Method for fabricating a cosmetic cover for a prosthetic limb

A method for fabricating a cosmetic cover for a prosthetic limb from a carving blank system having at least two mating longitudinal carving blanks, the prosthetic limb having a plurality of components including a socket for engaging a wearer's residual limb, an upright assembly coupled to a distal end of the socket, and a foot component coupled to a distal end of the upright assembly, the prosthetic limb also having a plurality of adjustment points for adjusting certain prosthetic limb components with respect to each other, the method comprising the steps of:

• fitting and aligning the prosthetic limb to a wearer's residual limb;
• collecting orientational and positional data from at least one of the adjustment points;
• sending the orientational and positional data to a computer-aided design tool, the computer-aided design tool having access to component dimensions, the component dimensions include the dimensions of at least the socket and the upright assembly;
• calculating inner surface dimensions for a cosmetic cover to be worn over the prosthetic limb according to the component dimensions and the orientational and positional data;
• carving an inner surface of one of the carving blanks according to a longitudinal portion of the inner surface dimensions;
• and
• carving an inner surface of another one of the carving blanks according to another longitudinal portion of the inner surface dimensions.

A computerized tool for designing a cosmetic cover for a prosthetic limb comprising:

• means for storing or accessing prosthetic limb component dimensions, the prosthetic limb component dimensions including at least dimensions of a socket for engaging a wearer's residual limb and dimensions of an upright assembly for coupling to a distal end of the socket;
• means for collecting or accessing orientational and positional data of prosthetic limb components from a fitted and aligned prosthetic limb;
• a memory containing a software program for calculating inner surface dimensions for a cosmetic cover to be worn over the fitted and aligned prosthetic limb based upon the prosthetic limb component dimensions and the orientational and positional data;
• and
• a processing circuit, having access to the prosthetic limb component dimensions and the orientational and positional data, for executing the software program.

A method for fabricating a cosmetic cover for a prosthetic limb comprising the steps of:

• positioning a first longitudinal carving blank in a milling machine;
• carving an indentation into a first longitudinal surface of the first carving blank sufficient to receive a first portion of the prosthetic limb, using the milling machine;
• carving an outer surface of the first carving blank, substantially opposing the first longitudinal surface of the first carving blank, to simulate the appearance of a first portion of a sound limb, using the milling machine;
• positioning a second longitudinal carving blank in the milling machine;
• carving an indentation into a first longitudinal surface of the second carving blank sufficient to receive a second portion of the prosthetic limb, using the milling machine;
• and
• carving an outer surface of the second carving blank, substantially opposing the first longitudinal surface of the second carving blank, to simulate the appearance of a second portion of a sound limb;
• the first longitudinal surface of the first carving blank being adapted to mate with the first longitudinal surface of the second carving blank.