Abstract:
A cushion comprises a magnet disposed therewithin proximate one or both of two major surfaces in the cushion. A medical diagnostic device comprises a contact surface wherein a part of the patient&#39;s body contacts the diagnostic device. The contact surface is configured with one or more indentations having a shape configured to receive the cushion. A magnet disposed proximate the indentation is oriented to attract the magnet within the cushion when the cushion is placed in the indentation to retain the cushion therein.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims priority to U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 62/112,190, filed Feb. 5, 2015, in the name of Pruyne, and entitled CUSHION RETAINER. 
         [0002]    This application is related in certain respects to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/048,599, filed Oct. 8, 2013, in the name of Litzenberger et al., and entitled EXTREMITY IMAGING APPARATUS FOR CONE BEAM COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    The subject matter disclosed herein relates to cushions or padding for use with medical diagnostic equipment. In particular, to a diagnostic device having padding disposed thereon for purposes of patient comfort. 
         [0004]    Oftentimes, medical diagnostic examination requires patients to come into contact with medical equipment. Hard surfaces and edges may cause patient pain or discomfort, in particular, if the contact is prolonged or requires significant pressure as between the equipment and patient anatomy. Such contact may occur when a patient must present their full or partial body weight against a medical apparatus. Multi-use medical devices may not always require that padding or cushioning be present, and such items may even present an obstruction for certain examination procedures. It would be advantageous for padding to be easily and quickly removed from and replaced on medical diagnostic equipment as needed. 
         [0005]    The discussion above is merely provided for general background information and is not intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter. 
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    A cushion assembly comprises a magnet disposed therewithin proximate one or both of two major surfaces of the cushion assembly. A medical diagnostic device comprises a contact surface wherein a part of a patient&#39;s body may contact the diagnostic device. The contact surface may be configured with one or more indentations having a shape configured to receive the cushion. A magnet disposed in the diagnostic device proximate the indentation is oriented to attract the magnet within the cushion, when the cushion is placed in the indentation, to retain the cushion. An advantage that may be realized in the practice of some disclosed embodiments of the cushion retainer assembly is a simplified removal and placement of the cushion for medical examinations as needed. 
         [0007]    In one embodiment, a cushion retainer assembly includes a cushion having two major opposing surfaces. A first magnet is disposed within the cushion proximate one or more of the two major surfaces. A medical diagnostic device includes a corresponding indentation on a contact surface area wherein a part of a patient&#39;s body may contact the diagnostic device during certain procedures. The contact surface is configured with one or more indentations shaped to receive the cushion. A second magnet disposed proximate a surface of the indentation is oriented to attract the first magnet when the cushion is placed in the indentation so as to retain the cushion therein. 
         [0008]    In another embodiment, a medical diagnostic assembly includes a medical diagnostic device that may physically contact a patient. The diagnostic device has an indentation to receive a cushion and shaped similar to the cushion. A magnet beneath a surface of the indentation is oriented to attract a magnet in the cushion when the cushion is placed in the indentation. 
         [0009]    In another embodiment, an assembly includes a cushion between about one and one-half inches to about three inches thick. Magnets are disposed within the cushion and are made from a rare earth material and are shaped as discs having a thickness of about ¼ inch. The cushion has counter bores to receive the magnets that are shaped substantially similar to a shape of the magnets. 
         [0010]    This brief description of the invention is intended only to provide a brief overview of subject matter disclosed herein according to one or more illustrative embodiments, and does not serve as a guide to interpreting the claims or to define or limit the scope of the invention, which is defined only by the appended claims. This brief description is provided to introduce an illustrative selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the detailed description. This brief description is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter. The claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any or all disadvantages noted in the background. 
         [0011]    For example, the summary descriptions above are not meant to describe individual separate embodiments whose elements are not interchangeable. In fact, many of the elements described as related to a particular embodiment can be used together with, and possibly interchanged with, elements of other described embodiments. Many changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the present invention without departing from the spirit thereof, and the invention includes all such modifications. The drawings below are intended to be drawn neither to any precise scale with respect to relative size, angular relationship, relative position, or timing relationship, nor to any combinational relationship with respect to interchangeability, substitution, or representation of a required implementation. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0012]    So that the manner in which the features of the invention can be understood, a detailed description of the invention may be had by reference to certain embodiments, some of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. It is to be noted, however, that the drawings illustrate only certain embodiments of this invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, for the scope of the invention encompasses other equally effective embodiments. Although the drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis is generally placed upon illustrating the features of certain embodiments of the invention. In the drawings, like numerals are used to indicate like parts throughout the various views. Thus, for further understanding of the invention, reference can be made to the following detailed description, read in connection with the drawings in which: 
           [0013]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an exemplary cushion assembly; 
           [0014]      FIG. 2  is a transparent view of the exemplary cushion assembly of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0015]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of an exemplary medical diagnostic device having indentations, or recesses, in its housing to receive the exemplary cushion assembly of  FIGS. 1-2 ; 
           [0016]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the exemplary medical diagnostic device of  FIG. 3  having a plurality of the exemplary cushion assembly of  FIGS. 1-2  disposed thereon; 
           [0017]      FIG. 5  is a side cross sectional view of a portion of the exemplary cushion assembly of  FIGS. 1-2 ; and 
           [0018]      FIG. 6  is a side cross sectional view of a portion of the exemplary medical diagnostic device of  FIGS. 3-4 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0019]      FIGS. 1 and 2  each illustrate a perspective view of cushion assembly  100 .  FIG. 1  illustrates a general outline of the cushion assembly  100  and  FIG. 2  illustrates a transparent view of the cushion assembly  100  which makes visible securing assemblies  202  within the cushion assembly  100  each including a magnet  204  and a force distribution disc  203 . Not all instances of securing assemblies  202 , magnets  204 , and force distribution discs  203  are enumerated in the Figures, however, in the exemplary embodiment of  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the cushion assembly  100  comprises six securing assemblies  202  although the number may vary. 
         [0020]    Each individual cushion assembly  100  comprises a substantially planar top surface  102  and a substantially planar bottom surface  103 . The top and bottom surfaces  102 ,  103  may be said to be disposed on opposite sides of the cushion assembly  100  and comprise the largest planar surfaces of the cushion assembly  100 . The cushion assembly  100  comprises substantially continuous side surfaces  104  continuously and integrally formed with the top and bottom surfaces  102 ,  103 , and substantially perpendicular thereto. The side surfaces may form a corner where they meet the top and bottom surfaces or they may form a rounded edge. The bulk  105  of the cushion assembly  100  is fabricated from a flexible, spongy, relatively soft foam material that yields to pressure. In one embodiment, the bulk  105  of the cushion assembly  100  may comprise cross-linked closed cell ethyl vinyl acetate (EVA) foam at a density of about 2 lb/ft 3 . The thickness of the cushion assembly  100 , i.e., a distance between top and bottom surfaces  102 ,  103 , may range from about one-half inch to about four inches, more preferably from about one and one-half inch to about three inches, and even more preferably about two and one-quarter inches to about two and three-quarter inches. The thickness of the cushion assembly  100  may vary depending on the density of the selected cushion material and on the intended medical diagnostic application. The general outline, or shape, of the cushion assembly  100  may vary and may be selected for various purposes, such as for fitting on a particular medical diagnostic device. 
         [0021]    The magnet  204  of each securing assembly  202  may be disposed in the foam adjacent to the force distribution discs  203 , or they may be attached to the force distribution discs  203  using a suitable adhesive, for example. In one embodiment, the magnets  204  may be formed in the shape of a disc of about one inch diameter and about ¼ inch thick, although the selected sizes may vary depending on particular applications and materials used, as desired. In one embodiment, the magnets  204  may be formed as rare earth magnets out of a material known in the art as N52 type. The force distribution discs  203 , adjacent the magnets  204 , may be fabricated as plastic discs, such as a polycarbonate material, semi-rigid in structure, having a diameter of about two inches and, if glued, they may be attached to the magnets  204  using Fast 77 spray adhesive made by the 3M Company, for example. A thickness of the force distribution discs may range from about 0.005 inch to about 0.025 inch, more preferably from about 0.010 inch to about 0.020 inch, and may vary somewhat depending on the rigidity or formulation of the thermoplastic material used. 
         [0022]    The securing assemblies  202  may be placed in the EVA foam bulk  105  of the cushion assembly  100  during manufacture, such as during injection molding, for example, or they may be placed in counter bored openings  506  ( FIG. 5 ) formed in the bulk  105  of the cushion material after molding. The counter bored openings  506  match the size of the magnet  204  and the force distribution disc  203 , and may be back filled with foam or closed with a foam plug, for example, after placement of the securing assemblies  202  therein. The magnet  204  may be disposed on an inward facing side of the force distribution disc  203  (away from a major surface  102 ,  103 ) whereby the force distribution disc  203  faces the major surface  102 ,  103 , of the cushion assembly  100  at a depth of about ¼ inch therefrom, for example. The surfaces  102 - 104  of the cushion assembly  100  may be colored, such as by spray painting, using a spray coated matte black low tack single coat paint, as an example. The magnets  204  may be disposed in the cushion assemblies  100  such that their north poles face the top surface  102  of the cushion assembly  100  and their south poles face the bottom surface  103  of the cushion assembly  100 . Such orientations of the magnets  204  facilitate stacking the cushion assemblies  100  as the magnets  204  will assist in holding the cushion assemblies  100  in a stacked formation. The magnets  204  may be configured in various other orientations such that they cooperate with magnets placed in a medical diagnostic device and in other cushion assemblies  100 . 
         [0023]      FIGS. 3 and 4  illustrate a housing  310  of an exemplary medical diagnostic x-ray device  311  known as an Extremity Imager for Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT), such as described in the US Patent Application identified above and incorporated by reference herein. In one embodiment, the housing  310  of the CBCT imager  311  includes indentations  302  formed in a surface thereof which, together with the cushion assembly  100 , forms a cushion retainer assembly  300  of the present invention. These indentations  302  may be formed integrally in the housing  310  or they may comprise openings in the housing  310  that are fitted with a cover that provides the recess  302  for receiving the cushion assembly  100 . The indentations  302 , or depressions, are shaped to match the outline of the cushion assembly  100  such that placement of the cushion assembly  100  therein forms a mating fit ( FIG. 4 ). The indentations  302  are formed at a depth, such as about ¼ inch, suitable to prevent unwanted sideways displacement of the cushion assembly  100  after placement of the cushion assembly  100  in the indentation  302 . The sidewall  304  of the depression  302  preferably makes contact with a corner or sidewall  104  of the cushion assembly  100  to prevent such sideward displacement. Magnets  306  may be placed below a surface of the recessed portion  302  of the housing  310  such that they attract the magnets  204  in the cushion assemblies  100 , i.e., the north poles of the magnets  306  face upward toward the recessed portion  302  and the south poles of the cushion assembly  100  magnets  204 . The configuration of the CBCT imager  311 , as an exemplary medical diagnostic device, together with the cushion assembly  100  facilitate easy removal and replacement of cushion assemblies  100  as needed for diagnostic procedures using the CBCT imager  311 . 
         [0024]      FIG. 5  illustrates a cross sectional view of the cushion assembly  100  to better illustrate dimensions of the securing assemblies  202  in relation to the cushion assembly  100  as described herein. As shown, one of the securing assemblies  202  is disposed proximate the top surface  102  of the cushion assembly  100  and comprises a magnet  204  adjacent a force distribution disc  203  disposed in a counter bore  506  formed in the bulk  105  of a foam based cushion assembly  100 . In one embodiment, a diameter  510  of the magnet  204  may be about 1 inch and the diameter  508  of the force distribution disc  203  may be about 2 inches. In one embodiment, a thickness  504  of the magnet  204  may be about ¼ inch and a depth  502  from the top surface  102  to the force distribution disc  203  may also be about ¼ inch. As previously described herein, the depth  502 , formed by a counter bore in the top surface  102 , may be back filled with foam or closed with a foam plug, for example, after placement of the securing assembly  202  therein. The dimensions of the securing assembly  202  that is placed proximate the bottom surface  103  of the cushion assembly  100  and its position within the cushion assembly  100  may be similar to the dimensions just described. The dimensions and distances described here may vary without departing from the scope of the present invention. 
         [0025]      FIG. 6  illustrates a cross sectional view of the top surface of the housing  310  having an indentation  302 , or cover as explained above, formed therein. As shown, indentation  302  may comprise a sidewall  304  having a depth  603  of about ⅜ inch. In one embodiment, a magnet  306 , having a disc shape, for example, may be disposed at a distance  602  of about 0.02 inches to about 0.06 inches, preferably about 0.04 inches, from a surface of the indentation  302 . In one embodiment, a diameter  606  of the magnet  306  may be about 1 inch and a thickness  604  of the magnet  306  may be about ¼ inch. In one embodiment, the magnet  306  may be affixed, such as by an adhesive, into a counterbored recess  605 , slightly larger than the magnet  306 , formed in the bottom side of the cover or housing  310 . In this embodiment, consistent with the orientations of the magnets  204  in the cushion assembly  100  as described above, the magnet&#39;s upper (or top) surface, in the perspective shown in  FIG. 6 , comprises a magnetic north pole, opposite the bottom surface south pole. The dimensions and distances described herein may vary without departing from the scope of the present invention. 
         [0026]    This written description uses examples to disclose the invention, including the best mode, and also to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the invention, including making and using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable scope of the invention is defined by the claims, and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they have structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if they include equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from the literal language of the claims.