Inventors:
Warren C. Lapointe - Coventry RI
Louis J. Valois - Narragansett RI
Assignee:
Quadrax Corporation - Portsmouth RI
International Classification:
A61F 500
Abstract:
A hinged knee brace assembly includes upper and lower mounting members positionable above and below a wearer's knee, respectively. The mounting members include projecting connector link portions joined together along a transverse bending axis of the knee, on opposite sides thereof, by respective hinges. Each hinge comprises a stop plate member including a circumferentially extending track and a lug plate member having a projecting lug receivable in the track and engageable with stop surfaces at opposite ends thereof, to limit knee-bending movement. A first retaining member of each hinge has a noncircular projecting hub which projects through corresponding apertures in the lug plate member and the adjacent connector link portion of the lower mounting member to cause the lug plate member and connector link to move as a unit. Similarly, a second retaining member of each hinge causes the stop plate member and the adjacent connector link portion of the upper mounting member, and an associated outer plate member, to move as a unit. The parts at each hinged connection are connected together by a securing screw, the screw-threaded movement of which is limited to prevent clamping of the parts together so as to prevent the hinged connection from functioning properly.