Patent Publication Number: US-2021179157-A1

Title: Apparatus for suspending radio-opaque curtains

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. provisional application 62/947,635 titled, “APPARATUS FOR SUSPENDING RADIO-OPAQUE CURTAINS” filed on Dec. 13, 2019. This application also claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. provisional application 62/988,542 titled, “APPARATUS FOR TRANSPORTING RADIO SHIELDING SYSTEMS” filed on Mar. 12, 2020, the entire specifications of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Field of the Art 
     The disclosure relates to the field of radiation shielding systems, and more particularly to the field of suspending radio-opaque curtains. 
     Discussion of the State of the Art 
     Radiation such as X-rays or computed tomography (CT) scans are performed frequently in hospitals for health examination or treatment purposes. Medical radiation involves applying radiation such as X-rays, gamma-rays, beta rays, injecting radioactive isotopes into the body, or administering them orally to take imaging studies or treat various diseases. 
     When the human body is exposed to radiation, cells can die, become malignant, or even mutate. If cells die, it can be harmful to tissues or organs. If DNA inside a cell is damaged, the cell can turn to cancer. If DNA damage occurs in a sperm or egg, it can lead to genetic problems such as congenital anomalies in the offspring. 
     Though in most hospitals, patients are given an explanation of the harms of radiation exposure and in some cases how much radiation they would be exposed to, little attention is paid to the effect of radiation on healthcare professionals. With an aging population and an increasing demand in radiation treatments, healthcare professionals are exposed to increased doses of radiation. Accordingly, healthcare professionals must wear manufactured protective clothing made of metal composites which are dense, warm and impervious, which causes discomfort and even physical pain among healthcare personnel. This reduces their performance and negatively affects the length of time they can work. Further, equipment in medical environments must not prevent sharp edges in order to mitigate glove perforations. 
     The problems noted above are exacerbated when safely storing and transporting heavy and cumbersome radio-opaque curtains from one location to another. Medical establishments must keep the integrity of the curtains when in storage or in movement so that they remain undamaged and fully functional. 
     What is needed in the art is a mechanism for easy and safe storage and transportation for radio-opaque curtains, aprons, and other radio-shielding systems. Specifically, when transporting when they can be exposed to dangerous items that can affect the efficacy and integrity of the shielding systems. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, the inventor has conceived and reduced to practice, in a preferred embodiment of the invention, an apparatus for safely suspending and transporting radio-opaque curtains. 
     According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, an apparatus for safely suspending radio-opaque curtains comprises an angulated hook with an obtuse angle to separate a suspended curtain a pre-configured distance from a wall, a travel cart, and the like. The angulated hook having a ball end to mitigate perforation and damage prevent of the radio-opaque curtains or of other medical equipment (for example, an operator&#39;s glove). In some embodiments, a plurality of angulated hooks may be attached to a travel cart for mounting and transporting shielding systems into a substantially fixed position. Advantageously, the travel cart prevents curtains or aprons from moving side to side without lifting off and falling on floor to get lost or become a trip hazard. In a preferred embodiment, the disclosed angulated hook allows storage and transportation (for example, when coupled with a travel cart) of one or more shielding systems, curtains, aprons, or the like, when used in conjunction with other angulated hooks,. 
     In a typical medical establishment, daily workflows of an exam room may be dedicated to radiation exams, or those that only perform radiation procedures intermittently. The ability to safely store and transport radiation protection equipment from room to room is typically needed as most establishments do not have dedicated shielding equipment in each examination room. Advantageously, an angulated hook with a ball end provides safety and convenience for storing radio-opaque curtains. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES 
       The accompanying drawings illustrate several embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention according to the embodiments. It will be appreciated by one skilled in the art that the particular embodiments illustrated in the drawings are merely exemplary and are not to be considered as limiting of the scope of the invention or the claims herein in any way. 
         FIG. 1  illustrates a right-front isometric view of an apparatus for suspending one or more articles onto a mounting surface, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  illustrates a side view of an apparatus for suspending one or more items, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  illustrates another side view of an apparatus for suspending one or more objects, according to a preferred body of the invention; 
         FIG. 4  illustrates a back elevational view of an apparatus for suspending one or more objects according to a preferred body of the invention; 
         FIG. 5  illustrates a front view of an apparatus for suspending one or more objects, according to a preferred body of the invention; 
         FIG. 6  illustrates a bottom-up view of an apparatus for suspending one or more objects, according to a preferred embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 7  is a top-down view of an apparatus for transporting one or more objects, according to a preferred body of the invention; and 
         FIG. 8  is a front view of a mounting surface for hanging one or more items, according to a preferred body of the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The inventor has conceived, and reduced to practice, an apparatus for suspending one or more articles on a mounting surface. 
     One or more different inventions may be described in the present application. Further, for one or more of the inventions described herein, numerous alternative embodiments may be described; it should be appreciated that these are presented for illustrative purposes only and are not limiting of the inventions contained herein or the claims presented herein in any way. One or more of the inventions may be widely applicable to numerous embodiments, as may be readily apparent from the disclosure. In general, embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice one or more of the inventions, and it should be appreciated that other embodiments may be utilized and that structural, logical, software, electrical and other changes may be made without departing from the scope of the particular inventions. Accordingly, one skilled in the art will recognize that one or more of the inventions may be practiced with various modifications and alterations. Particular features of one or more of the inventions described herein may be described with reference to one or more particular embodiments or figures that form a part of the present disclosure, and in which are shown, by way of illustration, specific embodiments of one or more of the inventions. It should be appreciated, however, that such features are not limited to usage in the one or more particular embodiments or figures with reference to which they are described. The present disclosure is neither a literal description of all embodiments of one or more of the inventions nor a listing of features of one or more of the inventions that must be present in all embodiments. 
     Headings of sections provided in this patent application and the title of this patent application are for convenience only and are not to be taken as limiting the disclosure in any way. 
       FIG. 1  is a right-front isometric view of an apparatus for suspending one or more articles onto a mounting surface, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. In a preferred embodiment, the one or more articles may comprise radio-opaque curtains, as used in the medical and diagnostic fields. The radio-opaque curtains may typically be used in the field of medicine as radiation protection shielding while working with medical imaging tests such as X-rays, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, computerized tomography (CT) scans, ultrasounds, and the like. 
     According to the embodiment, the apparatus for suspending radio-opaque curtains may be in the form of an angulated hook hanger  100  to receive one or more radio-opaque curtains. In an example, the one or more radio-opaque curtains may be suspended on a fixed position on a mounting surface, such as a wall (referring to  FIG. 8 ), using hook hanger  100 . In another example, the one or more radio-opaque walls may be suspended on a mounting surface using hook hanger  100  for transportation from one place to another, such as described in conjunction with  FIG. 5 . 
     Hook hanger  100  may comprise a vertical back plate  102  and a vertical front plate  104 . In an embodiment, vertical back plate  102  and vertical front plate  104  may be, in a preferred embodiment, equal in dimensions (though in some embodiments they may be different lengths), and attached to one another in parallel. For instance, a top edge of vertical back plate  102  and a top edge of vertical front plate may be connected using a connected plate  106 , as shown in  FIG. 1 . Further, hook hanger  100  may comprise an angulated base member  108  having a top edge  110  and a bottom edge  112 . In an embodiment, angulated base member  108  may be integrally or fixedly attached to the bottom edge of the vertical front plate  104 . 
     Further, in another embodiment, hook hanger  100  may comprise an arched hanging member  116  having a rounded ball end  118 . The arched hanging member  116  may be operable to receive the one or more radio-opaque curtains, or other material to be hanged onto the mounting surface using hook hanger  100 . Furthermore, rounded ball end  118  may ensure that perforations in the radio-opaque curtains or surgical gloves worn by medical professionals while hanging or retrieving the radio-opaque curtains from hook hanger  100 , may be avoided. In an embodiment, angulated base member  108  may facilitate easier mounting of one or more shields or curtains to hook hanger  100 . 
       FIG. 2  illustrates a side view of an apparatus for suspending one or more items, according to a preferred embodiment of the invention. According to the embodiment, hook hanger  200  may comprise protruding member  202  detachably attached to a back surface of vertical back plate  102 , as shown in the figure. In some embodiments, protruding member  202  may be integrally attached or machine formed. In a preferred embodiment, protruding member  202  may have a through hole  204  (shown in detail in  FIG. 4 ), for receiving a screw or pin to attach hook hanger  200  on a mounting surface. In some embodiments, protruding member  202  may be operable affix hook hanger  200  onto a fixed position on the mounting surface via the screw or pin. In other embodiments, protruding member  202  may be operable to attach hook hanger  200  in a moveable position on the mounting surface, such that a position of hook hanger  200  may be changed on the mounting surface for easy retrieval of one or more objects hanging onto hook hanger  200 . Further, such an arrangement may facilitate for hook hanger  200  to move from side to side on the mounting surface without detaching from the mounting surface. Further, a squared off base of hook hanger  200  may enable sturdiness while applying shields. 
     In some embodiments, through hole  204 , when engaged with a screw or pin, may enable hook hanger  200  to mount the suspended one or more objects onto a rectangular rail with an indentation such that hook hanger  200  may move dynamically along an associated channel or groove within the rectangular rail, or be fixed in-place. The rectangular rail may be mounted on a fixed wall mount, a travel cart, or some other structure, described further in detail in conjunction with  FIGS. 5-8 . 
       FIG. 3  is another left elevational view of an apparatus for suspending one or more objects, according to a preferred body of the invention. According to the embodiment, the apparatus may be a hook hanger  300  for suspending radio-opaque curtains. Hook hanger  300  may comprise a vertical back plate  302 , a vertical front plate  304 , and a connecting plate  306 , to attach vertical back plate  302  to vertical front plate  304 . Hook hanger  300  may further comprise through hole  308  having a diameter  310  to receive a variety of standard screws and/or pins for affixation of hook hanger  300  on a mounting surface. In an example, the diameter  310  may range between 2 cm to 4 cm, with a preferred diameter  310  of 3.3 cm. In other embodiments, a different diameter may be used for diameter  310 .Vertical back plate  302 , vertical front plate  304 , and connecting plate  306  of Hook hanger  300  may comprise rounded edges  312 ,  314 , and  316  for mitigating tearing of surgical gloves and/or radio-opaque curtains, when suspending or removing radio-opaque curtains on and from hook hanger  300 . 
     Hook hanger  300  may further comprise an angulated base member  318  detachably attached to a bottom edge of vertical front plate  304 , such that there is an obtuse angle  320  between the vertical front plate  304  and angulated base member  318 . In a preferred embodiment, obtuse angle  320  may range between 155 degrees to 175 degrees with a preferred obtuse angle  320  of 165 degrees. This arrangement may advantageously allow for spacing an engaged radio-opaque curtain at a pre-defined distance from a mounting surface such as a wall or travel cart when, for example, hook hanger  300  is used for suspending radio-opaque curtains to the mounting surface. 
     Hook hanger  300  may further comprise of an arching member  322  attached to a bottom end of angulated base member  318 . Arching member  322  may comprise a rounded ball end  324  that may advantageously avoid tears and perforations in gloves, clothes, and the mounted radio-opaque curtains, when medical professionals use hook hanger  300  to store radio-opaque curtains onto a mounting surface. Further, rounded ball end  324  may prevent slippage of a suspended curtain when in transport (for example by preventing the curtain from sliding off in a situation where the cart was bumped r jolted.) 
       FIG. 4  is a back elevational view of an apparatus for suspending one or more objects, according to a preferred body of the invention. According to the embodiment, the apparatus may be in the form of a hook hanger  400  comprising of a through hole  402  on a vertical back plate  404 . The through hole  402  may present a threaded (or in some embodiments, unthreaded) hole for accepting a screw or pin for securing the apparatus to another structure (for example, a support bar). 
       FIG. 5  is a front view of an apparatus for suspending radio-opaque curtains, according to a preferred body of the invention. The apparatus may take the form of a transportation trolley  500 , having a base portion  502  comprising of a plurality of wheels  504 . Transportation trolley  500  may further comprise a supporting frame  506  attached to the base portion  502  through a first end  508  of a vertical connecting member  510 ; and a holding tray  512 . Base portion  4  may be attached to a second end  514  of vertical connecting member  510 . Further, a handle  516  may be attached to the holding tray  512 , that may be operable to manoeuvre the transportation trolley using the plurality of wheels  504 . 
     In an embodiment, supporting frame  506  may comprise of at least one mounting rail, such as mounting rails  518 ,  520 ,  522 , and  524  that may support a plurality of hook hangers (referring to  FIGS. 1-4 ), as represented by hook hangers  526  and  528 . The plurality of hooks may in turn support one or more radiation shields, aprons, or other shielding apparel to be mounted on transportation trolley  500  for easy transportation. The transportation trolley  500 , via an included mounting rail, may also be additionally operable to store one or more of shield support blocks (referring to USPTO patent application Ser. No. 16/172,764 incorporated herein by reference). In a preferred embodiment, there may be one or more handles, represented by handles  542  and  544 , to manoeuvre transportation trolley  500  using the plurality of wheels  504 . 
     In some embodiments, where shielding apparel may vary in size, the plurality of hooks  526 - 540  may provide a dynamic range of movement to accommodate the different sizes. In a preferred embodiment, the plurality of hooks  526 - 540  may be affixed in a manner such as to not allow the plurality of hooks to accidently fall off, thereby mitigating safety concerns (such as a trip hazard). 
       FIG. 6  is a bottom-up view of an apparatus for transporting one or more objects, according to a preferred embodiment of the invention. According to the embodiment, the apparatus may take form of a transportation trolley  600 , having a base portion  602 , a plurality of wheels  604 , a vertical connecting member  606 , a supporting frame (not shown), a holding tray  608 , and handles  610  and  612 . 
     In some embodiments, the plurality of wheels  604  may comprise of single, double, or compound wheels that may be attached to the base portion  602  to enable the transportation trolley  600  to be moved. In some embodiments, a swivel may create operability for the plurality of wheels  604  to incorporate a 360° turning movement. In some embodiments, a small amount of offset distance between a center axis of the vertical connecting member  606  and a center axis of each wheel may be implemented such that when a wheel is moved and said wheel is not moving in a desired direction, the offset may cause the plurality of wheels  604  to rotate around the axis of the vertical connecting member  606  to follow the desired direction of movement, using handles  612  and  614 . The plurality of wheels  604  may be variable in size, and are commonly made of rubber, plastic, nylon, aluminum, or stainless steel. 
       FIG. 7  is a top-down view of an apparatus for transporting one or more objects, according to a preferred body of the invention. The apparatus may take form of a transportation trolley  700 . Transportation trolley  700  may comprise a flat surface  702  at a top end, such that flat surface  702  may be operable as a holding tray to hold and store one or more items, for example, lab coats, aprons, radio-opaque curtains, etc. It may be appreciated by one with ordinary skill in the art that the specific arrangement or configuration may vary, for example, the flat surface  702  may also be attached at a bottom end of transportation trolley  700 . In some embodiments, instead of flat surface  702 , transportation trolley  700  may comprise a holding area of a different shape, for example, a rounded basket. In some embodiments, flat surface  702  may comprise one or more raised sides/edges, represented by edges  704 - 710 , whereby at least one such edge may be collapsible, for example, to allow for easier cleaning of unwanted dust or debris. 
       FIG. 8  is a front view of a mounting surface for hanging one or more items, according to a preferred body of the invention. According to the embodiment, storage rack  800  comprises a supporting frame  802 . In some embodiments, frame  802  may be a back plate. Storage rack  800  may further comprise one or more mounting rails  804 ,  806 , and  808 . Each mounting rail, may comprise of a plurality of hook hangers, as represented by hook hangers  810 ,  812 , and  814 . The plurality of hook hangers may be attached to the mounting rails, as described in detail in  FIGS. 1-4 . Further, each mounting rail may be attached to a fixed position on supporting frame  802  by means of a plurality of screws, as represented by screws  816 ,  818 , and  820 . In a preferred embodiment mounting rails  804 ,  806 , and  808  may each comprise a channel or groove for receiving a screw or pin (as described in  FIG. 2 ) 
     The skilled person will be aware of a range of possible modifications of the various embodiments described above.