US2405851A - Trachea connection - Google Patents

Description

Aug.13,1946i. yO mEgERTs zos's TRACHEA coNNEcTIoN vFiled March 22,1945

FIG. l.

INVENTOR:

OTTIE ROBERTS Patented Aug. 13, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 'rancune ooNNEoTioN Ottie Roberts, East St. Louis, Ill. Y appiicatin March 22, 1945, serial No. '584,190

3 Claims.

This invention relates to trachea connections, and more particularly to improvements in devices for this purpose which operate to effect a suitable air supply connection between a tracheal opening and the sound box of an artiiicial larynx or the like,

Since the rst appearance of the various types and designs of artiiicial larynges which have been available for a number of years to those requiring such instruments, considerable diniculty has been experienced in effecting a practical and comfortable connection between a trachea opening and the tube for supplying air therefrom, to an artificial voice apparatus. The presentv invention has resulted from a number of years of experience of this applicant, as a user, designer and manufacturer of equipment of this general type. The general betterment of and increase of comfort to the user of such devices, constitute general objectives of the present invention.

Due to the fact of surgical removal of the larynx, or because of severe impairment of the vocal chords in any manner necessitating the use of artificial speech devices, it is usually necessary to terminate the trachea or windpipe in an outside orice surgically formed in the lower frontal portion of the neck. It is to the purpose of providing a suitable, practical, air-tight and comfortable connection from such tracheal orifice to an artificial larynx, that the current improvements are directed.

It is frequently the case that a tracheal opening resulting from the causes noted, is not of truly circular shaping; frequently also they vary in size, and the neck contour of the patient or user of the device may vary considerably so as to necessitate, for best results, a high degree of physical adaptability of the air tube connection to the varying contours and shaping of neck, and the varying nature of tracheal incisions in different individuals. This greater adaptability is obtained as an objective of the present improvements.

More particularly stated in reference to currently novel structure, the invention has as an objective, to provide an easily conforming annular cushion in `combination with a cup-like trachea connection, and the attainment of a structure such that the resilient or cushion element of the device may be renewed from timey to time Without special skill, tools or equipment.

Yet another object of the invention is attained in a tracheal connection such that the bell or cup thereof may be readily adapted, without any special equipment, to surround comfortably certain irregularly shaped tracheal incisions and may thus be readily individualized or personalized to the user.

The foregoing and numerous other objects will more clearly appear as the description proceeds.

In the drawing:

Fig. l is a side elevation of a trachea connection embodying the present improvements;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view along a longitudinal median plane, particularly as taken along line 2 2 of Fig. l, and illustrating the internal arrangement of parts in assembly, and

Fig. 3 is an exploded view of the bell andthe sleeve used to effect a tube connection, shown in section, together with a resilient annulus used as a cushioning element, and threaded assembly means.

Referring now by characters of reference to n the drawing, an air supply tube l!) which may conveniently consist of a suitable high grade rubber or rubber-like material, serves in now well known manner, to direct the air supplied from the trachea opening, to the interior of a sound box cr the like, of an articial larynx, for example of a type such as shown in my copending application of Serial No. 584,189, led March 22, 1945, and entitled Improvements in artificial larynx construction. As will best appear from Fig. 2, a suitably tight and readily effected air supply connection consists of an integrally extended sleeve II, being part of a cup-like or bellshape body generally indicated at l2. The connecting tube or sleeve Il is provided with an internal bore i3 of substantial size, which is continued into a bore lil of even diameter with the bore'l. Beyond this, proceeding toward the air supply or connection end of the device, it will best appear from Fig. 3 that the bore ll is somewhat enlarged and is internally threaded as at l5 for a purpose hereinafter better appearing.

Beyond the threaded bore l5 is the cup or bell structure which may consist of a molded thermoplastic element, including preferably in a single piece, the parts ii and i2, this unit being molded or otherwise formed so thatl the chamber within the bell is contoured to approximate close ly the frustrum of a sphere approaching hemispherical proportions, thus resultingV in a relatively deeply cupped fitting,

It will now appear that, with a normally circular trachea opening, the device including merely a suitable tube connection and a bell portion such as I2, may be operatively employed of itself,

without other provisions, to complete the communication between trachea and artificial larynx.

It is preferred to form the structures II-IE of some suitable thermoplastic material, preferably hard rubber of the grade usually sold as rod stock, and which in order to adapt the shaping of bell or cup I2 to meet any unusual individual requirements, may be softened in warm water, reshaped as needed, and upon recooling, will retain the desired oval, oblong or otherY noncircularshape resulting from the softening treatment.

It is greatly preferred to employ in conjunction with the structure I I-l2, a cushioning and air sealing device which, in a thoroughly practical and extremely comfortable form, consists of a deepY washer-like element originally in the form of element I1 (Fig. 3). This is cut or molded as an annulus having an initial axial opening I8 of approximately the diameter of the enlarged threaded bore I5, and further provided with rounded margins such as indicated at 2G. The initial outer diameter of the annulus l'I is by preference, appreciably greater than the largest diameter of the frusto-spherical bell or cup I6, for a reason hereinafter better appearing.

As a preferred means for assembling the annulus I1 to the body and repeated usage made of a tubular screw 2|. The'bore of screw 2| is preferably, in assembly, a continuation of the bore i4 in element I2, as will best appear from Fig. 2. The diameter of screw 2l is preferably about the same as, or slightly exceeds the diameter of the opening I8, and the threads 2I conform to the female threaded portion I5l of the bell I2. In conjunction with the tubular screw 2| there is preferably employed a thin metal washer 22 formed of a corrosionresisting metal or material, or alternately surface treated as by plating or dipping, for this purpose.

The assembly of parts will now have become obvious from the foregoing complete description of the several elements. The washer 22 is inserted over screw 2l and brought to abut the inside or under surface of the head 23 of the screw. The screw 2I is then extended through the opening I8 of the annulus I1, and is threaded into the tapped socket or bore I5 as firmly as conditions will permit.

'I'he washer I'I is by preference of a profusely internally cellular construction, and of rubber or a rubber-like materialy being characterized by a very marked depthwise resilience and substantial stretch. Now as screw 2l is threaded up, the shape of the internal surface of the bell or cup I6 will result in 4drawing the central areas of the annulus depthwise into the cup, so that there results, for example, a soft yet substantially complete cushioning liner Within the bell, but more importantly, due to the initial diameter of the annulus and its stretching characteristic, there I2, there has been selected remains extending axially of the mouth of the rigid bell I2, an extremely deep peripheral cushion for the element I2. The resulting structure, upon application to the neck of the user, will according to pressure of application, be at times deflected outwardly to an even larger diameter as may be desired, but upon merely a. gentle pressure toward the neck of the user about the tracheal opening, it is now seen that there is provided an element of high depthwise or axial resilience making for extreme comfort.

It is greatly preferred by this applicant not to anchor or secure the trachea connection in any way to the neck, as is sometimes advocated by designers of older forms of trachea connector. It will be observed that with the present device, the connector may be readily applied and removed without eifort, and yet with the' result of providing a perfectly conforming1 readily adapting, substantially air-tight seal over the varyingly irregular neck areas about the tracheal opening.

It will now have appeared that the device as described fully attains the several objectives resulting in the present development, and that in all other ways it will meet the existing demand for a more comfortable and more practical connection of this type.

The detail of description, referring as it does for instruction purposes to a single selected embodiment, is not to be understood in a restricting sense because of the many variants possible within the .scope of the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A trachea connection for use with an artificial larynx instrument or the like, for the purpose of establishing communication from a tracheal opening to an air supply tube to the instrument, the connection including a hollow body internally formed substantially of the contour of a frustrum of a sphere, an annulus of cushioning material projecting outwardly of the inlet end of the connection to serve as a neck cushion about the tracheal opening of the user, and securement means gripping the inner margin of the annulus, and attached to an inner central area of the hollow enlargement.

2. In a trachea connector, a trachea cup characterized by a deep internal chamber, a cushioning element consisting of an annulus of cellular rubber-like material, of at least the diameter of `the peripheral portion of the cup, and anchored to substantially the deepest end of the cup, the cushioning annulus projecting axially and toward the neck of the user substantially beyond the `margin of the cup.

3. A trachea connector consisting of a hard rubber fitting having a deeply cupped enlargement chambered to provide a bell-like structure arranged to be presented toward the tracheal opening, and of a diameter to surround said opening, an annulus of a cellular highly compressible rubber-like material of a diameter eX- ceeding the largest diameter of the cupped enlargement, a tubular screw, a washer fitted over the screw behind the head thereof, the screw extended through the opening of the annulus and having a threaded connection inwardly of the bell structure beyond the deepest portion of the cup, the annulus being of a size such that. when the screw is threaded up, the annulus constitutes a deformed liner within the cup-like portion, and extends axially a substantial distance beyond the outer margin of such portion to constitute a cushioning and sealing element peripherally of the cupped enlargement.

OTTlIEl ROBERTS.

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