Assembly for delivering protective barriers onto stethoscope heads

• US 8,393,818 B2
• Filed: 05/17/2011
• Issued: 03/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seedlings Life Science Ventures LLC
• Original Assignee: Seedlings Life Science Ventures LLC
• Inventors: Perlman, Michael, Sellers, James M., Rubin, Keith, Cardinali, Mathew, Cole, Michael R., Perlman, Sidney
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Huyen
• Assistant Examiner(s): OLIVER, BRADLEY S
• Application Number:
  US13/109,431
• Publication Number:
  US 20120117792A1
• Time in Patent Office: 665 Days
• Field of Search: 401/9, 401/17, 401/22, 401/27, 401/193, 15/971, 134/133, 134/166.R, 134/16, 535/94, 221/190, 221/193, 221/208, 221/239, 221/246, 221/289
• US Class Current: 401/193
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 7/02 Stethoscopes acoustic details thereof G10K11/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/70 Cleaning devices specially adapted for surgical instruments
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2/18 Liquid substances or solutions comprising solids or dissolved gases
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53 Means to assemble or disassemble

Abstract

An assembly structured to restrict contamination of individuals from association with the heads of stethoscope comprising a housing including a path of travel along which the head portion passes. Different embodiments include the dispensing of cleaning fluid or the delivery of protective barriers onto predetermined portions of the stethoscope heads, while passing along the path of travel. A dispenser assembly and a cooperatively disposed activating assembly are manually operated by moveable, driving engagement with the head portion passing through the housing. The activating assembly is thereby operatively positioned to activate the dispenser assembly when engaged by a head passing along the path of travel. Differently structured dispenser assemblies function to either deliver the cleaning fluid or individually dispense the barriers onto different heads, so as to either facilitate the cleaning or protective covering of exposed surfaces of the stethoscope heads, dependent on the embodiment utilized.

Claims

1. An assembly structured to restrict contamination from association with heads of stethoscopes, said assembly comprising:

a housing including an entrance portion and an exit portion respectively structured for entry and removal of the heads relative to the housing,

a path of travel for the heads at least partially located within said housing and extending between said entry and exit portions,

a plurality of barriers disposed within said housing in a stacked array and in communicating relation to the heads passing along the path of travel,

a distribution assembly positioned in communicating relation with said plurality of barriers and disposable into a distributing orientation relative to said plurality of barriers,

said stacked array structured for separable connection of an exposed one of said plurality of barriers relative to a remainder of said plurality of barriers of said stacked array upon disposition of said distribution assembly in said distributing orientation,

said distributing orientation comprising a segregating disposition of at least a portion of said distribution assembly relative to said exposed one of said plurality of barriers, and

said exposed one of said plurality of barriers disposed into a transferring position relative to corresponding ones of the heads passing along said path of travel concurrent to said distribution assembly being disposed in said distributing orientation.

2. An assembly as recited in claim 1 wherein said plurality of barriers are structured for removable, covering engagement with exposed, predetermined portions of the heads.

3. An assembly as recited in claim 2 wherein said plurality of barriers include a disinfecting composition incorporated therein.

4. An assembly as recited in claim 2 wherein said plurality of barriers are adhesively attached in covering engagement with the predetermined portions of the heads.

5. An assembly as recited in claim 2 wherein each of said plurality of barriers include a gripping portion disposed in non-engaging relation to the heads, said gripping portion disposed and structured to facilitate application of a disengaging force to a corresponding one of said plurality of barriers.

6. An assembly as recited in claim 1 wherein said stacked array comprises a base;

said plurality of barriers removably connected to said base and structured for said removable, covering engagement with predetermined portions of the heads.

7. An assembly as recited in claim 1 further comprising an activating assembly disposed in communicating relation to said path of travel and in at least partially interruptive relation to the heads passing along said path of travel.

8. An assembly as recited in claim 7 wherein said activating assembly is movably disposed into and out of activating relation to said distribution assembly;

said distribution assembly structured to be disposed in said distributing orientation upon disposition of said actuating assembly in said activating relation.

9. An assembly as recited in claim 7 wherein said distribution assembly comprises at least one segregating member positionable into and out of said segregating disposition concurrent to disposition of said activating assembly into and out of said activating relation.

10. An assembly as recited in claim 9 wherein said segregating disposition comprises said one segregating member disposed in separating engagement with said exposed one of said plurality of barriers relative to a remainder of said plurality of barriers.

11. An assembly as recited in claim 10 wherein said one segregating member is disposed in separating engagement with successively exposed ones of said plurality of barriers concurrent to successive disposition of said one activating member into said activating relation with said distribution assembly.

12. An assembly as recited in claim 7 wherein said distribution assembly comprises a plurality of segregating members concurrently and collectively positionable into and out of said segregating disposition concurrent to disposition of said activating assembly into and out of said activating relation.

13. An assembly as recited in claim 12 wherein said segregating disposition comprises said plurality of segregating members concurrently disposed in separating engagement with an exposed one of said plurality of barriers relative to a remainder of said plurality of barriers.

14. An assembly as recited in claim 13 wherein said plurality of segregating members are concurrently disposed in separating engagement with successively exposed ones of said plurality of barriers concurrent to successive disposition of said activating member in said activating relation to said distribution assembly.

15. An assembly as recited in claim 7 wherein said distribution assembly comprises a driving assembly positionable into and out of driving relation to said plurality of barriers concurrent to disposition of said activating assembly into and out of said activating relation.

16. An assembly as recited in claim 15 wherein said driving assembly is successively disposed in driving relation to said plurality of barriers concurrent to successive disposition of said activating assembly into said activating relation with said distribution assembly.

17. An assembly as recited in claim 16 wherein said successively exposed ones of said plurality of barriers are disposed in said transferred position concurrent to said successive disposition of said activating assembly into said activating relation with said distribution assembly.

18. An assembly structured to restrict contamination from association with heads of stethoscopes, said assembly comprising:

a housing including an entrance portion and an exit portion respectively structured for entry and removal of the head relative to the housing,

a path of travel for the head extending between said entry and exits portions,

a plurality of barriers disposed within said housing in a stacked array and in communicating relation to the head passing along the path of travel,

said plurality of barriers disposed and structured to expose successive ones of said plurality of barriers into a transferring position relative to successive passage of the heads along said path of travel,

said stacked array structured for separable connection of an exposed one of said plurality of barriers relative to a remainder of said plurality of barriers of said stacked array, and

each of said plurality of barriers removable from a remainder of said plurality of barriers in said stacked array, when in said transferring position and being structured for covering disposition of a corresponding head passing along the path of travel.