US50770A - Improvement in artificial legs - Google Patents

Description

UNITED STATES R. G. LooKwooD, or BATTLE CREEK, MICHIGAN, Assis-Non To HIMsnLIi AND o. B. JoNEs,

PATENT OFFICE.

0F SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN ARTIFICIAL LEGS.

Specification forming part of'lletters Patent No. 50,770, dated October 31, 1865.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, R. G. LocKwoon, of Battle Creek, Calhoun county, State of Michigan, have invented a new and Improved Artiiicial Limb; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription thereof, reference being had to the accompanyingdiawiugs, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1-is a vertical section through the improved linib. Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the limb, taken in a plane atright angles to the section ot' Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a view of one side of' the jointed brace-straps. Fig. @is an enlarged view, showing the construction ot' the knee-joint. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the foot detached from the ankle-joint. Fig. 6 is a view ot' the end of the lower portion of the leg with the-foot removed.

`Siiilar letters ot' reference indicate corresponding parts in the several gures.

This invention relates to certain novel-iinprovements on the artiiicival leg for which Letters Patent were granted to Theodore Burr, the object of which invention is to provide i'or the use of hollow shells in the manni'actuile of the upper and lower portions of the leg, in conjunction with stiifening and supporting straps, which constitute bearings both for the joints of the knee and the ankle; also, to employ'a solid knee-cap, which is received within the upper and lower sections ot' the leg, and which is attached thereto by rolling joints and connecting-strapsor the purpose of ai'ording strength andstihess to said portions of the leg at the knee, as will be hereinafter described. The object of my invention is also to connect the foot to the lower section of the leg by an ankle-joint of a pecnliar'construction,and to provide for setting np or tightening this joint wen it wears loose, as will be hereinafter described. y

To enable .others skilled in the art to understand' my invention, I will describe its construction and operation. f

v In the accompanyin gdrawin gs, A represents theuppermost section of the lieg, which receves the stump of the natural leg'when dissected above the knee. B is the knee-section, and C is; the lowermost section, to which the foot D is attached bya joint, as will be having a slot, a', in its upper end, adapted t'o'r receiving a lever, b, which is pivoted at b by a pin passing through the side straps, .ll E, as shown in Figs. l and 2.' This block ay is also perforated to receive a pin, c, which ls acted upon by one arm ofthe lever b, the other arin ot' this lever ,being acted upon by a strap, F, which extends upward and overthe cap ot' the knee-section B, and is passed out from the npper section, A, through a slot, c, shown in Fig. l.' A groove is made transversely across the lower end ot' the block a I'or thepurpose of receiving` a pin. g, which is riveted to the lower 'extremities oi' the side straps, E E, and which receives around it a tube, g. This tube is allowed to play-freely upon t-he pin g, and its ends are out away on the lower side, in order to allow the pin g to rest upon bearings h li ot' the foot D, as shown iuFig. 2. To this tube g a screw-bolt,`i, is ,secu'ely attached, which passes down through the foot D Aand receives on its end a nut, j, bymcans of which the foot ,is attached to the lower section, C, of the leg. The foot D has acavity, D,-in its bottom, to lreceive the nut4 j, and also to receive some suitable elastic substance to afford Van elastic tread. The toe-section k ofthe foot is attached in such manner as to admit ota free articulation while walking. l

In order to make a perfect attachment ofthe foot to the leg, the upper portion of the foot is recessed to receive within it the lower endof the section G,- and the bottom of the recess is inclined forward and backward from the 'bearing-points h h; so as to allow the foot to rock upon its bearing .9. I introduce small blocks of rubber, l l, into the foot-recess to pre vent the end ot' the block a from striking a solid substance, and-producing jar and concusz y scrivo sion in walking. Metal springs may be used nstead of india-rubber, but I prefer to use the atter. The two straps E E extend from the )caring-piu g to the knee-joint, at which point zheir ends are rounded and abut against the :orresponding rounded ends ot' two side straps, l E', which are secured to the upper section, A, ot' the leg. The forni of the ends of the itraps E .E E E is shown clearly in Fig. 3, wherein it will be seen that the rounded sur 'aces roll upon each other, so as to admit of .he flexure of the knee. The dat surfaces of ahe ends ot' these straps abut against each ther when the leg is not bcnt at the knee, and ircvent the knee-joint from bending or articuating' backward. The ends of the straps E E *14 E are connected together by links mv m and )ivot-pins n u, which latter pass through their espective straps and enter a metal frame, G, vhich is in the form of theletter H, and which s suitably attached to the knee-section B, as .hown in Figs. 2 and 4. The rounded surfaces if the ends of the straps 'are concentric with he axes of their pivots u n, and these surfaces ire prevented from slipping' by means of teeth p, which interlock with cach other-on the ides ot' the straps. l form compound joints it the knee, for the purpose of approaching as iear as possible to the natural articulation of .i leg'. Y

The forward portion ot' the knee-section B s rounded to conform as near as possible to he naturel knee-cai:` and the rear side of this ection is 'ti-attened to receive the H-brace G, vhich is intended for strengthening the parts which constitute the knee-joint.

lt will be seen from 'the .above description hat the side straps, E E and E E', forni a metallic skeleton, and that while they serve a-s upports for the leg at the knee-joint, they .lso stien the shells A and C and 'serve as earings for the pin got' the ankle-joint. These traps enable me to employ a very thin subtance for the leg-section, and th 'as afford light- ,ese and strength to the entire structure.

, The manner of attaching the toot to the lower section of the leg enables me to provide for any wear of the parts composing the joint by setting up the nutj and drawing the joint tighter when it becomes loose.

The lever b and pin c, together with the strap F, are intended for moving the foot to the proper position in walkin g. It will be seen that when the leg is bent in-walking a strain comes upon the strap, its upper end being at# tached to the body, which lifts the front end of the lever b, and by so doing the pin cv is forced downward and lifts the forward part of the foot. This movement of the foot takes place every time the knee is slightly bent. The strap F being passed over or in front ot' the knee-section B, it serves as a very efcient knee-spring to return the leg portion C to its proper position after the knee is bent.

I employ the rocking lever and pin in the ankle-joint for the purpose ot' enabling me to move the foot with a strap, F, without the necessity of attaching this strap to the foot. By so doiugI ain enabled to remove the foot from the leg at pleasure without detaching the strap from its lower fastening.

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

i. Securing the ends of the straps E E and connecting-plates m m to the knee'section B by means of a traine, Gr, substantially as described.

2. Attaching the strap F to a lever, b, which acts upon the foot D through the medium of a pin, e, substantially as described.

3. Connecting the strapF at its lower end to a rocking lever, b, applied within the hol low section ot' the leg, substantially as described.

4.' The combination of the hollow sections A C, kneesection B, and straps E E', constructed substantially as described.

- R. G. LOCKWOOD. `vif'itnesses:

M. B. RUssELL, JOHN MnAcHEM.

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