US2753716A

US2753716A - Device for shaking-down medical thermometers

Info

Publication number: US2753716A
Application number: US433696A
Authority: US
Inventors: Futterman Louis
Original assignee: GEM THERMOMETER Co
Current assignee: GEM THERMOMETER Co
Priority date: 1954-06-01
Filing date: 1954-06-01
Publication date: 1956-07-10
Anticipated expiration: 1973-07-10

Description

July 10, 1956 FUTTERMAN DEVICE FOR SHAKING-DOWN MEDICAL THERMOMETERS Filed June 1, 1954 United States Patent DEVICE FOR SHAKING-DOWN MEDICAL THERMOMETERS Louis Futtel'man, White Plains, N. Y., assignor to Gem Thliermometer Company, New York, N. Y., a partner- S P Application June 1, 1954, Serial No. 433,696

Claims. (Cl. 73373) This invention relates to devices for use in conjunction with medical thermometers for the purpose of shakingdown the thermometers, preparatory to taking the temperature of a patient. More particularly, the invention deals with a device of this type and kind, comprising a casing, in which a thermometer has a cushioned support, one part of the casing including a vibratory arm pivoted thereto to normally lie substantially parallel to the casing and adapted to be extended beyond one end of the casing in the operation of vibrating or agitating the casing, including the thermometer therein.

Still more particularly, the invention deals with a structure of the character described, wherein said arm is fashioned to form a holding clip for retaining the casing in connection with a support.

The novel features of the invention will be best understood from the following description, when taken together with the accompanying drawing, in which certain embodiments of the invention are disclosed and, in which, the separate parts are designated by suitable reference characters in each of the views and, in which:

Fig. l is a plan view of a device made according to my invention, illustrating one of the parts in extended position in dot-dash lines.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged side and sectional view of the device, as shown in Fig. l, with parts of the construction broken away.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a modified form of mounting which I employ, detached, with part of the construction broken away; and

Fig. 4 is a view, similar to Fig. 2, showing only a part of the construction and showing a modification.

In Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawing, I have indicated at a casing, comprising an elongated cylinder 11, with a detachable cap 12 adapted to be mounted on the open end of the cylinder 11. The closed end 13 of the cylinder 11 includes a cushioning pad 14 of cotton, rubber or other suitable material. The closed end 15 of the cap 12 includes a similar pad 16. At 17 is indicated diagrammatically a medical thermometer, the lower bulb end 18 of which is adapted to seat in the pad 14; whereas, the other end 19 of the thermometer seats in the pad 16. This mounting retains the thermometer against movement relatively to the casing 10 in the use of the device, as later described.

At 20 I have shown a shaker, or vibrator unit, which, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawing, comprises a narrow mounting ring 21 cemented or otherwise fixed to the cap 12, the ring 21 having an inward extension 22 arranged in the plane of part of said ring. An operating arm 23 is pivoted, as seen at 24 to said extension 22, so

that the arm 23 can be normally maintained in a position substantially paralleling the casing, as shown in full lines in Fig. 1 of the drawing, and extended beyond the end 15 of the cap, as indicated in dot-dash lines. When in the extended position, the arm 23 is grasped between the fingers of the hand and agitated in the operation of shaking-down the thermometer or, in other words, in

moving the mercury or other fluid in the direction of the bulb end 18 of the thermometer.

The arm 23 is in the form of an elongated thin and narrow strip which has spring characteristics so that the casing may be given a swinging or more or less vibratory movement in operation, as stated above. The arm 23, adjacent the pivot 24, has an elongated depression 25 to form a clip member which engages the cap 12 and can be utilized in the frictional mounting of the complete device in connection with a pocket or other support. The arm 23, beyond the depression 25, is offset, as seen at 26, so that the end portion 27 of the arm is maintained in close proximity to the cylinder 11 of the casing and an outwardly pressed transverse bead 28 is formed adjacent the end of the arm to provide a fingergrip, retaining the arm against movement relatively to the fingers in the shaking-down or vibratory action of the device, as previously described.

In Fig. 3 of the drawing, I have shown a slight modi fication, wherein the arm 23 is pivoted to a split ring 21', rather than a solid ring, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the split ring having an extension 22, similar to the extension 22, in which the pivot 24' is mounted. This type of construction would adapt the unit 20' for mounting upon a pre-purchased casing; thus the shaking-down unit can be sold independently as an article of manufacture.

In Fig. 4 of the drawing, I have shown another form of construction and, in this figure, 12' represents part of a cap, similar to the cap 12, and at 29 is shown an arm, similar to the arm 23, but instead of using the mounting ring, the arm 29 is directly pivoted to the cap 12 by a rivet pivot 30, secured to the wall of the cap 12. It is also preferred that a small ferrule 31 be employed around the rivet 30 so that the rivet can be securely fixed against the ferrule and leave slight clearance on the ferrule for free swinging movement of the arm 29 from the collapsed position into an extended position, similar to the position of the arm 23, indicated in dot-dash lines in Fig. 1 of the drawing.

Generally, the casing or the separate parts thereof are composed of hard rubber, plastics or similar materials and the parts are detachably coupled in any desired manner. No specific showing of this is made, as this is well known in the art. In this connection, the arm can also be composed of types of plastic materials having the desired flexible or spring properties required and, here, the arm can be of the same color as the material employed in the casing parts or in a color contrasting thereto. While the structures mentioned above are preferred, it will be apparent that any types and kinds of materials can be used in the various parts. Further, the invention deals generally with the provision of means on or associated with a thermometer for accomplishing the shaking-down operation which is universally practiced in the use of thermometers to assure the taking of proper temperatures.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a thermometer of the character described, a casing comprising detachably coupled cylinder and cap parts, means for yieldably supporting a thermometer within said parts when in coupled relationship, an arm in the form of an elongated thin wall narrow strip having one end pivotally coupled with the cap part and normally collapsed in a position substantially paralleling the cap part when said arm is not in use, and said arm having spring properties and adapted to be extended beyond the end of said cap part in agitating the casing and thermometer therein for purposes described.

2. In a thermometer of the character described, a casing comprising detachably coupled cylinder and cap parts, means for yieldably supporting a thermometer within said parts when in coupled relationship, an arm in the form of an elongated thin wall narrow strip having one end pivotally coupled with the cap part and normally collapsed in a position substantially paralleling the cap part when said arm is not in use, said arm having spring properties and adapted to be extended beyond the end of said cap part in agitating the casing and thermometer therein for purposes described, and the other end portion of said arm being offset with respect to the first named end portion in the direction of said cylinder and arranged parallel with said cylinder.

3. In a thermometer of the character described, a casing comprising detachably coupled cylinder and cap parts, means for yieldably supporting a thermometer within said parts when in coupled relationship, an arm in the form of an elongated thin wall narrow strip having one end pivotally coupled with the cap part and normally collapsed in a position substantially paralleling the cap part when said arm is not in use, said arm having spring properties and adapted to be extended beyond the end of said cap part in agitating the casing and thermometer therein for purposes described, and the first named end portion of said arm having an elongated inward ofiset ,forming a clip.

4. The combination with a medical thermometer casing,

of an elongated spring arm in the form of a thin wall narrow strip, means at oneend' portion of said' strip and easing forming a fixed pivotal coupling of the arm with said casing for movement of the arm into a position extending longitudinally of the casing to a position extending beyond one end of, the casing, the other free end portion of the spring arm having a fingergrip portion, and the arm, adjacent the pivot means having an inwardly pressed clip portion extending longitudinally of the arm.

5. A thermometer shake-down unit, comprising a narrow ring-like member, having an integral extension, an elongated thin wall narrow spring arm pivoted to the extension of said member, and the free end of the arm having a beadrforming a fingergrip portion.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 837,339 Peterson. Dec. 4, 1906 1,019,289 Zeal Mar. 5,, 19.12 1,405,709 Black Feb. 7., 19,22:

FOREIGN PATENTS 802,005 France May 30, 1936