Claims
- 1. In a prosthetic hip joint, the improvement comprising:a preformed acetabular component comprising: (1) a socket adapted for attachment to an acetabulum; (2) a ball with a first attachment member, said ball rotatably positioned within and in direct contact with said socket and said first attachment member facing outward away from said socket; and (3) a flexible joint capsule attached to said ball adjacent said first attachment member and to said socket, said capsule preventing debris from escaping from a joint between said ball and socket and preventing body debris from entering said joint.
- 2. The joint of claim 1 further comprising a femoral component having a stem for attachment to a femur, and a second attachment member that mates with said first attachment member wherein said preformed acetabular component is attached to said femoral component by mating said first and second attachment members.
- 3. The joint of claim 1 wherein said socket comprises an inner cup and an outer cup and said capsule is affixed to said outer cup.
- 4. The joint of claim 1 wherein said socket comprises an inner cup and an outer cup and said capsule is affixed to said inner cup.
- 5. The joint of claim 2 wherein said first attachment member is a cavity in said ball and said second attachment member is a femoral neck which fits into said cavity.
- 6. The joint of claim 2 wherein said first attachment member is a neck with a cavity therein, and said second attachment member is a femoral neck which mates with said cavity.
- 7. The joint of claim 2 wherein said first attachment member is a neck and said second attachment member is a face that affixes directly to said neck.
- 8. The joint of claim 2 wherein said first attachment member is a neck stem and said second attachment member is a cavity which mates with said neck stem.
- 9. The joint of claim 1 wherein said first attachment member is a stem which attaches to a femur bone.
- 10. The joint of claim 1 further comprising a fluid held in by said capsule in a joint cavity.
- 11. The joint of claim 1 further comprising a tube positioned in said capsule.
- 12. The joint of claim 10 wherein a monomer is contained in said fluid and a catalyst is embedded in said socket.
- 13. The joint of claim 10 wherein a catalyst is contained in said fluid and a monomer is embedded in said socket.
- 14. The joint of claim 1 further comprising a sensor positioned in said capsule.
- 15. The joint of claim 8 wherein a shock absorbing material is contained within said cavity between said cavity and said neck stem.
- 16. The joint of claim 1 further comprising strips of elastic material on the outside of said capsule.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This Application is a Continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/166,490 filed Jun. 10, 2002, now abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (3)
Number |
Name |
Date |
Kind |
3864758 |
Yakich |
Feb 1975 |
A |
5514182 |
Shea |
May 1996 |
A |
5935171 |
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Aug 1999 |
A |
Non-Patent Literature Citations (1)
Entry |
Saunders,Fenella. Self-Healing Plastics, May 2201, Discover, vol. 22 No. 5, entire article. |
Continuation in Parts (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
10/166490 |
Jun 2002 |
US |
Child |
10/411773 |
|
US |