Construction for alerting health-care professionals
First Claim
1. An improved construction for operating a health-care professional alert system upon undesirable movement by a patient, the health-care professional alert system being of the kind having a signaling device that can be activated by a patient and capable of producing a signal detectable by health-care professionals, the signaling device having a patient-operable switch unit connected by a message transmitting cable to a wall-mounted receptacle and constructed such that removal of the patient-operable switch unit activates the signal, the construction comprising, in combination:
- an insert mateable with the wall-mounted receptacle, the insert having an insertion end and an exposed end, the insert further comprising a plurality of stacked concentric cylinders, each cylinder being of progressively lesser diameter toward the insertion end, the insert being attached to the cord at the largest diameter cylinder, with the insertion of each cylinder to each adjoining cylinder defining an annular shelf mateable with portions of the interior of the receptacle, and the insert further being compatible with a plurality of receptacles that were each originally sized to receive different diameter inserts;
a segment of cord attached at one end of the exposed end of the insert; and
means for attaching the remaining end of the cord segment to a patient comprising a spring operated clip attached to the cord segment opposite the insert;
whereby undesirable movement of the patient'"'"'s body pulls on the cord and results in the detachment of the insert from the receptacle, so that the signaling device activates the signal and alerts a health-care professional that undesirable movement is occuring.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An improved health-care professional alert system is disclosed. The system is compatible with existing health-care professional call systems having a patient operable call unit; a cord connecting the unit to a receptacle; a detector determining when the patient call unit is disconnected from the receptacle; and an activator that operates an alarm signal upon detection of a patient-unit disconnect. The invention comprises an insert mateable with the existing receptacle, the insert being connected by a cord to a patient'"'"'s body or gown. In the preferred embodiment, the cord is connected to a patient'"'"'s body by a spring operated clip.
114 Citations
2 Claims
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1. An improved construction for operating a health-care professional alert system upon undesirable movement by a patient, the health-care professional alert system being of the kind having a signaling device that can be activated by a patient and capable of producing a signal detectable by health-care professionals, the signaling device having a patient-operable switch unit connected by a message transmitting cable to a wall-mounted receptacle and constructed such that removal of the patient-operable switch unit activates the signal, the construction comprising, in combination:
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an insert mateable with the wall-mounted receptacle, the insert having an insertion end and an exposed end, the insert further comprising a plurality of stacked concentric cylinders, each cylinder being of progressively lesser diameter toward the insertion end, the insert being attached to the cord at the largest diameter cylinder, with the insertion of each cylinder to each adjoining cylinder defining an annular shelf mateable with portions of the interior of the receptacle, and the insert further being compatible with a plurality of receptacles that were each originally sized to receive different diameter inserts; a segment of cord attached at one end of the exposed end of the insert; and means for attaching the remaining end of the cord segment to a patient comprising a spring operated clip attached to the cord segment opposite the insert; whereby undesirable movement of the patient'"'"'s body pulls on the cord and results in the detachment of the insert from the receptacle, so that the signaling device activates the signal and alerts a health-care professional that undesirable movement is occuring. - View Dependent Claims (2)
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Specification
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- Resources
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Current AssigneeSaint Margaret Hospital
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Original AssigneeSaint Margaret Hospital
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InventorsAndersen, Frieda
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Primary Examiner(s)Rowland, James L.
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Assistant Examiner(s)TUMM, BRIAN
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Application NumberUS06/518,531Time in Patent Office963 DaysField of Search340/573, 340/575, 340/571, 339/182, 339/183, 24/572, 24/623US Class Current340/573.4CPC Class CodesG08B 21/22 responsive to presence or a...
