Mounting bracket for medical device

• US 20070252057A1
• Filed: 05/01/2006
• Published: 11/01/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nxstage Medical Incorporated (Fresenius Medical Care AG)
• Original Assignee: Nxstage Medical Incorporated (Fresenius Medical Care AG)
• Inventors: Schnell, William, Utterberg, David
• Application Number:
  US11/416,371
• Publication Number:
  US 20070252057A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 248/218.400
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/16 with membranes
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2209/082 Mounting brackets, arm supports for equipment

Abstract

A mounting bracket is provided for holding a medical device adjacent a medical apparatus. The mounting bracket includes spring arms that allow the bracket to be spring loaded and inserted between a medical apparatus and a pole. The bracket includes fingers for flexibly receiving a medical device thereon, so that the device may be securely mounted adjacent the medical apparatus. The bracket includes a base having the first spring arm and second spring arm extending therefrom.

Claims

1. A bracket comprising:

a first pole clamping arm having a concave-shaped hand member;

a second device clamping arm having a pair of resilient clamping fingers; and

the pole clamping arm and the device clamping arm formed as one integral piece.

2. The bracket of claim 1 wherein the first pole clamping arm and device clamping arm are joined to form a pair of spring arms.

3. The bracket of claim 2 wherein the bracket is mounted between a pole abutting the pole clamping arm and a medical apparatus abutting the device clamping arm and the pair of spring arms exert an outward force against the pole when mounted.

4. The bracket of claim 3 which is molded as one piece of a glass filled nylon compound.

5. The bracket of claim 3 wherein the device clamping arm includes a guide member protruding therefrom for engaging a side of the medical apparatus and helping to position the bracket in a compressed condition when mounted between the pole and the medical apparatus.

6. The bracket of claim 1 wherein the second device clamping arm includes a first finger having a resting surface, and a second finger having a substantially L-shaped clamping surface and the first finger being bendable away from the second finger so that a device may be inserted between the fingers and maintained between a clamping surface and a resting surface.

7. The bracket of claim 6 wherein the device is a cylindrically shaped, extracorporeal blood treatment device that is securely held by the device clamping arm.

8. The bracket of claim 6 wherein the first finger and second finger each include an arm portion that join each finger to a base, and each arm portion extends in a direction substantially perpendicular to the base and each arm portion extends substantially longitudinally to the other.

9. The bracket of claim 8 wherein the first pole clamping arm extends from the base.

10. The bracket of claim 8 wherein the hand member is a generally C-shaped member that includes a circumference of between approximately 90 to 180°

.

11. The bracket of claim 10 wherein a strut is attached to the second device clamping arm, the strut extending at least partially parallel to a bisecting line that extends across an opening of the hand between a proximal point and a distal point on the C-shaped member, so that applying pressure on the strut will direct an angular clamping force on the C-shaped member in order to easily clamp the bracket to a pole.

12. The bracket of claim 8 wherein the hand member is generally V-shaped.

13. The bracket of claim 8 wherein the pole clamping arm is clamped to a pole carried by a medical apparatus, the pole extending parallel to the side of the medical apparatus, and guide member on said bracket having an L-shape to engage said medical apparatus.

14. The bracket of claim 1 further comprising a guide member protruding from the device clamping arm at approximately a 90°

angle, the guide member for abutting a side of a medical apparatus to which the bracket is mounted.

15. A spring arm bracket comprising:

a first arm having a first abutment surface;

a second arm flexibly connected to the first arm at a base, the second arm having a second abutment surface;

the bracket having a rest condition where the first arm is extended fully from the second arm; and

the bracket having a mounted condition where the first arm is compressed toward the second arm so that a force of about 20-30 pounds is generated at the first and second abutment surface, when mounted.

16. The bracket of claim 15 wherein the first and second arms are molded as one piece.

17. The bracket of claim 15 wherein the first abutment surface comprises a C-shaped hand member for clamping onto a pole, and the second abutment surface is a generally L-shaped guide member for engaging a side of a medical apparatus when the bracket is in the mounted condition.

18. The bracket of claim 15 wherein the second arm includes first and second fingers for engaging a medical device that is mounted onto the bracket between the fingers so that the medical device is mounted adjacent a medical apparatus and a pole, between which the bracket is compressed.

19. The bracket of claim 15 further comprising a third arm portion for providing a second finger that is adjacent a first finger of said second arm that clamps to a medical device disposed between the first and second finger.

21. The method of claim 19 further comprising the steps of:

attaching tubes between the medical device and a dialysis machine.

20. A method of mounting a medical device to a medical apparatus comprising the steps of:

providing a spring arm bracket having a first and second arm forming spring arms and the second arm having clamping fingers;

inserting the bracket between a pole and the medical apparatus in order to compress the spring arms;

generating an outward force by the spring arms due to the compression between the pole and the medical apparatus;

maintaining the bracket in a vertical position; and

inserting a medical device between the clamping fingers so that the medical device is maintained in a position adjacent the medical apparatus.