Patent Number: 
Section: claims

1. Apparatus for reducing back-scattered x-rays incident on a person working with a patient on an operating table, the patient being exposed to x-rays from an x-ray source while on the table so that the back-scattered x-rays result from x-rays from the source being incident on the patient and/or table, the apparatus comprising an upper x-ray shield panel and a lower x-ray shield panel arrangement, the upper x-ray shield panel and the lower x-ray shield panel arrangement having thicknesses between front and back faces thereof and respectively having lower and upper edges in close enough proximity to each other to substantially attenuate the back-scattered x-rays incident on (a) the front face of the upper x-ray shield panel, (b) the lower x-ray shield panel arrangement, and (c) a gap between the edges while the front faces of the upper x-ray shield panel and lower x-ray shield panel arrangement are aligned, the upper shield panel being transparent to visible optical energy and pivotable about a vertical axis relative to the lower shield panel arrangement to enable one or both hands and one or both forearms of a person standing behind the back faces of the upper and lower shield panels to extend through an open region between the lower and upper edges resulting from pivoting of the upper x-ray shield panel relative to the lower x-ray shield panel arrangement about the vertical axis, the upper x-ray shield panel and lower x-ray shield panel arrangement together having a height and widths sufficiently greater than the height and width of the person standing behind the back faces so as to substantially prevent the back-scattered x-rays incident on the front faces of the upper x-ray shield panel and the lower x-ray shield panel arrangement while the front faces are aligned from being incident on the portion of the person behind the back faces. 2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the upper x-ray shield panel and the lower x-ray shield panel arrangement have aligned vertically extending edges that are substantially coincident with the vertical axis, and further including another x-ray shield panel having front and back faces and a vertically extending edge in sufficiently close proximity with the aligned vertically extending edges of the upper x-ray shield panel and lower x-ray shield panel arrangement to substantially attenuate the back-scattered x-rays incident on the aligned vertically extending edges of the upper x-ray shield panel and the lower x-ray shield panel arrangement and the vertically extending edge of the another x-ray shield panel, the front face of the another x-ray shield panel being positionable at a non-zero angle relative to the front faces of the upper x-ray shield panel and the lower x-ray shield panel arrangement. 3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the another x-ray shield panel has a height substantially equal to the combined heights of the upper x-ray shield panel and the lower x-ray shield panel arrangement. 4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the vertically extending edge of the another x-ray shield panel is pivotable relative to the aligned vertically extending edges of the upper x-ray shield panel and the lower x-ray shield panel arrangement. 5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the another x-ray shield panel has a horizontal extent substantially at a right angle to the faces and a first segment extending slightly beyond the front faces toward the operating table and a second segment extending by a substantial distance beyond the back faces away from the operating table. 6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the lower x-ray shield panel arrangement includes a single x-ray shield panel. 7. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the lower x-ray shield panel arrangement includes first and second x-ray shield panels, the first x-ray shield panel having an upper edge corresponding with the upper edge of the lower x-ray shield panel arrangement and a lower edge, the second x-ray shield panel having an upper edge below the lower edge of the first x-ray shield panel and a lower edge in close proximity to the floor or on the floor, the first and upper x-ray shield panels being arranged to be able to have different vertical positions so that the gap between the upper edge of the first x-ray shield panel and the lower edge of the upper x-ray shield panel is maintained constant at the different vertical positions, the first and second x-ray shield panels being arranged so that the upper and lower edges of the second x-ray shield panel are maintained at the same vertical position while the first and upper x-ray shield panels are at all of the different vertical positions and the upper edge of the second x-ray shield panel is above the lower edge of the first x-ray shield panel at all of the different vertical positions. 8. The apparatus of claim 7 further including a pulley arrangement to which the upper and first x-ray shield panels are drivingly connected so the upper and first x-ray shield panels can be driven to the different vertical positions, the pulley arrangement including a wheel and a counterweight, the counterweight being on a side of the wheel different from the upper and first x-ray shield panels, the counterweight having a weight approximately equal to the combined weights of the upper and first x-ray shield panels. 9. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the vertically extending edge of the another x-ray shield panel is pivotable relative to the aligned vertically extending edges of the upper x-ray shield panel and the lower x-ray shield panel arrangement. 10. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the another x-ray shield panel has a horizontal extent substantially at a right angle to the faces and a first segment extending slightly beyond the front faces toward the operating table and a second segment extending by a substantial distance beyond the back faces away from the operating table. 11. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the lower x-ray shield panel arrangement includes a single x-ray shield panel. 12. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the lower x-ray shield panel arrangement includes first and second x-ray shield panels, the first x-ray shield panel having an upper edge corresponding with the upper edge of the lower x-ray shield panel arrangement and a lower edge, the second x-ray shield panel having an upper edge below the lower edge of the first x-ray shield panel and a lower edge in close proximity to the floor or on the floor, the first and upper x-ray shield panels being arranged to be able to have different vertical positions so that the length of the gap between the upper edge of the first x-ray shield panel and the lower edge of the upper x-ray shield panel is maintained constant at the different vertical positions, the first and second x-ray shield panels being arranged so that the upper and lower edges of the second x-ray shield panel are maintained at the same vertical position while the first and upper x-ray shield panels are at all of the different vertical positions and the upper edge of the second x-ray shield panel is above the lower edge of the first x-ray shield panel at all of the different vertical positions. 13. The apparatus of claim 12 further including a pulley arrangement to which the upper and first x-ray shield panels are drivingly connected so the upper and first x-ray shield panels can be driven to the different vertical positions, the pulley arrangement including a pulley and a counterweight, the counterweight being on a side of the pulley different from the upper and first x-ray shield panels, the counterweight having a weight approximately equal to the combined weights of the upper and first x-ray shield panels. 14. The apparatus of claim 1 in combination with at least one of the tables and the x-ray source. 15. A method of reducing back-scattered x-rays incident on a person working with a patient on an operating table, the patient being exposed to x-rays from an x-ray source while on the table so that the back-scattered x-rays result from x-rays from the source being incident on the patient and/or table, the apparatus comprising an upper x-ray shield panel and a lower x-ray shield panel arrangement, the upper x-ray shield panel and the lower x-ray shield panel arrangement having thicknesses between front and back faces thereof and respectively having lower and upper edges in close enough proximity to each other to substantially attenuate the back-scattered x-rays incident on the front faces of the upper x-ray shield panel, the lower x-ray shield panel arrangement and a gap between the edges while the front faces of the upper x-ray shield panel and lower x-ray shield panel arrangement are aligned, the upper shield panel being transparent to visible optical energy and pivotable about a vertical axis relative to the lower shield panel arrangement to enable one or both hands and one or both forearms of a person standing behind the back faces of the upper and lower shield panels to extend through an open region between the lower and upper edges resulting from pivoting of the upper x-ray shield panel relative to the lower x-ray shield panel arrangement about the vertical axis, the upper x-ray shield panel and lower x-ray shield panel arrangement together having a height and widths sufficiently greater than the height and width of the person standing behind the back faces so as to substantially prevent the back-scattered x-rays incident on the front faces of the upper x-ray shield panel and the lower x-ray shield panel arrangement while the front faces are aligned from being incident on the person, the method comprising causing the upper x-ray shield panel to be turned toward the table and maintaining the lower x-ray shield panel arrangement substantially parallel to an edge of the table while the patient is exposed to x-rays from the x-ray source to form the open region, extending one or both hands and one or both forearms through the open region while the patient is exposed to x-rays from the x-ray source while the remainder of the person is behind the back faces. 16. The method of claim 15 wherein the lower x-ray shield panel arrangement includes first and second x-ray shield panels, the first x-ray shield panel having an upper edge corresponding with the upper edge of the lower x-ray shield panel arrangement and a lower edge, the second x-ray shield panel having an upper edge below the lower edge of the first x-ray shield panel and a lower edge in close proximity to the floor or on the floor, the first and upper x-ray shield panels being arranged to be able to have different vertical positions so that the length of the gap between the upper edge of the first x-ray shield panel and the lower edge of the upper x-ray shield panel is maintained constant at the different vertical positions, the first and second x-ray shield panels being arranged so that the upper and lower edges of the second x-ray shield panel are maintained at the same vertical position while the first and upper x-ray shield panels are at all of the different vertical positions and the upper edge of the second x-ray shield panel is above the lower edge of the first x-ray shield panel at all of the different vertical positions, the method further comprising causing the lower edge of the upper x-ray shield panel to abut an upper surface of the patient on the operating table while the patient is exposed to x-rays from the x-ray source and one or both hands and one or both forearms of the person extend through the open region while the remainder of the person is behind the back faces.