Safety system for electrostimulation device

• US 8,666,492 B2
• Filed: 12/11/2012
• Issued: 03/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DJO Global Switzerland SARL (Enovis Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Compex Medical S.A. (Enovis Corp.)
• Inventors: Muller, Pierre-Yves, Schonenberger, Klaus
• Primary Examiner(s): Porter, Jr., Allen
• Application Number:
  US13/710,842
• Publication Number:
  US 20130172971A1
• Time in Patent Office: 448 Days
• Field of Search: 607/2, 607/4, 607/5, 607/9, 607/10, 607/33, 607/34, 607 36- 38, 607/63, 607/115, 439/794, 439/796, 439/836, 439/837, 439/909
• US Class Current: 607/36
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36 for stimulation
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36003 of motor muscles, e.g. for walking assistance
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3752 Details of casing-lead connections
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/453 Shutter or cover plate opened by engagement of counterpart
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/4534 Laterally sliding shutter
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 5/0208 Interlock mechanisms; Means for avoiding unauthorised use or function, e.g. tamperproof

Abstract

A housing for an electrostimulation device comprising a charger plug and a stimulation plug, designed to receive respectively a connector linked to a charger and a connector linked to a stimulation electrode, characterized in that it comprises a mobile locking element designed to alternately lock the charger plug or the stimulation plug.

Claims

1. A housing for an electrostimulation system, the housing comprising:

a first plug;

a second plug; and

a mobile locking member configured to partially cover the first plug but not the second plug in a rest position and to partially cover the second plug but not the first plug in an activated position, wherein insertion of a connector into the first plug transitions the mobile locking member from the rest position to the activated position, and removal of the connector from the first plug reverts the mobile locking member from the activated position to the rest position.

2. The housing of claim 1, wherein the mobile locking member is an elongate member.

3. The housing of claim 1, wherein the mobile locking member comprises a first protrusion that partially covers the first plug in the rest position, and a second protrusion that partially covers the second plug in the activated position.

4. The housing of claim 3, wherein the second protrusion is disposed along a length of the mobile locking member.

5. The housing of claim 4, wherein the second protrusion is configured to translate along a direction perpendicular to the length of the mobile locking member.

6. The housing of claim 4, wherein the second protrusion is configured to translate along a direction parallel to the length of the mobile locking member.

7. The housing of claim 3, wherein the first protrusion is disposed at an end of the mobile locking member.

8. The housing of claim 1, wherein the mobile locking member comprises one or more locking elements disposed on the mobile locking member that partially cover the first plug in the rest position and partially cover the second plug in the activated position.

9. The housing of claim 8, wherein the one or more locking elements include at least one of a tooth or a strip.

10. The housing of claim 1, wherein a connector inserted into the first plug exerts a force on an inclined surface of the mobile locking member and displaces the mobile locking member from the rest position to the activated position.

11. The housing of claim 10, wherein the mobile locking member is configured to be displaced in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction of the exerted force.

12. The housing of claim 10, wherein the inclined surface of the mobile locking member is configured to receive a force exerted at an angle to the inclined surface by the connector inserted into the first plug.

13. The housing of claim 1, wherein the mobile locking member is moveable in a direction parallel to a plane passing through the first plug and the second plug.

14. The housing of claim 1, further comprising a spring that biases the mobile locking member in the rest position.

15. The housing of claim 14, wherein the spring exerts a force in a direction substantially perpendicular to a length of the mobile locking member.

16. The housing of claim 1, further comprising a pivot that affixes the mobile locking member to the housing, wherein the mobile locking member is configured to rotate from the rest position to the activated position along an axis of the mobile locking member that is collinear with the pivot and length of the mobile locking member.

17. The housing of claim 1, further comprising a pivot that affixes the mobile locking member to the housing, wherein the mobile locking member is configured to rotate from the rest position to the activated position along an axis perpendicular to the length of the mobile locking member.

18. The housing of claim 1, wherein the mobile locking member is moveable in a vertical direction from the rest position to the activated position.

19. The housing of claim 1, wherein the mobile locking member comprises a semi-rigid material, and is moveable along a curvilinear path from the rest position to the activated position.