Patent Document

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S) 
       [0001]    This application is a continuation-in-part of prior application Ser. No. 11/517,091, filed Sep. 7, 2006. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The invention relates to adaptors for use with stump sockets for attaching a prosthetic limbs. More particularly, the invention relates to a socket adaptor that has flexible and repeatedly bendable prongs that allows the socket adaptor to be quickly and easily conformed to a stump socket which is attached to a prosthesis, such as a prosthetic limb. 
         [0003]    Three prong laminating adaptors are often used in the prosthetic industry in the creation of laminated stump sockets. The laminated stump socket is fit over the residual limb or stump of the patient, and is configured to allow the prosthetic device to be attached thereto. Accordingly, the laminated stump socket must both fit comfortably on the residual limb or stump, and have sufficient structural integrity to create a reliable connection to the prosthetic device. Moreover, compatible hardware must be present to create the requisite connection to the prosthetic device. 
         [0004]    To provide for these goals, currently available standard three prong adaptors have a threaded opening that allow a prosthetic connector or “pyramid” to be threaded thereto; and has prongs that are pre-formed into a downward arc to approximately conform to the distal end of the stump socket. These three prong adaptors are made of cast heat-treated stainless steel or other high strength strong metal, and thus are rigid and brittle. Prosthetists, in an attempt to make the patient more comfortable by making the stump socket fit better, will endeavor to bend the prongs to make them better conform to the stump socket. Attempts to bend the prongs, however, either result in an immediate fracture, or often create fractures that weaken the integrity of the adaptor and result in later breakage and shearing with continued usage. 
         [0005]    The inventor previously developed a new socket adaptor that is the subject of allowed patent application Ser. No. 11/517,091, which instead of providing a socket adaptor that has prongs that are cast together with the prong body, has prongs formed of a more flexible and repeatedly bendable metal, compared to the more rigid socket adaptor body. The inventor&#39;s new socket adaptor that is the subject of this patent application provides further improvements that will allow prosthetists to more easily and quickly make a high strength laminated stump socket. Accordingly, the inventor&#39;s socket adaptor offers many advantages over the prior art socket adaptors. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    It is an object of the invention to provide a socket adaptor that facilitates secure attachment to a stump socket for a prosthetic limb or device within less time and effort. 
         [0007]    It is another object of the invention to provide a socket adaptor that is more resistant to becoming detached from the socket. 
         [0008]    It is a further object of the invention to provide a socket adaptor in which the flexible prongs can be bent and manipulated into any desired position numerous times without breaking or become weakened. Accordingly, the flexible prongs are made of a high strength sheet metal, including but not limited to titanium, stainless steel, and aluminum alloy, which possess sufficient strength and flexibility to fulfill the intended function. 
         [0009]    It is yet another object of the invention to provide a socket adaptor which can be laminated to a socket for a prosthetic limb more quickly and with fewer steps. 
         [0010]    An additional object of the invention is to provide a socket adaptor that contains an uninterrupted and continuous groove along the main body of the socket adaptor which allows for an evenly secured position of the overwrapped material prior to the lamination process 
         [0011]    The invention is a socket adaptor, for use in creating a laminated stump socket for use with a patient having a stump, in attaching a prosthetic limb to the patient. The socket adaptor has a main body and a plurality of prongs. The prongs are made of sheet metal so that is repeatedly flexible and bendable to closely accommodate the stump socket. The socket adaptor is subsequently encapsulated with the laminated stump socket by overwrapping material. The main body allows a prosthetic connector to be attached thereto to allow the laminated stump socket to secure directly to the prosthetic limb. 
         [0012]    To the accomplishment of the above and related objects the invention may be embodied in the form illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Attention is called to the fact, however, that the drawings are illustrative only. Variations are contemplated as being part of the invention, limited only by the scope of the claims. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0013]    In the drawings, like elements are depicted by like reference numerals. The drawings are briefly described as follows. 
           [0014]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view, illustrating a prior art socket adaptor that is formed of a single piece of material, with generally inflexible and rigid and difficult to bend prongs. 
           [0015]      FIG. 2  is a top plan view of the prior art socket adaptor of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0016]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view, illustrating the prior art socket adaptor of  FIG. 1  sitting atop a stump socket, prior to having its prongs bent down to better conform to the contours of the stump socket. 
           [0017]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view, illustrating the prior art socket adaptor of  FIG. 3  with overwrapping material shown placed around the prongs of the socket adaptor and partially covering its split clamp and screw, prior to being coated with resin. 
           [0018]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view showing the laminated stump socket and overwrapped prior art socket adaptor with a clamping screw access grooves machined in place. 
           [0019]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view illustrating an upper surface of an exemplary embodiment of a first socket adaptor of the invention. 
           [0020]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view, illustrating a lower surface of the socket adaptor of  FIG. 6 . 
           [0021]      FIG. 8  is a perspective view, illustrating a lower surface of another exemplary embodiment of a socket adaptor of the invention wherein a ring is used to sandwich the prongs in place to the main body. 
           [0022]      FIG. 9  is a perspective view, illustrating the socket adaptor of  FIG. 6  in an original, unbent state, prior to being fitted unto a stump casting. 
           [0023]      FIG. 10  is a perspective view, similar to  FIG. 9 , except wherein the socket adaptor prongs are being bent to conform to the stump casting. 
           [0024]      FIG. 11  is a perspective view, illustrating a prosthetic connector used with the socket adaptor of  FIG. 6 , positioned prior to being screwed in place. 
           [0025]      FIG. 12  is a perspective view, illustrating the stump casting and socket adaptor prongs of  FIG. 6  being covered with a graphite weave, prior to being coated with resin. 
           [0026]      FIG. 13  is a top perspective view showing a exemplary embodiment of a second socket adaptor of the invention. 
           [0027]      FIG. 14  is a bottom plan view showing the exemplary socket adaptor of  FIG. 13 . 
           [0028]      FIG. 15  is a bottom perspective view showing the exemplary embodiment of the socket adaptor of  FIG. 13 . 
           [0029]      FIG. 16  is a side plan view showing the exemplary socket adaptor of  FIG. 13 . 
           [0030]      FIG. 17  is a top front view showing the exemplary socket adaptor of  FIG. 13  sitting atop a stump socket, before its prongs are bent down to closely confirm in to the contours of the stump socket. 
           [0031]      FIG. 18  is a perspective view showing the exemplary socket adaptor of  FIG. 17 , but with its prongs bent down to closely conform to the shape and contours of the stump socket. 
           [0032]      FIG. 19  is a perspective view showing the exemplary socket adaptor of  FIG. 18  overwrapped with material to secure the socket adaptor to the stump socket, prior to being coated with resin. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0033]      FIG. 1  is a diagrammatic perspective view, illustrating a prior art socket adaptor  10  that is formed of a single piece of material (e.g., by casting, stamping, machining, etc.), with generally inflexible and difficult to bend prongs  12 A,  12 B ( 12 C shown in  FIG. 2 ). The prongs  12 A,  12 B,  12 C are formed together with a main body  14  with a top edge  16 . In practice, the prior art socket adaptors are casts or machined as a single piece and the metallurgical properties, such as the tensile strength and level of rigidity of all portions, including the main body  14  and the prongs  12 A,  12 B,  12 C, are the same. It has a split clamp  18  that is at generally the same level as the main body  14 . A groove  19  passes through both halves of the split clamp  18 . The main body  14  can have a groove  28  formed partially around its outer perimeter going around to join each half of the split clamp  18 . 
         [0034]      FIG. 2  is a top plan view of the prior art socket adaptor  10  of  FIG. 1 . As can be seen, the three prongs  12 A,  12 B, and  12 C are generally positioned apart from each other by about 90 degrees, with the split clamp  18  positioned between prongs  12 A and  12 C. Thus, prongs  12 A,  12 B, and  12 C, and split clamp  18  are positioned at about 6 o&#39;clock, 9 o&#39;clock, 12 o&#39;clock, and 3 o&#39;clock, respectively, around the main body  14 . The main body  14  has a bore  22  formed therein. 
         [0035]      FIG. 3  is a diagrammatic perspective view, illustrating the prior art socket adaptor  10  of  FIG. 1  sitting atop a stump socket  30 , prior to having its prongs  12 A,  12 B ( 12 C not shown) bent down to more closely conform to the contours of the stump socket  30 . In practice, each stump socket  30  must be individually made to precisely fit the residual limb stump of a prosthetic user, and as a result, each stump socket will be unique in its internal and external size and shape. The bore  20  has threads  22  ion its inside and is adapted to engage with other accessories (not shown). A screw  24  is used to adjust the size of the gap  19  between the two portions of the split clamp  18  and the size of the threaded bore. After an accessory, e.g., a prosthetic connector, is screwed in place (not shown), the split clamp  18  is used to clamp down on accessory to securely retain it in place. As can be seen, due to the unique shape of each stump socket  30 , the prongs  12 A,  12 B,  12 C will not conform to the outer shape of stump socket  30 , and must be bent to closely conform for a tight fit. Given the nature of the materials of which the socket adaptor is made of, e.g., stainless steel or titanium that is cast or machined from a block of material, the prongs have the same metallurgical properties as the main body and are very stiff and are difficult to bend and generally must be secured in a vice while a bending tool is used to bend the prongs. In order to establish a tight and conforming fit, the prosthetist must repeatedly adjust the prongs by bending in order to establish a close fit of the prior art socket adaptor  10  to the stump socket prongs. In the process of repeatedly bending the prongs, fractures can form, which compromises the structural integrity of the socket adaptor  10  and can lead to failure. Moreover, the split clamp  16  is more or less on the same level as the rim portion  14 , which leads to problems as discussed below. 
         [0036]      FIG. 4  is a diagrammatic perspective view, illustrating the prior art socket adaptor  10  of 
         [0037]      FIG. 2  with overwrapping material  24  (prior to being coated with resin) shown placed around the prongs of the socket adaptor (not shown) and partially covering and crowding around the split clamp  18  and its clamping screw  24 . As can be seen, the top edge  16  of the main body  14  barely extends above the level of the overwrapping material  26 , which can for example comprise fiberglass, carbon fiber, Kevlar® (para-aramid synthetic fiber), and other fibers and materials. 
         [0038]      FIG. 5  is a diagrammatic perspective view showing a finished laminated stump socket  40  with its encapsulated prior art socket adaptor  10  covered by the resin cured overwrapping material  30 . In order to gain access to the clamping screw  24 , a clamping screw access groove  42  must be machined in the resin cured overwrapping material  30 . Since resin often infiltrates the gap  19  and can also get on the threads of the screw  24 , these parts must be cleaned of resin too. This requires additional time and labor, and the action of tightening the screw  24  can be further impeded by adhesion of the resin cured overwrapping material  30  to the socket adaptor  10 . Positioning of the inflexible prongs of  FIG. 1  causes disproportionate support of total surface area of residual limb increasing failure potential at the gap site between the split clamp  18 . 
         [0039]      FIGS. 6 and 7  illustrate a first exemplary embodiment of a socket adaptor  110  for use in the creation of a laminated stump socket, for attaching a prosthetic limb or device to a patient. The socket adaptor  110  includes a main body  112 , and three prongs  114 A,  114 B, and  114 C extending outwardly from the main body  112 . The main body  112  can be formed by casting or machining from a block of solid material, and is rigid and not flexible. The prongs  114  are each shown as being broad and flat, and substantially parabolic in shape, preferably having a curved extremity. However, other shaped and sized prongs can be used. The socket adaptor  110  may be manufactured such that the prongs  114 A,  114 B, and  114 C initially extend in a co-planar configuration as the prongs  114 A,  114 B, and  114 C are flexible and thus bendable-allowing them to be set as desired by the prosthetist in fitting the socket adaptor  130  to the stump socket of a patient. Due to the differences in the construction and metallurgical properties of the main body  112  compared to the prongs  114 A,  114 B, and  114 C, the prongs  114 A,  114 B, and  114 C can be freely bent without distorting the main body  112 . To facilitate such bendability, the prongs are made of sheet metal, such as titanium, steel, stainless steel, aluminum alloys, or other high strength metals that are flexible and repeatedly bendable without substantially losing strength or because fractured or weakened. As used herein, the term “sheet metal” referral to relatively thin metal (less than 6 mm (0.25 inches) which by virtue of it nature (e.g., having been formed by repeated rolling), remains strong yet pliable and can be repeatedly bent, twisted, and deformed, such as to conform to a stump socket, without causing stress fractures or decreasing the structural integrity of the metal. For example, the use of sheet titanium material, and stainless steel provide extremely strong prongs which, unlike the prongs of the prior art socket adaptors, are able to be bent and re-bent repeated to the desired configuration to exactly fit to the contours of a stump socket without the need for bending tools and without causing damage to the prongs or distortion or damage to the main body. A suitable thickness for the sheet titanium has been discovered to be about 0.4 mm to about 1.2 mm, and more preferably about approximately 0.5 mm. Other thicknesses are also suitable and thus may also be used, such as about 0.6 mm to about 1.6 mm for stainless steel, and a thickness of about 0.8 mm to about 1.8 mm for aluminum alloy. The inventor has found that stainless steel, such as stainless steel 302 and stainless steel 304, and titanium 6-4 function well. In ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers) standards, a “strip” is 0.187″ (4.75 mm) and under in thickness and less than 24″ (609 mm) wide, while “sheet” is 0.187 (4.75 mm) and under in thickness and over 24″ (609 mm) wide. The inventor has found that stainless steel, such as stainless steel 302 and stainless steel 304, and titanium 6-4 function well. In ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers) standards, a “strip” is 0.187″ (4.75 mm) and under thick and less than 24″ (609 mm) wide, while “sheet” is 0.187″ (4.75 mm) and under thick and over 24″ (609 mm) wide. “Plate” is over 0.187″ (4.75 mm) thick and over 10″ wide (254 mm.) This is not the case with the socket adaptors of the prior art, including those of the type shown in  FIGS. 1-5 . The main body  112  has a lower surface  112 L, and an upper surface  112 U. A main bore  116  extends fully between the upper surface  112 U and lower surface  112 L. The main bore  116  is internally threaded  117 , and may be selectively adjusted with an split clamp  118  that straddles a gap  119  that extends from the upper surface  112 U and lower surface  112 L and allows the main bore  116  to be slightly spread and narrowed. An adjustment screw  120  that regulates the magnitude of the split clamp  118 . In particular, the adjustment screw  120  allows a device to be threaded into the main bore  116  and then prevented from unthreading by tightening the adjustment screw  120  to narrow the split clamp  118  and thus cause the main bore  116  to clamp upon the item. In construction, the three prongs  114 A,  114 B, and  114 C can be secured to the main body  112  by use of rivets  122 , by welding, adhesives, and/or clamping down the main body  112  on the prongs  114 A,  114 B, and  114 C. In this regard, the main body  12  can be formed with a slot  124  into which ends of the prongs  114 A,  114 B, and  114 C are inserted and then attached. As can be seen, the prongs  114 A,  114 B, and  114 C and split clamp  118  are equally positioned around the main body, e.g., by 90 degrees, in a 3+1 orientation. 
         [0040]      FIG. 8  shows an alternative embodiment of a socket adaptor  210 , where in lieu of slot being formed in the main body  112  to receive ends of the prongs, a plate or ring  126  can be used to sandwich the prongs  114 A,  114 B, and  114 C in place to the main body  112 . Rivets  122  can be used to secure the prongs  114 A,  114 B, and  114 C in place and if desired, adhesive can be additionally placed in a gap  128  between the plate or ring  126  and the main body  112 . In other respects, this embodiment is similar to the embodiments of  FIGS. 6 and 7 . 
         [0041]      FIG. 9  illustrates the first exemplary socket adaptor  110  according to the present invention, wherein the prongs  114 A,  114 B, and  114 C initially extend radially outwardly from the main body  112  in a common plane. Again, due to the differences in the construction of the main body  112  and the prongs  114 , the prongs  114  can be freely bent without causing distortion to the main body  112 . Socket adaptor  110  is shown positioned immediately above a stump casting a  130 , having a distal end  130 D. The stump casting  130  is created from a residual limb stump of a patient for which the laminated stump socket is intended. The creation of the stump casting  130  allows the prosthetist to work without requiring the patient to be present and thereby facilitates making a laminated stump socket that precisely fits the stump of the patient. 
         [0042]      FIG. 10  illustrates the socket adaptor  110  being customized for the patient. In particular, the main body  112  is positioned against the distal end  130 D of the stump casting  130 , and the prongs  114  of the socket adaptor  110  previously illustrated in  FIG. 9  are being bent downwardly to conform to the distal end  130 D of the stump casting  130 . Since the prongs  114 A,  114 B, and  114 C of the present invention are made of sheet titanium, sheet stainless steel, or sheet metal of some other strong material, the bending can be repeated until a precise fit is obtained with close conformation of the prongs  114 A,  114 B, and  114 C to the stump casting  130 . As can be seen, one issue with the 3+1 format of the prongs  114 A,  114 B, and  114 C and split clamp  118  of the socket adaptor  110  is that there is no prong to secure the socket adaptor  110  in the vicinity of the split clamp  118 . 
         [0043]      FIG. 11  illustrates a prosthetic connector, e.g., a pyramid plug  140  having a round base  142  with a threaded portion  144  and a pyramid plug  146  positioned above and ready to screw into the internally threaded  117  main bore  116  of the socket adaptor  110 . The pyramid plug  146  allows connection of various prosthetic devices having hardware that is configured to attach thereto. The pyramid plug  146  may be substituted with other configurations that are adapted to connect to prosthetic devices having different connection hardware. It should be noted that according to a preferred embodiment, the main body  112  is made of solid titanium, solid stainless steel, or some other solid and generally inflexible material, as is the prosthetic connector  140 . After the prosthetic connector  140  is screwed in place to the socket adaptor  110 , the adjustment screw  120  can be tightening to narrow the adjustment opening  118  and thus cause the main bore  116  to clamp upon the threaded portion  144  of the prosthetic connector  140 . 
         [0044]      FIG. 12  illustrates the socket adaptor  110 , fitted onto the stump casting  130 , and covered with an overlaying material, such as graphite or carbon fiber mesh, fiberglass, Kevlar® (para-aramid synthetic fiber), and other fibers and materials  150 . The overlaying material  50  is subsequently coated with resin to encapsulate the socket adaptor  110  and create a hardened, shell-like surface which is then removed from the stump casting  130  and is permanently formed to fit the stump of the patient. Most importantly, by using the socket adaptor  110 , the laminated stump socket  166  thus created closely adapts to the residual limb stump of the patient for a comfortable fit, without sacrificing the structural integrity of the socket adaptor  110  encapsulated therein. Resin will be deposited under the prongs (not shown) on the stump casting  130  so that there is not direct contact of the metal prongs with the patient&#39;s stump. Alternatively, a layer of material can placed directly on at least areas of the stump casting  130 , and the socket adaptor  110  can then be placed thereon, with overlaying material  150  subsequently applied and then soaked with resin to create the finished piece. 
         [0045]      FIG. 13  is a diagrammatic top perspective view showing an exemplary embodiment of another socket adaptor  210  of the invention for use in the creation of a laminated stump socket, for attaching a prosthetic limb or device to a patient. The socket adaptor  210  includes a main body  112 , and four prongs  214 A,  214 B,  214 C, and  214 D that extend outwardly from the main body  212 . The main body  212  can be formed by casting or machining from a block of solid material, and is rigid and not flexible. The prongs  214 A,  214 B,  214 C, and  214 D are each flat, and substantially elongate in shape, preferably having rounded terminal ends  236 . The socket adaptor  210  may be manufactured such that the prongs  214 A,  214 B,  214 C, and  214 D initially extend in a co-planar configuration because the prongs  214 A,  214 B,  214 C, and  214 D are flexible and thus bendable-allowing them to be set as desired by the prosthetist in fitting the socket adaptor  210  to the stump socket of a patient. Due to the differences in the construction and metallurgical properties (e.g., tensile strength, rigidity, etc.) of the main body  212  (being rigid) and the prongs  214 A,  214 B,  214 C, and  214 D (being flexible), the prongs  214 A,  214 B,  214 C, and  214 D can be freely bent without distorting the main body  212 . To facilitate such bendability, the prongs are made of sheet metal, such as titanium, steel, stainless steel, aluminum alloys, or other high strength metals that are flexible and repeatedly bendable without substantially losing strength or because fractured or weakened. As used herein, the term “sheet metal” referral to relatively thin metal (less than 4.75 mm (0.187 inches)) which by virtue of it nature (e.g., having been formed by repeated been rolled), remains strong yet pliable and can be repeatedly bent, twisted, and deformed, such as to conform to a stump socket, without causing stress fractures or decreasing the structural integrity of the metal. For example, the use of sheet titanium material, and stainless steel provide extremely strong prongs which, unlike the prongs of the prior art socket adaptors, are able to be bent and re-bent repeated to the desired configuration to exactly fit to the contours of a stump socket without the need for bending tools and without causing damage to the prongs or distortion or damage to the main body. A suitable thickness for the sheet titanium has been discovered to be about 0.4 mm to about 1.2 mm, and more preferably about approximately 0.5 mm. Other thickness are also suitable and thus may also be used, such as about 0.6 mm to about 1.6 mm for stainless steel, and a thickness of about 0.8 mm to about 1.8 mm for aluminum alloy. The inventor has found that stainless steel, such as stainless steel 302 and stainless steel 304, and titanium 6-4 function well. In ASME standards, a “strip” is 0.187″ (4.75 mm) and under in thickness and less than 24″ (609 mm) wide, while “sheet” is 0.187 (4.75 mm) and under in thickness and over 24″ (609 mm) wide. “Plate” is over 0.187″ (4.75 mm) thick and over 10″ wide (254 mm.) This is not the case with the socket adaptors of the prior art, including those of the type shown in  FIGS. 1-5 . The main body  212  further has a sleeve portion  216  which defines a main bore  218  with internal threads  220 . The main bore  218  extends fully between an upper surface  222  and lower surface  224  of the main body  212 . The main bore  218  may be selectively adjusted with a split clamp  226  that straddles a gap  240  that extends between the upper surface  222  and lower surface  230  and allows the main bore  218  to be slightly spread and narrowed with an adjustment screw (shown in  FIGS. 17 and 18 ) that regulates the magnitude of the split clamp  226 . The split clamp  226  and its gap  240  are spaced up and away from the level of the prongs  214 A,  214 B,  214 C, and  214 D. The split clamp  226  and its gap  240  are positioned between two prongs so that expansion and contraction of the bore is unimpeded. 
         [0046]    The adjustment screw allows a device, such as a pyramid plug  146  (such as shown in  FIG. 11 ) to be threaded into the main bore  218  and then prevented from unthreading by tightening the adjustment screw to narrow the split clamp  226  and thus cause the main bore  218  to clamp upon the item. In construction, the four prongs  214 A,  214 B,  214 C, and  214 D can be secured to the main body  220  by use of rivets  226 , by welding, adhesives, and/or clamping down the main body  212  on the prongs  214 A,  214 B,  214 C, and  214 D. In this regard, a plate or washer  230  can be provided to hat sandwich ends of the four prongs  214 A,  214 B,  214 C, and  214 D to an underside  224  of the main body  212 , with rivets  228  securing the parts together. Adhesive, e.g., epoxy adhesive, can additionally be used to further secure the parts together and fill spaces between the underside  224  of the main body  212  and the washer  230  and the prongs  214 A,  214 B,  214 C, and  214 D. The prongs  214 A,  214 B,  214 C and  214 D and split clamp  226  are preferably equally positioned around the main body, e.g., by about 90 degrees and equally supports and distributes the loading forces, and the split clamp  226  is positioned above the level of the prongs  214 A,  214 B,  214 C, and  214 D, with an exposed throat area  232 , as also shown in  FIGS. 16-18 . The throat areas  232  defines a continuous and uninterrupted groove along the main body which allows for an evenly secured position of the overwrapping material prior to the lamination process. A lower rim  242  of the main body  212  extends outwardly from the lower end of the throat  232 , and it is through this lower rim  242  that the rivets  228  pass. Apertures  234  may be formed in the prongs  214 A,  214 B,  214 C, and  214 D to aid in bonding of the prongs to the stump socket. While the prongs are shown as being generally rectangular with rounded ends  236 , they can be provided in different sizes and shapes as required. The threads  220  in the bore  218  will be located at a level above the level of the prongs and thus, are more free to expand and contract when the socket adaptor is secured to a stump socket. 
         [0047]      FIG. 14  is a bottom plan view and  FIG. 15  is a bottom perspective view showing the exemplary socket adaptor  210  of  FIG. 13 , and best shows the plate or washer  230  that sandwiches ends of the four prongs  214 A,  214 B,  214 C, and  214 D to the underside  224  of the main body  212 , with rivets  228  securing the parts together. 
         [0048]      FIG. 16  is a side plan view showing the exemplary socket adaptor  210  of  FIG. 13 , and shows prongs  214 A and  214 C, the plate or washer  230  that sandwiches ends of the four prongs  214 A,  214 B,  214 C, and  214 D to the underside  224  of the main body  212 , with rivets  228  securing the parts together. The throat  232  is shown in this view, which shows the split clamp  226  spaced well above the level of the prongs  214 A,  214 B,  214 C, and  214 D. Thus, as will be described below, when the socket adaptor  210  is formed together with overlaying material and resin to form the stump socket, the overlaying material will not cover over the split clamp  226 . 
         [0049]      FIG. 17  is a diagrammatic perspective view showing the exemplary socket adaptor  212  of  FIG. 13  sitting atop a stump socket, before its prongs  214 A,  214 B,  214 C, and  214 D are bent down to closely confirm to the contours of the stump socket  250 . The screw  238  is used to adjust the size of the gap  240  between the two ends of the split clamps  226 , and thus adjust the diameter of the bore  218 . As shown, the split clamps  226  sits above the level of the lower rim  242  and the prongs  214 A,  214 B,  214 C, and  214 D, with the throat  232  shown. The threaded bore  218  rises substantially above the level of the prongs. 
         [0050]      FIG. 18  is a diagrammatic perspective view showing the exemplary socket adaptor  212  of  FIG. 17 , but with its prongs  214 A,  214 B,  214 C, and  214 D bent down to closely conform to the shape and contours of the stump socket  250 . Due to the flexibility of the prongs  214 A,  214 B,  214 C, and  214 D a close fit can be established and the level of the split clamp  226  and screw  238  will be substantially raised up above the level of the lower rim  242 , split clamp  226  and screw  238 . 
         [0051]      FIG. 19  is a diagrammatic perspective view showing the exemplary socket adaptor  210  of  FIG. 18  after its prongs are covered with overwrapping material  244  to form a stump socket, but prior to being coated with resin. As can be seen, the overwrapping material  244  terminates around the throat  232 , and its continuous and uninterrupted groove which allows for an evenly secured position of the overwrapping material prior to the lamination process, and compared to the prior art socket adaptor  10  shown used in  FIG. 4  and the socket adaptor  210  shown used in  FIG. 12 , the level of the overwrapping material  244  will not reach up to the upper surface  222  of the socket adaptor  210  or cover the split clamp  226  or its screw  238 . A result is that after being soaked with resin, the split clamp  226  and its screw  238  remain uncovered with overwrapping material and resin, and no additional labor is required to gain access to the screw  238  and split clamp  226 . 
         [0052]    Having thus described the exemplary embodiments of the present invention, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the above disclosures are exemplary only and that various other alternatives, adaptations, and modifications may be made within the scope of the present invention. The presently disclosed embodiment is to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are, therefore, intended to be embraced therein.

Technology Category: 1