Michael E Mcdowell

US Patent:

6589288, Jul 8, 2003

Filed:

Mar 1, 2001

Appl. No.:

09/797369

Inventors:

Michael McDowell - Canyon CA
Tracy C. Slemker - Clayton OH
Scott R. Schall - Englewood OH
Steve Steinbarger - Centerville OH

Assignee:

Prosthetic Design, Inc. - Clayton OH

International Classification:

A61F 260

US Classification:

623 33, 623 27

Abstract:

A plunger pin assembly for locking engagement with a shuttle lock of a prosthetic limb socket assembly, includes: (a) a housing having an internal cavity and a center-hole extending into its distal end, communicating with the internal cavity; (b) a cradle retained within the cavity, having a distal-facing outer surface that is laterally slidable with respect to the proximal-facing inner surface of the cavity, where the cradle includes a plunger pin component extending distally therefrom; and (c) a resilient shock absorber positioned, at least partially, between the proximal end of the plunger pin component and the inner distal-facing surface of the cavity; where (d) the cradle includes a center hole extending axially therethrough, the plunger pin component includes a ball positioned on a proximal end thereof, the ball having a diameter larger than the diameter of the center hole of the cradle, and the ball of the plunger pin component is seated in the center hole of the cradle to provide a ball joint coupling between the cradle and the male coupling component. The sliding engagement between the cradle and the housing provides the plunger pin component with multiple degrees of lateral adjustability with respect to the housing, and the ball-joint coupling between the plunger pin component and the cradle provides the plunger pin component with angular and/or rotational degrees of adjustability.