The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Apr. 17, 2001
Filed:
Nov. 09, 1999
Frederick W. Blanchard, Portage, MI (US);
Stephen L. Brown, Chattanooga, TN (US);
Dwayne Hofstatter, Woodstock, GA (US);
D. Chris Linville, Hixson, TN (US);
Jeffrey K. Pohl, Chattanooga, TN (US);
James R. Vetter, Jr., Soddy Daisy, TN (US);
Chattanooga Group, Inc., Hixson, TN (US);
Abstract
A therapeutic device may be used in providing physical therapy for a patient's knee by moving the patient's leg through a plurality of cycles of motion in each of a number of treatment sessions. The device includes a progressive range of motion feature that permits an automatic decrease in the flexion angle (or an automatic increase in the extension angle) over a period of time as rehabilitation progresses. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the carriage holding the patient's leg is decelerated, at a controlled rate over a controlled distance, from the operational speed to zero, as the carriage approaches the extension or flexion limit, and the carriage is accelerated in the same fashion as the carriage moves away from the extension or flexion limit.