Optics: eye examining – vision testing and correcting – Eye examining or testing instrument – Objective type
Reexamination Certificate
2000-07-13
2001-07-24
Manuel, George (Department: 3737)
Optics: eye examining, vision testing and correcting
Eye examining or testing instrument
Objective type
Reexamination Certificate
active
06264329
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention generally relates to ophthalmic instrument delivery systems and lighting systems designed to work in conjunction with such instrument systems. The invention is more particularly directed to a programmable room lighting systems which operate in conjunction with various ophthalmic instruments.
In the practice of ophthalmology, it has been common for both the doctor and patient to be seated and to provide the doctor with an instrument delivery table which may hold two different ophthalmic instruments. The table may be shifted between two positions to present one or the other of the instruments directly in front of the patient. Various prior systems have been proposed and utilized and some of these systems allow the instrument delivery table to be rotated into position in front of the patient while others allow the table to be moved laterally from a stored position into an operative position in front of the patient. An example of an ophthalmic instrument support which allows three distinct movements including rotational movement from a stored position to an operative position, longitudinal movement to present one or the other of two ophthalmic instruments in front of the patient and vertical movement to allow adjustment of the instruments relative to the height of the patient and the doctor is found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,643,547.
Drawbacks of prior instrument delivery tables include difficulty in adjusting the various positions of the table, including the inability to infinitely adjust within a predetermined range of movement as well as the lack of an ability to adjust the position of the table toward and away from the patient in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal movement between the two instrument positions. This would be helpful, for example, to accommodate for the various size ranges of patients that will be seated in the examining chair.
Various ophthalmic examination systems have also included lighting control systems which adjust the room lights to a preset intensity when a particular instrument is activated. These systems have generally been designed so that the activation of a given instrument automatically sets the room lighting conditions in accordance with a dimmer which is preset and prewired to the particular instrument. The main drawback of such systems has been the inability of the doctor to easily program each of the many instruments and electrical controls to activate a desired room lighting condition in accordance with his or her particular needs or desires. Such previous lighting control systems may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 3,724,931 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,832,041 as well as in the model 905 “Pendulum Delivery System” sold by Reliance Medical Products, Inc. of Mason, Ohio.
It would therefore be desirable to provide an ophthalmic instrument delivery system as well as a programmable lighting system which would make examination of a patient by a doctor easier and which would provide for easier and fuller adjustment of both the instrument table and the room lighting conditions according to any specific doctor's requirements.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a uniquely position adjustable instrument support table for use in conjunction with an examining chair and a lighting system which allows the user to program the desired room lighting independently for each of several instrument switches, examination lights or other electrical devices used during an ophthalmic examination.
In accordance with a first aspect of the invention, the ophthalmic instrument support table includes a base unit and a table top mounted to the base unit by support structure allowing four degrees of freedom to adjust the location of the table top with respect to both the patient seated in the chair and the doctor examining the patient on the opposite side of the table. Specifically, the table top is mounted to the base unit by support structure including a movable support which allows the table top to be moved from a stored position located in front of the base unit to an operative position located adjacent to the examining chair. The support structure further includes a first adjustable support and locking mechanism for moving the table top along a first horizontal path and locking the table top in a selected position along that first horizontal path. A second adjustable support and locking mechanism is provided for moving the table top along a second horizontal path which is transverse and preferably perpendicular to the first horizontal path and which allows locking of the table top in a selected position along that second horizontal path. A third adjustable support and locking mechanism is provided for moving and locking the table top selectively within a vertical path. The second and third adjustable support and locking mechanisms are infinitely adjustable along their respective paths of movement.
The movable support which allows the table top to be moved from the stored position to the operative position is preferably a pivot connection and, more specifically, includes two rotating arms connected between the table top and the base unit. This movable support actuates at least one switch as it moves from the stored position to the operative position and this switch may be used to cause power to be directed to the instruments located on the table top.
The first adjustable support and locking mechanism allows the table top to be moved in a side-to-side fashion along the lengthwise dimension of the table top to position one or the other of the instruments on the table top in front of the patient. Switches are provided at each of the two positions to activate or provide power to the particular instrument located in front of the patient.
In a second aspect of this invention, a programmable lighting system is provided which allows the doctor to easily program the room lighting conditions such that a programmed room lighting intensity is effected upon activation of any of a plurality of input devices, such as instruments, lights, switches or other electrical devices used by the doctor during the examination. Thus, unlike past systems, the doctor may easily set the room lighting conditions according to his or her particular desires and need not be forced to use factory preset lighting conditions.
Specifically, in a single zone option of the lighting control the doctor may quickly enter a programming mode and then activate a particular input device to inform the control that that particular device is being programmed to effect a certain lighting intensity of the room lights. The doctor uses a room lighting intensity control to adjust the room lighting conditions for that given input device. When the input device is deactivated, the programmed lighting condition for that input device is saved into volatile or nonvolatile memory and each subsequent activation of the input device automatically activates the programmed room lighting intensity. A dual zone option is also provided and allows programming of up to sixteen different “scenes” utilizing two different banks or circuits of room lights. For example, one bank of lights might be incandescent and one may be fluorescent. Each circuit of lights may be adjusted in intensity and saved in the control as a “scene”. Each input device may then correspond to and activate a different programmable “scene”.
An infrared transmitter is located on the ophthalmic instrument system of the present invention and communicates with an infrared receiver in a conventional lighting control box which may be placed on the wall of the examination room. The infrared transmitter conveniently clips or otherwise connects to the instrument pole of the system and may be adjusted vertically on the pole as well as rotationally to allow proper communication with the lighting control box on the wall. The infrared transmitter is generally C-shaped such that it may be received in a sliding fashion on the pole. The transmitter includes a plurality of spaced LEDs which send the infrared signals outwardly
Brooks David M.
Marconet Robert E.
Manuel George
Reliance Medical Products, Inc.
Wood Herron & Evans L.L.P.
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