Ligature device for body parts

A ligature device for body parts, with a closure housing, having a base wall, two lateral walls, a cover wall on the upper side thereof and a ligature strap, which may be coupled or is detachably coupled at one end of the closure housing, by a clipping buckle which may be introduced from the rear between an intermediate wall and the cover wall. The above is run or may be run with the other free end thereof between a rocker, pivotably mounted on the base wall and an intermediate wall, arranged at a separation above, through the closure housing, to form a loop and may be clamped by the rocker against a front section of the intermediate wall, connected to the closure housing. Easy manipulation is achieved with a simple construction, whereby the intermediate wall includes a sprung section, projecting from the upper side, by which the rear section of the clipping buckle is raised and pressed, in the assembled state, with the back upper face thereof against a counter support, fixed to the housing. The clipping buckle is held back, against being pulled out, by a rearward retaining element and/or a front retaining element co-operating with a counter element or counter piece of the closure housing and may be released by pressing down on the rear region.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a tourniquet device for parts of the body, with a closure housing having a bottom wall, two lateral walls and a covering wall on its top, with a tourniquet strap, which is or can be releasably connected with a locking shoe, which can be inserted from a rear between an intermediate wall and the top at the end of the closure housing, which strap is or can be fed with its other free end between a rocker, pivotably seated on the bottom wall, and an intermediate wall arranged at a distance from the bottom wall, through the closure housing and can be clamped by the rocker against a front section of the intermediate wall, which is connected with the closure housing.

2. Discussion of Related Art

A tourniquet device is taught by German Patent References DE 42 10 255 C1 and DE 94 18 598 U1. A rocker, which transitions on its front into a convex actuating section extending upward and toward the rear, is pivotably seated above a bottom wall of the closure housing and has a pass-through opening in a transition area for passing through a tourniquet strap, which extends above the rocker and which, on the rear of the closure housing, forms a loop, which can be placed around the body part to which the tourniquet is to be applied and is introduced by a locking shoe into a receiving shaft on the rear of the housing and is snapped in place. The tourniquet strap is pushed against the underside of an intermediate wall arranged between the bottom wall and the top and is clamped in place when the rear section of the rocker is pulled downward toward the bottom when applying the tourniquet. The locking shoe has a locking tongue, which projects upward and is supported on the underside of the covering wall and can be pushed downward for unlocking and pulling out the locking shoe with the respective tourniquet strap end by a separate pressure element arranged above the tongue.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One object of this invention is to provide a tourniquet device of the type mentioned above but which offers advantages regarding its construction and handling.

This object is attained with an intermediate wall that has a resilient section projecting toward the top, by which the rear area of the locking shoe is lifted and, in the introduced state, is pushed with a rear top area against an abutment fixed on the housing. The locking shoe is secured against being pulled out toward the rear by a rear securing element and/or a front securing element, which cooperate with a counter-element or counterpiece of the closure housing, and can be released by pressing its rear area downward.

Because of the steps in accordance with this invention, no separate pressure element is required and a precisely shaped tongue required for dependable functioning in the locking shoe embodied as a movable part can be omitted in particular, and extremely simple handling is achieved.

If the locking shoe has a plug-in section for being plugged into the closure housing, and if an actuating section is connected to its rear for release, the locking shoe can be plugged in and released in a simple manner, for a simple construction. Only two movably seated actuating elements are required for controlling the loop via the rocker, and the complete opening of the loop via the locking shoe.

Operation is easier because the actuating section has a triggering depression on its top, and a fastening receiver for fixing the tourniquet strap is formed in it, so that the operator can concentrate completely on his actual work.

In one embodiment, with the construction the front section of the intermediate wall is formed on both sides on the inside of the adjoining lateral walls, while the rear section is separated by respective gaps from the adjoining lateral walls, or from strips of the intermediate wall formed thereon.

Furthermore, steps are advantageous for achieving dependable locking, wherein on the underside of its front section, the locking shoe has a downwardly projecting securing lug or a depression with a securing shoulder forming the securing element, wherein the securing lug on the underside cooperates with a securing edge, or the depression with a securing projection on the top of the front section of the intermediate wall.

For dependable locking, the rear securing element on the top of the locking shoe can be embodied as an upwardly projecting securing lug or as a depression, wherein the securing lug on the top or the depression cooperate with a counter-element having a support section.

Also, the dependable functioning of the tourniquet device is enhanced because the intermediate wall for clamping the tourniquet strap in place with the rocker has a downwardly projecting acute-angled securing edge as the clamping structure on the front edge of its underside, which is placed to prevent the tourniquet strap from being pulled back.

Functioning and handling, as well as a simple construction, are favored because while leaving open a pass-through opening for the tourniquet strap, a rearward extending and convexly upward curved actuating section is formed on the front of the rocker and has on its top an actuating depression, which is concave toward the top.

In a further advantageous step, a cutout with an insertion element, which is releasably received therein, is provided on the top or covering wall.

In this connection an embodiment which is advantageous with regard to the construction and handling includes the cutout having lateral guide grooves, open toward the rear, into which the insertion element can be pushed. In the inserted state the contour of the rear edge of the insertion element ends flush with contour of the rear edge of the covering wall of the closure housing. The contour of the front of the actuation section is matched to the contour of the rear edge of the insertion element and of the covering wall.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

As its essential components, a tourniquet device1shown inFIG. 1has a closure housing2, a tourniquet strap3, which is releasably fixed in place by a locking shoe5on the rear of the closure housing2and forms a loop3.1, as well as a rocker4arranged in the closure housing2for the adjustable clamping of the tourniquet strip3in the closure housing2. As shown in connection withFIG. 2, an insertion element6, for example in the form of an information plaque, is inserted into an appropriately embodied recess2.3on the top of a covering wall2.4.

The closure housing2, represented in greater detail inFIG. 2, is enclosed by two lateral walls2.6with respective recessed grips2.7, a bottom wall2.8and a covering wall2.4, and has on its rear an insertion opening for the tourniquet strap3, and also the locking shoe5, as well as the insertion element6. On its front, the closure housing2has an outlet opening2.1, into which the rocker4is inserted and from which the tourniquet strap3extends with its one end. On its underside, the recess2.3is delimited by a wall section2.31, in which a securing section2.32, embodied as a rectangular window, is provided, and has lateral guide grooves for pushing the insertion element6in from the rear2.2, wherein the guide grooves are formed between the wall section2.31and sections of the covering wall2.4on both sides, as well as the sections of the lateral walls2.6which form the groove bottom. The recess2.3can also be embodied in a groove-like manner in a front area in order to receive a front edge6.3of the insertion element6, as shown inFIG. 6, in its completely pushed-in state.

As shown in greater detail in the plan views ofFIG. 3, in particular the representations inFIGS. 3b,3cand3d, an intermediate wall2.9is attached inside the closure housing2between the covering wall2.4and the bottom wall2.8and is preferably formed on the latter, by which a pass-through shaft2.10for the tourniquet strap3is formed between the bottom wall2.8and the underside of the intermediate wall2.9. Also, a receiving shaft2.11for inserting a plug-in section5.1of the locking shoe5(seeFIG. 5) is formed between the top of the intermediate wall2.9and the underside of the covering wall2.4, or of the wall section2.31formed on it. On its underside the intermediate wall2.9has a securing structure for clamping the tourniquet strap3in place, and its front lower edge2.91in particular is embodied at an acute angle, which results in a certain amount of resistance opposite the pulling direction of the tourniquet strap3when it is operating. The front upper edge forms a securing edge2.92in the form of a securing lug for a hook-shaped securing element5.12on the underside of the plug-in section5.1of the locking shoe5. As shown inFIG. 3c, a resilient section2.93is formed in the rear section of the intermediate wall2.1, which can extend forward past the center, by lateral notches, or gaps2.94opposite lateral sections of the intermediate wall2.9connected with the lateral walls2.6. In the front area the intermediate wall2.9is continuously connected with the lateral walls2.6, it is formed on them in particular.

A rib-like pivot support2.81is formed on the top of the bottom wall2.8of the closure housing2as a pivot bearing and for securing the rocker4, which can also be seen inFIGS. 3b,3cand3d.

Details of the rocker4are represented inFIGS. 4ato4d. The rocker plate4.1, which is pivotably seated by a pivot bearing4.11between transversely extending ribs or nubs on the pivot support2.81, makes a transition in its front end area into an actuating section4.2, which is convex toward the front and upward and has a triggering depression4.21approximately in its center area, which is concave toward the top and has a beaded front edge for simpler tactile recognition and operation. A pass-through opening4.3for the tourniquet strap3is formed in the transition area between the rocker plate4.1and the actuating section4.2. On the underside of the rocker plate4.1, the pivot bearing4.11is restricted at its rear by downward extending spring tongues4.12with an insertion slope, so that the rocker4can be easily inserted from the front, guided in lateral grooves or similar guide tracks, into the pass-through shaft2.10of the closure housing2and snapped into the pivot support2.81, and can also be released again by the spring tongues4.12. In a top view, the actuating section4.2has the shape of a tongue and is, tapering toward the top, in the shape of a continuous curvature and fitted into a correspondingly shaped recess in the covering wall2.4of the closure housing2.

The locking shoe5, shown in greater detail inFIGS. 5ato5d, has in its rear area an actuating section5.2, which is formed on the plug-in section5.1, projects to the rear beyond the closure housing2in the inserted state and has an upwardly concave triggering depression5.22on its top. In a top view, the front edge of the actuating section5.2is symmetrically curved and has two curvature sections, which make a steady transition into each other via a central curved section and are laterally convex toward the front and matched to a correspondingly extending contour of the rear edge of the covering wall2.4of the closure housing2, so that definite seating results in the inserted state. In the interior, the actuating section5.2has a fixation receiver5.3, open toward the rear, for receiving a fixating element7with a counter-element8(seeFIGS. 7 and 8) for fixing the tourniquet strap3in place, wherein the tourniquet strap3is extended out of an outlet opening5.4on the underside of the actuating section5.2. The plug-in section5.1which is formed on the actuating section5.2and adjoins it at the front, has in its rear edge area an upward projecting securing element5.11, with which the locking shoe5is supported in the inserted state against the rear edge of the securing section2.32in the wall section2.31of the closure housing2, wherein the locking shoe5is pushed upward by the rear resiliently acting section of the intermediate wall2.9. In addition, on the underside of the front section of the plug-in section5.1, the securing element5.12is hooked to the front securing edge2.92of the intermediate wall2.9. For releasing the locking shoe5it is only necessary to press it downward by pushing on the actuating section5.2, so that the securing element5.11on the one hand, and the securing element5.12on the other hand are released and the locking shoe5is disengaged and is automatically pulled at least partially by the pull of the preferably elastic tourniquet strap3out of the receiving shaft2.11and can then be taken out completely for opening the loop3.1.

The insertion element6, shown in greater detail inFIG. 6, preferably has lateral edges6.2, which are conical in cross section, and a rear edge6.2, which extends complementarily to the front edge of the actuating section5.2of the locking shoe. The element is held by a defined clamping effect, but can be manually pushed out, in the recess2.3. For identification the inserting element6can be designed in a desired color, or can be transparent for placing information underneath it, for example a name plate, or can have a suitable legend.

The fixating device represented inFIGS. 7ato7dhas a fixation plate7.1with fixating elements7.11in the form of openings, and a hook element7.12, which projects downward from its front, and on its rear makes a transition into a fixation block7.2formed on it. For fixing the tourniquet strap3in place, its end area is placed on the top of the fixation plate7.1, is covered by a counter-plate8.1by the counter-element8shown inFIG. 8and is fixed in place by counter-elements8.11in the shape of spike-like pins matched to the openings7.11, after which the fixating element7and the counter-element8are clamped into the fixation receiver5.3of the locking shoe5and are held therein by the hook element7.12, wherein the counter-plate8.1is supported by a support member8.12in the fixation receiver5.3with respect to the hook element7.12which engages the outlet opening5.4.

A simple operation, along with a simple construction and good functioning, results from the described measures.