprising: a sleeve mounted on one of said members; a seat mounted on the other of said members and receivable in said sleeve, said sleeve being formed with an internal annular raceway opening in the direction of said seat; a cage surrounding said seat within said sleeve and provided with a plurality of roller elements radially shiftable in said cage into and out of engagement with said raceway and rolling therein while being axially retained by said sleeve when radially received in said raceway; a camming ring axially shiftable on said seat toward and away from said elements and biasing said elements into said raceway in one axial position of said ring and permitting said elements to radially withdraw from said raceway in another axial position of said ring; a shifting mechanism on said seat for axial displacing said ring from one of said positions into another of said positions; and a second ring mounted on said seat and of a diameter smaller than that of said camming ring, said camming ring being nearer to an axial inner end of said seat than said second ring.

Claim 10

A separable joint for rotatably connecting a first member to a second member in an arm prosthesis assembly, said joint comprising: a sleeve mounted on one of said members; a seat mounted on the other of said members and receivable in said sleeve, said sleeve being formed with an internal annular raceway opening in the direction of said seat; a cage surrounding said seat within said sleeve and provided with a plurality of roller elements radially shiftable in said cage into and out of engagement with said raceway and rolling therein while being axially retained by said sleeve when radially received in said raceway; a camming ring axially shiftable on said seat toward and away from said elements and biasing said elements into said raceway in one axial position of said ring and permitting said elements to radially withdraw from said raceway in another axial position of said ring; and a shifting mechanism on said seat for axial displacing said ring from one of said positions into another of said positions, said shifting mechanism including means for expanding said ring radially simultaneously with the axial displacement thereof.

Claim 11

A separable joint for rotatably connecting a first member to a second member in an arm prosthesis assembly, said joint comprising: a sleeve mounted on one of said members; a seat mounted on the other of said members and receivable in said sleeve, said sleeve being formed with an internal annular raceway opening in the direction of said seat; a cage surrounding said seat within said sleeve and provided with a plurality of roller elements radially shiftable in said cage into and out of engagement with said raceway and rolling therein while being axially retained by said sleeve when radially received in said raceway; a camming ring axially shiftable on said seat toward and away from said elements and biasing said elements into said raceway in one axial position of said ring and permitting said elements to radially withdraw from said raceway in another axial position of said ring; and a shifting mechanism on said seat for axial displacing said ring from one of said positions into another of said positions, said shifting mechanism including means for expanding said ring radially simultaneously with the axial displacement thereof.

Claim 12

The joint defined in claim 8 wherein said mechanism comprises a plurality of spaced-apart pins slidably mounted in said seat and bearing upon said ring, said pins being inclined to the axis of said seat, drive means for displacing said pins against said ring to axially shift said ring and radially expand the same, and means for displacing said pins in the opposite direction.

Claim 13

The joint defined in claim 9 wherein said drive means includes a drive member having a bevelled face engageable with inner ends of said pins.

Claim 14

The joint defined in claim 9 wherein said seat has an end flange provided with apertures and said means for moving said pins in the opposite direction includes a wheel having axially extending projections passing through said apertures and engaging said ring.

Claim 15

The joint defined in claim 8 wherein said elements are balls in a circumferential array, said joint further comprising a guide ring on said seat and of a diameter smaller than that of said camming ring, said centers of said balls and said rings lying on the surface of a cone in the first axial positiOn of said camming ring.

Claim 16

The joint defined in claim 12 wherein said shifting mechanism comprises pins extending at an acute angle to said seat and bearing upon said camming ring, a drive member in said seat engageable with said pins for displacing same to shift said camming ring from said one axial position to said other axial position, and a restoring member displaceable to shift said camming ring from said other axial position to said first axial position.

Claim 17

The joint defined in claim 13 wherein said seat has an end flange provided with apertures and said restoring member is a wheel having projections extending through said apertures and engageable with said camming ring.