Infusion alarm system

• US 5,112,319 A
• Filed: 05/14/1991
• Issued: 05/12/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Eric Lai
• Original Assignee: Eric Lai
• Inventors: Lai, Eric
• Primary Examiner(s): Yasko, John D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gutowski, Anthony
• Application Number:
  US07/699,717
• Time in Patent Office: 364 Days
• Field of Search: 604/65, 604/122, 604/245, 604/246, 604/260, 128/DIG. 13, 340/613, 340/618, 116/109, 200/85 R, 177/45, 177/48, 177/115, 177/116, 177/232, 177/225, 177/233
• US Class Current: 604/246
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/16845 by weight
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/13 Infusion monitoring

Abstract

An infusion alarm system comprised of a housing, an upper cover attached to the housing at the top, a control circuit set in said upper cover, a battery box set inside the housing and an inner shell set between the housing and the battery box, a tension spring set in the inner shell having a hook coupled thereto at the bottom for suspending a drip infusion bottle, an adjusting key set set in the housing to adjust the tension of the tension spring. When the weight of the drip infusion bottle is reduced to a predetermined range due to reducing of infusion solution during drip infusion operation, the control circuit is triggered to produce audio and visual alarm signals through an audio and a visual alarm device respectively.

Claims

1. An infusion alarm system, comprising:

a housing in cylindrical shape having two legs bilaterally externally disposed at a lower end, a plurality of retaining slots spaced from one another at equal intervals and disposed at an upper end around the inner wall thereof, a toothed, rectangular window at the front face thereof, a guide groove vertically disposed at the back side thereof;

an upper cover secured to said housing at the top by a screw means, having a hanger portion at the top for suspending from a drip infusion stand, a plurality of hooked strips around the periphery thereof and respectively hooked in said retaining slots of said housing, three LEDs on the front face thereof including a green, a yellow and a red;

a battery box set inside said housing, having a center hole vertically disposed at the center with a tension spring set therein, a plurality of battery chambers vertically disposed around said center hole for holding dry batteries, a pin retaining hole transversely disposed at the top of said center hole with a pin fastened therein to suspend said tension spring, a conductive battery cover at the top covering over said battery chamber and said center hole, a control circuit fastened inside said conductive battery cover, and two guide grooves externally vertically disposed at two opposite sides;

an inner shell movably set between said housing and said battery box, made in a cup-like shape, having a projecting strip transversely projecting outwards at the top and incorporated with a copper strip and connected to said circuit board by a conductor, two elongated projecting plates vertically disposed at two opposite locations on the inner wall surface thereof and respectively engaged in the two guide grooves of said battery box, a projecting guide block externally disposed at a location opposite to said projecting strip and engaged in the guide groove of said housing, and a hook suspended from said tension spring at the bottom for holding a drip infusion bottle;

an adjusting key set comprised of an inner key and an outer key and movably engaged in said toothed, rectangular window of said housing, said inner key having a plurality of teeth at two opposite sides sloping in one direction and engaged with the teeth of said toothed, rectangular window, a finger-press portion at the top, an invertedly disposed triangular bottom end, a hollow space at the inside with a strip spring set therein, said strip spring being to extend outwards forcing the teeth of said inner key to engage with the teeth of said toothed, rectangular window, said outer key being made of an elongated, transparent board having graduation made on the outer wall surface thereof, a top opening at the top for inserting said inner key, two side openings at two opposite sides through which the teeth of said inner key are exposed to engage with the teeth of said toothed, rectangular window, two tapered stop blocks bilaterally disposed at the bottom inside said top opening to limit the down stroke of said inner key in said outer key, and a projecting rod at the back coupled with a conductive strip connected to said circuit board through a conductor;

wherein suspending said drip infusion bottle from said hook causes said tension spring to expand;

reducing of infusion solution in said drip infusion bottle during drip infusion process causes said tension spring to pull up said inner shell permitting said copper strip of said inner shell to connect with said conductive strip of said adjusting key set so as to drive said control circuit to produce audio and visual alarm signals.

2. The infusion alarm system of claim 1, wherein said control circuit in said battery box is connected with a buzzer to give an audio alarm signal when said copper strip is connected with said conductive strip.

3. The infusion alarm system of claim 1, wherein said control circuit in said battery box has an earphone jack for sending an audio alarm signal through an external earphone, which may be directly connected to the nurses'"'"' station for on-line operation.