US234597A

US234597A - Artificial limb

Info

Publication number: US234597A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1880-11-16
Anticipated expiration: 1897-11-16

Description

(No Model.) 7

A. A. MARKS.

Artificial Limbs.

No. 234,597. Patenfed Nov. 16., I880.

N'Wmwaem Maw-Tu I v Mmao. KNkoxka M I a Wad- N-FEI'ERS, PHOTO-LITHOGRAPHEH, WASHINGTON. D C.

IINHED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

AMASA A. MARKS, OF GREEN WICH, CONNECTICUT.

ARTIFICIAL LIMB.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 234,597, dated November 16, 1880. Application filed September 29, 1880. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AMAsA A. MARKS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Greenwich, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented new and useful Improvements in Artificial Limbs, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improvement on that class of artificial limbs which I have described in my Patent N 0. 40,763, dated December 1,1863; and my present invention consists in the combination, with an artificial limb, of metal wires secured in the core of said limb and extending into the fingers or toes, sheaths of canvas or other suitable material embracin g said metal wires, and an envelope of indiarubber surrounding the'corc and the sheaths of the metal wires, so that by the action of said metal wires the fingers or toes are retained in the desired position.

This invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l represents a longitudinal section of an artificial hand constructed according to my invention. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the same.

Similar letters indicate corresponding parts.

In the example shown in the drawings the letter A designates the core of an artificial hand, said core being made of wood or any other suitable material. In this core are secured a series of metal wires, B, one for each finger of the hand, and these wires are inclosed in sheaths O, of canvas or other suit-able material, which are fastened to the core A. After the wires 13 and sheaths C have been secured in the desired position, an envelope, D, ofindia-rubber is formed, which surrounds and incloses the core and the fingers or toes of the limb, as described in myPatent N o. 40,763,the sheaths C serving to support and retain the envelope and to protect the metal wires from directcontact with the rubber.

It will be readily seen from this description that the object of the metal wires B and sheaths C is to support the fingers or toes of the limb,

and if the metal wires are softthe fingers or toes can be brought in different positions,and they will retain this position with a certain tenacity but if the metal wires are hard and elasticthey will serve to retain the fingers or toes in the desired position, and cause them to return to that position whenever they (the fingers or toes) are free to do so.

In applying my invention to artificial hands I prefer to use soft-metal w1res, so that the fingers of the hand can be broughtin different positions, and the hand, if desired; can be made to grasp a pen and to carry an article, such as a basket or an umbrella, or any other article of comparatively small weight; but if this invention is applied to an artificial foot I prefer to use hard and elastic metal wires, which have atendency to retain the toes of the foot in that position which the toes of the natural foot assume in standing upon a fiat surface. Hard and elastic wires may, however, be also used in an artificial hand, andin this case saidwires are bent to the desired position before they are secured to the core A, so that when the hand is completed the fingers will be retained in an easy and graceful position, such as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The combination, with an artificial limb, of 7 metal wires secured in the core of said limb and extending into the fingers or toes, sheaths of canvas or other suitable material embracing said metal wires, and an envelope of india-rubber surrounding the core and the sheaths of the metal wires, substantially as and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

AMASA A. MARKS.