Elastic traction device and scale therefor

Claim 1

IN A TRACTION ASSEMBLY THAT IS UTILIZED FOR THEREPEUTIC PURPOSED IN THE STRETCHING OF VARIOUS PARTS OF THE HUMAN BODY, A HALTER THAT IS ADAPTED TO BE PLACED AROUND THE HEAD AND JAW OF A PATIENT FOR EXERTING A TENSILE FORCE ON A CERVICAL PORTION OF THE PATIENT AND THAT TERMINATES IN OPPOSED UPPER ENDS, A PAIR OF CONNECTING MEMBERS, EACH OF WHICH IS INTERCONNECTED TO AN END OF SAID HALTER AND TO A FIXED SUPPORT AND COOPERATING WITH EACH OTHER TO EQUALLY DISTRIBUTE THE APPLICATION OF TENSILE FORCE ON THE CERVICAL PORTION OF THE PATIENT, EACH OF SAID CONNECTING MEMBERS BEING FORMED IN A CLOSED BAND OF SUBSTANTIALLY ELASTICISED MATERIAL AND INCLUDING A WEB MEMBER AND AN ADJUSTABLE WEB PORTION THAT IS FORMED AS AN EXTENSION OF SAID WEB MEMBER, A FIRST INDICATING MEANS APPLIED TO THE WEB MEMBER OF EACH CONNECTING MEMBER, AND A SECOND INDICATING MEANS LOCATED IN FIXED RELATION WITH RESPECT TO THE WEB MEMBER OF EACH CONNECTING MEMBER AND EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY THEREOF IN ADJACENT REALTION TO SAID FIRST-NAMED INDICATING MEANS, ONE OF SAID INDICATING MEANS FOR EACH CONNECTING MEMBER BEING DEFINED BY A GRADUATED SCALE AND THE OTHER BEING DEFINED BY AN ELONGATED INDICATOR, EACH GRADUATED SCALE BEING CALIBRATED TO INDICATE THE LOAD THAT IS APPLIED TO THE CERVICAL PORTION OF THE PATIENT PLACED UNDER TENSION BY SAID ASSEMBLY, BUCKLE MEANS SECURED TO THE FREE END OF EACH OF SAID WEB MEMBERS, EACH OF SAID ADJ/USTABLE WEB PORTIONS PROJECTING THROUGH A BUCKLE MEANS, ONE OF SAID INDICATING MEANS IN EACH CONNECTING MEMBER BEING MOVABLE RELATIVE TO THE OTHER WHEN ITS WEB MEMBER IS RESILIENTLY EXPANDED IN PLACING THE CERVICAL PORTION OF THE PATIENT UNDER TENSION SO AS TO INDICATE THE LOAD APPLIED BY THE WEB MEMBER TO SAID CERVICAL PORTION.