United States patent number:1117746

Current U.S. Class: 2/44



SHOULDER-BRACE.

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that I; JOEL U. ADAMS, a citizen of the United States, and residing at Cincinnati, Hamilton county, State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Shoulder-Braces; and I do declare the following to be a clear, full, and exact description of the invention, attention being called to the drawing which aecompanies this application and farms a part thereof. This invention relates to orthopedical appliances of the type known as shoulderbraces. The general object of such appliances is to care defects in shape or to improve the carriage of the shoulders, the intended action being produced by pressure upon the particular parts of the body. Straps form the essential part of these appliances whereby this pressure is produced, they being arranged to be adjustable to permit fitting to the particular parts of the body and adjustment of the pressure whereby they are. intended to act upon these parts. The object of my invention is to ameliorate whatever inconvenience may be produced by the pressure of these straps and to render the wearing of these appliances more comfortable. In the following specification and particularly pointed out in the claim will be found a full description of my invention, its parts and construction, which latter is illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which:  Figure 1. shows my appliance as it appears from the rear of a person and when placed in position. Fig. 2. is a front view of the abdominal pad of the appliance. Fig. 3. shows a detail concerning another pad and Fig. 4. is an enlarged section on line 4--4 of Fig. 3.  In the drawing 6--6 indicates two straps whereby the pressure necessary for the purpose is produced. They are secured by stitching to each other and to the upper part of the back of the appliance. This back consists of a number of spaced stays 7 made up in the usual way of fabric-incased bars, generally of fiat steel or whale-bone. At their upper ends these stays are held in their spaced relation by the straps mentioned which are secured to them in the manner shown. At their lower ends they are spaced closer and held in position with reference to each other by m patch S. To this patch are stitched the two belt sections 9-9 adapted to be passed around the abdo men and whereby, when said belt i.1 closed, the appliance is held in position on the body. In front the free ends of these straps are detachably connected to an abdominal pad 10; by means of suitable fittings 11 and 12. The connection is to the outer side of the pad with reference to the body, so that the presence of these fittings, by reason of concentrated pressure, does not become objectionable.  <P>13 is a grooved roller loosely mounted in its support 14 and secured by this support to the lower part of the back portion and so as to be positioned flat-wise thereagainst. 15 is an inelastic cord of fixed length which passes loosely around tle lower portion of - the edge of this roller, it being confined between this edge and the roller support which forms a guide for it so as to cause it to remain in engagement with the edge of the roller.</P> <P>16 are loops, one at each end of cord 15, and 17 indicates fittings adapted to be detachably connected to the free ends of straps 6--6. These fittings are provided with hooks 18 adapted to receive loops 16 whereby the free ends of the straps are secured, the straps having been passed over the shoulders and back below the arms to meet these loops. Fittings 17, which may be buckles serve to fit straps (i to the body and to adjust the pressure with which the straps are expected to act. The detachable connection between these fittings and loops 16 of cord 15, permits convenient and quick removal of the appliance. It also permits quick replacing of the same without requiring any manipulation ef buckles 17. These latter, after once adjusted to position on the straps may remain so until re-adjustlnent of the pressure becomes necessary.</P> <P>19 are elongated pads carried by straps 6 and intended to prevent cutting by these latter in the armpits.  They are held by loops 20 closely fitted to the straps and are thus capable of a sliding adjustment so as to permit exact positioning as required.   When the appliance is in position, the straps and the cord whereby they are joined form a continuous and closed tie band which is yoked over both shoulders and also extends across the lower part of the back to which position it is held by roller 13.</P> <P>Movements of the body, particularly if one-sided as for instance if me shoulder is moved, are not retarded or checked by the appliance because of the compensating action of sliding cord 15, whereby one side of the body, when required, may be given temporarily more freedom by the movement of the cord in that direction; shifting for the time being, a larger portion of the aforesaid tie band to that side of the body.</P> <P>Having described my invention, I claim as new:</P> <P>In a shoulder brace, the combination of a back part, straps secured to the upper end thereof and adapted to pass, one on each side, over the shoulders to the front and rearwardly to the back part below the armpits, a roller fixedly positioned in the center straps of the back part of the appliance and near the lower end of this back part, a single cord which between its ends is in engagement with this roller, a loop at each end of this cord, a hook for each of these loops adapted to enter into detachable engagement therewith and buckles, one for each hook and of which they form a part, one of said buckles being adjustably mounted upon each of the straps.</P> <P>In testimony whereof, I hereunto affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.</P> <P STYLE="text-align:right;"> JOEL U. ADAMS.</P> <P> Witnesses: <BR>  C. SPEN GEL, <BR>  A. JOHNSON.</P>