US412446A - horace r - Google Patents

Description

(Model.)

H. R. ALLBNQ COMBINED CCPPINC DEVICE AND VACUUM PUMP. No. 412,446, PatentedrOotQB, -1889.

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UNITED?. ySTATES ,PATENT OFFICE. 4

IIoRAcnRl ALLEN, or INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

= COMBI-NED cuPPING DEVICE AND VACUUM-PUMP.'

SPECIFIQATION forming part 0f Letters Patent NQ.412,446, dated October 8, 1889.

Application lec'l January 5, 1889. Serial No. 295,563. (Model.)

To all whom/it may concern:

Beit known that I, HORACE R. ALLEN, a

vcitizen of the United States, residing at Indianapolis, in the county of Marion and State of l This invention relates to improvements in, cu in devices used in surger f the ob'ect e I ll of the invention primarily being to provide a cheap, simple, and effective cupping device and combine therewith in a compact form a vacuum-pump, the whole being as one device, toY thereby-obviate the use of tubing andseparate pumps andconnections heretofore in common use.

Surgical cups of ordinary construction -have usually been made of glass, vulcanized rubber, or metal, and have been connected to separate vacuum-pumps (usually ordinary piston-pumps) by means of flexible tubing,

it being withV cups of this construction necessary to create a vacuum in the cup to eX- haust the air by operating the pump beforeA the` said cup would adhere to the part to which it was applied, thus necessita-ting the holding of the cup in one hand and the operation of the pump with the other, which was difficult to accomplish without assistance, the task being a laborious and rather unsatisfactory one. Again, glass, hard rubber, or metal cups are apt to bruise and' discolor the parts of the body of the subject to which they are applied.

- Another and one of the chief objects of this invention is to soconstruct and combine thepump with the cupping device that it may be applied and effectively operated with one hand and secure results that are practically impossible with cups dependent upon separateA pumps and connections for atmospheric pressure and vacuum, by doing away with numerous connections and joints, obviating leakage, and'having a direct connection between the pump proper and the vacuum-chamber of the cup, rendering. the operation of the cup and its application to the subject a matter' of the greatest simplicity and the life of the device of great duration.

Another obj ect of the invention is to construct the combined clipping device and pump in such compact form that it Inay be veasily .carried in the pocket without inconvenience, and so that it is always ready for use without making connections with tubes, &c.

With these objects in View4 the invention consists in certain details of construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts of the combined cup and vacuumpump, substantially as hereinafter -described and claimed.

Figure I represents in central vertical section, partially in side elevation, a combined cupping device and vacuum pump constructed in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2, a plan vi'ew of the same, the handle being removed and a portion of the cup beingbroken out to show the interior of the airchamber; Fig. 3, a horizontal cross-section of the same on dotted line x, Fig. 1,.looki'ng in the direction of the arrow; and Fig. Li, a sectional detail showing the corrugated wall of the cup-casing, taken on dotted line y y, Fig. 1. 1

In the drawings, A represent-s the side or wall of the cupping device, which side or wall has an air-chamber and vacuum-chamber, and in connection therewith will preferably be made of flexible rubber all in one piece, as shown clearlyrin Fig. l and asv hereinafter Inore fully described, the side or body of the cupping device being preferably circular in for-In and having at its lower end an outwardly-projecting annular flange a', which an ge will preferablybe of less thickness than the main body of the cup, so as to form an adhering lip that will not bruise or discolor the `skin when the cup is applied. The side or vertical portion of the cup will preferably be corrugated vertically to stiffen the body of the cup. I do not desire to limit myself to a one-piece cup, as the same might be made in a series of pieces suitably joined together. A onepiece cup is, however, preferable. Neither do I desire to limit to the exact shape of cup shown in the drawings, nor to the construction of a cup from elastic rubber entirely, as the lower or corrugated portion of the cup might be made of metal or other material with an elastic lip or flange at the bottom and .an elastic top secured thereto in any suitable manner.

Formed in the inner wall of the cup at' a IOO distance considerably remote from the lower or flanged edge is a shoulder or annular flange a2, which forms a bearing for the edge of 'a diaphragimplate B, which is secured thereto or held in place by the edge of the top of the cup. This diaphragm-plate, which is preferably constructed of metal and of a shape to correspond to the cross-sectional shape of the cup, divides the interior of the cup virtually into two compartments-1i. e., the lower or vacuum compartment C and the upper or air compartment D-an opening b through the plate communicating with the two compartments, forming an outlet-port for the air in compartment or chamber C, when the cup is applied and the operation of pumping proceeded with to exhaust the air in chamber C. This port b is covered by a flexible valve B', preferably sheet-rubber, which is fixed to the upper side of the diaphragnr plate B at one or more points, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3.

Formed through the top of the cup, as shown in Fig. l, is an opening c', communicating with the air-chamber D, which opening.,lr forms an exhaust-port, through which the air -drawn from the vacuum chamber C into the airchamber D is expelled.

Located within the air-chamber is a disk F, formed, preferably, of metal, and formed upon or secured to the upper face of this djsk is a cone-shaped valve f', which registers with and has its seat in the exhaust-opening c', and closes said opening at the upward stroke of the pump-dish F. This disk F will preferably have an internallythreaded central collar f2, which extends through a central opening in the top of the cup, as shown in Figs. l and 2, an operating-rod f3, secured to a horizontal handle f4, being screwed into said collar, and operatingr to move the disk F upward and downward to exhaust and expel the air from chamber C, the disk F, rod f3, and handle f4 forming, in connection with the air-chamber D, flexible casing, and valves, a vacuum-pump to exhaust and expel the air in chamber C.

It is obvious that, instead of a socket or collar being formed upon the pump-disk, it might have a vertical screw-threaded boss, and that the connecting-rod might be made of tubing internally screw-threaded at its lower end and screwed onto said boss upon the disk, the two constructions described being equivalent.

Itwill be seen that by making the valvef upon the pump-disk conical, and making the exhaust-opening in the top of the cup of less diameter than the diameter of the base of the cone-shaped Valve, the valve in its ascent with the disk in exhausting the air will enter the opening c', and the rubber around the opening will be pressed tightly down upon the base or enlarged portion of the valve, thus eiectually closing the exhaust-openingcand rendering the same air-tight.

AThe operation of my improved device is as follows: The flanged end ot' the cup is rst placed around the part of the body it is desired to cup, the handle]c4 being depressed t0 exhaust the air in the air-chamber D, and as it is pulled outward the air in vacuum-chainber C is drawn upward through the outletopening b', the sheet-rubber valve B being lifted by the atmospheric pressure and enters the air-chamber D, whence as the handle and pump disk are again depressed it is discharged through the exhaust-opening c into the outer atmosphere. This operation of reciprocating the pump-disk and upper portion of the casing is repeated until the requisite vacuum and atmospheric pressure is created, which, in consequence of the simplicity of the device and the operation, may be easily calculated and regulated to a minute degree.

Tightly impacted around the stem or collar of the disk F, and secured to the outside of the top of the iiexible casing, is a flexible washer g', which not only acts as a packing to prevent the escape of air at this point, but keeps the parts in a close and proper relative position.

The advantages of myimproved device will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art to which it appertains and need not be commented upon at length.

I claim-` 1. In a cupping device, a cup-shaped casing of elastic rubber corrugated vertically at its lower portion to stiften that portion and having an annular' outwardly-projecting flange at its lower open end, substantially as described.

2. In a cupping device, the one-piece elastic body A, open at its lower end and having an opening in its upper portion, the diaphragmplate B, dividing the body into compartments, with a valve-closed port between them, the disk F, secured to the inner upper side of the casing, and the handle connected therewith, substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. In a cupping device, a one-piece cupshaped elastic casing divided bya plate with a valve-closed port therein into two compartments, and having an exhaust-port in its upper portion, in combination with a handle secured to the upper portion by a disk orplate upon the inside, having a conical valve thereon to close the exhaust-port in the casing, and a washer upon the outside to tightly impinge the casing between it and the disk, substantially as shown and described, and for the pul'- pose set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HORACE R. ALLEN.

Vitnesses:

L. C. MCLAIN, JOSEPH A. llIINTURN. v

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