US 12,090,068 B2
Automated hand
Mathew James Jury, Lower Hutt (NZ); David Neil Lovegrove, Christchurch (NZ); Ross Hughan Dawson, Christchurch (NZ); Oliver Charles Graham Jackson-Hill, Christchurch (NZ); Darryl John Best, Christchurch (NZ); and Jonathan David Lowy, Auckland (NZ)
Assigned to 5th Element Limited, (NZ)
Filed by 5th Element Limited, Christchurch (NZ)
Filed on Apr. 13, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/719,605.
Application 17/719,605 is a continuation of application No. 15/783,636, filed on Oct. 13, 2017, granted, now 11,351,042.
Application 15/783,636 is a continuation in part of application No. PCT/NZ2016/050163, filed on Oct. 5, 2016.
Application 15/783,636 is a continuation in part of application No. 14/420,706, granted, now 9,814,604, issued on Nov. 14, 2017, previously published as PCT/NZ2013/000140, filed on Aug. 12, 2013.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/237,089, filed on Oct. 5, 2015.
Claims priority of provisional application 61/682,291, filed on Aug. 12, 2012.
Claims priority of application No. 722088 (NZ), filed on Jul. 12, 2016.
Prior Publication US 2022/0249258 A1, Aug. 11, 2022
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. A61F 2/54 (2006.01); A61F 2/58 (2006.01); A61F 2/70 (2006.01); A61L 27/04 (2006.01); A61L 27/16 (2006.01); A61L 27/56 (2006.01); B25J 15/00 (2006.01); B25J 15/10 (2006.01); B25J 15/12 (2006.01); A61F 2/50 (2006.01)
CPC A61F 2/586 (2013.01) [A61F 2/583 (2013.01); A61L 27/04 (2013.01); A61L 27/165 (2013.01); A61L 27/56 (2013.01); B25J 15/0009 (2013.01); B25J 15/10 (2013.01); B25J 15/12 (2013.01); A61F 2002/5003 (2013.01); A61F 2002/5007 (2013.01); A61F 2002/5038 (2013.01); A61F 2002/5079 (2013.01); A61F 2002/5089 (2013.01); A61F 2002/587 (2013.01); A61F 2002/701 (2013.01); A61F 2002/704 (2013.01)] 21 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
6. An automated prosthetic hand comprising:
a palm;
a plurality of prosthetic fingers;
a plurality of connectors connecting respective ones of the fingers to the palm, each connector comprising an articulated knuckle joint from which the respective finger extends; and
a resilient brace extending across a region containing the knuckle joints and including a plurality of portions located in a respective plurality of regions between adjacent connectors, the brace configured to deform to allow the connectors to splay from a neutral arrangement and resile to return the connectors substantially to the neutral arrangement;
wherein the resilient brace is formed from a polymer material; and
wherein each portion of the resilient brace that is located in a respective region between adjacent connectors is configured to:
deform to allow splay of two adjacent connectors that the respective region is between; and
resile to return the two adjacent connectors that the respective region is between substantially to the neutral arrangement.