Heater door mechanism for infant warming apparatus

• US 6,585,636 B2
• Filed: 04/27/2001
• Issued: 07/01/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Datex-Ohmeda Incorporated (GE Healthcare Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Datex-Ohmeda Incorporated (GE Healthcare Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Jones, Thomas C., Mackin, Michael H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gilbert, Samuel G.
• Application Number:
  US09/845,008
• Publication Number:
  US 20010027267A1
• Time in Patent Office: 795 Days
• Field of Search: 600/21, 600/22, 119/308, 119/309, 119/311, 119/318, 119/319
• US Class Current: 600/22
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 11/00 Baby-incubators; Couveuses
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 11/002 height-adjustable patient support
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 11/003 height-adjustable heater
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 11/005 with movable walls, e.g. for accessing the inside, removable walls
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 11/006 by pivoting
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 11/009 with hand insertion windows, e.g. in the walls
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 3/00 Ohmic-resistance heating

Abstract

An infant warming apparatus that functions both as an infant incubator as well as an infant warmer. The apparatus has a heater that moves vertically with respect to an infant support during the change in function between an infant incubator and an infant warmer. The heater also has a door or doors that are open when the heater is at or nearing the upper position so that the heater can direct energy toward the infant to warm the infant when acting as an infant warmer and close at or shortly after the heater commences movement to the lower position. When closed, the doors isolate the heater to prevent the inadvertent touching of the heater by the infant or attending personnel and prevents the further radiating of infrared energy toward the infant.

Claims

1. An infant care apparatus, said apparatus comprising a base, a planar infant bed supported by said base for underlying an infant, a vertical member extending upwardly from said base, a canopy and a radiant heater mounted to said vertical member, said canopy being movable between a lower position near said planar infant bed and an upper position where said radiant heater can provide infrared energy to impinge upon an infant resting on said planar infant bed, at least one door movable between an open position wherein said radiant heater is exposed and a closed position wherein said door is interposed between said radiant heater and said planar infant bed and a door actuator means adapted to open and close said at least one door.

2. An infant care apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said at least one door comprises two doors.

3. An infant care apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said planar infant bed is generally rectangular and said vertical member is located along one side of said rectangular planar infant bed wherein said heater is generally vertically positioned above said one side when in said upper position.

4. An infant care apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said vertical member comprises at least one vertical stationary frame member and a movable frame member movably interfitted into said at least one stationary frame member, said heater being affixed to said movable frame member.

5. An infant care apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said infant bed further comprises a plurality of sides forming upwardly extending edges surrounding the periphery of said infant bed to confine an infant within said infant bed.

6. An infant care apparatus as defined in claim 5 wherein said canopy has a peripheral edge in the same configuration as said upwardly extending edges of said sides and said peripheral edge fits against said upwardly extending edges to form an enclosed infant compartment when said canopy is in said lower position.

7. An infant care apparatus, said apparatus comprising a base, a planar infant bed supported by said base for underlying an infant, a vertical member extending upwardly from said base, a radiant heater, movable mounted to said vertical member so as to be movable toward and away from said planar infant bed to provide infrared energy to impinge upon an infant resting on said planar infant bed, at least one door movable between an open position wherein said radiant heater is exposed and a closed position wherein said at least one door is interposed between said radiant heater and said planar infant bed and a door actuator means adapted to open and close said at least one door.

8. An infant care apparatus as defined in claim 7 wherein said at least one door comprises two doors.

9. An infant care apparatus as defined in claim 7 wherein said door actuator comprises an electric motor.

10. An infant care apparatus, said apparatus comprising a base, a planar infant bed supported by said base for underlying an infant, a vertical member extending upwardly from said base, a canopy and a radiant heater mounted to said vertical member, said canopy being movable between a lower position near said planar infant bed and an upper position where said radiant heater can provide infrared energy to impinge upon an infant resting on said planar infant bed, at least one door movable between an open position wherein said radiant heater is exposed and a closed position wherein said at least one door is interposed between said radiant heater and said planar infant bed.

11. An infant care apparatus as defined in claim 10 wherein said infant care apparatus further includes a door actuator means adapted to open and close said at least one door.

12. An infant care apparatus as defined in claim 11 wherein door actuator means opens and closes said door dependent upon the location of said canopy between said lower and upper positions.

13. An infant care apparatus as defined in claim 10 wherein said at least one door comprises two doors.

14. An infant care apparatus as defined in claim 10 wherein said planar infant bed is generally rectangular and said vertical member is located along one side of said rectangular planar infant bed wherein said heater is generally vertically positioned above said one side when in said upper position.

15. An infant care apparatus as defined in claim 10 said vertical member comprises at least one vertical stationary frame member and a movable frame member movably interfitted into said at least one stationary frame member, said heater being affixed to said movable frame member.

16. An infant care apparatus as defined in claim 10 wherein said infant bed further comprises a plurality of sides forming upwardly extending edges surrounding the periphery of said infant bed to confine an infant within said infant bed.

17. An infant care apparatus as defined in claim 16 wherein said canopy has a peripheral edge in the same configuration as said upwardly extending edges of said sides and said peripheral edge fits against said upwardly extending edges to form an enclosed infant compartment when said canopy is in said lower position.

18. An infant care apparatus, said apparatus comprising a base, a planar infant bed supported by said base for underlying an infant, a vertical member extending upwardly from said base, a radiant heater movably mounted to said vertical member so as to be movable toward and away from said planar infant bed to provide infrared energy to impinge upon an infant resting on said planar infant bed, at least one door movable between an open position wherein said radiant heater is exposed and a closed position wherein said at least one door is interposed between said radiant heater and said planar infant bed.

19. An infant care apparatus as defined in claim 18 wherein said infant care apparatus further includes a door actuator means adapted to open and close said at least one door.

20. An infant care apparatus as defined in claim 18 wherein said at least one door comprises two doors.

21. An infant care apparatus as defined in claim 18 wherein said door actuator comprises an electric motor.

22. An infant warming apparatus, said apparatus comprising an infant platform for supporting an infant, a radiant heater positioned above said infant platform, said radiant heater being movable vertically with respect to said infant platform and adapted to direct radiant energy along a path to impinge upon said infant platform, a controller for activating said radiant heater to produce radiant energy and to deactivate said radiant heater, at least one blocking member located intermediate said radiant heater and said infant platform, said at least one blocking member having a first position wherein radiant energy from said radiant heater can travel along the path to impinge on said infant platform, and a second position wherein said at least one blocking member at least partially blocks the path of radiant energy from said radiant heater to said infant platform.

23. An infant warming apparatus as defined in claim 22 wherein said at least one blocking member is a door.

24. An infant warming apparatus as defined in claim 22 wherein said at least one blocking member comprises a pair of doors.

25. An infant warming apparatus as defined in claim 22 wherein said first position of said at least one blocking member is a fully open position and said second position of said at least one blocking member is a fully closed position.

26. An infant warming apparatus as defined in claim 25 wherein said controller activates said radiant heater only when said at least one blocking member is in said first position.

27. An infant warming apparatus as defined in claim 26 wherein said at least one blocking member comprises a pair of doors.

28. An infant warming apparatus as defined in claim 25 wherein said at leas tone blocking member is prevented from moving from said first position to said second position when said radiant heater is activated.

29. An infant warming apparatus as defined in claim 28 wherein said at least one blocking member comprises a pair of doors.

30. An infant warming apparatus as defined in claim 22 wherein said at least one blocking member blocks at least substantially the entire path of the radiant energy directed from said radiant heater to the infant platform.

31. A method of heating an infant by means of a radiant heater, said method comprising the steps of:

providing an infant platform adapted to support an infant,

providing a radiant heater located above the infant platform that can be activated to produce radiant energy and deactivated,

directing radiant energy along a path from the radiant heater when activated to impinge upon the infant platform,

providing at least one blocking member intermediate the radiant heater and the infant platform with the at least one blocking member being movable between a first position where the radiant energy can proceed along the path to the infant platform and a second position where the path of radiant energy is at least partially blocked from proceeding from the radiant heater to the infant platform,

controlling the at least one blocking member to move the at least one blocking member between the first position and the second position.

32. A method as defined in claim 31 wherein said step of providing at least one blocking member comprises providing a door.

33. A method as defined in claim 31 wherein said step of providing at least one blocking member comprises providing a pair of doors.

34. A method as defined in claim 31 wherein said step of providing a radiant heater comprises providing a radiant heater that is vertically movable with respect to the infant platform.

35. A method as defined in claim 31 wherein said step of controlling the at least one blocking member comprises moving the at least one blocking member from the second position to the first position only when the radiant heater is deactivated.

36. A method as defined in claim 31 wherein said step of providing a radiant heater comprises providing a radiant heater that can be activated only when said at least one blocking member is in said first position.