Electricity: measuring and testing – Particle precession resonance – Spectrometer components
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-05
2002-02-12
Williams, Hezron (Department: 2862)
Electricity: measuring and testing
Particle precession resonance
Spectrometer components
C324S322000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06346814
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE DESCRIPTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a machine for diagnostic and/or therapeutic treatment, particularly a Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Imaging machine, comprising, in combination therewith, a table for supporting the patient which table is engageable and disengageable from part of the structure of the machine.
2. Descriptions of Related Art
At present, patient tables, especially those for bearing the patient during diagnostic and therapeutic treatment, by using machines for diagnosis and therapy, are deemed to be separate from the structure of these machines. In order to allow limbs or anatomical regions of the patient's body to be inserted into the operating area of the machine, such as an operating surface, a chamber or a cavity two solutions are essentially applied.
In the first solution, where the structure of the machine permits, the table, having a substantially conventional shape is fully or partially inserted into the structure thereof. This solution involves a huge size of machine, which has a very high purchase and installation cost. Large machines are generally cumbersome and heavy and cannot be placed in premises having a normal construction as regards volume and resistance of floors. This involves cost increases, which are added to the higher cost of the machine.
In Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Imaging machines, the weight problem is important, and the dimensional problem also affects installation costs when, for instance, machines must be enclosed by shielding cages which, by their huge volume, usually have no light construction.
An alternative solution, generally used with low and medium size and low and medium cost machines, particularly in Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, consists in simply placing tables next to the operating surfaces, chambers or cavities of machines. This can be also done by providing coupling constraints between the two structures, in order to obtain certain relative positions, although the machines and the table are always separate and distinct units, as regards both construction and structural synergy. The overall dimensions of the machine with the addition of the table increases considerably and, substantially, to an extent corresponding to the dimensions of the table. When, e.g. in Nuclear Magnetic Resonance machines, a limb or anatomical region of the patient is to be positioned inside a cavity or onto an operating surface, the patient has to be moved, or convertible arm-chairs must be provided, which have tilting parts or the like, or the dimensions of the supporting surfaces of tables have to be limited to a part of the patient body, i.e. to the part which is intended to stay outside the cavities, chambers or operating surfaces.
Anyway, the above solutions do not involve a synergic relationship between the table and the machine, or the chambers, cavities or operating or work or intervention surfaces thereof.
Further problems also arise when the patient is to be disposed in different orientations within a predetermined range. Here, conventional tables, particularly when combined with low or medium cost machines, involve a considerably larger potential overall size of the table-machine combination.
The invention has the object to provide a patient table which, by using comparatively simple and inexpensive means can be more comfortable and user-friendly, particularly with diagnosis and/or therapy machines.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention achieves the above purposes by providing a machine in combination with table as described above and in which the table is provided with at least one peripheral recess in its supporting surface or in a part thereof which recess is complemented by a side of the operating surface forming part of the structure of the machine, particularly of the delimitation walls of the cavity or chamber for accommodating the patient.
According to a further characteristic, each recess is associated to a removable insert for complementing the supporting surface. These parts may be coupled in different manners and by using different means.
One embodiment provides that said recesses have a much smaller size than the overall supporting surface of the table and that they form open spaces in said supporting plane, such that they can be covered by the patient body without affecting the support thereof.
In a preferred embodiment, a table has, for instance, a plurality of these recesses, which can be provided in the area of the upper limbs and shoulder, in the area of the neck and head, and in the area of the lower limbs, such as the knee, the foot or similar, i.e. in the end areas of the table.
According to the size of recesses, there may be also provided more of them, for instance in the trunk area.
The means for coupling the complementary inserts are preferably of the sliding type and are provided partly on said inserts, and partly at the delimiting edges of recesses.
Said means may be also provided on the general operating surface of a machine for diagnostic testing and for therapeutic applications.
According to a further characteristic, in order to provide adaptability to several different sizes of operating or work surfaces, inserts may be modular and modules may also have different shapes, so as to allow them to fit the different possible shapes of the operating surfaces.
A further characteristic of the invention advantageously provides a table which is transversely divided into two parts, preferably but not necessarily substantially in the median area, which parts complement each other in jointed coupling.
A preferred construction provides that a part of the table is provided, at its periphery, with a preferably circular guide, completely surrounding it, and extending from one end to the other of the end side of said part of the table, said end side being opposite to the end connected to the other part of the table.
A particularly advantageous configuration of this table provides that a part of the table has a recess whose median axis is oriented coaxially to the central longitudinal axis of the table, which recess has its open side at the end side of the part of the table wherein it is provided, which is opposite to the side connected to the other part of the table.
Here, the part of the table with the recess at its end side substantially consists of a U-shaped frame, whereas the guide for jointing it to the other part of the table is attached all around said U-shaped frame.
The U-shaped frame may also have a circular outside perimeter, coaxial to the arched jointing guide.
Particularly, in order that a certain relative orientation can be maintained between the two parts of the table, there are provided removable means for locking the two parts of the table in the different angular mutual orientation positions.
The two parts of the table may have two legs each, disposed so that the table can be self-supporting, whereas each part cannot be self-supporting in the work position, without the other.
Alternatively, each part may have such a number of legs as to enable a self-support thereof, when separated from the other part. All legs may be wheeled.
Legs may be arranged in such a manner and number that the table may be used as a conventional transport table.
Thanks to the above characteristics, the table in accordance with the invention may be integrated in or complemented by any work or operating surface or any side or wall for delimiting operating chambers or cavities of diagnosis or therapy machines.
The mutual penetration of the work or operating surface and the table allows a considerable reduction of the overall size. Modular solutions of removable complementary inserts allow a table to fit several different operating or work surfaces. The latter are not only work surfaces or operating zones of the machines, but may be also surfaces equipped for performing manual interventions. Hence, one table can fit several different operating conditions, so that the patient need not be frequently transferred for the different interventions.
The embodiment providing a table divided int
Carrozzi Alessandro
Contrada Orfeo
Fachinato Alessio
Rezzonico Fabio
Sarasso Gianni
Burns Doane Swecker & Mathis L.L.P.
Shrivastav Brij B.
Williams Hezron
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