US1943755A - Device for wringing hot packs and the like - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 1934- J. M. CANTWELL DEVICE FOR WRINGING HOT PACKS AND THE LIKE Filed Aug. 6, 1930 /NVNTOR Patented Jan. 16, 1934 PATENT OFFICE DEVICE FOR WRINGING HOT PACKS AND THE LIKE Joseph M. Cantwell, Delmar, N. Y., assignor of one-haif to Edward J. B.

Murray, Albany,

Application August 6, 193%). Serial No. 473,506

4 Claims.

One of the uses that I contemplate for my invention is the preparation of hot packs. Hitherto, it has been common in the preparation of such packs, for the person who is preparing them,

to use a strip of tough fabric such as ticking provided at each end with transverse openings through which rods extend. Squares of flannel are placed on the ticking at a portion thereof approximately midway between the rods. The portion of the fabric carrying the flannel packs is then immersed in a basin containing boiling water to which is usually added a suitable germicidal solution. Due to the fact that the packs are usually used in connection with suppurating wounds, extreme care must be exercised by the operator to avoid contamination or transfer of infection from one pack to another. After the fabric bearing the flannel packs is withdrawn from the basin, the operator rotates the rods in opposite directions in order to wring from the fabric and from the packs the excess water. A pack, when properly prepared, should not contain an excess of the hot water or solution as this results in scalding the patient.

Such manual operation is extremely cumbersome and awkward and as considerable power must be exerted in carrying out the operation, many female operators find that they have insuflicient strength to wring the necessary amount of solution from the fabric and from the packs, properly to prepare the same.

In accordance with my invention, means are provided by which the packs may be expeditiously and properly prepared and which require only a very small amount of manual labor to carry out the operation.

My invention will best be understood by reference to the accompanying drawing in which I haveillustrated a preferred embodiment of my invention and in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the device embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a side view;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a removable bearing block;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a modified form of support for the rods;

Fig. 5 is an end elevation illustrating a modifled form of support;

Fig. 6 is a plan view, partially in section, of a modified form of the arm or member for supporting one end of one of the rods, and

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary View of an end of one of the supporting rods for the fabric.

Like reference characters indicate like parts throughout the drawing.

Referring now to the drawing, 10 is a base plate for the device which may be secured to a bed plate or foundation by bolts (not illustrated) passing through openings, 11. Standards, 12 and 13, are secured to the bed plate, 10, and extend upwardly therefrom. While 1 have illustrated two standards, 12, at one end of the bed plate, 10, it will be understood that a single standard could be used and for convenience I have referred in the claims to the parts, 12, as a standard. The standard, 13, is preferably provided at its upper end with a cross piece, 131.

Two arms, 14., are secured to the standard, 12, and extend inwardly therefrom as best shown in 1. Each of the arms is, in the embodiment illustrated, provided at its end with an open-mouthed hook, 15,the opening in the hook being sufficiently large to permit the passage of the ends of the rods. A rod, 16, is received in the hooks, 15, and is retained in position by spring arms, 1'7, which are secured to the standard, 12, as by screws, 18, and which extend over the openings in the hooks, 15, the rod 16 thusbeing non-rotatably supported.

At the other end of the device, a shaft, 19, has its bearings partly in the cross piece, 131, at the top of the standard and partly in a bearing block, 21, as best shown in Fig. 3. A semicircular recess is indicated at, 20, in Fig. 5 in the cross piece, 131, and a similar c0operating recess, 22, in the bearing block, 21, in Fig. 3.

The edges of the recess of the cross piece, 131, for the reception of the bearing block, are preferably undercut, as illustrated at, 23, in Fig. 5, and forms a dovetail engagement with the bearing block, 21. The bearing block is preferably provided at one end with flanges, 24, as best shown in Fig. 3, which engage the cross piece, 131, which limits the inward movement of the bearing block while permitting ready removal of the bearing block in an outward direction.

A crosshead, 25, provided with a hub, 26, is secured to the inner end of the shaft, 19. Arms or members, 14, which may be the same as those already described, extend inwardly from crosshead, 25, and are provided at their ends with hooks, 15. A rod, 16, is received in the last mentioned hooks, 15, and retained in position by spring arm, 17, in the manner above described.

In the embodiment of my invention illustrated, the shaft, 19, is actuated by a manually operated handle, 27, secured to the outer end of the shaft, 19.

- position.

A piece of flexible material, 29, preferably of tough fabric, such as ticking, is secured to the rods, 16, at the opposite ends of the device. For this purpose, the ticking is preferably folded at each end and sewed as at, 30, to form openings, 31, extending transversely of the strip and in which the rods, 16, are received. The fabric strip, when in position on the device, is adapted to receive hot packs, 32, or the like, which it is desired to prepare for a patient. In the normal position, the strip of fabric, before it has been subjected to the wringing operation, hangs as a festoon, as shown in Fig. l, and in full lines in Fig. 2, and is adapted to receive hot packs which are placed thereon and in the central portion thereof. The hot packs and the fabric on which they are placed, are then immersed in a desired solution which may be contained in a suitable basin, 33, which may be received on the base, 10. The operator then grasps the cross rods and inserts them in position in the hooks, 15, on the standards, 12 and 13, respectively. If desired, the boiling water may be poured over the hot packs and the fabric bearing strip after the rods are placed in position in the device and when the middle portion of the fabric strip and the packs occupy a position over the basin, as illustrated in Fig. 2.

In the embodiment of my invention illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, arms, 14, are fixed in position on the standards and the ends of the rods, 16, passing through the hooks engage the spring members which retain the ends of the rods in It will be noted from an inspection of Fig. 1, that a space is provided between the inwardly extending arms, 14, which permits the operator to place the rods in position in the device without in any way contacting the device. Any danger of transferring infection from one pack to another is thereby avoided.

The operator then grasps the handle, 27, and pulls the same outwardly until the fabric strip is substantially fiat and straight. Then, by turning the handle, the fabric strip and the hot packs are gradually twisted until the excess moisture is wrung therefrom, and the fabric strip assumes the position indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2. As the fabric and pack are twisted, they are shortened and the shaft passes forwardly through its bearing towards the opposite end of the device until the hub on the handle, 27, engages the bearing block, 21. Such operation usually requires 5 or 6 turns of the handle and the operation may be carried out in 4 or 5 seconds.

The rods, 16, together with the fabric strip and the pack are removed as a unit from the device. The unit is then carried to the place where the packs are to be applied in order to retain the heat in the packs. The fabric is then unwound, the packs removed, and the unit is then returned to the device and is ready to be sterilized and placed in the device for another operation.

In the embodiment of my invention illustrated in Fig. 4, the arm, 141, is pivoted to the standard, 12, as at, 34. It will, of course, be understood that the other arm attached to the other standard, 12, as well as the arms attached to the cross-head, are similarly pivoted. Such pivotal arrangement permits the fabric and the pack to sag more readily into the basin, 33.

In the embodiment of my invention illustrated in Fig. 6, the arms, 142, (only one of which is illustrated) are attached to the standards, 12, by a ball and socket joint thereby providing universal movement, and permitting greater freedom of movement for the fabric strip. The head, 121, on the standard, 12, is provided with a semispherical recess, 35, in which a ball, 36, is received, to which ball the inner end of the arm, 142, is secured. The ball may be clamped in position by a cap, 37, provided with a flange, 38, which is screwthreaded on its interior as at, 39, such screw threads engaging threads, 40, on the head, 121.

It is to be understood from the foregoing, that in using the ball and socket joint, my main purpose is to allow the fabric strip and pack to sag to a position within the recess of the basin. Hence, such universal mounting will be utilized at each point of support for rods, 16. It can readily be seen that the arms, secured by universal mountings, to the crosshead 25, will assume relatively similar positions with respect to said cross-head, when a rod is inserted therebetween. A modification, therefore, of this arrangement, which would be equally effective would consist in mounting the cross-head, 25, on the end of the shaft, 19, utilizing a ball and socket joint, in which case the universal mounting for its arms on the cross-head would be dispensed with. With this arrangement, the weight of the strip and pack would cause the cross-head to extend downwardly, forming an angle with the substantially horizontal plane of the axis of shaft, 19. The

twisting of said strip and pack would cause the plane of the cross-head to approach and coincide with the plane of the axis of shaft, 19, such depending on the force exerted in twisting said strip and pack.

In Fig. 5, the device is mounted on wall brackets one of which is illustrated at, 351.

When the arms, 142, are mounted for universal movement in the manner described, the two arms on the standard, 12, and the two arms attached to the cross-head, 25, are preferably connected by a yielding member comprising, in the embodiment illustrated, a rod, 43, attached at one end to one of the rods by a spring, 44. The provision of the yielding connection between the two arms,

142, maintains the same in spaced relation and thereby prevents the rods from dropping from the supporting hooks. At the same time, the provision of this yielding connection permits the insertion of rods of varying lengths to receive strips of fabric which may be of different widths.

In the embodiment of my invention illustrated in Fig. '7, the rods, 161, are provided at their ends with grooves, 45, only one of which is illustrated. The arrangement illustrated in Fig. 7, is particularly applicable where the arms are mounted have used in describing my invention are words of description rather than words of limitation, and that changes within the purview of the appended claims may be made without departing from the true scope and spirit of my invention.

What I claim is 1. In a device of the character described, the combination of a supporting device, of a rotatable shaft mounted thereon, a cross-head mounted on said shaft, non-rotatable supporting means mounted on said device, a piece of flexible material adapted to receive a hot pack and provided at its ends with openings extending transversely thereof, rods adapted to be received in said openings, means comprising members provided with cross-head and. to said non-rotatable supporting means, respectively, for supporting said rods, the open mouths of said hooks being sufficiently large to permit the passage of the ends of said rods, and means whereby said shaft may be rotated.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination of a supporting device, of a rotatable shaft mounted thereon, a cross-head mounted on said shaft, non-rotatable supporting means mounted on said device, a piece of flexible material adapted to receive a hot pack and provided at its ends with openings which extend transversely thereof, rods adapted to be received in said openings, means comprising members provided with open-mouthed hooked ends attached to said cross-head and to said non-rotatable sup porting means, respectively, for supporting said rods, the open mouths of said hooks being sufficiently large to permit the passage of the ends of said rods, means whereby said shaft may be rotated and spring means for preventing movement of said rods beyond the said hooked ends.

3. In a device of the character described, the combination of a supporting device, of a rotatable shaft mounted thereon, a cross-head mounted on said shaft, a piece of flexible material adapted to receive a'hot pack and provided at its ends with openings extending transversely thereof, rods adapted to be received in said openings, members provided at their ends with hooks for supporting said rods and swingingly mounted on said cross-head and on said supporting device facing said cross-head, respectively, and means whereby said shaft may be rotated.

4. In a device of the character described, the combination of a supporting device, of a rotatable shaft mounted thereon, a cross head mounted on said shaft, non-rotatable supporting means mounted on said supporting device, a piece of flexible material adapted to receive a hot pack and provided at its ends with openings extending transversely thereof, rods adapted to be received in said openings, said cross head and said nonrotatable supporting means being provided with members for the reception of the ends of the respective rods, means whereby said shaft may be rotated, and spring means associated with said members for normally preventing movement of said rods beyond the said members.

JOSEPH M. CANTWELL.

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