US1495865A - Crutch - Google Patents

Description

Pat M y 2 1 5,

'umrsn sires "ATENT oF JAMES ALEXANDER MooEE, or WEIR, KANSAS, .assr'enoa or onE-HALE TO I. PHILLIPPAR, or WEIR, KANSAS.

Flea,

GUSTAVE GRUTCH.

Application filed September 28, 1921. Serial No. 503,707,

T 0 all whom it may concern.

Be it known that 1, JAMES A. MOORE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Weir, in the county of Cherokee and State of Kansas, have invented new and useful Improvements in Crutches, of which the fol lowing is a specification.

This invention relates to crutches, and particularly to cushioning devices for absorbing the shock incident to the use of the crate The primary object of the invention is to provide a crutch of simplified and improved construction, wherein the shocks and jolts to which the crutch isnecessarily subjected in use will be absorbed by improved mechanism carried by the crutch and will not be delivered to the shoulder and arm of the user of the crutch.

A further object of the invention is to provide a crutch of the character stated wherein the cushioning mechanism is of simple construction and composed of but few parts, the said parts being constructed and arranged in such manner as to adapt themselves readily to the ordinary crutch now in use, which can not become readily broken, impaired or deranged, and which will prove thorou hly practical and efficient in use.

A still further objectof the invention is to provide a crutch of such nature as to afford a decided cushioning effect to. prevent transmission of shocks or jars to the user, and which when not subjected to pressure will assume normalor extended position.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of the features of con struction, combination and arrangement of parts, hereinafter fully described and claimed, reference being had to the ac'com panying drawing, in which Figure l is a fragmentary side elevation of a crutch constructed in accordance with the invention, Figure 2 is a similar view, parts broken away, and illustrating more in detail the manner in which the cushioning mechanism is assembled with the crutch, v

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially upon line 3-3 of Figure 1, and v Figure 4t is a similar view taken upon line 44- of Figure 1.

Referring now more particularly to the" drawing, the longitudinal rails or ,bars of the crutch are indicated at 5, and'these rails are spaced relatively far apart at their upper ends, being connected by the fixed'head'6, and itis understood that they converge at their lower or. ground engaging ends. t

The head 6 may be secured to the spaced upper ends of rails 5 in any approved or desired manner, screws 7 being employed,

in the present instance, such screws affording a rigid connection between the said head and therails. The shoulder piece or rest is indicated at'8, and is of such shape and size which might be delivered to the arm of the crutch user through the hand piece 9, the latter is connected positively to a traveller 10, the latter in turn being connected to the resiliently supported shoulder piece 8. More particularly, the. shoulder piece 8 has depending therefrom at its middle point, a rod or stem 11. This rod or stem 11 is as to comfortably fit in the arm pit of the a threaded at its upper end to receive a round walls of the opening 13', and thus acts to. hold the shoulder piece from upward or downward displacement, but permits said shoulder piece to have lateral pivotal or ro tative movement on said portion of the rod which forms a journal or axis therefor. As.

shown, the opening 13 is disposed in vertical aline nent with a vertical opening 13 formed centrally in the head'6. The rod or stem 11 extends downward loosely through this opening 13 and through an opening in the upper guide nieinber'or traveler 10 and 'is threaded at its lower end to receive amb nuts 14, whereby said rod or stem is fixed to said guide member or traveler 10. This 7 guide member 10 fits loosely between the side rails 5, and is yoked at its ends as shown in Figure {lto loosely embrace the said rails.

The hand grip or piece 9 is provided near itsrends with openings 15 to loosely receive the side rails 5, as shown .in Figure 3, and

, the hand piece 9 is rigidly connected with the upper traveller 10 by meansof the rods 16. These rods are connected to the traveler and hand piece by means of the jamb --nuts :17, as shown;

The expanslon spring 9 1sin the form of a coiled spring as shown,.the same encircling V thestem 11 hetweenthe shoulder piece 8 and ,head 6, vand bearing at its ends against bear- 7 ing plates or washers 1 8.

By constructing thecrutch in the manner set forth, it is apparent that the shocks .transmitted to the crutch-when in use will be absorbed by the cushioning spring 9, so that such shocks will not bedelivered to the shoulder of the'user or to the hand and arm through the hand grip 9. shall be of such strength as not to give or collapse too freely, so that the supporting eifectof the crutch will not be overcome. It

will be understood, of course, that in the event of vthe spring 9 becoming impaired, it may be readily removed and replaced, and it will be further understood-thatsprings of .the desired tensile strength will be applied to vthe stem 11 in accordance with the desires ofthe userof the crutch and depend ing uponthe weight of the person for'whose use the crutch is intended;

" As the crutch is used, upon being applied :tothe ground,;tl1e weight of its user is thrown partlyupon the shoulder .piece 8 and partly upon the hand grip .9. reason of the fact that these two main supporting or weight receiving elements are rigidly connested, they will both give at one time and the weight will be assumed by the expansion spring ,9 whereby the shock incident to the V apphcatmnof the crutch to the ground in walking will be absorbed.

v A lso, 1 t will be observed, as the shoulder piece 8 is mounted to turn or rotate on the .rod orlstem 1 1, lateral motion of the shoulder piece isapermitted relative to -the crutch body, this movement enabling the crutch to adapt itself to peculiar twists which are fre- The spring 9' quently given to crutches in the walking operation. V

With the crutch constructed and assembled in the manner stated, it is apparent, thatjthe objects set forth will be fully at-' tained, and that fatigue and exhaustion frequently experienced by those having to use supporting crutches will be greatly minimized or wholly removed.

The foregoing is a description. of the in vention in its preferred embodiment, hows ever, it is obvious that variations inthe construction of the mechanism, the assemblage and coordination oftthe parts thereof may be resorted to if desired without departing from the inventionas definediby the claims.

Having thusfully described my invention, I claim': t p

1 In a crutch, a'traveling hand piece, a

movable shoulder piece, means connecting said hand and shoulder pieces for vertical movement in unison, and resilient means acting on one of said pieces fornormally maintaining both of said pieces at the limit of its movement in one direction. j

2. In a crutch, the combination with the side rails and the head thereof, of, a traveling hand grip carried by said rails, a shoulder piecev movable toward and from said head, a connection between said shoulder piece and said hand"'grip, and

a traveler movable between said rails, a connection between said .hand piece and said traveler, a shoulder piece yieldably. supported by said "head, and a connection thevtween said traveler and said shoulder piece.

5. In a crutch, the combination with the side rails and the head thereof, of a hand;

piece slidably engaging said side rails, a shoulder piece resilientlysupported by 'said head, and a connection between saidshoulder piece and said handfpiece, said shoulder piece being rotatably mounted on said con-- nection.

6. In a crutch, the combination with the side rails and the head thereof, of ahand grip, the said hand grip havingspaced openings therein to receive said" side rails, a traveler interposed between said side rails and spaced from said hand grip, the ends of said traveler being yoked to embrace said side rails, rods rigidlyconnectingsaid hand grip and said traveler, astem rigidly j'connected to said traveler at its lower end and In testimony whereof I affix my signature extending loosely througn and slida-bly sup-- in presence of two Witnesses. ported by said head, a shoulder piece-rotatabiy supported by the outer end of said stein, JAMES ALEXANDER and an expansion spring encircling said Witnesses: stem and interposed between said shoulder J. C. BROADLEY,

piece and said head. WM. G. MORTGN.

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