Cooling System for an Occupant of an Occupant Support and a Cooling Garment

• US 20120172959A1
• Filed: 01/05/2011
• Published: 07/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hill-Rom Services Incorporated (Baxter International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hill-Rom Services Incorporated (Baxter International Inc.)
• Inventors: Lachenbruch, Charles A., Kerr, Andrew, O'Keefe, Christopher R., Receveur, Timothy J., Williamson, Rachel
• Granted Patent: US 10,010,446 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/111
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 13/0053 Cooled garments
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 19/0037 for fastening an article to the glove
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 19/01541 Cooled gloves
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2007/0002 Head or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2007/0036 Hand
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2007/0064 of gas
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 7/0085 Devices for generating hot or cold treatment fluids

Abstract

A cooling system 70 for an occupant 62 of an occupant support is a targeted cooling system comprising a coolant conduit 100 having an inlet 102 for receiving coolant from a source of coolant and an outlet 104 for discharging the coolant to a destination 120. The conduit is nonpermanently and manually shape adjustable, shape stable subsequent to adjustment, and removably securable to one or both of the occupant support and the occupant. In one embodiment the destination is an ambient environment selected to achieve targeted coolant delivery to a localized region of the occupant'"'"'s body. A cooling glove 190 to be worn by a user has at least one coolant intake 210 and at least one of

a) a coolant passage 240 extending from the coolant intake to an exhaust opening 260; and

b) a cooperative relationship with the user which defines a fluid pathway 220 bounded in part by the glove and in part by the user.

The exhaust opening 260 exhausts coolant from the passage 240 to an ambient environment, to the fluid pathway, or to both. Coolant received by the fluid pathway discharges to an ambient environment.

Claims

1. A targeted cooling system for an occupant of an occupant support comprising:

a coolant conduit having an inlet for receiving coolant from a source thereof and an outlet for discharging the coolant to a destination, at least a portion of the conduit being nonpermanently and manually shape adjustable, shape stable subsequent to adjustment, and removably securable to one or both of the occupant support and the occupant.

2. The cooling system of claim 1, wherein the destination is an ambient environment.

3. The cooling system of claim 2 wherein the destination is selected to achieve targeted coolant delivery to a localized region of the occupant'"'"'s body.

4. The cooling system of claim 3 wherein the localized region is selected from the group consisting of

a) the palms of the occupant'"'"'s hand, and

b) a trigeminal region of the occupant.

5. The cooling system of claim 1 including a garment having an internal coolant passage, at least one intake for supplying coolant to the passage, at least one exhaust opening for exhausting coolant from the passage, and wherein the destination is the intake to the garment.

6. The cooling system of claim 5 wherein the garment is a glove having a palm side and a back side, the coolant passage extending along the palm side.

7. The cooling system of claim 5 wherein the garment is a glove and the at least one exhaust opening exhausts coolant to an ambient environment.

8. The cooling system of claim 5 wherein the garment is a glove and the at least one exhaust opening exhausts coolant from the passage to a fluid pathway bounded in part by the occupant and in part by the garment.

9. The cooling system of claim 5 wherein the conduit is removably attachable to the garment at the intake thereof.

10. The cooling system of claim 1 including a garment wearable by the occupant to define a fluid flowpath bounded in part by the occupant and in part by the garment and wherein the destination is an upstream end of the flowpath.

11. The cooling system of claim 1 including a securement feature associated principally with the conduit for rendering the conduit removably securable to the occupant support or the occupant.

12. The cooling system of claim 1 including a securement feature associated principally with the occupant support for rendering the conduit removably securable to the occupant support.

13. The cooling system of claim 1 comprising a local blower for providing coolant to the coolant conduit.

14. The cooling system of claim 13 wherein the local blower is shared between the coolant conduit and at least one other component of the occupant support.

15. The cooling system of claim 13 wherein the local blower is dedicated to the cooling system.

16. The cooling system of claim 13 wherein the blower includes multiple blower discharge ports, each connectable to a coolant delivery conduit, at least some of the blower discharge ports including means for regulating fluid flow therethrough.

17. The cooling system of claim 1 wherein the cooling conduit includes a trunk and at least one branch.

18. The cooling system of claim 1, the coolant conduit including at least one nonadjustable flow restrictor for limiting mass flow rate of fluid through the conduit.

19. The cooling system of claim 1, the coolant conduit including means for adjustably regulating coolant flow parameters through the conduit.

20. The cooling system of claim 1 including means for adjusting a spray pattern of the discharged coolant.

21. The cooling system of claim 1 including a conditioner upstream of the conduit inlet for conditioning the coolant.

22. A glove to be worn by a user thereof, the glove having at least one coolant intake and at least one of

a) a coolant passage extending from the coolant intake to at least one exhaust opening;

and

b) a cooperative relationship with the user which defines a fluid pathway bounded in part by the glove and in part by the user;

wherein;

i) the at least one exhaust opening exhausts coolant from the passage to either or both of an ambient environment and the fluid pathway; and

ii) the fluid pathway receives coolant ingested by the intake and discharges the received coolant to an ambient environment.

23. The glove of claim 22 wherein the glove has a palm side and a back side, and the coolant passage is present and extends along the palm side.

24. The glove of claim 22 wherein the glove includes fingers having a metacarpal end and a distal end, the fingers being foreshortened so that the user'"'"'s fingers extend beyond the distal end.

25. The glove of claim 22 including a coolant intake attached to the glove.

26. The glove of claim 25 including a fluid distributor downstream of the intake.

27. A targeted cooling system for an occupant of an occupant support having a frame, comprising:

a coolant conduit having a first conduit portion for receiving coolant from a source thereof, the first conduit portion being non-removably affixed to the frame, the conduit also including a second conduit portion having an outlet for discharging the coolant to a destination, the second conduit portion being nonpermanently and manually shape adjustable and shape stable subsequent to adjustment, the first conduit portion not being shape stable subsequent to adjustment.

28. The cooling system of claim 27 including a discharge nozzle which is at least one of flow rate adjustable and directionally adjustable.

29. A bed comprising a frame and a perimeter board selected from the group consisting of a headboard, a footboard and a siderail, the bed also including a blower housed in one of the perimeter boards and a nozzle mounted to one of the perimeter boards for receiving coolant from the blower, the nozzle being at least one of flow rate adjustable and directionally adjustable.