Reactive floor tiling system to protect against falls

Details Reactive floor tiling system to protect against falls Reactive floor tiling system to protect against falls

1999-07-29

2001-05-22

Melius, Terry Lee (Department: 3628)

Beds

Ground mat

Padded

C005S424000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06233761

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to medical devices and more particularly to systems for preventing injury of patients in hospitals and nursing homes.
Patient falls are a major public health problem. Each year, injuries due to falls in hospitals and nursing homes cost hundreds of millions of dollars. For a woman over 80 years of age who falls in the hospital and breaks her hip, the chances of returning to independent living are less than 50% and the mortality is 20%.
Examples of deployable impact systems are shown in the following U.S. patents:
U.S. Pat. No. 5,057,819 (Valenti) discloses a safety cushion that is positioned on the floor adjacent one side of a baby crib for cushioning the fall of a child. The cushion also includes an alarm for alerting an adult of the child's fall.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,150,767 (Miller) discloses a portable self-contained impact device that automatically inflates when a person (e.g., someone trying to escape a fire from an elevated position) impacts the device and can be reset for another evacuee.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,592,705 (West) discloses an impact cushioning device for bed occupants. The device comprises an air cushion that is stowed under the bed and is adapted to be immediately positioned under the falling occupant when the weight of the occupant is removed from the bed.
Thus, there remains a need for an automatic, rapidly-deploying impact prevention system that emanates from the flooring.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is the object of this invention to provide a system for protecting people from injury from falls in hospitals.
It is further the object of this invention to provide a system that protect children from falls out of cribs or high beds (i.e. “bunk beds”).
It is further the object of this invention to provide a system that is cost-effective.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
These and other objects of the instant invention are achieved by providing an apparatus for use as a floor to automatically prevent an individual from falling against the floor. The apparatus comprises a detonator device having an inflatable means stored therein and wherein the detonator device has a top surface that acts as part of the floor when the inflatable means is in a stowed condition in the detonator device. The apparatus further comprises a detector device that is in electrical communication with the detonator device and is immediately adjacent the detonator device. The detector device has a top surface that acts as part of the floor. The detector device comprises a detector for detecting an individual falling towards the detector and activates the inflatable means to drive the top surface of the detonator device towards the falling individual.
These and other objects of the instant invention are also provided by a method for automatically preventing an individual from falling against a floor. The method comprises the steps of: providing a detonator device positioned in the floor, with an inflatable means as part of the floor and stored within the detonator device; monitoring the immediate vicinity above the detonator device to determine if an individual is falling towards the detonator device; and activating the inflatable means whenever the individual is falling towards the detonator device to prevent the individual from striking the floor.


REFERENCES:
patent: 5052065 (1991-10-01), West
patent: 5057819 (1991-10-01), Valenti
patent: 5150767 (1992-09-01), Miller
patent: 5592705 (1997-01-01), West
patent: 5894616 (1999-04-01), Graham et al.

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