Preform for making prosthetic suspension sleeve

Abstract

A preform for a prosthetic suspension sleeve includes a tubular sleeve made of an elasticized fabric that is coated on its inner wall with an uninterrupted cured silicone elastomer layer and having a distal end cap molded on and closing a distal end of the elasticized fabric sleeve. A tubular matrix reinforcement element is secured coaxially to the distal end of the sleeve with a portion embedded in the distal end cap and a portion extending freely within a distal end area of the sleeve. Another embodiment of a preform includes a tubular sleeve of elasticized fabric with a tubular matrix reinforcement element secured coaxially to the distal end of the sleeve, the matrix reinforcement element including interlocking fibers arranged so that the reinforcement element is porous and strongly resists elongation in a sleeve longitudinal direction but is readily elastically stretchable in transverse directions.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.