US3293699A

US3293699A - Apparatus for forming and inserting looped threads in surgical sponges

Info

Publication number: US3293699A
Application number: US310655A
Authority: US
Inventors: Herbert E Nicol
Original assignee: Pratt Manufacturing Corp
Current assignee: Pratt Manufacturing Corp
Priority date: 1963-09-23
Filing date: 1963-09-23
Publication date: 1966-12-27
Anticipated expiration: 1983-12-27

Description

Dec. 27, 1966 H. E. NICOL APPARATUS FOR FORMING AND INSERTING LOOPED THREADS IN SURGICAL SPONGE-S 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 25, 1963 INVENTQR HERBERT E. NICOL ATTORNEYS Dec. 27, 1966 H. E. NICOL 3,293,699

APPARATUS FOR FORMING AND INSERTING LOOPED THREADS IN SURGICAL SPONGES Flled Sept 25 1963 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 JWIIJrI/IIA INVENTOR HERBERT E. NICOL ATTORNEYS Dec. 27, 1966 H. E. NICOL APPARATUS FOR FORMING AND INSER Filed Sept. 25, 1963 3,293,699 'rme LOOPED THREADS IN SURGICAL SPONGES 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR HERBERT E. NICOL.

BY @mfi ATTORNEYS Dec. 27, 1966 c 3,293,699

APPARATUS FOR FORMING AND INSERTING LOOPED THREADS 1N SURGICAL SPONGES Filed Sept. 25, 1963 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR HERBERT E. N COL ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,293,699 APPARATUS FOR FORMING AND INSERTING LOOPED THREADS IN SURGICAL SPONGES Herbert E. Nicol, Milwaukee, Wis., assignor to Pratt Manufacturing Corp., Milwaukee, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Filed Sept. 23, 1963, Ser. No. 310,655 10 Claims. (Cl. 19-145) This invention relates to improvements in apparatus for forming and inserting looped threads in surgical sponges.

It has heretofore been proposed to provide surgical sponges or absorbent pads with X-ray-responsive tracer threads therein whereby a post-operative X-ray will disclose whether or not a sponge has been inadvertently left within the patients body.

Heretofore, surgical sponges with X-ray-responsive tracer threads have not been entirely satisfactory because there was always the possibility of the thread being confused with internal body structure.

It is a general object of the present invention to provide improved apparatus for looping the thread at spaced intervals as it is being laid on a web of gauze to provide a pattern having a series of distinctive loops so that when the gauze is formed into pads each pad has a plurality of nonsuperimposed closed loops connected by single threads of the X-ray-responsive thread as is disclosed in co-pending application of Pratt and Nicol, Serial No. 144,483, filed October 11, 1961, now US. Patent No. 3,133,538.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide improved apparatus having means for continuously feeding a length of X-ray-responsive thread toward the nip between two rollers, having means for continuously feeding gauze to said nip, and having means for forming loops at regular intervals in the thread just before the gauze is pressed against the thread by the coacting rollers.

A further more specific object of the invention is to provide apparatus as above described wherein novel means is employed for twisting and advancing a part of the thread longitudinally at a faster rate than the Withdrawal move ment of the gauze to provide a slack section with a twist, whereby a loop is formed in said slack section, and for immediately thereafter pressing the web of gauze against the looped portion of the thread.

Other specific objects of the invention are to provide apparatus as above described which is relatively simple in operation, relatively inexpensive to manufacture, which is easily adjusted, and which is otherwise well adapted for the purposes described.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists of the improved apparatus for forming and inserting looped threads in surgical sponges, and all of its parts and combinations, as set forth in the claims, and all equivalents thereof.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating the preferred form of the invention, wherein like reference numerals designate the same parts in all of the views:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the apparatus looking principally at the top thereof to show the looping mechanism;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken on a line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view looking principally from the top and at an angle from one side showing the looping blades at the start of a loop-forming operation;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary top view of the blades showing an advanced position from that of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the mechanism of FIG. 4 showing a still farther advanced loop-forming position of the parts;

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 4 showing the position of the parts just after a loop has been formed;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary plan view of a length of web after the thread has been pressed thereon;

FIG. 8 is a plan View of a finished pad or surgical sponge;

FIG. 9 is a partially diagrammatic plan view of the blade-carrying arms showing the thread-twisting stroke of the blades; and

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 10-10 of FIG. 9 showing how the clockwise twist of the thread is accomplished.

Referring more particularly first to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings the apparatus includes a suitable frame 10. Journaled transversely in the frame is a cam shaft 11 on which a cam 12 is mounted. The periphery of the cam is engaged by a follower roller 13 on an arm 14 which has its upper end rigid with a shaft 15. The arm is normally urged inwardly by a spring 16 which has one end connected to the lower end of the arm as at 17, and which has its other end adjustably connected as at 18 with a depending bracket 19 on the frame. The spring 16 normally urges the follower against the cam. Movement of the arm 14 by the spring 16, as dictated by the shape of the cam 12, causes rocking of the shaft 15 and oscillatory movement of arms 20 and 21 which are also rigid with the shaft 15. The arm 20 is pivotally connected to one end of a link 22. The other end of the link is pivoted to an arm 23 rigidly connected to and projecting from a vertical shaft 24, the latter being suitably journaled in bearings 25 on the frame. Another arm 26 has its inner end rigidly connected to the upper end of the shaft 24 and has a pin 27 projecting upwardly from its outer end. The upper end of the pin 27 is connected to one end of a feed arm 28. The outer end of the feed arm has a thin flexible blade 29, prefearbly of metal, projecting at right angles therefrom (see FIG. 3).

The other arm 21 is pivotally connected to one end of a link 30. The other end of the link 30 is pivotally connected to the outer end of an arm corresponding to the arm 23 on the other side. This arm has its inner end rigid with a shaft 31. Rigid with the upper end of the shaft 31 is the inner end of an arm 32. The outer end of the arm 32 carries an upstanding pin 33. Connected to the upper end of the pin 33 and projecting toward the feed arm 28 is a feed arm 34. The inner end of the feed arm 34 carries a blade 35 which is normally engaged from above by the edge of the angularly disposed blade 29 in the manner shown in FIG. 3. It is thus apparent that rocking of the shaft 15 under control of the cam 12 will cause limited swinging movement of the

feed arms

28 and 34 as indicated by the arrows in FIG. 3.

Referring more particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2, suitably journaled between upright supports 36 on the frame is a guide roller 37, a small lower pressure roller 38, a larger upper pressure roller 39, a heated ironing roller 40, and a guide roller 41.

- Suitably supported on a table 42 is a tubular guide 43 for the X-ray-responsive thread 44. A guide eye 45 for the thread is also supported on the table. The thread is guided between the forward edges of the blades 29 and 35 (as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2), which blades are on top of a guide plate 46, the latter having its upper surface in substantially the plane of the uppermost periphery of the roller 38 but spaced slightly away from I the roller 38.

A Web of gauze 47 is fed from a suitable source of supply over the idler roll 37, beneath and around the rear peripheral portion of the roll 38, and between said peripheral portion and the forward end of the guide plate 46. At this point the thread 44 is fed on top of the gauze and the two then pass over the roller 38 and between the bite of the

rollers

39 and 38, the latter pressing the gauze against the thread. Thereafter the web passes upwardly through the bite between the roll 39 and the ironing roll 40. Here the gauze is ironed against the thread to make it adhere more firmly. From this point the web is guided forwardly over the roller 41 and then away for further processing.

Operation When the feed

arms

28 and 34 are in the outward position shown in FIG. 1, the tracer thread 44 extends between the overlapping forward edges of the blades and passes to the guide plate 46. The thread is fed from the forward edge of the guide plate 46 on top of the gauze and is drawn into the bite between the

rollers

38 and 39 with the gauze.

The cam follower 13 is shown in FIG. 2 just before it starts its feed movement. As the cam 12 rotates in a clockwise direction, referring to FIG. 2, the follower 13 travels radially inwardly along the feed section F of the cam surface. Thereafter the follower is in engagement with a uniformly low or dwell portion D for a predetermined distance which holds the formed loop until it is taken away by the

rollers

38 and 39. Thereafter the follower 13 engages a return section R of the cam and the

feed arms

28 and 34 are gradually returned to withdrawn position.

In the starting position of FIG. 3, also shown in FIG. 9, the forward edge of the thin lower blade 35, preferably formed of metal, is supported on the guide plate 46, and the thin flexible top blade 29, formed of light spring steel and more flexible than the bottom blade, is in the position illustrated in FIG. 3. Before forward movement of the

arms

28 and 34 starts, the top blade 29 is supported by the forward end of a bar 48 (see FIG. 3). The latter is adjustably supported on a post 49 through which bolts 50 extend through elongated slots 51 in the bar 48. Thus the forward edge of the blade 29 is kept slightly out of contact with the thread until swinging movement of the

arms

28 and 34 starts.

As soon as the

arms

28 and 34 start to swing inwardly toward the rollers the blade 29 moves off of the forward end of the bar 48 and the slightly flexing nature of the metal of the blade 29 causes its outer end to bear yieldingly against the thread 44 so that the latter is lightly gripped between the blade 35 and the flexed forward end of the blade 29.

As the

arms

28 and 34 swing forwardly, the blade 35 starts to travel in an are A over the center line in a generally lefthand direction, and the blade 29 starts to travel in an arc B past the center line in an op posite or generally righthand direction. The thread 44 is directly on the center line C/L. Referring now to FIG. 10, which is a section through the blades, it will be seen that this action illustrated in FIG. 9 causes a clockwise rotational twisting of the thread 44, as is illustr-ated in FIG. 10. The amount of twisting is controlled by the position of the pivots P of FIG. 9 with relation to the nip N of the rollers, this twisting also being a result of a forward portion of the thread being gripped between the bite of the

rollers

38 and 39. This twisting action causes the thread to flip into a partial loop L, as in FIG. 4. The finger 52 merely keeps the thread from wandering too far sideways in a righthand direction. This finger is not essential but is found to give improved results. Further travel of the blades slightly beyond the position of FIG. 4 is illustrated in FIG. 5 where the partially-formed loop L is disclosed in perspective. At the end of the forward stroke of the blades the part X of the loop of FIG. 4 has flipped beneath the other part of the loop to the position shown in FIG. 6 to form the completely closed loop, with part of the loop overlapping the pointed end of the finger 52. By having the blades move in the arcs indicated in FIG. 9 around the pivot centers P, which are substantially aligned with the nip N of the rollers, and by having one blade move in one direction; over center line C/L and the other blade move in the opposite direction, as shown in FIG. 10, the thread is twisted without being moved sidewi-se.

At the completion of the forward stroke the cam follower 13 arrives at the dwell portion D of the cam which holds the blades in forward position for a short time to allow the loop to enter the bite between the rollers. The loop L of FIG. 6 is drawn with the gauze coming over the roller 38 into the bite between the

rollers

38 and 39 so that the gauze is pressed against the thread and its loops. Thereafter the contoured portion R of the cam 12 causes return of the

arms

28 and 34 and the blades carried thereby, the blades sliding backward on the thread, which action is permitted by the springiness of the upper blade 29. At the completion of said return, the end of the bar 48 raises the blade 29 slightly out of contact with the lower blade. This allows the thread to untwist prior to the next forward feed.

Thereafter the thread advances between the roller 39 and the gauze and, when it passes between the bite of the

rollers

39 and 40, the heated roller 40 causes ironing of the gauze onto the thread and its loops to make them adhere. Thereafter the gauze advances beyond the guide roller 41 and it will be noted from FIG. 7 that the gauze 47 has the thread 44 spaced inwardly from one of its edges with spaced loops L thereon.

The web shown in FIG. 7 is then advanced to cutting mechanism which cuts it off in suitable lengths, and these lengths are then folded either by machine or manually to form pads of the type shown in FIG. 8, each pad comprising a plurality of superimposed folded sections and there being a plurality of non-coinciding loops.

It is apparent from the above that a very efficient form of mechanism has been provided for continuously laying a length of thread on a continuously traveling web of gauze, the apparatus providing for the formation of loops in the thread just before the thread is laid on the gauze, said loops being spaced a predetermined distance apart.

Various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, and all of such changes are contemplated as may come within the scope of the claims.

What I claim is:

1. Apparatus for laying looped thread on a flexible web comprising means for advancing said webfrom a source of supply, a lower blade over which a thread is fed from a source of supply to said web, an upper blade disposed at an angle with respect to said lower blade and having a free forward edge normally yieldingly engageable with the upper surface of said lower blade beneath which the thread extends, means for causing withdrawal movement of said web with the thread thereon at a constant rate, means for periodically moving said blades in the direction of movement of the web and at a faster rate to cause slack in and twisting of the portion of the thread between the blade-engaging portion of the thread and the moving web whereby a loop is formed and for returning the blades upon completion of the loop forming operation, means for causing said blades to release said thread on said return movement whereby the thread may untwist, said means for causing withdrawal of said web and thread including means pressing the web against the looped thread.

2. Apparatus for laying looped thread on a flexible web comprising means for advancingsaid web from a source of supply, a lower blade over which a thread is fed from a source of supply to said web, an upper blade disposed at an angle with respect to said lower blade and having a free forward edge normally engageable with the upper surface of said lower blade between which the thread extends, means for causing withdrawal movement of said web with the thread thereon at a constant rate, means for periodically moving said blades in the direction of movement of the web and at a faster rate to cause slack in and twisting of the portion of the thread between the blade-engaged portion of the thread and the moving web whereby a loop is formed and for returning the blades upon completion of the loop forming operation, means engaged by the upper blade at the completion of its return movement for elevating its free forward edge out of engagement with the lower blade to permit untwisting of the thread, said means for causing withdrawal of said web and thread including means pressing the web against the looped thread.

3. Apparatus for laying looped thread on a flexible web comprising means for advancing said web from a source of supply, a lower blade over which a thread is fed from a source of supply to said web, an upper blade disposed at an angle with respect to said lower blade and having a free forward edge normally engageable with the upper surface of said lower blade between which the thread extends, means for causing withdrawal movement of said web with the thread thereon at a constant rate, means for periodically moving said blades in the direction of movement of the web and at a faster rate to cause slack in and twisting of the portion of the thread between the blade-engaged portion of the thread and the moving web whereby a loop is formed and for returning the blades upon completion of the loop forming operation, an adjustable support bar having an end engaged by the upper blade upon completion of its return movement for elevating its free forward edge out of engagement with the lower blade to permit untwisting of the thread, said means for causing withdrawal of said web and thread including means pressing the web against the looped thread.

4. Apparatus for laying looped thread on a flexible web comprising means for advancing said web from a source of supply, a lower blade over which a thread is fed from a source of supply to said web, an upper blade of thin flexible material disposed at an angle with respect to said lower blade and having a free forward edge normally yieldingly engageable with the upper surface of said lower blade between which the thread extends, means for causing withdrawal movement of said web with the thread thereon at a constant rate, means for periodically moving said blades in the direction of movement of the web and at a faster rate to cause slack in and twisting of the portion of the thread between the blade-engaged portion of the thread and the moving web whereby a loop is formed and for returning the blades upon completion of the loop forming operation, means for causing said blades to release said thread on said return movement whereby the thread may untwist, said means for causing withdrawal of said web and thread including means pressing the web against the looped thread.

5. Apparatus for laying looped thread on a flexible web comprising means for advancing said web, a thread supporting plate, means for supporting said plate above the moving web, a lower blade on said plate in substantial parallelism therewith for movement thereon, an upper blade disposed at an angle with respect to said lower blade and having a free forward edge normally engageable with the upper surface of said lower blade, means for guiding thread from a source to said moving web between said blades and over said plate, means for causing withdrawal movement of said web with the thread thereon at a constant rate, means for periodically moving said blades over said plate in the direction of movement of the web and at a faster rate to cause slack in and twisting of a portion of the thread between the blade-engaged portion of the thread and the moving web whereby a loop is formed and for returning the blades upon completion of the loop forming operation, means for causing said blades 6 to release said thread on said return movement whereby the thread may untwist, said means for causing withdrawal of said web and thread including means pressing the Web against the looped thread.

6. Apparatus for laying looped thread on a flexible web comprising means for advancing said web, a thread supporting plate, means for supporting said plate above the moving web, a lower blade on said plate in substantial parallelism therewith for movement thereon, an upper blade disposed at an angle with respect to said lower blade and having a free forward edge normally engageable with the upper surface of said lower blade, means for guiding thread from a source to said moving web between said blades and over said plate, means for causing withdrawal movement of said web with the thread thereon at a constant rate, means for periodically moving said blades over said plate in the direction of movement of the web and at a faster rate to cause slack in and twisting of a portion of the thread between the blade-engaged portion of the thread and the moving web whereby a loop is formed and for returning the blades upon completion of the loop forming operation, means for causing said blades to release said thread on said return movement whereby the thread may untwist, a guide finger having a free end, means for supporting said guide finger above said plate to extend alongside the thread in the direction of feed movement thereof with its free end adjacent the moving web, said means for causing withdrawal of said web and thread including means pressing the web against the looped thread.

7. Apparatus for laying looped thread on a flexible web comprising means for advancing said web, a thread supporting plate, means for supporting said plate above the moving web, a lower blade on said plate in substantial parallelism therewith for movement thereon, an upper blade disposed at an angle with respect to said lower blade and having a free for-Ward edge normally engageable with the upper surface of said lower blade, means for guiding thread from a source to said moving web between said blades and over said plate, means for causing withdrawal movement of said web with the thread thereon at a constant rate, arms projecting laterally toward one another and supported for oscillatory movement in a generally horizontal plane, said blades being supported by the outer ends of said arms, means for periodically moving said arms in the same direction as the movement of the web and at a faster rate in opposite arcs which cross the line of the thread to cause slack in and twisting of a portion of the thread between the bladeengaged portion of the thread and the moving web whereby a loop is formed and for returning the blades upon completion of the loop forming operation, means for causing said blades to release said thread upon said return movement whereby the thread may untwist, said means for causing withdrawal of said web and thread including means pressing the web against the looped thread.

8. Apparatus for laying looped thread on a flexible web comprising a pair of engaging rollers between which a web of flexible material is drawn, a thread supporting plate, means for supporting said plate above the moving web with its free edge near the bite between the rollers, a lower blade on said plate in substantial parallelism therewith, an upper blade disposed at an angle with respect to said lower blade and having a free forward edge normally engageable with the upper surface of said lower blade, means for guiding thread from a source to said moving web between said blades and over said plate, means for driving said rollers to withdraw the web with the thread thereon at a constant rate, and means for periodically moving said blades toward the bite of the rollers and at a faster rate than the withdrawal movement of the web in directions to cause slack in and twisting of a portion of the thread between the blade-engaged portion of the thread and the bite of the rollers whereby a loop is formed and for returning the blades upon completion of the loop forming operation, and means for causing said blades to release said thread on said return movement whereby the thread may untwist.

9. Apparatus for laying looped thread on a flexible web comprising a relatively large upper roller, a smaller roller in a forward position below said upper roller and in engagement therewith in a manner to expose the top periphery of said smaller roller, means for guiding a web of flexible material in front of and over the top periphery of said smaller roller and then between the two rollers, a thread supporting plate, means for supporting said plate above the moving web with its upper surface in the plane of said top periphery of the smaller roller and with its free edge adjacent said top periphery, a lower blade on said plate in substantial parallelism therewith, an upper blade disposed at an angle with respect to said lower blade and having a free forward edge normally engageable with the upper surface of said lower blade, means for guiding thread from a source to said-moving web between said blades and over said plate, means for driving said rollers to withdraw the web with the thread thereon at a constant rate, and means for periodically moving said blades toward the bite of the rollers and at a faster rate than the withdrawal movement of the web in opposite arcs arranged to cause slack in and twisting of a portion of the thread between the blade-engaged portion of the thread and the bite of the rollers whereby a loop is formed and for returning the blades upon completion of the loop forming operation, and means for causing said blades to release said thread on said return movement whereby the thread may untwist.

10. Apparatus for laying looped thread on a flexible Web comprising means for advancing said web from a source of supply, means for guiding thread from a source to said moving web, means including movable flat blades between which the thread passes for periodically causing rotational twisting of the thread between the blades and for producing slack in the thread between the blades and web to flip the thread into a loop just prior to the merger of said looped portion of the thread with the web and for periodically releasing the thread to permit untwisting thereof, and means for pressing the web against the looped thread.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 65,768 6/1867 Rose 1121OO 2,698,270 12/1954 Mesek l56-l77 3,133,538 5/1964 Pratt et al. 128-296 FOREIGN PATENTS 25,697 1903 Great Britain.

ROBERT R. MACKEY, Primary Examiner.