Claims
- 1. A prosthetic component assembly for use in fixation to bone, the assembly comprising
a shell formed with an inner surface providing at its outer extent a female taper, a liner formed with an inside surface and an outside surface having a male taper sized for receipt by said female taper, the engagement of the female taper on the male taper providing a connection between the shell and the liner, and a bearing being formed for coupling with the liner, the bearing having an interior providing an internal cavity for receiving a ball and an opposite exterior, the exterior being formed for engagement with the inside surface of the liner.
- 2. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the inside surface of the liner defines a chamber sized to receive the exterior of the bearing therein.
- 3. The assembly of claim 2, wherein the liner includes a rim extending about the circumference of the chamber between the inside and the outside surfaces and a locking tab that extends into the chamber from the inside surface adjacent the rim.
- 4. The assembly of claim 3, wherein the exterior of the bearing is formed to include a groove sized for insertion of the locking tab therein and the locking tab extends into the groove when the bearing is coupled to the liner.
- 5. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the liner includes a rim and a locking tab that extends from the inside surface adjacent the rim for engagement with the exterior of the bearing.
- 6. The assembly of claim 5, wherein the outside surface of the liner is generally hemispherical in shape and the inside surface defines a chamber sized to receive the bearing therein.
- 7. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the male taper and the female taper are self-locking tapers.
- 8. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the male taper and the female taper are self-releasing tapers.
- 9. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the liner has an inner rim and an opposite outer rim, and the male taper is adjacent the outer rim.
- 10. The assembly of claim 9, wherein the liner is ring-shaped.
- 11. An acetabular cup assembly comprising:
a cup-shaped shell adapted to be mounted in the acetabulum, the shell providing a female taper opening into the shell, a bearing received in the shell and adapted to receive a ball of a femur element, and a liner coupled to the bearing, said liner providing a male taper to engage the female taper to hold the bearing in the shell.
- 12. The assembly of claim 11, wherein the liner includes an outside surface engaging the shell, an opposite inside surface, and a locking tab extending from the inside surface for engagement with the bearing.
- 13. The assembly of claim 12, wherein the bearing is formed to include a groove sized for receiving the locking tab.
- 14. The assembly of claim 13, wherein the liner includes an inner rim and an opposite outer rim, and the locking tab is positioned on the inside surface adjacent the outer rim.
- 15. The assembly of claim 13, wherein the liner is constructed of metal and includes an outer rim, the outside wall of the liner is generally hemispherical in shape, and the male taper is positioned on the outside wall adjacent the outer rim.
- 16. The assembly of claim 12, wherein the liner is ring-shaped.
- 17. The assembly of claim 16, wherein the liner includes an inner rim, an opposite outer rim, and the male taper is positioned to lie adjacent the outer rim.
- 18. A method for assembling a cup component for a ball-joint type prosthetic appliance, said method comprising the steps of:
cooling a bearing having an interior providing an internal cavity for receiving a ball and an opposite exterior having a normal pre-determined radius at a temperature sufficient to shrink the radius of the exterior to a second reduced radius, placing the cooled bearing into a liner to form a bearing/liner subassembly, the liner being formed with an inside surface facing the bearing component and an outer surface providing a male taper, the inside surface having a radius greater than the reduced second radius of the bearing and less than the normal pre-determined radius of the bearing, warming the subassembly to a temperature sufficient to return the exterior of the bearing to the normal pre-determined radius to securely fasten the bearing in a fixed and locked position within the liner, and inserting the subassembly into a shell that is formed with a concave inner surface providing a female taper for receiving the male taper of the liner, the engagement of the female taper on the male taper providing a secure mechanical connection between the shell and the liner.
- 19. The method of claim 28, wherein the liner includes an inner rim and an opposite outer rim and the male taper is configured to extend between the inner end and outer rims.
- 20. The method of claim 28, wherein the liner includes an inner rim and an opposite outer rim and the male taper is positioned to lie adjacent the outer rim.
Parent Case Info
[0001] This application is a continuation of co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/525,791, filed on Mar. 15, 2000.
Continuations (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09525791 |
Mar 2000 |
US |
Child |
10056910 |
Jan 2002 |
US |