US2253040A

US2253040A - Socket for artificial limbs

Info

Publication number: US2253040A
Application number: US312606A
Authority: US
Inventors: Philip A Martino
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1940-01-05
Filing date: 1940-01-05
Publication date: 1941-08-19
Anticipated expiration: 1958-08-19

Description

P. A. MARTINO SOCKET FOR ARTIFICIAL LIMBS Filed Jan. 5, 1940 S y e n T Aug'. 19, 1941.

Patented Aug. 19, 1941 "YGFFICE 1` g Vsookncl Foa `ARTIFICIAL LIMBs I 'Philip;A. Martino, QBoston, Mass.. Application January 5, 1940, SerialNo. `312,606

This invention relates to a socket for van `artificial limb, the general object of'the 4invention being to provide cushion means tfor the socket which will enable the person `to walk with cornfort and when sttingdown will conform with the stump -and `permit the person to sit with comfort and the socket will not injure furniture or the like.

This invention also consists in certain other features of construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts to be hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawing and specifically pointed out in the appended claims.

In describing the invention in detail, reference will be had to the accompanying drawing wherein like characters denote like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, and in which:

'2 Claims.

Figure 1 is a side view of the improved socket.

Figure 2 is a rear view thereof.

Figure 3 is a view of the interior sleeve which nts in the metal socket, the lining being removed.

Figure 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Figure 2.

Figure 6 is a sectional view through the rubber pad.

In these views the letter A indicates the metal socket member for attachment at its lower end to the leg part of an artificial limb and as shown this metal socket is cut out at the rear to leave a large opening a at the rear thereof which extends through the upper edge of the metal socket. 'I'his opening is so large that it will make the socket member when composed either of metal or wood, slightly resilient so that the socket member can expand or contract as the stump of the leg of the user expands and contracts. As will be seen this socket member is for use with above the knee amputations. Also the major part of the socket member is set forward from the center of the knee, as will be seen from Figure 1, which shows a socket member for use with the right leg and with the opening a at the rear. A sleeve or tubular member B fits within the metal socket and is formed of leather or the like. The top of the sleeve slopes downwardly from one side to the opposite side to conform to the socket member and said top is reinforced in any suitable manner to provide the thickened end edge I and a U- shaped covering 2 of soft leather is placed over this thickened part I and is sewn thereto as shown at 3, this part 2 extending only over the high par-t of the 4sleeve and from the ends of this part 2 the upper edge I is cut away as shown (Cl. 379), c. i

at I and this `cut away part'eXtends over the low side I'ofthe `edge and is covered by a rubber mem'- ber `4 of substantially U-shaped in cross section as shown in lFigure 6 with one limb longer than the other and with fthe long limb'engaging the interior 'part of the top Yportion ofthe sleeve and the short limb the exterior part, see Figure 4. This rubber member or part 2 is covered by a top edge of a piece of soit leather 5 which forms a lining for the sleeve as shown in Figures 1, 4 and 5 and the parts are sewn together by the stitching 6. All the parts can be cemented together as well as stitched. Of course, a portion of the sleeve is exposed by the cut away part a of the metal shell and this exposed part of the sleeve is covered by soft leather 1. As Will be seen from Figure 3 a par-t of the cushion or saddle at the upper end of the device is formed of leather and another part of rubber with the low part of the cushion and saddle of greater thickness and width than the upper part formed by the leather 2. around the stump and pelvis bone and it causes the device to grip the stump of the leg so that the limb will not turn out of position and it also acts to relieve any unnecessary shocks, such as walking up and down stairs, jumping, stepping 01T curbs, etc.

Thus it will be seen that the leather sleeve with the padding at the upper end thereof forms a comfortable lining for the metal socket so that the stump is held in the socket without coming in contact with any metal part and by cutting away the rear of the metal socket when the user sits down only the leather part will come against the chair or object seated upon so that this will yield and thus add to the comfort of the user while he is sitting down and as the metal parts do not touch the chair or other object such object is not injured by the metal part of the artifi-Y cial leg.

It is thought from the foregoing description that the advantages and novel features of the invention will be readily apparent.

It is to be understood that changes may be made in the construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts provided that such changes fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having described the invention, What is claimed as new is:

1. In an artiiicial limb, a socket member for receiving the stump of a leg which has been amputated above the knee comprising an outer shell having a large opening in its rear part This arrangement gives equal pressure all which passes through the upper end of the shell and to a point below the transverse center of the shell, said opening being oi a length and width to permit expansion or contraction of the shell as the stump expands and contracts and also to prevent contact of the shell with an object on which a user of the limb sits, the Vlower end of the shell being formed to provide parts of a knee joint, a leather sleeve fitting in the shell and entirely covering the interior walls thereof to a point below the opening in the shell with a part of the sleeve passing across the opening and a cushion forming part at the upper end of the sleeve and covering said upper end of the sleeve and the upper end of the shell and acting to snugly flt around the stump of the leg said shell being formed of material which has slight resiliency in comparison with the material of the sleeve.

2. In an artificial limb, a socket member'ior receiving the stump of a leg Which has been amputated above the knee comprising an outer shell having a large opening in its rear part which passes through the upper end of the shell and to a `point below the transverse center of the shell, the opening being of a length and width to permit movement of the shell in accordance with expansion and contraction of the stump and to prevent contact of the shell with an object on which a user of the limb sits, the lower end `of the shell being formed to provide parts of a knee joint, a leather sleeve fitting in the shell and entirely covering the interior walls thereof to a point below the opening in the shell with a part of the sleeve passing across the opening and a cushion forming part at the upper end of the sleeve and covering said upper end of the sleeve and the upper end of the shell and acting to-snugly t around the stump of the leg, the upper end of the shell and sleeve sloping downwardly and inwardly from the outer portion thereof to conform to the thigh part of the stump and with the cushion at the high part being of less dimension than that part of the'cushion at the inner and front and rear side parts, and a, lining covering the interior of the sleeve and fitting over the cushion parts said shell being formed of material of slight resiliency in comparison with the flexibility of the sleeve, the major portion of the shell being set forward of a vertical plane passed through the center of the knee forming part. x

l PHILIPA. MARTINO.=