Patent ID: 7744653

Claim:
A vacuum pump for use with an artificial limb, the vacuum pump comprising: a housing couplable to a first prosthetic structure, the housing including a first chamber; a shaft couplable to a second prosthetic structure and configured to be received by and to reciprocate within the first chamber, such that the housing and shaft together form a pump chamber; an intake port and an exhaust port in fluid communication with the pump chamber; a rotational structure configured to control rotation of the shaft with respect to the housing, the rotational structure comprising a movement limiting component mounted internally within the housing and positioned to limit rotational movement of the shaft in both rotational directions and a resilient member positioned such that rotation of the shaft in a first direction results in deformation of the resilient member; and a shock absorption structure included within the housing and configured to absorb a shock to the shaft upon movement into the first chamber and provide return of the shaft to an extended position relative to the first chamber, wherein movement of the shaft into the first chamber results in expellation of gas out of the pump chamber through the exhaust port, and return of the shaft to the extended position pulls gas into the pump chamber through the intake port, which can create a vacuum in an external component coupled to the pump at the intake valve.