U.S. patent number 3,561,435 [Application Number 04/776,140] was granted by the patent office on 1971-02-09 for combined splint and coolant container.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Development, Inc.. Invention is credited to Gary W. Nicholson.
United States Patent |
3,561,435 |
Nicholson |
February 9, 1971 |
COMBINED SPLINT AND COOLANT CONTAINER
Abstract
The combined splint and container comprises an inflatable splint
having inner and outer walls defining an inflatable chamber and a
flexible container wall disposed in face to face spaced relation to
the inner wall and connected thereto at its margins and extending
from one end thereof to and beyond the other end, so as to form
with the inner wall a container for coolant. The splint and
container are placed in embracing relation to a member to be
treated with the container, filled with coolant, usually crushed
ice, in in contact with the member. While held in embracing
relation, the splint is inflated by oral pressure so as to stiffen
the splint and force the container wall into embracing relation,
under preselected pressure contact, to the member about the entire
periphery of the embraced portion of the member. The splint and
container may be of permanent sleeve shape or a sleeve having
separable lateral margins which are detachably held together when
the splint is installed and are separable so that the sleeve can be
opened along one side for convenience in installing it on the
member.
Inventors: |
Nicholson; Gary W. (Scottsdale,
AZ) |
Assignee: |
Development, Inc. (Cherry Hill,
NJ)
|
Family
ID: |
25106580 |
Appl.
No.: |
04/776,140 |
Filed: |
November 15, 1968 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
602/14; 493/189;
128/DIG.20; 607/112 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61F
5/05816 (20130101); A61F 7/10 (20130101); A61F
2007/0001 (20130101); A61F 2007/0091 (20130101); Y10S
128/20 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A61F
5/058 (20060101); A61F 5/04 (20060101); A61F
7/00 (20060101); A61F 7/10 (20060101); A61f
005/04 (); A61f 007/10 () |
Field of
Search: |
;150/2.1--2.6
;128/(Inflatable Splint/ Digest)/
;128/87,254,258,402,403,82.1,(Inquired) |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Norton; Donald F.
Claims
I claim:
1. A combined pressure splint and coolant container comprising:
an elongated inflatable splint having inner and outer walls,
respectively, of impervious, flexible, substantially inelastic
material sealed together at their margins so as to define
therebetween an air receiving and holding chamber, and which are
sealed together at elongated narrow areas which extend lengthwise
of the walls and are spaced apart from each other transversely of
the walls, and which areas terminate endwise in spaced relation to
the ends of said walls, to divide the air receiving chamber into a
plurality of compartments in communication with each other at their
ends, and inlet means for permitting introduction of air into the
chamber for inflating the splint and for preventing the escape of
air through said means;
a container wall of flexible sheet material in face to face spaced
relation to said inner wall and connected thereto along part only
of its periphery so as to define between the inner wall and
container wall a container for holding treating material, which
container has an opening to permit filling and emptying; and
said splint and container wall being constructed and arranged so
that the splint and container wall can be placed in embracing
relation with an injured member of a user with the container wall
juxtaposed against the embraced member.
2. The structure according to claim 1 wherein said container wall
has elongated areas extending endwise of the splint, bonded to the
inner wall of the splint partway only of the length of the splint
at a plurality of locations spaced apart from each other
transversely of the length of the splint.
3. The structure according to claim 2 wherein each of said bonded
areas terminates in spaced relation to both ends of the splint.
4. The structure according to claim 1 wherein said container wall
is impervious and imperforate and is bonded in sealed relation to
the inner wall of the splint along the entire lateral margins and
one end margin of the container wall.
5. The structure according to claim 1 wherein the container wall
extends endwise of the splint outwardly beyond the end of the
splint opposite from said one end margin of the container wall
sufficiently so that the portion so extending can be folded over
the splint at said one end and overlie the outer peripheral margin
of the splint at said one end.
6. The structure according to claim 1 wherein the container wall is
attached at its lateral margins and at said one end margin, to the
splint over a total area of such a limited extend transversely and
lengthwise of the splint that the space between the container wall
and splint is open at said opposite end for substantially the
entire extent of the splint transversely of the length of the
splint.
7. The structure according to claim 1 wherein the splint has two
sealed lateral margins extending lengthwise of the splint and
separable from each other:
releasable connecting means are connected to the splint and are
manually operable to hold said margins in fixed position relative
to each other and to release said margins, selectively; and
the container wall has lateral margins separated from each other
and bonded in fixed position to said lateral margins of the splint,
respectively.
Description
This invention relates to a combined inflatable splint and coolant
container and more specifically to a combined inflatable splint and
ice container, for use in supporting injured members, particularly
limbs or members with broken bones, in an immobile position and for
concurrently applying coolant thereto for reducing the pain and for
reducing bleeding in those cases wherein the damage to the limb or
member includes bleeding wounds.
The invention is an improvement in the usual inflatable
pressure-type bandages or splints, both in the manner of its
construction and in the manner of application of the coolant.
Various specific objects and advantages of the invention will
become apparent from the following description in which reference
is made to the drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a front elevation of the splint and coolant container in
open, flat condition, and only slightly inflated to separate the
various walls from each other;
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the combined splint and coolant
container taken on the line 2-2 in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a front elevation of the combined splint and container
installed in inflated condition with crushed ice coolant in the
container, with its lateral margins detachably connected together
so as to form a sleeve in embracing relation to a leg of a
user;
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the combined splint and
container taken on the line 4-4 of FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on the line 5-5 in
FIG. 4; and
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 6-6 in FIG.
3.
Referring to the drawings, the combined pressure splint and coolant
container comprises an inflatable splint, indicated generally at 1,
composed of an outer wall 2 and inner wall 3. The walls 2 and 3 are
impervious, flexible, substantially inelastic sheets of synthetic
organic plastic, such as vinyl chloride or other types of synthetic
organic settable plastics. The walls 2 and 3 are disposed in face
to face relation and secured together in sealed relation about
their peripheral margins by heat bonding or otherwise so as to
provide an inflatable air chamber therebetween. An inflating stop
valve 4 of any conventional type, and provided with an air tube 5,
is connected to the outer wall 2 so as to permit inflation of the
splint by air pressure delivered orally.
The two opposite lateral margins of the walls are provided with
releasable fastening means, respectively, such as indicated at 6
and 7, for holding the splint in sleeve form during use. The
fastening means may be in the form of the conventional slide
fasteners, the usual hooks and laces, or other means, as the
specific type of releasable fastener forms no part of the present
invention.
Disposed in face to face relation to the inner wall 3 of the splint
is a container wall 8 which at the lateral margins and one end
margin, is bonded to the corresponding margins of the splint in
sealed relation. The wall 8 is substantially coextensive laterally
with the splint and extends from the one end at which it is bonded
to the splint and beyond the opposite end of the splint. The wall 8
is of flexible substantially inelastic sheet material, of the
general type used for the walls 2 and 3, and preferably is
impervious so that liquid from the melting ice can be
contained.
The wall 8, as mentioned, extends beyond the end of the splint
opposite from the end to which it is attached, and at this opposite
end is unconnected to the splint except for a very limited area at
the lateral margins of the splint. This provides a means for
shielding the limb or member, such as the leg L of the user as
indicated in FIGS. 3, 4, and 5, on which the splint is being
applied so that the ice, or water therefrom, can be kept out of the
space between the embraced leg L and the container wall.
In order to maintain proper distribution of the coolant, especially
crushed ice, and retain it is place, the walls 2, 3, and 8 are
bonded together at spaced locations transversely of the length of
the splint. These bonded areas extend continuously endwise of the
splint from a point beginning in spaced relation to the closed end
of the container partway toward the other end of the splint. The
walls 2, 3, and 8 are unbonded at these laterally spaced locations
for 2 or 3 inches from the closed end of the container and for 2 or
3 inches from the end of the splint at the open end of the
container.
The splint may be applied by securing it in sleeve form in
embracing relation to the member to which it is applied, with the
wall 8 in contact with the member. The crushed ice usually is
introduced into the container before application of the splint to
the member.
After the splint is placed in embracing relation to the member, it
is inflated orally until the inner wall 8 of the container is
brought into embracing relation to the member under the desired
pressure throughout the length of the splint. The division of the
coolant container into separate sleeves or pockets, even though the
pockets communicate with each other adjacent their ends of the
container, hold the solid coolant, such as crushed ice, in place,
and also cause the ice itself to assist in stiffening the splint.
Further, they permit more localized application of coolant when
desired. With the container filled, however, the pockets adjust
themselves during inflation of the splint so that the coolant is
applied about the entire periphery of the embraced portion of the
member. If desired, the lateral margins of the splint can be
permanently connected together, so that the splint and the
container remain permanently in the form of sleeves.
In general, the material is flexible but inelastic so that the
stiffness obtained in the inflated splint can be proportional to
the pressure of inflation. The valve may be of the push-pull type
or any other type, and the specific nature thereof forms no part of
the present invention.
The combination of the crushed ice and the inflation pressure
assist in reducing bleeding. The application of the wall 8 of the
container to the member can be maintained during the reduction of
the volume of ice due to melting by occasionally additionally
inflating the splint so that the wall 8 is maintained at all times
in proper contact with the member embraced by the splint.
While the combined splint and container has been disclosed as
applied to the leg of a user, obviously it may be modified for use
on other members without changing the essential cooperative
relations of its parts.
Also, other treating material than crushed ice may be used so that
heating as well as cooling effects can be obtained.
* * * * *