US1821081A - Artificial hand - Google Patents

Description

' Sept. 1, 1931. H. c. STARKEY ARTIFICIAL HAND Filed July 12, 1929 m if Ha sew-ri e Patented Sept. 1, 1931 ill? STATES HERBERT C. STARKEY, OF CHADRON, NEBRASKA ARTIFICIAL HAND Application filed. July 12, 1929.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of this character so constructed that it is operable upon placing stress upon a conventional form of shoulder harness. With these and other objects in view, this invention resides in the novel features of construction, formation, combination and ar-. rangement of parts to be hereinafter more fully described, claimed, and illustrated in.

provided with a curved seat 19, said sea-t cooperating with the arm 9 to hold relathe accompanying drawings, in which: I Figure 1 is a side view. Figure 2 is an edge view. Figure 3 is a sectional view on the line 33 of Figure 1.

Figure 4- is a'view with one plate'removed,

showing a modified form.

Figure 5 is a view with one plate removed, showing another modification.

The device comprises a sleeve 1 having a lug 2 carried thereby and in said sleeve is clamping bolt 3 which bolt is adapted to engage the downturned flanges & of the bracket 5, said bracket being secured in any suitable manner to the socket 6. The socket (3' is adapted to be placed upon the stump of the arm and forms a part of the usual construction of this type. It will be observed that the flanges 4 abut the ends of the sleeve 1 so that when the bolt 3 is clamped these parts will be held frictionally connected and are capable of adjustment without loosening the bolt 3.

A pair of plates 7 is provided and these plates have their upper ends engaged upon opposite sides of the lugs 2, there being a clamping bolt 8 passable through the plates and lugs in order to adjustably and friction.

Serial No. 377,777.

ally secure the plates to said lug. Owing to the presence of the bolts 3 and 8 the hand can be conveniently adjusted to various angles.

A pair of arms 9 and 10 are employed, the latter being riveted between the plates 7 while the former is pivotally connected between said plates by a bolt 11, said arms having jarcuate sections 12 and 13 respectively. The terminals of the arcuate sections are provided with lateral fingers '14 and 15, which fingers are normally held in contacting relation.

The arm 9 has fixed thereto, adjacent its pivotal connection, a bar 16 to which a cord or cable 17 is attached, said cable leading from a conventionalform of shoulder harness'in order that the arms 9 and 10 can be opened when desired by imparting stress upon the cord or cable.

The arm 10 has formed integral therewith, a cross bar 18 which has its free end tively small objects such as nails, pins or the like, when "the arms are in their closed position. It will be obvious that the seat will permit the passage of a small article between it and the arm when the arms are spread aparta slight distance and will hold the same firmly.

An elastic band 20 is placed around the arms 9 and 10 and at a point just above the bar 18, said band being prevented from slipping upon the'arm 10 by a staple 21 which is engaged. in the perforations 22 formed in said arm, it being obvious that the bar 16 will also prevent creeping of the'band upwardly.

It will be obvious that a small tool, such as a chisel or punch can be conveniently held between. the bar 18 and band 20, it being, of course, understood that thearms are spread before the tool is placed therebetween.

The arm 10 is formed with perforations 23 while the arm 9 has a single perforation 24 and it is in these perforations that nails are inserted to hold a rubber band25, indicated in dotted lines inFigure 1 of the. 1M

'L" La of plates, arcuate arms forming a closed ble.

drawings, against slipping upon the arm. It will, of course, be understood that the number of perfo 'ations may be varied, as desired. The purpose of this band is to re strict the size of the loop formed by the arc uate sections of the arms so that a broom handle or similar article may be held between the arms when the same are in their closed position.

Obviously, when the band 25 is eliminated, heavy or large tubular objects or other articles may be conveniently grasped between said arms.

The band 20 not only serves to hold a tool but also normally tends to hold the arms 9 and 10 in their closed position. However, it .will be obvious that said arms will readily expand when stress is applied to the bar 16 to open the arms to permit the same to grip various objects.

Since the fingers 1-1 and 15 are readily separable upon spreading of the arms 9 and 10 they can be effectively used for picking up various articles. The fingers are of hooklike formation in order that they may be used for lifting buckets, suit cases, and the like.

In Figure it, a slightly modified form of the invention is discloseo wherein the arms 9 and 10 are both pivotally connected between the plates '7 and have their pivoted ends provided with segmental racks 26 which are adapted to mesh so that when one of the arms is swung through the medium of the cord or cable the other will be moved simultaneously.

In the modified form shown in Figure 5, the arm 27 is pivotally connected between the plates 7 and is provided with a rack segment 28, the teeth of which mesh with the teeth of the rack segment 29 also pivotally mounted between the plates 2.' The seg-' ment 29 has formed integral therewith a bar 30 to which is see red the harness cord or ea- In this form of the invention the arm 31 is rigidly sustained.

From the foregoing, it is thought that the operation and many advantages of the herein described invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art without further description and it will be understood that various changes in the size, shape, proportion and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. An artificial hand comprising a pair loop, one arm being pivotally connected between the plates and the other rigidly secured thereto, a socket member, means for connecting the plates with the member for universal adjustment, the free terminals of the arms having lateral fingers thereon, a cross bar carried by one of the arms and cooperating with the other arm for gripping articles, and a rubber band engaged around the arms and performing the dual function of holding the fingers yieldably engaged with each other and cooperating with the bar in gripping articles.

2. An artificial hand comprising a pair of plates, and a pair of arms, one arm being fixed between the plates and the other pivotally mounted therebetween, a cross bar carried by one arm for cooperation with the other arm for gripping articles,v an elastic band engaged around the arms to hold the same normally closed, said band cooperating with the bar for gripping articles, and a staple engaged with the band and one arm to prevent slipping of the band.

3. An artificial hand comprising a pair of plates, a pair of arcuate arms, both arms being pivoted to the plates and provided with interineshing gear teeth whereby when one arm is moved the other is simultaneously moved, a cross bar carried by one arm for cooperating with the other arm for gripping articles, a rubber band engaged around the arms to hold the same normally closed, said band cooperating with the bar for gripping articles, and means for securing the band to the arms to prevent slipping of the band.

e. In an artificial hand, a pair of parallel plates, a transverse pivot about which the plates swing as an axis, a pair of relatively movable arms carried by the plates on opposite sides of the pivot and coaeting with the plates in forming a closed loop, a cross bar carried by one arm and extending across the space between the arms for cooperation with the other arm in gripping articles, and an elastic band connecting the arms adjacent to said cross bar for normally holding the arms closed and coacting with the cross bar in gripping articles.

In testimony whereof I afiix mv signature.

HERBERT o. STARKEY. [L.s.]

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