MY INVENTED IMPROVEMENTS ON INSTRUMENTS, TRUSSES, OR APPARATUS FOR THE RELIEF OF HERNIA OR RUPTURE
Year: 1828

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
ADAMS, of Oldbury, in the County of Salop, Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Fourth, by
His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Sixth day of May, in the ninth year of His reign, did give
and grant unto me, the said Thomas Adams, my exors, admors, and assigns,
His especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said
Thomas Adams, my exors, adñiors, and assigns, during the term of years
therein mentioned, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend,
within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, "MY INVENTED
IMPROVEMENTS ON INSTRUMENTS, TRUSSES, OR APPARATUS FOR THE RELIEF OF
HERNIA OR RUPTURE;" in which said Letters Patent there is contained a proviso
obliging me, the said Thomas Adams, by an instrument in writing under my
hand and seal, to cause a particular description of the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in
His Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said recited Letters Patent, as in and by
the same (relation being thereunto had) may more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Thomas Adams, do hereby declare that the improvements which I have
invented are:-

page_text: First, an additional spring, moveable at pleasure, upon or under the usual
and ordinary spring of common-steel trusses for the purpose of regulating and
adjusting the pressure of the truss; and;
Secondly, the introduction of a graduated scale by which the amount of the
increase or decrease of pressure that is produced is nearly shewn and estimated,
on which account I propose calling the apparatus a Patent Adjustable and
Graduated Truss; and I do hereby, and by the plans or figures contained
in the Drawing hereunto annexed,' and, which are to be taken as part of this
my Specification, describe and ascertain the nature of my said improve-
ments, and how the same are to be performed and carried into effect in the
following manner (that is to say):-
"
The additional spring may be of the same or of a little greater or less strength
or width than the common or usual spring (which I will hereafter call the
main spring) as may be found necessary to regulate the pressure of the latter,
and may be made of the same or of any other suitable material, but will
require to be much less round or curved than the main spring, and in general
may be nearly straight, the length of the additional spring to be about one
third of the length of the main spring, and the former will generally require
one of its ends to be tapèred a little. narrower or otherwise made. a little
weaker than the other end, for the purpose of keeping the truss, when acted
upon by the additional spring, in the proper form or shape; and the tapered
or weakened end may be applied to that end of the main spring which will
best adapt the truss to the particular case, required. The additional.spring.is
made to slide or move either upon or under the main spring by the latter
having a slit or slits made therein, and the. additional spring having.a rivet or
rivets, or other sufficient fastening or fastenings affixed to it to connect.it with
the main spring; so that it can slido. or move in or along such. slit or slits ;, or
the additional 'spring may be made to clip the edges. of the main spring or..bo
otherwise connected with it so as to slide or move along it without.the.latter
having any slit therein. A leather strap or other appendage may be attached
to the additional spring, by means of which it may be moved or drawn along
the main spring at pleasure under the covering of the truss, and the pleasure
of the truss be thereby instantaneously increased.or. diminished.as, required; .or
the said additional spring may be moved by a stúd or handle. passing through
a slit in the said covering, or in any other convenient way; but the additional
spring will be found to move or slide with greater. case and convenience. upon
or along the outside of the main: spring, and the leather strap may be affixed
to the inner side of the additional spring by the rivets b, b, passing through it
so that the strap will be situate between the main spring and the additional

page_text: spring, as represented in Figure 1. But I do not confine myself to this mode
of construction, because the said additional spring may also be applied and
connected to the inside of the main spring. The strap attached to the addi-
tional spring may slide or move within the covering of the truss by the ends of
the said strap coming through holes or other apertures in such covering; and
upon one of the projecting ends of such strap I introduce my second improve-
ment, which is a graduated scale, with figures upon it for the purpose of
thereby showing the increase or decrease of pressure that takes place in
pounds, ounces, or other denominations of weight; and I obtain the divisions
to be marked upon the strap, as shown at Z, Figure 1, by opening the truss
to the extent which it would have in wear, and then suspending the different
weights from the centre of the pad while the aforesaid additional spring is
moved into its various positions. If a stud should be preferred to a strap for
moving the said additional spring, then the said gradation or scale of force
may be made on the side of the slit or opening in the covering through which
the said stud or handle slides.
Figure 2 shews the spring of a common single steel truss curved or rounded
in or near to the usual and ordinary manner. a, a, a, a, are slits herein-
before mentioned to be made for the screws or rivets of my said additional
spring to slide therein.
Figure 3 is the additional spring, tapering a little to one of its ends, and
b, b, are rivets or screws for the purpose of connecting Figure 2 to Figure 3
by passing through the slits a, a, a, a, in Figure 2, and into the holes c, c, in
Figure 3.
Figure 4 represents the edge of Figure 3, and thereby shews the degree of
rounding or curving generally necessary for the latter before its connexion
with or application to Figure 2; but the additional spring may be more or less
curved or straight, as may be found sufficient to controul or regulate the
pressure of the main spring, and best adapt the truss to the shape and purpose
for which it may be required; the additional spring may also be made in one
or more part or parts, but a single additional spring will generally be sufficient
to regulate the pressure of a single truss. When the additional spring is required
to be connected with a double spring truss or an umbilical spring truss or two
single spring trusses forming a double spring truss, then two of the additional
springs will generally be necessary, one being placed upon the right and the
other upon the left side of the main spring on such truss, there being in each
of these cases two parts of the main spring to be acted upon by the additional
spring.
It will be observed in the above description, and by reference to Figure 4

page_text: of the Drawing, that as my aforesaid additional spring is nearly straight when
in its natural state or not acted upon, its tendency will be to relieve or
diminish the force or pressure of the main spring in any part to which it may
be applied, and it will most. effectually and powerfully do so when it is drawn
over that part of the main spring that is the most sharply bent or curved.
consequently main springs of more than usual power may be employed; and
upon this.principle of adjustment by a nearly straight additional spring I rest
the novelty of my-Invention, because I am aware that additional back springs
have been before applied to increase the pressure of the main spring, though
without the graduation and nicety of adjustment which I have-introduced and
claim as part of my Invention, even if used with such strengthening springs.
And I do hereby declare it to be the additional spring herein-before described
by me, and the manner of applying the same to the common spring of such
truss or trusses as thereby to diminish the power of the spring of the truss at
pleasure, and likewise the introduction of the graduated scale by which the
increase or decrease of pressure is rendered evident, and which two points
alone constitute my Invention and improvements.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Adams, have hereunto "set my
hand and seal, the Twenty-fourth day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and twenty-eight.