Year: 1886

page_text: I MARY JANE HALL MD (Boston US) of 76 Lillie Road in the County of
Middlesex do hereby declare the nature of my invention to be as follows:-
This instrument consists of a curved tube or stem the lower portion of which is
arranged telescopically or so as to be capable of being moved into or out of the
tube a suitable spring causing it to remain extended when in its normal position.
Suitable means are provided to prevent the lower portion escaping; this is
preferably done by passing it through a contracted portion of the stem and
providing a head inside. The external end of the inovable portion is connected
in any suitable manner preferably by rubber tubes with the bands which connect
it with the belt.
1
The cup may be screwed on to the tube or stem and is collapsible as to its
diameter and circumference but not to any great extent as to its length. This
may be accomplished by making the cup of soft material strengthened or supported.
at intervals by stronger pieces, the stronger pieces will not yield as to their length,
but the soft pieces close up and allow of the hard pieces coming closer together at
their upper or free ends. The stronger pieces are smooth and hard and preferably
placed outside the soft cup so as to reduce friction as much as possible. To allow
of the cup folding up small enough there should be about four hard and eight
soft pieces or segments in the bowl but the number may be varied to suit
circumstances.
By this means the cup will collapse under pressure should the circumstances of
its application require this; and it will pass through. a much smaller space than the
ordinary cups will.
The tendency of the cup is to expand to its full extent. Suitable openings
are provided in the hard pieces and if required in the stem also to allow of the
passage of fluids.
i
The belt differs from the ordinary ones in that instead of being fastened with
elastic bands and buckles at the sides and having a solid piece of the material at
the back, the sides are permanently connected with elastic strips while the fastening

page_text: is at the back. The belt is made too short to meet behind and the ends are con-
nected by elastic fastenings such as bands and buckles which join the two ends
of the belt but leave a space across the spine which is thus free from the heat and
pressure which in ordinary belts are so objectionable.
The instrument may be made of the usual materials say vulcanite and hard
and soft rubber or other suitable materials but it is desirable to avoid the use
of metals.
A short solid stem is provided for screwing into the cup when necessary.
I, MARY JANE HALL (M.D) Boston, US) of 76, Lillie Road, in the County of
Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement:-
This instrument consists of a curved tube or stem the lower portion of which
may be arranged telescopically or so as to be capable of being moved into or
out of the tube a suitable spring causing it to remain extended when in its normal
position.
Suitable means are provided to prevent the lower portion escaping: this is
preferably done by passing it through a contracted portion of the stem and
providing a head inside. The external end of the movable portion is connected
in any suitable manner preferably by rubber tubes with the bands which connect
it with the belt.
The cup may be screwed on to the tube or stem and is collapsible. This may
be accomplished by making. the cup of soft material strengthened or supported at
intervals by stronger pieces; the stronger pieces will not yield as to their length,
but the soft pieces close up and allow of the hard pieces coming.closer together at
their upper or free ends. The stronger pieces are smooth and hard and preferably
placed outside the soft cup so as to reduce friction as much as possible. To allow
of the cup folding up small enough there should be about four hard and eight
soft pieces or segments in it but the number may be varied to suit circumstances.
By this means the cup will collapse under pressure should the circumstances of
its application require this; and it will pass through a much smaller space than
the ordinary cups will.

page_text: The tendency of the cup is to expand to its full extent. Suitable openings are
provided in the hard pieces and if required in the stem also to allow of the
passage of fluids.
The instrument may be made of the usual materials say vulcanite and hard and
soft rubber or other suitable materials.
A short solid stem is provided for screwing into the cup when necessary.
In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 is an elevation of the instrument as it
would be in use and Fig. 2 is a like view showing the cup closed. Fig. 3 is a
sectional elevation of a modified form and Fig. 4 is an elevation of the belt.
A is the stem or tube which may be in one or more lengths as required. B is the
collapsible cup made of soft material supported by stronger pieces C as in Fig. 1,
or of soft pieces alternating with hard ones as in Fig. 3. In Figs. 1 and 2 the
pieces or fingers C are made of suitable resilient material so that when they project
from the end of the tube A they expand and stretch out the soft material of which
the cup is formed. When they are withdrawn into the tube they close together
compressing the soft material between them so that the "cup" is collapsed and
covered by the tube as shown in Fig. 2.
The collapsing is effected in the following manner. The fingers C are connected
at D inside the tube A with the wire or equivalent E which terminates in a
button F at the other end of the tube which may be covered by a cap G. A helical
spring H located inside the tube and between the discs or abutments I secured to
the tube and K. secured to or being part of the fingers O and free to move in the
tube serves to keep the fingers projected from the tube and the cup consequently
expanded, and the button F close up against the end of the stem.
When it is desired to collapse the cup the cap G is withdrawn and the button F
pulled away from the stem as in Fig. 2 with the result that the fingers C are drawn
into the tube and the whole cup collapsed as clearly shown in Fig. 2.
they
The collapsing of the cup in the form shown in Fig. 3 is accomplished in a
similar manner. The cup is formed of the strong and if necessary resilient pieces C
alternated with soft pieces B which when the cup is closed up as in the figure fold
inwards. The fingers C may be jointed to the stem A as at L or may be simply
flexible portions or extensions of the walls of A or may be separate flexible pieces
secured to A in any convenient manner. As shown in the drawing Fig.
need not be flexible although it is generally desirable that they should possess a
certain amount of resiliency. Each piece C has an arm C¹ extending inwardly as
shown and jointed freely to the rod or wire E, so that when the latter is drawn
out as in Figure 2 the arms C are drawn down and the fingers C are drawn
together and the cup collapses as shown in firm lines in Fig. 3. When the wire E
is pushed inwards under the influence of a spring H or otherwise the arms C¹ are
moved forward and the fingers and cup extended as shown in dotted lines.
The belt differs from the ordinary ones in that instead of being fastened with
elastic bands and buckles at the sides and having a solid piece of the material at
the back, the sides are permanently connected with elastic strips M while the
fastening N is at the back. The belt is made too short to meet behind and the
ends are connected by elastic fastenings such as bands and buckles which join
the two ends of the belt but leave a space across the spine which is thus free from
the heat and pressure which in ordinary belts are so objectionable.
I do not bind myself to the means above set forth for collapsing the cup or
varying its diameter or size.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed declare that what
I claim is,
1. In a pessary the use of a cup the diameter or size of which can be varied.
2. In a pessary the combination with a hollow stem such as A of a soft cup B
and resilient pieces or fingers such as C capable of being drawn into the hollow

page_text: stem substantially, as specified and shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the accompanying
drawings.
3. The complete pessary substantially as specified and shown in the accompanying
drawings.
4. In a pessary the combination with a hollow stem such as A of pieces or fingers
such as C jointed or flexibly connected thereto and adapted to be expanded or
contracted substantially as specified and shewn in Fig. 3 of the accompanying
drawings.
5. In a pessary-supporting-belt the combination with the permanent elastic side
joints of an open back joint substantially as specified.
MARY JANE HALL.