Doctors Register

Abstract

A doctors register system for hospitals or the like adapted to simultaneously indicate by a signal at a plurality of stations located in different parts of the hospital whether the doctor has checked in or out of the hospital, said system being capable of being actuated from any of the stations each of which has a plurality of units, one for each doctor, with the corresponding units in the stations connected together. Also, means can be provided for altering the character of the signal to provide additional information.

Description

Heretofore, it has been the practice when a doctor arrives at a hospital for him to check in at a central station, preferably adjacent the telephone operator, by inserting a card or the like indicator on a board. When he leaves the hospital, he must return to the central station to check out and remove the card or the like indicator.

This has several disadvantages in that it is inconvenient and does not give the full information required. It is inconvenient because the doctor, no matter by which entrance he enters the hospital, must go to the central station to check in and no matter where he is in the hospital, he must go back to the central station to check out. It also has the disadvantage in that it provides an indication of the doctor's presence only at the central station.

The present invention overcomes these difficulties by providing a system in which there are a plurality of stations, preferably one adjacent each entrance and also a station adjacent the telephone operator, so that the doctor can check in or out of the hospital from any of the stations by actuating the doctors unit at such station which simultaneously actuates all of the corresponding doctors units at all of the other stations in the hospital, thus providing a plurality of places wherein the information as to the presence or absence of the doctor will be readily shown.

This is accomplished by providing a plurality of stations, each with a plurality of units, one for each doctor. A corresponding unit at each of the stations is connected in a series circuit which is provided with means controlled by a normally open switch at any of the stations for simultaneously rendering the signals at all of the stations operative or inoperative to indicate the presence or absence of the doctor. The series circuit is simple and easily controlled, is operable on low voltage DC, contains a minimum number of components, and is easy and convenient to operate.

A feature of the present invention resides in the fact that the doctor may come into the hospital by one entrance and may leave by another, and by actuating the switch on the unit at the station adjacent each entrance or exit, he can control the signal means throughout the hospital.

Another feature of the invention resides in the fact that at one station, preferably the telephone operator station, means may be provided for altering the character of the signal so as to provide different information as may be required; for example, to indicate that the doctor has a call or that the doctor should contact the telephone operator for information.

Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the specification and claims when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a panel at a station.

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic view of the circuit for corresponding signal units for each doctor.

As shown in the drawings, a panel 10 comprises a plurality of signaling units 11, one for each doctor. These signaling units include an electric signal, herein illustrated as a light 12 and a switch means 13 including a normally open switch 14. The panels are positioned at stations disposed about the hospital in convenient locations, for example adjacent each entrance to the hospital and adjacent the telephone operator.

The lights 12 in each of the panels at the stations which designate a doctor are all connected together in a series circuit, one of which is shown in FIG. 2, wherein station 10a is the station adjacent the telephone operator, station 10b is the last station in the series which may be at any location, preferably adjacent an entrance, and stations 10 are the stations at other locations which may be adjacent an entrance.

The series circuit is connected to a source of DC voltage 15 sufficient to operate all of the lights. As illustrated, the series circuit is connected to the DC source to a movable contact 16 of a switch 17 so as to change the character of the signal. The switch has a fixed contact 18 directly connected to the DC source 15 and a fixed contact 19 connected through a flasher 20 to the source of DC voltage 15. By moving the contact 16 into engagement with the contact 18 the lights will be directly connected to the DC source and energized to provide a continuous light and when the switch contact 16 is moved into engagement with the contact 19, the lights will be connected to the DC source through the flasher 20 to change the character of the signal by providing a flashing light. This change in character of the signal could indicate to the doctor that he has a call or is to contact the operator. To maintain the circuit energized during movement of the movable contact 16 to one of the fixed contacts or during the operation of the flasher, the movable contact is connected to the source through a resistor 21 as shown in FIG. 2.

To provide means for controlling the series circuit from any of the stations, a silicon controlled rectifier 25 having an anode 26, a gate 27 and a cathode 28 is connected in the series circuit and to ground through the last light 12b, as shown in FIG. 2. In accordance with the present invention, the silicon controlled rectifier has its gate connected to ground through resistor 30; its cathode 28 is connected to ground through condenser 31 in parallel with the light 12b, its anode is connected through a condenser 32 to its anode. The anode is also connected to the control switch means 13 in each station which includes a normally open switch 14 connected through a condenser 33 and a resistor 34 to ground, as shown in FIG. 2.

In operation the silicon controlled rectifier 25 is normally nonconductive so that the lights in the series circuit are not operated. When a doctor enters a hospital, he presses his unit 11 on the panel nearest the entrance and momentarily closes the normally open switch 14. This causes the condenser 32 to discharge, making the cathode negative with respect to ground and causes the silicon controlled rectifier to become conductive, whereupon the series circuit is completed and simultaneously lights up all of the lights in the circuit to provide a continuous light if the switch 17 has contact 16 in engagement with contact 18. This will indicate in all of the stations located around the hospital that the doctor is in the hospital.

If there is a call for the doctor, the switch contact 16 is moved by the telephone operator to engage contact 19 and all of the signals will be changed to a flashing light advising the doctor of the call.

When the doctor is checking out of the hospital, he presses on the unit 11 adjacent the exit and momentarily closes the normally open switch 14 at the station. This draws off from the anode through the resistor 34 and capacitor 33 enough voltage to make the anode minus with respect to the cathode and thus render the silicon controlled rectifier 25 nonconductive and simultaneously extinguish all of the lights. Resistor 34 will discharge the condenser after each action so that a discharged condenser is inserted into the circuit by the action of switch 14.

If desired, each of the lights can have a resistor 40 in parallel therewith to maintain continuity of the series circuit in the event that one or more burn out. Should a light burn out, the resistance 40 will be effective to reduce the current in the circuit and cause the other lights to be dimmed and indicate a burned out light which should be replaced.

Thus, it will be seen that the present novel, simple system is operable from any of the stations located throughout the hospital to be energized or deenergized for the purpose of indicating the presence of the doctor in the hospital, thus eliminating the necessity of the doctor checking in at the central station, and also quickly advises the doctor of the requirement to call the telephone operator, or such other information as may be indicated by a flashing light.

Variations and modifications may be made within the scope of the claims and portions of the improvements may be used without others.

Claims

I claim:

1. A doctors register comprising a plurality of stations, each having a plurality of signaling units, one for each doctor, said units comprising an electric signal means and including a normally open control switch means, means connecting the signal means of corresponding units at each station in a series circuit connected to a source of DC voltage, a silicon controlled rectifier connected in the series circuit before the last signal means, said silicon controlled rectifier being normally nonconductive and rendering said signal means inoperative, initial operation of any one of the normally open control switch means causing said rectifier to become conductive and said signal means in all stations to become operative and subsequent operation of said normally open control switch means rendering the rectifier nonconductive and said signal means inoperative.

2. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein means is provided at one station for altering the character of the signal means to give a distinctive signal.

3. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said silicon controlled rectifier has an anode, gate and cathode with the anode connected to the cathode through a condenser and also to said normally open switch means with said switch means including a condenser connected to ground, said gate being connected to ground through a resistance, and said cathode connected to ground through a condenser in parallel with the last lamp.