US2345073A - Apparatus for operating therapeutic devices - Google Patents

Description

March 28, 1944. W, RQSETT 2,345,073

APPARATUS FOR OPERATING THERAPEUTIG DEVICES Filed April l0, 1942 A 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 fgq 1 2/ 20 25 /03 ml) /mg INVENTOR.

Patented Mar. 28, 1944 APPARATUS FOR OPERATING THERAPEUTIC DEVICES Walter Rosett, Forest Hills,` N. Y.,

one-third to Blanche B. N. Y., and one-thir- Orleans, La.

assignor of Rosett, New York,

d to Arthur Rosett, New

'Application April 1o, 1942, serial No. 438,380

3 Claims.

embodied in therapeutic devices for propelling the venous blood of the body toward the heart, thereby providing a systematic kneading of the tissues of the body and consequent enhancement of circulation of the fluids in the lymphatic spaces.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a distributing valve adapted to serially apply pressure to said pneumatic bags embodied in the therapeutic device and to serially apply vacuum subsequent to the removal of said bags from the influence of said pressure.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a control unit comprised of a rotary compressor, means to drive the same, a reduction gear connected to said means, and a distributing valve driven by said reduction gear at a reduced rate of speed, connections between the discharge of said compressor and said distributing valve, another connection between said distributing valve and the intake of said compressor, and a control panel for said unit including a pressure gauge and a bleeder valve connected to said discharge, a second bleeder valve and a vacuum gauge connected to said intake, and a plurality of connections to said distributor valve which are serially and sequentially subjected to pressure and vacuum, said control rpanel being situated so that the operator may control every phase of the operation from the single position.

Yet another object of the invention is the provision of the distributor valve for pressure and vacuum including a tapered rotor which is seated in a corresponding tapered bore in said valve under the urge of saldpressure at the large end thereof and under the urge of said vacuum at the Small end thereof.

Another object of the invention is the provision in a distributor valve of settable means for regulating the degree of engagement of the tapered surface on the rotor with the correspond ing tapered surface in the stator.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon the perusal of the following specication and the accompanying drawings wherein: I

Figure 1 is a plan view ofthe complete control device with the .top of the cabinet removed:

Figure 2 is an elevation partially in section of the device shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a diagrammatic representation of the device connected to a therapeutic device to be controlled thereby;

Figure 4 is an elevation of one form of distributor valve embodied in said device;

Figure 5 is a sectional elevation of the distributor valve of Figure 4 as seen along the line 5-5 of Figure 6;

Figure 6 is a sectional elevation of the distributor valve as seen along the hues of 8 5 of Figure 5;

Figure 7 is a sectional elevation of a modified form of the control valve shown in Figure 5 as seen along the lines 'l-I of Figure 8;

Figure 8 is a sectional elevation as seen along the line 8-8 of Figure 7.

Figure 9 is a -sectional elevation of a further modification of the distributor valve; and,

Figure 10 is an elevation of the right end of the device, Figure 1, showing the control panel.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, a casing generally designated by the numeral 20 houses the compressor, the motor, the distributor valve and allied devices. 'I'his casing has a base 2l. an end wall 22, side walls 23 and 2.4, and an end wall 25 which forms a control panel for the device as will hereinafter be described. The compressor 25 carries a fly wheel pulley 21 which is connected to a pulley 26 carried on the shaft 21 of the motor 28 by means of a belt 29.

The motor shaft 2l also carries a member 29 which engages a cooperative member 30 carried on the shaft 3l of a gear reduction unit 32, to form a Cardan joint or flexible drive between the shaft 2l andthe shaft 3l. The gear reduction unit 32 has a shaft 33 which is driven at reduced speed due to the gearing therein. A distributor valve 34, details of which will presently be described, has a shaft 35 extending therefrom in alignment with the shaft 33, and a member 35 on the shaft 33 and a cooperative member 31 on the shaft 35 form a flexible between.

One form of distributor valve 34 is shown in Figures 4, 5, and 6 and consists of a rotor 3l which is preferably tapered. yThis rotor forms a working t with' the tapered bore formed in the body casting 40. An end plate 4I secured to one end of the body carries a bearing 42 for the driving joint thereshaft extension 43 and a suitable stuffing box 44. By means of a pipe fitting 45, air under pressure is led into the distributor valve and the stuffing box 44 will prevent the air from leaking around the shaft extension 43.

A similar end plate 46 is secured to the opposite end of the body 40 and carries a bearing 41 for the shaft extension 35. By means of a pipe fitting 48, the space 49 between the end of the rotor 38 and the end plate 46 is subjected to subatmospheric pressures, as for example, by connecting'this iitting to the inlet side of a pump. A suitable stuffing box 50 ls provided for preventing the ingress of air around the shaft extension 35.

Equally spaced about the bore 39 in the body 40 are ports 5|. 52, 53, 54, 55, and 56, each of said ports being provided with pipe threads to accommodate suitable fittings such as 51, 58, 59, 60, 6| and 62.

A port opening 63 is formed in the rotor 38, the length or which is preferably equal to the distance between any two adjacent ports plus approximately half of the width of a port. A cross hole 64 extends from the port opening 63 to a chamber 65 formed in the large end of the rotor, which chamber is in communication with the source of air under pressure via the tting 45 so that as the rotor is moved, for example, in the direction of the arrow as shown in Figure 6, air under pressure is successively furnished to the ports 56, 55, 54 and 52, therefore the air bags connected to these ports, as will presently be described in connection with Figure 3, are successively inated.

The rotor 38 also has formed therein a circular port 66 which preferably extends a distance substantially equal to the arcuate distance from one port to the third port in advance thereof. In other words this arcuate port is always in communication with at least three of the ports and is in communication with four of the ports just at the time one end is leaving a port and the other is coming into communication with a port. A passage 61 formed inthe rotor 38 communicates with the chamber 49 and therefore the ports spanned by the circular port 66 are subjected to sub-atmospheric pressures to facilitate the removal of'air from air bags which have previously been inflated as `will also be presently described in connection with Figure 3.

A pipe 19 is connected to the discharge of the pump and carries fittings connecting the discharge of the compressor to a filter 1| which is supported on the -base 2l by means of brackets 12, 18. y

Extending from the filter 1| is a nipple 14 to which is connected one end of a hose or tube 15. The other end of the tube is connected to the nipple 45 on the distributor valve 34, and thereby compressed air is delivered to the chamber 65 therein. This air, via the passages 84. and the port 63, is successively delivered to the ports 5|, 56, 55, 54 and 52.

Also connected to the nipple 45 is a branch pipe 16 which is connected to a gauge 11 and to a bleeder valve 18l which is controlled by a handle 19. The gauge and the bleeder valve are i mounted on the end 25 of the cabinet, which constitutes a control panel.

The inlet or` suction of the pump 26 has connected thereto a nipple 80, to one end of which a pipe or hose 8l is connected'. In the arrangement shown in Figures 1 and 2, the nipple 48 on the distributor valve 34 extends upwardly and 83 has one end connected to the T 82 and theother end connected to a union 84.

Extending from the union 84 is a pipe 85 which connects to a gauge 88 and a. bleeder valve 81 carrying-an adjusting handle 88. The gauge 86 is also mounted on the control panel 25 and is capable of indicating sub-atmospheric temperatures.

The control panel carries nipples 89, 90, 9|, 92, 83, and 94 which are respectively connected to the nipples 6|, 62, 51, 58, 59 and 60 of the distributor valve 34 by means of tubes 95, 96, 91, 98,99 and |00.

The cabinet 20 is provided with a suitable cover |0| having Ventilating holes |02 formed therein and is secured to the cabinet by means of wing nuts |03.

As an example of the use of the device and the method of operating a therapeutic device thereby, reference is made to Figure 3 wherein a therapeutic device generally designated by the numeral |04 carries a leg-embracing member |05, a legembracing member |06, arm-embracing members |01 and |08, and a torso-embracing member |09. These embracing members include a series of rubber bags, and the object is to selectively and sequentially inflate and deflate said bags in groups, in order to accelerate the circulation of the -blood in the veins of the human body toward the heart.

The rubber tube for instance, is connected to all of their air bags in the embraoingemembers designated by the numeral and is also connected, as may be seen in Figure 1, to the nipple 89, which is in turn connected to the port 55 associated with the nipple 6| in Figure 6.

The hose 2 is likewise connected to all of the bags designated by the numeral 2, and this hose is also connected to thenipple 90, which is in turn connected to the nipple 60 on the distributor valve, Figure 6, communicating with the port 54.

The other bags are connected in the order to 3, 4, 5 and 6, as indicated in Figure 3. The embracing members are preferably attached to a mattress ||0 and the rubber tubes to 6 are concealed within the body of the mattress and exit to the embracing members via the casings controls the flow of current to the motor 28, is

thrown to the on position, thereby starting the motor in operation. This drives the compressor' or pump 26 and air is delivered via the strainer 1| to the pressure end of the distributor valve 84 via the nipple 45. Since the distributor valve is rotated at a slower speed by the gear reduc--l tion box 32, the valve rotates slowly, for example in the direction indicated by the arrow in Figure 6.

The suction side of the pump is connected to the suction end of the distributor valve via the pipe 48 for removing air from any bags previously inflated. By means of the valve 18, the pressure reading on the gauge 11 may be set by the operator; likewise by means of the valve 81, the desired vacuum setting may be made and read oi on the vacuum gauge 86.

As the rotor 38 of the distributor valve 34 rotates, the ports are supplied with air under presthe following order: To the ports 6|, 66, 66, 64, 63 and 62. In Figure 6, it will be seen that the port 63 is in communication with the port 6| and has Just been cut off from the port 62. As the rotor advances inthe direction of the arrows, the port 63 next will communicate with the port 56 and will be cut oft' from the port 6|.

At the same time the suction side of the compressor is, via the chamber 49 and the passage 61, connected to the port 66, which is at all times in communication with at least three of the ports which have been previously supplied with pressure. Some of the time the port 66 is in communication with four of the ports, one such instance being when the rotor is in the position shown in Figure 6. The port .66 at that time communicates with the ports 66, 55, 64 and 53.

'I'he vacuum or suction deates the rubber bags that have been previously inated, so that a sharper and snappier effect is obtained when the bags are inflated.

The bags, when the device is operating, are inated in the order, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, respectively, and producein the arms, legs and torso of the body a. series of squeezes progressively moving upwardly toward the general direction of the heart, and thereby the blood in the veins is accelerated toward the heart.

A therapeutic device of the type illustrated diagrammatically in Figure 3 is shown and described in great detail in co-pending application Serial Number 438,381, led April 10, 1932.

Figures 'I and 8 show a further modification of the distributor valve. The valvebody ||1 has preferably a. tapered bore therein and carries ports ||8, ||9, |20, |2|, |22 and |23. An end plate |24 carries a bearing |25 for the shaft end |26.

Within the bearing |25 is a hardened ball |21 which is urged into contact with the end of the shaft |26 by means of a spring |26. A boss |29 on the end plate |24 is tapped to receive a nipple |30 which would be connected to the discharge of a compressor.

A passage |3| within the end plate |24 communicates with the chamber |32 which in turn communicates with a passage |33 and a distributor port |34.

A rotor |35 in addition to the shaft extension |26 carries a shaft |36. The passage |33 and the distributor port |34 are formed in this rotor.

The end plate |31 is secured to the body |1 and carries a bearing |39 supporting the shaft |36, A stuilng box |40 is provided to prevent leakage into or out of the valve from the atmosphere. A boss |4| carries a nipple |42 communicating with a passage |43 and the chamber |44.

When the pipe |42 is connected to the suction of a compressor, the vacuum is compressed on the interiors of the passage |43 and the chamber f |44. The passage |45 communicates with the chamber |44 and with the port |46. The operation of this valve is substantially the same as that described above. However, the pressure oi.' the steel ball |21 against the end of the shaft |26 tends to urge the rotor shaft toward the left, as seen in Figure 7, and thereby tends to minimize the leakage of air between the tapered surfaces in contact with each other.

In the modification shown in Figure 9, the valve body I 41 is provided with a tapered bore and carries an end plate |48'.with a bearing |49 therein for supporting the shaft |56. The

end plate has a passage |6| formed therein in 75 communication with the pipe |62 and the chamber |63 formed in the end of the rotor |64. A port |56 formed in the rotor communicates with the chamber |63 vla a passage |66 so that compressed air via the pipe |62 passes via the passages |6|, |66, to the port |66.

The other end plate |61 carries a bearing |58 for the shaft extension |69. The boss |60, in which the bearing is formed,valso carries a steel ball |6| which .bears against the end of the shaft |59 and against the noseof a set screw |62. The set screw |62 carries a nut |63 and may be sealed against leakage by means of a gasket |64.

Where the angle of the taper of the rotor falls within such limits that the pressure and vacuum tend to force the tapered surface; together with undue friction, the arrangement shown in Figure 9 is advantageous because the'device shown in Figure 9 can be set to a point where the leakage between the surfaces is ata minimum and thereby the device can be operated with a minimum cf friction and the consequent heating.

The lock nut |63 may be loosened and the set screw |62 moved. -Since this set screw bears against the steel ball |62, and the ball in turn bears against the end of the shaft, it is obvious that the set screw may be used to effect any desired setting, and after the setting is obtained the set screw may be locked in the set position by means of the lock nut |63.

A boss |65 on the end plate |51 carries a pipe |66 which may be connected to the Isuction side cf a compressor. A passage |61 therein communicates with the chamber |66 formed at the small end of the rotor, and this chamber communicates with the port |69 via-the passage |10.

The arrangement of the nipples 89t0 94, inclusive, in the control panel 25, and the provision of gauges 11 and 86 thereon and having associated therewith respectively bleeder valves 10 and 81, greatly facilitate the operators work in While I have herein shown and described one i device for operating therapeutic devices, and have shown modifications thereof, it is obvious that many changes may be made in the arrangement herein shown and described without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth in the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1.In a distributing valve, a body having a tapered bore formed therein, a plurality of ports circumferentially disposed in said body and cornmunicating with said bore, all said ports lying in a plane at right angles to the axis of said bore, a rotor for said body forming a working ilt in said .bore and having a distributing port whose circumferential length is equal to the circumferential distance from the center of one of said ports to the adjacent edge oi the next adjacent port, means connecting said distributing port to a source of pressure, a second distributing port lying in the plane of said rst distributing port and having its extremities circumferentially spaced apart from said rst distributing port disond distributing port to a source of sub-atmospheric pressure, means to rotate said rotor whereby the pressure delivered to one of said ports is cut oi'f after a succeeding port begins receiving pressure, an end plate secured to one end of said body and having a drive shaft for said rotor passing therethrough, a stufiing box engaging said drive shaft, a second end plate secured to the other end of said body and having a stub shaft extension of said rotor journaled therein, a threaded passage communicating with the end of `said stub shaft, a set screw in said threaded hole and adapted to engage said stub shaft to regulate the depth of engagement of said rotor in said tapered bore, sealing means engaging said end plate and said set screw, and a lock nut for locking said set screw in an adjusted position and at the same time sealing said set screw against the leakage of fluid pressure. Y

2. In a distributing valve, a body having a tapered bore therein, a plurality of ports circumferentially disposed in said body and communicating with said bore, said ports being adapted to receive fittings radially disposed in said body, a tapered rotor in said body having a distributing port adapted to coincide with said first ports and communicating with one end of said rotor, a second port in said rotor also adapted to coincide with said'first ports and communicating with the other end of said rotor, an end plate secured in fluid-tight relation to one end of said body, a boss on said end plate having a passage formed therein in communication with said first end of said rotor, a shaft extending from said rotor through said end plate and adapted to be opera tively connected to a prime mover a stuffing box on saidend plate engaging said shaft to prevent the leakage of fluid therefrom, a second end plate secured in fluid-tight relation to the opposite end of said body, a -boss formed on said second end plate and having a passage formed therein co'mmunicating with said second end of said rotor, a second shaft extending from said second end of said rotor and journaled in said second end plate.

a set screw axially threaded in said second end u plate and adapted to engage said second shaft to regulate the depth of said rotor in its tapered bore, and means for both locking said set screw in a set position and at the same time preventing the leakage of fluid past said set screw. each of said passages in said bosses being adapted to be connected to a fluid medium of a different pressure.

3. In a distributing valve, a body having a tapered bore therein, a plurality of ports circumferentially disposed in said body and communicating with said bore, said ports being adapted to receive fittings radially disposed in said body, a tapered rotor in said body having a distributing port adapted to traverse 'said first ports and communicating with one end of said rotor, a second port in said rotor also adapted to traverse said first ports and communicating with the other endof said rotor, an end plate secured in fluidtight relation to one end of said body and spaced apart from said rotor to form a chamber, a boss on said end plate having a passage formed therein in communication with said chamber, a shaft extending from said rotor through said end plate and adapted tobe operatively connected to a prime mover, a stuffing box on said end plate engaging said shaft to prevent the leakage of fluid therefrom, a second end plate secured in fluid-tight relation to the opposite end of said body and spaced apart from the other end of said rotor to form a second chamber, a boss formed on said second end plate and having a passage formed therein communicating with said l second chamber, a second shaft extending from said second end of said rotor and joumaled in said second end plate, a set screw axially threaded in said second end plate and adapted to engage said second shaft tov regulatel the depth of said rotor in its tapered bore, means for locking said set screw in a set position. and sealing means associated with said means for locking and adapted to prevent the leakage of fluid past said set screw, each oi' said passages in the bosses adapted to be connected to a fluid vmedium of a different pressure.

WALTER ROSETI.

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