Arm scrubbing system

• US 6,351,866 B1
• Filed: 08/31/2001
• Issued: 03/05/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Reiner George Bragulla
• Original Assignee: Reiner George Bragulla
• Inventors: Bragulla, Reiner George
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Randall E.
• Application Number:
  US09/945,080
• Time in Patent Office: 186 Days
• Field of Search: 15/211, 15/884, 134/95.2, 134/180, 134/181
• US Class Current: 15/21.1
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 13/001 Cylindrical or annular brush bodies
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 2200/1006 Brushes for cleaning the hand or the human body
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/80 Implements for cleaning or washing the skin of surgeons or patients

Abstract

An arm scrubbing system comprises a housing. The housing has upper, lower, distal, proximal and side walls. The walls define a chamber. Two circular rear apertures are formed in the distal wall and two circular proximal apertures are formed in the proximal wall. A pair of plastic transparent tubes are provided. Each tube has a distal end and a proximal end. A plurality of tufts secured to the interior face of each tube define openings. Further provided is a plurality of apertures through the tubes between the tufts for the passage of cleansing/disinfectant fluid a from the chamber into the tubes for cleaning the arms of a user. Provided last is a drive assembly. The drive assembly includes a motor with drive pulleys. The drive assembly further includes driven pulleys extending distally from each tube. A drive belt couples the drive pulleys and the driven pulleys.

Claims

1. An arm scrubbing system for automatically cleaning the arms, hands and fingernails of a surgeon prior to contact with a patient comprising, in combination:

a housing fabricated of a transparent plastic material with a planar upper wall and a parallel planar lower wall and a planar distal wall and a parallel planar proximal wall and with semi-cylindrical side walls there between, the housing having a chamber between the walls and a horizontal parting line separating the housing into an upper half and a similarly configured lower half, a hinge coupling the upper and lower halves along the horizontal parting line of one side wall to allow access to the chamber, two laterally spaced circular rear apertures formed in the distal wall and two laterally spaced circular front apertures formed in the proximal wall, each aperture having an upper semi-circle in the upper half and a lower semi-circle in the lower half;

a circular opening formed in the upper wall for adding cleansing/disinfectant fluid into the chamber with a stopper positionable there within and a second circular opening formed in the lower wall for removing cleansing/disinfectant fluid from the chamber with a stopper positionable there within;

a pair of similarly configured plastic transparent tubes in a cylindrical configuration, each tube having a distal end rotatably received in a distal aperture and a proximal end rotatably received in a proximal aperture for concurrent oscillary movement of the tubes within the chamber;

a plurality of tufts of bristles with radially exterior ends secured to the interior face of each tube and with radially interior ends defining openings for the receipt of the arms of a surgeon;

a plurality of apertures through the tubes between the tufts for the passage of cleansing/disinfectant fluid from the chamber into the tubes for cleaning the arms of a surgeon;

a drive assembly including a motor operable in an oscillatory manner secured to the distal wall with drive pulleys extending distally therefrom and with a driven pulley extending distally from each tube and with a drive belt coupling the drive pulleys and the driven pulleys;

an elastomeric washer-like member in a generally frusto-concial configuration fixedly secured to the proximal wall coaxial with the tubes for the passage of a surgeon arms there through;

a vertically disposed finger washing plate axially slidable within each tube adjacent to the distal wall, each plate having four radially extending fingers with enlarged exterior ends and with keyways formed with respect to each cylinder for receiving the exterior ends of the fingers and with coil springs within the keyways urging the exterior ends and plate proximally, the plate having proximally extending bristles for washing the fingers and fingernails of a surgeon;

four downwardly extending legs depending from the four corners of the lower wall, each leg having an upper segment and a tubular lower segment with spaced holes and slidably received over an associated upper segment and with a spring biased button extending from the upper leg through a preselected hole in the lower leg and with a stabilizing plate coupling the lower legs adjacent to their lower ends; and

a horizontal adjustment rod secured to the distal wall with distally extending projections and a pair of hollow guide rails with vertical slots receiving the projections for varying the height of the housing.

2. An arm scrubbing system comprising:

a housing with an upper wall and a lower wall and a distal wall and a proximal wall and with side walls there between to define a chamber there within, two laterally spaced circular rear apertures formed in the distal wall and two laterally spaced circular proximal apertures formed in the proximal wall;

a pair of similarly configured plastic transparent tubes, each tube having a distal end rotatably received in a distal aperture and a proximal end rotatably received in a proximal aperture;

a plurality of tufts secured to the interior face of each tube defining openings;

a plurality of apertures through the tubes between the tufts for the passage of cleansing/disinfectant fluid from the chamber into the tubes for cleaning the arms of a user; and

a drive assembly including a motor with drive pulleys and with driven pulleys extending distally from each tube and with a drive belt coupling the drive pulleys and the driven pulleys.

3. The system as set forth in claim 2 and further including a vertically disposed finger washing plate axially slidable within each tube adjacent to the distal wall, each plate having radially extending fingers with enlarged exterior ends and with keyways formed with respect to each cylinder for receiving the exterior ends of the fingers and with springs within the keyways urging the exterior ends and plate proximally, the plate having proximally extending bristles for washing the fingers and fingernails of a user.

4. The system as set forth in claim 2 and further including four downwardly extending legs depending from the four corners of the lower wall, each leg having an upper segment and a tubular lower segment with spaced holes and slidably received over an associated upper segment and with a spring biased button extending from the upper leg through a preselected hole in the lower leg and with a stabilizing plate coupling the lower legs adjacent to their lower ends for varying the height of the housing.

5. The system as set forth in claim 2 and further including a horizontal adjustment rod secured to the distal wall with distally extending projections and a pair of hollow guide rails with vertical slots receiving the projections for varying the height of the housing.