Reinforcement assembly for laminated structures

A reinforcement assembly for prosthetic limbs, comprising:

• a reinforcement member configured to be attached to a selected site on a liner of a laminated prosthetic limb, the reinforcement member having a high strength and the liner having a custom shape corresponding to a particular patient;
• and
• a universal attachment medium extending from the reinforcement member to cover a force distribution area of the liner substantially surrounding the selected site, the attachment medium having a first section fused to the reinforcement member to form an integral joint connecting the attachment medium to the reinforcement member, and the attachment medium having a second section inherently conforming to the custom shape of the liner at the force distribution area when the reinforcement member is positioned at the selected site.

A reinforcement assembly in a laminated structure of a prosthetic device, comprising:

• a reinforcement member configured to be attached to a selected site on a body subject to force loading, the reinforcement member having a high strength;
• and
• a universal attachment medium separately bonded to the reinforcement member to extend from the reinforcement member over an area of the body substantially surrounding the selected site, the attachment medium being self-conforming to the body to define an anchor stratum in the laminated structure having a shape corresponding to the area of the body substantially surrounding the selected site, wherein the attachment medium comprises a lax web configured to lay slack on the body prior to lamination and the bond between of the attachment medium and the reinforcement member comprises a fused section in which a portion of the attachment medium and a portion of the reinforcement member form an integral joint.

A reinforcement assembly for use in a laminated structure of a prosthetic device formed on a body, comprising:

• a reinforcement member configured to be attached to a selected site on the body subject to force loading, the reinforcement member having a high strength and the body having a defined shape;
• and
• a universal attachment medium having a first section fused to the reinforcement member to integrally join the attachment medium to the reinforcement member and a second section extending from the reinforcement member, the second section of the attachment medium being a lax material that inherently conforms to the area of the body proximate to the selected site to define an anchor stratum in the laminated structure having a shape corresponding to the area of the body proximate to the selected site.