US1006864A - Electrotherapeutic apparatus. - Google Patents

Description

M. G. MGELHINNEY- ELEGTROTHBRAPEUTIG APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED MAR.15, 1910.

Patented Oct. 24, 1911.

MARK G. McELI-IINNEY, 0F OTTAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA.

ELECTROTHERAPEUTIG APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 24, 1911,

Application filed March 15, 1910. Serial No. 549,559.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MARK Gr. MoEL- HINNEY, a subject of the King of Great Britain, and resident of the city of Ottawa, in the Province of Ontario, in the Dominion of Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electrotherapeutic Apparatus; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

The invention relates to improvements in electro-therapeutic apparatus, as described in the present specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings that form part of the same.

The invention consists essentially of the novel arrangement and construction of parts whereby a condenser element receiving static charges of electricity from a suitablehigh tension circuit is periodically neutralized to produce a pulsatory electric current discharge therefrom for electro -therapeutic purposes.

The object of the invention is to devise an inexpensive apparatus both simple in construction and operation, whereby a vibratory static current of electricity may be secured for therapeutic purposes.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of the device partially broken away to show the interior thereof. Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view on the line AB in Fig. 1.

Like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in each figure.

Referring to the drawings, 1 is a disk of hard rubber or other suitable non-conducting material, having the circular flanges 2 and 3 extending laterally from one side thereof, and forming the central recess 4 and the outer ring recess 5.

6 is a condenser plate secured on the outer side of the disk 1, and preferably vulcanized in the rubber, whereby said disk presents a perfectly smooth outersurface, the said plate 6 receiving the static charges, as hereinafter explained.

7 and 8 are binding-posts arranged in the flange 2, or other convenient place.

9 is a resistance coil of fine wire filling the outer recess 5, and having one end thereof electrically connected to the binding-post 7 and the other end electrically connected to the condenser plate 10 secured on the inside face of the disk 1 opposite the plate 6, said plate 10 preferably being formed of tin foil, and having a sheet of mica 11 placed thereunder to more effectually insulate the same from the plate 6.

12 is a ball, preferably made up of tinfoil, and secured at the outer or spring end of a fine wire 13, said wire being open coiled to render the same as flexible as possible. The wire 13 is supported from the flange 2, and electrically connected to the binding-post 8, and is securely held by the flange 2, so that the ball 12 is quite close to the plate 10.

14 is a cover fitted on the flanges 2, and inclosing the coil 9 and wire 13 with the ball 12 secured thereto within the recesses 5 and 4: respectively, so that the operative parts of the invention can in no way become misplaced, suitable orifices being left in the cover, so that the binding-posts 7 and 8 extend thereabove, and to which are attached the terminals of a suitable high tension circuit.

15 are loops of wire preferably vulcanized in the' disk 1 at diametrically opposite points.

16 is a strap or length of elastic secured to the loops 15, whereby the apparatus may be conveniently secured to any part of the body for electro-therapeutic use.

In using the apparatus, the binding-posts 7 and 8 are connected to a suitable high tension circuit, such as the high tension terminals of an induction coil 17 having the low tension terminals thereof electrically connected to the dry batteries 18.

The proximity of the ball 12 to the condenser plate 10 depends upon the electric current employed, that is to say, the higher the tension, the farther the ball may be placed from the plate. With a comparatively low tension current, the ball will be supported correspondingly near the plate, the distance being only sufficient for a spark gap to be made across which the electricity will jump. It may be further explained in this connection that although in the case of a high tension current being used a spark varying in length from one-eighth to onequarter inch will pass between the ball and the plate 10, a proportionate amount of current will pass between the ball and the plate 10 when a comparatively low tension current is employed, even though the passage of current between the said ball and the plate may not be readily apparent. In such an instance the ball may be supported so that the spring lightly holds it in contact with the plate, the oxidation ordinarily occurring on the surface of the metals serving as a gap for the current tojump. Immediately preceding the passage of a spark between the ball and the plate separated by the air gap which serves as a di-electric an electric disturbance or displacement is produced in the surrounding region, and about the same magnetic field is set up as would occur were an electric current actually flowing. When the current does jump from one electrode to the other, an oscillatory current flows, and an oscillatory magnetic field is set up, most of which is readily attracted by the plate 6, and from the plate 6 will be readily transmitted to any body in contact therewith to ground, such as the body of a patient.

WVhen the current passing between the ball 12 and the plate 10 is of suflicient high tension, sufiicient current may be collected from the plate 6 to be quite visible in the nature of a spark or wave, which however will in no manner have the shocking effect as the current passing between the ball and plate. Even under such circumstances, however, it is not deemed advisable to employ a current of this strength for therapeutic purposes, and a high tension current is described in the present specification more with the object of explaining the operation of the apparatus, and when in actual use a current having much lower tension is used, whereby no visual results are seen in connection therewith, but an electro-magnetic current will be gathered by the plate 6 just as above explained, and transmitted in minute charges to the body of the patient.

It must be explained that the coil 9 may be eliminated if desired, though a greater waste of current will occur during the operation of the device, and on account of the very small batteries that are used, it is considered advisable to have this resistance coil of fine wire included in the circuit, in order that the battery may not be practically short-circuited, periodically during the operation of the device.

hat I claim as my invention is:

1. An electro-therapeutic apparatus, comprising a plate of di-elect-ric material, condenser plates secured on both sides of said di-electric plate, electrical connections from one of said condenser plates to a suitable source of electric energy and an electric c011- ductor spring-held in proximity to said electrically-connected condenser plate and electrically connected to a suitable source of electric energy.

2. An electro-therapeutic apparatus, comprising a di-electric casing, a coil of wire contained within said casing, condenser plates secured to said casing on the interior and exterior of one side thereof, an electrical conductor spring-held within said casing adjacent to the inner of said condenser plates, electrical connections from the condenser plate adjacent to said conductor to said coil, a source of electric energy, electrical connections from said coil to one terminal of said source of electrical energy and electrical connections from said conductor to the other terminal of said source of electric energy.

3. An electro-therapeutic apparatus, comprising a disk of dielectric material having a plurality of circular flanges extending laterally from one side thereof and forming a central recess and an outer ring recess, a coil of wire contained in said outer ring recess, a plate of metallic material secured on said disk within said central recess and electrically connected to said coil, a plate of metallic material secured to said disk on the opposite side of the aforesaid plate, a coil spring supported from one of said disk flanges within said central recess, a ball of metallic material secured to the free end of said spring and supported thereby adjacent to the plate of metallic material within said recess, and a pair of binding-posts having electrical connection with said coil and said coil spring respectively.

4. An electro-therapeutic apparatus, comprising a disk of di-electric material having a plurality of circular flanges extending laterally from one side thereof and forming a central recess and an outer ring recess, a coil of wire contained in said outer ring recess, a plate of metallic material secured on said disk within said central recess and electrically connected to said coil, a plate of metallic material secured to said disk on the opposite side of the aforesaid plate, a coil spring supported from one of said disk flange-s within said central recess, a ball of metallic material secured to the free end of said spring and supported thereby adjacent to the plateof metallic material within said recess, a pair of binding-posts having electrical connection with said coil and said coil spring respectively, a source of electric energy, electrical connection from the negative terminal of said source of electric Province of Ontario, in the Dominion of 10 energy to the binding-post connected to said 1 f Canada, this tenth day of January 1910. coil sprin e ectrical connections rom the positive t rminal of said source of electric MARK MGELHINNEY' energy to the binding-post connected to said Witnesses:

coil and a cover of di-electric material se- K. FRANCES MAoGIBBoN,

cured over said flanges. HATTIE R. CALLIs.

Signed at the city of Ottawa, in the Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G.

Images