Abstract:
This invention is directed to a pole for supporting an intravenous bag for use in the field on uneven or soft terrain. The pole has a pointed tip which may be pressed into soft ground, mud, tundra or ice. The pole is inexpensive to make, collapsible for storage and may be easily transported.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    This invention is directed to a pole for supporting an intravenous bag for use in the field. The pole is suitable for use on uneven ground and on ground which is too soft to support other types of IV pole. The IV pole is collapsible for storage and may be easily transported. 
       BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Poles for supporting intravenous bags (“IV poles”) are well known. Many of these are constructed so that the pole may be collapsed (for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,744,536 [Bancalari, May 17, 1988], 4,807,837 [Gawlik et al. Feb. 28, 1989], 4,892,279 [Lafferty et al. Jan. 9, 1990], 6,969,031 [Ugent et al. Nov. 29, 2005], 6,983,915 [Adelman Jan. 10, 2006] and 7,281,691 [Adelman Oct. 16, 2007]). Making a collapsible pole is important as the pole&#39;s smaller size makes it easier for carrying by military and emergency services personnel. Frequently the poles are made of a number of segments which are connected together by hinges or which telescope together. In use, the segments are held rigid by a locking mechanism. 
         [0003]    Commonly, the pole has a bag support member on which a variety of bags may be hung. This can be a hook or hanger constructed to hold the bag away from the pole so that the bag is not squeezed or distorted. In use, such poles are designed to hold a bag approximately 2 to 3 feet vertically from the patient so that gravity will provide an appropriate amount of pressure to deliver the fluids to the patient. 
         [0004]    At the base of the pole, structure is provided to give the pole lateral stability. Usually, three legs are arranged as a tripod, though more legs can be employed. The legs are often terminated with wheels for rolling on floors. 
         [0005]    Although, there are many IV poles in use, none are well-suited to use on uneven or soft ground such as is frequently found on the battlefield or at the scene of emergencies. There is a need for an IV pole which can be used in soil, snow, ice, bog, mud, tundra or sand. 
         [0006]    Further, many IV poles are complex in structure making them less reliable, less easy to erect in the field and more expensive to manufacture. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    The invention is an IV pole, suitable for insertion into soft terrain. The IV pole has a bag support member, a pole and a pole support member with a pointed tip. In use, the bag support member is attached to the upper end of the pole, the pole support member is attached to the lower end of the pole and the pole is held erect by pushing the pointed tip into the terrain. The invention employs commonly available components, arranged in a novel manner. 
         [0008]    In the preferred embodiment, the IV pole has a pole made up of interlocking sections. When the interlocking sections are disassembled, the IV pole can be collapsed to a compact form more suitable for transport. The interlocking sections are tubular and are formed with one male end and one female end. The pole is assembled by inserting the male ends into the adjacent female ends. The female end of the uppermost of the interlocking sections is inserted into a matching recess in the bag support member. An elastic cord runs through a passage which passes through the bag support member and the interlocking sections. The elastic cord is under tension and is held in place by two knots at either end of the passage. 
         [0009]    In an alternative embodiment, the interlocking sections are arranged so that the uppermost section has a male end which is inserted in the bag support member. 
         [0010]    A number of alternative embodiments are presented herein, each presenting a variation in the shape of the pole support member or the means by which the pole support member is attached to the pole. 
         [0011]    In an alternative embodiment, the invention comprises just the bag support member and a pole. There is no separate piece for the pole support member; the lower end of the pole is simply cut at an angle to make a point. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0012]      FIG. 1  is a perspective drawing of the preferred embodiment of the invention as employed in the field. 
           [0013]      FIG. 2  is a cross-section of the preferred embodiment of the invention in its folded configuration. 
           [0014]      FIG. 3  is an enlarged cross-section of the bag support member of the preferred embodiment of the invention. 
           [0015]      FIGS. 4A to 4E  are cross-sections of the lower portion of the invention showing the pole support member of the preferred embodiment and of 4 alternative embodiments of the invention. 
           [0016]      FIG. 4F  shows a cross-section of the lower end of the pole where the IV pole has no pole support member. 
           [0017]      FIG. 5  shows the lower part of the pole in cross-section using an alternative arrangement for tying off the elastic cord. 
           [0018]      FIG. 6  shows a perspective drawing of an embodiment of the invention using telescoping pole segments. 
           [0019]      FIG. 7  is a cross-section of the IV pole having pole sections with their narrowed necks upper most. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0020]    The subject matter of this application is a pole  100  for supporting a bag of fluids for use as a medical drip feed in the field. The subject-matter is comprised of commonly available parts assembled in a manner that is claimed to be inventive. 
         [0021]      FIG. 1  shows a perspective drawing of the preferred embodiment of the invention. The pole  100  is assembled from a terminal section  108  and other support sections  104 . (In  FIG. 1 , there are two support sections  104  shown.) When assembled, the terminal section  108  and the support sections  104  are connected together to form a rigid pole drawn together by an elastic cord  106  running through a central channel throughout the length of the pole. A bag support member  102  is attached to the pole over the upper end of the topmost support section  104 . A pole support member  110  has a plug  114  and a head  116 . The pole support member  110  is attached to the lower end of the terminal section  108  of the pole with the plug  114  being pushed into the central channel within the lower end of the terminal section  108 . The pole support member  110  remains in place by the friction between the plug  114  and the wall of the central channel. 
         [0022]    In use, pole  100  is pushed into the ground and an intravenous bag  112  is hung from a notch  118  in the bag support member  102 . The pole can be made in a variety of lengths by using more (or fewer) support sections  104  or by making the support sections  104  longer (or shorter). In one configuration, the pole can be made with just the terminal section  108  and no support sections, though such a pole is no longer collapsible. Typically the pole is between 36 and 48 inches long so that the bag support member  102  is 24 to 36 inches above the patient. 
         [0023]      FIG. 2  shows the preferred embodiment of the invention in cross-section. This figure shows the IV pole in its folded, compact configuration. The support sections  104  are each made from a tube with a narrowed region  204  at the lower end. The narrowed region  204  is sized so as to fit within the channel opening  202  at the upper end of an adjacent, connecting support section  104  or of the terminal section  108 . The channel within each support section  104  is large enough to allow the unimpeded movement of the elastic cord  106 . The terminal section  108  is made from a tube of the same diameter as the support sections  104  but having a narrowed neck  206  near the upper end of the terminal section  108 . 
         [0024]    The bag support hanger  102  is shown at a larger size in  FIG. 3 . The bag support hanger  102  is a single piece, comprising two portions—a cap portion  310  and a hanger portion  312 . The cap portion  310  is approximately cylindrical with an upper recess  304  and a lower recess  302 . The upper recess  304  is cylindrical and sized to hold a knot  306  made on the upper end of the elastic cord  106 . The lower recess  302  is sized to allow the upper end of the pole,  104  or  108 , to slide snugly into the lower recess  302  of the cap portion  310 . A cylindrical channel  314  extends from the upper recess  304  to the lower recess  302  and is sized to allow the elastic cord  106 , but not the knot  306 , to pass freely through. 
         [0025]    With reference to  FIG. 2 , the elastic cord  106  passes from the upper recess  304  through the cylindrical channel  314 , through the central channel within the support sections  104  and through a narrowed neck  206  within the upper portion of the terminal section  108 . The elastic cord  106  is stretched under tension and is kept in place by knots  306  and  210 , tied so as to be too large to slip through the cylindrical channel  314  of the cap portion  310  or the narrowed neck  206  of the terminal section  108 . 
         [0026]    When the pole  100  is not in use, it may be folded to a smaller length by separating the support sections  104  and the terminal section  108  much as is commonly done with camping tent poles.  FIG. 4A to 4D  show the pole support member  110  of four alternative embodiments of theinvention—all of which are installed as plugs in the terminal section  108 .  FIG. 4A  shows a rounded point symmetrical about the vertical axis;  FIG. 4B  shows a cylinder sliced by a plane  404 ;  FIG. 4C  shows a spade  406 ; and  FIG. 4D  shows a fork with three tines  408 . 
         [0027]      FIG. 4E  shows an alternative embodiment of the invention wherein the lower end of the terminal section  108  is plugged into a recess in the pole support member  410 . 
         [0028]      FIGS. 4A to 4E  show some alternative embodiments each employing a variety of pole support member. It is expected that the invention can be constructed with other variants for the pole support member  110  of the invention. 
         [0029]      FIG. 4F  shows an alternative embodiment of the invention in which the IV pole has no pole support member  110  at all. The lower end of the terminal section  108  is simply cut at an acute angle. The cut lower end is either left open or closed by squeezing the sides together with pliers or a vice. 
         [0030]    As is shown in  FIG. 5 , in a further embodiment of the invention, the terminal section  108  is replaced by a hollow tube of the same diameter as a support section  104  and the cord  106  is tied to a ring  502  protruding from the pole support member  110  towards the interior of the lower end of the terminal section  108 .  FIG. 5  includes an exploded view of the region where the elastic cord  106  is to be tied to the pole support member  110 . 
         [0031]    With reference to  FIG. 6 , a further embodiment of the invention uses a pole  600  made of a plurality of telescoping sections  602  and  604 . The sections  602  are held in place by one of a variety of well-known means. Where the telescoping sections  602  are held in place by a locking clutch or a split collar and thumb screw, the height of the pole may be varied. Where the telescoping sections  602  are held in place by a spring button locking into a variety of holes in the telescoping sections, the pole may be conveniently adjusted to one of a selection of predetermined heights. 
         [0032]      FIG. 7  shows an alternative embodiment of the invention in which the terminal section  108  has a narrowed region  204  at its upper end, the support sections  104  are reversed each having a narrowed region  204  at the upper end and a channel opening  202  at the lower end and the lower recess  302  in the bag support member  102  is cylindrical and is made slightly larger than the narrowed region  204  at the upper end of the pole. 
         [0033]    It is advantageous for the terminal section and the support sections to be made of a strong material having some flexibility. Suitable materials have been found to be metal (particularly light alloys containing aluminum or magnesium), fibreglass, composites (such as carbon fibre), wood or various semi-rigid plastics. Similarly, the bag support member  102  and the pole support member  110  can be made from a wide variety of rigid materials. 
         [0034]    The IV pole is made from simple, offthe shelf components which allow the IV pole to be lightweight and cheap to produce.