US772753A - Artificial limb. - Google Patents

Description

-PATENTED 0011-18, 1904.

S. E. STAGGS. ARTIFICIAL LIMB.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. a, 1903.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

no MODEL.-

Patented October 18, 190a.

PAT ENT OFFICE.

-ISYLVESTER' E. s'rAGes. OF NEW YORK, n-r jAssieiron or ONE-HALF TO EMMY srAeos, or NEW YGRK, N. r.

' ARTIFICIAL LiMB.

' -SPECIIICATIONforming part of Letters Patent no. 772,753, dated October 18, 1904.

Application filed Decemb 8, 1903. derial No. 184,281. (No model.)

To (tZZ-wiwm it. may concern:

- Be it known that 1', SYLv s'rER E.'STAGGS,

a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of New York, borough of Manhat: tan, in the county and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Ar tificial Limbs, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription, This invention relates to certain'novel and useful improvements in artificial limbs.

In the present instance I have in contem plation as the main object of the invention the provision of animproved artificial upper leg.

member, aknee-joint, a lower leg member, an ankle-joint, and a'foot member, these parts all being designed to be correlated and arranged as is hereinafter specifically recited.

Another object of my invention is the provision of means for adjusting and controlling the tension-of the kneeoint in such manner that the latter may be suited tovarious conditions. Y r Y Still a further object is to so construct the ankle connectionof the limb that freedom of movement will be at all times secured, while a safe and comfortable joint will be attained.

Finally, I have in view the provision of an artificial limb-which will embody the essential and desirable features of simplicity, durability, economy,.s'afety, and convenience.

With the above-recited objects and others of a similarnature in view my invention consists in the construction, combination, and arrange'ment of parts as is described in this specification, delineatedin the accompanying.

drawings, and set forth in the appended claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding. parts in all the figures.

- yFigure 1 is aview in side elevation of a limb embodyingmyimprovements. Fig.2isa rear ..t1onal view taken on the line 44 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 similar view taken on the line 5 5 of Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional View taken on the line 6 6 of Fig. l and lookin the direction of the arrows. Fig. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view ofja slightly-modified form of'upper leg portion, and Fig. 8 shows an upper leg portion having'an air-valve.-

' For the purpose of convenience in description my Improved limb maybe considered as comprising-a foot member A, an ankle connection B, secured to the foot, a lower leg portion 0, jointed tothe ankle, and an upper leg member D, connected to the lower leg by an improved knee construction.

' The foot member of the device (see Fig.3)

incased. in calfskin or the like 10, such calfskin forming'the outer surfaceof the foot, While for the. purpose of giving resiliency and spring to the toe Iinsert a spring 11, ofwhalebone or other suitable material,' between the fabric and the outer calfsk'in covering.

Inthe wooden-block portion of the foot member I form a horizontal groove "or chan nel 12, designed for thei purpose hereinafter described, and from such grooved portion down through the wooden blo'ck extends a vertical bore 13, terminating in a relatively widened portion 14. The wooden-block member is also provided with a cavity 15, formedv in the heel portion thereof, and a similar cavity 16 is formed at the *front thereof, such cavity being designed to form av seat or bed for the cushion of the ankle portion.

The upper surface of the foot portion'is cut away, so as to forma shoulder 1'7, such cutaway portion of the shoeacting as, a bed for the ankle member B. This ankle member is of a peculiar construction comprising, as it does, a body portionformed of. any suitable nprises, essentially, an upper portion and a lower relatively widened instep portion 19. The undersurface of the aluminium l6 portion is preferably convex and is 2 mod. with a transversely-extending bear- (see Fig. 6,) said bearing being formed 1 a brass tubular portion 21, cast integral with the aluminium of the ankle portion, this .rnal havinglugs or ribs 92 formed thereon. The central portion of the journal is cutaway, so that such journal is really formed of two transverse tubular sections, and through the journal extends a shaft 23, formed of asuitable netal, this:shaft or bolt 23 being demust necessarily be placed upon the same in lking.

Secured to the shaft 23, at the central portion thereof, and extending down-through the space between the two sections of the journal is a'metal bolt 2%., said bolt being connected with the shaft through the medium of an eye portion 25, the shank of such bolt passing through the ertic'al bore 13 of the foot portion and being secured in the widened portion M of the bore through they medium of any suit-able nut 26, a washer 2-7 being also provided. From this construction it will be noted that the single integral ankle member will be firmly and safely secured to the foot member, and in order to cushion the rocking motion of the ankle upon the foot and render the limb comfortable I have provided a rear or heei cushion 28, formed of some suitable resilient materialsuch as rubber, a steel spring covered with leather, or other materialfthe lower end of said cushion fitting in the cavity 15 of the foot portion, while the upper end thereof is designed to seat in a brass socket 29, cast in the rear of the ankle portion B. member is also seated a rubber cushion 30, which designed to relieve the pressure placed upon the forward part of the foot and to secure comfort to the wearer of the limb.

The upper portion 18 of the ankle B is ofsliglitly--recluced diameter in cross-section, a shoulder, as at 31, being formed circumferentially of the memberat the juncture of the portion 18 with the instep portion 19, and this construction will be found extremely useful, the reduced portion is designed to be inserted within the lower leg member (I. This lower leg portion is formed mainly of rawhide, and at the point where it is connected with the ankle member the rawhide is designed to lit over the reduced portion of the ankle and abut against the shoulder 31.

in order to connect the lower leg with the ankle portion, copper rivets or other fastenmg means may be employed, these latter being arranged in a row circumferentially of and extending through the legmember G and the ankle portion, the heads of such rivets arterial, such as aluminium or the like,

ned to stand the tremendous strain which in the front cavity 16 of the foot I being upset in the ordinary way. lilxtending longitudinally of the lower leg portion are strengthening strips or bars of metal, such as steel or the like, (shown at 32, see Figs. 2 and 5,) each of such bars lying along the side portions of the lower leg and connected to the ankle portion by certain of the rivets heretofore mentioned, the upper end of each of said metalstrips terminating in an eye portion 33, designed to permit the passage of n tubularknee-bolt 34:, said bolt connecting the upper leg member with the lower leg member at the knee portion 35. The upper edge of the lower leg portion is strengthened by a metallic band of any suitable character, such as shown at 36, said band being covered or trimmed with any suitable material, such as sole-leather, while the strengtheningstrips of the bars 32 32 are also covered with a trimming of sole-leather, as shown at 37, the

said trimming being of any design or shape.

The knee portion, as will be seen by reference to the drawings, is formed at the lower extremity of the upper leg portion and is preferably semicircular in contour. 'lThe bolt 34:, which connects the knee with the lower leg, extends through a bearingsleeve 3h, formed of any suitable material, such sleeve having its end portions supported in blocks 39 39, secured at opposite sides of the portion 35. This tubular shaft or bolt 3% is so cured through the medium of screw-nuts i0, threaded therein at each end thereof, and for the purpose of permitting the bolt to act as a lubricating device I have formed a groove extending circumferentially of the bolt at ll. and a perforation or small hole a1 is made through the grooved portion, such hole permitting any suitable lubricant to pass thcrethrough and to lubricate the bearing. This construction will be clearly seen by reference to Fig. a.

in the present construction of limb the ball portion 35 of the knee is also formed of aluminium, and said knee portion is rigidly connected with the upper leg portion l) at the lower end of the latter through any suitable means, such as a plurality of copper rivets or the like, the point of juncture of the knee with the leg portion being covered with a band of any suitable material, (shown at 1 2.) This knee portion is formed will a smnicirruhn' slot cut approximately centrally in the ball 35 and having its end extending in a vertical direction, said slot being indicated at -13 and being designed for the purpose hcroinal'tm' forth.

It is of course necessary in constructing a suitable limb that there should be some play or movement permitted at the knee portion. and to accomplish this i have adopted the following means: Extending tumsverscly through the lower leg portion is a bar it, (see Figs. 3 and 5,) which bar is arlayded to be connected with a knee'eord to, the ends of the cord having loops formed thereon and through {which'the bar passes, such cord passupward and through a bracket or fastenlng-chp 47, secured to the back of the upper -leg'portion directly above the termination of one end oithe slot, W hen the knee is turned so that the upper leg portion is at an angle to the lower leg portion, as is shown in Fig.

3, such cor.d will also bend, and its free in- 10.

. 1 'In order to tension and to assistinconnecting the upper ,portion of. .the limb movably with thelower portion, I secure an elastic band ward movement is permitted. by the slot.

near the point of juncture of the ankle-with the lower leg, assliown at 49, said band extending longitudinally of the front or shin portion of the leg, and at its upper end is connected at with a flat metalliespring 51, said spring passing through the slotted portion of the knee portion and passing out through an opening 51 ,arrangednear thepoint of juncture of the knee portion with the stump-socket or upperleg portion.

, It is often necessary or desirable to tension or regulate the movement of the'upper limbsection relative to the lower one and for this purpose 1 have provided the spring 51 with a finger-loop 52 and' a catch 53, sec'ured ad- .jacent to thefinger loop, said catch being in the nature of a small pin' or stud adapted to be brought into alinementand inserted within any desired one of a plurality of openings or apertures.54r ,vformed in avstrip 55, which strip is secured longitudinally jof the frontof the upper leg portion. It will be evident that when it is desired to tension the movement of' the sections of the limb it is only necessary-to V grasp the loop and pull it upward to release the straps or the like.

catch from \one of. the apertures, and then through the elastic cord and spring the desired tension may be obtained, and the catch is then slipped back again into one of the-apertures.

The upper leg section or member is in the. fol-m of a stump-socket and is constructed of an outer shell 56, formed of rawhide, and-an inner shell 57, formed of sole-leather or similar material, the sole-leather overlapping the rawhide at the upper end thereof, so that a I hand or trimming 58' is formed at the upper portion of the limb.- 1n manyinstances it is necessary to adjust the limb to suit certain patients, and for this purpose the upper legsection is formed with .avertical opening, the longitudinal edges of thematerial adjacent to saidopening being provided with a plurality ot'eyelets, as at 59, designed to receive a lac ing-cord 60, the construction being such that the upper section may be tightened or loosened or adjusted slightly to suit the party wearing the limb.

The limb as described may be secured to the stump 111 any desired manner, such as by In Fig. 7 of the drawings 1 have also shown a slightly-modified form of'lirnb. In this mod ification the upper leg portion has inounted'ther'ein an inner stump-socket 61, which is tensionedjn itsvertical movement bya spring 62, coiled about a rod 63, one end of which passes-through a transverse block 64, while the other end is seated in a small chamber 65,

formed in the bottom of the inI socket.

. I In Fig. 8 the upper leg portion is provided with an air-valve 66, designed to permit the I escape of air when the limb is thrust or pushed the air has been' expelled, and the limbwill down into the socket, such valve closing after adhere firmlyto the stump. It will be noted I I scribed a full-sized artificial limb it will of course-be understood that the lower portion of such l-imb'that is to say, the part including the lower leg-section, the ankle-section,

and the foot membermay be formed or made "to suit parties who have had a limb severed at a point below the knee, in this case the upper omitted.

The use oi the rawhide and aluminium forms an extremely strong, light, and durable structure, while the integral ankle portion gives rigidity and strength and at the same time freedom of movement.

'Ehe parts of the limb, especially the upperv leg-section and the lower leg-section, may be strengthened and formed in any suitable or preferred manner, and it will be further evileg-section and the knee-joint being dent that there may be variations and modi fications in regard to certain details of construction without departing from the essential features of the invention or sacrificing any of the advantages thereof.

Having thus described my invention, Iclaim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. The combination of an upper leg-section, a lower leg-section, an ankle portion, and a foot member connected to the ankle portion,

' said foot member comprising a wooden portion, a rawhide covering for the wooden portion, a body of felt secured to the rawhide covering and wooden portion, a coating of canvas fabric for the felt, and a covering of rubber over the canvas, substantiallyas set forth.

2. 'The combination of aieg portion, afoot member, an ankle portion connecting the leg portion with the foot member, said ankle portion comprising an integral metallic body lfaving'a reduced upper portion connected with the leg and a flared, enlarged lower portion II'O constituting a bearing, a tubular shell suring cast integral with the material of the'ankle portion and adapted to lie in the groove formed transversely of the leg portion, a shaft and bolt carried by said hard-metal bearing and designed to extend through the bore formed in the foot member, and a nut designed to thread upon the shank of the bolt, for uniting the foot member with the ankle portion, substantially as set forth.

' a An article of manufacture, comprising a Wooden portion, a rawhide covering therefor, a layer of felt over the rawhide, a layer of canvas fabric over the felt, and a covering of vulcanized rubber over the canvas.

5. The combination of a lower leg portion formed of abody of rawhide, leather trimming for said rawhide, and a plurality of metal strips or bars extending longitudinally of the leg portion, certain of said bars having eye portions formed thereon, an upper leg portion formed of a body of rawhide, knee portion, designed to be secured to the lower leg portion, and a bolt passing through the aluminium knee portion of the upper limb and designed to be supported by the metallic strips.

6. The combination of an upper leg portion, a lower leg portion, a knee portion carried by the aforesaid upper leg portion, means for pivotally connecting the two leg portions at the knee, a knee-cord connecting the two sections, and means for adjusting the tension 01' regulating the movement of the two sections relative to each other, said means including a spring and a latching device carried by said spring on the outside of one of the leg portions, designed to engage with the upper leg portion.

7. The combination of an upper leg portion, a lower leg portion, a metallic knee portion carried by the aforesaid upper leg portion, a plurality of metallic strips extending longitudinally of the lower leg portion, a tubular bolt passing through said strips and through the metallic knee portion, for connecting the knee portion to the lower leg portion, a

a cord looped at its central portion and connected to the upper leg portion at the rear of the'knee, the free ends of said cord being socured within the lower leg portion, a lacingcord passing through apertures or eyes formed in the upper leg portion, for adjusting the size of said upper leg portion, means for tensioning the movement of the limb at the knee, such means including a spring and a latching device carried by said spring and designed to .engage with notches formed in the upper legportion, an ankle portion secured to the lower leg portion, and a foot member connected to the ankle portion.

8. An artificial limb comprising a foot por: tion, a leg portion, and-means secured in the leg portion, for permitting the escape of air therefrom when the leg portion is filled, and for preventing the admission of air thereto, the said means being so arranged as to close after the air has been expelled from the leg portion.

9. The combination of an upper leg portion, constructed of an outer rawhide covering and a lining of leather, an aluminium knee portion secured to the upper leg portion, and a lower leg portion pivotally connected to the knee portion, said lower leg portion being formed of rawhide and having strips of strengthening material secured to the rawhide.

10. An artificial limb comprising an upper leg portion, a knee portion rigidly secured to said upper leg portion, a tubular bearingsleevc mounted transversely of the knee portion, a lower leg portion, and a tubular bolt, provided with an oiling-aperture, an oil-carrying groove passing through the sleeve with-

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