Patent Publication Number: US-2015059150-A1

Title: Systems and methods for securing mobile medical equipment supporter systems to patient transporters

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 13/225,091, filed on Sep. 2, 2011, by the same title, which was recently allowed, and which application is incorporated herein in its entirety by this reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     The present invention relates to systems and methods for securing a mobile medical equipment supporter system, such as an infusion pump pole, to a mobile patient transporter, such as a gurney, thereby enhancing patient and attendant safety and convenience. 
     In a healthcare provider environment, it is common for a patient to be attached to an intravenous (IV) line and often also attached to the leads of one or more monitoring devices. The patient is typically resting on a rollable bed or gurney or seated on a wheelchair for their safety or out of necessity. 
     Generally in the case of a bed or gurney, for safety reasons, two attendants, typically aides or nurses, with one attendant positioned at each end, guide and propel the bed or gurney from one location to another location, for example, from the operating recovery room to the patient&#39;s room. Often, the attendant at the head of the bed or gurney may also be responsible for guiding and propelling a mobile infusion pump pole supporting the IV line, leaving only one hand to push and guide the bed. As a result, the safety of both the patient and/or the attendants is potentially compromised by increasing the risk of collisions and/or tipping over the mobile infusion pole. 
     Similarly, when a patient is in a wheelchair and also coupled to an IV line and/or a monitoring device, instead of a single attendant responsible for pushing the wheelchair, two attendants are now probably required; with one attendant responsible for propelling the wheelchair, and the second attendant responsible for propelling the mobile infusion pump pole. 
     It is therefore apparent that an urgent need exists for systems and methods for operatively coupling a mobile medical equipment supporter system to a mobile patient transporter. This improved coupling enables attendants to safely and efficiently transport patients from one location to another in healthcare provider settings. 
     SUMMARY 
     To achieve the foregoing and in accordance with the present invention, systems and methods for securing a mobile medical equipment supporter system to a mobile patient transporter is provided. In particular, a hitcher coupler and a hitchee coupler are provided for securing a mobile medical supporter system to a mobile patient transporter thereby enhancing patient and attendant safety and convenience. 
     In one embodiment, the supporter system includes a substantially vertical primary support structure, one or more attachment points configured to secure medical delivery device(s) and/or medical monitoring device(s), a wheeled mobility assembly, and a hitcher assembly having a hitcher coupler configured to operatively mate with a corresponding hitchee coupler of the mobile patient transporter. The hitcher coupler can be male and the corresponding hitchee coupler can be female, and both the hitcher coupler and the hitchee coupler can have circular cross-sectional profiles. In some embodiments, the mobility assembly includes a carousel and three or more wheeled extensions rotatably attached to the carousel. 
     The coupling process starts by increasing the relative height between the supporter system and the patient transporter. Next, the hitcher coupler of the supporter system is aligned to the hitchee coupler of the patient transporter along a substantially vertical axis. The hitcher coupler is then securely engaged to the hitchee coupler by decreasing the relative height between the supporter system and the patient transporter, thereby enabling the patient transporter to be propelled without a need to separately propel the supporter system. 
     In some embodiments, increasing the relative height includes lowering the height of the patient transporter, and engaging the hitcher coupler to the hitchee coupler includes raising the height of the patient transporter. The footprint of the supporter system can also be reduced by further increasing the height of the patient transporter, thereby enhancing maneuverability. 
     Note that the various features of the present invention described above may be practiced alone or in combination. These and other features of the present invention will be described in more detail below in the detailed description of the invention and in conjunction with the following figures. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       In order that the present invention may be more clearly ascertained, some embodiments will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a front view of one embodiment of a mobile medical equipment supporter system configured to couple with a patient transporter in accordance with the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  shows the embodiment of  FIG. 1  coupled to one end of a patient transporter; 
         FIG. 3  illustrates a portion of another embodiment of a mobile medical equipment supporter having a hitcher coupler configured to operatively mate with a patient transporter, wherein the hitcher coupler is female and the hitchee coupler is male; 
         FIG. 4  illustrates yet another embodiment wherein the hitcher coupler is female and a hitchee coupler is male; 
         FIGS. 5 and 6  are bottom views of additional embodiments of hitcher couplers with cross-sectional profiles that are polygonal; 
         FIG. 7  is an isometric view showing an embodiment of corresponding hitcher assembly and hitchee assembly, suitable for retrofitting a conventional mobile medical supporter system and an incompatible patient transporter, respectively; 
         FIG. 8  shows a portion of yet another embodiment of a hitcher assembly having a clamping attachment for attaching to a mobile medical supporter system; 
         FIGS. 9 and 10  show portions of two additional embodiments of hitcher assemblies suitable for attaching to mobile medical supporter systems; and 
         FIGS. 11 and 12  are a side view and a front view, respectively, showing additional embodiments of attachment points suitable for the supporter system of  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to several embodiments thereof as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present invention. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art, that embodiments may be practiced without some or all of these specific details. In other instances, well known process steps and/or structures have not been described in detail in order to not unnecessarily obscure the present invention. The features and advantages of embodiments may be better understood with reference to the drawings and discussions that follow. 
     Aspects, features and advantages of exemplary embodiments of the present invention will become better understood with regard to the following description in connection with the accompanying drawing(s). It should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the described embodiments of the present invention provided herein are illustrative only and not limiting, having been presented by way of example only. All features disclosed in this description may be replaced by alternative features serving the same or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise. Therefore, numerous other embodiments of the modifications thereof are contemplated as falling within the scope of the present invention as defined herein and equivalents thereto. Hence, use of absolute and/or sequential terms, such as, for example, “will,” “will not,” “shall,” “shall not,” “must,” “must not,” “first,” “initially,” “next,” “subsequently,” “before,” “after,” “lastly,” and “finally,” are not meant to limit the scope of the present invention as the embodiments disclosed herein are merely exemplary. 
     The present invention relates to systems and methods for securing a mobile medical supporter system to a mobile patient transporter thereby enhancing patient and attendant safety and convenience. 
     To facilitate discussion,  FIG. 1  illustrates one embodiment of a mobile medical equipment supporter system  100  in accordance with the present invention. Supporter system  100  includes a substantially vertical primary support structure  110 , an attachment bar  120 , a hitcher assembly  130 , a supporter base  140  with a base plate  148 , a mobility assembly with a carousel  150  and three or more legs  162 ,  164 ,  166  attached to castor wheels  172 ,  174 ,  176 , respectively. 
     Attachment bar  120  includes one of more attachment points  122 ,  124 . Each attachment point is configured to support one or more medical delivery devices such as an IV pouch and/or one or more medical monitoring devices, such as a heart rate monitor and/or a BP monitor. 
     Hitcher assembly  130  includes a hitcher coupler  132  configured to operatively couple the supporter system  100  to an existing or retrofitted hitchee coupler  292  attached to one end of a mobile patient transporter  280  as shown in  FIG. 2 . 
     Carousel  150  includes corresponding slots with pivot pins (not shown) at leg pivoting locations, e.g., pivot locations  152 ,  154 , for supporting rotatable legs  162 ,  164 . While these three legs  162 ,  164 ,  166  should provide sufficient stability for many applications and environments, increasing the number of legs, e.g., to six legs, should increase stability substantially by increasing the number of contact points with the ground and also by lowering the center of gravity of supporter system  100 . 
     Referring again to  FIG. 2 , mobile supporter system  100  is operatively coupled to a headboard  282  of a patient transporter  280 . This is accomplished by coupling hitcher coupler  132  of hitcher assembly  130  to a corresponding tubular hitchee coupler  292  of hitchee assembly  290 . 
     Note that although in the above-described example, hitcher coupler  132  is male and hitchee coupler  292  is female, the reverse configuration is also possible, i.e., wherein hitcher coupler  332  is female (e.g., tube-shaped) and hitchee coupler  392  is male (e.g., rod-shaped) as shown in  FIG. 3 . 
     In this embodiment, as discussed above, legs  162 ,  164 ,  166  can independently pivot like a hinge at the respective pivoting locations of carousel  150 , allowing equipment supporter system  100  to be raised and lowered vertically while maintaining contact between wheels  172 ,  174 ,  176  with the ground, thereby substantially reducing the risk of tipping supporter system  110 . Similarly, in most embodiments, for attendant and patient safety reasons, the height of patient transporter  280  can be raised and lowered, e.g., via a hydraulically and/or mechanically assisted system (not shown). 
     Accordingly, coupling of hitcher coupler  132  to hitchee coupler  292  can be accomplished efficiently and quickly in the following manner. Patient transporter  280  is lowered so that the height of the opening of hitchee coupler  292  is below that of the tip of hitcher coupler  132 . The equipment supporter system  100  can now be wheeled so that hitcher coupler  132  and hitcher coupler  292  are aligned in the vertical axis. Hitchee coupler  292  can now be mated with hitcher coupler  132  by raising patient transporter  280 . It is possible to reduce the footprint of supporter system  100  by raising the patient transporter  280  further so that the legs  162 ,  164 ,  166  are pivoted inwards, e.g. reducing the overall leg spread from about 22 inches to about 16 inches, thereby improving the maneuverability characteristics of the transporter  280  and supporter system  100  combination through hallways and entryways. 
     Similarly, during the decoupling process, the patient transporter  280  can be lowered to clear the hitchee coupler  292  from hitcher coupler  132 , while lowering equipment supporter system  100  back into its spread-leg position and separating supporter system  100  from the patient transporter  280 . 
     It may also be possible to engage equipment supporter system  100  with patient transporter  280 , by vertically raising and then lowering supporter system  100 , thereby inserting hitcher coupler  132  into hitchee coupler  292 . Similarly, during the decoupling process, the supporter system  100  is raised vertically to clear the hitcher coupler  132  from hitchee coupler  292  and then lowered back into its full spread-leg position, thereby separating supporter system  100  from the patient transporter  280 . Ideally, attendant safety can be enhanced by provided supporter system  100  with hydraulic and/or mechanical assistance during the raising and lowering of system  100 . 
     Alternatively, in other embodiments, instead of securing hitcher assembly  130  at a fixed location on primary support structure  110 , hitcher assembly  130  is configured to slide along support structure  110 , thereby simplify the leg design, since legs  162 ,  164 ,  166  will no longer need to pivot during the coupling and decoupling processes. Instead, once the hitcher coupler  132  is inserted into hitchee coupler  292 , hitcher assembly  130  can be secured at a desired height on support structure  110 . 
     Several modifications can also be made to aid in the coupling process between hitcher assembly  130  and hitchee assembly  290 . For example, the end of male hitcher coupler  132  can be a ball-end and/or the opening of female hitchee coupler  292  can be chamfered. 
     Other modifications are also possible. As shown in  FIG. 4 , hitcher assembly  430  can be a plate with a round hole serving as a hitcher coupler, while hitchee assembly  490  can include a rod-shaped hitchee coupler  492 . Assuming that the supporter system is stable, such a system will permit a limited amount of relative horizontally movement between the supporter system  100  and the patient transporter  280 , e.g., when travelling up or down a ramp. 
     Additional modifications contemplated are illustrated by  FIGS. 5 and 6 , which are bottom views of alternate embodiments of hitcher/hitchee assemblies for mobile supporter systems. For example, by substituting the circular cross-sectional hitcher coupler  132  with a square cross-sectional hitcher coupler  592 , and with a square cross-sectional profile change to a corresponding female hitchee coupler (not shown), rotation of the supporter system  100  relative to the patient transporter  280 , (with respect to the vertical axis relative to the ground) is inhibited and may be desirable in some implements or environments. 
     The same rotational inhibition can also be accomplished by substituting the circular cross-sectional hitcher coupler  132  with a hexagonal cross-sectional hitcher coupler  692  paired with a corresponding hexagonal cross-sectional female hitchee coupler (not shown). Other cross-sectional profiles may also be possible including rounded-shapes such as ovals and ellipses, and polygons such as pentagons and octagons. Hence, advantages of using a non-rounded cross-section includes limited swaying or fish-tailing of the supporter system  100  thereby improving stability as the patient transporter  280  is propelled from one location to another, especially when travelling on an incline. 
     Referring to  FIG. 7 , it is also possible to adapt a conventional supporter system such as an infusion pump transport pole (not shown) and/or an incompatible patient transporter such as a rollable bed (not shown) by attaching retrofit hitcher assembly  730  to a main support structure of the conventional supporter system and attaching a retrofit hitchee assembly  790  to the previously incompatible patient transporter. This is accomplished by inserting the main support structure of the supporter system into the through-hole  734 , and securing the hitcher assembly  730  by tightening the screw of threaded knob  738 . In addition, an incompatible patient transporter can also be retrofitted by mounting hitchee assembly  790  at the appropriate location of the transporter using mounting screw holes  795 ,  796 . 
     Alternatively, an exemplary clamp-like attachment as shown in  FIG. 8  enables a hitcher assembly  830  to be easily attached to and detached from a mobile medical equipment supporter system (not shown). Such a hitcher assembly  830  is secured by (closing) pivoting the clamping ring  836  about pivot pin  835 , inserting thumb screw  838  into a threaded hole  837 , and tightening the resulting structure around a main support structure of supporter system. 
       FIG. 9  shows a portion of an additional embodiment of a hitcher assembly  930  configured to be attached to a mobile medical equipment supporter system such as an infusion pump transport pole (not shown). This is accomplished by inserting the main support structure of the mobile medical support system into the split-ring  934 , and securing the hitcher assembly  930  by tightening a screw  938  thereby narrowing the gap  939  and thereby reducing the circumference of the split-ring  934 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 10 , is yet another embodiment of a hitcher assembly  1030  suitable for attaching to a mobile medical supporter system (not shown). In this embodiment, the hitcher assembly is coupled to the main support structure by securing both halves of the semi-circle  1034  around the primary support structure, e.g., the pole, and then tightening screws  1037 ,  1038 . 
       FIG. 11  is a side view showing an alternate embodiment of an attachment bar  1114  with one or more attachment point  1116 , suitable for the mobile medical equipment supporter system  100 . Similarly,  FIG. 12  is a front view showing yet additional embodiment of an attachment bar  1214  with integral attachment points  1216 ,  1218  suitable for supporter system  100 . 
     Other modifications are also contemplated in accordance with the present invention. For example, in some light-weight implementations, assuming hitcher coupler  132  can provide sufficient vertical stability via relying on the stability of hitchee coupler  292 , it may be possible to provide mobility to a supporter system by using a single wheel positioned substantially underneath the main support structure. It is also possible to add hydraulics or springs to the main support structure to reduce the effort required to raise the mobile supporter system during the coupling and decoupling processes. 
     Further, in order to reduce the risks of unintentional decoupling of the supporter system  100  from the patient transporter  280 , it is also possible, for example, to add spring-loaded ball detents to the hitcher coupler  132 . Other possible “locking” techniques include ball detent pins and spring cotter pins. 
     While this invention has been described in terms of several embodiments, there are alterations, modifications, permutations, and substitute equivalents, which fall within the scope of this invention. Many of these modifications can also be practiced alone or in different combinations. 
     It should also be noted that there are many alternative ways of implementing the methods and apparatuses of the present invention. It is therefore intended that the following appended claims be interpreted as including all such alterations, modifications, permutations, and substitute equivalents as fall within the true spirit and scope of the present invention.