US 12,257,170 B2
Functional joint assist apparatus
Jae Gyoon Kim, Seoul (KR)
Assigned to KOREA UNIVERSITY RESEARCH AND BUSINESS FOUNDATION, Seoul (KR)
Appl. No. 17/291,710
Filed by KOREA UNIVERSITY RESEARCH AND BUSINESS FOUNDATION, Seoul (KR)
PCT Filed Oct. 2, 2019, PCT No. PCT/KR2019/012901
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date May 6, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/096204, PCT Pub. Date May 14, 2020.
Claims priority of application No. 10-2018-0135953 (KR), filed on Nov. 7, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2022/0000650 A1, Jan. 6, 2022
Int. Cl. A61F 5/058 (2006.01); A61F 7/00 (2006.01); A61F 7/02 (2006.01)
CPC A61F 5/05816 (2013.01) [A61F 7/02 (2013.01); A61F 2007/0062 (2013.01); A61F 2007/0231 (2013.01)] 12 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A functional joint assist apparatus disposed inside a joint assister for assisting the joint assister, comprising:
an air bladder comprising:
a front surface;
a rear surface;
a cut hole passing through a thickness of the air bladder from the front surface to the rear surface, and
a plurality of air cells partitioned so that air does not communicate between the air cells, wherein air is injected into at least one of the plurality of air cells, the plurality of air cells comprising:
a first air cell formed at an upper side based on the cut hole and configured to surround and compress an upper side of a user's joint;
a second air cell formed at a lower side based on the cut hole and configured to surround and compress at least a portion of a lower side of the user's joint; and
a third air cell formed at a lower side based on the cut hole and configured to surround and compress at least a portion of the lower side of the patient's joint different from the portion that the second air cell is configured to surround and compress,
wherein at least one air cell is divided into a left portion and a right portion,
wherein a flow path connects the left portion and the right portion; and
a fixing unit coupled to either the front surface or the rear surface of the air bladder for attaching the air bladder to the joint.