Artificial skeletal joint

Claim 2

An artificial skeletal joint comprising: a first member adapted for securance to a first skeletal component and having a chamber with a pair of operably associated sections; a second member having a first part disposed in said chamber for movement about a pair of orthogonal axes and a second part adapted for securance to a second skeletal component, and means arranged externally of said chamber for shifting said first part between said sections as said first part moves about one of said axes.

Claim 3

A combination according to claim 1 wherein said first part is a head and said shifting means includes a camming element rigidly secured to and movable about a pair of orthogonal axes with said head.

Claim 4

A combination according to claim 1 wherein said shifting means comprises a cam on said first member and a follower connected to said second member and engaged with said cam externally of said chamber and continuously during shifting.

Claim 5

A combination according to claim 3 wherein said first member is a socket and said cam comprises an external surface of said socket.

Claim 6

An artificial skeletal joint comprising: a first member adapted for securance to a first skeletal component and having a chamber with a pair of operably associated sections; a second member having a part adapted for securance to a second skeletal member and a ball arranged for angular movement in said chamber about a pair of axes in a three planar coordinate system; means for shifting said ball between said sections; and means for restraining movement of said ball about the third of said axes.

Claim 7

An artificial skeletal joint comprising: a first member adapted for securance to a first skeletal component and having a chamber with a pair of operably associated sections; a second member having a part adapted for securance to a second skeletal member and a ball arranged for angular movement in said chamber about a pair of axes in a three planar coordinate system; means for shifting said ball between said sections; and means for restraining movement of said ball about the third of said axes.

Claim 8

An artificial skeletal joint comprising: a first member adapted for securance to a first skeletal component and having a chamber with a pair of operably associated sections, said first member having a slot providing a passage from said chamber to the exterior; a second member having a part adapted for securance to a second skeletal component and a ball arranged for angular movement in said chamber about first and second orthogonal axes, said part having a portion disposed outside said first member and a neck arranged for movement longitudinally of said slot, said neck connected to said ball for angular movement about one of said axes as it moves longitudinally of said slot about the other of said axes; and a camming element rigidly secured to said outside portion for shifting said ball between said sections in response to angular movement of said neck longitudinally of said slot.

Claim 9

An artificial skeletal joint comprising: a first member adapted for securance to a first skeletal component and having a chamber with a pair of operably associated sections, said first member having a slot providing a passage from said chamber to the exterior; a second member having a part adapted for securance to a second skeletal component and a ball arranged for angular movement in said chamber about first and second orthogonal axes, said part having a portion disposed outside said first member and a neck arranged for movement longitudinally of said slot, said neck connected to said ball for angular movement about one of said axes as it moves longitudinally of said slot about the other of said axes; and a camming element rigidly secured to said outside portion for shifting said ball between said sections in response to angular movement of said neck longitudinally of said slot.

Claim 10

An artificial skeletal joint comprising: a socket; a spherical ball having orthogonal axes and arranged for movement in said socket; means for anchoring said ball and said socket on a pair of skeletal components for articulation thereof; said socket having a chamber therein and a slot providing passage from said chamber to the exterior for connecting said ball to said ball anchoring means; said chamber having a pair of adjacent sections providing a pair of seats proportioned for enabling angular movement of said ball about said axes in each of said sections; and means for lineally shifting said ball between said sections at any angular aspeCt of said ball about one of said axes as said ball is moved angularly about the other of said axes.

Claim 11

An artificial skeletal joint comprising: a socket; a spherical ball having orthogonal axes and arranged for movement in said socket; means for anchoring said ball and said socket on a pair of skeletal components for articulation thereof; said socket having a chamber therein and a slot providing passage from said chamber to the exterior for connecting said ball to said ball anchoring means; said chamber having a pair of adjacent sections providing a pair of seats proportioned for enabling angular movement of said ball about said axes in each of said sections; and means for lineally shifting said ball between said sections at any angular aspeCt of said ball about one of said axes as said ball is moved angularly about the other of said axes.

Claim 12

An artificial skeletal joint comprising: a socket, said socket having a chamber therein and a slot providing passage from said chamber to the exterior; a ball arranged for movement in said socket, said chamber having a pair of adjacent sections providing a pair of seats proportioned for enabling angular movement of said ball in said chamber; means for anchoring said ball and said socket on a pair of skeletal components for articulation thereof, said anchoring means including a first connector associated with said socket and adapted for connection to one of said skeletal components and a second connector associated with said ball and adapted for connection to the other of said skeletal components; and cam means for shifting said ball from one of said sections to the other as said ball is moved angularly, said cam means including a part rigidly carried with said second connector for engaging said socket as said connectors are moved angularly, each relative to the other thereof, to shift said ball.

Claim 13

An artificial skeletal joint comprising: a socket, said socket having a chamber therein and a slot providing passage from said chamber to the exterior; a ball arranged for movement in said socket, said chamber having a pair of adjacent sections providing a pair of seats proportioned for enabling angular movement of said ball in said chamber; means for anchoring said ball and said socket on a pair of skeletal components for articulation thereof, said anchoring means including a first connector associated with said socket and adapted for connection to one of said skeletal components and a second connector associated with said ball and adapted for connection to the other of said skeletal components; and cam means for shifting said ball from one of said sections to the other as said ball is moved angularly, said cam means including a part rigidly carried with said second connector for engaging said socket as said connectors are moved angularly, each relative to the other thereof, to shift said ball.

Claim 14

A combination according to claim 8 characterized by a neck through said slot for connecting said second connector to said ball, and wherein said socket has an external cam fashioned surface, said part being a follower disposed in engagement with said surface.

Claim 15

A combination according to claim 9 wherein said chamber sections are operably aligned and said slot is elongated in the direction of alignment and proportioned for enabling said neck to shift longitudinally therein as said ball moves angularly.

Claim 16

A combination according to claim 9 wherein said socket has a bone distal side and a pair of opposed sides integral with and extending boneward from said bone distal side, said slot extending through said bone distal side and through one of said opposed sides.

Claim 17

An artificial knee according to claim 11 wherein said opposed sides have an anterior-posterior relationship, said socket being further characterized by a pair of spaced apart lateral sides having bone distal ends limiting said slot to prevent rotation of the ball about a first of its axes in a three dimensional system.

Claim 18

An artificial knee according to claim 12 wherein said socket is proportioned for enabling said ball to rock about a second of said axes in each chamber section.

Claim 19

An artificial knee according to claim 13 wherein said slot has opposed ends spaced apart, each from the other thereof, a distance such that said ball can rock about the third of said axes about 130* as it shifts between said sections.

Claim 20

An artificial skeletal joint comprising: a rockable member with orthogonal axes; a socket having chamber sections, said rockable member proportioned for angular movement about both of said axes in each of said chamber sections; and means for lineally shifting said rockable member between said chamber sections in response to its angular movement about one of said axes.

Claim 21

An artificial skeletal joint comprising: a rockable member with orthogonal axes; a socket having chamber sections, said rockable member proportioned for angular movement about both of said axes in each of said chamber sections; and means for lineally shifting said rockable member between said chamber sections in response to its angular movement about one of said axes.

Claim 22

An artificial knee according to claim 15 wherein said socket has means comprised of at least one prosthetic ligament.

Claim 23

A combination according to claim 15 wherein said shifting means is operative upon angular movement of said rockable member about one of said axes at each angular aspect about the other of said axes.