Universal I.V. stand mounting system

A universal mounting system for attaching any of a variety of I.V. devices to an I.V. pole. The mounting system has both a C-clamp and a spring-actuated clamp. The C-clamp attaches to the I.V. pole with a threaded stud that is manually adjustable with a knob. The spring-actuated clamp secures the I.V. device and is pivotally connected to the C-clamp by a pivot-screw that extends through both a spring and a non-threaded bore that is formed in the C-clamp, and exits at a recess area on the C-clamp. The pivot-screw is threaded into a threaded bore that extends through a projection on the spring-actuated clamp. The projection fits within the recess to prevent pivoting of the spring-actuated clamp relative to the C-clamp. The spring-actuated clamp has two aligned, opposing and spring-loaded clips for holding I.V. devices. The clips pivot and fulcrum together at a pivot point between the ends of each clip so as to bring the clip ends together to a clamped position on an I.V. device.

BACKGROUND 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates to an apparatus for attaching devices to a 
stand (hereinafter "I.V. stand") used for supporting various types of bags 
or bottles holding liquids for intravenous delivery to a patient. More 
particularly, the present invention relates to a universal mounting system 
which allows for quick, one-handed attachment and release of various I.V. 
devices to an I.V. pole, where the I.V. pole may be of varying 
configurations, including different sizes, shapes and orientations. 
2. Background Art 
One of the more basic tools used in a medical environment is an I.V. stand. 
The typical I.V. stand is comprised of an elongated member, or pole, which 
may be oriented either vertically or horizontally, and may additionally 
have any one of a variety of cross-sectional geometric shapes, including 
round, hexagonal or square. The pole is placed upon and supported by a 
base plate or pedestal. Typically, I.V. devices such as supply bags or 
bottles of an I.V. liquid--normally blood, saline solution, or 
medication--are attached to the I.V. pole. These liquids are then 
delivered via a thin tube to a patient who is in a bed adjacent the I.V. 
stand. 
As medical technologies and treatment techniques have advanced, there are 
an increasingly large number of I.V. liquids that must be delivered to a 
patient. As such, there are often additional devices that must be attached 
to the I.V. stand to manage, control, measure, and/or monitor the delivery 
of these various liquids. One such device is referred to as a manifold 
which provides for the selective intravenous delivery of any one of a 
variety of fluids to a patient through a single delivery tube. Another 
such device is known as a multi-catheter organizer. This device is 
designed to attach to an I.V. stand and allow for the attachment of 
numerous catheter tubes in a collective and orderly fashion. 
In order to minimize equipment costs and increase flexibility of use, these 
devices are typically required to be adaptable for use with various types 
of I.V. stands. In recognition of this, such devices have typically been 
mounted on an I.V. pole by way of a clamping assembly. However, there are 
several disadvantages inherent in the currently available clamping 
assemblies. 
Often, these clamping assemblies are capable of attachment to the I.V. 
stand in only one position. Thus they may not be used interchangeably 
between a horizontally disposed I.V. pole and a vertically disposed I.V. 
pole. Similarly, these clamping assemblies are often limited as to the 
size and/or shape of the I.V. pole to which they can attach. While a clamp 
on a clamping assembly may be capable of attaching to a round I.V. pole, 
it may not be capable of attaching to a hexagonal, or square shaped pole. 
Similarly, these clamps are often limited to specific widths or diameters 
of poles to which they can properly attach. Each of these limitations 
restricts the adaptability and limits the usefulness of the clamping 
assembly. 
Another and more substantial drawback of the currently available clamping 
assemblies is the inability to quickly attach and detach the various types 
of devices to the I.V. stand. Typically, these clamping assemblies utilize 
a "U" or C-shaped rigid clamping member in conjunction with a clamping 
screw that must be tightened or loosened by hand in order to clamp, or 
unclamp such a device as a manifold, catheter organizer or the like to an 
I.V. pole. The disadvantage of this configuration is the inherent 
difficulty of being able to quickly and firmly attach a device to the I.V. 
pole. Medical personnel are often required to quickly remove and attach 
various kinds of devices to an I.V. pole, especially in a hurried medical 
situation. The current clamping assemblies require an undue amount of time 
and difficulty to operate them. With clamping assemblies common in the 
prior art, a user must use both hands, one to grasp the clamp or pole 
while loosening or tightening the clamp's bolt or screw with the other 
hand, which proves to be slow and cumbersome. Also, it is difficult to 
hang an I.V. device, such as a catheter organizer, and attach it to or 
remove it from an I.V. stand while at the same time adjusting the clamping 
assembly's bolt. Often, this will undesirably result in the catheter 
organizer, or similar I.V. device, being dropped on the ground. 
An additional disadvantage to clamping assemblies currently in use is that 
how securely a device is held is entirely dependent on the user 
sufficiently tightening the clamping bolt. Insufficient tightening may 
result in the device falling off the I.V. stand. Over-tightening results 
in adding difficulty when subsequently untightening to remove the device, 
and may even result in damage to the device, which is often constructed 
out of plastic materials. 
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION 
It is, therefore, a primary object of the present invention to provide a 
universal mounting system for more quickly and securely attaching any of a 
variety of different attaching devices to an I.V. pole. 
It is an additional object of the present invention to provide a universal 
mounting system that is easily and quickly adaptable for use on I.V. poles 
having different sizes and shapes. 
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a universal 
mounting system that may function on both horizontally and vertically 
disposed I.V. poles by allowing the user to selectively rotate and lock 
the clamping assembly relative to the I.V. pole. 
It is a further objective to advance the art to provide a universal 
mounting system that allows a user to quickly attach and detach various 
types of devices to an I.V. stand with only one hand, thus allowing the 
user to simultaneously grasp the device with the other hand. 
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a mounting 
system which, while still allowing for one-handed release and attachment 
of various types of devices, will clamp onto and hold such devices with 
sufficient force to prevent the devices from falling off. 
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a universal 
mounting system that incorporates a unique set of channel shaped jaws that 
correspond and clamp on to channel shaped brackets used on a variety of 
standard devices. 
Other objects and advantages of the present invention are realized in the 
universal mounting system disclosed herein, and will become more fully 
apparent from the following detailed description and appended claims, or 
by practice of the invention. 
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention is directed to a universal mounting system for 
attaching a variety of different types of devices to an I.V. pole. The 
mounting system includes a novel combination of two clamping devices. The 
first clamp releasably attaches to an I.V. pole, and the second clamp 
releasably attaches to various types of I.V. devices. 
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the first clamp is a C-clamp, 
which has a generally open configuration allowing it to fully envelop an 
I.V. pole. A threaded bore is fashioned through one arm of the C-clamp 
through which a threaded stud may be extended or retracted by a hand knob, 
thus clamping or unclamping the I.V. pole. 
The second clamp is pivotally connected to the first clamp such that the 
second clamp can be rotated and locked with respect to both the first 
clamp and the I.V. pole. In a preferred embodiment the second clamp may be 
locked in a position that is either parallel or normal to the I.V. pole. 
In the preferred embodiment of the invention, I.V. devices are clamped and 
held by the second clamp by a pair of spring-loaded jaws that are manually 
operated with a single hand by applying pressure on the opposite ends of 
the spring-loaded jaws. The spring-loaded jaws are then released and 
permitted to close upon the I.V. device that is to be attached to the I.V. 
pole. This second clamp thus allows for a quick, one-handed attachment or 
release of the I.V. device. 
The jaws used in the second clamp are preferably fashioned so as to form a 
channel-shaped enclosure at their ends. This channel shaped enclosure is 
intended to be able to enclose and clamp onto a similarly shaped channel 
typically found on many standard I.V. devices in current use, including 
the aforementioned multi-catheter organizer device or catheter manifold 
device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
Reference is now made to the drawings wherein like parts are designated 
with like numerals throughout. Referring first to FIG. 1, one presently 
preferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrated and 
designated generally at 10. 
The mounting system 10 includes a first clamping means, as for example a 
C-clamp 12, and a second clamping means, as for example a spring-actuated 
clamp which is designated generally at 14. In a preferred embodiment, the 
C-clamp 12 is configured with two arms, 16 and 18, which together form a 
general C-shape with the body 20 of the C-clamp 12. A first arm 16 of the 
C-clamp has an internally threaded bore 22 through which extends a 
threaded stud 24. Attached at one end of the stud 24 is a knob 26 which 
permits easy adjustment of the stud 24 with the fingers of one hand. Thus, 
in operation the C-clamp arms 16, 18 are enveloped about an elongated 
member, such as a pole, and the hand knob 26 is then tightened so as to 
urge the stud 24 against the pole and clamp it against the second arm 18, 
such operation being illustrated in FIGS. 3 through 5 and 7. 
With continued reference to FIG. 1, the spring-actuated clamp 14 is 
configured with two clips 28 and 30, which are also shown in cross-section 
in FIG. 6. The first clip 28 has a jaw end 32 and a lever end 34. 
Similarly, the second clip 30 has a correspondingly shaped jaw end 36 and 
a lever end 38. The second clip 30 is partially disposed within the body 
of the first clip 28 such that the two jaw ends 32 and 36 are in an 
opposed, but non-contacting relationship, which is best seen in the 
cross-sectional view in FIG. 6. 
With reference now to FIG. 6, it is illustrated now the clamp 14 has a 
spring 40 which is disposed between the first clip 28 and the second clip 
30. The two clips 28, 30 are fulcrumed together at a pivot-pin 42 such 
that the spring 40 urges the jaw ends 32, 36 of the resilient clamp 14 
into a substantially together or closed position. Thus, in operation a 
user may apply pressure with the fingers of one hand to the respective 
lever ends 34, 38 of the resilient clamp 14, so that the respective jaw 
ends 32, 36 may be urged apart, and into an open position prior to 
clamping a device. 
With continued reference to FIG. 6, it is further illustrated how the 
opposing jaw ends 32, 36 of the resilient clamp 14 together form a channel 
shaped enclosure when they are in the closed position. Each jaw end 32, 36 
has a continuous elongate rectangular groove 44, 46 formed along the 
inside lateral edge. Each lateral edge of the jaw end 32, 36 also has a 
projecting flange portion 48, 50 which projects normal to the lateral edge 
of the jaw and in a direction towards the opposing clip. The resulting 
channel-shaped enclosure is designed such that it may clamp a T-shaped 
bracket 52 (shown in cross-section in FIG. 6) that is standard on many 
I.V. devices. One such device is a catheter manifold 54, which is shown in 
FIG. 5 clamped by the present universal mounting system 10. 
The resilient clamp 14 is pivotally connected to the C-clamp 12, and in 
operation may be rotated and locked in different positions relative to the 
C-clamp 12. This is accomplished by a releasable locking means, or locking 
mechanism, which is comprised, by way of example, of several elements that 
are best seen in FIGS. 7 and 8. FIG. 8 illustrates a pivot-screw 56, which 
has a screw head 60 at one end and is threaded at the opposite end, and 
also illustrates a spring 58, which is coiled around the pivot-screw, but 
has a diameter that is less than the diameter of a washer 57 and screw 
head 60. With the spring 58 coiled around a portion of the length of the 
pivot-screw 56, it is extended through a non-threaded bore 62 which is 
formed through the body of the C-clamp 20. The non-threaded bore 62 is 
made up of three portions, each of which have different cross-sectional 
characteristics. 
Referring now to the cross-sectional view of FIG. 7, the first portion 64 
of the non-threaded bore 62 enters a lateral edge of the C-clamp and has a 
diameter that is smaller than that of both the screw head 60 and the 
washer 57. A second portion 66 of the non-threaded bore 62 has a diameter 
that may slideably receive the length of the pivot-screw 56, but that is 
smaller then the diameter of the washer 57 and of the spring 58. The third 
portion of the non-threaded bore 62 exits at a opposite lateral side of 
the C-clamp 12 as a recessed area 68. This recessed area 68 is preferably 
formed as a tapered cube or polygonal shape. 
With continued reference to FIG. 7, the pivot-screw 56 exits the recessed 
area 68 and is threadably engaged with a second threaded bore 70 that 
extends through a locking member projection 72, which is formed on a 
lateral edge of the first clip 28 of the spring-actuated clamp 14. The 
projection 72 is formed into a shape that conforms to the shape formed in 
the recessed area 68, preferably a tapered cube with four equal transverse 
sides such that the locking member projection 72 is able to be received in 
a sliding and tight fitting relationship with the recessed area 68. This 
tight fitting and conformal relationship is best seen in the 
cross-sectional view shown in FIG. 7. The slight taper of projection 72 
allows for easy entry into the recessed area 68. 
With continued reference to FIG. 7, it is illustrated how the locking 
mechanism locks the resilient clamp 14 with respect to the C-clamp 12. The 
spring 58 exerts a constant force on the pivot-screw 56 via the washer 57 
which abuts shoulder 55, which in turn urges and maintains the locking 
member projection 72 into the tight fitting and conformal relationship 
within the recessed area 68. In such a position, the resilient clamp 14 is 
locked and may not rotate with respect to the C-clamp 12. 
In order to rotate the resilient clamp 14 relative to the C-clamp 12, a 
user must pull on the resilient clamp 14 in a direction parallel with the 
pivot-screw 56 with a force sufficient to overcome the opposing force 
exerted by the spring 58. The resilient clamp 14 is then separated from 
the C-clamp 12 such that the locking member projection 72 is no longer 
seated within the recessed area 68. The user then pivots the resilient 
clamp 14 to a point where the locking member projection 72 is not 
geometrically aligned with the recessed area 68, at which point the 
pulling force may be stopped. The user continues to rotate the resilient 
clamp 14 about the pivot screw 56 until the locking member projection 72 
is again geometrically aligned with the recessed area 68. At this point, 
the spring 58 will quickly snap the locking member projection back in to a 
tight fitting and conformal relationship with the recessed area 68 where 
the resilient clamp 14 will again be in the locked position relative to 
the C-clamp 12. In the preferred embodiment, the locking member projection 
72 and the recessed area 68 are formed into a tapered cube shape, whereby 
the resilient clamp 14 can be rotated ninety degrees between locked 
positions. Thus, the resilient clamp 14 may be in a position that is 
normal to the C-clamp 12, as is illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3, or in a 
position parallel to the C-clamp 12, as is illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 4. 
It will be appreciated however, that other polygonal shapes could be used 
to provide a plurality of different, angularly oriented locking positions 
and such shapes and all equivalents thereof are considered to be within 
the scope of the presently disclosed invention. 
In the preferred embodiment, when the spring 58 urges the locking member 
projection 72 into the tight fitting and conformal relationship within 
recess 68, the impact of the conforming surfaces onto each other will 
result in an audible "snap" which will inform the user that the resilient 
clamp 14 is now locked with respect to the C-clamp 12. 
It will be appreciated by one skilled in the relevant art that a universal 
mounting system according to the present invention may be made of a 
variety of materials. However, it is presently preferred that the mounting 
system be made of a lightweight metal, such as aluminum. Thus, the system 
will have improved structural rigidity. 
It will be appreciated that the apparatus of the present invention is 
capable of being incorporated in the form of a variety of embodiments. The 
invention may thus be embodied in other 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, and 
the scope of the invention 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.