US5458565A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Osteoarthritic knee brace
Assignee: DJO LLC
•
Filing: 1994-02-03
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Granted: 1995-10-17
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Expires: 2014-02-03
Abstract
Abstract An osteoarthritic knee brace is provided having flexible upper and lower arm members rotatably connected to each other by a rotary hinge assembly. A selectively inflatable or deflatable fluid-containing pad is positionable between the hinge assembly and a side of the knee joint. In operation, the brace is mounted on the leg with the pad engaging both the hinge assembly and the side of the knee joint, the hinge assembly aligned with the knee joint, and the upper and lower arm members aligned with the upper and lower legs, respectively. The upper and lower arm members are stressed away from the knee joint, thereby applying a restoring force to the knee joint across the hinge assembly and the pad that effectively treats the osteoarthritic knee joint. The restoring force is adjustable by selective inflation or deflation of the pad.
Inventors
- 👤 Theodore V. Tillinghast, III
- 👤 Charles A. Bastyr
- 👤 Richard E. Gildersleeve
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-24 02:00
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61F; A61F5/00; A61F5/01; A61F5/0102; A61F5/0123; A61F5/0125; A61F5/012; A61F5/30; A61F5/34; A61F2005/0132; A61F2005/0172; A61F2005/0174
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 28
Claim 1
Independent Claim
109 words
An osteoarthritic knee brace positionable on a leg about the knee joint comprising: means for engaging the knee joint at a first side of the leg opposite a second side of the leg; and means for continuously applying a spring restoring force to the knee joint at said first side of the leg across said knee joint engagement means thereby elastically deflecting said spring restoring force application means in a direction away from the knee joint at said first side of said leg, wherein said spring restoring force is sufficient to reduce a load on a compartment of the knee joint proximal to said second side of the leg.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
109 words
An osteoarthritic knee brace positionable on a leg about the knee joint comprising: means for engaging the knee joint at a first side of the leg opposite a second side of the leg; and means for continuously applying a spring restoring force to the knee joint at said first side of the leg across said knee joint engagement means thereby elastically deflecting said spring restoring force application means in a direction away from the knee joint at said first side of said leg, wherein said spring restoring force is sufficient to reduce a load on a compartment of the knee joint proximal to said second side of the leg.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
34 words
A knee brace as recited in claim 1 further comprising means for applying a first resultant force to the upper leg at said second side of the leg to resist said spring restoring force.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
34 words
A knee brace as recited in claim 1 further comprising means for applying a second resultant force to the lower leg at said second side of the leg to resist said spring restoring force.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
49 words
A knee brace as recited in claim 1 further comprising means for rotating said first resultant force applying means relative to said second resultant force applying means about the knee joint, wherein said rotating means is positionable proximal to the knee joint at said first side of the leg.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
18 words
A knee brace as recited in claim 1 wherein said knee joint engagement means comprises a resilient pad.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
31 words
A knee brace as recited in claim 5 wherein said knee joint engagement means is further a means for adjusting said spring restoring force by adjusting the thickness of said pad.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
21 words
A knee brace as recited in claim 1 wherein said knee joint engagement means is an inflatable or deflatable fluid-containing bladder.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
30 words
A knee brace as recited in claim 7 wherein said knee joint engagement means is further a means for adjusting said spring restoring force by inflating or deflating said bladder.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
27 words
A knee brace as recited in claim 1 wherein said knee joint engagement means is further a means for conformingly engaging a condyle of the knee joint.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
116 words
An osteoarthritic knee brace positionable on a leg about the knee joint comprising: a spring comprising a flexible upper arm member and a flexible lower arm member, said spring having an active configuration when positioned on a leg about a knee joint and an inactive configuration when removed from the leg; a hinge rotatably connecting said upper and lower arm members; and a pad engaging said hinge and engagable with the knee joint on a first side of the leg opposite a second side of the leg, wherein said spring has an elastic deflection distance in a direction away from said pad and a restoring force in a direction toward said pad in said active configuration.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
116 words
An osteoarthritic knee brace positionable on a leg about the knee joint comprising: a spring comprising a flexible upper arm member and a flexible lower arm member, said spring having an active configuration when positioned on a leg about a knee joint and an inactive configuration when removed from the leg; a hinge rotatably connecting said upper and lower arm members; and a pad engaging said hinge and engagable with the knee joint on a first side of the leg opposite a second side of the leg, wherein said spring has an elastic deflection distance in a direction away from said pad and a restoring force in a direction toward said pad in said active configuration.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
34 words
A knee brace as recited in claim 10 further comprising a preformed arcuate upper cuff connected to said upper arm member and engagable with the upper leg at said second side of the leg.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
34 words
A knee brace as recited in claim 10 further comprising a preformed arcuate lower cuff connected to said lower arm member and engagable with the lower leg at said second side of the leg.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
40 words
An osteoarthritic knee brace as recited in claim 10 wherein said spring has a restoring force in said active configuration sufficient to reduce a load on a compartment of the knee joint proximal to said second side of the leg.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
16 words
An osteoarthritic knee brace as recited in claim 10 wherein said pad has an adjustable thickness.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
19 words
An osteoarthritic knee brace as recited in claim 10 wherein said pad is an inflatable or deflatable fluid-containing bladder.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
86 words
An osteoarthritic knee brace positionable on a leg about the knee joint comprising: a spring comprising a flexible upper arm member and a flexible lower arm member; a hinge rotatably connecting said upper and lower arm members; and a resilient pad having an adjustable thickness, engaging said hinge, and in connective association with said upper arm member and said lower arm member, further wherein said pad is engagable with the knee joint on a first side of the leg opposite a second side of the leg.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
86 words
An osteoarthritic knee brace positionable on a leg about the knee joint comprising: a spring comprising a flexible upper arm member and a flexible lower arm member; a hinge rotatably connecting said upper and lower arm members; and a resilient pad having an adjustable thickness, engaging said hinge, and in connective association with said upper arm member and said lower arm member, further wherein said pad is engagable with the knee joint on a first side of the leg opposite a second side of the leg.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
19 words
A knee brace as recited in claim 16 wherein said resilient pad is an inflatable or deflatable fluid-containing bladder.
Claim 21
Independent Claim
112 words
A method for stabilizing an osteoarthritic knee comprising mounting a brace on a leg about the knee joint, wherein said brace has a flexible Upper arm positioned above the knee joint and a flexible lower arm positioned below the knee joint and connected to said upper arm that are elastically deflected by the leg in a direction away from the knee joint, thereby continuously applying a spring restoring force to the knee joint on a first side of the leg sufficient to reduce a load on a compartment of the knee joint proximal to a second side of the leg, further wherein said spring restoring force is substantially orthogonal to said load.
Claim 22
Independent Claim
112 words
A method for stabilizing an osteoarthritic knee comprising mounting a brace on a leg about the knee joint, wherein said brace has a flexible Upper arm positioned above the knee joint and a flexible lower arm positioned below the knee joint and connected to said upper arm that are elastically deflected by the leg in a direction away from the knee joint, thereby continuously applying a spring restoring force to the knee joint on a first side of the leg sufficient to reduce a load on a compartment of the knee joint proximal to a second side of the leg, further wherein said spring restoring force is substantially orthogonal to said load.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
26 words
A method for stabilizing a knee as recited in claim 18 wherein said spring restoring force is applied to the knee joint across a resilient pad.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
29 words
A method for stabilizing a knee as recited in claim 18 wherein said spring restoring force is applied to the knee joint across an inflatable or deflatable fluid-containing bladder.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
33 words
A method for stabilizing a knee as recited in claim 20 wherein said spring restoring force is decreased by deflating said bladder and said spring restoring force is increased by inflating said bladder.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
39 words
A method for stabilizing a knee as recited in claim 18 further comprising applying a first resultant force against the upper leg at a second side of the leg opposite said first side to resist said spring restoring force.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
35 words
A method for stabilizing a knee as recited in claim 18 further comprising applying a second resultant force against the lower leg at said second side of the leg to resist said spring restoring force.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
30 words
A method for stabilizing an osteoarthritic knee as recited in claim 18 wherein said spring restoring force is continuously applied to said knee joint during the swing phase of gait.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1998-10-16 | 1999-04-17 | 1999-10-17 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2002-10-16 | 2003-04-17 | 2003-10-17 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2006-10-16 | 2007-04-17 | 2007-10-17 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |