Open medical system

• US 20050167139A1
• Filed: 02/04/2005
• Published: 08/04/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nexxspan Healthcare, LLC
• Original Assignee: Lifespan Healthcare LLC
• Inventors: Schindele, Gary M., Kasten, John P., Bally, Alexander, Kato, Tomio
• Granted Patent: US 7,227,081 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 174/53
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 12/002 Supply appliances, e.g. columns for gas, fluid, electricity supply vertical ducts or channels for receiving utility lines E04F17/08; installations of electric cables or lines, wall trunking H02G3/0431; structural combinations of lighting devices with other articles F21V33/0068; stands or trestles as supports for apparatus or articles F16M11/00; buildings for public purposes E04H3/08
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 12/004 mounted on the ceiling
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 12/005 mounted on the wall
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 12/007 mounted on the floor, e.g. tracks
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 13/107 Supply appliances supply appliances for dental machines A61C1/0007
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 17/08 for receiving utility lines, e.g. cables, pipes covers giving access to the ducts or channels, covers of inspection holes E04F19/08
• CPC Class Codes: H02G 3/0493 Service poles

Abstract

An open medical system for deploying, supporting and organizing medical equipment and medical utilities comprising a utility connection, and a main assembly having a primary structure having an upper plate and lower plate held in fixed spaced apart relation by a plurality of spacers, the main assembly also having at least one core, with each core having at least one utility outlet, the system having an open space bounded by the upper and lower plates and the inner surfaces of the outlets, which open space is free of utility outlets. Equipment rails are connected between the spacers to support medical equipment. A rotating base assembly may be used to support the system, and to restrict rotation.

Claims

1. An open medical system for deploying, supporting and organizing medical equipment and medical utilities, comprising:

a main assembly having an upper plate and a lower plate held in fixed spaced apart relation by a plurality of spacers, and at least one core, with each core having at least one outlet, and;

a utility connection for connecting utilities to the main assembly.

2. The open medical system of claim 1 in which there are two opposing cores, each outlet has an inner surface of the outlet, and the upper plate, lower plate and inner surfaces of the outlets bound an open space in which no outlets or wires are located.

3. The open medical system of claim 1 in which there are two opposing cores, a transom attached to the main assembly near the upper plate and having a transom surface, each outlet having an inner surface of the outlet, and the transom surface, lower plate and inner surface of the outlets bound an open space in which no outlets or wires are located.

4. The open medical system of claim 1 in which there are two opposing cores, the cores each have an inner face, and the outlets are arranged vertically and face an open space in the system defined by the upper plate, the lower plate and the inner faces of the two opposing cores.

5. The open medical system of claim 4 in which the system has a frontal plane, and outlet surfaces are angled between 20 and 70 degrees in relation to the frontal plane.

6. The open medical system of claim 1 in which the system is supported by a base assembly attached to the lower plate, which base assembly allows the system to rotate.

7. The open medical system of claim 6 in which the rotation of the main assembly is restricted to between 0 and 180 degrees in each direction from the orientation upon installation.

8. The open medical system of claim 2, having at least one movable contoured equipment rail, in which the contoured equipment rail has two ends, a straight rear segment and two angled segments, one on each end, such that the end of the contoured rail may be attached to a spacer, and the angled segments follow the general shape of the core closest to the angled segment on each end of the rail.

9. The open medical system of claim 8 in which the system has a side-to-side axis, and in which the contoured rail is attached at each end to, and extends between, two spacers aligned so that a line drawn between the two spacers would be approximately parallel to the side-to-side axis of the system.

20. The open medical system of claim 2 in which the lower plate has two long edges and at least one of the long edges is contoured to provide an indentation which allows medical equipment supported on the system to extend below the lower plate.

21. The open medical system of claim 2 in which the open space is at least 19.44 cm (36 inches) in size between the upper and lower plate, and 30.48 cm (12 inches) in size between the inner surfaces of the outlets.

22. The open medical system of claim 2 in which the open space extends upward to a height approximately of the reach of a female of the 5^th percentile, and downward from the height at least 91.44 cm (36 inches).

10. An open medical system for deploying, supporting and organizing medical equipment and medical utilities, comprising:

a main assembly having a primary structure with an upper member, a lower member and a plurality of vertical members connecting the upper member and lower member in fixed spaced apart relation, an open space within the primary structure, and at least one core, with each core having at least one channel and one outlet, and;

a utility connection for connecting utilities to the main assembly;

11. The open medical system of claim 10 in which there are two opposing cores, each outlet has an inner surface of the outlet, and the upper member, lower member and inner surfaces of the outlets bound an open space in which no outlets or wires are located.

12. The open medical system of claim 10 in which there are two opposing cores, a transom attached to the main assembly near the upper member, and having a transom surface, each outlet having an inner surface of the outlet, and the transom surface, lower member and inner surface of the outlets bound an open space in which no outlets or wires are located.

13. The open medical system of claim 10 in which there are two opposing cores, the cores each have an inner face, and the outlets are arranged vertically and face an open space in the system defined by the upper member, the lower member and the inner surfaces of the two opposing cores.

14. The open medical system of claim 13 in which the system has a frontal plane, and outlet surfaces are angled between 20 and 70 degrees in relation to the frontal plane.

15. The open medical system of claim 10 in which the system is supported by a base assembly attached to the lower plate, which base assembly allows the system to rotate, and in which the rotation of the main assembly is restricted to between 0 and 180 degrees in each direction form the orientation upon installation.

16. The open medical system of claim 10, having at least one movable contoured equipment rail, in which the contoured equipment rail has two ends, a straight rear segment and two angled segments, one on each end, such that the end of the contoured rail may be attached to a vertical member, and the angled segments follow the general shape of the core closest to the angled segment on each end of the rail.

17. The open medical system of claim 16 in which the system has a side-to-side axis, and in which the contoured rail is attached at each end to, and extends between, two spacers aligned so that a line drawn between the two spacers would be approximately parallel to the side-to-side axis of the system.

18. An open medical system for deploying, supporting and organizing medical equipment and medical utilities comprising:

a main assembly having an upper plate and a lower plate held in fixed spaced apart relation by a plurality of spacers, and at least two opposing cores located between the upper member and lower member, with both cores having at least one outlet;

a utility connecting for connection utilities to the main assembly; and

a wall-mounting bracket for supporting the main assembly by attachment to a wall of a medical facility.

19. The open medical system of claim 18 in which the wall-mounting bracket is separable from the main assembly and has a plurality of lateral extensions on which the main assembly may be removably mounted.