Improvements in Needle Holders for Surgical Needles or the like.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Feb., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 16th Oct., 1889-Accepted, 30th Nov., 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Needle Holders for Surgical Needles or the like.
A communication from abroad by MICHAEL WEBER, of Zürich, in the Republic of
Switzerland.
I WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON F.C.S. M.I.M.E. of the Agency for Foreign
Patent Solicitors, 6, Lord Street, Liverpool and 6, Bank Street, Manchester, both in
the County of Lancaster and 323 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex Civil
Engineer do horeby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention has for its object an improved surgical instrument for holding needlos
and especially, flat "hawthorn needlos."
A considerable advantage gained by the use of this instrument over others at
present used for this purpose, consists in its great simplicity of construction, the
facility with which it can be taken to pieces for the purpose of cleaning, and especially
in the safe and firm grip which it obtains on the needle, in consequence of the screw
like action of the instrument.
The needle holder consists of two legs a spring and a latch piece. The first leg has
at its outer end the fixing cheek, against which the needle is held and a guide pin, and
towards the middle an obliquely set dove tailed guide wedge and a small lug, while
the second leg has at the upper end the lower cheek for holding the needle, covered
with a small piece of soft metal (such as sheet copper) and is provided with a slot for
the above mentioned guide pin and an oblique groove into which the dovetailed guide
of the first leg takes. Towards the lower end of the second leg above mentioned and
on its inner surface is fixed a pin with an elongated head over which a spring is
passed by means of a slit in the latter. The spring is then fastened to the leg by
turning the head of the pin at right angles to its former position. At the lower end
of the second leg is a hinge in which a latch piece for keeping the instrument closed
is held by means of two trunnions. When required for use the needle holder is put
together in the following manner :-
The two legs are placed, one on the other, so that the enlarged end of the guide pin
of the first will pass through a widened circular portion of the slot in the other; the
said pin is now pushed down the said slot until the guide wedge and groove are
opposite each other. The two legs are then brought slightly together and the wedge
enters the groove; the spring and catch piece are then put in as above described.
The lower end of the said spring holds the latch piece pressed against the first
leg, while the upper end presses against the lug on this leg, thus tending to
move the two legs apart. The spring is provided with a hook at the upper end
which will catch on the lug on the other leg with the object of preventing the
legs from being further separated when they are in the most open position avail-
able, namely, that in which the wedge only enters a slight distance into the groove
and the guide pin is almost at the farthest end of the slit.
A further characteristic of this invention is the screw like action by means of
which the needles can be fixed between the cheeks by the application of a very
slight force. By pressing the two legs together, the relative positions of the latter
are altered in consequence of the movement of the wedge along the groove, and the
cheeks are brought nearer together. The guide pin is arranged to slide along the
groove, so that the said cheeks will move in a straight line.
The legs are held in position and consequently the needle prevented from falling out
inadvertently when once fixed, by means of the latch piece carried by the second leg

page_text: and the torth of which catch on the first leg. The contiguous portions of the legs are
held together, partly by means of the enlarged head of the pin, and partly by the
dovetailing of the wedge and the groove.
Dated this 2nd day of February 1889.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Needle Holders for Surgical Needlos or the like.
A communication from abroad by Michael Weber, of Zürich, in the Republic of
Switzerland.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, F.C.S., M.I.M.E. of the Agency for Foreign
Patent Solicitors, 6 Lord Street Liverpool and 6 Bank Street Manchester both in
the founty of Lancaster and 323 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex, Civil
Engineer, 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 :
-
This invention has for its object an improved surgical instrument for holding
needles and eqperially, flat "hawthorn needles." A considerable advantage gained by
the use of this instrument over others at present used for this purpos, consists in its
great simplicity of construction, the facility with which it can be taken to pieces for
the purpose of cleaning, and especially in the safe and firm grip which it obtains on
the needle, in consequenes of the screw like action of the instrument.
The instrument complete is represented in Figure 1 on the drawing. The needle
holder consists essentially of two legs, Figures 2 and 3, a spring, Figure 4, and
a latch, Figure 5. The leg S, Figure 2, has at its upper end the needle fixing
check a and a guide pin ; at or about the middle of its inner fee it has a
dovetailed guide wedge anda lugd, whilst the leg S, Figure 3, hns at its
upper end the lower needle holding cheek covered with a small piece of mult
metal (such as sheet copper) and is provided with a slot gand a dovetailed guide
groove On the under side of the leg 8 is situated a pin with an elongated head
over which a spring, Figure 1, is passed by means of a slit m in the latter and the
head of the pin is then turned into the position shown in Figure 1. At the lower
end of the leg S is a recess k, in which the latch o, Figure 5, is held by means of the
two trunnions p.
When required for use, the needle holder is put together in the following
manner :-
The leg S' is laid on the leg S' so that the enlarged end of the guide pin of the
first will pass through a widened circular portion of the slot g in the other, the said
pin is now pushed down so far (see Figure 1) that the guide wedge and groove
are opposite each other. If the two legs he then brought slightly together by which
the wedge enters the groove and then the spring and latch o be put in position
as described above, the spring holds with its lower and the latch o pressed against
the leg 8 and rests with its upper and against the lug of the log S³ and thereby
gives the necessary pressure to normally hold the two legs apart.
r
+
The spring at its upper end is provided with a hook n which will catch against the
lugd when the legs reach the most open position available that is the position in which
tho wedge e rests only slightly in the groove and the guido pin 6 has almost reached
the extreme top end of the slot g with the object of preventing a further separa-
tion (or opening).
A further characteristic of this instrument is the peculiar action by means of which
the needles can be firmly fixed botwoon the cheeks a and h by the application of a
slight degroɑ of force. By pressing the two legs together, the leg S³ undergoes a

page_text: relative forward movement, in consequence of the sliding of the wedge c along the
groove, whereby the checks a and are brought nearer together. In order, how-
ever, that the movement of the cheeks may be approximately in a straight line, tho
guide pin is employed and slides along the groove g. The legs are held in their
closed position and consequently the needle is prevented from falling out inadvertently,
by the end of the leg S¹ being engaged by the teeth of the latch o. The contiguous
portions of the legs are held together partly by means of the enlarged head of the
pin band partly by the dovetailing of the wedge c and the groove ƒ.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :—
1. A needle holder capable of being readily taken to pieces, and adapted for holding
surgical needles having two legs SI S' provided with fixing cheeks a and h, and
working under spring pressure, which, on being opened or closed, give to the cheeks
an approximately parallel movement to or from one another by means of a pin 6 fitting
in the slot g and the inclined wedge e dovetailing into the groove f, and having also a
latch to retain the said legs in any desired relative position whereby a firm and
sure grip of the needle may be obtained with a small expenditure of force, sub-
stantially as described and shown.
2. In a needle holder such as described a spring which is adapted to be fixed on
one leg S of the instrument, and is provided with a hook n catching in a lug d
of the other leg S₁ and which with its other end can simultaneously act on the
latch o to maintain the same in a fixed position, substantially as described and for
the purposes set forth.
3. In a needle holder such as described the latch o provided with trunnions p which
is retained binge-wise in a recess in one log of said needle holder by the end of the
spring substantially as described and for the purposes set forth.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.