U.S. patent application number 10/575404 was filed with the patent office on 2007-03-29 for patient care equipment support system.
This patent application is currently assigned to Hill-Rom Services, Inc.. Invention is credited to Mark Alan Graham, David C. Newkirk, Christian H. Reinke.
Application Number | 20070069093 10/575404 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 39929899 |
Filed Date | 2007-03-29 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070069093 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Graham; Mark Alan ; et
al. |
March 29, 2007 |
Patient care equipment support system
Abstract
An apparatus includes a rail configured to be coupled to a
support structure such as hospital bed, a carriage coupled to the
rail for movement along the rail and a lock coupled to the carriage
for selectively locking the carriage at one of a plurality of
locations along the rail. The carriage is configured to support a
patient care equipment rack such as an IV pole. The rail has a
plurality of locking portions spaced therealong. The lock is
movable between a locking position where a portion of the lock
engages a selected one of the locking portions to block the
carriage from moving along the rail and an unlocking position where
the portion of the lock disengages from the selected one of the
locking portions to allow the carriage to move along the rail.
Inventors: |
Graham; Mark Alan;
(Springboro, OH) ; Newkirk; David C.;
(Lawrenceburg, IN) ; Reinke; Christian H.; (York,
SC) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BARNES & THORNBURG LLP
11 SOUTH MERIDIAN
INDIANAPOLIS
IN
46204
US
|
Assignee: |
Hill-Rom Services, Inc.
|
Family ID: |
39929899 |
Appl. No.: |
10/575404 |
Filed: |
October 12, 2004 |
PCT Filed: |
October 12, 2004 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/US04/33470 |
371 Date: |
April 10, 2006 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60510756 |
Oct 13, 2003 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
248/231.71 ;
248/298.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61G 12/002 20130101;
A61G 7/0503 20130101; F16M 11/08 20130101; A61G 2203/723 20130101;
A61M 5/1415 20130101; F16M 13/02 20130101; A61G 2203/80 20130101;
A61M 5/1417 20130101; A61G 13/107 20130101; A61G 12/005 20130101;
F16M 11/2085 20130101; F16M 2200/028 20130101; A47B 81/061
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
248/231.71 ;
248/298.1 |
International
Class: |
A47B 96/06 20060101
A47B096/06; E04G 5/06 20060101 E04G005/06; A47F 5/00 20060101
A47F005/00; A47H 1/10 20060101 A47H001/10 |
Claims
1. An apparatus for use with a patient care equipment rack, the
apparatus comprising: a rail configured to be coupled to a support
structure, the rail having a plurality of locking portions spaced
therealong, a carriage coupled to the rail for movement along the
rail, the carriage configured to support the patient care equipment
rack, and a lock coupled to the carriage and movable between a
locking position where a portion of the lock engages a selected one
of the locking portions to block the carriage from moving along the
rail and an unlocking position where the portion of the lock
disengages from the selected one of the locking portions to allow
the carriage to move along the rail.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the support structure
comprises one of a hospital bed, a stretcher, a surgery table, an
ambulatory care chair, a stand, a service column, a cart, a wall in
a hospital room and a headwall.
3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the patient care equipment
rack comprises one of an IV pole and a rack adapted to carry
infusion equipment.
4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the locking portions in the
rail comprise lock-receiving spaces, and the lock comprises a pin
configured for reception in a selected one of lock-receiving spaces
in the rail.
5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the pin is biased toward the
locking position by a spring.
6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the pin comprises a pull
knob.
7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the carriage comprises an
upwardly opening socket, and the patient care equipment rack
comprises a downwardly extending post configured for reception in
the socket.
8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the socket has a tapered inner
surface that varies in width from wide to narrow in a downward
direction, and the post has a complementary outer surface.
9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the carriage comprises a
roller rollably engaging the rail.
10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the rail comprises a raised
track portion for guiding the carriage along the rail.
11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the raised track portion has
an inverted v-shaped cross section.
12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the carriage comprises a
roller having a circumferential groove configured to rollably
engage the raised track portion.
13. A patient support for use with a patient care equipment rack,
the patient support comprising: a frame having four corners, a rail
coupled to the frame, the rail extending between two of the four
corners, the rail having a plurality of locking portions spaced
therealong, a carriage coupled to the rail for movement along the
rail between the two corners of the frame, the carriage configured
to support the patient care equipment rack, and a lock coupled to
the carriage and movable between a locking position where a portion
of the lock engages a selected one of the locking portions to block
the carriage from moving along the rail and an unlocking position
where the portion of the lock disengages from the selected one of
the locking portions to allow the carriage to move along the
rail.
14. The patient support of claim 13, wherein the frame has a first
end, a second end, a first side, a second side, and the rail
extends substantially along one of the first end, the second end,
the first side or the second side between the two corners.
15. The patient support of claim 13, wherein the carriage comprises
an upwardly opening socket, and the patient care equipment rack
comprises a downwardly extending post configured for reception in
the socket.
16. The patient support of claim 15, wherein the socket has a
tapered inner surface that varies in width from wide to narrow in a
downward direction, and the post has a complementary outer
surface.
17. A patient support for use with a patient care equipment rack
having a downwardly extending post, the patient support comprising:
a lower frame, an upper frame supported above the lower frame and
movable relative to the lower frame between a raised position and a
lowered position, the upper frame having a first end, a second end,
a first side, a second side and four corners, a rail coupled to the
upper frame, the rail extending substantially along one of the
first end, the second end, the first side and the second side of
the upper frame between two of the four corners, and a carriage
coupled to the rail for movement along the rail, the carriage
having an upwardly opening socket for receiving the downwardly
extending post of the patient care equipment rack so that the
patient care equipment rack is transferred from a support structure
carrying the patient care equipment rack to the patient support as
the upper frame is raised or the support structure lowered while
the downwardly extending post is generally aligned with the
upwardly opening socket.
18. The patient support of claim 17, wherein the patient care
equipment rack is transferred from the patient support to a support
structure as the upper frame is lowered or the support structure is
raised.
19. The patient support of claim 18, wherein the carriage is
lockable at a selected one of a plurality of locations along the
rail.
20. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the socket has a tapered
inner surface that varies in width from wide to narrow in a
downward direction, and the post has a complementary outer
surface.
21. The patient support of claim 17, comprising a deck supported
above the upper frame, wherein the upper frame includes a frame
member configured to extend horizontally beyond the periphery of
deck between the two corners of the upper frame and the rail is
coupled to the frame member.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) to
U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/510,756, entitled "PATIENT
EQUIPMENT SUPPORT SYSTEM," filed Oct. 13, 2003, which is expressly
incorporated by reference herein.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present disclosure relates to a system for supporting
patient care equipment adjacent to a patient support such as a
hospital bed, and more particularly relates to a system for
supporting patient care equipment that facilitates transfer of
patient care equipment between a patient support and a support
structure such as a stand, a service column, a cart, a wall of a
hospital room or a headwall.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Hospitalized patients often require patient care equipment
to be in close proximity during hospital care. Such patient care
equipment is typically supported on a patient care equipment rack.
Illustratively, the patient care equipment includes heart
monitoring equipment, medical gas delivery equipment, infusion
management systems, intravenous bags, equipment monitors,
defibrillators, and the like, many of which directly connect to the
patient via lines or tubes.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] The present invention comprises one or more of the following
features or elements in the appended claims or combinations
thereof.
[0005] An apparatus is provided for use with a patient care
equipment rack. Illustratively, the apparatus includes a rail
configured to be coupled to a support structure such as hospital
bed, a carriage coupled to the rail for movement along the rail and
a lock coupled to the carriage for locking the carriage at a
selected one of a plurality of locations along the rail. The
carriage is configured to support a patient care equipment rack,
such as an IV pole.
[0006] The rail may have a plurality of locking portions spaced
therealong. The lock may be movable between a locking position
where a portion of the lock engages a selected one of the locking
portions to block the carriage from moving along the rail and an
unlocking position where the portion of the lock disengages from
the selected one of the locking portions to allow the carriage to
move along the rail.
[0007] The support structure may be one of a hospital bed, surgery
table, an ambulatory care chair, a stand, a service column, a cart,
a wall of a hospital room and a headwall. The patient care
equipment rack may be configured to carry any desired patient care
equipment including, but not limited to, any one or more of the
following: heart monitoring equipment, medical gas delivery
equipment, infusion management systems, equipment monitors,
defibrillators, and the like.
[0008] Illustratively, the locking portions in the rail comprise
lock-receiving spaces, and the lock comprises a pin configured for
reception in a selected one of lock-receiving spaces in the rail to
lock the carriage at the selected position. The pin may be biased
toward the locking position by a spring.
[0009] The carriage may comprise an upwardly opening socket, and
the patient care equipment rack may comprise a downwardly extending
post configured for reception in the socket. Illustratively, the
socket has a tapered inner surface that varies in width from wide
to narrow in a downward direction, and the post has a complementary
outer surface to facilitate engagement between the patient care
equipment rack and the carriage.
[0010] Illustratively, the frame has a first end, a second end, a
first side, a second side, and four corners. The rail
illustratively extends substantially along one of the first end,
the second end, the first side and the second side between two
corners of the frame. The carriage may be lockable at a selected
one of a plurality of positions along the rail between the two
corners.
[0011] Thus, a patient support such as a hospital bed is provided
for use with a patient care equipment rack having a downwardly
extending post. Illustratively, the patient support comprises a
lower frame, an upper frame supported above the lower frame and
movable relative to the lower frame between a raised position and a
lowered position, a rail coupled to the upper frame, and a carriage
coupled to the rail for movement along the rail. The carriage
illustratively has an upwardly opening socket for receiving the
downwardly extending post of the patient care equipment rack so
that the patient care equipment rack is transferred from a support
structure, such as a stand, carrying the patient care equipment
support rack to the patient support as the upper frame is raised or
the support structure is lowered while the downwardly extending
post is generally aligned with the upwardly opening socket.
Likewise, the patient care equipment rack may be transferred from
the patient support to a support structure when the upper frame is
lowered or the support structure is raised.
[0012] Features of the present disclosure will become apparent to
those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following
detailed description of illustrative embodiments exemplifying the
best mode of carrying out the present disclosure as presently
perceived.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] The detailed description particularly refers to the
accompanying figures, in which:
[0014] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a hospital bed showing a
patient care equipment support system having a guide rail at the
head end of the hospital bed, a carriage coupled to the rail for
movement therealong, an IV pole supported by the carriage and a
lock for locking the carriage at a selected one of a plurality of
locations along the rail,
[0015] FIG. 2 is cross sectional view showing the rail, the IV pole
having a downwardly extending post, the carriage having an upwardly
opening socket for receiving the post, a pair of rollers riding on
the top side of the rail and a pair of rollers riding on the under
side of the rail, and further showing the lock having an end
portion received in a lock-receiving space in the rail,
[0016] FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a patient care
equipment support system similar to the system of FIG. 1 on a
patient examining table,
[0017] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a patient care
equipment support system similar to the system of FIG. 1 on a
patient chair,
[0018] FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a patient care
equipment support system similar to the system of FIG. 1 on a wall
in a hospital room,
[0019] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a patient care equipment
rack which may be coupled to the carriage of any one of the systems
shown in FIGS. 1-5 in lieu of the IV pole, and
[0020] FIG. 7 is a diagrammatic view showing the rail coupled to a
side of the hospital bed instead of an end thereof.
DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS
[0021] For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the
principles of the present invention, reference will be made to a
number of illustrative embodiments shown in the accompanying
drawings and the following description thereof.
[0022] FIG. 1 shows a patient care equipment support system 100 for
use with a patient support, such as a hospital bed 20. The patient
care equipment support system 100 supports a patient care equipment
rack, such as an IV pole 102, in close proximity to a patient 22.
In FIG. 1, the patient support is illustratively a hospital bed 20
positioned in a patient room of a hospital or healthcare facility.
However, it should be understood that the patient support may very
well be a stretcher, a surgery table, an ambulatory care chair, and
the like. Also, it should be understood that the patient support
may be used in different settings such as, for example, intensive
care rooms, operating rooms and physician offices.
[0023] In FIG. 1, the illustrative patient care equipment rack is
an IV pole 102 for supporting an IV container 104. However, it
should be understood that the patient care equipment rack may very
well be any support, such as a rack 106 shown in FIG. 6, for
supporting any desired type of patient care equipment including any
one or more of the following: heart monitoring equipment, medical
gas delivery equipment, infusion management systems, equipment
monitors, patient monitors, defibrillators, and the like, many of
which are directly connected to a patient via lines or tubes. The
rack 106 has a downwardly extending post 108. The term "rack" is
used in the specification and claims to mean a frame, a support, a
stand and the like for supporting patient care equipment. U.S.
patent application (7175-74605), Ser. No. 10/802,289, titled
"PATIENT CARE EQUIPMENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM," filed Mar. 17, 2004
(now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. ______), discloses
such patient care equipment rack and is incorporated by reference
herein.
[0024] The hospital bed 20 illustratively includes a lower frame 24
supported on casters 26, an upper frame 28 supported above the
lower frame 24 for movement relative to the lower frame 24 between
a raised position and a lowered position, a deck 30 supported above
the upper frame 24, and a mattress 32 supported by the deck 30. An
elevation adjustment mechanism 34 connects the upper frame 28 to
the lower frame 24. The mechanism 34 may be driven by a suitable
actuator to cause the upper frame 28 to move relative to the lower
frame 24. As shown in FIG. 7, the upper frame 28 has a head end 40,
a foot end 42, a first side 44, a second side 46, a longitudinal
axis 48 and four corners 50, 52, 54, 56. Illustratively, as shown
in FIGS. 1 and 2, the upper frame 28 includes a head-end frame
member 36, which is configured to extend horizontally along the
head end 40 of the upper frame 28 between two corners 50, 52.
Illustratively, the head-end frame member 36 extends beyond the
outer periphery of deck 30, and supports push handles 60 and
rolling bumpers 62. It will be appreciated that such hospital beds
are well known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,317,769 to Weismiller
discloses such a hospital bed and is incorporated herein by
reference.
[0025] The patient care equipment support system 100 includes a
guide rail 110 coupled to the frame member 36, a carriage 112
coupled to the rail 110 for movement along the rail 110, and a lock
114 for selectively locking the carriage 112 at a selected one of a
plurality of locations along the rail 110. The IV pole 102 has a
downwardly extending post 116 for reception in an upwardly opening
tapered socket 118 in the carriage 112. The rail 110 has a
plurality of locking portions, such as lock-receiving spaces 120,
spaced therealong. The lock-receiving spaces 120 can be formed at
suitable locations along the rail 110, and are illustratively
spaced at equal increments along the rail 110.
[0026] As shown in FIG. 2, the lock 114 comprises a pin 122
configured for reception in a selected one of lock-receiving spaces
120 in the rail 110. The pin 122 is movable between a locking
position shown in solid in FIG. 2 where an end portion 124 of the
pin 122 engages a selected one of the lock-receiving spaces 120 to
block the carriage 112 from moving along the rail 110 and an
unlocking position shown in phantom in FIG. 2 where the end portion
124 of the pin 122 disengages from the selected one of the
lock-receiving spaces 120 to allow the carriage 112 to move along
the rail 110. A compression spring 126 biases the pin 122 toward
the locking position. The pin 122 includes a pull knob 128 at one
end thereof. The pull-knob 128 can be pulled to pull the end
portion 124 of the pin 122 away from the lock-receiving spaces 120
in the rail 110 to free the carriage 112 to move along the rail
110.
[0027] Illustratively, the rail 110 has a generally rectangular
tubular cross section. The lock-receiving spaces 120 are
illustratively apertures that extend through a side wall of the
rail 110 spaced from the frame member 36. In alternative
embodiments, the rail 110 may be solid and the lock-receiving
spaces 120 may be apertures that extend partially through the rail
11. Although the illustrative embodiment utilizes a pull-knob and a
detent-type lock, variations of the position-locking systems, such
as a latch, a pawl, an infinitely adjustable clamp, and the like,
are within the scope of the present disclosure.
[0028] In FIG. 1, the illustrative patient care equipment support
system 100 is used with a hospital bed 20. However, it should be
understood that the patient care equipment support system 100 may
very well be used with any support structure, such as a stretcher,
a surgery table, a stand, a service column, a cart, a wall in a
hospital room, a headwall, and the like. For example, in FIG. 3,
the illustrative patient care equipment support system 100 is used
with a patient examining table 130. In FIG. 4, the illustrative
patient care equipment support system 100 is used with a patient
chair 132. In FIG. 5, the illustrative patient care equipment
support system 100 is mounted to a wall 134 in a hospital room.
[0029] Illustratively, the downwardly extending post 116 has a
frustoconical tapered end portion 140 for facilitating engagement
with a complementary upwardly facing frustoconical opening 142 in
the socket 118 even when the alignment between the two is slightly
off as the IV pole 102 is lowered to engage the carriage 112 or the
carriage 112 is raised to engage the IV pole 102. The tapered end
portion 140 varies in diameter from wide to narrow in a downward
direction. It should be understood, however, that other approaches
by which the carriage 112 engages and supports the IV pole 102 are
within the scope of this disclosure. For example, the carriage 112
could have an upwardly extending post (not shown), while the IV
pole 102 could have a downwardly opening socket (not shown).
Alternatively, the carriage 112 could have a suitable first coupler
and the IV pole 102 could have a complementary second coupler.
[0030] In FIG. 1, the rail 110 extends horizontally along the head
end 40 of the upper frame 28 between two corners 50, 52.
Illustratively, the rail 110 has a central portion 150 disposed
between two connecting portions 152. The head-end frame member 36
includes forwardly extending flanges 154 to which the connecting
portions 152 of the rail 110 are attached such that the rail 110
extends generally horizontally along the head end 40 in a direction
generally perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis 48.
Alternatively, the rail 110 may extend along any one of following
portions of the upper frame 28: the foot end 42, the first side 44
and the second side 46. Illustratively, FIG. 7 diagrammatically
shows the rail 110 extending along the second side 46 of the upper
frame 28.
[0031] Referring to FIG. 2, the carriage 112 includes a housing
160, a socket-receiving sleeve 162, a sleeve mounting plate 164, a
roller mounting plate 166, rollers 168 and a mounting block 170.
Illustratively, there are four rollers 168. Two rollers 168 engage
the top side 172 of the rail 110, and two rollers 168 engage the
under side 174 of the rail 110. Pins 176 rotatably secure the
rollers 168 to the roller mounting plate 166. The roller mounting
plate 166 is secured to the mounting block 170 by suitable
fasteners (not shown). Each roller 168 has a circumferential
v-shaped guide groove 178 along the outer periphery thereof. The
rail 110 has a pair of complementary inverted v-shaped laterally
extending raised track portions 180 on the opposite sides thereof
for rollably engaging the guide grooves 178 of the rollers 168.
[0032] Illustratively, the housing 160 is made from a suitable
plastic material. The sleeve 162, the sleeve mounting plate 164,
the roller mounting plate 166, the mounting block 170 and the posts
108 and 116 are illustratively made from steel. The socket 118 is
illustratively made from a different material than steel, such as
brass or aluminum bronze, to allow the post 108 of the equipment
rack 106 and the post 116 of the IV pole 102 to rotate in the
socket 118 without galling the mating surfaces. Illustratively, the
rail 110 is made from steel, and the rollers 168 are made from a
suitable material, such as stainless steel. Illustratively, the
housing 160 comprises a left half 182 and a right half 184. The
housing halves 182, 184 are secured to the sleeve mounting plate
164 by screws. Two-piece construction of the housing 160
facilitates installation of the carriage 112 on the rail 110.
[0033] In the illustrated embodiment, the rail 110 has inverted
v-shaped raised track portions 180, and the rollers 168 have
complementary circumferential v-shaped grooves 178. Alternatively,
the rail 110 may have v-shaped grooves and the rollers 168 may have
complementary circumferential v-shaped raised portions. In some
embodiments, the grooves and the complementary raised portions in
the rail 110 and the rollers 168 may have a rectangular or rounded
cross sections. In some embodiments, sliding elements may be
substituted for the rollers 168. In alternative embodiments, the
rollers 168 may be dispensed with, and the carriage 112 may be
directly mounted on the rail 110.
[0034] The lock 114 includes a housing 186 and a washer 188. The
housing 186 has a head portion, a threaded portion, a large
diameter bore and a small diameter bore. The large and small
diameter bores in the housing 186 define an annular shoulder
portion. The locking pin 122 has a large diameter portion and a
small diameter portion. The large and small diameter portions of
the locking pin 122 define an annular shoulder portion. The large
and small diameter portions of the locking pin 122 are received in
the respective large and small diameter bores in the housing 186
for longitudinal movement therein. The small diameter portion of
the locking pin 122 extends through the interior region of the
compression spring 126. The spring 126 is situated in a state of
compression in the large diameter bore in the housing 186 between
the two annular shoulder portions defined by the large and small
diameter bores in the housing 186 and the large and small diameter
portions of the locking pin 122. The spring 126 biases the locking
pin 122 inwardly toward the locking position. An end portion of the
small diameter portion 196 of the locking pin 122 is secured to the
pull knob 128. The roller mounting plate 166 and the mounting block
170 have a pair of longitudinally extending threaded openings for
threadably receiving the threaded portion of the housing 186.
[0035] Thus, a hospital bed 20 is provided for use with a patient
care equipment rack 106 having a downwardly extending post 108. The
hospital bed 20 includes a lower frame 24, a plurality of casters
26 to support the lower frame 24 and an upper frame 28 supported
above the lower frame 24 and movable relative to the lower frame 24
between a raised position and a lowered position. A rail 110 is
coupled to the upper frame 28 to extend substantially along the
head end 40 of the upper frame 28. A carriage 112 is coupled to the
rail 110 for movement along the rail 112. The carriage 112 is
lockable at a selected one of a plurality of locations along the
rail 110. The carriage 112 has an upwardly opening socket 118 for
receiving the downwardly extending post 116 of the patient care
equipment rack 106 so that the patient care equipment rack 106 is
transferred from a support structure, such as a mobile stand, a
service cart, an ambulatory chair, and the like, to the patient
support 20 when the downwardly extending post 108 is generally
aligned with the upwardly opening socket 118 and the upper frame 28
is raised or the support structure carrying the patient care
equipment rack 106 is lowered. Likewise, the patient care equipment
rack 106 is transferred from the hospital bed 20 to a support
structure when the upper frame 28 is lowered or the support
structure is raised. Reference is made to the above-mentioned U.S.
patent application (7175-74605), Ser. No. 10/802,289, titled
"PATIENT CARE EQUIPMENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM," filed Mar. 17, 2004
(now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. ______), for
additional examples of how the patient care equipment rack is
transferred between a hospital bed and a stand.
[0036] Although the invention has been described in detail with
reference to certain illustrative embodiments, variations and
modifications exist with the scope and spirit of this disclosure as
described and defined in the following claims.
* * * * *