Patent ID: 8197555

Claim:
A prosthesis for providing total contact between a residual limb of a patient and the interior of a prosthetic socket as the patient ambulates comprising: a prosthetic socket having an open proximal end and a distal closed end except for a central opening and configured to receive a residual limb of an amputee in sealing relationship thereto; said socket having a distal concave-shaped interior surface; an extension depending from said distal end of said socket around said central opening; said extension having side walls and a bottom wall, said walls defining interior side surfaces aligned with said central opening of said socket, a bottom interior surface and exterior surfaces; said exterior surfaces adapted to be attached to an upright assembly acting as an artificial limb; said bottom wall having a central air passageway extending therethrough defining an air outlet; said interior side surfaces and said interior bottom surface defining a well; an air expulsion pump mounted in said well; said air expulsion pump comprising an elastomeric housing, an elastomeric spring member, a first one-way valve preventing backflow and a second one-way valve preventing backflow; said elastomeric housing and said elastomeric spring member having exterior surfaces in sealing relation with said interior side surfaces and said interior bottom surface of said well; said elastomeric housing and said elastomeric spring member having concave-shaped exterior surfaces disposed within said central opening of said socket; said concave-shaped exterior surface of said elastomeric pump housing, said concave-shaped exterior surface of said elastomeric spring member and said socket distal concave-shaped interior surface each lying in a common concave-shaped plane, said concave-shaped exterior surface of said elastomeric spring member defining an air inlet; an air flow passageway extending from said air inlet through said elastomeric spring member and said central air passageway thereby providing air flow from said socket to said air outlet; and said first and second one-way valves disposed in said air passageway such that, as the patient ambulates, air is continuously drawn from the socket through said air inlet, through said first one-way valve, through said air passageway and then through said second one-way valve to said outlet, thereby providing total contact between the residual limb of the patient and the interior of the socket.