US2690175A

US2690175A - Traction table

Info

Publication number: US2690175A
Application number: US319516A
Authority: US
Inventors: William W Daughtry
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1952-11-08
Filing date: 1952-11-08
Publication date: 1954-09-28
Anticipated expiration: 1971-09-28

Description

P 23, 1954 w. w. DAUGHTRY 2,690,175

TRACTION TABLE Filed Nov. 8, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

Maw w. Mag

ATTORNEY W////am l/V. Doug/7 fry Sept. 28, 1954 w w; DAUGHTRY 2,690,175

TRACTION TABLE Filed Nov. 8, 1952 2 Shets-Sheet 2 W////am l/l/. flaug/nry INVENTOR.

WmHoaJ w A TTORNE Y Patented Sept. 28, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TRACTION TABLE William W. Daughtry, Houston, Tex.

Application November 8, 1952, Serial No. 319,516

1 Claim.

The present invention relates to a traction table for receiving a. patient thereon and applying a tension to the body of the patient. In various medical treatments used under present day practice, it may be necessary or desirable to place all or a portion of the body of a patient under tension. The amount of tension or treatment will vary from patient to patient and it is, therefore, desirable to provide an adjustment table which is readily adaptable to apply varying degrees of traction.

The present invention is directed to :a table for placing the body of a patient under tension, which invention is provided with means forvarying the degree of tension and for varying the number of times that the body is placed under such tension over a desired time interval.

Another object of the invention is to provide a treatment table for receiving a patient, which table is provided with a plurality .ofmovable sections to conform to the body contour of the patient being treated.

Still another object of the invention is to pro vide a treatment table for receiving a patient and applying the tension to the body .of such patient, which table is provided with a plurality of movable sections, one of such sections being reciprocal in a horizontal plane for applying a desired amount of tension to the patients body and then releasing such tension a predetermined number of times within a definite time interval.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from a consideration of the following description and drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an embodiment of the invention with the straps for fitting around the body of the patient shown in dotted line;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view showing the arrangement of the movable sections of the table and a preferred means for moving and for varying the movement of that section of the table which is movable in a horizontal plane;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary longitudinal vertical sectional view showing the invention with the horizontal reciprocal section in .extended position;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary longitudinal vertical sectional view showing the manner of adjustment so as to vary the amount of tension or travel of the horizontally movable section;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing another embodiment of the invention; and

2 Fig. 6 is .a longitudinal vertical sectional view of that form of the invention shown in Fig. .5.

The invention is illustrated generally at 2 in Fig. 1 and is shown as comprising a table 3 having a top portion 4 to which is connected legs 5 depending downwardy therefrom. If desired a suitable covering .6 may be placed on the sides 7 and ends 8 to cover the operating mechanism and to present a neat looking appearance. Mounted on the top portion 4 are a plurality .of movable sections 9 and [0, with an additional movable section II being provided in that form of the invention shown in Figs. 5 and 6.

The section I3 of that form .of the invention shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4 may be permanently .secured to the top portion 4 of the table by any suitable means such as bolts or the like (not shown). The section I0 is arranged to reciprocate back and forth in a horizontal plane on the top portion 4 of the table. To accommodate such sliding action suitable bearings 15 may be provided in the top portion 4 upon which the nether surface l6 of the portion L0 rides. A suitable guideway or track (not shown) is provided to guide section I 0 during its reciprocating movement and to prevent tilting thereof out of the horizontal plane.

A spring i1 is shown as being connected at 18 to the stationary section 13 of the table 2, with the other end of such spring being connected at l9 to the forward portion 20 of the reciprocal section IU. The spring I! tends to maintain the section I 0 in that position illustrated in Fig. 2, and when the section III is moved away from the stationary section I3 as shown in Fig. 3, such spring is placed under a tension which tends to return the section l0 to its normal position as shown in Fig. 2.

A power source 20 is provided, the shaft of which is connectedto gear reduction box 2!, which in turn has a shaft 22 on which is connected the crank end 23. A cable 24 is connected to the section I10 at 25 adjacent the spring connection 1| 9, such cable extending longitudinally of the reciprocating section and extending over the .support means 26 and thence forwardly where it is connected by any suitable means such as shown at 21 to the crank end 23 on the rotatable shaft 22.

From the foregoing it can be seen that as the shaft 22 is rotated the cable 24 is drawn taut as shown in Fig. 3, the arrangement of the cable being such that a force is applied to the table section l0 so as to move it in a direction opposed to the pulling force of the spring I1. As

the crank end 23 continues its rotation and returns to its initial position shown in Fig. 2, the table section iii is also returned to such position due to the pulling force of the spring H.

The section 9 is pivotally connected at 39 to act as a head rest for the body of the patient and if desired may be moved upwardly out of the plane of the table as illustrated in dotted line at iii. A crank 33 and a gear train 3 moves rod which rod is pivotally connected at 36 to the section so as to either raise or lower such section. A suitable catch (not shown) for re taining the section 9 in any desired position may be provided.

In some instances it may be desirable to vary the amount of travel of the horizontally movable section if] and to this end the arrangement 31 is provided which is connected to the cable support it. The arrangement 31 includes the bell crani; 38 which is mounted on rod 39, such rod being secured to said table. An adjustment cable iii extends from the lower end i! of the bell crank to the operator 2. The operator 42 consists of a shaft having a handle it on the outside of the table, the rod 133 being provided with notches 55 for engagement with a catch or latch within the housing By exerting a pull on the handle M and connected rod t3 the bell crank it is pivoted about shaft 353 by means of the cable it. Movement of the bell crank adjusts the position of the cable support 26 as shown in Fig. l and takes up the slack in cable whereupon rotation of the crank 23 moves the section it a greater dis tance than that illustrated in Fig. 2 where the bell crank tilt is shown as being in a position to provide slack 5G in the cable M. A suitable button E! in the handle dd may be provided to disengage the catch from the notches in the shaft 43, such construction being similar, for example, to the emergency brake release used on automobiles.

The section ii illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6 is pivotally connected at 69 to stationary section it and is mounted over cut-away portion 6! in the sides l of the table so that it can swing downwardly out of the horizontal plane of the table to accommodate a patients anatomy, for example, as when the patient is reclining on the table on his stomach. The spring ll is connected to the downwardly swingable portion H in that form of the invention shown in Figs. 5 and 6 and not only acts to return the reciprocal section It to its normal position but also tends to return the section i i up to the normal horizontal plane when the pressure due to the anatomy of the patient is removed. therefrom.

While it is believed that the operation of the invention is apparent by reason of the foregoing, to further illustrate and amplify it will be assumed that a patient is reclining on the table as illustrated in Fig. 2. Straps '65 are provided for engagement about the waist of the patient and straps 66 are provided for engagement about the shoulders and under the arm pits of the patient. The head rest 9 is adjusted to make the patient comfortable and power is supplied to the motor 20 so as to reciprocate the section Hi. It can be readily appreciated that a tension is thereby applied to the patients body from the waist to the shoulders. If it is desired to remove the straps 66 and apply a different tension such as, for example, from the waist to the chin of the patient, a chin strap 61 is provided for securing and holding the chin of the patient. If desired the straps may be shortened to engage about the ankles of a patient for applying a tension to the patients body from the angles to either the chin or the shoulders.

It seems obvious that other arrangements of straps can be provided to obtain the desired treatment without departing from the scope of the invention. Also it should be noted that the gear box 2i may be of the type so that the gear ratio therein may be changed so as to change the speed of rotation of the shaft 22. This would in effect vary the number of reciprocations of the section l0 within a given time interval. Also the degree of tension may be varied by positioning the bell crank 38 and connected cable support it at any desired position as previously described herein.

From the foregoing description it is believed apparent that the present invention provides a traction table construction which is relatively simple in construction yet flexible in that it ailows a wide range of adjustments depending upon the needs of the patient.

Broadly the invention relates to a traction table construction and more particularly to a traction table construction of simple design and which is provided with a plurality of movable sections for accommodating the body of a patient thereon.

What is claimed is:

A traction table for applying a tension to the body of a patient comprising, a support table having a top portion and legs depending downwardly therefrom, a plurality of movably mounted sections supported on said top portion of said table and adapted to receive a patient thereon, the first of said movable sections being movable only in a horizontal plane, another of said sections being movable up and out of the horizontal planeof said table and a third section pivotally mounted to swing downwardly into the plane of said table, and means for reciprocating said first section in a horizontal plane, said means including spring means connected to said first section and to said table tending to restrain said section against reciprocating movement, a rotatable shaft mounted on said table below said top portion, a cable sup port mounted on said table under said first section and spaced from the point of connecting said spring to said first section, and cable means connected to said first section adjacent said spring connecting and extending longitudinally and below said first section, around said cable support and extending forwardly for connection to said rotatable shaft whereby rotation of said shaft moves said cable and exerts a pull on said first section in a direction opposite to the pull exerted by said spring whereby said section is moved by cable movement and then returned to its initial position by said spring.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,205,649 Miller Nov. 21, 1916 2,243,013 Morey et al May 20, 19%]. 2,262,271 De Camp Nov. 11, 1941 2,579,783 Branto Dec. 25, 1951