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:
Mar. 29, 2011
Filed:
Jun. 29, 2010
Franz W. Kellar, Gastonia, NC (US);
Harold Lloyd Crowder, Jr., Concord, NC (US);
Franz W. Kellar, Gastonia, NC (US);
Harold Lloyd Crowder, Jr., Concord, NC (US);
BioMedFlex LLC, Gastonia, NC (US);
Abstract
A prosthetic joint includes: (a) a first member comprising rigid material including a wear-resistant, concave cup surface; and (b) a second member comprising rigid material with a wear-resistant, convex contact surface; (c) one of the surfaces includes: (i) an annular first flange defining a protruding wear-resistant first contact rim at or near an apex of the member; and (ii) an annular second flange defining a protruding wear-resistant second contact rim, at or near an outer periphery of the member; (d) the first and second contact rims bear directly against the contact surface, so as to transfer loads between the first and second members, while allowing pivoting motion therebetween; and (e) the flanges are shaped and sized so as to deform elastically and permit the contact rims to conform in an irregular shape to the surface of the opposite member, when the joint is placed under a predetermined load.