Medical device mounting structure

• US 5,829,723 A
• Filed: 06/28/1995
• Issued: 11/03/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Medex Incorporated (Smiths Group International Holdings Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Medex Incorporated (Smiths Group International Holdings Ltd.)
• Inventors: Patzer, Charles R., Brunner, Glenn D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ramirez, Ramon O.
• Assistant Examiner(s): BAXTER, GWENDOLYN WRENN
• Application Number:
  US08/495,923
• Time in Patent Office: 1,224 Days
• Field of Search: 248/221.11, 248/222.13, 248/229.12, 248/229.15, 248/229.25, 248/229.22, 248/230.6, 248/231.41, 248/219.4, 5/658, 5/503.1
• US Class Current: 248/222.13
• 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 7/0503 Holders, support devices for receptacles, e.g. for drainage or urine bags hanging-up devices for infusion A61M5/1414
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/1413 Modular systems comprising interconnecting elements
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/1415 Stands, brackets or the like for supporting infusion accessories
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 11/041 Allowing quick release of the apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 13/022 repositionable

Abstract

A mounting structure (10) for facilitating the mounting of a medical device (20) to a support member (22). The medical device (20) includes a plate (28) having a downward facing device coupler (33). A connector (26) has a clamp (27) which is used to attach the connector (26) to the support member (22). The connector (26) further has an upward facing support coupler (34). The medical device (20) is initially hung from the connector (26) by engaging the device coupler (33) with the support coupler (34). In that partially coupled position, the medical device is stably supported on the support member but may be lifted therefrom. In addition, a latch (46) may be used to clamp the couplers (33, 34) together, thereby fully coupling the medical device (20) to the connector (26). With the latch (46) engaged, the medical device (20) is firmly engaged onto the connector (26).

Claims

1. A medical device mounting structure comprising:

a first component having a front side being adapted to support a medical device element;

a device coupler on a rear side of the first component, the device coupler having a first locating surface and a downward facing cavity with a downward projecting lip;

a second component adapted to be connected to a supporting member;

a support coupler on the second component, the support coupler having a second locating surface and an upward facing cavity with a fixed and rigid upward projecting lip, the upward facing cavity and the upward projecting lip being fixed with respect to the second component; and

the cavities and the lips being shaped and positioned such that, upon the device coupler being placed on the support coupler in a rest position, the first and second locating surfaces abut each other in a contacting relationship, the downward projecting lip extends into the upward facing cavity and has an area of contact therewith, the downward facing cavity receives the upward projecting lip and has an area of contact therewith, and the device coupler and the support coupler are cooperatively engaged to hang the first component in the rest position on the supporting member, and to permit the first component to be lifted from the supporting member.

2. The medical device mounting structure of claim 1 wherein the first component includes a reusable portion of a pressure transducer.

3. The medical device mounting structure of claim 1 wherein the supporting member comprises a connector for attaching the first component at a fixed location, and the second component is located on a surface of the connector.

4. The medical device mounting structure of claim 3 wherein the connector is a pole clamp attachable to a pole.

5. The medical device mounting structure of claim 4 further comprising:

a groove extending across a surface of the device coupler; and

the latch having a flange extending therefrom and sized and shaped to fit into the groove, whereby upon mounting the device coupler on the support coupler and moving the latch to the first position moves the flange into the groove, thereby creating the blocking relationship, and moving the latch to the second position moves the flange out of the groove, thereby creating the nonblocking relationship.

6. The medical device mounting structure of claim 5 wherein the latch is on the support coupler and the groove extends continuously across surfaces of the device and the support coupler;

and upon mounting the device coupler on the support coupler and moving the latch to the first position, the flange moves from a portion of the groove located in the support coupler into a portion of the groove located in the device coupler, thereby creating the blocking relationship, and upon moving the latch to the second position the flange moves out of the portion the groove located in the device coupler and into the portion of the groove located in the support coupler, thereby creating the nonblocking relationship.

8. The medical device mounting structure of claim 6 wherein a cross-section of the groove in the device coupler and a cross-section of the flange on the latch have mating angular shapes.

9. The medical device mounting structure of claim 8 wherein cross-sections of the upward facing cavity and the downward projecting lip, cross-sections of the downward facing cavity and the upward projecting lip and cross-sections of the groove in the device coupler and the flange on the latch collectively have a mating dovetail shape.

10. The medical device mounting structure of claim 1 wherein the supporting member further comprises a bracket, and the second component is located on one surface of the bracket.

11. The medical device mounting structure of claim 10 wherein the bracket has a second device coupler located on another surface of the bracket, the second device coupler being identical to the device coupler on the rear side of the first component.

12. The medical device mounting structure of claim 11 further comprising a connector attachable at a fixed location and having a second support coupler on a surface thereof, the second support coupler being identical with the support coupler on the bracket, the second device coupler being engageable with the second support coupler to place the bracket on the connector at the fixed location, and the device coupler on the first component being engageable with the support coupler on the bracket to place the first component on the bracket at the fixed location.

13. The medical device mounting structure of claim 1 wherein the area of contact between the upward facing cavity and the downward projecting lip is between a bearing surface extending generally in the upward direction from the downward projecting lip and a forward surface extending generally in the upward direction from the upward facing cavity.

14. The medical device mounting structure of claim 1 wherein the are a of contact between the downward facing cavity and the upward projecting lip is between a bearing surface extending generally in the downward direction from the downward facing cavity and a forward surface extending generally in the downward direction from the upward projecting lip.

15. The medical device mounting structure of claim 1 wherein the first locating surface extends from the downward facing cavity out to the downward projecting lip, and the second locating surface extends from the upward facing cavity out to the upward projecting lip.

16. The medical device mounting structure of claim 1 wherein the device and the support coupler has a latch for holding the coupler in the rest position.

17. The medical device mounting structure of claim 16 wherein the latch is movable between a first position preventing the device coupler from being removed from the support coupler, and a second position permitting the device coupler to be removed from the support coupler.

18. The medical device mounting structure of claim 12 wherein the latch is pivotally mounted on the support coupler, the latch having a blocking relationship with respect to the device coupler in response to the latch being in the first position, and the latch having a nonblocking relationship with respect to the device coupler in response to the latch being in the second position.

19. The medical device mounting structure of claim 1 wherein the upward facing cavity in the support coupler has a length to permit the upward facing cavity to receive a plurality of downward projecting lips on a plurality of device couplers, upon the plurality of device couplers being mounted in a rest position on the support coupler.

20. The medical device supporting structure of claim 19 wherein the support coupler further includes a plurality of latches, each being association with one of the plurality of device couplers.

21. The medical device mounting structure of claim 1 wherein the support coupler has a plurality of upward facing cavities extending over its length, each of the plurality of upward facing cavities being sized and shaped to generally receive the downward projecting lip on a device coupler.

22. The medical device mounting structure of claim 1 wherein cross-sections of the upward facing cavity and the downward projecting lip and cross-sections of the downward facing cavity and the upward projecting lip have generally mating angular shapes.

7. The medical device mounting structure of claim wherein 6 the flange has a cam surface that contacts and pushes on a surface in the portion of the groove in the device coupler upon the latch being moved to the first position, thereby more firmly locking the device and support couplers together.

23. An attachment for supporting a medical device comprising:

an attachment device adapted to be connected to a member; and

a support coupler having

a body member connected to the attachment device,

a locating surface adapted to contact a locating surface on a mating device coupler supporting a medical device, and

a generally upward facing cavity with a fixed and rigid upward projecting lip, the upward facing cavity and the lip being fixed with respect to the body member, the upward facing cavity being adapted to receive a downward projecting lip on the device coupler and the upward projecting lip being adapted to extend into a downward facing cavity on the device coupler to hang the medical device in a rest position on the support coupler and, to permit the medical device to be lifted from the support coupler.

24. A medical device component comprising:

a rigid plate having first and second sides;

a medical device element associated with the first side of the plate; and

a device coupler associated with the second side of the plate and having

a locating surface adapted to contact another locating surface of a support coupler attached to a supporting member for supporting the plate at a desired location, the support coupler having an upward facing cavity and upward projecting lip fixed thereto, and

a downward facing cavity with a fixed and rigid downward projecting lip, the downward facing cavity adapted to receive the upward projecting lip of the support coupler, the downward projecting lip adapted to extend into the upward facing cavity of the support coupler to hang the plate at a rest position on the supporting member, and to permit the plate to lifted from the supporting member.

25. A medical device support bracket comprising:

a plate having opposed first and second sides;

a support coupler having a body member located on the first side of the plate and having

a locating surface adapted to mate with a surface on a mating device coupler, and

an upward facing cavity with an upward projecting lip, the upward facing cavity adapted to receive a mating downward projecting lip of the mating device coupler and the upward projecting lip adapted to extend into a mating downward facing cavity of the mating device coupler, the upward facing cavity and the upward projecting lip being fixed with respect to the body member; and

a device coupler located on the second side of the plate and having

a first locating surface adapted to mate with a surface on a mating support coupler, and

a downward facing cavity with a fixed and rigid downward projecting lip, the downward facing cavity adapted to receive a mating upward facing lip of the mating support coupler and downward projecting lip adapted to extend into a mating upward facing cavity of the mating support coupler.

26. A mounting structure to facilitate attaching a medical device to a member comprising:

a device coupler adapted to support the medical device, the device coupler having a downward projecting lip;

a support coupler adapted to be mounted to the member, the support coupler having an upward facing cavity for receiving the downward projecting lip of the device coupler;

a latch operably connected to the support coupler, the latch being movable to a first position in a confronting relationship with the upward facing cavity, thereby blocking the device coupler from being moved away from the support coupler and releasably securing the medical device to the member, and the latch being movable to a second position out of the confronting relationship with the upward facing cavity, thereby permitting the device coupler with the medical device to be moved away from the support coupler on the member.

27. A medical device mounting structure comprising:

a component having a front side being adapted to support a medical device element;

a device coupler on a rear side of the component, the device coupler having a first locating surface and a downward facing cavity with a downward projecting lip;

a rigid support coupler adapted to be attached to a supporting member, the support coupler having a second locating surface and an upward facing cavity with a fixed and rigid upward projecting lip, the upward facing cavity and the upward projecting lip being fixed with respect to the support coupler; and

the cavities and the lips being shaped and positioned such that, upon the device coupler being placed on the support coupler in a rest position, the first and second locating surfaces abut each other in a contacting relationship, the downward projecting lip extends into the upward facing cavity and has an area of contact therewith, the downward facing cavity receives the upward projecting lip and has an area of contact therewith, and the device coupler and the support coupler are cooperatively engaged to hang the component in the rest position on the supporting member, and to permit the component to be lifted from the supporting member.

28. A medical device mounting structure comprising:

a component having a front side being adapted to support a medical device element;

a device coupler on a rear side of the component, the device coupler having a first locating surface and a downward facing cavity having a first surface oblique with respect to a side of the component and extending to a downward projecting lip;

a support coupler adapted to be attached to a supporting member, the support coupler having a second locating surface and an upward facing cavity having a second surface oblique with respect to a side of the support coupler and extending to a fixed and rigid upward projecting lip, the upward facing cavity and the upward projecting lip being fixed with respect to the support coupler; and

the cavities and the lips being shaped and positioned such that, upon the device coupler being placed on the support coupler in a rest position, the first and second locating surfaces abut each other in a contacting relationship, the downward projecting lip extends into the upward facing cavity and has an area of contact therewith, the downward facing cavity receives the upward projecting lip and has an area of contact therewith, the first and second surfaces are in juxtaposition and the device coupler and the support coupler are cooperatively engaged to form a hanging support for the device coupler to hang the component in the rest position on the supporting member, and to permit the component to be lifted from the supporting member.

29. A medical device for coupling a medical device element on a supporting member mounting structure comprising:

a component having a front side being adapted to support the medical device element;

a device coupler on a rear side of the component, the device coupler having a first locating surface and a downward facing cavity with a downward projecting lip;

a bracket having a support coupler located on one surface of the bracket, the bracket adapted to be attached to the supporting member, the support coupler having a second locating surface and an upward facing cavity with a fixed and rigid upward projecting lip; and

the cavities and the lips being shaped and positioned such that, upon the device coupler being placed on the support coupler in a rest position, the first and second locating surfaces abut each other in a contacting relationship, the downward projecting lip extends into the upward facing cavity and has an area of contact therewith, the downward facing cavity receives the upward projecting lip and has an area of contact therewith, and the device coupler, and the support coupler are cooperatively engaged to form a hanging support for the device coupler to hang the component in the rest position on the supporting member, and to permit the component to be lifted from the supporting member.

30. A mounting structure comprising:

an attachment device adapted to be connected to a member;

a support coupler on one side of the attachment plate having

a fixed, rigid, upward projecting lip,

a surface extending obliquely toward the one side of the attachment device to form a generally upward facing cavity between the upward projecting lip and the one side of the attachment device, and

two generally vertical surfaces being generally perpendicular with the one side of the attachment device to provide two locating surfaces with respect to the generally upward facing cavity,

the upward facing cavity being shaped and adapted to receive a downward projecting lip of a device coupler moving downward into the upward facing fixed cavity and the upward projecting lip being shaped and adapted to receive a downward projecting cavity of the device coupler moving downward over the upward projecting lip, thereby hanging the device coupler at a rest position on the support coupler but permitting the device coupler to be lifted from the support coupler.

31. A mounting structure comprising:

a plate having first and second sides;

a medical device element associated with the first side of the plate; and

a device coupler on the second side of the plate and having

a rigid downward projecting lip, and

a first surface adapted to contact a locating surface of a support coupler attached to a supporting member for supporting the plate at a desired location, and

a second surface extending obliquely toward the second side of the plate to form a generally downward facing cavity between the downward projecting lip and the second side of the plate,

the device coupler being shaped, so that, as the downward facing cavity of the device coupler moves downward onto an upward projecting fixed lip of the support coupler, the downward projecting lip of the device coupler moves downward into an upward facing fixed cavity of the support coupler, and the first surface on the device coupler bears against the locating surface on the support coupler, thereby hanging the plate at a rest position on the supporting member but permitting the plate to be lifted from the supporting member.

32. A mounting structure comprising:

an attachment device adapted to be connected to a member and having a support coupler on one side of the attachment device, the support coupler having an upward projecting lip and a first surface extending obliquely toward one side of the attachment device to form a generally upward facing cavity between the upward projecting lip and the one side of the attachment device; and

a plate having first and second sides with a medical device element associated with the first side and a device coupler on the second side, the device coupler having a downward projecting lip and a second surface extending obliquely toward a second side of the plate to form a generally downward facing cavity between the downward projecting lip and the second side of the plate,

the downward projecting lip of the device coupler being engageable with the upward facing cavity of the support coupler and the upward projecting lip of the support coupler being simultaneously engageable with the downward facing cavity of the device coupler such that the first surface of the support coupler guides the downward projecting lip of the device coupler downward and toward the one side of the attachment device to bring and maintain at least two pairs of surfaces on the couplers in a bearing relationship with respect to each other.

33. A mounting structure comprising:

an attachment device adapted to be connected to a member and having a support coupler on one side of the attachment device, the support coupler including an upward projecting lip having a first nonrectangular cross-section and forming a generally upward facing cavity having a second nonrectangular cross-section; and

a plate having first and second sides with a medical device element associated with the first side and a device coupler on the second side, the device coupler including a downward projecting lip having a nonrectangular cross-section generally complementary to the second nonrectangular cross-section of the upward facing cavity, the downward projecting lip forming a generally downward facing cavity with the second side of the plate, and the downward facing cavity having a nonrectangular cross-section generally complementary with the first nonrectangular cross-section of the upward projecting lip,

the downward projecting lip of the device coupler being engageable with the upward facing cavity of the support coupler and the upward projecting lip of the support coupler being simultaneously engageable with the downward facing cavity of the device coupler to, in response to gravity, force the device coupler linearly vertically downward and linearly horizontally toward the support coupler to hang the device coupler on the support coupler with a locating surface on the support coupler bearing against a respective mating locating surface on the device coupler.