Abstract:
A poly bilt ambulance compartment for attachment to a vehicle for providing patient transport and treatment in a manner that will accommodate medical personnel and at least one patient located on a mobile cot in a position such that the medical personnel can provide medical care and assistance including intensive life support services during transit. The poly structure is built to house and store medical supplies and treatment equipment, which can be used in a variety of environments and be easily cleaned following patient delivery, and is formed from sanitized, non-porous material that will minimize bio-hazard conditions.

Description:
COPYRIGHT NOTICE 
     A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright or mask work protection. The copyright or mask work owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright or mask work rights whatsoever. 
     CROSS-REFERENCE TO COMMONLY OWNED PATENTS 
     The present invention is related to the following U.S. Patents which are commonly owned with the present application, the entire contents of each being hereby incorporated herein by reference thereto: (1) U.S. Pat. No. 5,979,686, entitled “Liquid Storage Tank”; (2) U.S. Pat. No. 6,394,534, entitled “Poly-Bilt Truck”; and (3) U.S. Pat. No. 5,820,718 entitled Liquid Storage Tank, all of which are incorporated herein by reference thereto, in their entirety as if the entire disclosure of each was written herein. The technical descriptions contained in the foregoing patents concerning polyprene will not be included herein for the sake of brevity. 
     FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     This disclosure relates to the construction and design of a unitized container that can be attached to a truck chassis and serve as an ambulance compartment. 
     INTRODUCTION 
     One of the problems with ambulances today is that the ambulance patient structure or compartment is formed from a combination of materials including an extensive internal frame, an aluminum skin welded or otherwise attached to that internal frame, a floor mounted within the frame, use of interior parts formed from wood and vacuum formed plastic parts, with many joints and different surfaces. That grouping of structures and materials makes the patient structure difficult to manufacture and heavy. Such an interior structure is also difficult to clean. Cleaning is important following transport of a patient and the need for cleaning can be quite varied. This depends upon not only the last patient that has been transported, but the environment where the ambulance is being used, and the conditions during use, including weather, military, natural disasters, flooding situations, and so on. To provide the safest and cleanest transport conditions for patients requires that the interior of the ambulance be cleaned thoroughly after each patient has been delivered to a desired location. Sometimes there can be some time between uses while at other times the ambulance must be quickly put back into service. In such situations the ease by which cleaning can occur is paramount. 
     The material being used in the present invention is polyprene. This material is utilized for the construction of the ambulance compartment hereinafter described. Polyprene is lightweight, resistant to chemicals, impact resistant and serves as soundproofing, it is completely non-porous, and a corrosion resistant material making it highly suitable for ambulance construction. This is especially true as biohazard materials, bodily fluids, blood and other medical and recovery contaminants can be present and will require removal by cleaning following patient transfer. Since the entire body construction is manufactured with polyprene material, the interior will be quieter, surfaces can be repaired easily, and all interior surfaces can be completely sanitized allowing for a safer work station for both the emergency responders as well as the patient. 
     Further, Polyprene, in the form of sheets, permits a fabrication process that will cut precise shapes and configurations from the sheets to be then used in constructing each of the panels forming the ambulance compartment. As a consequence the exterior and interior surfaces of the ambulance will be made from the same Polyprene material. When fabricating the ambulance compartment the shaped sheets and panels will be joined together using thermoplastic welding techniques to form an exterior and an interior structure that is an integral unit including the interior seats, benches, and cabinets, that and collectively produce a high strength unibody construction, which eliminates the need for underlying materials and reduces the need for interior support frames. The present construction also eliminates a large number of otherwise required joints and construction steps necessary in manufacturing traditional ambulance structures which includes a combination of metal, wood, plastic and many layers of materials to form the ambulance body structure. 
     Polyprene material also exhibits superb impact resistance due to unique combination of strength and flexibility thereby eliminating shock transfer through the body in the event of high speed collision, which keeps damage to a minimum. The Polyprene material also exhibits excellent heat resistant characteristics that will not begin to deform until a constant 300 to 400 degrees is applied to the material for requisite time. Consequently, should the ambulance be used in a fire situation, the vehicle paint will ignite; the tires will melt and the acrylic and ABS materials incorporated into the chassis will melt before the ambulance compartment itself is materially affected. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF PRESENTLY PREFERRED EXAMPLES OF THE INVENTION 
       Brief Description of Figures 
       The invention is better understood by reading the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: 
         FIG. 1  is an exploded view of a poly-bilt ambulance; 
         FIG. 2  is a rear perspective of an ambulance with the poly-bilt rear compartment structure attached to a vehicle; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the poly compartment structure with portions removed for clarity; 
         FIG. 4  is a bottom perspective showing a bottom frame; 
         FIG. 5A  is a front elevational view of the ambulance compartment; 
         FIG. 5B  is a cross sectional view taken along line  5 B- 5 B in  FIG. 5A ; 
         FIG. 5C  is a cross sectional view taken along line  5 C- 5 C in  FIG. 5A ; 
         FIG. 6  a rear elevational view of the poly compartment structure; 
         FIG. 7  is a cross sectional view taken along line  7 - 7  in  FIG. 6 ; 
         FIG. 8  is a cross sectional view taken along line  8 - 8  in  FIG. 6 ; and 
         FIG. 9  is a bottom perspective of the ambulance and truck frame. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     A. Overview 
     To gain a better understanding of the invention, a preferred embodiment will now be described in detail. Frequent reference will be made to the drawings. Reference numerals or letters will be used throughout to indicate certain parts or locations in the drawings. The same reference numerals or letters will be used to indicate the same parts and locations throughout the drawings, unless otherwise indicated. 
     B. Environment 
     The preferred embodiment now described will be with respect to a rear compartment of an ambulance comprised of a compartment structure formed from poly sheeting and comprising a front wall, opposing side walls, a roof member, a floor member, and a rear wall, all collectively adhered together forming a unitized and interconnected copolymer structure. The use of the poly sheets, that are themselves precisely cut to a desired size and shape are welded or glued together, thereby creating a unibody ambulance compartment structure that will eliminate a large number of otherwise required joints and construction steps. The scale of the embodiment, therefore, is to be understood with respect to this type of article. It is to be understood as well, however, that the invention is applicable to other articles and its scale can vary accordingly. 
     C. Structure 
       FIGS. 1-3, 5A, 6 and 9  shows an ambulance  10  comprised of a truck  12  and a poly-bilt patient compartment structure  14  having a bottom frame  16  that is suitably attached to a rear chassis  18  portion of truck  12 . 
     The poly-bilt patient compartment structure  14  is formed from sheets of polymer and has an exterior structure comprised of a roof  20 , a rear wall  22 , and side-walls  24  and  26 . The rear wall  22  includes doors  28  and  30  each being attached by continuous piano hinges  32 , but the rear door could as well be a single door attached by similar hinges, which could open from either the right or left side. The roof structure  20  can also include beveled side edges  34  and  36  extending from the front to the rear. A wind deflector  40 , also formed from polyprene, is a separate structure attached to a front wall  42  that can also include a window  44  which can be accessed from or visually connected to the truck cab&#39;s interior. 
     The wind deflector  40  is formed from a plurality of individual parts including outer corners  50  and  52 , a bottom sheet  62 , a center sheet or section  56  that can be recessed and with angled sides  54  and  58 . A cross beam  67  and an upper cross beam  69  can be provided on the interior of front wall  42  to provide support for wind deflector  40  and for mounting seat belting assemblies, a wiring channel and an oxygen channel There is also a drainage tube  129  for the air conditioning condensation that can be positioned on the interior of front wall  42 . 
     The bottom frame  16  is shown in greater detail in  FIGS. 4 and 9  as including a front rail  82 , a rear rail  88 , a plurality of front-to-rear rails is shown at  90 - 94 , and a plurality of cross rails  96 - 100 . These rails forming bottom frame  16  are preferably welded together and are made from drawn or extruded aluminum tubing structures. However, it should be understood that other framing structures could be used, for example, in the form of small I-beams, box beams made from other metals, composites, carbon fiber or other synthetic material, or other shaped support members or beams that have been extruded, cast or drawn. Bottom frame  16  will also include a plurality of connectors  110  that will provide connection points to the vehicle chassis  18  as in  FIG. 9 . The design of the bottom frame can be changed depending on size of the ambulance body, the desired chassis clearance and mounting requirements, the positioning of interior ambulance components that require mounting, and the connections to other supporting and strengthening members like the rear frame  135 . 
     The internal structure of the poly-bilt patient compartment is shown in  FIGS. 1-3 . Looking from the side  26 , the top portion is formed from an upper side rail  120  that will interconnect between the front wall  42  and rear wall  22 . Side rail  120  is welded to a series of U-shaped channel members  122 ,  124  and  126  extend cross wise between side rail  120  and an opposing panel  170  that also serves as the face plate for equipment shelves. A U-shaped center beam  130  that is itself connected at opposing ends to rear wall  22  and front wall  42  also interconnects with channel members  122 - 126 . The U-shaped channel members  122 - 126  and  130  also provide roof stiffening. The right side can also include a series of vertically extending support members, two of which are shown at  123  and  125 , which will collectively aid in supporting side rail  120  along its length and along its mid-portion. Support  125  is at one rear corner and another vertical member or support is  127 , and both supports  125 / 127  lie adjacent a rear frame  135  that is positioned between rear wall  22  and  134 . 
     The U-shaped center beam  130  can further include light holes to provide light into the interior of the ambulance compartment above the patient or stretcher. Light holes could also be provided on or in the U-shaped channel members  122 - 126 , and these same channel members can also provide hand rail mounts for paramedic use. 
     The right side, as shown in  FIGS. 3, 5B and 7  includes a series of cabinets for storing various supplies and are formed from a front face plate  170 , a vertical support  180  that is spaced from front wall  42  to form a vertical compartment  182 , for example for storing or housing oxygen bottles. The face plate  170  includes an opening  186  for a door onto compartment  182 . An upper L-shaped member  188  extends rearwardly from vertical support  180  to the rear vertical member  127  adjacent rear wall  22 . A series of additional vertical shelf support members are shown at  200 - 206 , located in a middle section of the left side, which together with vertical supports  180  and  127  support a series of horizontally extending shelves  210 ,  212  and  214  that, along with a portion of floor  218 , collectively form a series of compartments  230 - 240 ,  241  and  243  as shown in  FIGS. 3, 5B and 7 . The bottom two compartments,  241  and  243  include a divider wall  242  that can having openings  246  and  248 , that are closed by panels  252  and  254 , respectively, and face plate  170  has bottom openings  256  and  258  that are closed by panels  260  and  262 , respectively. The bottom of the divided bottom compartments  241  and  243  is provided by a portion of floor  218 . The upper compartments  230 - 240  can be provided with hinged doors not shown. It should be understood, however, that other door or compartment configurations and closing arrangements can be used, including sliding doors, with the foregoing being exemplary. Interior walls that have cut outs will permit retrieval of medial supplies yet keep those supplies from falling out of their compartments. An opening formed from the rear, as shown in  FIG. 6  at  250  can be for backboard storage. The openings formed in panel  170  and divider wall  242 , also can be closed with any such closed storage compartment(s) also providing a place for electrical or other equipment and the truck or paramedic personnel. Further, the compartments can also be provided with holes along bottom edges to permit cleaning fluid to escape and to ease cleaning. 
     Turning now to  FIGS. 5C and 8 , this is looking at the medical personnel side of the ambulance interior and shows a paramedic bench  300  formed from poly material and integrally formed with or against an interior wall  26  and can be a closed structure with a front wall  304  with a hinged lid  302 . A chair  305  is also integrally formed adjacent a corner of interior walls  26  and  42 . Chair  305  is formed from poly material with a seat  306  and a support  308  having a hollow interior  310  for storage of supplies with a hinged door  311  that is supported by a door sill  309 . A second or side door  320  is also provided on side wall  26  and is supported between supports or door posts  321  and  123 . 
     An interior floor  218  is shown throughout the various views. Also, suitable wiring for electrical outlets, for lighting, for equipment and like components, can be provided in various of the U-shaped channel members and electrical access can be obtained via the panels forming the compartment or compartments  230 - 240  where electrical equipment might be installed. It should also be understood that conduits or channels for oxygen or other medical gasses can be supplied via tubing that might be housed as well in one or more of the U-shaped channel members or the vertical supports as is desired or practical. 
     From a review of the above-described embodiments, one can see that the copolymer material of the present poly-bilt patient compartment structure can provide for increased utility, corrosion resistance, and high impact resistance compared to standard ambulance bodies, the use of light weight materials without sacrificing strength or load testing requirements, the ability to form integral cabinets to the skin of the ambulance, the elimination of crevices, a consolidation of materials to one material for the poly-bilt patient compartment and ambulance structure, use of completely sanitized and non-porous material providing for the elimination of bio hazard issues, a bright interior for the poly-bilt patient compartment, and a patient ambulance that is easily cleaned. 
     The copolymer fabrication in welding design also provides design flexibility such that customized poly-bilt patient compartment structure bodies can be easily accommodated in the manufacturing process. When painted, the copolymer material appears no different than standard ambulance bodies. 
     Although not specifically limited to such, the example embodiments above described employ polyprene copolymer formulated from sheet stock material ⅜ inches to ¾ inches thick. The polyprene is 100% virgin grade, made from Aristech resin, such as, for example TI-4007-L resin. This resin is made up of a combination of ethylene and propylene polymers. Although other copolymers may be envisioned as acceptable alternatives, the above described material is well suited for truck bodies since it is strong and yet flexible enough to resist cracking and fatigue due to constant movement. The polyprene example copolymer can be painted and repaired if damaged. It also does not rust, corrode, crack, chip or peel under traditional ambulance usage. The copolymer is impervious to microbial attack from, for example, the stored water, patient fluids, chemicals, medical wastes, drugs or other aspects of patient care or transport. Although polyethylene and polypropylene may provide alternative copolymer materials, polyprene is substantially stronger at high and low temperature applications, and is thus preferred. 
     Because the poly-bilt patient compartment structures of the present invention are formed of the copolymer material, custom and pre-engineered designs can be easily accommodated using auto CAD technologies. The location of bent edge corners, fusion weldings, extrusion weldings, and thermoplastic fabrication processes may be incorporated into the poly-bilt patient compartment structure in accordance with strategic strength requirements of ambulance vehicles. 
     To qualify as an ambulance it is required that the patient transport compartment must meet structural integrity requirements. One standard is described in a document titled AMD Standards, published in 2007 by the Ambulance Manufactures Division of the National Truck Equipment Association (NTEA), which is hereby incorporated herein, in its entirety as if the entire disclosure was written herein, by reference thereto. This AMD Standard requires that an ambulance compartment pass specific static loading testing, which for Type II bodies requires that the ambulance body must withstand a force equal to 1.5 times the curb weight of the vehicle, and for Type I and III bodies the ambulance body must withstand a force equal to 2.5 times the curb weight of the vehicle. (See, Standard 001, section S5). Consequently, the floor member, the roof member, the opposing side walls, the rear and the front walls, will be suitably reinforced by use of an internal frame, so that the poly bilt structure collective have a static strength to resist forces equal to a 2.5 times curb weight as noted above to pass the required static loading tests. 
     The polyprene sheets can be welded together to form the compartment  14  and the welding techniques can be those set forth and described in the above referenced U.S. Pat. No. 5,820,718. The welding can be achieved by using hot air welding equipment and either hand welds or extrusion welds can be made to joint sheets of polyprene together. Temperatures for hand welding or tack welding can be from 375-425° C. and the joints can include a V or double V groove, they can be in the form of a butt joint, or other known forms, and the welding process uses a rod of material that will be melted into place. Welding by hand can proceed at a rate of 12 inches per minute. Temperatures for extrusion welding can begin with preheating the joint area at 275° C. and thereafter welding can proceed at a rate of 36 inches per minute at a temperature of about 220° C. 
     When introducing elements of various aspects of the present invention or embodiments thereof, the articles “a,” “an,” “the” and “said” are intended to mean that there are one or more of the elements, unless stated otherwise. The terms “comprising,” “including” and “having,” and their derivatives, are intended to be open-ended terms that specify the presence of the stated features, elements, components, groups, and/or steps, but do not exclude the presence of other unstated features, elements, components, groups, and/or steps and mean that there may be additional features, elements, components, groups, and/or steps other than those listed. Moreover, the use of “top” and “bottom,” “front” and “rear,” “above,” and “below” and variations thereof and other terms of orientation are made for convenience, but does not require any particular orientation of the components. The terms of degree such as “substantially,” “about” and “approximate,” and any derivatives, as used herein mean a reasonable amount of deviation of the modified term such that the end result is not significantly changed. For example, these terms can be construed as including a deviation of at least +/−5% of the modified term if this deviation would not negate the meaning of the word it modifies. 
     While the invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiment, but on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.