Abstract:
A device for transporting children in a medical care facility is provided. The device includes a wagon carrying a pole inboard of the wheels. The pole is received in a holder whereby the wagon solely carries and supports the pole. The wagon includes a guard rail surrounding a wagon bed forming a passenger compartment with an upwardly opening top. The front wheels are independently pivotable for steering and stabilizing the wagon.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    Children are cared for and provided medical treatment, including surgery, in medical care facilities such as hospitals and surgery centers. Stays in such facilities can be intimidating and cause much apprehension in young patients, despite the best efforts of a caring staff. Such apprehension can be the result of unfamiliar surroundings and equipment as well as unfamiliar ways of doing things and sometimes painful medical treatments. Further, unhappiness can result simply from being not being able to move freely about the facility.  
           [0002]    During stays in treatment facilities, children are oftentimes immobile either because they are attached to medical devices like intravenous injection devices (I.V.&#39;s), or their illness. The assisted movement of the child about the facility can help eliminate the feeling of immobility to make the child happier. However, the staff is generally not available for taking children for trips simply for fun. When a parent is visiting, they could move the child around to provide fun and mobility. To date though, the transport devices have presented obstacles for parents, generally the same obstacles the staff encounters when they transport the child for treatment. As discussed more in detail below, there are typically two transport devices used in care facilities, wheelchairs and wagons. Many children cannot be transported in wheelchairs because they cannot sit upright either because of age or illness. Further, the transport of an infusion pump, the preferred I.V. for children, on a wheel chair is difficult and poses safety concerns when attached to a pole attached to the wheelchair. If the I.V. is not attached to the wheelchair, two or more people would be required to move the child, wheelchair and I.V. around and two people may not be available when needed. In addition, a ride in a wheelchair is not generally viewed by a child as much fun. Wagons have been used instead of wheelchairs to provide an environment of fun for the child. Even though wagons can be effectively used to transport children who cannot sit upright and provide added fun by alleviating the feeling of immobility, they too have posed problems, such as safety and user convenience, as discussed below.  
           [0003]    Children will also require movement about the facility by the staff to provide medical treatment. The children will realize or soon learn that a trip with staff within the facility usually results in a treatment which many times is unpleasant. Oftentimes, the contemplation of a treatment is worse than the treatment itself. Many of these children have little understanding of the treatments they will receive or the purpose of the treatment, except in the most general terms, adding to the anxiety and apprehension of being in an unfamiliar environment. The facility&#39;s staff works to reduce the apprehension and anxiety through the use of many mechanisms Such mechanisms include providing an atmosphere of fun to distract a child from thinking about what may occur particularly at the end of a trip in the facility. A ride in a wagon can provide such an atmosphere of fun.  
           [0004]    During movement about, children will oftentimes be required to travel while connected to an I.V. or other medical device. Being connected to such a medical device also makes a child immobile unless they are being helped. Drip type I.V. bags have not been preferred for use with children since the flow rate can be easily changed by the child and they are not very accurate in flow rate at the lower flow rates of medicine used for children both of which create safety concerns. Typically, children are connected to an infusion pump for intravenous injection to more accurately regulate the injection of medicines or the like than can be accomplished with the drip type I.V. bags and because infusion pumps are relatively tamper resistant. Even though infusion pumps are preferred, they are typically large and heavy, presenting safety concerns should one fall on a child if not properly secured.  
           [0005]    As discussed above, movement of a child about a care facility is typically accomplished using a wheelchair or a wagon. The use of a wheelchair presents problems. Wheelchairs may require two staff members, one to push while another staff member walks along with the I.V. on a wheeled pole. The use of wheelchairs and attendance by two staff members can be intimidating and cause additional apprehension in children. Devices have been provided to attach the I.V. device to the wheelchair to allow operation of the wheelchair by only one staff member. Although providing an improvement in efficiency such an arrangement can still cause apprehension and present safety and convenience issues. Because of the size and weight of an infusion pump, they are difficult to mount to a wheelchair. They either project over the seat area and patient or outwardly past the wheels. Projecting over the seat area makes entry, exit and sitting difficult. This position of the infusion pump also provides a safety concern since the device is positioned over the upper body of the child and should the device fall, a major injury could result. When projecting out over the wheels, there is a risk it will hit something or cause an empty chair to tip. Further, many children do not have the capacity to be upright in a wheel chair for various reasons, e.g., they may be too young or may not have sufficient muscle strength to sit upright making the use of a wheel chair not acceptable for such children. If a wheeled dolly is used to help support the pole and prevent wheelchair tipping, it too may hit an object causing damage. The wheels are also noisy and many times do not properly steer both of which can cause apprehension and make operation difficult. More importantly, the dolly wheels may catch causing the I.V. device to fall which in turn may painfully pull out the catheters and cause excessive bleeding.  
           [0006]    Recently, wagons have been used for transport to provide a fun environment and allow children who cannot sit upright to be transported, but present their own problems. One such wagon is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,292,094. The wagon has a bracket for attaching an I.V. pole with a wheeled dolly attached to its bottom for rolling on the floor. The pole is attached to the side of the wagon adjacent a rear wheel with a clamp and two bolts. The dolly rests on the floor to provide vertical support for the pole and medical device(s) thereon. The problems with the use of a wheeled dolly are discussed above. For transport, a child is placed in the wagon and their I. V. pole and platform are then secured to the wagon via a clamp and bolt arrangement. Such an attachment is cumbersome and time consuming, potentially adding to the child&#39;s apprehension. At the end of the trip, the pole must also be similarly released from the wagon by loosening the two bolts, all potentially additionally adding to the apprehension of the child. Such a bolt arrangement for attachment creates safety issues since the bolts may become loose during transport. Further, the pole is located on one side of the wagon between the front and rear wheels making that side essentially inaccessible for entry and exit and for tending to the passenger. Further, by being located near the rear of the wagon, the I.V. device is positioned over the upper body of the child when the child is riding face forward. Should the I.V. become loose and fall, a major injury may be incurred by the child. With a bolt on attachment of the I.V. pole, should it become loose and free of attachment to the wagon (or wheel chair) there is a risk that the I.V. catheters will be pulled out of the child causing great pain and excessive bleeding. The wagon of the &#39;094 patent is a single pivot front axle type wagon. During sharp turns, such wagons can be unstable since the front support points (front wheels) move toward the center of gravity of the wagon narrowing the front wheel support width. When the front wheels are in a sharp turn position, the wagon is also unstable at rest increasing the probability it will tip and thereby create more apprehension in the child being transported.  
           [0007]    Another wagon of the above general type has an I.V. pole permanently mounted to the wagon on the rear end and outboard of the perimeter of the wagon bed and wheels. By being rear mounted, the center of gravity of the wagon and attachments is more rearward on the wagon. When a pulling force is applied to the wagon&#39;s handle, the front of the wagon has a tendency to lift more because of additional weight of the pole and whatever device is attached thereto creating apprehension in the passenger as well as raising safety concerns. Also, by being rear mounted, the I.V. device is positioned above the upper body of a forward facing child presenting the safety concerns discussed above.  
           [0008]    Although the above discussion was directed to I.V. devices, it is pointed out that other medical devices may also need to be moved with the child compounding the problems discussed in reference to I.V. devices. Such devices include portable gas supplies like oxygen tanks and tube feeders for liquid diet foods.  
           [0009]    It is believed important for safety, effective treatment and comfort of a child, that their apprehension be kept as low as possible. The elimination unhappiness and of sources of potential apprehension is thus important. As discussed above, sources of unhappiness and apprehension include immobility, the type of vehicle used for transport, the inability to quickly and easily ready the child and I.V. for transport and departure from the vehicle and the stability of the vehicle. Whether a staff member or a family member is using the wheelchair or wagon for transport, the problems encountered are generally the same.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0010]    Among the several objects and features of the present invention may be noted the provision of a transport device that will create an atmosphere of fun when used by a child; the provision of such a device that is easy and quick to attach an I.V. pole to; the provision of such a device that is easy and quick to remove an I.V. pole from; the provision of such a device that provides room on both sides of the device for assisting the entry and exit of a child; the provision of such a device that is stable in operation and at rest; the provision of such a device that is stable during movement and when at rest regardless of the positions of its guiding wheels; the provision of such a device that is safe and convenient for child and medical device transport; and the provision of such a device that is economical to manufacture.  
           [0011]    The present invention involves the provision of a wagon for transporting a person in a medical care facility. The wagon includes a wagon body having an upwardly facing support surface and an upstanding guardrail extending around a substantial portion of the support surface. The body has a front end and a rear end and opposite sides forming a wagon body perimeter. A handle is connected to the wagon body at the front end for applying a pulling force to the wagon body. Wheels are rotatably mounted on the body with a pair of the wheels positioned adjacent the front end and a pair of the wheels positioned adjacent the rear end with a substantial portion of the support surface being positioned between outermost portions of the front and rear wheels. The wagon body, guardrail, handle and wheels form a wagon. A pole with a top end and a bottom end is provided.  
           [0012]    A pole mount is secured to the wagon and is adapted for mounting the pole on the wagon. The wagon provides substantially the entirety of support for the pole. The pole mount is positioned inboard of said wagon body perimeter and the pole has a substantial portion thereof positioned inboard of the wagon body perimeter.  
           [0013]    A further aspect of the present invention is the provision of a wagon for use in transporting children in a medical care facility who require equipment or intravenous fluid during transport. The wagon comprises a body sized and shaped for receiving a child, the body having a front end, a rear end, sides and a floor for supporting the child. Wheels are located generally at the front and rear ends of the body and mounted on the body for rolling support of the body on a surface. An elongate handle is connected to the body generally at the front end thereof and extending forwardly for pulling the wagon. A pole is supported by the wagon and has a support portion extending over the wagon floor. The support portion is adapted for mounting medical equipment and/or intravenous fluid containers thereon whereby the equipment and containers are disposed at least partially over the wagon floor to increase stability of the wagon when pulled along the surface by the handle.  
           [0014]    Other objects and features will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0015]    [0015]FIG. 1 is a perspective of a wagon for use in transporting a child in a medical care facility;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective of a right front corner of the wagon showing a mount for an I.V. pole;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 3 is an enlarged section taken along the line  3 - 3  in, FIG. 2 and shows a lower portion of an I.V. pole;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 4 is a bottom of the wagon showing the I.V. pole in a stowed position; and  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective of the right front corner of the wagon viewed from the interior of the wagon. 
     
    
       [0020]    Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.  
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0021]    As seen in FIG. 1, a transport device is provided which is preferably in the form of a wagon designated generally by the numeral  10 . The wagon  10  includes a bed  15  which has an upwardly facing child support surface (or “floor”)  17 . The bed  15  includes opposite side edges  18 ,  19 , a front end edge  20  and rear end edge  21 . The edges  18 - 21  form an outer perimeter for the bed  15 . The bed  15  also includes a downwardly facing bottom panel  25  forming a portion of an undercarriage  26  (FIG. 4).  
         [0022]    The wagon  10  is provided with front and rear wheel arrangements  28 ,  30  adjacent the front  32  and rear  34  of the wagon  10  respectively (see FIGS. 1 and 4). Preferably, the front wheel arrangement  28  includes two wheels  36 ,  37  and the rear wheel arrangement  30  also includes two wheels  38 ,  39 . The wheels  36 ,  37  are spaced apart across the width of the wagon  10  with each being positioned adjacent a respective front corner  40 ,  41  of the wagon. The wheels  38 ,  39  are spaced apart across the width of the wagon  10  with each being positioned adjacent a respective rear corner  42 ,  43  of the wagon. The rear wheels  38 ,  39  are rotatably mounted on an axle  45  that is secured to the wagon  10  via brackets  47  depending from the bottom panel  25 . Preferably, the brackets  47  are integral with the bed  15  and are laterally spaced apart. The wheels  38 ,  39  are mounted to the axle  45  by press nuts  49 . The brackets  47 , bottom surface  25  and the axle  45  define an opening  51  therebetween.  
         [0023]    The front wheels  36 ,  37  are mounted to the wagon  10  preferably for independent pivoting movement whereby they individually pivot about offset vertical axes and remain adjacent their respective corner  40 ,  41  even during sharp turns. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the front wheels  36 ,  37  are each rotatably mounted on its own axle bracket  54 . The axle brackets  54  are of the self pivoting type, i.e., they turn when a force is applied to the wagon  10  similar to the operation of the front wheels on a grocery cart. As shown, the axle bracket  54  includes a generally vertical pivot pin  55  pivotally mounted to the bed  15  and retained in a bearing  56  via a support shoulder  58  and a swaged head  60 . An arm  62  extends from the pivot pin  55  to an axle  64 . Preferably the pivot pin  55 , arm  62  and axle  64  are an integral structure formed from a metal rod. The arm  62  depends from the pivot pin  55  and inclines downwardly and backwardly from the pivot pin  55  whereby the axle  64  is behind or in a trailing position relative to the pivot pin  55  (and also relative to the direction of wagon movement). When the wagon  10  moves in response to a motive force such as by pulling a tongue or handle  68 , the axle  64  will assume the trailing position and be generally perpendicular to the pulling force. The front wheels  36 ,  37  will follow but, unlike the wagons using a single front axle with a center pivot, remain adjacent their respective front corner  40 ,  41  to maintain the wagon  10  stable during movement and at rest regardless of front wheel orientation.  
         [0024]    The wheels  36 - 39  form a wagon  10  support perimeter WP that remains substantially the same regardless of the pivotal orientation of the front wheels  36 ,  37 . The wheel support perimeter WP is defined by the outermost ground contact areas of the wheels  36 - 39  (as shown by the dashed lines of FIG. 4). Further, at least a majority of the bed  15 , both laterally and transversely, is inboard of the wheel support perimeter.  
         [0025]    The wagon  10  is provided with a guardrail or rack designated generally as  75  (see FIG. 1). The guardrail  75  comprises a pair of side rails  77 , a front rail  78  and a rear rail  79 . The guardrail  75  can be partly or totally removably mounted on the bed  15  or can be permanently attached to the bed. Preferably, the rails  77 - 79  are separate parts from the bed  15  for facilitating manufacture of the wagon  10 . After manufacture of the various parts, they are assembled to form the wagon. The rails  77 - 79  have posts (not shown) that fit into sockets (not shown) in the bed  15  for mounting the rails to the bed. The side rails  77  may additionally be mounted to the front and rear rails  78 ,  79  by posts (not shown) in sockets (not shown) as at the junctions  76 . The guardrail  75  is upstanding and substantially completely surrounds the bed  15  and is inboard of the bed perimeter and preferably the side or longitudinal portions of the wheel perimeter WP. Alternatively, the side rails  77  could be hingedly mounted to the bed  15  such that they could be dropped down, without removal, to facilitate entry into and exit from the wagon  10 . The guard rail  75  and bed  15  form a passenger compartment  80  with an upwardly opening top  81 .  
         [0026]    The wagon  10  is provided with the handle  68 . The handle  68  is pivotally attached to the front of the wagon  10  by a pivot pin  82  extending thru hitch brackets  83 . The handle  68  includes a shank  84  extending from the pivot pin  82  terminating in a D-shaped grip  85 . The grip  85  is adapted to be grasped by a person to provide motive force to the wagon  10 . Preferably, the pivot pin  82  permits movement of the handle  68  about a generally horizontal axis and in a generally vertical plane. The handle  68  will not pivot substantially laterally relative to the bed  15 . To effect steering of the wagon  10 , a lateral or sideways force is applied to the handle  68 .  
         [0027]    It is preferred that the bed  15 , guard rail  75 , handle  68  and wheels  36 - 39  be made of polymeric material. The use of polymeric material facilitates cleaning and disinfecting. Preferably these components are of molded construction, e.g., by rotational molding, leaving a hollow core for weight and material reduction while maintaining strength. A preferred wagon is a Trail Blazer model 2200 available from Radio Flyer, Inc. of Chicago, Ill. The wagon  10  is adapted for mounting an I.V. pole  90  to the wagon  10  (see FIGS. 2, 3 and  5 ). Preferably, the pole  90  is removably mounted to the wagon  10 . As best seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, a socket (broadly “mount”)  92  is secured to the guard rail  75  at a front corner  40  of the wagon  10 . Preferably, the socket  92  extends through a generally vertical bore  93  in the front rail  78  and a second generally vertical through hole  94  thru the bed  15 . The socket  92  is positioned between walls  96 A,  96 B and the outside surfaces  96 C,  96 D of the front rail  78 . A fastener  95 , such as a hex nut is secured to the bottom end of the socket  92 . The upper end of the socket  92  has a laterally extending flange  97  engaged with a top surface  99  of the front rail  78 . The socket  92  captures the front rail  78  and bed  15  between the fastener  95  and flange  97  for securement to the wagon  10 . The socket  92  includes a thru bore  100  with a generally vertically oriented longitudinal axis.  
         [0028]    The pole  90  with opposite lower and upper ends  104 ,  105  is provided for supporting a medical device, e.g., a liquid storage and injection device such as an infusion pump  101  (FIG. 1) or I.V. The lower end  104  is received in the bore  100  of the socket  92 . A stop collar  106  (see FIG. 5) is secured to the pole  90  adjacent the lower end  104  and engages the flange  97  to limit the axial movement of the pole into the bore  100  and to provide vertical support for the pole. A generally L-shaped finger  108  extends outwardly and then downwardly from the collar  106  forming a channel  109  between the finger and the pole. A portion of the front rail  78  is received in the channel  109  and thereby prevents rotation of the pole  90  in the socket  92  and fixes the rotational position of the pole  90 .  
         [0029]    The pole  90  is mounted in a manner to not destabilize the wagon  10  and to provide easy entry into and exit from the wagon. Further, the wagon  10  substantially entirely supports and in the illustrated embodiment, entirely supports the pole  90  and devices mounted thereon. As seen in FIGS. 1 and 5, a substantial portion of the pole  90  is inboard of the outside perimeter of the bed  15  and the side or longitudinal portions of the wheel perimeter WP and is positioned above the bed  15 . The pole  90  is bent at  110  adjacent the lower end  104  and above the collar  106 . The orientation of the finger  108  relative to the bend  110  is such that the upper portion  105  of the pole  90  is positioned inboard of the guard rail  75  and the wheels  36 - 39  thus positioning the center of gravity of the pole and the I..V. bag when connected to a hook  114  secured to the upper end  105  also inboard of the bed perimeter, guardrail  75  and the wheel perimeter. Any medical device, such as an infusion pump, gas supply, tube feeder, etc., mounted on the pole will also be over the wagon bed inboard of the bed perimeter, guardrail  75  and the wheel perimeter. Such devices will also be positioned over the lower body portion of the child and not over the upper body portion of the child when positioned in a forwardly facing orientation. If an I.V. drip type bag is used, it will be out of easy reach of the child reducing the chance of tampering. The pole  90  and medical device are easily mounted on the wagon  10  and are easily removed from the wagon when it and the transported child reach their destination. Only one staff member is required to move the wagon, attached medical device(s) and patient thru the facility.  
         [0030]    The wagon  10  is able to stow the pole  90  on the wagon when the pole is not in use. Preferably, the pole is stowed in a position that will not present itself as a danger to personnel and equipment during moving and storage of the wagon  10  and its length is such that a substantial portion and preferably its entirety is within the wagon bed perimeter. As seen in FIG. 4, the pole  90  is removably mounted to the undercarriage of the wagon  10 . The lower end  104  of the pole  90  is received over the axle  45  with the axle being positioned within the channel  109  formed by L-shaped finger  108  and the pole. The lower end  104  is thus removably retained on the rear axle  45 . Means is also provided on the underside of the wagon  10  to releasably retain the upper end  105  of the pole  90 . The retention means includes a spring action clip  126  which may be made of stainless steel. The clip  126  utilized two arcuate fingers  127 ,  128  forming a pole receiving area (not shown) approximately equal to the diameter of the pole  90 . The opening  129  adjacent the free ends of and between the fingers is smaller than the diameter of the pole  90  whereby the pole is releasably retained between the fingers of the clip  126 . The clip  126  is secured to the bottom panel  25  of the undercarriage of the wagon  10 . The pole  90  is stowed for carriage by forcing the pole between the fingers into the enlarged area between the fingers and released from its stowed position under the wagon by simply pulling the pole out from between the fingers.  
         [0031]    The above described wagon  10  is well adapted for use in a medical facility for transporting children to make moving about more fun and thereby reduce apprehension. The wagon requires only one staff member to operate. It also allows for easy entry into and exit from thereby making the trip more enjoyable and also less apprehensive. The pole  90  and its mount also provide for the easy mounting and removal of medical devices and can be conveniently stowed under the wagon out of the way when not in use. The wagon is also stable in operation because of the front wheel configuration and the mounting of the pole.  
         [0032]    When introducing elements of the present invention or the preferred embodiment(s) thereof, the articles “a”, “an”, “the” and “said” are intended to mean that there are one or more of the elements. The terms “comprising”, “including” and “having” are intended to be inclusive and mean that there may be additional elements other than the listed elements.  
         [0033]    In view of the above, it will be seen that the several objects of the invention are achieved and other advantageous results attained.  
         [0034]    As various changes could be made in the above constructions without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.