ALEXANDRIA, Va., Oct. 8 -- United States Patent no. 12,433,772, issued on Oct. 7.
"Interchangeable pump-lock for prosthetic socket and method of use" was invented by Aldo Laghi (Pinellas Park, Fla.) and Jakob McClelland (Gulfport, Fla.).
According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "An interchangeable lock-pump prosthetic system that includes a universal dummy, vacuum pump, and mechanical lock. Each of the three objects have similar geometries for the purpose of fitting into a prosthetic, whereupon a user may for instance, swap the vacuum pump with the lock, depending on the needs of the user and without changing to a separate prosthetic. The universal dummy is an inactive component and acts as a placeholder ...