Hip and knee joint assemblies incorporating debris collection architecture between the ball and seat interface

摘要

A joint implant assembly including a spherical shaped component adapted to securing to an end of a first joint defining bone and a recess shaped component adapted to securing to an end of a second joint defining bone. Each of the components establishes an opposing wear surface, at which microscopic sized particles build up over time resulting from prolonged use of the joint. At least one of the spherical and recess shaped components exhibits a plurality of interior entrapment chambers, each of which including a narrow-most entranceway location communicating with the wear surface. The entrapment chambers further exhibit outwardly widening capture profiles extending within the associated component for securing volumes of the microscopic particles away from a zone defined between the wear surfaces.

主权项

1. A joint implant assembly, comprising:
a spherical shaped component adapted to securing to an end of a first joint defining bone; semi-spherical shaped component adapted to securing to an end of a second joint defining bone and within which is seated said spherical shaped component in inter-articulating supported fashion; each of said components establishing an opposing wear surface at which microscopic sized particles abraded from said components build up over time resulting from prolonged use of said joint; and a plurality of elongated and conical shaped entrapment chambers distributed across said semi-spherical shaped component, each of said chambers including a narrow-most diameter entranceway location communicating with said wear surface corresponding to a smallest diameter, said entrapment chambers each exhibiting progressively outwardly widening capture profiles extending away from said narrow-most entranceway locations through a first layer of said semi-spherical shaped component in an outwardly radial dispersed manner and so that a diameter of each of said entrapment chambers at any location farther away from said entranceway location is larger than a corresponding diameter at any location closer to said entranceway location, said entrapment chambers each terminating at a reverse surface of said first layer defining a thickness of said first layer in contact with a substrate mounting layer, such that a maximum diameter location of each entrapment chamber is located at an interface with said substrate layer for securing volumes of said microscopic particles passing through said narrow-most entranceway locations, and in order to segregate said particles away from a wear zone defined between said wear surfaces.