US1994102A - Hemoglobinometer - Google Patents

Description

March l2, 1935. N. HoLT y HEMOGLOBINOMETER Filed May 28, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

March -1.2, 1935.

Filed May 28, 1932 N. HOLT HEMOGLOBINOMETER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 -Partented Mar. 12, 1935 UNITEDSTATES PATENT, OFFICE 1,994,102 HMOGLOBINOMETER' l Noah Holt, Pueblo, Colo. v Application May 28, 1932, serial No. 914,229

11 Claims. (oies-11) This invention relates to the class of measuring instruments andpertains particularly lto a hemoglobinometer. z l

The primary object of the present invention is 15 to provide an instrument bymeans of Vwhich the percentage content of hemoglobin inthe human blood may be quickly and accurately determined. Another object ofthe invention is to provide a hemoglobinometer which is relatively simple in construction and which does-'not require any particular scientic knowledge to use, thus making it possible for a physician to leave the determination of the hemoglobin content of blood specimens to an assistant with the assurance that an accurate report will be obtained.

A still further object of the invention is vto providea hemoglobinometer employing an electric illuminating element, in which the element is energized upon the application of the instrul ment to a supporting surface so that the specimen and Aa comparator may be illuminated to be viewed bythe Vuser to determine the quality of the specimen, the` saidr specimen'being ydivided in a series of receptacles of varying depth and the receptacles being adjustable relative to the comparator so that one .thereof may be matched for color with the comparator or body which is of vthe color of normal blood. f

The invention will be best understood from a 30 consideration of the following'detailed descripti-on taken in connection with the accompanying drawings `forming party of this `speciiication,v with the understandingyhowever, that the invention is not confined to any strictV conformity with the 35. showing of the-drawings but maybe changed or modied so long as such changes or modifications mark no material departure from the salient features of the invention as expressed .in the'appended claims. l

Inthedrawings:'` Figure 1 is-aview partly in longitudinal section and partly in elevation of the preferred form of the instrument embodying the present invention; Figure 2 is asectional view taken substantially Figure 3 is a sectional view taken substantially upon the line 3--3 of Figure 1; iy

Figure 4 is a perspective view of a detail of the instrument; v f

"' Figure 5 is a sectional viewtaken substantially upon the 1ine5-5 of Figure 2; g

Figure 6 is a view partly in elevation and partly in section of a modified form of the invention;

Figure 'I is atransverse sectional view taken 55,: on the une 7 7 of Figures; t

Figure 8 is a plan view of the runner used upon the modied torm of the instrument; f

Figure 9 is a sectional view taken on the line 9 9 of Figure 6; y

Referring now more particularlylto the drawings wherein like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views, Figure 1v illustrates in sectiony the preferred form of the present invention, as previously stated, wherein there is provided a casing 1 oi the character commonly employed in a hand Y flash-light, in which is mounted a battery cell 2,

the upper end of which contacts with the base of an incandescent bulb 3 which is mounted in'a' reiiector 4 in the usual' manner.

One end of the cell casing 1 is closed by a cover 5 in which is a spring contact 6 and a reciprocable pin 7 attached thereto and extended ythrough to the outside as shown, the battery cell 2 being maintained with its bottom in spaced relation to thecap 5 by any suitable means such as the ring of insulation material 8,'so that the spring contact 6 is normally free from engagement with the bottom of the battery cell.

Upon the upper end of the casing 1 is mounted a circular housing 9. having the top and bottom walls 10 and 11 respectively. Integral with the bottom wall is a threaded collar 12 which engages about the .reflector 'end of the ycasing 1 in the manner illustrated so as to secure the housing iirmly on the casing.

The top wall 10 of the housing 9 has formed therethrough the three window openings 13,14 and 15, the windows 13 and 14 being at opposite sides of thev longitudinal center of the instrument so that the maximum amount of light from the incandescent bulb 3 Will .pass therethrough.

` Secured over the Window opening 13 is a ruby is shown-in detail in Figure 4 and indicated gen- 5 erally by. the'numeral19. This frame has the top and bottom walls and 21 which are connected ,by the front and rear Walls 22'l and 23. The front wall 22 of the frame 19 is of asize to tightlyclose the opening 18 when the frame is extended into the chamber 17 in the manner illustrated in Figure 2.

The top wall of the chamber 17 which is a continuation of the wall 10, has a slot 23 formed therein from the edge of the opening 18 and the bottom wall of this chamber which is indicated by the numeral 24 and which is in a plane above the wall 11 of the housing, has a. downwardly pressed ofbset forming a groove 25 which extends inwardly from the free edge of the opening 13 beneath and parallel with the slot 23. The top and bottom walls 20 and 21 of the frame 19 are provided at adjacent edges with inwardly extending notches 26 as shown in Figure 4.

Removably positioned within the frame 19 is a disk 27, in one face of which is an annular channel 28 which is adjacent and opens through the peripheral wall of the disk. This channel is transversely divided into areas 28' which are of gradually and progressively varying depth as shown in Figure 5, starting at one point with an area of very shallow dimensions and continuing around the series, gradually increasing in depth, until the last area is relatively deep.

Thisdisk 27 is made of a suitable translucent material such as white glass or porcelain, so that light from the bulb 3 will be diffused therethrough and thus permit of an accurate matching of the color of the blood contents of these Wells with the .comparator 16. The disk 27 has a central aperture 29 therethrough and designed to overlie this disk is a second disk 30 which is of transparent .glass and which also has a central aperture therethrough as indicated at 3l, `the disks 27 and 30 being of the same diameter.

These disks 27 and 30 are secured together with the disk 30 covering the specimen areas 28, by means of a screw 32 on which are the two nuts 33. The disks 27 and 30 are between the nuts 33 and may thus be clamped tightly together thereby. When the disks are held in position on the screw 32 by the nuts 33 the unit made up of these disks, nuts and screw may be positioned in the frame 19 between the walls 20 and 21v thereof with the l screw lying in the notches 26. The upper end of the screw is provided with a knurled head 34 as illustrated to facilitate grasping and turning of the screw and the disks carried thereby. After the disks have been mounted in the frame `19 in the manner described, the frame is inserted into the chamber 17, the lower end of the screw 32 sliding in the groove 25 and the upper end positioning in the slot 23. As a result of the right angular relation between the notches 26 and the slot and groove 23 and 25, after the frame has been placed in the chamber, the screw 32 will be firmly held in position but will be permitted rotary movement.

The diameters of the disks 27 and 30 is such that any one of the areas 28 may be located die rectly under the window opening 14, the dimensions of the areas and of this window opening being the same and the peripheries of the disks do not extend beyond the portion of the top wall 10 of'the housing which separates the window openings 13 and 14 so that the ruby glass `16 will not be covered thereby.

The top surface of the disk 27 has thereon a number adjacent each area 28 which indicates the percentage amount of hemoglobin in the blood which when placed in the area corresponds in depth or" color with` the ruby glass 16. The deepest of the areas, of course, will be numbered to indicate blood having a very low hemoglobin content, while the shallowest will be numbered to indicate blood having a higher hemoglobin content, the areas between being correspondingly graduated.

Slidable over the inner surface of the top wall 10 of the housing is a shutter element 35 which may be shifted to cover the window opening 15. This window opening is in alignment longitudinally of the instrument with the area of the overlying disk in which the hemoglobin percentage indicating figures lie. Any suitable means is provided for the `operation of this shuttenas for example, there may be employed a. Vstem 36 attached to the shutter and extending outwardly over the top Wall of the housing 9 as illustrated in Figures v2 and 3.

The top wall 10 of the housing 9 carries a sight tube 37 which is of sufficient diameter to enable a user of the instrument looking through the aperture 38 at the Youter end thereof to clearly see the light from the lamp 3 passing through the window openings and consequently to see the ruby glass 16, the area-s 28 overlying the window opening 14 and the number .adjacent such area when the shutter is retracted.

In Figures 6 to 9 inclusive there is illustrated a slightly modified form of the instrument above described, the principle .of this form being, however,'the same. In this formA of the instrument there is provided an elongated flat body 39 of porcelain or white glass in the top surface of which is a longitudinally .extending channel 40 divided into yareas '40' and besides these areas and extending longitudinally of the series is a body 41 of ruby glass, .the color of which isI like the ruby glass 16, the same as normal or healthy blood. The top surface of the body 39 is provided with a series of numerals each being transversely alignedwith an area 40 and representing the percentage content of hemoglobin in the blood specimen which when placed in the adjacent areaIcompares in color with the ruby glass standard. This base body '39 is covered by a similarly shaped vclear cover glass 42 and suitable means is employed for securing the glassand base together such, for example, as the thumb screws 43l which are illustrated. Designed to be mounted upon the bodies 39 and 42 after the same have vbeen secured together by the thumb screws 43, is a slide 44 which has a sight opening' 45 therein, which when the slide is in position extends across the two bodies so that one of the areas 40 will be uncovered or in view and also aA portion of the adjacent ruby glass and the number aligned transversely of the body with the pocket.

As the material of the slide 44 is of non-transparent character the adjacent areas will be covered sothat an accurate comparison of the contents of one area with the ruby glass may readily be made. As in the preferred form of the instrument the shallowest of the areas 40 will have a number adjacent thereto'` which indicatesY a high percentage of hemoglobin and the deepest of .the areas will indicate a low percentage of hemoglobin as a larger quantity of blood of low hemoglobin percentage will be required to match the ruby glass than would be required in a shallow area. v The areas between'the shallowest and deepest are of graduated depths as previously explained and the percentage indicating numbers arel correspondingly graduated.

In the use of the'present instrument, referring tothe preferred form 'illustrated in Figure l, the disks 27 and 30 are secured together and the annular. recess'28 thereof is filed with blood by touching the periphery of the disks at the rei cess portio-n against -a drop of blood which has been squeezed from the finger, ear lobe or'any other Vsuitable part of thev bodyfof the patient Whose blood isbeing tested;y Due to the'shallowness ofthe annular channel, even at the deepest portion thereof, the blood will be drawn in by capillary attraction and distribute itself throughout the` channel in the areas thereof completely y.filling the channel between the bottom andthe under side of the cover glass. The

v disks are then placed in the frame 19 in the manner illustrated and thevr frame 'inserted into the chamber v17. By thus positioning the-instrument uprightly upon a suitable supporting surface the contact 6 will be forced upwardly .into engagement With the bottom contactvvith the cell 2 and the under side of that portion of the disk overlying the reflector 4 will beilluminated. Y v

`The operator then peers through the opening 38 vand along the sight tube 37 towardy the vvindow openings 13, 14 andl5 and by grasping the knob 34 slowly rotatesthedisk until an area is found in which the colo-r of thev bloodtherein appears to correspond with the color ofthe ruby glass 16. v i -f The Window opening 15 will be keptcovered by the shutter 35 Whilerotating the disks and comparing the contents of the pockets with the specimen glass so thatno superfluousy light Will enter the sight tube and thus interfere With the of blood which indicates the percentage content of hemoglobin therein.

"The formation of the'areasp28 in the disk l2'7 may' be regulated so that the one lying second' from the shallo-vvest thereof will contain the proper amount of normal blood or blood containing the normal amount of hemoglobin, to match the colorlof the ruby glass. By this arrangement the areas will gradually decrease indepth in one direction from this intermediate areal and Will, when iilled With normal blood gradually shade off lighter and lighter to the sha'llowest of the pockets, While those Vpocketslying'on the other side of the intermediate pocket Will gradually show darker and darker shades until the deepest pocket is reached.` y The operation of the Imodified form of the inventionshown in Figures 6 to 9 inclusive Will be readily understood from` the foregoing description given` in vconnection with the preferredv formV of the invention, the comparison here being made by moving the slide or runner 44 longitudinally of the bodiesI 39 and 42 after filling the areas 40' with the blood to be `tested until the sight opening aligns an area of bloodwhilch corresponds in color With the ruby glass 4ll lying adjacent thereto. f

The numeral simultaneously uncoveredk or` tation thereofin aplane parallel with the top wall of -a housing, a pair'of Window openings in said top-Wall, one thereoflbeing located above the disk in a positionfor the selectivey location of said areas therebeneatn'a ruby glass covering the otherV Window, means for projecting light throughsaid disk toward the windows and ruby glass, and means `.for Aviewingthe ruby glass and the blood area located under the window adjamounting said translucent body foiv rotation'in the housing in a position for the selective' location'of said areas under one of said Windows, a

ruby glass covering `the other of said Windows, a rtransparent covering means for the translucent body,fmeans forrotating the cover meansfand the adjacent body, and data disposed adjacent the areas for indicating the percentage hemoglobin content of a blood specimen in anyone ofthe areas which corresponds in color With the ruby'fglass.

3. A hemoglobinometer comprising 'a body forming a housing having top andy bottom Walls, an.illuminating element, acasing for said illuminating element, means integral with the 'bottom wall of the housingvfor securing thelatte'r over the illuminating element, said top Wall having a pair of Window openings therein overlying the said element, means for viewing said Windows, atranslucent body having an annular series of areas therein of graduated depths, means for mounting said translucentbody for rotation-'in the housing in a position for the selective location of said areas under one of said Windows, a ruby glass covering the other of vsaid Windows, a transparent covering means for the translucent body, means for rotating the cover means and the adjacent body,and `data disposed adjacent the areas for indicating the percentage hemoglobin content of a blood specimen in any one of -the areas'which corresponds in color with thel ruby glass, said top Wall having a third-Window opening, and shiftable cover means for said third opening, said third opening when uncovered permitting-the projection of light through the translucent body to illuminate the dataadjacent -the pocket beingviewed'. 1 i y l l f 1.4. A hemoglobinometer of the` character described comprising `a cylindrical 'casing' containing a battery cell, reflector-and incandescent element kin the reilecton'switchmeans forl energizing said incandescent element, ahousing having as'ubstantially circular portion and an off -set rectangular portion, the said rectangular portion havingoneside Wall open and further having top andbottom Walls, said top Wall havinga pair of Window openings therethrough, means forsecuring said housing to said casing with said Windovv openings over the 'incandescent elementand reflector, a body removably positioned in the rectangular portion of the housing and having a Wall closing the open side thereof, a rotatable unit removably mountedy in said body consisting of a disk oftranslucent material having an annular series of areas inv one surface` thereof of graduated depths, a transparent cover glass overlying the areas, a screw extending through the translucentbody and .cover glass, means carried bythe screw and at opposite sides of the translucent body and ,cover `glass for securing the two together, one end of said screw being located exteriorly of the housing, means for supporting said screw vertically in the housing and first mentioned body to permit rotation thereof and the translucent body and cover glass, said translucent body being so positioned as to permit the selective l'location of any one of said areas under one of said windows, and a ruby glass covering the other of said windows.

.5. A hemoglobinometer comprising a flat body of translucent material, a longitudinally extending series of areas formed in one rface of said body, said areas being of graduated depths and merging directly one into theother, a ruby glass mounted adjacent said areas, data disposed adjacent each area to indicate the percentage hemoglobin "content of a'blood specimen in an area which corresponds in color with the adjacent ruby glass, and means for focusing the sight upon a selected area and the adjacent ruby glass and data consisting of a slide mounted upon the translucent body for movement longitudinally therealong and having a rectangular sight opening extending transversely thereof.

6. A hernoglobinometer comprising a ilat body of translucent material, a longitudinally extendingseries of areas formed in one face of said body, saidareas being of graduated depths and merging directly one into the other, a ruby glass mounted adjacent said areas, data disposed adjacent each area to indicate the percentage hemoglobin content of a blood specimen in an area which corresponds in color with the yadjacent ruby glass, means for focusing the sight upon a selected area and the adjacent ruby glass and data consisting of a slide mounted upon the translucent body for movement longitudinally therealong and having a rectangular sight opening extending transversely thereof, and a transparent cover glass overlying and secured against the areaedface of the translucent .body and disposed beneath the slide.

'7. In a hemoglobinometer, a housing having a wall opening and a pair of windows in a wall, a frame slidable into the housing through said opening, a pair of concentric disks carriedby said frame, one thereof being translucent and having a channel in one face adjacent the edge and formed to provide areas of progressively changing depth, the other disk being transparent, said areas being viewable through a window, a ruby glass covering the other window, said windows being in relatively close proximity, illuminating means for the housing between which means and the windows a peripheral portion of the disks is located, and means carried by the frame f orrotatably supporting the disks whereby any one of said areas may be brought to position beneath the window adjacent the ruby glass.

8. In a hemoglobinometer, a housing having a wall opening and having a wall provided with a pair of relatively closely positioned windowsVa frame slidable in said housing through said wall opening, a channel formed in a wall of the housing, a pair of concentric disksA one of which is formed of translucent material and has a .channel in one face adjacent the edge and formed to provide a series of areas of progressively changing depth, the other disk being transparent and overlying said channel, a stem extending concentrii callythroughthe disks, .means carried on Athe stem for securing the disks together, said disksA and securing means :being mounted in the frame, the disks having a portion of the periphery projecting from the frame and located beneath one of said windows when the frame is in the housing, said stem having its lower end -slidably engaged in said channel and having its upper end projecting beyond the top of the housing, a ruby glass in the other of said windows, and means Vfor illuminating the interior of ythe housing, between which means and said windows a portion of the periphery of the disks is located whereby one o1' saidareas may be viewed through the window adjacent the ruby glass.`

9. In- .a hemoglobinometer, a housing having a wall opening and having a wall provided with a pair of relatively closely positioned Windows, a frame slidable in said housing through said wall opening, a channel formed in a wall of the housing, a pair of concentric disks one :of which is formed of translucent material and has a channel in one -face adjacent the edge and formed `to provide 1a series of areas of progressively changing depth, the other disk being transparent and overlying said channel, a stem-extending concentrically through the disks, means carried on the stem for securing the disks together, said disks and securing means being mounted in the frame, the disks having a portion of the periphery projecting from the frame and located beneath one of said Windows when the frame is in the housing, said stem having its lower end slidably engaged in said channel and having its upper end projecting beyond the top of the housing, a ruby glass in the other of `said windows, means for illuminating the interior of the housing, between which means and said windows a portionof the periphery ofthe disks is located whereby one of said areas may be viewed through the Window f adjacent `the ruby glass, one of said disks having indicia designed to be viewed in relation with said areas, Ia third window adjacent said rst windows, and means for covering saidthird window whilel viewing the ruby glass and the disks through the window adjacent the ruby glass.

10. In a hemoglobinometer, a body of translucent material having a -channel formed therein adjacent to and opening through one edge and also open through the top of the body, said channel being relatively broad as compared to its depth and having the bottom divided into a ser-ies of flat areas arranged in progressively changing planes from one end of :the-series to the other, a transparent :cover for said channel, a' comparator of the color yof normal blood, and means forselectively directing the sight toward any one of said areas and the comparator.

11. In a hemoglobinometer, an elongated flat body .of translucent material having a channel formed therein along -one edge and opening through the said edge .and through the top surface of the body, said channel having the vbottom divided into a series of flat areas arranged in progressively changing planes 'from one .end of the channel to the other, an -elongated comparator of the color of normal blood disposed in a channel in the body at the inner side of said rst channel, a transparent cover overlying the body, said .comparator and the rst channel, a slotted guide slidably mounted upon the body and having the slotted portion extending across the' comparator and the first channel, and index means on the body for determining .the condition of a blood sample in the nrst channel relative` to the comparator.

NOAH HOLT.

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