Patent ID: 7282023

Claim:
A method of controlling inflation of an inflatable prosthetic envelope by connecting the envelope to a transfer tube and placing said tube into communication with a bag from which a liquid can be caused to flow to cause said envelope either to inflate or to deflate, the method comprising the steps of: confining in said bag, which is deformable, a quantity of liquid that is not less than the capacity of the envelope; interposing, between said bag and the envelope, a non-return check valve comprising a moving member for opening and closing the transfer circuit, a resilient return member urging the moving member into a closed position, and a ferromagnetic sensing element attached to the moving member; manually applying deformation pressure to the bag to transfer a quantity of liquid from the bag so as to inflate the envelope; selectively applying a magnetic field adjacent the check valve, thereby remotely causing the check valve to open to allow liquid that has been admitted into the envelope to return to the bag in order to deflate the envelope until the envelope reaches the desired volume; and removing or interrupting the magnetic field, thereby releasing the sensing member and allowing the moving member to be urged back into the closed position by the resilient member in the absence of an external magnetic field.