Improvements in Hernia Trusses and other similar Devices.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Dec., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 3rd Sept., 1896-Accepted. 10th Oct. 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Hernia Trusses and other similar Devices.
I, CASSIUS MONTEZUMA RICHMOND, of 70 West 35th Street, in the City,
County and State of New York, United States of America, Dental Surgeon, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to trusses, but more particularly to what are called truss
pads, which are secured to spring holders or belts, passing round the waist, and
which press on the abdominal wall to close the opening through which the hernia
descends.
In carrying my invention into practice, I employ a spring, made of steel wire
and covered with an aluminium tube, said parts being bent into a suitable shape to
pass half around the body of the wearer. One end of the spring is curved and
Hattened, and pivotally connected with said flattened end is a back pad, made
preferably of hard rubber, and provided with a projection, into which the flattened
end of the spring projects, and to which it is pivoted by a pin which passes there-
through. The opposite end of the spring is also preferably flattened, and secured
theretc is my improved hernia pad, which is constructed and secured to the end of
the spring in the following manner.
My said improved hernia pad consists of a flat piece or plate, composed of soft
rubber, to one side of which is secured a semi-eliptical or semi-spherical cushion
pad, which is also composed of soft, flexible and elastic rubber, the space between
the said plate and the pad being filled with air under normal pressure, and between
the flat piece or plate and the pad or cushion, is placed a hollow semi-spherical
re-inforcing cushion or pad, also composed of flexible rubber, the base rim of which
is secured or sealed to the aforesaid plate, and the convex outer surface of which
forms a support or bearing for the cushion of the outer pad, when the latter is
depressed.
The parts which constitute the main portion of the pad, are preferably made of
white, flexible and elastic rubber, such as is usually employed in the manufacture
of syringes, and similar articles, this variety of rubber being possessed of great
elasticity and considerable rigidity.
The pad is preferably slightly eliptical in form on its flat side or surface, and
the said parts are hermetically sealed together, and are perfectly air-tight,
and the connection of these parts may be made by water-proof cement, or by
any preferred means, or by any process that will result in producing a perfectly
air-tight connection.
The pad proper is connected with or secured to a base plate, made of some rigid
material, such as hard rubber, and of such thickness as to give proper rigidity
without being too heavy for comfort, and this connection is made by means of a
ring, similar in outline and material to the aforesaid plate, and by a cap or
covering, which is preferably composed of chamois skin or kid, and stretched
tightly over the pad, and provided with an annular flange or rim on which the
ring is placed, said ring being then secured to the plate by means of screws, or in
any desired manner.
By means of this construction the pad proper, is securely held to the plate, and
the cap or covering, in addition to holding these parts together, also protects the pad
proper, and serves as the best possible bearing surface therefor.

page_text: Secured to, or formed on the back of the aforesaid plate and centrally therefor,.
is a neck or cylindrical extension, to which the flattened end of the spring is
secured by means of a screw, said screw being provided with a collar, which bears
upon the flattened end of the spring, between which and the neck is preferably
placed a washer, and I also employ a strap, of any preferred material, which is
attached to the spring at the back, and passes up over the shoulder of the
wearer and down to the screw, to which it is detachably secured by a loop
or hook.
It will be understood that the two parts of the pad are each filled with air
under normal pressure, and that said air cannot escape, and I thus provide a
perfect air pad, or cushion, and if preferred, these parts may be made of other
material than rubber, or a combination of rubber and canvas, or other articles
may be employed, and many changes in, and modifications of the construction
herein described may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention,
or sacrificing its advantages, and if desired, the flexible base plate may be
omitted and the semi-spherical parts of the pad secured directly to the rigid
plate.
One of the chief elements of my invention consists of the combination of the two
pads, i.e., of two air-bulbs or pads, one within another, in such manner that the
inner one at all times supports the outer one, and thus retains the parts in proper
form regardless of the pressure applied thereto, and it is evident that the pad
described herein may be employed for other purposes and in connection with other
devices in addition to trusses, and my improved pad is not therefore limited in use
to the device herein shewn and described.
°
A truss pad, constructed as above described, is light and strong, aud, as has been
demonstrated by actual practice, very efficient. The rigid plate forms a firm
foundation against which the air-bulb, pad or cushion rests, and all the pressure
exerted by the truss is, by means of the air bulb, pad or cushion, conveyed to
the abdominal opening, where a constant but yielding pressure is at all times
present.
Dated this 3rd day of December 1895.
AMBROSE MYALL,
2 Lancaster Place, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Hernia Trusses and other similar Devices.
I, CASSIUS MONTEZUMA RICHMOND, of 70 West 35th Street, in the City,
County, and State of New York, United States of America, Dental Surgeon, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
This invention relates to trusses, but more particularly to what are called truss
pads, which are secured to spring holders or belts, passing around the waist, and
which press on the abdominal wall to close the opening through which the hernia
descends.
The invention is fully disclosed in the following specification, of which the
accompanying drawing forms a part, and in which :-
Fig. 1, is a view of my truss complete ;
Fig. 2, a rear view of a back pad which I employ ;
Fig. 3, a face view of the hernia pad.
Fig. 4, a horizontal section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3; and,
Fig. 5. is a detail view.

page_text: In this specification similar letters of reference indicate like or equivalent parts
on the various figures of the drawing, and in the practice of my invention, I employ
a spring W, made of steel wire and covered with an aluminium tube W¹, said parts
being bent into a suitable shape to pass half around the body of the wearer.
One
end of the spring is curved and Aattened, as shown at b, in Figs. 1 and 2, and
pivotally connected with said flattened end 6, is a back pad B, made preferably of
hard rubber, and provided with a projection W, into which the flattened end of the
spring projects, and to which it is pivoted by a pin 61 which passes therethrough as
shown in Figs. 1 and 2.
The opposite end of the spring W, is also preferably flattened, and secured
thereto is my improved hernia pad, which is designated as a whole by the letter T,
and which is constructed and secured to the end of the spring W, in the following
manner.
My improved hernia pad proper is designated by the letter C, in Fig. 5, and it
consists as shown in Fig. 4, of a flat piece or plate D, composed of soft rubber, to
one side of which is secured a hollow semi-elliptical or semi-spherical cushion
pad C, which is also composed of soft, flexible and elastic rubber, the space
between the plate D, and the pad C', being filled with air under normal pressure,
and between the flat piece or plate D, and the pad or cushion C³, is placed a hollow
semi-spherical re-inforcing cushion or pad C2, also composed of flexible rubber, the
base rim of which is secured or sealed to the plate D, and the convex outer surface
of which forms a support or bearing for the cushion or pad C¹ when the latter is
depressed.
The parts C1, C2, and D, which constitute the main part of the pad, are
preferably made of white, flexible and elastic rubber, such as is usually employed
in the manufacture of syringes, and similar articles, this variety of rubber being
possessed of great elasticity and considerable rigidity.
The pad composed of the parts D, C, and C2, is preferably slightly elliptical in
form on its flat side or surface, and the said parts are hermetically sealed together,
and are perfectly air-tight, and the connection of these parts may be made by
water-proof cement, or by any preferred means, or by any process that will result
in producing a perfectly air-tight connection.
The pad proper is connected with or secured to a base plate R, made of some
rigid material, such as hard rubber, and of such thickness as to give proper rigidity
without being too heavy for comfort, and this connection is made by means of a
ring 7, similar in outline and material to the plate R, and by a cap or covering K,
which is preferably composed of chamois skin or kid, and stretched tightly over the
pad C, or the outer part C, thereof, and provided with an annular flange or rim k,
on which the ring r, is placed, said ring being then secured to the plate R, by
means of screws s, or in any desired manner.
By means of this construction, the pad proper, composed of the plate D, and the
parts C, and C2, are securely held to the plate R, and the cap or covering K,
in addition to holding these parts together, also protects the pad proper, composed
of the parts C, C2, and D, and serves as the best possible bearing surface
therefor.
Secured to, or formed on the back of the plate R, and centrally thereof, is a neck
or cylindrical extension r', to which the flattened end of the spring W, is secured
by means of a screw S', as shown in Figs. 1 and 4, said screw being provided with
a collar S2, which bears upon the flattened end of the spring W, between which
and the neck, is preferably placed a washer w, and I also employ a strap S, of
any preferred material, which is attached to the spring W, at the back, and passes
up over the shoulder of the wearer and down to the screw S¹, to which it is
detachably secured by a loop or hook H.
It will be understood that the parts C¹, and C2, of the pad are each filled with
air under normal pressure, and that said air cannot escape, and I thus provide a
perfect air pad or cushion, and if preferred, these parts may be made of other
material than rubber, or a combination of rubber and canvas, or other articles may

page_text: be employed, and many changes in, and modifications of the construction herein
described may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention or
sacrificing its advantages, thus, for example, if desired, the flexible plate D, may
be omitted and the parts C', and C2, secured directly to the plate R.
One of the chief elements of my invention consists of the combination of the
parts C, and C2, i.e. two air-bulbs or pads, one within another, in such manner that
the inner one at all times supports the outer one, and thus retains the parts in
proper form regardless of the pressure applied thereto, and it is evident that the
pad described herein may be employed for other purposes and in connection with
other devices in addition to trusses and my improved pad is not therefore limited in
use to the device herein shown and described.
A truss pad, constructed as above described, is light and strong, and, as
demonstrated by actual practice, very efficient. The rigid plate forms a firm
foundation against which the air-bulb, pad or cushion rests, and all the pressure
exerted by the truss is, by means of the air bulb, pad or cushion conveyed to
the abdominal opening, where a constant but yielding pressure is at all times
present,
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, 1 declare that what I
claim, is :-
1. A truss and flexible air pad or cushion therefor, constructed as herein
described, and as shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4.
2. A pad for trusses or other devices, composed of a flexible plate of soft
rubber or similar material, a main or outer, closed, hollow, flexible, and elastic pad
or cushion secured to said plate, and a similar, closed, hollow, flexible and elastic
re-inforcing pad or cushion between the plate and the outer pad or cushion, said
parts being connected, or hermetically sealed together, substantially as shown and
described.
3. A pad for trusses or other devices, composed of a flexible plate of soft rubber
or similar material, a main or outer, closed, hollow, flexible, and elastic pad or
cushion secured to said plate, and a similar closed, hollow, flexible and elastic
re-inforcing pad or cushion between the plate and the outer pad or cushion, said
parts being connected, or hermetically sealed together, and said pad being secured
to a rigid base plate, substantially as shown and described.
4. A pad for trusses or other devices composed of a flexible plate of soft rubber
or similar material, a main or outer, closed, hollow, flexible, and elastic pad or
cushion secured to said plate, and a similar closed, hollow, flexible and elastic
re-inforcing pad or cushion between the plate and the outer pad or cushion, said
parts being connected, or hermetically scaled together, and said pad being secured
to a rigid base plate, and said pad or cushion being provided with a soft, flexible
covering which is secured thereto and to said base plate, by means of a ring which
is rigidly secured to the base plate, substantially as shown and described.
5. A truss or other pad, composed of a rigid base plate, a closed, hollow, flexible
and elastic cushion or pad, a soft flexible covering therefor, and a ring by which
said parts are secured together, substantially as shown and described.
6. A truss composed of a spring, a back pad, pivoted to one end thereof, and a
hollow, flexible, and elastic pad or cushion secured to the opposite end by means of
a rigid base plate, which is provided with a neck to which the end of the spring is
secured, and said pad or cushion being provided with a soft, flexible covering
substantially as shown and described.
7. A truss or other pad, comprising a rigid base plate, a closed, hollow, flexible
and elastic pad or cushion secured thereto, and a similar re-inforcing pad or cushion
within the same, said parts being constructed, combined and arranged, substantially
as shown and described.
8. A truss, comprising a spring wire or rod, a tubular casing enclosing said wire
or rod, a back pad secured to one end of said wire or rod and an air cushion or pac

page_text: secured to the other end, said air cushion or pad being secured to a rigid base plate,
and provided with a soft, flexible, and elastic pad or cushion, and said cushion or pad
being composed of two hollow, flexible and elastic parts or cushions, one of which is
placed within the other, and both of which are secured to a soft, flexible and flat.
plate, substantially as shown and described.
Dated this 3rd day of September 1896.
AMBROSE MYALL,
2 Lancaster Place, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.