US977974A - Artificial limb. - Google Patents

Description

W. E. 'sH'0WALTBR- IIRIIFIGIAL LIMB.v

APPLICATION FILED APR. 28. 1910.

Patented Dec.6, 1910.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1,

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W. E. VSHOWALTBRl ARTIFICIAL LIMB. APPLICATION FILED APB. 28, 1910.

Patented Dec. 6, i910.

3 8HEETB-SHEET 2.

W. E. SHOWALTER. ARTIIIGIAL LIMB.

v APPLIOATION FILED APR. 28. 1910. l Patented Dec. 6

UH: NaRRls PETERS co., wAs/mvnwrl D c WILLIAM E. SHOWALTER, 0F HARRISONBUBG, VIRGINIA.

ARTIFICIAL LIME.

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Specicaton of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 6, IQIIB.

Application filed April 28, 1910. Serial No. 558,176.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM E. SHO- WALTER, a citizen of the United States, resid* ing at Harrisonburg, in the county of Rockingham, State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ar tilicial Limbs; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to artificial limbs.

One object of the invention is to improve the general construction of devices of this character.

A second object of the invention is to provide a novel form of hinge between the upper and lower limb sections of a device of this character, the hinge being so constructed that the tendency to twist and loosen from the sections is eliminated.

A third object of the invention is to provide a hinge of this character constructed in an improved manner from flat metallic blanks.

A fourth object of the invention is to provide an improved form of ankle joint in which provision will be made to take up the wear in a novel manner.

A fifth object of the invention is to provide an improved means of suspending` the stump pocket.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in general of an articial limb comprising upper and lower sections connected in a novel manner and an improved form of ankle jointand stump pocket suspension for use in such a limb.

The invention further consists in certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and specifically set forth in the claims.

lIn the accompanying drawings, like characters of reference indicate like parts in the several views, and z-Figure 1 is a side elevation of a limb constructed in accordance with this invention. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of such a limb. Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail view showing the joint between the upper and lower limb sections disassembled. Fig. 5 is a view of the blank from which one of the hinge members is constructed. Fig. 6 is an edge view of the blank when bent to form the hinge. Fig. 7 1s` a view of the ankle joint disassembled. Fig. 8 is a section through the ankle joint wit-h the parts assembled.

The numeral 10 indicates the thigh or upper limb section of the device and this section is made in the usual manner of leather and is provided with spaced lacing clips 11 to receive a single lacing 12, the lacing haw ing one end lixedly secured and the section being provided with a buckle 13 to adjustably secure the other en d of the lacing. By means of this single lacing a person is enabled to lace the section into position on the limb with one hand.

The lower limb section is indicated at 111 and this section is preferably constructed of aluminum and covered with leather. Se cured to each side of the upper limb section is a hinge member having a U-shaped body portion l5, the legs of which are attached to the member 10 by suitable rivets 16 while the bight of this member is outwardly bowed as at 17 and provided with a stem portion 18 having a pintle receiving opening 19 and a shouldered portion 20. Secured to the lower section let is a hinge member constructed of a fiat plate of metal stamped to provide spaced legs 21. The plate is furthermore slit as indicated at 22 to provide a tongue 23 which is bent in such manner that the portion adjacent the bend line lies against the body of the plate as shown at 2a in Fig. 6 and then springs outwardly in spaced relation to said body as indicated at 25 in 6. The body is provided with a narrow upwardly extending portion 26 and in the body and tongue 23 are formed opposed pintle receiving openings 27 and stop openings 2o. The stop 29 extends through thestopopenings 28 and a pintle bolt 30 passes through the openings 27 and the opening 19 in the respective upper hinge member. When the upper and lower hinge members are connected and the upper and lower sections 10 and 14 are fully extended so that they are in alinement the shoulders 2O of the upper hinge members engage againstthe stops 29 of the lower hinge members and limitthe forward movement of the lower section 1li. When in this engagement the upper and lower sections 10 and 14 will be in axial alinement.

In the member 14 is a stump pocket 31 to the sides of which are attached straps 32.

Between the legs o'l the upper hinge mouinum and from these spring plates depend coil springs 34 to the lower ends of each set ot' which is secured a spring plate 35. io each of the spring plates 35 is secured a strap 36 and the straps 3G are connected to the straps 32 by adjusting buckles 37 so that the position of the stump pocket may be adjusted with reference to its height. Tt is to be observed that the straps 3Q and all of the suspending means lie between the legs 15 oit the respective hinge member and that said straps 32 pass through the spaces between the bights of these members and the body of the upper section 10. By means ot` this construction the stump pocket is suspended so that it will be in axial alineinent with the upper section, and consequently with the lower section, when the limb is fully extended. There will Vthus be no tendency for the stump to swing to one side or the other of the lower section and chaiing will be eliminated. Furthermore, when the limb is flexed the straps 32, by reason of their position beneath the bights ot the upper hinge members, will be prevented from too great lateral displacement.

The toot for this limb is indicated at 38 and is composed of an ankle section 39, instep section 40 and toe section 41. These sections are provided with hinges 42 at the arch and ball of the i'oot and the sections are held in extended position by means of coil springs 43 which are received in sockets 44 formed in the several sections. Secured to the lower or ankle end of the section 14 are hinge plates each comprising a Ushaped body 45, the legs ot' the body being fastened to the section 14 by suitable screws or rivets 46 while the bight of each plate is provided with an apertured ear 47. This ear is located below the lower end ot the section 14 and extending trom one ear to the other is a pintle pin 4S which is surrounded by a split sleeve 49, the edges ot the split beingnormally spaced apart to leave a slot 50.

At 51 is a plate which is oitset as at 52 to provide a groove on its under side, said groove embracing` the sleeve 49. The sleeve 49 rests on ltop oit the ankle section 39 and the groove in the plate 51 is of such depth that when the plate is positioned over the sleeve spaces will be left between the top of the section 39 and the under side of said plate. This plate is secured to the section 39 by screws 53 and it will be obvious that as the pintle 48 wears the plate 51 may be screwed down closer to the section 39 so that the sleeve 49 will be compressed and caused to lit closely on the pintle.

Tt is further to be noted that all ot the hinge members are provided with spaced legs so that a very firm connect-ion may be made with the respective sections to which they are attached and by this means the wear and loosening of the attaching means is entirely eliminated. u

In order to provide for holding the slot 50 in such position that the sleeve 49 may be compressed in the manner above described the plate 51 and sleeve 49 are provided with registering` apertures through which extend pins 54 which serve to prevent rotation of said sleeve. end of the section 14 and the plate l is preferably iilled with a rubber cushion and suitable rubber bumpers 56 areprovided in the toot oints.

rihere has thus been provided a simple and eiiicient device of the kind described and 'for the purpose specilied.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, is

l. in an artificial limb, an 'Lipper section, a lower section, a hinge member fixed to each side oi the lower section, coacting hinge members tixed to opposite sides of said upper section, each ot' said coacting hinge members comprising a U-shaped portion having its legs secured to the upper section and its bight bowed away from the upper section, said coacting hinge members being each providedwith a tongue engaging the respective hinge member on the lower seetion, a stump pocket movable in said lower section, springs attached to said upper section between the arms of the respective upper hinge members, and straps running between the bights o1 said upper hinge meinbers and the upper section, said straps having their upper ends connected to the springs and their lower ends attached to said stump pocket. f

2. In an artiifieial limb, an upper section, a lower section, a hinge member fixed to each side of t-he lower section, coacting hinge members fixed to opposite sides of saidV upper section, each of said coact-ing hinge members comprising a U-shaped portion having its legs secured to the upper section and its bight bowed away :trom kthe upper section, said coacting hinge members being. each provided with a tongue engaging the respective hinge member on the lower section, a stump pocket movable in said lower section, springs attached to said upper see-V tion between the arms of the respective upA` per hinge members, and straps running between the bights of said upper hinge members and the upper section, said straps hav ing their upper ends connected to the springs and their lower ends attached to said stump pocket, each ot the hinge members attached to the lower section comprising a plate of metal provided with spaced ears to receive the tongue of a respective upper memberV and spaced legs extending downward from said ears and attached to the lower section.

3. In an artiiieial limb, an ankle section,

The space between the lower a foot, a pair of hinge plates lined to opposite sides of said ankle section and projecting below the lower end of said section, a pintle extending between said hinge plates beneath the lower end of said section, a longitudinally split sleeve surrounding said pintle with its split edges spaced apart, a plate having a groove extending transversely across its under side and engaging over said sleeve, and screws extending through said plate into the top or" the tootV section.

t. ln a device of the kind described, a' hinge joint plate consisting oi' a iiat strip of metal slotted to provide a pair of spaced attaching members, said metal being slit to provide a tongue between said members, said tongue being bent to have its end in spaced relation to the body of the strip and the strip and tongue being perforated to provide a pair of spaced ears.

5. A hinge tor artificial limbs comprising a plate consisting of a flat strip of metal slotted to provide a pair of spaced attaching members, said metal being slit to provide a tongue between said members, the tongue being bent from between said members to have its end in spaced relation to the extremity of the strip, a stop pin extending between said extremity and tongue, and a pintle eX- tending between said extremity and tongue in spaced relation to said stop pin; in combination with a second plate of metal stamped substantially to U-shape, the bight of the U being provided with a tongue adapted to be received between the tongue and extremity of the iirst mentioned plate, said tongue being apertured to receive said pintle, and a shoulder formed on said tongue to engage said stop pin. to limit the movew ment or' the plates on said pintle in one direction.

ln testimony whereof, I aiiiX my signature, in presence of two Witnesses.

VVILLAM E. SHOVALTER. Witnesses O. R. HoLLnn, En. C. Maerz.

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