Patient care equipment management system

• US 7,065,812 B2
• Filed: 03/17/2004
• Issued: 06/27/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2003
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hill-Rom Services Incorporated (Baxter International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hill-Rom Services Incorporated (Baxter International Inc.)
• Inventors: Newkirk, David C., Cerimele, Michael E., Schwartz, Steven J., Graham, Mark A., Ruehl, John W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Santos, Robert G.
• Application Number:
  US10/802,289
• Publication Number:
  US 20050000019A1
• Time in Patent Office: 832 Days
• Field of Search: 560/0, 565/8, 550/31, 248/125.1, 248/125.8
• US Class Current: 5/600
• 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 12/005 mounted on the wall
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 12/008 mounted on a mobile base, e.g. on a trolley
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 13/107 Supply appliances supply appliances for dental machines A61C1/0007
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 2203/80 for connecting a trolley to a device, e.g. bed or column table
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/012 raising or lowering of the whole mattress frame A61G7/005, A61G7/008 take precedence
• 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 5/1415 Stands, brackets or the like for supporting infusion accessories
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/1417 Holders or handles for hanging up infusion containers
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 11/18 with mechanism for moving the apparatus relatively to the stand
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 11/2014 around a vertical axis F16M11/2035 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 11/28 Undercarriages for supports with one single telescoping pillar
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 11/34 Members limiting spreading of legs , e.g. "umbrella legs"
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 11/42 with arrangement for propelling the support stands on wheels
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 13/022 repositionable
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 2200/063 Parallelogram arms
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 2200/065 with a special structure, e.g. reinforced or adapted for space reduction

Abstract

An equipment management system provides an equipment support for supporting patient care equipment. The equipment support may be mountable on an arm that extends from a wall, on a column depending from the arm, on a wall mount, on a stand, or on a patient support. Various methods may be used to vertically move the equipment support up and down to engage and disengage the equipment support from supporting devices.

Claims

1. An apparatus for supporting patient care equipment relative to a patient support, the apparatus comprising

an engager coupled to the patient support,

an equipment support to be coupled to the engager, and

a stand to be removably coupled to the equipment support, the stand comprising a set of legs movable between a storage position and a use position, the set of legs being in the storage position when the patient support supports the engager, the equipment support, and the stand at a first elevation, and the set of legs engaging the floor and automatically deploying from the storage position to the use position in response to the patient support lowering the engager, the equipment support, and the stand downwardly from the first elevation to a second elevation.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the engager is configured to disengage from the equipment support in response to the patient support further lowering the engager downwardly from the second elevation to a third elevation.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the engager comprises a support arm and a coupler mounted on the support arm.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the support arm is pivotably mounted on the patient support.

5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the coupler of the support arm comprises a post receiver, the equipment support comprises a post, and the post is receivable in the post receiver to couple the equipment support to the support arm.

6. A system for supporting patient care equipment, the system comprising

a patient support having a base frame and an intermediate frame movable between a raised and lowered position relative to the base frame, the patient support having a head end and sides,

a support arm coupled to the intermediate frame for pivoting movement, and

an equipment support configured to be mounted on the support arm, the equipment support carrying medical equipment for monitoring the patient,

wherein the equipment support can be moved between a use position at the head end of the patient support and a transport position along a selected one of the sides of the patient support, at least a portion of the support arm being situated beneath the intermediate frame when the equipment support is in the transport position.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the support arm is pivotably coupled to the intermediate frame to pivot about a generally vertical axis.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the patient support has a longitudinal axis, and the support arm is pivotable between a substantially longitudinally extending position and a substantially laterally extending position relative to the patient support.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the equipment support includes a post and the support arm includes a post receiver for receiving the post.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the post is conical frustum shaped.

11. The system of claim 6, further comprising a stand for supporting the equipment support, the stand having collapsible legs that extend when the equipment support is lowered into its resting position on the floor and collapse into a transport position when the stand is raised off of the floor.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein each collapsible leg has a castor wheel mounted thereon.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein each collapsible leg has a joint, the joint connecting two upper leg members with a single lower leg member.

14. The system of claim 6, wherein the equipment support is rotatably mounted on the support arm.

15. A system for supporting patient care equipment, the system comprising

a patient support having a base frame and an intermediate frame movable between a raised and lowered position relative to the base frame, the patient support having a head end and sides,

a support arm coupled to the intermediate frame, and

an equipment support configured to be mounted on the support arm, the equipment support carrying medical equipment for monitoring the patient,

wherein the equipment support can be moved between a use position at the head end of the patient support and a transport position along a selected one of the sides of the patient support,

wherein the support arm is pivotably coupled to the intermediate frame,

wherein the patient support has a longitudinal axis, and the support arm is pivotable between a substantially longitudinally extending position and a substantially laterally extending position relative to the patient support, and

wherein the equipment support is configured to be supported at least partially over the patient support when the equipment support is mounted on the support arm and the support arm is in the laterally extending position.

16. A system for supporting patient care equipment, the system comprising

a patient support having a base frame and an intermediate frame movable between a raised and lowered position relative to the base frame, the patient support having a head end and sides,

a support arm coupled to the intermediate frame, and

an equipment support configured to be mounted on the support arm, the equipment support carrying medical equipment for monitoring the patient,

wherein the equipment support can be moved between a use position at the head end of the patient support and a transport position along a selected one of the sides of the patient support,

wherein the support arm is pivotably coupled to the intermediate frame,

wherein the patient support has a longitudinal axis, and the support arm is pivotable between a substantially longitudinally extending position and a substantially laterally extending position relative to the patient support, and

wherein the support arm has a distal end that is vertically below the intermediate frame when the arm is in the laterally extending position.

17. A system for supporting patient care equipment, the system comprising

a patient support having a base frame and an intermediate frame movable between a raised and lowered position relative to the base frame, the patient support having a head end and sides,

a support arm coupled to the intermediate frame,

an equipment support configured to be mounted on the support arm, the equipment support carrying medical equipment for monitoring the patient, and

a stand for supporting the equipment support, the stand having collapsible legs that extend when the equipment support is lowered into its resting position on the floor and collapse into a transport position when the stand is raised off of the floor,

wherein the equipment support can be moved between a use position at the head end of the patient support and a transport position along a selected one of the sides of the patient support, and

wherein each collapsible leg has a slide pad mounted thereon.

18. An equipment support system comprising

a telescoping arm configured to be mounted relative to a hospital wall to extend therefrom, the arm comprising

a proximal portion having a mount end pivotably mounted relative to the wall and a second end extending away from the wall, and

a distal portion coupled to the second end of the proximal portion and configured to telescope relative to the proximal portion, and

an equipment support coupled to the distal portion and configured to support patient care equipment thereon.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the proximal portion of the telescoping arm does not pivot relative to the distal portion.

20. The system of claim 18, further comprising a console configured to house the telescoping arm and the equipment support when the system is not in use.

21. The equipment support system of claim 18, further comprising a column coupled to the distal portion of the telescoping arm and the column couples the equipment support to the distal portion.

22. The equipment support system of claim 21, wherein the column comprises a portion that is movable to raise and lower the equipment support.

23. A system for supporting medical equipment in a patient care room, the system comprising

an arm supported in the room for pivotable movement about a generally vertical axis,

a column coupled to the arm and having a movable portion that is movable vertically relative to the arm,

a patient support configured to support a patient, the patient support having a first post receiver,

a stand having a second post receiver, and

an equipment support having a frame for supporting medical equipment and a post extending downwardly therefrom, the equipment support being coupled to the movable portion of the column,

wherein the post is configured to be received by the first post receiver and the second post receiver,

wherein the arm and the patient support are movable to a first position having the post of the equipment support aligned with first post receiver such that downward vertical movement of the movable portion of the column results in the post of the equipment support being received by the first post receiver, and

wherein the arm and the stand are movable to a second position having the post of the equipment support aligned with the second post receiver such that downward vertical movement of the movable portion of the column results in the post of the equipment support being received by the second post receiver.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the arm comprises a telescoping arm having a first segment and a second segment that is extendable and retractable relative to the first segment.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the column is coupled to the second segment of the telescoping arm.

26. The system of claim 23, wherein the patient support has a frame, the patient support has a support arm coupled to the frame for pivoting movement, and the first post receiver is mounted on the support arm.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the support arm is pivotable about a generally vertical axis relative to the frame.

28. The system of claim 23, further comprising a third post receiver supported with respect to a wall of the patient care room and wherein the arm and the patient support are movable to a third position having the post of the equipment support aligned with third post receiver such that downward vertical movement of the movable portion of the column results in the post of the equipment support being received by the third post receiver.

29. The system of claim 23, further comprising a cabinet and a third post receiver coupled to a wall of the cabinet, and wherein the arm and the patient support are movable to a third position having the post of the equipment support aligned with third post receiver such that downward vertical movement of the movable portion of the column results in the post of the equipment support being received by the third post receiver.