Land vehicles – Wheeled – Occupant propelled type
Reexamination Certificate
1999-03-31
2001-08-14
Johnson, Brian L. (Department: 3618)
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Occupant propelled type
C280S204000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06273444
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is broadly concerned with improved carts particularly designed for use in conjunction with wheelchairs. More particularly, the invention pertains to such carts wherein the carts may be releasably attached to any conventional wheelchair through an attachment system adapted to accommodate travel over uneven surfaces. In preferred forms the cart is configured to hold and transport items necessary for the care of the person utilizing the wheelchair. The present invention allows one caregiver to transport a patient in a wheelchair while simultaneously transporting other items necessary for the patient's care all while minimizing the risk of disconnecting the patient from any equipment connected to them.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the health care field, much time and labor is spent transporting patients in wheelchairs and hospital gurneys. Many patients needing to be transported have other items or equipment associated with their health care needs that should be transported simultaneously with the patient. Often, the patient is physically attached to some items or equipment such as intravenous tubes (IV's), heart monitoring equipment, oxygen, ventilators, and respirators. Serious problems may arise if the patient is disconnected from these items, even if the disconnection is a relatively short and temporary one. Furthermore, some disconnections are not immediately noticeable by the healthcare provider, especially if the patient is sleeping, unconscious or unable to communicate effectively. Transporting these patients and their associated items generally requires the labor of at least two people, one to push the wheelchair or gurney and at least one to transport the other equipment. This presents the problem of moving the patient in unison with the equipment and minimizing the possibility of disconnecting the patient from any connected equipment since all people transporting must move together in a coordinated fashion. This is often very difficult to do if transporting the patient requires maneuvering around corners, over uneven surfaces, through crowded corridors or doors, or in places where there is only a small area available for any needed maneuvering (such as a hospital or nursing home room). If the people transporting do not move the patient in unison with their connected equipment, the risk of disconnecting the patient from the equipment rises. Furthermore, many health care facilities have responded to increasing costs and overhead by reducing the size of their labor force resulting in a shortage of labor available to transport patients. This may encourage the cutting of corners by employing just one person to transport both patient and equipment when more than one may be required to safely transport the patient and their equipment using currently available transportation equipment.
Other problems occur, using currently available transportation equipment, due to the transferring of equipment from a bedside to a carrier for transportation. If the equipment is heavy, there is a risk of backstrain to the healthcare provider. Furthermore, the equipment may be accidentally dropped or operational settings may be inadvertently changed if the controls are accidentally contacted by the caregiver. If there is not a convenient place to mount the equipment during transportation, the equipment may be placed in a position, including underneath the wheelchair or gurney, that reduces the visibility of any display the equipment may have. Additionally, owing to a lack of space, the equipment may have to be placed in an area that is inconvenient to access in emergency situations. This is especially true when equipment is mounted under a wheelchair or gurney for transportation. Mounting equipment under a wheelchair also subjects the equipment to possible damage due to incontinent patients.
Consequently, there is a need for an apparatus that reduces the number of people required to transport a patient when there is other equipment that must be transported simultaneously with the patient. There is also a need for an apparatus that minimizes the possibility of disconnecting a patient from any equipment to which they are connected. Another need in the art is an apparatus that minimizes the possibility of inadvertently changing the operational settings of that equipment during transportation. What is also needed is an apparatus that may be used as a standalone bedside unit to store equipment and a transportation unit which can be quickly and easily connected to a wheelchair for transportation. What is still further needed is an apparatus configured to hold equipment at a normal operating level allowing clear visibility at all times and easy access in emergency situations. Finally, what is needed is an apparatus designed to be connected to a wheelchair or gurney that is configured to hold and transport equipment such that one person can efficiently and safely transport both a patient and their equipment.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention overcomes the problems outlined above and provides an apparatus configured to be releasably connected to a wheelchair or gurney which allows for a single caregiver to transport a patient and any associated equipment safely and efficiently. In addition, the present invention minimizes the risks associated with accidentally disconnecting a patient from medical equipment by minimizing strain on the connecting tubes or wires caused by increasing the distance between the patient and the equipment. A further advantage of the present invention is that by virtue of attaching a cart to a wheelchair, the resulting combination makes a stable walking trainer for patient therapy. Another advantage of the present invention is that the cart may be used as the normal bedside holder of the equipment, that is, the cart may act as a stand-alone unit thereby reducing the number of times that a person has to lift the equipment and place it either onto a separate cart for transportation or another cart or table for standalone use. By having the equipment already located on the cart, the risk of dropping the equipment when transferring it from its bedside position to the cart is reduced. This also reduces the danger of backstrain on the person transferring the equipment from the bedside to its transportation carrier. The connecting assembly system of the present invention provides a quick and easy way to couple the cart with a wheelchair and advantageously allows for accommodation of strain when the wheelchair and cart are moving over uneven surfaces.
The present invention is also configured to hold the equipment at its normal operating height allowing the display to remain visible at all times during transportation. The present invention also allows for easy access to the equipment in emergency situations and eliminates the risk of equipment damage due to incontinent patients. Another advantage of the present invention is that accidental contact with equipment resulting in changes to operational settings ofthe equipment is minimized. Finally, the present invention allows unconnected patient transport for several hours since the cart is configured to hold oxygen cylinders and a large external battery to power any equipment.
The apparatus of the present invention comprises a cart configured to be releasably connectable to a wheelchair or gurney; as used herein, “wheelchair” refers to conventional wheelchairs, gurneys where a patient is transported in a recumbent position, and all other wheeled patient transport devices. The cart is also configured to hold oxygen cylinders and other equipment at a normal operating level that is visible at all times and easily accessible in emergency situations. The cart includes wheels to facilitate transportation. In preferred forms, the cart will have more than one connecting assembly system in order to allow connection to a wide variety of different sizes and shapes of conventional wheelchairs and gurneys.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3405954 (1968-10-01), W
Gort Elaine
Hovey Williams Timmons & Collins
Johnson Brian L.
Mallinckrodt Inc.
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