Patent Application
20130269565
The present invention relates generally to patient positioning systems and relates more particularly to a novel patient positioning system and to a novel rail for use in said patient positioning system.
It is often difficult for sick and/or disabled persons to move from one position to another position inside a room or between rooms. One approach to this problem has been to provide a patient positioning system that may be used to reposition the patient as needed. Such patient positioning systems often include (i) an overhead rail system that is mounted to the ceiling and (ii) a hoist system that is slidably mounted in the rail system, the hoist system typically including a harness in which the patient may be supported and a motorized mechanism for raising and lowering the harness so that the patient may be lifted and lowered, respectively, as needed. The hoist system may be manually slid from one location within the rail system to another location within the rail system; alternatively, the patient positioning system may additionally include motorized means for moving the hoist system from one location within the rail system to another location within the rail system.
One example of a patient positioning system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,780,663, inventor Pettit, issued Dec. 25, 1973, which patent is incorporated herein by reference. In this patent, there is disclosed an ambulatory system for use by debilitated ambulatory patients and the like. The system consists of a track network including a primary track, which extends the length of communicating corridors, and a plurality of secondary tracks, each extending from a point in close proximity with the primary track, and terminating at a point remote therefrom, and a traveling truck, supported by the track network, having a harness depending therefrom for substantially supporting the weight of a human body in suspension for assisting the patients in walking along the corridors as well as to enter and depart from various areas through which the secondary tracks are extended.
Another example of a patient positioning system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,511,256, inventor Capaldi, issued Apr. 30, 1996, which patent is incorporated herein by reference. In this patent, there is disclosed a patient lift system that incorporates a transverse bar which carriers a patient lift system for movement between two laterally extending bars. The transverse bar is mounted at the same vertical height as the laterally extending bars and carriers a motor for lifting and lowering the patient. The transverse bar is at the same vertical height as the laterally extending bars. The system also includes a frame that includes an improved corner bracket and also includes vertical adjustment for the legs to achieve leveling of the overall frame. In another feature, a patient lift bar includes four lift points, with two forward lift points spaced by a greater distance than the two rearward lift points to provide greater support to the rear of the patient while the additional distance in the front facilitates entry and removal of the patient lift system.
Other documents relating to patient positioning systems include the following, all of which are incorporated herein by reference: U.S. Pat. No. 7,634,825, inventors Chepurny et al., issued Dec. 22, 2009; U.S. Pat. No. 7,534,066, inventors Lolk et al., issued May 19, 2009; U.S. Pat. No. 7,350,247, inventor Bøgh-Sørensen, issued Apr. 1, 2008; U.S. Pat. No. 7,240,621, inventors Chepurny et al., issued Jul. 10, 2007; U.S. Pat. No. 7,021,427, inventors Skovgaard et al., issued Apr. 4, 2006; U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US 2010/0051889, inventors Chepurny et al., published Mar. 4, 2010; U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US 2010/0043140, inventor Chepurny, published Feb. 25, 2010; and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US 2009/0199335, inventor Guldmann, published Aug. 13, 2009.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel patient positioning system.
Therefore, according to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a patient positioning system for use in moving a patient from one location to another location, said patient positioning system comprising: (a) a rail system, the rail system being positioned within at least one room of a building and being coupled to a building structure; and (b) a hoist system, the hoist system being coupled to the rail system, the hoist system comprising a harness adapted to hold a patient and means for reversibly moving the harness vertically; (c) wherein the rail system includes a first rail, said first rail being shaped to include a top wall, a bottom wall, a left wall, a right wall, a substantially open front, a substantially open rear, a first rib extending horizontally from the left side wall to the right side wall, and a second rib extending vertically from the top wall to the first rib, the first rib and the second rib jointly dividing the interior of the first rail into a pair of upper chambers and a lower chamber.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a patient positioning system for use in moving a patient from one location to another location, said patient positioning system comprising: (a) first and second stationary rails, said first and second stationary rails being substantially parallel to one another, each of said first and second stationary rails being shaped to include a top wall, a bottom wall, a first side wall, a second side wall, an open front, an open rear, a first flange extending laterally outwardly from said first side wall at a point intermediate to said top wall and said bottom wall, and a second flange extending laterally outwardly from said second side wall at a point intermediate to said top wall and said bottom wall, each of said first and second stationary rails being fixed to a building infrastructure and being recessed within a ceiling such that said first and second flanges are positioned directly under the ceiling; (b) a traverse rail, the traverse rail being slidably mounted on each of said first and second stationary rails; and (c) a hoist system slidably mounted on the traverse rail, the hoist system comprising a harness adapted to hold a patient and means for reversibly moving the harness vertically.
According to yet another aspect of the invention, there is provided a patient positioning system for use in moving a patient from one location to another location, said patient positioning system comprising: (a) first and second stationary rails, said first and second stationary rails being arranged substantially parallel to one another; (b) first fixed mounting means for fixing said first stationary rail to a building structure; (c) second fixed mounting means for fixing said second stationary rail to a building structure; (d) a traverse rail; (e) first slidable coupling means for slidably coupling said traverse rail to each of said first stationary rail and said second stationary rail; (f) a hoist system, the hoist system comprising a harness adapted to hold a patient and means for reversibly moving the harness vertically; and (g) second slidable coupling means for slidably coupling said hoist system to said traverse rail; (h) wherein at least one of said first stationary rail, said second stationary rail, and said traverse rail is shaped to include a top wall, a bottom wall, a left wall, a right wall, a substantially open front, a substantially open rear, a first rib extending horizontally from the left side wall to the right side wall, and a second rib extending vertically from the top wall to the first rib, the first rib and the second rib jointly dividing the interior of the rail into a pair of upper chambers and a lower chamber.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a novel rail for use in a patient positioning system.
Therefore, according to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a rail for use in a patient positioning system, said rail being a one-piece structure shaped to include a top wall, a bottom wall, a left wall, a right wall, a substantially open front, a substantially open rear, a first rib extending horizontally from said left wall to said right wall, and a second rib extending vertically from said top wall to said first rib, the first rib and the second rib jointly dividing the interior of the rail into a pair of upper chambers and a lower chamber, the top wall being shaped to include a channel extending longitudinally from said substantially open front to said substantially open rear, the lower chamber being shaped to include a pair of channels extending longitudinally from said substantially open front to said substantially open rear for receiving a pair of electrode assemblies, the bottom wall being shaped to include a slit extending from said substantially open front to said substantially open rear and permitting access to said lower chamber through the bottom wall.
According to another aspect of the invention, a rail as described above further includes a first flange and a second flange, said first flange extending laterally from said left wall and extending longitudinally from said substantially open front to said substantially open rear, said second flange extending laterally from said right wall and extending longitudinally from said substantially open front to said substantially open rear.
According to yet another aspect of the invention, there is provided a rail for use in a patient positioning system, said rail comprising a top wall, a bottom wall, a left wall, a right wall, a substantially open front, a substantially open rear, a first rib extending horizontally from said left wall to said right wall, and a second rib extending vertically from said top wall to said first rib, the first rib and the second rib jointly dividing the interior of the rail into a pair of upper chambers and a lower chamber.
According to still another aspect of the invention, there is provided a rail for use in a patient positioning system, said rail being a one-piece structure shaped to include a top wall, a bottom wall, a left wall, a right wall, a substantially open front, a substantially open rear, a first flange, a second flange, a first rib, and a second rib, the first flange extending laterally from said left wall and extending longitudinally from said substantially open front to said substantially open rear, the second flange extending laterally from said right wall and extending longitudinally from said substantially open front to said substantially open rear, the first rib extending horizontally from said left wall to said right wall, the second rib extending vertically from said top wall to said first rib, the first rib and the second rib jointly dividing the interior of the rail into a pair of upper chambers and a lower chamber, the top wall being shaped to include a channel extending longitudinally from said substantially open front to said substantially open rear, the lower chamber being shaped to include a pair of channels extending longitudinally from said substantially open front to said substantially open rear for receiving a pair of electrode assemblies, the bottom wall being shaped to include a slit extending from said substantially open front to said substantially open rear and permitting access to said lower chamber through the bottom wall.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a novel kit for a patient positioning system.
Therefore, according to one aspect, there is provided a kit for a patient positioning system, said kit comprising: (a) a rail system, the rail system comprising at least a first rail, said first rail being shaped to include a top wall, a bottom wall, a left wall, a right wall, a substantially open front, a substantially open rear, a first rib extending horizontally from the left side wall to the right side wall, and a second rib extending vertically from the top wall to the first rib, the first rib and the second rib jointly dividing the interior of the first rail into a pair of upper chambers and a lower chamber; (b) at least one rail mounting assembly for mounting the rail system on a building structure; (c) a hoist system, the hoist system comprising a harness adapted to hold a patient and means for moving the harness vertically; and (d) a coupling assembly for coupling the hoist system to the rail system.
For purposes of the present specification and claims, various relational terms like “top,” “bottom,” “proximal,” “distal,” “upper,” “lower,” “front,” and “rear” are used to describe the present invention when said invention is positioned in or viewed from a given orientation. It is to be understood that, by altering the orientation of the invention, certain relational terms may need to be adjusted accordingly.
Additional objects, as well as features and advantages, of the present invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description or may be learned by practice of the invention. In the description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part thereof and in which is shown by way of illustration various embodiments for practicing the invention. The embodiments will be described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense.
The accompanying drawings, which are hereby incorporated into and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate various embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. In the drawings wherein like reference numerals represent like parts:
a) through 2(c) are end, side and top views, respectively, of one of the stationary rails shown in
a) and 6(b) are top and bottom views, respectively, of one of the threaded T-bolts shown in
a) and 7(b) are end and top views, respectively, of the traverse rail shown in
a) through 12(c) are enlarged fragmentary top, enlarged fragmentary side, and enlarged fragmentary front views, respectively, of the charging pickup assembly of the stationary rail trolley shown in
a) and 13(b) are enlarged top and enlarged bottom views, respectively, of the square T-bolt shown in
a) and 16(b) are enlarged bottom and enlarged end views, respectively, of one of the electrode assemblies shown in
a) through 18(d) are exploded fragmentary side, side, top and bottom views, respectively, of the end stop shown in
a) and 19(b) are front and exploded front views, respectively, of the electrode lock assembly shown in
a) and 20(b) are top and bottom views, respectively, of the top piece of the electrode lock assembly shown in
a) and 22(b) are enlarged fragmentary front and enlarged fragmentary side views, respectively, of the hoist system trolley shown in
a) through 24(d) are front, left side, right side and top views, respectively, of one of the stabilizer brackets shown in
a) and 27(b) are end and side views, respectively, of an alternate embodiment of a stationary rail that may be used in the system of
a) and 30(b) are side and end views, respectively, of a brake that may be used in the system of
a) and 31(b) are side and end views, respectively, of an intravenous (IV) trolley that may be used in the system of
a) and 32(b) are side and end views, respectively, of a portable motor trolley that may be used in the system of
a) and 33(b) are front and fragmentary side views, respectively, of a fifth embodiment of a patient positioning system constructed according to the teachings of the present invention, certain components of the patient positioning system not being shown for the sake of clarity;
a) and 34(b) are top and end views, respectively, of one of the wall studs shown in
a) and 35(b) are top and end views, respectively, of one of the wall stud brackets shown in
a) through 37(c) are top, end and side views, respectively, of the wall bracket shown in
Referring now to
System 11 may include a pair of stationary rails 13-1 and 13-2, a traverse rail 15, and a hoist system 17.
Stationary rails 13-1 and 13-2, which are substantially identical to one another in size, shape and construction, may be made of a suitably strong material, such as an extruded aluminum. Referring now to
Some exemplary dimensions for rail 13-1 may be as follows: a length l1 from front 23 to rear 25 of approximately 20 feet; a height h1 from the top surface of wall 16 to the bottom surface of wall 18 of approximately 4.300 inch; an outermost width w1 from the outer surfaces of walls 19 and 21 of approximately 2.010 inch; a thickness t1 of rib 31 of approximately 0.135 inch; an upper width w2 of channel 27 of approximately 0.464 inch; a lower width w3 of channel 27 of approximately 1.000 inch; and an upper height h2 of channel 27 of approximately 0.185. Rail 13-1 may have a weight of approximately 3.242 lbs/ft (or approximately 4.824 kg/m).
It should be understood that, although rails 13-1 and 13-2 have a straight profile (as viewed from above as in
Referring back now to
Referring now to
Assembly 51 may further include an expandable wall anchor 55. Anchor 55, which may be conventional in construction, may include a slotted top portion 55-1 and an internally threaded bottom portion 55-2. Top portion 55-1 is adapted to be inserted into a suitably dimensioned hole that has been drilled into or otherwise provided in a ceiling structure and, thereafter, may be expanded radially outwardly using a suitable tool, thereby causing anchor 55 to be secured to the ceiling structure. Bottom portion 55-2 is adapted to threadingly receive top end 53-1 of rod 53, thereby enabling rod 53 to be secured to the ceiling structure.
Assembly 51 may further comprise a bracket 57. Bracket 57, which is also shown separately in
Assembly 51 may further comprise a pair of substantially identical threaded T-bolts 61 (bottom and top views of a representative T-bolt 61 also being shown separately in
Assembly 51 may further comprise a tubular post 71, which may be used to provide additional columnar strength to assembly 51. Post 71, which may be made of a strong material, such as extruded aluminum, may be appropriately dimensioned to be inserted around threaded rod 53, with the top end 71-1 of post 71 lying flush against the ceiling structure and the bottom end 71-2 of post 71 lying flush against the top surface of central portion 57-3 of bracket 57.
To fix rail 13-1 to a ceiling using assembly 51, one may drill a suitable hole in the ceiling and then may insert anchor 55 into said hole and then may set anchor 55 in said hole using a suitable tool to expand anchor 55 within said hole. Next, one may screw top end 53-1 of rod 53 into bottom portion 55-2 of anchor 55 until rod 53 is securely anchored to the ceiling. Next, one may insert post 71 up over rod 53 and then may secure bottom end 53-2 of rod 53 to bracket 57 using washer 60 and nut 62 so that the top end 71-1 of post 71 lies flush against the ceiling and the bottom end 71-2 of post 71 lies flush against central portion 57-3 of bracket 57. Next, one may couple a pair of T-bolts 61 to rail 13-1 first by lowering the heads 65 of the T-bolts 61 into channel 27 and then by rotating the shafts 63 of the T-bolts 61 so that their respective heads 65 are oriented perpendicularly to channel 27. Next, one may insert the shafts 63 of the aforementioned two T-bolts 61 through openings 59-1 and 59-2, respectively, of bracket 57 and may secure each of these two T-bolts 61 to bracket 57 using a washer 67 and a nut 69. By doing so, the bottom surfaces of end portions 57-1 and 57-2 of bracket 57 may lie flush against top wall 16 of rail 13-1. A cap 70 may then be mounted over the exposed end of each shaft 63, as well as over its corresponding washer 67 and nut 69. Additional assemblies 51 coupling rail 13-1 to the ceiling may be spaced apart by approximately 3.5-4 meters.
It should be understood that the same type of procedure as described above may be used to fix rail 13-2 to the ceiling.
Referring now to
Referring back now to
Each of assemblies 111 may further comprise a pair of substantially identical T-bolts 131 (of which one is shown in
Referring now to
Trolley 136 is similar in most respects to trolley 113, the principal difference between the two trolleys being that, whereas trolley 113 may comprise four wheels 121 (i.e., two pairs of wheels 121), trolley 136 may comprise eight wheels 137 (i.e., four pairs of wheels 137). Trolley 136 may also differ from trolley 113 by having a slightly greater length. One possible advantage of trolley 136 over trolley 113 is that, by virtue of its having two sets of wheels 137 proximate to its front end and two sets of wheels 137 proximate two its rear end, trolley 136 may be better at maintaining rolling contact with inner bottom surface 122 of chamber 35 with at least one of its two front sets of wheels 137 and with at least one of its two rear sets of wheels 137, particularly if a short length of the bottom portion of the rail is removed for some reason.
Referring now to
Trolley 138 is similar in most respects to trolley 136, the principal difference between the two trolleys being that trolley 138 may additionally comprise a plate 139. Plate 139, which may be made of a strong material, such as steel, may be similar in footprint to horizontal portion 119 and may be secured thereto, for example, by spot welding. One possible advantage of trolley 138 over trolley 136 is that, by virtue of its having plate 139, trolley 138 may be better than trolley 136 at supporting heavy loads suspended from traverse rail 15.
Referring back now to
Referring now to
System 11 may further comprise a plurality of electrode lock assemblies 181 for translationally fixing electrode assemblies 141 within their respective chambers 36-1, 36-2, 96-1 or 96-2 and for electrically coupling external electrical leads E to the electrically-conductive strips 145 within assemblies 141, one such assembly 181 being positioned at one end of each electrified rail (i.e., stationary rail 13-1 and traverse rail 15 in the present embodiment) between the end stop 161 and its corresponding nearby rail end. Assembly 181, which is also shown separately in
Referring back now to
To use system 11, a caregiver may attach harness 213 to a patient and then may operate motor 212 in such a fashion as to cause belt 215 to be raised, thereby causing the patient also to be raised. (If harness 213 is not initially positioned close enough to the patient for attachment, the caregiver may manually slide traverse rail 15 relative to stationary rails 13-1 and 13-2 and/or may manually slide hoist system 17 relative to traverse 15 until harness 213 is positioned sufficiently close to the patient for attachment.) With the patient thus raised and still attached to harness 213, the patient may then move, or be moved with assistance from the caregiver, by manually sliding hoist system 17 along traverse rail 15 and/or by manually sliding traverse rail 15 relative to stationary rails 13-1 and 13-2. Once the patient has reached a desired destination, motor 212 may be operated so as to cause belt 215 to be lowered, thereby causing the patient also to be lowered, and the patient may thereafter be removed from harness 213.
It is to be understood that, although system 11 is discussed herein as having a rail system that comprises a pair of parallel stationary rails 13-1 and 13-2 and a traverse rail 15, system 11 may additionally include other components as part of a rail system. Such components may include, but are not limited to, additional straight or curved stationary rails, additional traverse rails, turntables, switch tracks, etc.
Referring now to
System 271 may be similar in most respects to system 11, the principal difference between the two systems being that system 271 may additionally comprise a stabilizer assembly 273 for mechanically coupling stationary rail 13-1 to a building structure, which building structure may be, but is not limited to, a vertical side wall W of a room. Stabilizer assembly 273 may comprise a pair of identical stabilizer brackets 275 and 276. Bracket 275, which is also shown separately in
Stabilizer assembly 273 may further comprise a tubular post 291, which may be similar in construction and composition to post 71 but may be shorter in length. A first end 291-1 of post 291 may be coupled to bracket 275 using a threaded bolt 293 inserted through openings 295-1 and 295-2 in arms 277-1 and 277-2, respectively, as well as transversely through post 291. Bolt 293 may be retained using a nut 295. A second end 291-2 of post 291 may be coupled to bracket 276 using a threaded bolt 297 inserted through openings 295-1 and 295-2 in arms 277-1 and 277-2, respectively, as well as transversely through post 291. Bolt 297 may be retained using a nut 299.
It should be understood that, although stabilizer assembly 273 is shown in the present embodiment with bracket 275 attached to rail 13-1 and with bracket 276 attached to wall W, bracket 275 could alternatively be attached to post 71 and/or bracket 276 could alternatively be attached to a ceiling structure.
Referring now to
System 311 may be similar in most respects to system 11, the principal difference between the two systems being that, whereas, in system 11, top wall 16 of traverse rail 15 may be positioned up against the bottom surface of horizontal portion 119 of bracket 115, by comparison, in system 311, bottom wall 77 of traverse rail 15 may be seated on top of the bottom surface of horizontal portion 119, with the heads of bolts 131 (not shown in
Referring now to
System 411 may be similar in most respects to system 311, the principal difference between the two systems being that, whereas system 311 may include traverse rail 15, system 411 may include a traverse rail 415. Traverse rail 415 may be similar in most respects to traverse rail 15, the principal difference between the two traverse rails being that traverse rail 415 may be shaped to include a cutout portion 417, where a length of bottom wall 419 and adjacent portions of the side walls of rail 415 have been removed to permit access from below to the contents of lower chamber 423. Cutout 417 may be appropriately dimensioned so that a traverse rail trolley mounted within rail 415 may be withdrawn from lower chamber 423 through cutout 417 (after first removing end stop 161 and electrode lock assembly 181 (which is not shown in FIG. 26)), as opposed to being removed through end 424 of rail 415 (which would first require that end stop 161 and electrode lock assembly 181 be removed and would then require that rail 415 be decoupled from rail 13-1 and then tipped to permit access to lower chamber 423 from end 424). System 411 is, therefore, advantageous in that the hoist system trolley may be easily decoupled from traverse rail 415, thereby facilitating repairs to the hoist system. In addition, system 411 is also advantageous in that it readily permits a plurality of hoist systems to be coupled to a single traverse rail, for example, to hold greater loads.
Referring now to
Rail 511, which is a stationary rail that may be used instead of one or both of rails 13-1 and 13-2, is similar in most respects to stationary rails 13-1 and 13-2, the principal difference between the two types of rails being that stationary rail 511 may additionally include a pair of integral flanges 513-1 and 513-2. Flange 513-1 may extend laterally away from a left side wall 514 and may extend from a front end 515 of rail 511 to a rear end 517 of rail 511. Flange 513-2 may extend laterally away from a right side wall 516 and may extend from a front end 515 of rail 511 to a rear end 517 of rail 511. While not being limited to any particular dimensions, rail 511 may have generally the same set of dimensions discussed above for rail 13-1, except that flanges 513-1 and 513-2 may be positioned between a top wall 517 and a bottom wall 519 so that the top surfaces of flanges 513-1 and 513-2 may be about 1.250 inches from the bottom surface of bottom wall 519. In addition, flange 513-1 may extend laterally away from wall 514 for about 0.750 inch, and flange 513-2 may extend laterally away from wall 516 for about 0.750 inch.
As can be seen in
Referring now to
Rail 611 may be used in place of one or both of stationary rails 13-1 and 13-2 and/or in place of traverse rail 15. As can be seen, rail 611 may be shaped to include an upper longitudinal channel 613-1 having an inverted T-shape and a lower longitudinal channel 613-2 having an inverted T-shape. Due to the construction of rail 611, a top portion of rail 611 may be cut away along imaginary line 615 for at least a portion of its length, with lower channel 613-2 thereafter being used like channel 27 (if rail 611 is being used as a stationary rail) or like channel 87 (if rail 611 is being used as a traverse rail). This may be advantageous if rail 611 is to be attached to certain components like a turntable (not shown). While not being limited to any particular dimensions, rail 611 may have a height h3 of about 6.700 inches and a width w4 of about 2.100 inches. Rail 611 may have a weight of approximately 5.651 lbs/ft (or approximately 8.410 kg/m).
Referring now to
Brake 711 may comprise a one-piece block 713, on which a plurality of wheels 715 are rotatably mounted. Block 713 and wheels 715 may be appropriately dimensioned to fit within chamber 95 of traverse rail 15, with wheels 715 being adapted to ride along the top of bottom surface 124 of traverse rail 15. Block 713 may include an internally threaded bore 717 (shown in phantom).
Brake 711 may additionally include an externally threaded rod 721. The bottom end of rod 721 may be fixedly coupled to a handle 723. A portion 725 of rod 721 may be threadingly engaged with bore 717 of block 713. A nut (not shown) may be screwed onto the top end of rod 721, and a cap 727 may be fixedly mounted over the nut.
In use, block 713 and wheels 715 may be inserted into chamber 95 of rail 15, with wheels 715 riding along the top of bottom surface 124 of rail 15 and with cap 727 out of contact with the top surface of chamber 95. Using handle 723, block 713 may then be rolled into position translationally within chamber 95 so that a front end 729 of block 713 (or a rear end 731 of block 713, depending on which end of rail 15 block 713 was inserted) abuts trolley 251 (or abuts any other object within chamber 95 whose translational movement one wishes to restrict). Using handle 723, rod 721 may then be screwed upwardly relative to block 713 until cap 727 comes into tight engagement with the top surface of chamber 95, thereby impeding translational movement of block 713, as well as preventing trolley 251 from moving in the direction of block 713. Thereafter, if one wishes to remove the restraint provided by brake 711, rod 721 may be screwed downwardly relative to block 713 until cap 727 is no longer in tight engagement with the top surface of chamber 95.
As can be appreciated, an additional brake 711 may be placed on the opposite side of trolley 251 to keep trolley 251 from moving translationally in both directions. Also, as can be appreciated, block 713 and wheels 715 may be inserted into chamber 35 of either rail 13-1 or rail 13-2 if one wishes to delimit the movement of trolley 113.
Referring now to
IV trolley 751 may be similar in most respects to brake 711, the principal difference between the two devices being that, whereas brake 711 may comprise a straight rod 721 and a handle 723, IV trolley 751 may instead comprise a hook 753 adapted to hold an IV bag or the like. Trolley 751 may also comprise a pair of guides 755, which may serve to keep trolley 751 aligned within traverse rail 15.
As can be appreciated, IV trolley 751 may function both as a brake and as a IV bag holder.
Referring now to
Portable motor trolley 771 may be similar in most respects to IV trolley 751, the principal difference between the two devices being that, whereas IV trolley 751 may comprise a hook 753 adapted to hold an IV bag or the like, portable motor trolley 771 may instead comprise a loop 773 to which a ring clasp secured to a portable hoist motor may be removably attached. The attachment of a portable hoist motor to traverse rail 15 may be desirable, for example, if one wishes to use a plurality of motors to hoist a heavy load or if the primary hoist motor becomes inoperative.
As can be appreciated, portable motor trolley 771 may function both as a brake and as a portable motor holder.
Referring now to
System 811 is similar in many respects to system 11, the principal difference between the two systems being that, whereas system 11 may comprise a plurality of mounting assemblies 51 for fixedly securing stationary rails 13-1 and 13-2 to a ceiling structure, system 811 may instead comprise means for fixedly mounting stationary rails 13-1 and 13-2 on one or more vertical walls V. In the present embodiment, said mounting means may comprise four identical wall studs 813 (of which only three are shown), a first pair of wall studs 813 being mounted on one vertical wall and a second pair of wall studs 813 being mounted on an opposite vertical wall, with one wall stud 813 on each wall being aligned with a wall stud 813 on the opposing wall. Each wall stud 813 (one wall stud 813 also being shown separately in
Said mounting means may further comprise four identical wall stud brackets 819 (of which only three are shown in
Said mounting means may further comprise hardware for securely coupling the brackets 819 on opposite wall studs 813 to the same stationary rail 13-1 or to the same stationary rail 13-2. In the present embodiment, said hardware may comprise a pair of T-bolts 831, a pair of washers 833, and a pair of nuts 835. T-bolts 831 may be identical to T-bolt 131, washers 833 may be identical to washer 133, and nuts 835 may be identical to nut 135. Each T-bolt 831 may be appropriately dimensioned so that its head may sit within channel 27 of rail 13-1 or rail 13-2 and so that its free end may pass through a transverse opening 842 provided in horizontal portion 823 of bracket 819 and may thereafter be retained by washer 833 and nut 835.
It should be noted that, whereas, in the present embodiment, each of rails 13-1 and 13-2 is attached to brackets 819 on opposite walls, one may instead attach rail 13-1 to a pair of brackets 819 on a first wall and attach rail 13-2 to a pair of brackets 819 on an opposite wall.
Referring now to
System 911 is similar in many respects to system 811, the principal differences between the two systems being that, whereas system 811 may include four wall studs 813 and four wall stud brackets 819, system 911 may instead include four identical wall brackets 913 (of which only two are shown), brackets 913 (one of which is shown separately in
The embodiments of the present invention described above are intended to be merely exemplary and those skilled in the art shall be able to make numerous variations and modifications to it without departing from the spirit of the present invention. All such variations and modifications are intended to be within the scope of the present invention.
The present application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/804,387, inventor Dewey Darrow, filed Jul. 20, 2010, which, in turn, claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/343,735, filed May 3, 2010, the disclosures of both of which are incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61343735 | May 2010 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 12804387 | Jul 2010 | US |
| Child | 13914159 | US |
