Improvements in and relating to Uterine Dilators.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 20th July, 1897-Accepted, 28th Aug., 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION..
Improvements in and relating to Uterine Dilators.
3.
We, TIMOTHY ALLEN LEWIS, FRANK ALBROW BIGELOW, VOLNEY ALBERT BIGELOW
and DAVID H. PALMER, Merchants, all citizens of the United States of America,
residing respectively at No. 922 Division Street; No. 113 South Sixth Street; No. 619
Pine Street and 724 Main Street, in the City and County of La Crosse and State
of Wisconsin, United States of America; 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 :-
Our invention relates to uterine dilators and the object is to provide a simple
device of this kind for applying a medicament locally to the uterus, and to this end
the novelty consists in the construction, combination and arrangement of the same,
as will be hereinafter more fully described and particularly pointed out in the claim.
In the accompanying drawing the same reference characters indicate the same
parts of the invention.
Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved uterine dilator; and
Figure 2 is a similar view with the outer end of the dilator shown in section.
A represents a cylindrical handle, provided at its inner end with a milled head
knob 2, for conveniently manipulating the same.
The outer end of the cylindrical handle A is formed with an integral longitudinal
tongue, c, which receives the parallel jaws d-d, of the cylindrical rod D, a flush
rivet e extending transversely through said tongue and jaws to form a hinge joint.
between the handle A and the rod D.
C represents a conical pear-shaped sleeve, snugly encompassing the handle and rod,
and when in the position shown in Figure 1, permits the free use of the hinge joint
between the handle and rod; but when adjusted as shown in Figure 2, locks the hinge
and renders the rod D and handle A as rigid, for all practical purposes, as if they were
made of a single piece.
The shape of the sleeve C, tapering towards its forward end, facilitates its insertion
when the instrument is in use; it acting somewhat like a wedge to separate the
parts from contact with the rod as it slides over the joint.
The outer end of the rod D is formed with an integral screw-threaded stud 3,
which engages the correspondingly-threaded orifice 4, in the base of the solid
stem B, to detachably secure said stem to the rod.
The base of the stem B is formed with an integral concave flange 31, and its
opposite or free end terminates in a rounded point 21.
a-a represent longitudinal parallel grooves in the opposite curved walls of the
stem, in which may be placed a medicament for local application to the walls of the
neck of the uterus.
The advantage of the hinged handle in facilitating the insertion of the stem in
cases of anteflexion or retroversion, will be apparent to those familiar with the
subject, and the simplicity with which the hinge is locked and thus made rigid, is a
very important factor in the successful manipulation and treatment of the affected
parts.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:-
An improved uterine dilator, comprising the cylindrical handle A, provided at its
outer end with the milled knob 2, and having its forward end formed with the
integral tongue c, the cylindrical rod D formed with the integral parallel jaws d-d,
between which said tongue is pivoted by a flush rivet e, in combination with the
conical pear-shaped sleeve C snugly encompassing said cylindrical handle A and rod D,
the free end of said rod formed with a longitudinal screw-threaded stud 3 and the
detachable solid stem B, provided with the threaded orifice 4, adapted to engage said
stud and having the integral concave flange 31 encircling its base, and the
longitudinal parallel grooves a-a formed in the opposite sides of the stem,
substantially as shown and described.
D
JENSEN & SON,
77, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Patent Agents.