US2869536A - Self-applicable sphygmomanometer - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 20, 1959 l. A. SPEELMAN SELF-APPLICABLE SPHYGMOMANOMETER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 3, 1957 Irving A.Speelmqn Jan. 20, 1959 l. A. SPEELMAN SELF-APPLICABLE SPHYGMOMANOMETER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 3, 1957 INVENTOR. Irving A. Speelmon ask. Mum...

Unite States are SELF-APPLICABLE SPHYGMOMANOMETER Irving A. Specimen, Brooklyn, N. Y., assignor to Propper Manufacturing Company, Inc., Long Island City, N. Y.

Application December 3, 1957, Serial No. 700,430

1 Claim. (Cl. 128-105) mation is necessary to determine the dosage of a particular drug which the person must receive.

Conventional sphygmomanometers are relatively simple to operate after suitable instruction if both hands may be used for manipulating the apparatus. When, however, a person attempts to take his own blood pressure, the apparatus is placed around one arm immediate'y above the elbow, thereby rendering the hand of this one arm useless while mounting the apparatus in proper operative position. As a result, the apparatus must be placed in position using only one hand, and this is extremely difficult, if not impossible, when employing known 'sphygmornanometer apparatus.

Since many persons who have a need for apparatus of this type are advanced in years and may be quite feeble, the difficulty in assembling prior art devices with one hand represents a serious handicap.

The present invention employs an arrangement wherein a pair of straps are utilized for securing the apparatus in operative position. Each of these straps is provided with a quick disconnect fastener means on one end thereof whereby the apparatus may be quickly and easily secured in position, and an additional adjustable fastener means is provided for each of the straps in order that the apparatus may be initially adjusted to accommodate arms of various girth, thereby eliminating rte-adjustments when the apparatus is subsequently used by the same person.

A stethoscope diaphgram is fixed to the constriction cuff of the apparatus providing a compact arrangement whereby the diaphragm is automatically fixed in proper position when the apparatus is assembled on the arm of a person. The remaining conventional components, including an aneroid manometer, an inflation bulb, and a stethoscope listening means, are connected to the various components of the cuff through suitable tubes and fittings. The aforesaid described arrangement of the present invention permits quick and easy mounting of the apparatus in operative position when using only one hand and substantially eliminates the necessity of subsequent i e-adjustment of the apparatus.

An object of the present invention is to provide a new and novel self-applicable sphygmomanometer which can be quiclily and easily mounted in operative position upon the arm of a person while using only one hand.

Another object is the provision of a self-applicable sphygmomanometer which requires a minimum of adjustment upon subsequent use by the same person.

thereof.

A further object is to provide a self-applicable sphygmomanometer which is simple and inexpensive in construction, yet efficient and reliable in operation.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of the present invention will become more clear when considered in connection with the following specification and accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. l a view of the cuff of the apparatus in open position, Fig. 2 is a view of a modification of the apparatu's, Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line III-Ill of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows, Fig. 4 is a View of a portion of the apparatus shown in Fig. 3, Fig. 5 is an enlarged view taken along the line V--V of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows, and Fig. 6 is a view showing the assembled device in proper operative position about the arm of a person.

Referring now to the drawings wherein like reference characters indicate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, there is shown in Fig. 1 a constriction cuff it) formed of a suitable fabric and having a conventional hollow resilient inflatable member indicated by dotted line 11 secured to the inner surface Inflatable member 11 may be formed, for example, of rubber and two tubes 12 and 13 are connected to the inflatable member and are in communication with the interior thereof.

As seen more clearly in Fig. 3, a stethoscope diaphragm 15 has two concentric cylindrical portions 16 and 17 fixed to the upper surface 18 thereof and projecting through suitable openings 19 and 20 provided in inflatable member 11 and the cuff 10 respectively. A washer 21 is disposed about cylindrical portion 16 of the diaphragm and is urged into engagement with the upper surface of the cuff by nut 22 which is threaded onto the outer threaded surface of portion 16. In this manner the stethoscope diaphragm is fixed to the cuff of the apparatus such that the inflatable member 11 is disposed between the cuff and the diaphragm. It should be noted that the inner surface of portion 16 is also threaded for a purpose hereinafter described.

Referring again to Fig. 1, two similar adjustable fastener means 25 are secured to the outer surface of cuff 1d and, as seen in greater detail in Fig. 5, each of these fastener means is similar to a conventional suspender fastener and includes a pivotal member 26 which permits associated straps 27 passing therethrough to move downwardly as seen in the drawings but wil prevent movement in an upward direction unless members 26 are pivoted manu'ally'out of engagement with the straps.

Each of the straps 27 has secured to the upper end thereof a female fitting 28 which is adapted to engage male fittings 29 secured to the upper surface of the cuff when the apparatus is in operative position. Fittings 28 and 29 are of the well-known galoshes type and pro vide a quick-disconnect means whereby the straps may be quickly and easily connected and disconnected to the cuff when the apparatus is in operative position. As seen in the modification shown in 2 of the drawings, the arrangement of fittings 28 and 29 may be reversed in such a manner that the female fittings are secured to the upper surface of the cuff and the male fittings 2.9 are secured to the upper ends of straps ZF. The remaining components of the apparatus shown in Fig. 2 are identical with those of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1.

Referring now to Fig. 6 of the drawings, the sphygmomanometer apparatus according to the present invention is shown in proper operative position about the arm of a person and in such position the right-hand end 3:) of the cuff as seen in the drawing is disposed approximately one inch above the bend in the arm and the stethoscope is disposed directly over the brachial artery in the arm.

When the apparatus is initiallyplaced in position about the arm, fittings 28 and 29 are actuated into locked position and the opposite loose ends 32 of the straps 27 are pulled through fittings 25 until the cuff is sufficiently tightened about the arm. The loose ends 32 of the straps may then be cut off leaving a small portion indicated at 33 in Fig. 6 extending beyond fittings 25 thereby providing for additional small adjustments of the straps should they be necessary, although after the initial adjustment, no re-adjustments should be required unless there is a change in the size of the arm of the person using the apparatus.

It is apparent that once the straps have been initially adjusted, the cuff may be quickly and easily placed about the biceps of the arm of a person by means of quickdisconnect fasteners 28 and 29. After mounting the cufi about the biceps, a conventional aneroid manometer 35 is connected to the outer end of tube 13 by means of a suitable fitting 36 having a friction fit with fitting 37 fixed to the outer end of tube 13. A conventional inflating means or bulb 38, having a release valve 39 operable by thumb screw 40, is connected to the outer end of tube 12 by means of a, suitable fitting 41 having a friction fit with a fitting 42 fixed to the outer end of tube 12.

A conventional binaural stethoscope listening means including two similar ear fittings 45 is connected through tubes 46 and 47 to a Y connector 48 which, in turn, is connected to a tube 49. The lower end of tube 49 is provided with male member 50 of a so-called Luer locking connection, the upper portion of which has a friction fit with the inner surface of tube 49. A knurled annular projection 51 is formed integral with member 50 and the lower end thereof has an annular flange extending radially therefrom with two diametrically opposite cut-out portions 52 one of which is visible in Fig. 4 of the drawings. Member 50 is threaded into the correspondingly threaded interior of portion 16 of the stethoscope diaphragm and cylinder 17 of the stethoscope diaphragm extends upwardly within the opening 53 formed longitudinally through member 50. In this manner, tube 49 and the associated stethoscope listening means are connected to the stethoscope diaphragm whereby the flow of blood in the brachial artery of the person may be detected.

When the apparatus has been assembled, as shown in Fig. 6, the ear fittings 45 are suitably disposed in the member 11 of the apparatus may then be inflated and deflated in accordance with well-established procedure for taking blood pressure readings.

It is apparent from the foregoing that there is provided a new and novel self-applicable sphygmomanometer which may be quickly and easily placed in proper operative position by the person while using only one hand and which requires a minimum of adjustment after initially adjusting the apparatus for use upon the arm of the particular person. The apparatus is simple and inexpensive in construction providing a compact arrangement which is relatively fool-proof and, further, the a;paratus is effective and reliable in operation.

As this invention may be embodied in several forms without departing from the spirit or essential characterlstics thereof, the present embodiment is therefore illustrative and not restrictive, since the scope of the inventi n is defined by the appended claims and all changes that fall Within the metes and bounds of the claim or that form their functional as well as conjointly cooperative equivalents, are therefore intended to be embraced by the claim.

What is claimed is:

A self-applicable sphygmomanometer which comprises, in combination, a constriction cuff having an inflatable portion, a stethoscope diaphragm fixed to said cuff, a pair of straps for securing said cuff in operative position about a portion of the human body, first fastenter means for securing one end of each of said straps to said cuff, each of said first fastener means including a first fitting fixed to said cuff and a second cooperative fitting secured to the end portion of the associated strap, adjustable fastener means for fastening said cuff to another portion of each of said straps, each of said adjustable fastener means comprising a fitting secured to said cuff, each of said straps passing through its associated adjustable fastener fitting, inflating means for inflating and deflating said inflatable portion, means for operatively connecting said inflating means with said inflatable portion, manometer means for indicating the pressure in said inflatable portion, means for operatively connecting said manometer means with said inflatable portion, stethoscope listening means, and means operatively connecting said stethoscope listening means with said stethoscope diaphragm.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,753,863 Bailey July 10, 1956 2,823,676 Clark Feb. 18, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 560,016 France June 28, 1923

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