US-12622798-B2 - Orthotic device for controlling foot motion

US12622798B2US 12622798 B2US12622798 B2US 12622798B2US-12622798-B2

Abstract

An ankle and foot orthotic device biases the foot of a user into dorsiflexion to control drop foot and other conditions caused by neurological or muscular impairment; allowing a user to stand, walk, and participate in desired activities with greater ease and balance. The device resists rapid motions of the foot and assists the user in many aspects of walking including controlling the drop of the foot front after heel strike, stabilizing standing in a neutral position, and strengthening the ability to push off of the toes at the end of the stride.

Inventors

James F. Park

Assignees

James F. Park

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20240227

Claims (20)

1 . An ankle and foot orthotic device comprising: a leg support shell configured for attachment to a user's lower leg; a leg control joint member that extends downwardly from the leg support shell, wherein the leg control joint member comprises a lower end that is positioned adjacent a user's ankle when the device is in use; a foot support configured for attachment to an underside of a user's foot to support the user's foot; a foot control joint member that extends upwardly from the foot support, wherein the foot control joint member comprises an upper end that is positioned adjacent the leg control joint member lower end; a motion control joint connecting the foot control joint member to the leg control joint member comprising: a pivot joint connecting the foot control joint member to the leg control joint member and providing for pivotal motion between the foot control joint member and the leg control joint member, wherein the pivot joint is aligned with a user's ankle when the device is in use; a biasing member which biases a distal, toe end of the foot support upwardly towards the leg support shell in dorsiflexion; a control cam comprising: a vertically oriented cam slot disposed in one of the foot control joint member and the leg control joint member; a horizontally oriented cam profile slot disposed in the other of the foot control joint member and the leg control joint member, the horizontally oriented cam profile slot comprising; a neutral position; a dorsiflexion travel zone; a dorsiflexion end stop; a plantarflexion travel zone; a plantarflexion end stop; a cam follower disposed to engage both the vertically oriented cam slot and the horizontally oriented profile cam slot; and wherein pivoting the foot control joint member relative to the leg control joint member about the pivot joint causes the cam follower to move vertically within the vertically oriented cam slot and to move to a different position within the horizontally oriented cam profile slot.
2 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the vertically oriented cam slot is formed in the leg control joint member, and wherein the horizontally oriented cam profile slot is formed in the foot control joint member.
3 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the dorsiflexion travel zone has a positive slope away from the neutral position such that pivoting the foot support away from the neutral position in dorsiflexion causes the cam follower to move upwardly in the vertical cam slot and wherein the plantarflexion travel zone has a positive slope away from the neutral position such that pivoting the foot support away from the neutral position in plantarflexion causes the cam follower to move upwardly in the vertically oriented cam slot.
4 . The device of claim 3 , wherein the plantarflexion travel zone slope is greater than the dorsiflexion travel zone slope.
5 . The device of claim 3 , wherein the neutral position comprises a detent wherein the cam follower is located at a minimum height in the vertically oriented cam slot.
6 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the dorsiflexion travel zone has a negative slope away from the neutral position such that pivoting the foot support away from the neutral position in dorsiflexion causes the cam follower to move downwardly in the vertically oriented cam slot and wherein the plantarflexion travel zone has a positive slope away from the neutral position such that pivoting the foot support away from the neutral position in plantarflexion causes the cam follower to move upwardly in the vertically oriented cam slot.
7 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the leg support shell is shaped to engage a front shin area of a lower leg.
8 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the foot support is shaped to receive a bottom of a foot and wherein the foot support is shaped to extend around a heel and extend forward to a position adjacent the ball of a foot and to terminate before toes of the foot.
9 . An ankle and foot orthotic device comprising: a leg support shell configured for attachment to a user's lower leg; a foot support configured for attachment to an underside of a user's foot to support the user's foot; a motion control joint formed between a first control joint member and a second control joint member and connecting the foot support to the leg support shell comprising: a pivot joint which provides pivotal motion between the foot support and the leg support shell to thereby pivot a front of the foot support upwards and downwards towards and away from the leg support shell; a biasing member which biases a distal, toe end of the foot support upwardly towards the leg shell in dorsiflexion; and a control cam comprising: a vertically oriented cam slot disposed in the first control joint member; a horizontally oriented cam profile slot disposed in the second control joint member, the horizontally oriented cam profile slot comprising; a neutral position; a dorsiflexion travel zone; a dorsiflexion end stop; a plantarflexion travel zone; a plantarflexion end stop; a cam follower disposed to engage both the vertically oriented cam slot and the horizontally oriented cam profile slot and to move within the vertically oriented cam slot and the horizontally oriented cam profile slot; and wherein pivoting the first control joint member relative to the second control joint member about the pivot joint causes the cam follower to move vertically within the vertically oriented cam slot and to move to a different position within the horizontally oriented cam profile slot.
10 . The device of claim 9 , wherein the first control joint member comprises a leg control joint member that extends downwardly from the leg support shell, and wherein the leg control joint member comprises a lower end that is positioned adjacent a user's ankle when the device is in use, and wherein the second control joint member comprises a foot control joint member that extends upwardly from the foot support, and wherein the foot control joint member comprises an upper end that is positioned adjacent the leg control joint member lower end.
11 . The device of claim 9 , wherein the dorsiflexion travel zone has a positive slope away from the neutral position such that pivoting the foot support away from the neutral position in dorsiflexion causes the cam follower to move upwardly in the vertically oriented cam slot and wherein the plantarflexion travel zone has a positive slope away from the neutral position such that pivoting the foot support away from the neutral position in plantarflexion causes the cam follower to move upwardly in the vertically oriented cam slot.
12 . The device of claim 11 , wherein the plantarflexion travel zone slope is greater than the dorsiflexion travel zone slope.
13 . The device of claim 11 , wherein the neutral position comprises a detent wherein the cam follower is located at a minimum height in the vertically oriented cam slot.
14 . The device of claim 11 , wherein the control cam resists pivoting of the foot support away from the neutral position in dorsiflexion, and wherein the biasing member promotes pivoting of the foot support away from the neutral position in dorsiflexion such that overall the foot support is biased away from the neutral position in dorsiflexion.
15 . The device of claim 9 , wherein the dorsiflexion travel zone has a negative slope away from the neutral position such that pivoting the foot support away from the neutral position in dorsiflexion causes the cam follower to move downwardly in the vertically oriented cam slot and wherein the plantarflexion travel zone has a positive slope away from the neutral position such that pivoting the foot support away from the neutral position in plantarflexion causes the cam follower to move upwardly in the vertically oriented cam slot.
16 . An ankle and foot orthotic device comprising: a leg support configured for attachment to a user's lower leg; a foot support configured for attachment to a user's foot; a motion control joint formed between a first control joint member and a second control joint member and connecting the foot support to the leg support comprising: a pivot joint which provides pivotal motion between the foot support and the leg support to thereby pivot a front of the foot support upwards and downwards towards and away from the leg support; a biasing member which biases a distal, toe end of the foot support upwardly towards the leg shell in dorsiflexion; and a control cam comprising: a vertically oriented cam slot disposed in the first control joint member; a horizontally oriented cam profile slot disposed in the second control joint member, the horizontally oriented cam profile slot comprising; a neutral position; a dorsiflexion travel zone; a dorsiflexion end stop; a plantarflexion travel zone; a plantarflexion end stop; a cam follower disposed to engage both the vertically oriented cam slot and the horizontally oriented cam profile slot and to move within the vertically oriented cam slot and the horizontally oriented cam profile slot; and wherein pivoting the first control joint member relative to the second control joint member about the pivot joint causes the cam follower to move vertically within the vertically oriented cam slot and to move to a different position within the horizontally oriented cam profile slot.
17 . The device of claim 16 , wherein the first control joint member comprises a leg control joint member that extends downwardly from the leg support shell, and wherein the leg control joint member comprises a lower end that is positioned adjacent a user's ankle when the device is in use, and wherein the second control joint member comprises a foot control joint member that extends upwardly from the foot support, and wherein the foot control joint member comprises an upper end that is positioned adjacent the leg control joint member lower end.
18 . The device of claim 16 , wherein the dorsiflexion travel zone has a positive slope away from the neutral position such that pivoting the foot support away from the neutral position in dorsiflexion causes the cam follower to move upwardly in the vertically oriented cam slot and wherein the plantarflexion travel zone has a positive slope away from the neutral position such that pivoting the foot support away from the neutral position in plantarflexion causes the cam follower to move upwardly in the vertically oriented cam slot.
19 . The device of claim 18 , wherein the control cam resists pivoting of the foot support away from the neutral position in dorsiflexion, and wherein the biasing member promotes pivoting of the foot support away from the neutral position in dorsiflexion such that overall the foot support is biased away from the neutral position in dorsiflexion.
20 . The device of claim 16 , wherein the dorsiflexion travel zone has a negative slope away from the neutral position such that pivoting the foot support away from the neutral position in dorsiflexion causes the cam follower to move downwardly in the vertically oriented cam slot and wherein the plantarflexion travel zone has a positive slope away from the neutral position such that pivoting the foot support away from the neutral position in plantarflexion causes the cam follower to move upwardly in the vertically oriented cam slot.

Description

PRIORITY The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 63/448,493, filed Feb. 27, 2024, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. THE FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to orthotics. In particular, examples of the present invention relate to an ankle and foot orthotic device which provides increased control over foot motion and position for a person having drop foot or another neurological or muscular impairment which impedes control over the foot. INTRODUCTION Many individuals suffer from conditions that affect control over the foot. Conditions such as drop foot prevent a user from fully controlling the position and motion of their foot. These conditions may arise from diseases or injuries that affect the nerves of muscles. These conditions may be quite debilitating as they can affect the person's ability to walk, stand, and participate in other desired activities. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Non-limiting and non-exhaustive examples of the present invention are described with reference to the following figures, wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the various views unless otherwise specified. FIG. 1 is a drawing which shows a side view of an ankle and foot orthotic device. FIG. 2 is a drawing which shows a front cross-sectional view of the orthotic device control joint. FIG. 3A shows a detailed side view drawing of the orthotic device control joint. FIG. 3B shows another detailed side view drawing of the control joint. FIG. 3C shows another detailed side view drawing of the control joint. FIG. 3D shows another detailed side view drawing of the control joint. FIG. 3E shows another detailed side view drawing of the control joint. FIG. 3F shows another detailed side view drawing of the control joint. FIG. 3G shows another detailed side view drawing of the control joint. FIG. 4 shows another detailed side view drawing of the control joint. FIG. 5 shows another detailed side view drawing of the control joint. FIG. 6 shows another detailed side view drawing of the control joint. FIG. 7 shows another detailed side view drawing of the control joint. Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding components throughout the several views of the drawings. Unless otherwise noted, the drawings have been drawn to scale. Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help improve understanding of various examples of the present invention. Also, common but well-understood elements that are useful or necessary in a commercially feasible embodiment are often not depicted in order to facilitate a less obstructed view of these various embodiments of the present invention. It will be appreciated that the drawings are illustrative and not limiting of the scope of the invention which is defined by the appended claims. The examples shown each accomplish various different advantages. It is appreciated that it is not possible to clearly show each element or advantage in a single figure, and as such, multiple figures are presented to separately illustrate the various details of the examples in greater clarity. Similarly, not every example need accomplish all advantages of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. It will be apparent, however, to one having ordinary skill in the art that the specific detail need not be employed to practice the present invention. In other instances, well-known materials or methods have not been described in detail in order to avoid obscuring the present invention. In the above disclosure, reference has been made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and in which are shown by way of illustration specific implementations in which the disclosure may be practiced. It is understood that other implementations may be utilized and structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. References in the specification to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” “an example embodiment,” etc., indicate that the embodiment described may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but every embodiment may not necessarily include the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, such feature, structure, or characteristic may be used in connection with other embodiments whether or not explicitly described. The particular features, structures or characteristics may be combined in any suitable combination and/or sub-combinations in one or mo