Patent Grant
11471710
The present invention relates to accessories for emergency worker oxygen tanks; and, more particularly, to a protective cover for emergency worker oxygen tanks.
Self-contained breathing devices or SCBAs are used by emergency workers such as fire fighters, first aid, first responders, industrial hazard workers, military rescue personnel, and other individuals who enter into highly hostile environments. In some cases these personnel accidentally get caught in the environment, such as during a fire when a floor collapses and causes a fire fighter to fall to a basement area where he or she must be extracted by another emergency worker. In this case, the trapped emergency worker must be quickly dragged out of harm's way.
Often this includes dragging the emergency worker, on his or her back, up or down a flight of stairs. This procedure is hindered by the fact that the control knobs of the oxygen tank being worn by the downed worker can get hung up on the stairs, thereby requiring an additional emergency worker to lift up the bottom tank portion as the downed worker is being slid along. Additionally, the total weight of a downed emergency worker including his or her gear can weigh in excess of 300 pounds making it difficult for a single emergency worker to extricate a downed emergency worker. Based on the above criteria, it would be a great benefit to have a method of protecting the adjustment knob portion of the oxygen tank worn by an emergency worker. It would also be a great benefit to reduce the frictional forces required to pull a downed emergency worker to safety. Finally, it would be a great benefit to have the protection device by as small and light weight as possible so as not to hinder the emergency worker during his or her normal emergency work.
Others have given thought to these issues and proposed various solutions. Relevant patent examples of this are:
U.S. Pat. No. 4,253,454 to Warncke discloses a respirator package for carrying on a person, including a tubular frame which forms a container for a high pressure gas such as oxygen. A respiratory air circulating system is adapted to be mounted on the frame and connected to the high pressure gas therein for the selected circulation of the gas and respiratory air to and from the wearer and also advantageously includes means for regenerating the breathing air and supplementing it with the gas. The high pressure gas container comprises a frame made up of successive windings of a tube to form a closed container having a connecting valve associated therewith. The frame thus formed is provided with straps so that the frame can be carried on a wearer's back, and it provides a spacing and insulation for a breathing system, which includes a regenerator that is likely to heat during operation. The parts of the system are held in place on the frame by means of a casing which is secured to the frame. The device is not appointed to attach onto a rescue personnel oxygen tank itself and it does not include tracks for actually transporting a person.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,947,351 to Garofalo et al. discloses a cylinder carrier that includes a sleeve and an extension, the extension being slidably retained within the sleeve. A handle is disposed at a free end of the extension. The sleeve has a first end near the handle and a second end opposite the first end. A pair of cylinder rests is provided, one each of the rests being positioned on each of two opposite sides of the sleeve at the second end of the sleeve. The cylinder rests are foldable against the sleeve. A pair of cylinder straps is disposed on each side of the sleeve. Each pair of cylinder straps is adapted for holding a cylinder to the post, such that a distal end of the cylinder rests against one of the cylinder rests. The cylinder straps are foldable against the sleeve. A pair of shoulder straps is attached to the post for wearing the post on a human back. A pair of wheels is disposed at the second end of the sleeve. The post is inscribed with indicia indicating an empty cylinder near the first end of the sleeve, and indicia indicating a filled cylinder near the second end of the sleeve. A person can place the cylinder within the cylinder with a neck of the cylinder disposed near the first end or the second end of the sleeve, to indicate whether the cylinder is empty or filled. The carrier does not cover the knobs of the tank and cannot be used to transport a person.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,824,150 to Simione discloses a cart for the transportation of personnel and equipment in a fire or other hazardous environment. The cart is constructed out of fire protective material and designed to float. There are wheels on the bottom surface, which are placed and designed to be able to be operative over very uneven surfaces. The structure also has the ability to store fire equipment and in addition on the top surface a fully dressed firefighter with a Scott Air Pack. The cart has handles, which can be adjusted so as to be folded into different locked positions based on the particular usage conditions. This design requires that a bulky piece of equipment be stored on the emergency vehicle and be accessed and brought to the scene in a timely fashion. In emergency situations, seconds count, and the time needed to bring this piece of equipment to the needed area may mean the difference between life and death.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,845,533 to Tulette discloses a patient transport board comprising a flat, rigid board having a surface on which the patient lays, and restraining straps for securing the patient. A pair of foldable rail members can be extended to serve as runners for moving the patient down a flight of stairs. A skid plate is provided at the foot end of the board to allow the board to be used in an upright mode for maneuvering in tight areas. In one embodiment wheel and axle assemblies are affixed at the lower end of the rail members to make easier movement of the patient transport board in an upright orientation. In another embodiment, track assemblies allow for movement over rough or uneven surfaces when the patient transport board is in an upright orientation. Components of the patient transport board are foldable or removable so the board can be readily placed on a gurney or stored. This is the type of additional piece of equipment that may not be immediately available in an emergency and it is not readily attached to an oxygen tank.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,394,387 and 8,035,525 to Noonchester discloses rescue devices that attach to the frame of a self-contained breathing apparatus carried on the back of emergency workers such as firemen, hazardous-waste cleanup crews, and other individuals entering into hostile environments. The rescue devices are adapted to connect to the frame of existing self-contained breathing apparatus frames or racks. In one form, the rescue device has a top and bottom frame which connects to the SCBA frame at the top and bottom locations. The frames project around the body of the SCBA tank and extend out to position rolling elements for providing the transportation needs. The frames have at the rolling elements' ends wheel forks which contain wheels having axles. In another embodiment a skid plate is attached to the ends of the frames in conjunction with the protruding wheels or by itself without rolling elements. Other ways of creating the reduction in frictional drag are provided such as a sled type configuration and a track system. However, the proposed devices do not protect the knob area of the oxygen tank. Moreover, the attachment methods disclosed involve screwing metal brackets onto the SCBA frame, which in turn support rollers or a sled that may damage the frame. Additionally, some frames are constructed of wire forms and do not lend themselves to having brackets supported to them. Finally, the designs shown tend to be bulky and may get in the way when working in close quarters during an emergency.
Accordingly, there exists a deficiency in the prior technology in that none of the prior designs adequately protects the knob portion of the oxygen tank during an emergency extraction, and all of the prior designs tend to be either additional pieces of equipment that must be transported from the emergency vehicle to the scene of the emergency, or bulky additions to the SCBA of the emergency worker that may interfere with the worker's efforts when in close quarters.
The present invention provides a protective cover for an emergency worker's oxygen tank that protects the adjustment knob portion of the tank from damage when extracting the worker from a dangerous situation such as in a house or commercial structure fire, or a below grade or above grade rescue operation.
An object of the invention is to provide a protective tank cover that acts to lessen frictional forces when dragging an injured emergency worker from a dangerous environment.
Another object of the invention is to provide a protective tank cover that can be removed and replaced.
A further object of the invention is to provide a protective tank cover that does not add excessive weight or bulk to the tank.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following descriptions, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein, by way of illustration and example, an embodiment of the present invention is disclosed.
Briefly stated, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, there is disclosed a protective cover for emergency worker oxygen tank, comprising: a rigid protective cover member, a tank attachment member, said tank attachment member fixedly attached to said rigid cover member, said tank attachment member capable of being securely attached to a portion of a standard oxygen tank or to a portion of the supporting frame for said oxygen tank used by emergency workers, said oxygen tank commonly strapped onto said emergency worker's back via a standard rigid frame, and said rigid protective cover member extending around and over the adjustment knob portion of said tank.
In another embodiment, there is provided a protective cover for an emergency worker oxygen tank, comprising:
Preferably, the cover includes a pair of elongated brackets fixedly attached to either side of said oxygen tank, and a mating pair of elongated brackets fixedly attached to an inside portion of said attachment member. With this construction, the attachment member brackets are adapted to slide onto said tank brackets to secure the attachment member to the oxygen tank. In another embodiment, low friction strips are located on the outside of the cover to facilitate gliding along a surface, such as the ground or steps.
The invention will be more fully understood and further advantages will become apparent when reference is had to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the invention and the accompanying drawing, in which:
Detailed descriptions of the preferred embodiment are provided herein. It is to be understood, however, that the present invention may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but rather as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed system, structure or manner.
During emergency situations emergency workers such as firefighters and/or EMTs must wear/transport compressed gas cylinders such as oxygen tanks on their backs, and/or must pull or carry the compressed gas cylinders, or oxygen tanks, behind them. As discussed herein throughout the specification and claims, the terms “compressed gas cylinder” and “oxygen tank” are used interchangeably to mean a tank that contains air, or a mixture of oxygen with nitrogen and other gasses appointed for use in connection with an emergency rescue operation. Frequently, oxygen tanks are located on a standard rigid frame which in turn can be strapped onto an emergency worker's back. The standard rigid frame typically includes rails so that the frame, tank and emergency worker can be pulled along a surface such as the ground or stairs. Unfortunately, frequently the adjustment knob portion of the oxygen tank slams against the surface, causing damage to the adjustment knob portion while also causing snagging or catching on articles and surface abutments. It has been surprisingly and unexpectedly found that covering at least a portion of the adjustment knob portion during slide transport prevents the adjustment knob from snagging or catching on surfaces and protects the knob from damage, while still providing the ability to readily access the adjustment knob as needed when extracting an emergency worker from a dangerous situation, such as in a house or commercial structure fire.
Referring now to
Preferably, the tank holding portion 14 is held onto the tank 2 by a tank attachment member system 10, 11, 13, 15 comprising a pair of pair of rails 10, 11 adapted to be fixedly attached to either side of tank 2 and a mating pair of rails 13, 15 that are fixedly attached to an inside portion of tank holding portion 14 that are adapted to slide onto the rails 10, 11 to secure the tank holding portion 14 to the tank 2, as shown in the exploded view in
Referring now to
While the invention has been described in connection with a preferred embodiment, it is not intended to limit the scope of the invention to the particular form set forth, but on the contrary, it is intended to cover such alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the subjoined claims.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional patent application No. 62/282,859 filed Aug. 14, 2015, for “Protective Cover For Emergency Worker Oxygen Tank”, the disclosure and priority of which is hereby incorporated in its entirety by reference thereto.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3912328 | Tanaka | Oct 1975 | A |
| 4103806 | White | Aug 1978 | A |
| 4253454 | Warncke | Mar 1981 | A |
| 5253885 | McCracken | Oct 1993 | A |
| 5393080 | Ross | Feb 1995 | A |
| 5573211 | Wu | Nov 1996 | A |
| 5647784 | Moran | Jul 1997 | A |
| 5947351 | Garofalo | Sep 1999 | A |
| 6521309 | Chen | Feb 2003 | B1 |
| 6824150 | Simione | Nov 2004 | B2 |
| 6845533 | Tulette | Jan 2005 | B1 |
| 7394387 | Noonchester | Jul 2008 | B2 |
| 8035525 | Noonchester | Oct 2011 | B2 |
| 8470279 | Hinman | Jun 2013 | B2 |
| 20040050384 | Stein | Mar 2004 | A1 |
| 20070163047 | Noonchester | Jul 2007 | A1 |
| 20110042109 | Bouthiette | Feb 2011 | A1 |
| 20110298251 | McLoughlin | Dec 2011 | A1 |
| 20130193824 | Koenig | Aug 2013 | A1 |
| 20170325292 | Bench | Nov 2017 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20170043191 A1 | Feb 2017 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62282859 | Aug 2015 | US |
