US1429443A - Therapeutic device - Google Patents

Description

H. D. McFADDlN.

THERAPEUTIC DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 15,1919.

1,429,4L43, PatentedSept. 19, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I- INVENTOR Jar/75072 J 9 12150 71 ya TORNEVS H. D. McFADDlN.

THERAPEUTIC DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 15.1919.

1,429,443. Patented pt. 19, 1922.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2 INVENTOR A TTORNEYS Patented Sept. 19, 1922.

HARRISON D. MGFADDIN, OF EAST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY.

THERAPEUTIC DEVICE.

Application filed February 15. 1919.

To (ZZZ am it may concern Be it known that I, HARRISON D. MGF AD em, a citizen of the United States, residing in East Orange, county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented a certain new and useful Therapeutic Device, of which the following is 'a specification.

This invention is a therapeutic device and forms an improvement on the lamp of my prior Patent No. 1,267,882, patented May 28, 1918, for hand lamp for therapeutic purposes. Therapeutic lamps have long been used in the medical profession for subcutaneous treatment of the body, intendant more particularly, for the infusion of heat to accelerate blood circulation, as well as the destroying of germs by ex osing them to combined light and heat. n my prior patent referred to, a hand lamp for therapeutic uses is described and shown and for general employment operates with high efficiency, particularly in the paralleling of the light rays emanating from the lamp, so that the infra-red rays of light are undistorted and retain their full penetrating power. Exhaustive experimentation, as well as successful application has proven, beyond the slightest doubt, that the infra-red rays are the most predominant heat rays of the spectrum of incandescent carbon, and that if the rays of light are paralleled, the greatest penetrating power of these rays is assured. If the rays from any one source of light are focused, the penetrating qualities are interfered with through distortion of the rays, and in my prior patent is shown a construction which will bring about the paralleling of the rays, as well as their projection to the point of application without focus.

As stated, the prior construction operates with great efficiency, but is intended for more or less local treatment, and its radius of operation on the human system is more or less limited in certain particulars. For example, if the treatment required is of a small local nature, such as the knee or hand of the patient, the hand lamp will prove entirely satisfactory, but if the entire leg or arm of the patient is affected, manifestly, the scope of the lamp is insufficient to allow of the treatment of the entire member at one time, since, the movement of the lamp to cover the zone of operations will be required. If a single lamp were made which would opcrate over a relatively large space, the power Serial No. 277,207.

required would be considerably greater and unless care were taken the atient might be to provide a therapeutic device which will embody all the highly advantageous features ascribed to In prior hand lamp, but which will possess, in addition thereto, many additional meritorious considerations. The device of the present invention is not limited to the application of heat to a relatively small area, but is of such a flexible nature that the area of application of the light may vary within wide extremes, so that a relatively large area may be treated as well as a relatively small one. Moreover, provision is made whereby the entire heat and light generated may be concentrated upon a small area with varying degrees of intensity, so that the various needs of the patient may be served through the rendering of a very strong and penetrating light, or by a lesser light, depending upon conditions.

Speaking generally, the invention embodies a cluster of lamps flexibly mounted relative to one another on a common support, and each of which is electrically energized independent of the others. The lamps are adapted for individual manipulation to direct their rays on the part of the anatomy to be treated, and the mounting is such that the light from all the lamps may be concentrated on a common spot to subject the part to the aggregate light and heat effect of all of said lamps, or said lamps may be further manipulated to spread out their light and heat over a relatively large area. In either instance one or more of the lamps may be operated through the exclusion of the others to vary the aggregate heat and light output, or they may be all used together to give the maximum intensity. By the present invention corrected concentration of the' Features of the invention other than those specified will be apparent from the hereinafter detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. a

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated one practical embodiment of the invention, but the construction therein shown is to be understood as illustrative only, and not as defining the limits of the invention.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a therapeutic device embodying the present invention, all the lamps of which occupy positions to shed their light and heat over a1triangular shaped area lying substantially in a horizontal plane;

Figure 2 shows a different arrangement of lamps so that the area of light and heat rays is elongated in shape;

*igure 3 shows the lamps in such positions as to concentrate the rays from all of the lamps on a single point in a horizontal plane; and

Figure 4.- shows the manner in which the lamps may be shifted to throw light and heat on a vertical plane.

Referring to the drawings, A, A and A indicate a plurality of lamps, each of which is formed and constructed after the general manner described and claimed in my prior application aforesaid in that each lamp is adapted to project parallel rays to accomplish maximum penetration by the infrared rays.

Each lamp is provided with a stem a, which is pivotally mounted on a link B, the other end of which is in turn pivotally fixed to an ornamental shell C. The pivotal connections between the stems a and links B are provided with clamping bolts and wing nuts (1,, while similar clamping bolts and wing nuts 6 are associated with the pivoted connections between the links B and the ornamental shell C.

The shell C has a pivotal connection which can be locked by wing nut c, with a supporting arm D which is slidably mounted in a collar e, mounted on a standard E. A set screw (1 serves to lock the supporting arm D against sliding movement in the collar e. The arm D has pivotal adjustment with the standard E, but may be locked in the desired position of adjustment by thumb screw 6. Current is led to the lamps through a cable F which passes through the supporting arm D and through the shell C tothe various lamps.

The standard E is of telescoping character to allow of adjustment for height, and is provided with a hand wheel G for looking it in any predetermined elevation. It is provided with a suitable base, not shown, and is adapted to be supported thereby in upstanding position.

The mode of operation of the device is as follows. .It will be apparent that the device of this invention is extremely flexible in adjustments, in that each lamp of the cluster is capable of two adjustments on the shell C.

The shell C is pivotally adjustable on the supporting arm; the arm is adjustable longitudinally and pivotally on the standard and the standard'isadjustable as to height. This allows of the projection of the light rays in practically any direction, as well the distribution of the projecting rays over a larger or smaller area as may be required. Thus, in Figure 1, the adjustment of the device is shown so as to project the rays of each light individually down upon a hori' zontal surface, such for example, as a table top, the beams of light fromv the respective lamps not overlapping one another, but said lamps projecting said rays independently down upon the surface, so that the aggregate light of all of the lamps covers a substantially triangular area of said surface. Such an arrangement would be highly beneficial in the treatment of a crooked arm or leg where a wide range of illumination and heat were re uired.

n Figure 2, the adjustment of the standard, supporting arm and shell is substantially the same as that shown in Figure l, but the lamps are tilted into a different adjustment so that the projected rays are in alinement on the table top to give a long, relatively narrow area of light and heat so that an arm or leg stretched out straight on said surface may be treated for its entire length.

The projected lights of the lamps are shown as overlapping one another slightly, but the linear dimensions might well be increased by tilting the lamps A, A and A into slightly diverging positions to lengthen the light or heat area on a surface on which it is projected. However, said lamps A and A may be adjusted to bring the beam of one into convergence with the beam of the other, and simultaneously into the beam of lamp A, after the manner shown in Figure 3, so that the light of all of the lamps will be shed upon a common point after the manner shown in Figure 3. At this common point, will be the aggregate light and heat of all the lamps, and a maximum illuminating and heating power of the device is secured. If it is found that the aggregate of all the lamps produce too great a heat for the patient, one or two of the lamps may be extinguished, depending upon the quantity of heat required for the treatment, and thus the intensity of heat and light from the device may be regulated.

It has been shown how the device may be manipulated to treat portions of the body which may readily be placed in a substantially horizontal position, or in the position of rest, while lying on or being supported by a horizontal surface, but the device is also adapted to project light and heat upon substantially vertical surfaces, through the projected employment of the adjustments allowed by the manipulation of the thumb screw 0, or through such adjustments combined with additional manipulations of the set screw d, and the thumb screw 6', which allow of the tilting and extension of the supporting arm D. Thus the parts of the device may assume the positions shown in Figure 4, wherein the rays of all the lamps are projecting in a substantially horizontal path. While the arm I) and shell C remain in this position, the lamps may be independently manipulated to vary the area of application as hereinhet'ore described.

While I have shown and described various positions which the constituent parts of the device may assume, it will be understood that these various parts are shown for purposes of illustration and do not show the limit of flexibility of the device. The adjustments of the device are such that light may be thrown in practically every direction and from practically every angle, depending upon the circumstances and the portion of the anatomy which requires the therapeutic treatment. Not only is the cluster of lamps bodily moved within wide limits, but each lamp is individually adjustable to vary the projection of light and heat to a nicety for the purpose of obtaining the desired intensity. as well as the proper area of the projecting rays.

The present invention thus provides a device embodying all the highly advantageous features of parallel projection of light rays from a lamp of the character shown in my prior application, and in addition thereto, provides for the varying of intensity of said light and heat, as well as the area of application, If a small area is to be treated, and but a little light and heat required, but a single lamp may be employed, while with the necessity for greater heat and light or greater area of application, additional lamps may be switched on.

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

1. In a therapeutic device the combination of an adjustable standard, a supporting arm pivotally and slidably supported on said standard and projecting laterally into space, a lamp carrying member pivotally associated with one free end of the supporting arm, a plurality of links pivoted to said member. a therapeutic lamp pivoted to each link, and means for locking each pivotal or slidable connection of the device, whereby the parts may be individually manipulated to project the light from the lamps in any desired direction and over widely varying areas of projected light, in accordance with the relative positions of the lamps and their supporting elements.

2. In a therapeutic device the combina- -ally' manipulated to project the light and heat from the lamps in any desired direction and over widely varying areas of projected light and heat, in accordance with the relative positions of the lamps and their supporting elements.

3. A therapeutic device embodying a standard, a cluster of therapeutic lamps supported thereon, each of which lamps is mounted for individual and independent adjustm'ent while the other lamps of the cluster remain stationary, and a single pivotal connection between all of the lamps of the cluster and the standard, through which pivotal connection all of said lamps may be simultaneously adjusted with respect to the standard without changing their adjustment relative to one another.

4. A therapeutic device embodying a standard, an arm projecting laterally from said standard, a lamp supporting member having pivotal connection, with the free end of said arm, a plurality of therapeutic lam s, each of which is pivotally connected to t e lamp supporting member, whereby each lamp may be adjusted independently on the lamp supporting member without requir ing adjustment of the other lamps while all of said lamps may be simultaneously, bodil adjusted through pivotal adjustment of the lamp supporting member on the supporting arm of the standard.

5. A therapeutic device embodying an upright standard comprising a plurality of telescopin sections by means of which the height of t e standard may be varied, a tubular lamp supporting arm having pivotal and-slidable connection with the upper section of the standard, a lamp member pivoted to one end of the lamp supporting arm, a plurality of therapeutic lamps pivotally mounted on the lamp supporting member and electric feed wires passing through the lamp supporting arm and through the lamp supporting member to the respective lamps,

whereby the lamps may be individually and independently pivotally adjusted on the lamp supporting member and all of said lamps simultaneously and pivotally ad justed bodily, through pivotal adjustment of telescoping sections by means of which the height of the standard may be varied, a tubular lamp supporting arm having pivotal and slidable connection with the upper section of the standard, a lamp member pivoted to one end of the lamp su porting arm, a plurality of therapeutic amps pivotally mounted on the lamp supporting member and electric feed wires passing throu h the lamp supporting arm and through t e lamp supporting member to the respective lamps, whereby the lamps may b individually and independently pivotally adjusted on the lamp supporting member and all of said lamps simultaneously and pivotally adjusted bodily, through pivotal adjustment of the lamp supporting member on the lamp supporting arm, and means associated with each pivotal connection for locking the parts in adjustment to preclude inadvertent shiftm in testimony whereof I have signed my name to this s ecification.

HA RISON D. McFADDIN.

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