Improvements in, or connected with, the Cases for Clinical Thermometers.
Year: 1898

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in, or connected with, the Cases for Clinical
Thermometers.
I, JOSEPH KENT, of 98, Hatton Garden, in the City of London, Clerk, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention has for its object to facilitate the operation of returning to normal
position the so-called "indestructible" mercurial index of a clinical thermometer
and avoid the danger of breaking the instrument.
Some clinical thermometers have a very tight constriction which renders the
operation of "shaking down" the index in the usual way difficult to effect and in
any case this method of returning the index involves risk of breaking the ther-
mometer by accidental contact with some other object.
My invention consists essentially in providing means whereby the index of
the thermometer may be most effectually subjected to the action of centrifugal
force whilst the instrument is still contained in its protective sheath or casing.
With this object the sheath or casing is provided at its upper end with a swivel-
jointed sling or attachment which may either be in permanent connection with the
sheath or case or be temporarily attached when required and by means whereof
the sheath with the instrument contained therein may be swung round with a
rapid whirling motion whereby the mercury is caused by centrifugal action to
quickly fly back towards the bulb however tight the constriction of the bore may
be. This sling-like whirling attachment may be connected directly to the cap of
the case and be formed of a swivel or other loose or universal joint connection with
a handle which is held in the hand for imparting the desired whirling motion.
To guard against accidental detachment of the cap in whirling, the cap may be
connected by flexible or other connections with a collar on the body of the case
so as to permit of unscrewing the cap and separating it from the body portion
sufficiently to enable the instrument to be removed without allowing the cap to
be entirely separated from the case.
Or the attachment may be in the form of a bail or how pivoted or otherwise
connected to the upper end of the case so as to admit of being moved aside out
of the way when it is required to remove the cap or open the cover of the case
to remove the instrument therefrom, this bail or bow being connected by a suitable
swivel or other loose or universal joint to the handle.
Instead of the bail being pivoted to the case it may be fitted to slide tele-
scopically so as to admit of being drawn out in order to considerably increase the
radius of motion and consequently the strength of the centrifugal action.
Instead of the usual detachable screw cap for the case proper I may provide
a permanently attached lid or cover spring hinged so as to remain either in the
open or closed position or secured by a snap fastening. Or the hinged cap may
D
037

page_text: be sprung between, and into engagement with, the limbs of the bail which by
snapping into grooves in the sides of the cap retain it in the closed position. Or
the cap, instead of being hinged, may slide on the limbs of the bail and also be
held thereby in the closed position.
Or instead of a mere bail-like frame I may provide an outer tubular sheath
telescopically sliding on, or otherwise enclosing or connected to, the case proper
and to which the swivel connection is attached, the sliding sheath having a lateral
exit aperture for the thermometer.
Dated this 18th day of January 1898.
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
Chartered Patent Agents, 53, Chancery Lane, London.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in, or connected with, the Cases for Clinical
Thermometers.
T
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I, JOSEPH KENT, of 98, Hatton Garden, in the City of London, Clerk; do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
My invention has for its object to facilitate the operation of returning to normal
position the so-called "indestructible" mercurial index of a clinical thermometer
and avoid the danger of breaking the instrument by accidental contact with some
other object when shaking down" the index in the ordinary way, particularly
in the case of clinical thermometers having a very tight constriction which renders
the operation of "shaking down" the index difficult to effect.
My invention consists essentially in providing means whereby to enable the
thermometer to be subjected to the action of centrifugal force whilst the instru-
ment is contained in its protective sheath or casing, the said. means consisting
in the provision of a swivel-jointed attachment to a handle in permanent connec-
tion with the sheath or case so that when the handle is held in the hand the
sheath, with the instrument contained therein with its bulb directed towards the
opposite end of the sheath, may be swung round about the swivel joint as a
centre with a rapid whirling motion whereby the mercury is caused by centrifugal
action to quickly fly back towards the bulb however tight the constriction of the
bore may be.
r
Several examples of the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings
forming part of this specification wherein Figure 1 shews the whirling attach-
ment connected to the cover of the case. Figure 2 shews one form of whirling
attachment connected to the body of the case, as shewn in part section in Figure 2,
and Figures 3, 3, and 4 shew, a telescopic form of connection with the body of
the case whereby a greater radius of motion and more energetic centrifugal action
may be obtained with a shorter flexible. connection with the handle...
"
Referring to Figure 1, a is the body and the cap or cover of the usual metal
case, the cap being attached to the body by the usual screw joint c. The whirling
attachment consists, of a short length of flexible or other connection such as. a
chain connected to the cap and to a handle f by a swivel joint at e so as to
permit of the whirling of the whole in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the
swivel joint in the said handle, without kinking of the chain. The swivel joint

page_text: A similar
at e may be formed by a pin passing loosely through a hole in the end of the
hollow handle and provided with a head' received within the handle so as to main-
tain connection therewith whilst allowing the pin to revolve, the pin having an
external loop or eye to which the chain or other connection is attached.
form of joint may be made between the chain and the end of the cap, although in
this case a swivel motion is less necessary except the handle be itself a second ther-
mometer case. That is to say the handle-may be replaced by a case similar to a b,
for a second thermometer, the chain being similarly swivelled to each so that
each may serve as the handle when the other is whirled.
In Figure 2 the chain portion d of the whirling attachment is connected to
a U-shaped bail or bow g of wire whose ends are pivoted as at h to the body por-
tion a of the case either by the ends being inturned or hook-shaped and received
in holes at the side of the case as in Figure 2 or in the ordinary hexagon band
fixed to the case to prevent rolling, or by the ends of the bail being looped and
engaged with projecting studs or eyes fixed to the sides of the case or otherwise
so as to permit of the bail or bow coming into alignment with the case in whirling
or being turned aside out of the way when it is desired to remove the cap b. In
this example the cap b may either be screwed on to the body a of the case or be
connected thereto by fitting tightly thereon or by a spring snap fastening as
commonly used in such cases, as the centrifugal strain in whirling does not come
on the cap so that there is no danger of the body portion becoming disconnected
and flying off. In this example the handle f is made in the form of a spring
snap or it may be an open hook for attachment to a nurse's chatelaine or waistbelt.
In the example shewn in Figures 3, 3, and 4 the attachment comprises the
handle f, the chain or other connection d swivel-jointed thereto, and an outer case
or holder in telescopic sliding connection with the body portion a of the case.
This holder may be provided with an internal collar through which the body a
slides friction-tight to an extent limited by stops j fixed to the case a and sliding
in slots k through which access is had for removing or affixing the cap or for
The holder h
withdrawing the thermometer from, or replacing it in, the case.
may be formed out of a tube or the side members may be stamped out in the
form of strips with broad ends 1 adapted to be lapped around and soldered to
collars such as i, the strips being stamped up of curved transverse section, as
indicated in Figure 3, so as to closely embrace the case and cap and retain the
latter in the holder when removed from the body a for the purpose of inserting
or withdrawing the thermometer. The chain or other connection d is attached
to the closed upper end of the holder and by a swivel joint e, to a handle f and
when it is required to whirl the instrument the case, with the instrument con-
tained therein, is drawn out, as indicated in full lines in Figure 4, so
increase the radius of motion and correspondingly augment the centrifugal force.
as to
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:
1. The combination with a clinical thermometer case, of a whirling attachment
consisting of a chain or other connection attached or connected to the case and
coupled by a swivel or pivotal joint to a handle so as to permit of whirling motion
about the pivotal joint without kinking the chain or other connection, as
described.
2. The combination with a clinical thermometer case, of a whirling attachment
consisting of a bail or bow pivoted to the body of the case and coupled by a chain
or other connection and by a swivel or pivotal joint to a handle substantially as
and for the purpose specified.
3. The combination with a clinical thermometer case, of a whirling attachment
consisting of a bail or sheath-like holder adapted to receive within it, and to make
telescopically sliding connection with, the instrument case substantially as

page_text: described, the said bail or sheath-like holder being connected by a chain or other
means, and by a swivel or pivotal joint, with a handle as and for the purpose
specified.
Dated this 18th day of October 1898
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
Chartered Patent Agents, 53, Chancery Lane, London.