U.S. patent number 3,865,104 [Application Number 05/412,385] was granted by the patent office on 1975-02-11 for connecting device for plastic encased hydrotherapy plinth.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Borg-Warner Corporation. Invention is credited to Anthony C. Mamo, Donald L. Paulson.
United States Patent |
3,865,104 |
Paulson , et al. |
February 11, 1975 |
CONNECTING DEVICE FOR PLASTIC ENCASED HYDROTHERAPY PLINTH
Abstract
A hoist-controlled plinth, which supports a patient partially
immersed in agitated water in a whirlpool tank of a hydrotherapy
treatment system, is covered with a disposable, flexible
water-tight plastic sleeve to isolate the plinth from any contact
with the water, thereby providing a barrier to the transmission of
bacteria in order to prevent the various patients using the plinth
from cross-infecting each other. Each end of the plastic encased
plinth is upwardly connected, by a novel connecting device, to a
pair of rigid suspension struts which in turn connect to the hoist.
Each of the two connecting devices takes the form of a continuous,
symmetrically shaped metallic rod appropriately bent so that it has
a pair of parallel upright portions that embrace the plinth at
support points along the plinth's side rails, and a pair of
coplanar supporting portions that lie beneath and support the side
rails at the support points. The rod also has a centrally-located
hook-shaped portion that hooks over an associated one of the
plinth's end rails to maintain the connecting device affixed to the
plinth. The extreme ends of the rod lie outboard from the side
rails and are eye shaped to accommodate a pair of eyes which link
to the associated pair of suspension struts.
Inventors: |
Paulson; Donald L. (Rolling
Meadows, IL), Mamo; Anthony C. (Arlington Heights, IL) |
Assignee: |
Borg-Warner Corporation
(Chicago, IL)
|
Family
ID: |
23632767 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/412,385 |
Filed: |
November 2, 1973 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
4/564.1; 601/157;
4/560.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61G
7/1003 (20130101); A61G 7/1055 (20130101); A61G
7/1015 (20130101); A61G 7/1069 (20130101); A61G
7/1061 (20130101); A61G 2200/32 (20130101); A61G
7/1042 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A61G
7/10 (20060101); A61h 009/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;128/66,65,370 ;4/185L
;5/83 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Trapp; Lawrence W.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Tracy; James E.
Claims
We claim:
1. In a hydrotherapy treatment system wherein a patient is
supported partially immersed in a water-filled whirlpool tank on an
elongated plinth having a rectangular rigid metallic frame of
tubular construction and formed by pairs of coplanar side rails and
end rails, the plinth being encased in a disposable, flexible
water-tight plastic sleeve to prevent patient cross-contamination,
and wherein a pair of rigid suspension struts upwardly connect each
end of the plastic encased plinth to an overhead hoist, a
connecting device for interconnecting a predetermined end of the
plastic encased plinth to its associated pair of suspension struts,
comprising:
a continuous, uninterrupted, symmetrically shaped metallic rod
which is bent to provide
a pair of parallel upright portions that are perpendicular to the
plane defined by the frame and embrace the plastic encased plinth
at support points along the side rails close to but inward from the
plinth's predetermined end,
a pair of coplanar supporting portions each of which is adjacent
and perpendicular to a respective one of said upright portions and
each of which lies beneath and supports a respective one of the
side rails at its support point,
a centrally-located upwardly extending hook-shaped portion,
equidistant from said supporting portions, which hooks over the end
rail at the plinth's predetermined end to maintain said connecting
device attached to the plastic encased plinth,
and a pair of eye-shaped portions at respective
ends of said metallic rod and lying outboard from the side
rails;
and a pair of coupling elements each of which intercouples a
respective one of said eye-shaped portions to a respective one of
the suspension struts.
2. A connecting device according to claim 1 in which said metallic
rod also includes a pair of coplanar, converging portions lying
beneath the plinth's predetermined end and each of which joins a
respective one of said supporting portions to said hook-shaped
portion.
3. A connecting device according to claim 1 in which said coupling
elements are eyes each of which links a respective one of said
eye-shaped portions to a respective one of the suspension
struts.
4. A connecting device according to claim 1 in which at least part
of said metallic rod is covered with a relatively soft, resilient
material in order to avoid damaging the flexible plastic sleeve
encasing the plinth.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A patient requiring hydrotherapy treatment is usually transferred
to and lowered into a water-filled hydrotherapy tank on a plinth or
litter controlled by an electrically powered overhead hoist. All of
the elements and hardware in contact with the water should be
sterilized beforehand so that the patient treated will not become
infected by bacteria. Hydrotherapy treatments are customarily given
to burn patients and such patients are particularly vulnerable or
susceptible to infections, especially when the burns are severe and
the patient has open wounds.
Due to the nature of its construction, the plinth itself is most
difficult to sterilize and often times a supposedly sterilized
plinth still bears infection-causing bacteria. However, a
convenient arrangement for effectively neutralizing the plinth as a
source of bacteria is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,730,176, issued
May 1, 1973 to Robert C. Miller, and assigned to the present
assignee. In that patent, the plinth is encased in a disposable,
flexible water-tight sleeve or sheath, made of plastic film, in
order to completely isolate the plinth from any contact with a
patient or with the water in the whirlpool tank. The water-tight
barrier established by the plastic sleeve prevents the transmission
of bacteria between the plinth and the patient and between the
plinth and the water and this in turn prevents the various patients
using the plinth from cross-infecting each other.
A conventional plinth comprises a rectangular rigid metallic frame,
usually of tubular construction, across which canvas-like material
is stretched to support a patient. The ends of the plinth are held
by and suspended from the overhead hoist by four rigid suspension
struts or rods anchored to the frame's side rails. The anchor or
support points are not positioned at the four corners of the
rectangular frame, but rather are disposed inward from the two
ends, generally about fourteen inches in from each end. By
suspending the plinth at support points inward from its extreme
corners, the frame's structural strength, weight and cost may be
minimized. Unfortunately, when such a conventional plinth is
covered or encapsulated with a flexible plastic sleeve, there is no
way to attach the suspension struts to the plinth without punching
holes in the sleeve at the support points, and this destroys the
effectiveness of the sleeve as a water-tight barrier with respect
to bacteria transmission.
The present invention overcomes this problem by providing a unique
adapter which permits a plastic covered conventional plinth to be
anchored to its suspension struts at its customary support points,
and this is achieved without puncturing the water-tight sleeve. Two
of the adapters are preferably employed, each one serving as a
connecting device for effectively interfacing and coupling an
associated end of the plinth to a pair of the suspension
struts.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A connecting device, constructed in accordance with the invention,
is incorporated in a hydrotherapy treatment system wherein a
patient is supported partially immersed in a water-filled whirlpool
tank on an elongated plinth having a rectangular rigid metallic
frame of tubular construction and formed by pairs of coplanar side
rails and end rails, the plinth being encased in a disposable,
flexible water-tight plastic sleeve to prevent patient
cross-contamination. In that system, a pair of rigid suspension
struts upwardly connect each end of the plastic encased plinth to
an overhead hoist. The connecting device interconnects a
predetermined end of the plastic encased plinth to its associated
pair of suspension struts and comprises a continuous,
uninterrupted, symmetrically shaped metallic rod which is bent to
provide a pair of parallel upright portions that are perpendicular
to the plane defined by the frame and embrace the plastic encased
plinth at support points along the side rails close to but inward
from the plinth's predetermined end. The metallic rod is also
shaped so that it has a pair of coplanar supporting portions each
of which is adjacent and perpendicular to a respective one of the
upright portions and each of which lies underneath and supports a
respective one of the side rails at its support point. A
centrally-located upwardly extending hook-shaped portion, provided
in the metallic rod, hooks over the end rail at the plinth's
predetermined end to maintain the connecting device attached to the
plastic encased plinth. The metallic rod is also appropriately bent
at its two ends to provide a pair of eye-shaped portions which lie
outboard from the side rails. In addition to the metallic rod, the
connecting device of the invention includes a pair of coupling
elements, such as eyes, each of which intercouples a respective one
of the eye-shaped portions to a respective one of the suspension
struts.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The features of the invention which are believed to be novel are
set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention,
together with further advantages and features thereof, may best be
understood, however, by reference to the following description in
conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like reference
numbers identify like elements, and in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a hydrotherapy treatment system
constructed in accordance with the prior art, and illustrating
inter alia a conventional plinth suspended from and controlled by
an overhead hoist;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the plinth and suspension
arrangement of FIG. 1 but modified to include a pair of connecting
devices constructed in accordance with the invention;
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the plinth itself as covered with a
flexible, water-tight plastic sleeve and to one end of which is
attached a connecting device;
FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of one of the connecting
devices;
FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the plane of section line
5--5 in FIG. 4;
FIG. 6 is a top view, partially broken away and on an expanded
scale, of one end of the plastic encased plinth;
FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along section line 7--7 in FIG. 6;
and,
FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along section line 8--8 in FIG.
6.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
The hydrotherapy treatment system of FIG. 1 includes a relatively
large water-filled whirlpool tank 10 of the Hubbard type, the
required water agitation being effected by a pump 12 that
circulates the water and simultaneously injects air into it. A
patient is supported on an elongated plinth 14 which is hung or
suspended from an electrically powered overhead hoist 16 that rides
on a steel trolley beam 17. Four rigid suspension struts or rods
18a-18d upwardly connect plinth 14 to a rigid spreader bar 19 which
in turn attaches to hoist 16 by means of chain 21 and hook 22.
Plinth 14 has a rectangular rigid metallic frame 25 formed of
tubular shaped metal, usually hardened stainless steel. Because of
its rectangular configuration, frame 25 effectively comprises a
pair of parallel side rails 25a and a pair of parallel end rails
25b, all four rails being coplanar. The lower ends of suspension
struts 18a-18d anchor to side rails 25a close to but inward from
the plinth's two ends. Ordinarily, these connections are made about
fourteen inches from each end and by means of four self-locking
hooks 27a-27d that attach to eyes 28 linked through holes in the
side rails. Control of the electrically powered hoist 16 is
facilitated by a control box 29 having switching devices that may
be manipulated by the operator or attendant.
DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENT
Attention is now directed to FIGS. 3-8 which illustrate the manner
in which the hydrotherapy treatment system of FIG. 1 may be altered
in accordance with the present invention so that plinth 14, when
encased in a flexible plastic sleeve, may be hung from hoist 16 by
the same suspension struts 18a-18d and at the same anchor points
without necessitating any puncturing of the plastic sleeve at those
anchor points.
As is best illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 6-8, patient support is
provided by flexible material 32 (preferably a plastic-coated
reinforced canvas) which is stretched across and attached to
metallic frame 25 by means of plastic rope or lacing string 33. The
disposable, flexible water-tight plastic sleeve or sheath for
preventing bacteria transfer to and from plinth 14 is depicted by
reference numeral 35 and is preferably made of transparent plastic
film such a polyethylene. After sleeve 35 is slipped over plinth 14
(see especially FIG. 3), its ends are knotted in order that the
plinth will be completely sealed from the water in the hydrotherapy
tank. Of course, other expedients may be employed to render the
plastic sleeve water-tight. Moreover, as will be apparent later,
the sleeve ends need not be sealed and may remain open so long as
those ends are elevated well above the water level in the tank. All
that is necessary is for the sleeve to present a barrier so that
there is no way for bacteria to travel from the plinth to the water
or vice versa.
With plastic sleeve 35 encasing plinth 14 and the sleeve ends
knotted, connecting devices constructed in accordance with the
invention may now be installed at the two ends of the plinth. Each
connecting device (designated by the reference numeral 36) takes
the form of that illustrated in detail in FIG. 4. Basically, it
comprises a continuous, uninterrupted, symmetrically shaped
metallic rod 38 which is appropriately bent to have a configuration
that permits the device to interconnect one end of the plastic
encased plinth to its associated pair of suspension struts.
Preferably, rod 38 constitutes quarter inch round stainless steel.
Substantially the entire metallic rod 38 is preferably covered with
a relatively soft, resilient material 39, such as sponge rubber, to
avoid any possible damage to flexible plastic sleeve 35. As an
alternative, rod 38 may be plastic coated.
By bending metallic rod 38 to take the shape shown in FIG. 4, it
will have a pair of parallel upright portions 38a and 38b which,
when the device is installed at one end of plinth 14, will be
perpendicular to the plane defined by frame 25 and will embrace the
plastic encased plinth at support points along side rails 25a close
to but inward from that end, see FIGS. 2 and 6-8. The support or
anchor points will be located at the same positions along the side
rails where the struts would otherwise directly link to the side
rails in the prior art construction of FIG. 1. Immediately adjacent
and perpendicular to each of upright portions 38a and 38b is a
respective one of a pair of coplanar supporting portions 38c and
38d which lie underneath and support respective ones of side rails
25a at the support points. A pair of coplanar, converging portions
38e and 38f of rod 38 also lie beneath the plinth and each joins a
respective one of supporting portions 38c and 38d to a
centrally-located upwardly extending hook-shaped portion 38g which
hooks over the end rail to maintain the connecting device 36
attached to the plastic encased plinth. Of course, flexible plastic
sleeve 35 lies between and separates connecting device 36 and
plinth 14 at all points. Sleeve 35 has not been shown in FIG. 2 and
is broken away in FIG. 6 merely for illustrative purposes. The two
ends of metallic rod 38 are bent to form a pair of eyes 38h and 38j
which will lie outboard from side rails 25a. Linked to eye-shaped
portions 38h and 38j are respective ones of a pair of eyes 41a and
41b each of which in turn couples to a respective one of the
self-locking hooks at the lower ends of the suspension struts.
The coupling arrangements established by the two connecting devices
36 and their associated suspension struts are relatively rigid and
stable and yet there is always a plastic film barrier between each
device and plinth 14. It is to be particularly noted that each of
the devices 36 is held in tension by means of the suspension
struts. In other words, the two suspension struts at each end of
the plinth pull or bias the associated connecting device 36 toward
the middle of the plinth and this constant force aids in holding
the device fixed in position.
In operation, a patient requiring hydrotherapy treatment is placed
on the plastic encased plinth 14 and then, by properly controlling
hoist 16, is moved over the water-filled tank 10 and lowered into
the water to the extent necessary to submerge the patient's body
with the exception of his head which will be supported on a head
rest or pillow, not shown. As mentioned previously, the ends of
sleeve 35 need not be sealed as shown in FIG. 3, but may simply be
raised sufficiently so that they are always elevated well above the
surface of the water. For example, as the patient is being lowered
into the tank, the sleeve ends may be dressed so that they drape
over the sides of the tank. Pump 12 is energized to agitate the
water. Alternatively, pressurized air may be injected directly into
the water. At the conclusion of the hydrotherapy treatment, hoist
16 is operated in order that the patient-bearing plinth is raised
above the water level and then transferred away from the tank to
permit removal of the patient. Plastic sleeve 35 is subsequently
disposed of since it will now be contaminated with bacteria from
the patient just treated. The water, of course, is also drained and
all of the elements in contact with the water, other than the
plastic encased plinth, must be sterilized. This would include
parts of pump 12, the submerged parts of the suspension struts, the
two connecting devices 36, and the internal surfaces of the tank.
One convenient method of blocking bacteria transfer to and from the
tank surfaces, without sterilizing those surfaces, is to line the
entire inside of the tank with a large sheet of flexible plastic
film, as taught in U.S. Pat. No. 3,648,690, issued Mar. 14, 1972 to
Robert C. Miller et al, and assigned to the present assignee. Of
course, a new plastic sleeve 35 and new water will be used for the
next patient so that no bacteria can be transferred from one
patient to the next.
The invention provides, therefore, a unique connecting device that
serves as an adapter to facilitate the coupling to a hoist of a
conventional hydrotherapy plinth which has been covered with a
flexible plastic sleeve, and where the plastic film separates the
plinth from the connecting device.
While a particular embodiment of the invention has been shown and
described, modifications may be made, and it is intended in the
appended claims to cover all such modifications as may fall within
the true spirit and scope of the invention.
* * * * *