US49529A - Improvement in artificial legs - Google Patents

Description

UNTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE, l

GEORGE B. J EWETT, OF SALEM, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN` ARTIFICIAL LEGS.

Specification forming part of Letters `Patent No.` 49,529, dated August 22, 1865.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE B'. J EWETT, of Salem, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have made a new and useful invention having reference to Artificial Legs; and I do hereby decla-re the same to be fully described in the following specication and represented in the accompanying drawings, of Which- Figure l is a side elevation, and Fig. `2 a transverse section, of an artificial leg con` Fig. 3 is a top` view, and Fig. 4: a rear elevatiomof the ad-` justable stump-cushion, lo be hereinafter ex-Q structed with my invention.

, ion or movable or soft socket of the permanent or rigid socket, as hereinafter explained; and my invention further consists in a mode of making the iiange and the upper part of the rigid socket, whereby the auxiliary socket is prevented from turning around within the rigid socket While the apparatus may be in use; and my invention further consists in a peculiar construction of the cushion or soft socket-viz., with an opening from top to bottom ol' it and with an overlapping tongue to cover the same.

The advantages of my improved pedestaljoint or ankle-joint are to be found in its great strength and amount of bearing-surface, and in its ability to keep lubricated for a long period; also in the facility which it affords for its being readily supplied with oil for its lubri-` cation.

The advantages incident to the improved movable soft socket are that its shoulder or `flange, when resting on the top of the case orf rigid socket, prevents the soft socket from being farther depressed within the case. Its

der it difficult to separate them. rlhe tonguepiece lenablesa wearer of the artificial leg to have the soft socketopen in `rear without dairger of the iiesh of thestump Lbeing pressed into the opening and becoming pinched therein. The opening enables the wearer, by means of one or more Wrappers `placed around t-he soft socket, to compress it more or less to'accommodate it to the stump, as :the latter `may become reduced `by absorption of its iiesh.

Another great advantagelof 1thelimpro-ved soft socket, made as hereinafter described,1is

-that when the stump of the Sieg `tot' the wearer of the apparatus, as frequently occurs, is -en cumbered by loose `flesh thesocket, when removed from its case, can be opened orspread sufficiently to receive the stump, which, together with the soft socket, :may next be 4introduced within the-case or rigid socket. `In

this Way I can effectually obviate the painful strain on the extremity of the stump incident to an attempt to force amass of loose flesh down to its proper place in the socket. very great advantage is conditioned on the opening, the ton gue-piece, and the shoulder of the soft socket.. It is altogether peculiar to my improved artificial leg, or one made with the movable soft socket to fit into a rigid socket and With such soft socket constructed in manner as hereinafter explained.

may be larger at the extremity than at its middle can readily be placed in a proper position in the rigid socket, and this without pain or inconvenience.

In the accompanying drawings, A denotes the exterior case or rigid socket, which may be constructed of sheet metal and in manner as represented. Within this is the auxiliary or soft socket C, which is made of one or more layers of felt or other suitable yielding or elastic material covered with soft leather or other proper substance, thesaid soft socket 1being separate from the rigid socket and designed to fit the stump of a leg as nearly as possible. `It is open in rear, or from top to bottom, as shown at a, and is provided with a leather tongue, b, which is attached to one side of the opening; and laps on or over the other side, so as to cover the opening, the said tongue being on the inner surface of the said socket C. Furthermore, the soft socket is provided with a This.

By means of y -the soft socket so constructed a stump which ange or shoulder, c, made at and around its upper part, and to project fromits outer surface and rest and t on the upper edge of the rigid socket, such rigid socket being rounded. up at each of its opposite sides, in manner as shown at d, in order to protect the soft socket from being accidentally turned around within l the rigid socket. Thus the shoulder or ange,

with the so-projectin g rounded parts of the top of the rigid socket, performs another usefuly function-viz., that of keeping the inner from turning around within the outer socket.

The rigid socket rises from a pedestal, D, to

which it is connected by a screw-bolt, E, and a nut, F, screwed thereon, the same being as` shown in the drawings. rlhe bolt E at its lower end springs from the middle of a tube, G, whose ends are arranged between the standards H H, l

that project upward from the foot I. Extending through thestandards and the tube G is a Yscrew-pin, K, which is passed through one chamber, but that of preventing the pin from becoming unscrewed accidentally from the next yadjacent standard H.

A hole, h, leads laterallyT out ofthe chamber fand through the pin, in order to discharge oil between the wearing or rubbing surfaces of the joint.

For the purpose of preventing wear of the joint the tube G, when made of iron, may be l hushed with a tube, t', of some other metalas brass, for instance.

What I claim as my invention in the abovedescribed apparatus is as follows, viz:

l. The improved ankle-joint, made with the screw-pin K, its holding-standards H H, encompassing-tube G, and the oil-chamber, arranged within the pin and provided with a discharging-opening, h, as explained.

2. The combination and arrangement of the cap-screw F with the ankle-joint as constructed, substantially as hereinbefore described.

3. The combination of the shoulder or flange c with the auxiliary socket C.

4. The combination of the raised projections of the top of the rigid socket with the auxiliary socket and its flange or shoulder, the same being for the purpose explained.

5. The construction of the auxiliary socket C' with the opening a, or the same and the tongue b, arranged asset forth.

6. The auxiliary or soft socket, as made with y the shoulder or flange c, the opening a, and the Viap or tongue b, arranged substantially as described.

GEO. B. JEWETT. Witnesses:

J AMES A. GILLIS, THos. F. HUNT.

M. LA

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