Supporting apparatus for medical bottles and the like

Apparatus for supporting intravenous bottles, or the like, which includes a first elongate rod member adapted to be suspended from the ceiling, and a second elongate rod member telescopically related to the first member, and depending therefrom. A bottle supporting structure is adjustable lengthwise along the second member and is secured at different locations along the second member by a readily accessible first lock device disposed substantially below a second lock device that releasably secures the second member to the first member at different locations therealong, the second lock device being controlled by a mechanism operated from a remote location along the second member positioned below the bottle supporting structure. By virtue of the above apparatus, the rod members can be adjusted with respect to each other to enable the same apparatus to be used in rooms having different ceiling heights, the bottle supporting structure being shiftable to convenient desired locations along the second rod member.

The present invention relates to apparatus for supporting bottles, and the 
like, used in intravenous feedings. 
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,321,090, a supporting apparatus is illustrated in which 
a bottle supporting structure is secured at selected locations along the 
length of a rod member than can be supported from a ceiling. Since ceiling 
heights vary, it becomes necessary to provide rod members of different 
lengths to enable the bottles to be supported at an appropriate height 
with respect to the patient receiving the intravenous feeding. The 
production of different size rod members increases manufacturing and 
inventory costs. 
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,006,481, an adjustable rod structure is disclosed 
consisting of two rod members telescopically related to each other. A lock 
device is mounted on the upper member and is received in a selected groove 
in a lower member for the purpose of adjusting the distance of the bottle 
supporting structure below the ceiling from which the apparatus is 
supported. The lock device may be inconvenient to operate by nurses of 
short height standing on the floor of the room. Additionly, the bottle 
supporting structure is fixed in position with respect to the lower rod 
member, and cannot always be placed at the most optimum position for the 
patient receiving the intravenous feeding. 
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,191,904, a supporting unit is illustrated and described 
which has telescopic members that are adjustable with respect to one 
another to change the effective length of the unit, which are locked to 
one another by a control device at the lower end of the unit. However, 
there are no provisions made for adjusting the location of the bottle 
supporting structure with respect to the telescopic rod mechanism itself. 
In the apparatus illustrated in the drawings, the need for providing a 
plurality of different size supporting rod members for use with different 
height ceilings is eliminated. Not only can the effective length of the 
rod members be varied, but the location of the bottle supporting structure 
with respect to the rod members can also be adjusted. The adjustments can 
be made readily from the floor of the room in which the apparatus is to be 
mounted by persons of short stature, since the mechanisms for 
telescopically adjusting the rod members with respect to one another, and 
the bottle supporting structure with respect to the rod members, are 
readily accessible to both tall and short persons standing on the floor of 
the room. The location of the bottle supporting structure can be so 
selected as to achieve the greatest amount of gravitational feed to the 
patient of the intravenous fluids. 
An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus in which 
elongate telescopic rod members can be adjusted in overall length with 
respect to each other and secured together by a lock mechanism which is 
disposed a substantial distance above the location from which the lock 
mechanism is operated, thereby rendering operation of the lock device easy 
to perfrom by short persons as well as tall persons. 
A further object of the invention is to provide an apparatus for supporting 
medical bottles, and the like, which includes telescopically related 
members that are secured in a desired telescoped position by an upper lock 
mechanism operated from a remote point well below the point at which the 
bottle supporting structure is mounted on the telescopic mechanism, the 
bottle supporting structure being releasably secured in various positions 
by a lower lock mechanism positioned at a convenient point above the room 
floor and readily accessible to persons of small stature. In a more 
limited sense, the lock mechanism for securing the bottle supporting 
structure to the telescopic members can be adjusted by infinitesimal 
amounts along the length of the telescopic members to insure placement of 
the intravenous bottles at the desired position. 
Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus for supporting 
intravenous bottles, and the like, in which telescopically related members 
can be adjusted in overall length and positively locked to one another at 
a plurality of positions, a bottle supporting structure also being 
adjustably mounted with respect to the telescopic members and secured in 
its desired position of adjustment, both lock mechanisms being easily 
operable by short or tall persons standing on the floor of the room. The 
locking effect of the lock mechanism for the bottle supporting structure 
is automatically increased upon increase in the gravitational effect of 
the bottle supporting structure, bottles and their contents. 
This invention possesses many other advantages, and has other purposes 
which may be made more clearly apparent from a consideration of a form in 
which it may be embodied. This form is shown in the drawings accompanying 
and forming part of the present specification. It will now be described in 
detail, for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the 
invention; but it is to be understood that such detailed description is 
not to be taken in a limiting sense.

The apparatus disclosed in the drawings includes an elongate upper rod 
member 10 shiftable relatively longitudinally within an elongate lower 
tubular rod member 11, the lower end of which may be provided with a 
spiral safety hook 12 on which an intravenous bottle 13 can be hung, the 
bottle having a bail 13a supported by the lower hook. The upper rod member 
10 may be secured directly to a ceiling 14, or it may be movably mounted 
with respect to the ceiling by having its upper eye 15 supported by a 
spiral safety hook 16 pivotally mounted on a carrier 17 shiftable along a 
track 18 suitably secured to the room ceiling. 
The upper rod member 10 had a plurality of longitudinally spaced locking 
peripheral grooves 19, the rod member 10 passing into the tubular rod 
member 11 and through a lock device 20 fixed to the upper end of the outer 
tubular member (see FIG. 4). The lock device includes an upper lock body 
21 through which the upper rod member 10 is slidable, rotation between the 
upper and lower rod members being prevented by a radial pin 22 secured to 
the outer tubular member and projecting into a longitudinal elongate 
groove 23 in the upper rod member 10. The lower portion 24 of the lock 
body is reduced in diameter and fits snugly into the upper end of the 
outer tubular member 11, being suitably secured thereto. The lock body is 
enlarged at its upper portion 25 and has a chamber 26 therein receiving a 
lock member 27 slidable laterally in the upper lock body along opposed 
side walls 28 of the lock body and also along the upper and lower walls 29 
of the body. 
The lock member has a vertical opening 30 therethrough through which the 
upper rod member 10 is movable when the lock is released, as described 
below, this lock member including a bolt portion 31 shiftable into a 
selected rod groove 19 by a compression spring 32 bearing against the lock 
member and against a spring seat 33 in the body. When in this position, 
the upper and lower rod members 10, 11 are locked to one another against 
relative longitudinal movement. When the lock member 27 is shifted 
inwardly against the force of the spring, the bolt 31 is removed from the 
groove, permitting the tubular member 11 to be shifted longitudinally in 
both directions. 
As specifically disclosed, the lock member 27 is shifted to an unlocked 
position by an elongate release rod 35 located within the outer tubular 
member 11, passing through a groove 36 in a guide bushing 37 affixed to 
the lower end of the upper rod member 10, the release rod also passing 
through a guide groove 38 in the lower portion 24 of the upper lock body. 
The upper end 39 of the rod is tapered to provide a cam surface which 
engages a companion cam surface 40 on the lock member 27, so that upward 
movement of the release rod 35 within the outer tubular member causes the 
rod cam 39 to engage the lock cam 40 to shift the lock member towards the 
right, as seen in FIG. 4, against the force of the spring 32 to remove the 
bolt portion 31 of the lock from the peripheral groove 19, which then 
allows the outer tubular member 11 to be shifted upwardly or downwardly to 
the desired extent with respect to the elongate upper rod member 10. 
The lock member 27 is actuated from a location near the lower end of the 
outer tubular member 11. As shown, a release or actuator knob 45 is 
slidably mounted on the outer tubular member and has a transverse pin 46 
secured thereto, extending through diametrically opposed vertical slots 47 
in the outer tubular member and through a hole or opening 48 in the 
release rod 35. Normally, the release knob 45 and the release rod are 
disposed in a lower position along the outer tubular member 11 by a 
tensile spring 49 which has an upper hook 50 engaging the transverse pin 
46 and a lower hook 51 engaging a lower pin 52 fixed in a lower bushing 53 
that closes the lower end of the outer tubular member. When the release 
rod 35 is elevated by the knob 45 in opposition to the force of the 
tensile spring 49, the rod is carried upwardly therewith to the extent 
determined by engagement of the transverse pin 46 with the upper ends of 
the slots 47, the actuating cam surface 39 engaging the lock member cam 
surface 40 and shifting the lock member 27 to rod releasing position. When 
the knob is released, the tensile spring 49 pulls it to its initial or 
downward position, retracting the release rod 35 and permitting the 
helical compression spring 32 to shift the lock member to the left, seen 
in FIG. 4, positioning the bolt 31 within a selected rod groove 19 to 
secure the upper and lower rod members 10, 11 against relative movement. 
A bottle supporting structure 55 is slidable along the outer tubular member 
11 and can be locked in any selected position along its exterior. It is to 
be noted that the body 56 of the supporting structure is disposed above 
the release knob 45, and that it has a central bore 57 through which the 
outer tubular member 11 passes. The body of the supporting structure has 
circumferentially spaced slots 58 therein, each of which receives the 
inner portion 59 of a bottle carrying arm 60 that is pivotally mounted on 
a pin 61 extending across the slot and suitably attached to the body on 
opposite sides thereof. Each arm 60 can extend outwardly to a 
substantially horizontal position, as determined by engagement of the 
inner portion 59 of each arm with a suitable body stop 62. Each arm can be 
swung upwardly to a position adjacent to the outer tubular member, as 
disclosed in FIG. 1, each arm being releasably retained in that position 
by an elastic retainer member 63 secured to the arm and which expands 
slightly into a vertical notch 64 in one of the side walls of the slot. 
The outer end of each arm is formed as a spiral safety support hook 65 
from which the bail of the bottle 13 extends. 
The body 56 of the bottle supporting structure can be releasably secured to 
the outer tubular member 11 at an infinite number of positions between the 
limit of upward travel of the body along the outer tubular member and the 
lower limit of travel adjacent to the upper end of the release knob 45. A 
one-way clutch type device 66 is provided (see FIG. 3), which includes a 
gripping member 67 through which the outer tubular member 11 extends, 
having one end 68 pivotally mounted within an opening 69 in the body, the 
opposite end of the gripping member being formed as a release tab 70 which 
is engaged by a helical compression spring 71 bearing against the 
underside of the tab, the lower end of the spring bearing against the 
structure body 56. The gripping member is urged to its inclined position 
disclosed in FIG. 3 which causes the opposite edges 72 of the gripping 
member to bear against the periphery of the outer tubular member 11, 
providing a friction lock between the gripping member 67 and the exterior 
of the tubular member. The weight of the bottles 13 and their contents 
causes the opposed edges 72 of the wafer-like lock 67 to dig into the 
periphery of the outer tubular member 11, insuring the retention of the 
supporting structure 55 in its locked position against the outer member. 
When it is desired to shift the supporting structure to a different 
position along the outer member, the tab 70 is depressed against the force 
of the spring 71 to shift the lock member 67 from the outer member 11 and 
permitting the supporting structure 55 to be shifted to any other 
desirable location. Release of the unlocking force on the lock member 67 
causes the compression spring 71 to reshift the tab to its inclined and 
tubular member gripping position. 
The combination and positions of the two locking devices makes it possible 
for persons of short height, as well as tall persons, to readily and 
conveniently adjust the effective length of the telescopic rod structure 
and enable a single size apparatus to be used in connection with different 
height ceilings. Once the desired length of the telescopic rod member 
structure has been selected, the upper lock 20 is readily released to 
permit the lower tubular member 11 to be shifted with respect to the upper 
rod member 10, the two rod members then being secured to each other 
against longitudinal movement. Thereafter, the bottle supporting structure 
55 can be shifted to the desired position by persons of different heights 
standing on the floor, it being a relatively simple operation to release 
the one-way gripping member 67, slide the bottle supporting structure to 
the desired location, and then release the one-way gripping member, which 
is automatically shifted by the spring 71 back to its gripping position. 
With respect to the remote controlled upper lock device, it is only 
necessary for the release knob 45 to be actuated to release the lock 20 
and permit the outer tubular member 11 to be elevated a short distance and 
position the bolt 31 out of the groove 19, whereupon the upper lock member 
will slide along the periphery of the upper rod, and, upon reaching the 
next groove 19 on the rod, the lock will automatically be shifted by the 
spring 32 into the next groove, positively locking the rods to one 
another, until the release rod 35 is again actuated to cam the lock member 
to its unlocked position. With respect to the lower lock device, it will 
instantly grip the periphery of the outer tubular member 11 and lock the 
bottle supporting structure thereto without any longitudinal movement 
first being required.