IMPROVEMENTS IN HERNIA TRUSSES
Year: 1884

page_text: I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine Lake & Co, Patent Agents
Southampton Buildings in the County of Middlesex do hereby declare the nature
of said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN HERNIA TRUSSES" to be as follows:-
This invention relates to hernia trusses, and has for its object to improve the
construction of the pad thereof, whereby liability of displacement of the said pad
by the movements of the body are reduced to the minimum.
The said invention comprises a pad composed of a rigid socketed base-plate, and
two or more sections having shanks adapted to slide in the sockets of the base-
plate, each section being pressed outwardly by a spring, and adapted to yield
independently. The invention also comprises improved means for supporting and
adjusting the said pad as hereinafter described.
According to the said invention the pad. at its front or bearing portion that
presses against the wearer's body is made of two or more independently movable
sections supported on a suitable base attached to the body-band, and each provided
with a spring which presses it against the body and allows it to yield independently
of the others. Each section is a disc of metal having a convex bearing or outer
surface and provided with a shank. The supporting baso is a plate having tubular
sockets which receive the shanks and permit the latter to slide lengthwise in the
sockets. Between each section and the base is interposed a spiral spring which is
supported by the shank and presses the section away from the base. Each shank
has a flange or stop at its inner end which abuts against a reduced portion of its
socket and limits the outward movement of the section by the spring The base is
secured to the body band of the truss by the usual or any suitable means.
The sectional bearing surface thus formed and the independenty yielding
movement of cach section enable the pad to conform to any small variations in the
contour of that portion of the body.on which the pad bears, and prevent the pad
from being displaced by muscular exertion.
If desired the sections inay be covered with chamois skin or other like material
and each may be provided with a separate covering, or all may be included under
a single cover which should be sufficiently flexible to conform to the independent

page_text: movements of the sections. The pad may be secured to the wearer's body by any
desired means. I prefer to employ a curved plate having studs at its ends for
attachment to a spring or band, the whole encircling the body The supporting
base of the pad is provided with an arm to which is attached a slide adapted to
move upon, and be rigidly secured to, the curved plate, the pad being thus adapted
to be adjusted laterally to any desired extent. A slide is provided baving ears or
flanges which grasp the edges of the curved plate. One ear is mado in a separate
piece and secured to the slide by screws, whereby it may be loosened to enable the
slide to be adjusted, and tightened, to fix the slide to the plate in any position to
which it may be adjusted.
A plate is secured to the curved plate by arms and adapted to bear against the
body above the said curved plate to assist in supporting the pad:
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
For the Applicant.

page_text: I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake and Co, Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex do hereby declare the nature
of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN HERNIA TRUSSES "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 hernia trusses, and has for its object to improve tho
construction of the pad thereof, whereby liability of displacement of the said pad
by the movements of the body is reduced to a minimum.
The said invention comprises a pad composed of a rigid socketed base plate, and
two or moro sections having shanks adapted to slide in the sockets of the base
plate, each section being pressed outwardly by a spring, and adapted to yield
independently. The invention also comprises improved means for supporting and
adjusting the said pad, as hereinafter described.
In the accompanying drawing.
Figure 1 represents a front view of a pad constructed according to this invention,
and
Figure 2 is a section on the line x, x Figure 1.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in both Figures.
According to the said invention the pad, at its front or bearing portion that
presses against the wearer's body, is made up of two or more independently
movable sections a a, all supported on a suitable base attached to the body band,
and each provided with a spring which presses it against the body and allows it to
yield independently of the others.
Each section a is a disc of metal having a convex bearing or outer surfaco, and
provided with a shank a¹. The supporting base is a plate c having tubular sockets c¹
which receive the shanks a¹, and permit the latter to slide lengthwise in the
sockets. Between each section a and the base is interposed a spiral spring c, which
is supported by the shank a¹ and presses the section a away from the base c. Each
shank a has a flange or stop at its inner end which abuts against a reduced portion
of its socket c¹ and limits the outward movement of the section a by the spring e.
The base c is secured to the body band of the truss by the usual or any suitable
means.
The sectional bearing surface thus formed and the independently yielding move-
ment of each section enables the pad to conform to any small variations in the
contour of that portion of the body on which the pad bears, and prevents the pad
from being displaced by muscular exertion.
The communicator of this invention has found that with a pad having a con-
tinuous bearing surface, certain movements of the body, such as are involved by
raising the arms above the head, almost inevitably produce displacement of the pad.
The improved pad however is not displaced by such movements but remains in its
proper position during any position or movement of the body.
If desired, the sections a may be covered with chamois skin or other like material,
and each may be provided with a separate covering, or all may be included under
a single cover which should be sufficiently flexible to conform to the independent
movements of the sections. The pad may be secured to the wearer's body by any
desired means.
I prefer to employ a curved plate having studs at its ends
for attachment to a spring or band, the whole encircling the body. The supporting
base c of the pad is provided with an arm n to which is attached a slido o adapted
to move upon, and be rigidly secured to, the plate the, pad being thus adapted to

page_text: be adjusted laterally to any desired extent. The slide o has cars or flanges o¹ o'
which grasp the edges of the plate 4, the ear of being made in a separate piece and
secured to the slide by screws a, whereby it-may be loosened to enable the slide to
be adjusted, and tightened to fix the slide to the plate in any position to which it
may be adjusted.
A plater, is secured to the plate Z, by arins 8, 8, and adapted to bear against the
body; the plate l to assist in supporting the pad.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I Claim is
First. The improved pad composed of the socketed rigid base plate, the discs or
sections having shanks adapted to slide longitudinally in the sockets of the base
plate, and springs arranged to normally press said sections outwardly from the base
plate and permit said sections to yield independently.
Second. The supporting plate adapted to be secured to the body, and provided
with the slide o supporting the truss pad and adapted to be positively secured to
the plate in any position to which it may be adjusted, as set forth.
Third. The combination of the supporting plate, the adjustable pad-carrying slide,
and the plate secured to the plate ɩ by arms 8, as set forth.
Dated this 23rd day of January 1885.