Patent Application
20140277103
The present invention is related to a medical device, and more particularly to a quick-connect buckle coupling device for a tourniquet.
Loss of blood is a major cause of death in emergency situations in which the injured person is alone or medical assistance is not immediately available. The use of a tourniquet to stop blood loss from an injured arm or leg is a well-known technique for preventing death in these situations.
A person who is alone and suffering a life-threatening injury from a severely wounded limb may have to self-apply a tourniquet to the limb or otherwise die from a loss of blood. If the injured person can apply a tourniquet in a relatively short period of time, he or she can increase his or her likelihood of surviving. Accordingly, there is a need for a tourniquet with structure that assists the injured person, or an aid giver tending to the injured person, with the ability to quickly apply a tourniquet to the injured limb.
It is to be understood that the present invention includes a variety of different versions or embodiments, and this Summary is not meant to be limiting or all-inclusive. This Summary provides some general descriptions of some of the embodiments, but may also include some more specific descriptions of other embodiments.
In accordance with at least one embodiment, a quick-connect buckle is provided for a tourniquet to permit a tourniquet to be easily and quickly applied to an extremity of an injured person, including a trapped extremity (e.g., a person's arm pinned under an object). Accordingly, a quick-connect tourniquet clasp is provided for forming part of a tourniquet and configured for attaching a tourniquet to an extremity of a person, the tourniquet including one or more straps, the quick-connect tourniquet clasp comprising:
In accordance with at least one embodiment, the complimentary dovetail tongue and groove mating structure include a pair of serrated mating surfaces. In accordance with at least one embodiment, the pair of serrated mating surfaces each form a surface shared by a tongue and groove portion of each of the buckle member and coupling member. In accordance with at least one embodiment, the pair of serrated mating surfaces are not perpendicular relative to a bottom of the buckle member or the coupling member. In accordance with at least one embodiment, the complimentary dovetail tongue and groove mating structure comprise an over and under configuration, the buckle tongue and the buckle groove overlying the coupling groove and coupling tongue, respectively.
An integrated buckle and tourniquet coupler forming part of a tourniquet and adapted for cooperating with one or more straps of the tourniquet is also provided, the integrated buckle and tourniquet coupler comprising:
(a) a buckle member including:
(b) a coupling member including:
In accordance with at least one embodiment, a first interior tongue surface of the buckle tongue is sloped to engage a similarly sloped second interior tongue surface of the coupling tongue. In accordance with at least one embodiment, the first interior tongue surface of the buckle tongue is serrated and is adapted to frictionally engage serrations on the second interior tongue surface of the coupling tongue. In accordance with at least one embodiment, the buckle tongue resides in at least two positions when placed in the coupling groove, the at least two positions comprising an initial coupling position and a final coupling position, wherein when in the final coupling position, the buckle tongue resides in contact with the coupling tongue.
In addition to the foregoing, an embodiment of a tourniquet featuring an integrated buckle and tourniquet coupler is also provided, the tourniquet comprising;
one or more straps;
a windlass operatively associated with at least one strap of the one or more straps;
a bendable base interconnected to the one or more straps;
a hooked catch for securing the windlass from rotating; and
a quick-connect tourniquet clasp including a buckle member and a coupling member, the buckle member and the coupling member each attached to a portion of the one or more straps, the buckle member and coupling member having a complimentary dovetail tongue and groove mating structure, wherein a first magnetic element of the buckle member is adapted for engaging a second magnetic element of the coupling member.
In accordance with at least one embodiment, the complimentary dovetail tongue and groove mating structure include a pair of serrated mating surfaces. In accordance with at least one embodiment, a first surface of the pair of serrated mating surfaces is associated with the buckle member, and wherein a second surface of the pair of serrated mating surfaces is associated with the coupling member. In accordance with at least one embodiment, the pair of serrated mating surfaces are not perpendicular relative to a bottom of the buckle member or the coupling member. In accordance with at least one embodiment, the complimentary dovetail tongue and groove mating structure comprise an over and under configuration, the buckle tongue and the buckle groove overlying the coupling groove and coupling tongue, respectively.
The quick-connect coupler also has application beyond use in tourniquets. The quick-connect coupler can be combined with a strap to form an all-purpose binding device used for a variety of purposes. Accordingly, a quick-connect coupler for use with a strap is provided, comprising:
In at least one embodiment, the complimentary dovetail tongue and groove mating structure include a pair of serrated mating surfaces. In at least one embodiment, the a first surface of the pair of serrated mating surfaces is associated with the buckle member, and wherein a second surface of the pair of serrated mating surfaces is associated with the coupling member. In at least one embodiment, the pair of serrated mating surfaces are not perpendicular relative to a bottom of the buckle member or the coupling member. In at least one embodiment, the complimentary dovetail tongue and groove mating structure comprise an over and under configuration, the buckle tongue and the buckle groove overlying the coupling groove and coupling tongue, respectively. In at least one embodiment, at least one of the first magnetic element and second magnetic element are enclosed in plastic.
As used herein, the “initial coupling position” means the position of the coupling member and the buckle member when initially joined. In addition, as used herein, the “final coupling position” means the position of the coupling member and buckle member after the tensioning mechanism (e.g., windlass) of the tourniquet has been used to at least partially tighten the tourniquet.
Various components are referred to herein as “operably associated.” As used herein, “operably associated” refers to components that are linked together in operable fashion, and encompasses embodiments in which components are linked directly, as well as embodiments in which additional components are placed between the two linked components.
The word “exemplary” is used herein to mean serving as an example, instance, or illustration. Any aspect described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects or designs.
As used herein, “at least one,” “one or more,” and “and/or” are open-ended expressions that are both conjunctive and disjunctive in operation. For example, each of the expressions “at least one of A, B and C,” “at least one of A, B, or C,” “one or more of A, B, and C,” “one or more of A, B, or C” and “A, B, and/or C” means A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, or A, B and C together.
Various embodiments of the present inventions are set forth in the attached figures and in the Detailed Description as provided herein and as embodied by the claims. It should be understood, however, that this Summary does not contain all of the aspects and embodiments of the one or more present inventions, is not meant to be limiting or restrictive in any manner, and that the invention(s) as disclosed herein is/are understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to encompass obvious improvements and modifications thereto.
Additional advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent from the following discussion, particularly when taken together with the accompanying drawings.
To further clarify the above and other advantages and features of the one or more present inventions, a more particular description of the one or more present inventions is rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof which are illustrated in the appended drawings. It should be appreciated that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the one or more present inventions and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope. The one or more present inventions are described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings in which:
The drawings are not necessarily to scale.
One or more embodiments of the one or more inventions described herein are directed to a quick-connect buckle for a tourniquet. In accordance with at least one embodiment, a quick-connect buckle is provided for a tourniquet, the quick-connect buckle including a dovetail tongue and groove coupling system with an initial coupling position and a final coupling position corresponding to a tensioned configuration.
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An example tourniquet for incorporating an integrated buckle and tourniquet coupler 200 is described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,892,253, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. The foregoing patent further describes the cooperation of an outer sleeve, inner strap, and windlass, as well as a buckle which can be replaced using the integrated buckle and tourniquet coupler 200 described below. As those skilled in the art will appreciate, the tourniquet structure described above is but one example of the type of tourniquet that may incorporate the novel integrated buckle and tourniquet coupler 200 described and claimed herein. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the integrated buckle and tourniquet coupler 200 may be used with a variety of tourniquets having different designs and configurations, including tourniquets that do not include an outer sleeve 104 and an inner strap 108. For example, the integrated buckle and tourniquet coupler 200 can be used in a tourniquet that includes a strap that is pulled through a buckle member 204 of the integrated buckle and tourniquet coupler 200, but where the strap does not reside within an outer sleeve.
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The first and second magnetic elements 228 and 232 may both be actual magnets, or one of the first and second magnetic elements 228 and 232 may be an actual magnet with the other a ferromagnetic material suitable for interacting with the magnet. Thus, as used herein a “magnetic element” means either a magnet or material susceptible to interaction with a magnet. An advantage to using two magnets is that the magnetic force may be stronger; however, care must be taken during manufacture of the integrated buckle and tourniquet coupler 200 to ensure that the poles of the two magnets are properly aligned to mate with each other and not repel one another. Accordingly, while the magnetic coupling force may not be as strong for use of a single magnet and a magnetic element comprising a ferromagnetic material as compared to two magnets (assuming uniform strength magnets for both scenarios), the manufacture process is simplified and prevents possible manufacture of a tourniquet having a buckle member 204 that is repelled by its coupling member 208. Thus, in one preferred embodiment, the buckle member 204 includes an actual magnet as the first magnetic element 228, and the coupling member 208 includes a ferromagnetic material as the second magnetic element 232.
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The angles between the surfaces of the tongue and groove features of the integrated buckle and tourniquet coupler 200 assist with engaging the buckle member 204 to the coupling member 208. Accordingly, the interior tongue surface 324 is preferably sloped at an angle θ of between about 60 to 80 degrees relative to the bottom tongue surface 320. More preferably, the angle θ between the interior tongue surface 324 and the bottom tongue surface 320 is between about 72 to 78 degrees, and more preferably yet, the angle θ between the interior tongue surface 324 and the bottom tongue surface 320 is about 75 degrees.
At least a portion of the interior tongue surface 324 preferably includes serrations 328 (for engaging serrations on a surface of the coupling member as described below). As depicted in
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As noted above, the angles between the surfaces of the tongue and groove features of the integrated buckle and tourniquet coupler 200 assist with engaging the buckle member 204 to the coupling member 208. Accordingly, the interior tongue surface 424 of the coupling member 208 is preferably sloped at an angle θ of between about 60 to 80 degrees relative to the bottom groove surface 414 of the coupling member 208. More preferably, the angle θ between the interior tongue surface 424 and the bottom groove surface 414 is between about 72 to 78 degrees, and more preferably yet, the angle θ between the interior tongue surface 324 and the bottom groove surface 414 is about 75 degrees.
At least a portion of the interior tongue surface 424 preferably includes serrations 428 for engaging the serrations 328 on the interior tongue surface 324 of the buckle member 204. As depicted in
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In use, an operator of a tourniquet featuring an integrated buckle and tourniquet coupler 200 places the coupling member 208 on the extremity and wraps the tourniquet around the extremity, or otherwise positions a portion of the tourniquet around the subject extremity and thereafter brings the buckle member 204 in general coupling alignment with the coupling member 204 by aligning the dovetail tongue and groove structures of the buckle member 204 and coupling member 208. Thereafter, the buckle tongue 212 is inserted into the coupling groove 224 and concurrently the coupling tongue 220 is placed within the buckle groove 216. As the buckle tongue 212 nears the coupling groove 224, the first and second magnetic elements 228, 232 attract one another or otherwise engage and the buckle member 204 is loosely held within the coupling member 208. Thereafter, the windlass or other tension inducing device connected to the strap of the tourniquet is used to tighten the strap, which in turn, draws the buckle member 204 and coupling member 208 apart, thus forcing the serrated surfaces 328 and 428 of the buckle tongue 212 and coupling tongue 220 to contact each other and interlock. Thereafter, the angled surfaces of the buckle tongue 212 and coupling tongue 220 resist separation of the buckle member 204 from the coupling member 208 because vertical separation is not available. Rather, the buckle member 204 must be drawn circumferentially backwards toward the coupling member 208, which action is not easily achieved since the strap of the tourniquet provides a force opposing unlocking of the buckle member 204 from the coupling member 208.
Referring now to
The one or more present inventions may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the one or more present inventions is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. All changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.
The one or more present inventions, in various embodiments, includes components, methods, processes, systems and apparatus substantially as depicted and described herein, including various embodiments, subcombinations, and subsets thereof. Those of skill in the art will understand how to make and use the one or more present inventions after understanding the present disclosure.
The one or more present inventions, in various embodiments, includes providing devices and processes in the absence of items not depicted and/or described herein or in various embodiments hereof, including in the absence of such items as may have been used in previous devices or processes (e.g., for improving performance, achieving ease and/or reducing cost of implementation).
The foregoing discussion of the one or more present inventions has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. The foregoing is not intended to limit the one or more present inventions to the form or forms disclosed herein. In the foregoing Detailed Description for example, various features of the one or more present inventions are grouped together in one or more embodiments for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed one or more present inventions requires more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive aspects lie in less than all features of a single foregoing disclosed embodiment. Thus, the following claims are hereby incorporated into this Detailed Description, with each claim standing on its own as a separate preferred embodiment of the one or more present inventions.
Moreover, though the description of the one or more present inventions has included description of one or more embodiments and certain variations and modifications, other variations and modifications are within the scope of the one or more present inventions (e.g., as may be within the skill and knowledge of those in the art, after understanding the present disclosure). It is intended to obtain rights which include alternative embodiments to the extent permitted, including alternate, interchangeable and/or equivalent structures, functions, ranges or steps to those claimed, whether or not such alternate, interchangeable and/or equivalent structures, functions, ranges or steps are disclosed herein, and without in ding to publicly dedicate any patentable subject matter.
