US1409513A - Artificial hand - Google Patents

Description

H. F. ARMSTRONG.

ARTIFICIAL HAND. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 27, 1920- RENEWED DEC- 6, I921. 1,409,513.v

Patented Mar. 14,1922.

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WITNESSES ATTORNEYS UNITED STATES PATENT org-non.

.RoBEnrFRANoIs Anilrs'rnono, OFLA c'YGNn, KANSA; AssreNoa T0 FREDERICK. w.

. POLLMAN, an, or LA cYGNnxANsAsn r ARTIFICIAL Haivn.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Dial. 1922.-

Application filed November 27; 1920, Serial No. 426,798. Renewed December 6; 1921.: Serial No. 520,403.

To all whom it may concern: 1

Be it known that I, Ronnn'r FRANCIS ARM' STRONG, a citizen of the United States, and

a resident of La Cygne, in the countyof' Linn and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Artificial Hands, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates in general to artificial hands, and more particularly to an improved artificial hand of the type forming the subject-matter of my Patent No. 1,334,689, and my co-pending application, Serial No. 373,518. 4

The object of the invention is to provide an improved artificialhand of this character which is capable of readily and easily performing all of the important functionsof the human hand' and which is of extremely simple and durable construction reliable in operation and easy and inexpensive to manufacture. V v Other olnects andadvantages of the invention reside 1n certain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement in section for the sake of illustration; and

Figure 4: is a detail view in section of the tip of the thumb member.

Referring-to the drawings it will be seen that both embodiments of the invention contemplate a hand body or hand proper designated at 5, middle finger 6 and thumb fingers 7' are associated with the hand body 5. Index finger members 8 are provided and are arranged with thehand body 5 so as to be capable of partaking of a swinging 'motion toward and away from the adjacent middle finger on an axis extending substan tially perpendicularly through the body of the hand from the palm to the back thereof. A thumb member 9 is also pivotally connected to the hand body and the top or outer extremity of the thumbmember is adapted to engage the index finger member as shown inthe drawings. An operator 10 for the thumb member is provided, as shown in Figure '1. 1

The thumb member isadapted to coaot with the index finger Inemberin'the handling or manipulation of small articles and in order to provide for the high degree of grasping action as betweenth'e thumb member and the index finger member the'tip or outer extremity of the thumb member .is

provided with a kerf 11 (see Figure 4). A gripping element l2 of felt or" the like, is

arranged and secured inthe kerf '11 and projectsbeyond the periphery of the tipof thethumbon both'sides thereof. Whenthe thumb member is engaged with the'index finger member the gripping element 12 provides correct grasping action espe'cially;fo1' the proper handling of small objects such-as pins, sheets of paper and the like. I

In the form of'my invention shown in Figure" 1, the hand body 5"is provided with slot 13 extendinginteri-orly of the hand body from one sidethereof and substantially parallel with the plane of the palm of the hand. A swinging bar or lever 14: carries the index finger. The bar 14 is provided centrally with a circular enlargement 15 having centrally thereof a pivot opening 16 through which a pivot pin 17 journaled in the body of the hand extends whereby topivotally connect the swinging bar 11' to the hand body in such manner as to constrain the same to swingingmovement on an axis extending substantially parallel to the hand body to the back thereof. The swinging bar or lever 14 is also provided with an extension 18 which operates in the slot 13, as shown in Figure 1. The extension 18is providedwith an inwardly curved hooked end 19 having a notch 20 therein.

A retractile coil spring 21 has one end thereof engaged with the notched portion of the hooked end'19 offthe extension to the swinging lever, as indicated at 22 and has its opposite end secured to a fixed abutment 23, as shown at 24:. The retractile coil spring 21 serves to bias the index finger in that it is so tensioned as to exert a pull upon the extension 18 of the swinging lever to throw the swinging lever about its pivot 17 in a clockwise direction whereby the index finger is urged at all times against the middle finger.

In the embodim nt o my invention shown 1 0 in Figure 3, the hand body 5 is provided with a slot similar to the slot 18 and is further provided with a bore 26 extending transversely of the hand body and intersecting the slot 25. A swinging bar or lever 27 carries the index finger and is pivoted to the inthe bore 26 and has one end directly engaging and abutting the extension 29, as shown at 31. The opposite end of the coil spring is received within the socket 33 formed in the adjustable abutment 32 and which has threaded engagement, as indicated at 38 with the wall of the bore 26. The compression coil spring serves to bias the index finger that is, it serves to urge the same against the middle finger The tension of the compression coil spring 30 is variable and the variationsof this tension may be effected by simple manipulation of the abutment 32. In order torender the abutment 32 easily operable itis preferably provided witha slot 35. a -v Having thus described my invention, I claim: l r

1. An artificial hand having a hand body 7 provided with a slot and a bore intersecting the slot, an index finger adapted to swing about an axis extending substantially arallel through said hand from the palm to the 1 back thereof, a swinging bar 01' lever carrying said index finger and pivoted to said hand, said swinging bar or lever having an extension'operating in said slot, a compression coil spring arranged in said bore and having one end abutting said extension to bias said index finger and an adjustable abutment at the opposite end of said spring having threaded engagement with said bore.

2. An artificial hand having a hand body provided with a slot and a bore intersecting said slot, a swinging'index finger,-a swinging. bar or leverpivoted to said hand body and carrying said index finger, said swing: ing bar'or lever having an extension operating in said slot, a compression coil spring arranged in .saidbore and having one end abutting said extension to bias said index finger, and anadjustable abutment for the opposite end of saidooil spring having threaded engagement with said bore.

3. An artificial hand having a hand body comprising a solid stock provided with a transverse slot therein, a swinging index.

finger, a bar or lever carrying said index finger and pivotally connected to the hand body, said bar orlever having an extension and said extension and saidbar Or lever operating in said slot, a coil spring having one end engaged with the'extension for biasing the index finger, and van abutment'carried by the stock and engaging the opposite endof the coil sprin ROBERT FRANSIS ARMSTRONG.

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