US2661735A

US2661735A - Speculum

Info

Publication number: US2661735A
Application number: US301242A
Authority: US
Inventors: Davis Rachel Darden
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1952-07-28
Filing date: 1952-07-28
Publication date: 1953-12-08
Anticipated expiration: 1970-12-08

Description

3 R. D. DAVIS 2,661,735

SPECULUM Filed July 28, 1952 Ill! Rachel Darden Dav/s, INVENTOR.

M406 By gym? Patented Dec. 8, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 'SPECULUM Rachel Darden Davis, Kinston, N. C.

Application July 28, 1952, Serial No. 301,242

I (Cl. 128-17) 1 Claim.

This invention relates to a speculum and particularly to an improved skeleton blade speculum with means for readily adjusting and maintaining the skeleton blades in proper relation while illuminating devices and other instruments are projected through the speculuin into operating position therein.

In the utilization of speculums for providing inspection or operating room in the vagina, difficulty has heretofore been had because of the obscuring of the parts operated on by the speculum itself. Further difliculty has been had because of the difficulty of projecting light inside the speculum and avoiding the glare into the eyes of the operator. Further difficulty has been had because the adjustment of the speculum is liable to be erratic and Wobbly so that the blades may not be maintained in proper alignment during operation.

A speculum according to the present invention avoids this difficulty by providing skeleton blades having substantially wire-like ribs forming the blades and having an improved handle and slide arrangement for adjusting the width of the mouth of the speculum and maintaining the slide and the handle in proper aligned position.

The speculum further provides a means for mounting an illuminating device in one of the blades of the speculum and provides sufficient room so that a reflector or shield may be mounted over the illuminating device to protect the eyes of the operator.

It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide an improved speculum.

It is a further object of the invention to pro vide a speculum having skeleton blades.

It is a further object of the invention to pro vide a speculum blade having means for mounting a light therein.

It is a further object of the invention to pro- 2 on the plane indicated by the line l-4 of Figure 2 and showing the improved guide structure for the speculum.

In the exemplary embodiment of the invention, the speculum blade comprises a base It formed of relatively thin sheet metal material and having the major portion of the blades cut into fingers or ribs !2 which are formed or worked into rod or wire-like shape so that the speculum. is substantially skeleton bladed. The outside ribs of each of the blades is provided by means of ribs [4 and it which are joined into substantially loop-like formation having a tip such as l8. Preferably each of the blades is formed of an odd number of ribs so that a central rib such as 2!! may extend down and be directly connected to the tip l8 of the loop formed by the two outside ribs l4 and it. The remaining ribs 12 may be connected to the outside ribs M and It at a point removed from the tip it but preferably all of the ribs will be of arcuate formation so that the entire blade is concave in construction; One of the blades, such as the blade having the base I 0, has rigidly connected thereto a laterally extending handle 22 which is concave in cross section as shown in Figure 4 and terminates in a downturned gripping end 24. The concave handle 24 provides a longitudinally extending slot or guide channel 26 for a purpose presently to be described. A slide member 28 is provided for sliding engagement with the handle 22 and has a longitudinally extending slot 30 through which extends locking screw 32 which is rigidly secured in the handle 22 by any suitable means. The locking nut St is mounted on the screw 32 for locking the slide 28 in substantially fixed relation with respect to the handle 22.

The slide 28 is provided with a bifurcated head 38 having forwardly extending

arms

40 and 42. The base 44 of the outside blade is pivoted to the

arms

40 and 42 by means of

suitable rivets

46 and 48. The

arms

40 and 42 are roughly channel-shaped in formation and the base It is provided with upstanding lugs 50 that slide in the

arms

40 and 42 and stabilize the head with respect to the base H).

The outside end of the slide 28 is provided with an enlarged end 52 on which is provided a grip-- ping aperture 54. The enlarged head 52 is likewise provided with an inturned downwardly extending guide lug 56 adapted to slide in the longitudinal concave portion 26. To further stabilize the operation of the slide on the handle 22 a pair of

grooves

60 and 62 is provided on the underside or the slide 28 and

upstanding ridges

64 and 66 on the edges of the concave handle 22 extend into the

grooves

60 and 62 for further preventing lateral movement of the slide on the handle.

A lever 10 is rigidly mounted on the base 44 and has a thumb engaging portion I2 which extends in proximity to the handle 22 so that it may be operated by the thumb of the hand holding theQzhandleZZZ. Alaterallygprojectingppintis lgstanclingthere6f.

mounted in the armfl and has arelativ'ely flat head H with the head lying in the plane of the head 38. An adjusting screw 16 has a head?" in which is a longitudinally extending slot. .8

5 of the wire-like ribs forming the blades of the speculum.

For purposes of description a particular embodiment of the invention has been shown, and described according to the best present under- However,11it .iWlH be; apparent "to 'thoseskil'led in theartthat many changes and v modifications can be made herein without departing from the true spirit of the invention.

.Having described the invention, what is The slot 80 is of sufficient width that the flat'l5 claimed as new is:

head 14 may readily pass through-.theeslotjfl when the screw I6 is in substantiaLparallel relation to the arm 42. The lever'lfl"is"provided with an aperture through which the :screw :16

extends and a thumb nut 82 is mounted on the 20 screw '16 land is. operativeutorloclethe lever- 10. .in aadiusteiposition when. desired.

The base 44 of 'the outer blade igprovided .With .adongitudinally extending, slot 86 which extends relatively to thebottomof the base. and prefer- .ably;.is. in line with the central rib. or" the. outer .blade. Theslot -88 .is v adapted .to .permit-.the .location of. a light fixture within the speculum and toeadjustit .as may be desired. Ifdesired .the..base;44..may be :fiared outwardly-sufiiciently so that. a. reflector :orshield may .be. mounted in .t-he speculumto; prevent light from the light fixt-turefromlshining into the eyes of theoperator.

In the operation of the; speculum, the, nut82 :will be loosened so that the tips of the blades will ,come together, as shown .in FigureB and the nut .34 is-loosened so that: themouth of the speculum maybe adjusted to any desired widthafter which it: will ,be. rigidly. locked .in-pesitionby. tightening the nut 534.530 thatthe slide-28 will, be rigidly maintained in longitudinal relation to thelhandle .22. .flhe lever 10 .wilLthenzbe depressed .toeopen :the' blades otthe speculum. todilate the portion being-inspected and if desiredthe locking .nut

Samaybe; run. down to maintain-.theblades n 46 5 A :speciilum comprising a pair of skeleton .blades, eachof said blades including an arcuate plate 'metalbase, a plurality of wire-like ribs .formed: on said base, said ribs being secured tbgether to provide a blade tip, a laterally extending ..handle. on-.one of said ..blades,..a bifurcated sslide. mounted. for'..longitudinal .motion .on. said handle. the. other of :said blades being pivotally mounted. onsaid biiurcated slide,v a longitudinal slot in said -slide,.a locking screw extending through saidslot a pair of parallel longitudinally extending grooves in said slide, apair of upstandeing ridges on said handle, said ridgesbeingen- -.gagecl in saidgrooves, said handle being concave, 2. depending guide on said slide, said guide being reeeived-insaid concave handle.

RACHEL DARDEN. DAVIS.

References Cited in the "file of this patent UNITEDqSTATES -:-PATENTS Number Name Date 624537 'Provins May 9,1899 662.830 iSklar Nov. 27, 1900 2,545,201 Gilbert Mar. 13, 1951 ".OTHERiREFERENCES 11893 Catalog 10f Chas. .TruaxeGreen (30., "Chicago Ill gp. .1470. (Copy in Div. 55.)