Clinitex Corporation

George D Swicegood

Henry L Richbourg, Jr

A knee brace includes a novel knee hinge having a first arm member, a second arm member, and a cover piece. The first arm member serves as a femoral brace. A cam follower is mounted on one side of the first arm member. The second arm member serves as a tibial brace. The second arm member includes a generally heart-shaped aperture which is a cam for the hinge. The cam defines a continuous cam wall which is adapted to receive and mate with the cam follower. The dimensions of the cam are such that upon engagement of the cam follower with the cam, each semicircular end of the cam follower is in slidable contact with the cam wall during movement of the cam follower, and the edge of the cam follower closest to the cam node is in slidable contact with the cam node during movement of the cam follower. The cam follower rotates about the cam node and permits a degree of motion between full flexion and full extension. The cover piece is adapted for placement atop the mated first and second arm members. The cover piece, second arm member, and first arm member are secured by rivets. The cam follower is therefore bounded on its top by the cover piece, on its bottom by the first arm member, and on its sides by the cam wall of the second arm member.

Knee hinge

A hinged limb immobilizer device for setting and securely maintaining a predefined range of motion for a limb, requires no special tools for installation or adjustment. Limit stops are adjusted by simply loosening the appropriate thumbscrew, and moving the limit stop to the prescribed setting. Separate color-coded, labelled scales for flexion and extension match-up with separate color-coded thumbscrews to avoid misunderstandings. Security of adjustment is optimized by limit stops which embody both friction stop and positive stop characteristics, resulting in a unique 'three-point locking' mechanism.

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Hiddenite, NC, United States of America

George D Swicegood