GB2138490A - Tourniquet buckle - Google Patents

Abstract

There is disclosed a tourniquet which comprises a buckle (11) and a belt (12) which cooperates with the buckle to form a tourniquet loop (15) adjacent to the buckle. A portion of the belt is received by a belt guide (14) in the buckle (11) for longitudinal displacement, though it can be retained therein in response to belt tension. One end (21) of the belt is secured to a coupling member (13) which is pivotally and releasably mounted on a transverse shaft (19) carried by the buckle (11). The coupling member (13) is pivoted by tension in the belt to clamp the belt into position. The first lever arm (20) of the coupling member (13) is adjacent to the tourniquet loop (15), and the second lever arm (22) exerts downward clamping action on the portion of the belt (12) within the guide (14). The belt end (21) is firmly connected to the first lever arm (20) of the coupling member (13). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Tourniquet comprising a buckle and a belt The invention relates to a tourniquet comprising a buckle and a belt formed as a loop when used and whose one end is secured to a coupling member suspendable at the buckle while the belt section adjacentto the loop is received to be longitudinally displaceable in a guidance ofthe buckle and is retainable detachably in the guidance by way of a clamping means held in clamping position when the beitistightened, the clamping means including a clamping member designed as a double-armed lever and being pivotal about an axle in the buckle extendfng transversely to the guidance, the lever arm distantfromthe loop ofthe beltforming a clamping sectionforthe belt portion received in the guidance of the buckle.

In a known tourniquet, the belt is received in a guidance ofan armature provided with a clamping means, one end ofthe beltformable as a loop and placed forinst. abouthuman limbs being fittedwith coupling means which can be introduced into a locking system ofthe armature and which, upon insertion into the coupling position, get into positive connection with the coupling members ofthe armature. The coupling member atthe one belt end is a double-socketwith thicker portions at the free ends of the socket contacts while the coupling means at the armature are catches or locks engaging the thicker portions of the socket ends. The clamping means associated to the beltguidance is operative by means of a spring and can be actuated against the spring action to cause the releaseofthe beltfrom its tightened position.

What is unsatisfactorywiththe known tourniquet is the complicated construction ofthe armature with the belt guidance and the clamping means under spring action, on the one hand, and, on the other hand, it does not comply with the requirement of practice to permit a one-hand operation. If a tourniquet is applied to the arm of a patient another assisting person is needed to seize with his one hand the armature ofthetourniquet, to placewithhisotherhandaboutthearm of the patientthebeltendwiththecoupling member by forming a~ Loop and to introduce itwith the coupling member into the corresponding counter-coupling of the armature until the locking elements are engaged.

This locking system has been known for safety belts.

In viewofthe complicated manipulation, it has been attempted for long to develop a tourniquet complying with the requirement of one-hand operation. The armatureofthe knowntourniquetisdesigned asa belt buckle and the end of the beltsection forming the loop is sosecured to a coupling member connectible to a clamping means that the tension of the belt occurring bicase of use keeps the clamping means in clamping position.The means used to clamp the belt in the guidance of the buckle is a clamping member in the form of a double-armed lever, the clamping member being pivoted by an axle extending in the buckle in parallel to the transverse plane of the belt guidance, the one lever arm being designed as a countercoupling memberto the coupling element connected to the belt end while the other lever arm forms a clamping section for the belt received in the guidance ofthe buckle.

It is characteristicforthe manipulation of the known tourniquetthat, upon the closing ofthe belt loop, the belt end distantfrom the loop and projecting beyond the guidance of the buckle istightened whereby, in view of the tension force acting on the belt end ofthe loop provided with the coupling member is clamping the clamping means in clamping position thus preventing the tightened belt from returning within the region of the belt guidance of the buckle. Asimple release of the belt is possible in that a force acting against the tension force ofthe belt is exerted on the coupling member of the belt end, the clamping means getting out of its clamping position and the belt in the guidance ofthe buckle being released to return to a relaxed position.

While said tourniquet contains advantages over other known devices of thins type, it still requires improvements concerning a more handy and inexpensive construction and a better manipulation. An improvement ofthetourniquet explained above is characterized bythe invention with the design of a clamping member as a coupling elementthat can be suspended in the axle extending in the belt buckle in transverse direction to the guidance, the lever arm of the clamping member being distant from the clamping section being secured to the one end of the belt.

In place of a coupling membersuspendablein a clamping membersuported pivotally in the buckle, the invention providesthatthe clamping member itself is a coupling membersuspendable in the belt buckle, sothatthetourniquetofthe invention only consists of the buckle, the clamping member suspendable in the latter and the belt forming the main elements of the device.

Asuitable configuration is characteried in thatthe clamping member comprisesforthe suspension in the axle extending transversely to the guidance of the buckle an underside transverse recess with a catch towards the clamping section, the catch forming in suspended condition ofthe clamping member a swinging bearing for the latter.

According to anotherfeature of the embodiment, the clamping element is received between two lateral limitations of the buckle which extend bilaterally ofthe guidance receiving the belt section adjacenttothe loop, so that, with the suspension ofthe clamping member formed as a coupling element, said clamping member need be only inserted between the two stated limitations and with the recess pointing downwardly, so as to get subsequently by axial displacement in longitudinal direction of the guidance extending th:ough the buckle, into the coupling position with the axle extending transversely to the guidance in thatthe underside recess engages said axle; then, by a slight displacementtowardsthe belt I oop, the cla m ping section gets with the catch adjoined to the underside recess into a locking position encompassing the axle.

With the aid of the enclosed drawing, one embodi ment ofthetourniquet of the invention shall be explained hereinafter in schematic views.

Fig. is a perspective total view of the tourniquet comprising a buckle and a beltformed as a loop, Fig. 2 is a sectional view ofthe tourniquet according to line ll-ll in Fig. 1, Fig. 3 is a buckle with a suspended clamping member perse, in a sectional view such as in Fig. 2 and Fig. 4 is a buckle with the tourniquet received in the guidance priorto the suspension of the clamping member as a coupling member in the belt buckle.

The main elements ofthetourniquet 10 illustrated as an embodiment ofthe invention include a belt buckle 11, a belt 12 and a clamping member 13. The belt 12 is a flat band which is conducted by a guidance 14 in the buckle 12 and which contains a section formed as a loop 15 in case of use, and the end of which being distant from the belt section received in the guidance 14 isfirmly connected to the clamping member 13.

The clamping member is a coupling element received between lateral limitations 16,16' of the buckle which extend along the belt guidance 14 inthe buckle and beyond it in upward direction. The underside of the clamping member 13 is provided with a transverse recess 17 to which, in direction of the side distant from the buckle 15, a catch 18 is joined.Asisjoined. As evidentfrom Figs. 2 and 3, an axle 19 extending transversely to the belt guidance 14 ofthe buckle 11 is received by the stated catch 18 ofthe clamping member 13, if the clamping member is suspended, so that the latter is pivotal about the mentioned axle.

Whiletheone belt end 21 isfirmlyconnectedwith the lever 20 of the clamping member pointing to the belt loop 15, lever 22 of the clamping member 13 pointing to the other side forms a section which, in case of use, with the tensioned belt, presses on the tourniquet section received in the belt guidance 14 of the buckle 11 thus preventing the belt from moving longitudinally in the guidance due to said clamping.

Moreover, in the buckle 11, within the range of a recess 23 fitted for the clamping member beneath the axle 19, there is mounted a leaf spring 24 curved upwardly to press the overlying belt section to a bulged clamping member section arranged in the region ofthetransverse recess 17 ofthe clamping member 13.

The above explained tourniquet 10 permits a perfect one-hand operation sothatthe patient may use it by himself. To apply it for inst. at his arm, the patient seizes the buckle 11 with hisfree hand to place about his arm the belt section having secured at its end the clamping member 13 and which, in relation to the intended loop 15, is of excessive length, the clamping member 13 with the transverse recess 17 pointing downwardly being so introduced into the channel-like space formed by the lateral limitations 16, 16' of the buckle 12 above the belt guidance 14 that by simple displacement in length direction ofthe beltthe axle 19 extending transverselyto the belt guidance 14 in the buckle gets into the region of the underside transverse recess 17 ofthe clamping member 13 and subsequently,dueto a slightdisplacementofthe clamping member 13 towards the belt loop, into the catch 18 joined to the transverse recess. Thereafter, bytighten- ing the belt section 15 projecting from the buckle 11 at the side distantfrom the belt loop, the belt is to be tensioned as desirndin the region of the belt loop 15.

By this operation, the tensioning force of the belt end extending from the one lever arm 20 ofthe clamping member 13 nearly at a right angle is acting as such a torsional force that the clamping section 22 extending atthe side distantfrom the belt loop is pressed against the belt portion received bythe guidance 1 4 of the buckle 11, said belt portion being firmly clamped between the clamping section and the underside limitation of the guidance 14to be axially retained. In view ofthe mentioned clamping of the stated belt portion between section 22 and the underside limitation of the belt guidance 14 in the buckle 11, the tourniquet 10 is also prevented from returning even in the absence of the tension manually applied atthe belt section 25.

It is quite easyto reduce orcancel the clamping action in that, as shown by arrow26 in Fig. 2, a pressure corresponding to the requirements is applied on the upper side ofthe lever arm 20 of the clamping member 13 pointing to the buckle 15, whereby the clamping member is swiveled clockwise aboutthe bearing formed bythe suspension axle 19 thus permitting thatthe belt portion now received in the guidance ofthe belt buckle may return more or less freely and the tension within the region of the loop 15 can be reduced ortotally cancelled.

If the tourniquet 10 is removed from its position of use, for inst. from the arm of a patient, this can be simply realised by releasing the belt tension in thatthe clamping member 13 is displaced to a direction away from the loop 15 and within the guidance formed by the lateral limitations 1 6, 1 6' of the buckle, until the axle 19 received before inthe catch 18 of the clamping member 13 gets into the region of the underside transverse recess 17 of the clamping member whereupon the latter can be shifted upwardly out of the buckle.

Claims (7)

1. Atourniquetcomprising a buckle, a belt which is co-operable with the buckle to form a tourniquet loop adjacent to the buckle, a coupling member which is secured to one end ofthe belt and which can be detachably mounted on the buckle to form the tourniquet loop, anda beltguide defined bythe buckle and along which the belt can be taken priorto mounting ofthe coupling member on the buckle, in which:: a shaft is carried bythe buckle and extends transversely of the belt guide, and the coupling member is adapted to be capable of being pivotally mounted on the shaft; the coupling memberforms a two-armed lever, when mounted on the shaft, with a first lever arm being arranged to be adjacentto the tourniquet loop and a second lever arm being arranged in use to c( operate with a portion of the belt which is received by the belt guide in orderto exert a clamping action on said belt portion; and said one end of the belt is secured to said first lever arm.

2. Atourniquet according to claim 1, in which the coupling member is provided with a transversely extending hook-shaped recess in which said shaft is receivable when the coupling member is mounted on the buckle.

3. Atourniquet according to claim 1 or 2, in which the belt guide is defined between a pair of upstanding side flanges provided on the buckle.

4. Atourniquet according to claim 3, in which the shaft extends between and is carried by said side flanges.

5. Atourniquet according to any one of the preceding claims, in which a spring is arranged in the buckle to urge the belt portion towards the facing side of the coupling member when the latter is mounted on the buckle.

6. Atourniquet according to claim 5,when appended to claim 2, in which a bulged portion is provided on the clamping member, adjacent to the hook-shaped recess, and against which the belt is pressed by said spring.

7. Atourniquetaccording to claim 1 andsubstantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as shown in the accompanying drawing.