US3088860A

US3088860A - Method of making a surgical pad

Info

Publication number: US3088860A
Authority: US
Inventors: William M Scholl
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1959-06-24
Filing date: 1959-06-24
Publication date: 1963-05-07
Anticipated expiration: 1980-05-07
Also published as: DE1862893U

Description

May 7, 1963 w. M. scHoLL METHOD OF MAKING A SURGICAL PAD 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 24, 1959 Equf Z757 3 ff, Alf/ a TMI.,

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May 7, 1963 w. M. scHoLL 3,088,860

METHOD oF MAKING A SURGICAL PAD Filed June 24, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ha ILZQI' W//am M. "Soho/l United States Patent O 3,088,860 METHOD F MAKING A SURGICAL PAD William M. Scholl, 211-213 W. Schiller St., Chicago, Ill. Filed `Iulne 24, 1959, Ser. N o. 822,459 4 Claims. (Cl. 156-222) This invention relates to improvements in a method of making a surgical pad, and more particularly to a surgical pad of the type that relieves pressure from wearing apparel around an affliction, the pad cushioning the region adjacent the afliiction and transferring the pressure to surrounding healthy tissue in a gentle and non-aggravating way, and the pad having a digit loop thereon to maintain the pad in proper position when in use, without resort to adhesive or a binding form of tie or bandage, although the invention will have other uses and purposes as will be apparent to one skilled in the art.

In many cases of 4finger and hand injuries, and particularly in the case of foot allict-ions such as corns, callouses, abrasions, bunions, enlarged joints, hammer toes, and the like it has ofttimes become desirable to utilize a surgical pad made of plastic material because of Iits clean appearance, launderability, du-rability, resistance to foot acids, perspiration, and cleansing compounds, its high restorative powers, its comfortable feel when in contact with the skin, etc. In many cases it is desirable to employ a surgical pad embodying a digit loop through which a finger or toe extends and by means of which the pad is held in proper position around or adjacent an affliction. However, where the pad is made of plastic material diiculty has been heretofore experienced in endeavoring to attach such a digit loop in a sufficiently economical manner for cornmercial production. Stitching could not be employed because the stitches themselves would be the first portion of the entire structure to deteriorate. Adhesive was objected to because of the resultant stiffness between the adhesively joined parts and possible deterioration under continued heat and warmth.

With the foregoing in mind, it is an important object of the instant invention to provide a surgical pad made of several layers of plastic material and with a protruding digit loop attached to the pad, the entire structure being outlined and secured together in a single operation.

Also a feature of this invention is the provision of a surgical pad having a digit loop extending from the pad body at an angle other than 90, the loop being attached to the pad only at its ends.

A further object of this invention is the provision of a surgical pad made of `sheets or layers of plastic material heat sealed together around the bounding edge of the pad, with a digit loop projecting from the pad and the ends of the digit loop caught in the same heat seal seam.

It is also a feature of this invention to provide a new and novel method of making a surgical pad equipped with a digit loop.

Still another object of the instant invention is the provision of making a surgical pad equipped with a digit loop, wherein the pad body portions are heat `sealed together in a line line seam, and the digit loop itself is joined at its ends to the pad body in the sarne heat seal seam and during the same operation.

While some of the more salient features, characteristics and advantages of the instant invention have been above pointed out, others will become apparent from .the following disclosures, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 -is a top plan view of a pair of left and right heat sealing dies, illustrating the association of digit loops with the dies prior to the for-mation of surgical pads;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken substantially as indicated by the line II-II of FIG. 1,

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looking in the direction of the arrows, and illustrating pad body material associated with the dies;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of the structure of FIG. 2, greatly enlarged, and illustrating the operation of the die in forming a surgical pad;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged fragmentary Vertical sectional view through a resultant pad, illustrating the attachment of the digit loop to the pad body;

FIGURE 5 is a side elevational View of a surgical pad embodying principles of the ins-tant invention and made under the method of the instant invention;

FIGURE 6 is a top plan View of the structure of the pad of FIG. 5; and

FIGURES 7, 8, 9 and 10 are top plan views of different forms of pads embodying principles of the instant invention and made under the method embodied in the instant invention, to illustrate the Versatility of the invention.

As shown on the drawings:

With reference to FIGURES 1, 2 and 3, it will be seen that a preferred form of die for use in making the surgical pad of the instant Iinvention comprises a base 1 of electrically conductive material, With a die element thereon indicated at 2 comprising an upstanding band of electrically conductive material shaped to define the outline or bounding edge of the resultant pad. This band has a knife edge or working edge 3 which performs the cornposite operation of establishing a fine line heat seal seam as well as a tear line for removal of the pad from the waste material in a single operation, when the die is forced into the material and charged with a high frequency electrical current. This, of course, may be accomplished in any suitable electronically heat sealing press. In the event the resultant pad is to have an opening or aperture therethrough to receive an aliiiction, an additional die element is provided to form that opening. This die element in the illustrated instance is in the form of a circle, designated by numeral 4, and is of the same construction as the die member 2, except it is thickened a-t the bottom to give it greater stability as indicated at 5.

Two such die elements, allochiral in character, are shown mounted on a `single base plate 1 in FIGURES 1 and 2 of the drawings, but it will be understood that any number of such elements, allochiral in character or not, may be mounted on a single base plate, depending upon the capability of the particular heat sealing equipment.

Each die member 2 is provided with a suitable slot or pair of adjacent slots in substantially any desired location consistent with the desired location of the digit loop on the finished pad. In the instance of FIG. 1, this slot or adjacent slots are in the side wall of the die element 2 at one end of the structure. `On each yside of the die element 2 yis a suitable spring clip 6 carried by the die element itself. It should be especially noted that the slot or slots and the spring clips 6-6 are disposed well below the working edge 3 of the die element.

In the making of a surgical pad, an elongated strip of plastic material capable of being heat sealed, an unsupported vinyl iilm being highly satisfactory for this purpose, has its ends passed through the slots or slots in the die member 2 as seen in FIGURE 1. The end portions of this strip 7 are then passed over opposed parts of the working edge of the die element as indicated at 8, and then held in position against the side of the die element 3 by the spring clips 6 6, as clearly seen in FIGURE l. This strip may be adjusted so that the portion between the opposed points 8 is of the desired length for the digit loop in the finished pad. Thus, it will -be noted that only the ultimately terminal ends of the digit loop contact the working edge of the die during operation. Preferably, the ends of the digit loop are disposed over the working edge of the die at an angle which may be controlled by the way the end portions of the strip 7 are secured by the lspring clips. It is preferable, however, to have the end portions of the digit loop cross the Working edge of the die slantwise so that the resultant digit loop is connected to the pad to extend therefrom at an angle other than 90.

After the digit loop has been placed in proper position on the die element, laminated material forming the pad body is placed over the die element, or under the same as may be preferred. This laminated material in the illustrated instance includes a thin plastic cover 9, an intermediate thicker layer 10 of plastic cushioning material which may quite satisfactorily be plastic foam, and an opposed or outer cover layer which may also be of plastic film. The cover layers 9 and 11 may, of course, be of yany desirable color, and may satisfactorily Ibe of the same material as the digit loop 7. The plastic foam sheet or layer 10, which is considerably thicker than the films, may -satisfactorily be of any of the thermoplastic foams, commonly known as vinyl foams, polyvinyl chloride foams, polyester foam, polyurethane foam, or isoeyanate foam, and the like. Various materials might be utilized, it being only necessary that the materials be capable of being electronically heat sealed with a tear line established at the time the heat seal is made.

Next, the opposite side of the press may be brought down into engagement with the laminations or superposed sheets of material. It is not necessary to have a pair of like dies in the forming of the instant pads, but the flat plate is satisfactory opposite the die 2 and may consist of a conductive plate 12 surfaced with a suitable dielectric 13. When these parts have been placed in the required position, the die 2 is forced into the laminations as seen clearly in FIG. 3, and contemporaneously charged with a high frequency current for a small interval of time. This establishes a heat seal seam 14 which defines the bounding edge of the resultant pad. In the illustrated instance, this is a fine line heat seal seam and the die also establishes a tear line conjointly with the heat seal seam by which the finished pad may readily be removed from the waste material.

In the greatly exaggerted showing in FIGURE 4, it will be seen that the ends of the digit loop 7 are cut off where they pass over the working edge of the die element 2, and these ends form a part of the same heat seal seam 14. Thus, the ends of the digit loop are secured to the pad body in substantially an invisible manner, and the attachment of the digit loop is accomplished in the same operation in which the pad body itself is formed.

The die element 4 establishes another internal heat seal seam 15 defining an aperture through the pad, as well as a tear line from which the plug inside the seam may be removed.

In FIGS. 5 and 6 I have illustrated one form of surgical pad that may be embodied in the instant invention. In this instance the pad is of the elongated type highly desirable for use alongside the foot adjacent a bunion or an enlarged joint, and is of the shape made by the die shown in FIGS. l, 2 and 3. This pad is elongated in character and preferably the aperture defined 4by the inside heat seal seam 15 is offset; that is, nearer one side of the pad than the other as seen clearly in FIG. 6. It will be noted that the digit loop 7 extends from the body of the pad at an angle other than 90 whereby this digit loop may more comfortably embrace the toe of the user and the pad seat in proper position adjacent the afiction, with no binding action on the toe by Way of the digit loop. With the digit loop disposed at an angle or slantwise, the pad may be more readily applied and is more comfortable during use, remaining in proper position.

In FIG. 5 I have indicated a thicker portion 16 at one end of the pad than is the case at the other end of the pad. This is frequently desirable in the treatment of bunions and enlarged toe joints, and may readily be acquired by adding an additional one or more layers of 4 the foam material in the desired location prior to the heat sealing operation.

In FIG. 7 I have illustrated a pad of different shape, but formed in the same manner and of the same material, with the digit loop 7, in this instance, projecting directly from one end of the pad and more nearly in the plane of the pad body. Such a pad is desirable for use to alleviate a large callosity on the plantar surface of the foot, particularly in the region of the metatarsal arch.

In FIG. 8 I have illustrated a still different form of pad, generally indicated by numeral 18, made in the same way, but with the digit loop projecting inwardly over the body of the pad. In this instance, no afiiiction receiving opening through the pad body is provided, but such an opening is provided by way of an indentation or recess 19 extending inwardly from the bounding edge of the pad and also defined by the heat seal seam defining the bounding edge of the pad. A pad of this character is not only adaptable for various foot afllictions, but is desirable in many cases for afiiictions on the hand of the user with `the digit loop extending around a finger or thumb.

In FIGURE 9 I have shown a pad made in accordance with this invention, indicated in general by numeral 20, in which the toe loop 7 extends away from the pad body but at a different angle than the structure of FIG. 7. This pad is smaller in size and is suitable for an aliction such as a corn on the top or sides of a toe, and is also suitable for a small or relatively deep wound on the hand for use lbeneath a bandage as a shock absorbing medium.

In FIG. 10 a still different shape of pad is disclosed, indicated generally by numeral 21, and wherein the toe loop 7 is disposed with the ends of the loop slightly offset one from the other, that is the ends of the loop are not on a straight line transverse to the longitudinal axis of the pad body. Such disposition of the loop enables the use of the pad in some locations where it is diticult to retain in position.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that I have provided a novel surgical pad equipped with ka digit loopy which may be made in substantially any desired shape, contour, or size, and with any desired variations in thickness, and with the -digit loop disposed in substantially any desired location and extending at substantially any desired angle over or away from the pad body. It will also be apparent that I have provided an extremely economical method of making such a surgical pad equipped with a digit loop, and a method that is easy and rapid to practice.

It will be understood that modifications and variations may fbe effected without departing from the scope of the novel concepts of the present invention.

I claim as my invention:

l. The method of making a surgical pad having a digit loop with the aid of a heat seal die having a relatively high wall and opposed spring clipson said wall, including the steps of superposing a plurality of layers of thermoplastic material, passing the ends of a strip of thermoplastic material through an opening in the die wall, passing the ends of the strip over the operative edges of the die and locking them in said clips, then pressing the die into said layers and passing a high frequency current through the die to heat seal the layers together and embody the ends of the strip in the heat seal seam to provide a digit loop on the resultant pad.

2. The method of making a surgical pad having a digit loop with the aid of a heat seal `die having a relatively high wall and opposed spring clips on -said wall, including the steps of superposing a plurality of layers of thermoplastic material, passing the ends of a strip of thermo'- plastic material through an opening in the ydie wall, passing the ends of the strip over the operative edges of the die slantwise and locking the ends of the strip in said opposed clips, then forcing the die into said layers and the ends of said strip and joining the same in a heat seal seam defining the bounding edge of the resultant pad with said strip forming a digit loop extending from said pad slantwise to the piane of the pad.

3. The method of making a surgical pad having a digit loop, including the steps of superposing a plurality of layers of thermoplastic material, placing the ends of an elongated strip of thermoplastic material at oppose-d portions of the line where said layers are to be joined, holding the remainder of the strip away from said layers, and heat sealing the layers and strip ends together.

4. The method of making a surgical pad having a digit loop, including the steps of superposing a plurality of layers of thermoplastic material, placing the ends of an elongated strip of thermoplastic material at opposed portions slantwise to the line where said layers are to be joined, holding the remainder of said strip away from said layers, and joining said layers and the ends of said strip in a heat seal scam delining the bounding edge of the resultant pad with said strip forming a digit loop extending from said pad slantwise to the plane of the pad.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,288,071 Lowe Dec. 17, 1918 2,619,961 Stewart Dec. 2, 1952 2,633,129 Crawford Mar. 31, 1953 I2,686,556 Gerber et a1. Aug. 17, 1954 2,712,311 Scholl `uly 5, 1955 2,783,474 Campagna et al Mar. 5, 1957 2,786,466 Rudnick Mar. 26, 1957 2,878,153 Hacklander Mar. 17, 1959 2,888,013 Levitt May 26, 1959

Claims

3. TTHE METHOD OF MAKING A SURGICAL PAD HAVING A DIGIT LOOP INCLUDING THE STEPS OF SUPERPOSING A PLURALITY OF LAYERS OF THERMOPLASTIC MATERIAL, PLACING THE ENDS OF AN ELONGATED STRIP OF THEROPLASTIC MATERIAL AT OPPOSED PORTIONS OF THE LINE WHERE SAID LAYERS ARE TO BE JOINED, HOLD-