U.S. patent application number 09/993943 was filed with the patent office on 2002-06-27 for medical board cleaning system assembly description.
Invention is credited to Biddix, Thomas Edward, Neidert, Thomas Troy.
Application Number | 20020078515 09/993943 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 26937971 |
Filed Date | 2002-06-27 |
United States Patent
Application |
20020078515 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Biddix, Thomas Edward ; et
al. |
June 27, 2002 |
Medical board cleaning system assembly description
Abstract
An apparatus for cleaning medical transport boards comprises a
closed chamber having first and second oppositely facing ends and
having a first opening in the first end for receiving a board and a
second opening at the second end for passing the board out of the
chamber, a first partition in the chamber spaced from the first end
for defining a disinfectant spray section, the spray section
including a spray delivery system for spraying disinfectant on all
exposed surfaces of the board as the board passes through the spray
section, a second partition in the chamber spaced from the second
end for defining a rinse water section, the rinse water section
including a water delivery system for flowing water over all
exposed surfaces of the board as the board passes through the rinse
water section and a pair of power driven brushes located in the
chamber between the first and second sections for scrubbing exposed
surfaces of the board during passage of the board through the
chamber.
Inventors: |
Biddix, Thomas Edward;
(Melbourne, FL) ; Neidert, Thomas Troy;
(Melbourne, FL) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BEUSSE, BROWNLEE, BOWDOIN & WOLTER, P. A.
390 NORTH ORANGE AVENUE
SUITE 2500
ORLANDO
FL
32801
US
|
Family ID: |
26937971 |
Appl. No.: |
09/993943 |
Filed: |
November 6, 2001 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60246435 |
Nov 7, 2000 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
15/77 ;
15/88.3 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A46B 2200/3073 20130101;
A46B 13/04 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
15/77 ;
15/88.3 |
International
Class: |
A46B 013/04 |
Claims
1. Apparatus for cleaning medical transport boards comprising: a
closed chamber having first and second oppositely facing ends and
having a first opening in said first end for receiving a board and
a second opening at said second end for passing the board out of
the chamber; a first partition in said chamber spaced from said
first end thereof for defining a disinfectant spray section, said
spray section including a spray delivery system for spraying
disinfectant on all exposed surfaces of the board as the board
passes through said spray section; a second partition in said
chamber spaced from said second end thereof for defining a rinse
water section, said rinse water section including a water delivery
system for flowing water over all exposed surfaces of the board as
the board passes through the rinse water section; and a pair of
power driven brushes located in said chamber between said first and
second sections for scrubbing exposed surfaces of the board during
passage of the board through the chamber.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 and including a pre-wetting water
dispensing system in said disinfectant spray section, said water
dispensing system being disposed for wetting the board prior to
spraying of disinfectant thereupon.
3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein each of said spray delivery
system and said water delivery system includes a plurality of
spaced nozzles for delivering a liquid spray to all exposed
surfaces of the board.
4. The apparatus of claim 3 and including a pump for maintaining a
constant predetermined volume of flow at each of said spaced
nozzles.
5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said brushes comprise
cylindrical brushes with radial extending bristles.
6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said brushes are positioned to
concurrently engage opposite exposed surfaces of the board.
7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the brushes are located between
said first and second partitions.
8. The apparatus of claim 4 and including a storage tank for
holding a supply of liquid disinfectant and a tube leading from
said tank to said disinfectant spray delivery system, said
disinfectant being drawn into said spray delivery system by water
pumped through said spray delivery system.
9. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the brushes are rotatably
driven in a same direction, one of said brushes crating a force
pushing the board toward said first end of said chamber and another
of said brushes creating a force pulling the board toward said
second end of said chamber.
10. The apparatus of claim 9 and including an electric motor
mounted outside said chamber and coupled for concurrently driving
said brushes.
Description
SPECIFIC DATA RELATED TO INVENTION
[0001] This application claims the benefit of the U.S. provisional
patent application filed on Nov. 7, 2000 and assigned serial No.
60/246,435.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates generally to medical transport
boards, sometimes referred to as spine boards, and, more
particularly, to apparatus for cleaning and disinfecting such
boards.
[0003] Medical transport boards are boards that are generally used
by emergency medical personnel for transporting accident victims.
These boards, which are sometimes referred to as spine boards, are
typically made of plastic, fiberglass, or other synthetic material
and are designed to be lightweight but strong, stiff boards that
prevent movement of a person strapped to the board during transport
of the person. Since these boards are commonly used to transport
accident victims, the boards are frequently contaminated with blood
or other body fluids and must be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected
after each use. Typical methods of cleaning such boards include
spraying the boards with water, soap solutions, disinfectants and
manually scrubbing the boards by hand to remove any material on the
boards.
[0004] One prior attempt to automate cleaning of medical transport
boards is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,472,004 issued Dec. 5, 1995.
The '004 patent discloses a washing system for a medical transport
board, referred to therein as a spine board, in which the board is
placed into a housing and subjected to a high pressure spray from a
plurality of nozzles positioned about the board wherein the spray
is intended to remove any contaminants from the board. The
disclosed spray system includes a pump for delivering 8.5 gallons
per minute at a pressure of 95 psi in order to attempt to clean and
disinfect spine boards. According to the '004 patent, a spine board
may remain in the unit for up to thirty minutes in order to be
cleaned by the impinging spray.
[0005] Applicants' have evaluated the cleaning of spine boards or
medical transport boards by use of spraying under the conditions
specified in the '004 patent and found that the disclosed method is
generally inadequate to completely clean dried body fluids from a
spine board. More particularly, dried body fluids such as blood
tends to leave discolorations that may not be completely removed by
spraying and, while such splotches may not be harmful, they are
disconcerting to persons handling the medical transport board.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a method which more
effectively removes discolorations on such boards caused by body
fluids as well as other materials.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] The present invention addresses the shortcomings of prior
art attempts to automate the cleaning of medical transport boards
by providing a cleaning system that uses a combination of high
volume, low pressure soaking coupled with stiff brush action to
scrub the surfaces of the board. In a preferred embodiment, the
invention comprises an electrically operated apparatus including a
housing having a closed chamber through which a board is directed
in order to be cleaned. Within the chamber, there is a first
section having multiple spray nozzles for spraying the board first
with water for wetting and then spraying with a disinfectant
solution for decontamination. As the board exits the first section,
it is directed through a pair of rotating brushes which include
relatively hard nylon bristles for scrubbing the top and bottom
exposed surfaces of the board. Preferably, the brushes are designed
to rotate in a common direction so that one of the brushes pushes
the board backwards while the other of the brushes pulls the board
forward to thereby create a null force on the board. After the
board passes through the brushes, it enters into a second section
in which are arranged a plurality of spray nozzles for spraying
clear water on the board to rinse away any debris left after
passing through the brushes. The board then exits the housing
having been washed, brushed and rinsed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] For a better understanding of the present invention,
reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in
conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
[0008] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one form of medical
transport board cleaning unit with a transport board partially
extending from one end of the unit;
[0009] FIG. 2 is a simplified cross-sectional view of the apparatus
of FIG. 1 showing the medical transport board extending fully
through the cleaning apparatus;
[0010] FIG. 3 is a right side exploded perspective view of the
cleaning apparatus of the present invention;
[0011] FIG. 4 is a left side exploded perspective view of the
cleaning apparatus of the present invention;
[0012] FIG. 5 is a transverse cross-sectional view of the brush
area of one form of the invention; and
[0013] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view lengthwise of the apparatus
of FIG. 5.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0014] Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown a front perspective
view of one form of a medical board cleaning apparatus 10 according
to the present invention. The apparatus 10 includes a housing 12
supported on legs 14. The housing 12 has a front access opening 16
from which a portion of a medical transport board 18 is shown
protruding. FIG. 1 also shows a flexible drain 20 extending from a
bottom of the apparatus 10. Located on a top surface of apparatus
10 is a filler cap 22 providing access to a disinfectant storage
tank located inside the apparatus 10. On the front end of the
apparatus are control switches 24 which actuate the unit for
cleaning. The view of apparatus 10 simply shows the basic chassis
or framework of the present invention with the housing 12 forming a
cabinet assembly supported on the legs of 14. It will be
appreciated that the housing 12 could be provided without the
support legs 14 if it were desired to provide other support under
the housing. The housing 12 may be formed of sheet metal or other
suitable material such as plastic or fiberglass with appropriate
inner structural components to support the sheet material.
[0015] Turning now to FIG. 2, there is shown a simplified
functional cross-sectional view of the cleaning apparatus 10 of
FIG. 1. As can be seen, the housing 12 is divided into three
internal sections 26, 28 and 30. Section 26 is a first section
through which the board 18 is introduced into the housing. As the
board is pushed through the apparatus 10, it next passes through
the section 28 containing rotating brushes 32. Thereafter the board
passes into the final section 30 before exiting from an opposite
end of the housing. The sections 26 and 30 are separated from the
section 28 by partitions 34 and 36. The partition 34 defines the
extent of the section 26 while the partition 36 defines the extent
of the section 30. Within the section 26 there is located a first
pair of order delivery lines 38 and a second pair of disinfectant
delivery lines 40. The delivery lines 38 provide a water flow to
wet the surface of board 18 prior to soaking the surface with the
disinfectant spray from the lines 40. It will be seen that the
lines 38 and 40 are arranged to provide for a spray source to
concurrently spray both the upper and lower exposed surfaces of the
board 18.
[0016] As a leading edge of the board 18 begins to exit the section
26, it enters into the section 28 and is passed between the pair of
opposed rotating brushes 32. Preferably the brushes 32 are stiff
nylon brushes and arranged to exert substantial pressure on the
surfaces of the board 18. As will be further explained, the brushes
32 are driven so as to both rotate in a same direction, i.e.,
either both rotating clockwise or both rotating counterclockwise.
The effect of having the brushes 32 rotate in the same direction is
to create a force by one brush attempting to pull the board through
the housing 12 while at the same time providing an opposing and
equal force attempting to push the board backwards out of the
housing 12. The effect of the two brushes thereby cancel each other
and result on a null force on the board so that it can be easily
moved by an operator exerting a small amount of force to push the
board in either one direction or another. Further, the unit can be
operated by a single person since the board can be pushed into the
housing until an end of the board begins to protrude from an
opposite end of the housing and will remain stationery while the
operator walks around the housing to reach the other end where the
board can then be pulled out of the housing.
[0017] After passing through the brushes 32, the board next enters
into the section 30 which contains multiple water lines 42. These
water lines are connected to provide a rinsing spray to the board
to remove the disinfectant and any debris left on the board after
having been brushed. While it is contemplated that the invention
could include a further chamber for blowing air over the board to
effect drying of the board's surface, it has been determined that
such action is not necessary and that air drying of the board is
sufficient for most applications.
[0018] Turning now to FIG. 3, there is shown a front exploded
perspective view of the apparatus of FIG. 1. As can be seen, the
apparatus includes an inner chamber within the housing 12. The
inner chamber is formed by internal sidewalls 44 and 46 which,
together with partitions 34 and 36 form the three sections 26, 28
and 30 through which the board passes in being cleaned. The housing
12 includes an outer sidewall 48 which is shown removed to expose
the control mechanism associated with the cleaning apparatus. The
control mechanism includes an electric motor 50 connected for
driving a pair of pulleys 52 and 54 which are connected to shafts
of the rotatable brushes 32. In the illustrative form, the pulleys
52 and 54 are connected to a second pulley (not shown) attached to
the rotating rotor of the motor 50. As will be appreciated, the
V-belt 55 passes sequentially around the outer surfaces of the
pulleys 52 and 54 thus causing those pulleys to be rotated in a
common direction.
[0019] Disinfectant fluid such as "Sterigent, available from
Spartan Chemical Company", is stored in a tank 56 mounted in the
housing between the partition wall 46 and the outer cover 48. Near
the tank 56 is a pump 58 which is utilized to assure a constant
volume of water flow into the fluid delivery system of the cleaning
apparatus. A cutoff valve 60 is attached to the pump outlet to
prevent back flow of fluid into the system and pressurization from
an external water source when the pump is not operating. The pump
may, for example, be a constant volume pump putting about 50 psi
pressure at each spray nozzle of the system. As is shown in FIG. 3,
the fluid delivery system in each of the sections 26 and 30
includes multiple pipes 38, 40, 42 with each of the pipes having
multiple nozzles 62 spaced along their length.
[0020] Water is connected through appropriate piping (not shown) to
the pump 58 which controls the flow of water into the fluid
delivery system.
[0021] Turning to FIG. 4, which shows an opposite side exploded
perspective view of the cleaning apparatus 10, the plumbing for the
water delivery system can be seen to comprise a first line passing
under the cleaning chamber defined within the housing and exiting
as line 64. The line 64 then branches to feed water to the first
pair of pipes 38 in the front section 26 via line 66 while feeding
water via line 68 to the second pair of lines 40 in section 26.
Tubing 70 coming from the disinfectant storage tank 56 also passes
under the closed chamber 51 and is coupled into the fluid line 68.
The coupling for tubing 70 is at a venturi 72 so that the
disinfectant is drawn into and mixed with the water flowing in the
line 68 before the resultant fluid is sprayed onto the board 18.
Water from line 64 is also directed via line 74 into the spray
lines 42 in section 30 in order to provide rinse water to a board
18. Note that the chamber 51 is defined as a separate contained
chamber within the housing 12 so as to isolate the fluid from the
sides of the chamber where the various connections and electrical
components are connected. As shown in the exploded view of FIG. 3
and FIG. 4, the chamber 51 includes its own cover 76 which is
designed to seal the chamber and prevent the escape of any of the
liquid over the top of the chamber. The housing is completed by top
cover 78 and a left side cover 80.
[0022] Referring to FIG. 5, there is shown a cross-sectional view
taken laterally through the brush section 28. It can be seen that
each of the brushes 32 ride on separate axles 82 and 84 which pass
through and are supported by the side members 44 and 46 defining
the chamber 51. Appropriate seals are provided at the point where
the axles pass through the walls 44 and 46 to prevent leakage of
the fluid from within the chamber 51 into the other elements
located outside the chamber within the housing. As can be seen from
the cross-sectional view, the chamber 51 is essentially an inner
lining which retains and controls the chemicals and water and
directs them to a controlled drain 20 for appropriate disposal. The
partition 34 and 36 serve to separate the chemical treating portion
of the chamber 51 from the rinse water treating portion.
Preferably, the chamber 51 is shaped with slanted floors so the
chemicals and water is directed to the drain located at a bottom
center point of the chamber. Watertight seals are used to assure
that none of the chemical is lost from outside the chamber except
through the drain 20. It is generally desirable to make this
arrangement since the chemicals have to be discarded in accordance
with local health rules and there is always a concern with
contamination of the disposed chemicals or water from cleaning of
body fluids from the medical boards 18.
[0023] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken lengthwise through
the apparatus 10 and shows one form of canting of the internal
sections of the chamber 51 so as to direct the various fluids
toward a center drain 20. FIG. 6 also shows a better view of how
the nozzles 62 are arranged to spray fluid onto a board passing
through the apparatus 10.
[0024] The brushes 32 are positioned in the chamber 51 in such a
position as to completely contact all surfaces of the medical board
being cleaned. While the preferred drive for the brushes 32 is a
belt drive, it is also possible that the drive could be a chain
drive or multiple motors could be utilized with a direct drive to
the rotating brushes. Preferably, the power switch 24 is arranged
and connected to energize both the pump 58 and the motor 50 at the
same time so as to assure that both cleaning components of the
system are operable. Appropriate circuit protection may be
incorporated with the switch, the drive motor and the pump to
inactivate the system in the event of an electrical problem.
[0025] While the invention has been described in what is presently
considered to be a preferred embodiment, various modifications will
become apparent to those skilled in the art. It is intended,
therefore, that the claims not be limited to the specific disclosed
embodiment but be interpreted within the spirit of the
invention.
* * * * *