Patent Description:
Generally, spine tables have two columns and require a cross tube between the columns to provide stability to the columns. Additionally, power and communication between the columns may be provided through the cross tube. Because of the cross-tube, spine tables typically take up a significant amount of space. It is also difficult sometimes to position the table in certain operating rooms, e.g. smaller operating rooms. Moreover, the cross tube prevents any devices from being passed under the table during a procedure.

Storage is also a problem that many health care facilities face. A two column spine table is often difficult to store because the columns cannot be separated and the cross tube requires the table to remain at full length. Because most spine tables are charged during storage, the inability to reduce the size of the table mandates that a storage room must have both the space for the table and access to an outlet. This combination of features may be difficult to find in some health care facilities.

<CIT> describes a surgical patient support. The surgical patient support includes a foundation frame, a support top, and a brake system. The foundation frame includes a first column and a second column. The support top is coupled to the first column and the second column for rotation about a top axis extending along the length of the support top.

The present disclosure includes one or more of the following features alone or in any combination.

According to an aspect of the disclosed embodiments, there is provided a system. The system includes a table top. The system includes a modular surgical system which includes a portable column having an adaptor. The modular surgical system includes a control system configured to communicate with remote devices. The control system is further configured to control the adaptor. The adaptor is configured to couple the column to the table top. The system includes a second modular surgical system. The control system is configured to control the table top coupled to the adaptor. The table top is coupled to the adaptor of the modular surgical system and an adaptor of the second modular surgical system so that the table top extends between the column of the modular surgical system and a column of the second modular surgical system. The control system of the modular surgical system communicates with a control system of the second modular surgical system.

In some embodiments, the control system of the modular surgical system may communicate with a control system of the second modular surgical system to at least one of adjust a height of the table top or tilt the table top. At least one of the control system of the modular surgical system and the control system of the second modular surgical system may operate as a primary control system. The primary control system may communicate with a remote device. The table top may be sized to an operating room.

It may be desired that the control system identify the table top coupled to the adaptor. The table may include at least one of a spine table top, an orthopaedic table top, a cervical table top, or a standard operating table top.

Optionally, a battery may be provided. An outlet may be provided to charge the battery. An outlet may be provided to couple the battery to a battery of the second modular surgical system. Casters may be coupled to the column.

According to yet another aspect of the disclosed embodiments, a modular surgical system may include a first column having a first control system. A first adaptor may be positioned at a top of the first column. A second column may include a second control system. A second adaptor may be positioned at a top of the second column. A table top may be coupled to the first adaptor and the second adaptor and extend between the first column and the second column. The first control system may communicate with the second control system to at least one of adjust a height of the table top and tilt the table top.

In some embodiments, at least one of the first control system and the second control system may operate as a primary control system. The primary control system may communicate with a remote device. The table top may be sized to an operating room.

Optionally, a first battery may be positioned in the first column and a second battery may be positioned in the second column. A first outlet may be provided to charge the first battery. An outlet may be provided to couple the first battery to the second battery. First casters may be coupled to the first column and second casters may be coupled to the second column. The modular surgical system may be portable.

The invention is disclosed by the appended claims and will now be further described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:.

Referring to <FIG> a surgical table assembly <NUM> includes a pair of modular components <NUM> having base columns <NUM> and an adaptor <NUM>. A surgical table top <NUM> is coupled to the adaptors <NUM> and extends between the columns <NUM>. The columns <NUM> are telescopic and adjustable in height. Each column <NUM> includes a base <NUM> having casters <NUM> to enable movement of the column <NUM>. Notably, a cross-bar does not extend between the columns <NUM>. Accordingly, other components may be rolled under the table top <NUM> during a procedure. Additionally, the table top <NUM> may be removed from the columns <NUM> so that the columns <NUM> can be stored side by side. In the illustrative embodiments, the surgical table top <NUM> is a spine table. In some embodiments, the surgical table top <NUM> may be an orthopaedic table top, a cervical table top, a standard operating table top, or the like. In some embodiments the columns <NUM> are adapted to couple to any size table top <NUM> to preserve space in an operating room.

The adaptor <NUM> is positioned at the top <NUM> of each column <NUM>. The adaptor <NUM> is adaptable to the table top <NUM> being coupled to the columns. For example, as illustrated, the adaptor <NUM> includes an elevation assembly <NUM> to adjust the height of the spine table top <NUM>. The elevation assembly <NUM> may be an assembly as described in <CIT>, and titled "PATIENT SUPPORT AND METHODS THEREOF". The assembly <NUM> may also rotate the spine table top <NUM>. In the illustrated embodiment, the assembly <NUM> is specific to the spine table top <NUM>. In other embodiments, the adaptor <NUM> may include an assembly <NUM> that is specific to another type of table. For example, the assembly <NUM> may include components that are specific to a standard operating room table. Although many configurations of tables <NUM> may be attached to the columns <NUM>, the present disclosure will be described with respect to a spine table top <NUM>.

A first modular component <NUM> is configured to communicate with a second modular component <NUM>. That is, the modular component <NUM> may operate as the primary modular component or primary control system. The first modular component <NUM> is configured to communicate wirelessly with the second modular component <NUM> so that the modular component <NUM> controls the adaptor <NUM> of each modular component <NUM>, <NUM>. For example, the modular component <NUM> may be operated to tilt the assembly <NUM> to tilt the table top <NUM>. In such an embodiment, the modular component <NUM> communicates with the modular component <NUM> to instruct the modular component <NUM> to also tilt its respective assembly <NUM>. In this way, both assemblies <NUM> rotate in unison to prevent unwanted torsional forces or breakage of the table top <NUM>. In the illustrative embodiment, the first modular component <NUM>, acting as the primary modular component, also communicates with a remote device <NUM>, e.g. a smart phone, a tablet, a remote computer, or the like. Accordingly, the modular component <NUM>, <NUM> can be controlled with the remote device <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, the adaptor <NUM> is detachable from the column <NUM>. The adaptor <NUM> is specific to the table top <NUM>, e.g. a spine adaptor for a spine table top <NUM>. When the table top <NUM> is changed, the adaptor <NUM> is removed from the column <NUM>. For example, when the table top <NUM> is changed to a standard operating room table, the adaptor <NUM> for the standard operating room table is attached to the column <NUM>. As seen in <FIG>, the adaptor <NUM> includes a housing <NUM> having a bottom surface <NUM>. The bottom surface <NUM> is configured to position on a top surface <NUM> of the column <NUM>. The top surface <NUM> of the column <NUM> includes openings <NUM> to receive flanges <NUM> extending from the bottom surface <NUM> of the adaptor <NUM>. The flanges <NUM> lock into the openings <NUM> to secure the adaptor <NUM> to the column <NUM>. In other embodiments, any coupling mechanism may be utilized to secure the adaptor <NUM> to the column <NUM>.

The adaptor <NUM> also includes a plurality of electrical pins <NUM> that extend from the bottom surface <NUM> of the adaptor <NUM>. The electrical pins <NUM> are configured to be received in an outlet <NUM> on the top surface <NUM> of the column <NUM> to transfer electrical signals from the column <NUM> to the adaptor <NUM>. As described below, the adaptor <NUM> includes the elevation assembly <NUM>. By electrically coupling the column <NUM> to the elevation assembly <NUM>, the column <NUM> may be utilized to control the elevation assembly <NUM>. In some embodiments, any plug and socket configuration may be utilized to electrically couple the column <NUM> to the adaptor <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, the modular components <NUM> include control circuitry <NUM> that is positioned in the column <NUM> or the base <NUM>. The control circuitry <NUM> illustratively includes a processor <NUM>, an input/output subsystem <NUM>, a memory <NUM>, and a communication subsystem <NUM>, and/or other components and devices commonly found in a server computer or similar computing device. Of course, the control circuitry <NUM> may include other or additional components, such as those commonly found in a server computer (e.g., various input/output devices), in other embodiments. Additionally, in some embodiments, one or more of the illustrative components may be incorporated in, or otherwise form a portion of, another component. For example, the memory <NUM>, or portions thereof, may be incorporated in the processor <NUM> in some embodiments.

The processor <NUM> may be embodied as any type of processor capable of performing the functions described herein. The processor <NUM> may be embodied as a single or multi-core processor(s), digital signal processor, microcontroller, or other processor or processing/controlling circuit. Similarly, the memory <NUM> may be embodied as any type of volatile or non-volatile memory or data storage capable of performing the functions described herein. In operation, the memory <NUM> may store various data and software used during operation of the control circuitry <NUM>, such as operating systems, applications, programs, libraries, and drivers. The memory <NUM> is communicatively coupled to the processor <NUM> via the I/O subsystem <NUM>, which may be embodied as circuitry and/or components to facilitate input/output operations with the processor <NUM>, the memory <NUM>, and other components of the control circuitry <NUM>. For example, the I/O subsystem <NUM> may be embodied as, or otherwise include, memory controller hubs, input/output control hubs, platform controller hubs, integrated control circuitry, firmware devices, communication links (i.e., point-to-point links, bus links, wires, cables, light guides, printed circuit board traces, etc.) and/or other components and subsystems to facilitate the input/output operations. In some embodiments, the I/O subsystem <NUM> may form a portion of a system-on-a-chip (SoC) and be incorporated, along with the processor <NUM>, the memory <NUM>, and other components of the control circuitry <NUM>, on a single integrated circuit chip.

The communication subsystem <NUM> is configured to wirelessly communicate over a communication infrastructure/Ethernet <NUM>. Over the Ethernet <NUM>, the control circuitry <NUM> communicates with the second modular component <NUM>. As such, the control circuity <NUM> of the first modular component <NUM> is utilized to control the second modular component <NUM>. The communication subsystem <NUM> also communicates with the remote device <NUM> also communicates with the control circuitry <NUM> via the Ethernet <NUM>. In an illustrative embodiment, the remote device <NUM> may communicate commands to the first modular component <NUM>, which commands are then relayed to the second modular component <NUM>. As such, from the remote device <NUM>, both the first modular component <NUM> and the second modular component <NUM> can be operated to work in unison to move the table top <NUM>. Additionally, a graphical user interface <NUM> and user inputs <NUM> are provided on each modular component <NUM>. Using the graphical user interface <NUM> and the user inputs <NUM>, both modular components <NUM> may be controlled from a single modular component <NUM>, e.g. first modular component <NUM>.

In the illustrative embodiment, the modular component <NUM> includes an elevation system motor <NUM> to adjust a height of the column <NUM>. The modular component <NUM> is also electrically coupled to the adaptor <NUM> through the electrical pins <NUM> and the outlet <NUM>. The adaptor includes an elevation system motor <NUM> and a tilt system motor <NUM>. The elevation system motor <NUM> and the tilt system motor <NUM> are coupled to the elevation assembly <NUM>. Each motor <NUM>, <NUM> is electrically coupled to the control circuitry <NUM> so that the control circuitry <NUM> controls each motor <NUM>, <NUM>. In the illustrative embodiment, a user enters commands for the elevation assembly <NUM> into either the remote device <NUM> or the graphical user interface <NUM>. The control circuitry <NUM> of the first modular component <NUM> then relays the command to the control circuitry of the second modular component <NUM> so that the first modular component <NUM> and the second modular component <NUM> act is unison to control the motors <NUM>, <NUM>. The motors <NUM>, <NUM> of each modular component <NUM> operate to raise or lower and to tilt the table top <NUM>.

The modular component <NUM> also includes a battery <NUM> that is recharged when the modular component <NUM> is not in use. A pair of modular components <NUM> can be stored and charged side by side at a healthcare facility. The first modular component <NUM> is plugged into a wall outlet via an inlet <NUM>. The second modular component <NUM> can be likewise plugged into a wall outlet via the inlet <NUM>. Alternatively, a plug (not shown) may be extended between an outlet <NUM> of the first modular component <NUM> and the inlet <NUM> of the second modular component <NUM>. As such, only the first modular component <NUM> is plugged into a wall outlet, and the second modular component <NUM> is charged off of the first modular component <NUM>.

Typical two-column spine tables include a cross tube to provide stability, power and communications. The disclosed embodiments move the stability, power and communications of the table into two separate mobile systems. The disclosed embodiments allow the user to install a support top of any desired length to accommodate operating rooms with spatial limitations, as in the international markets. The disclosed embodiments allow the user to slide under table equipment under the table without concern of contact with a cross tube as in traditional two-column tables.

With storage space becoming a commodity within an operating room, the disclosed embodiments reduce the space required to store a spine surgery table. The two mobile systems can be stored adjacent to each other and charged on a single AC outlet with a jumper between the two mobile systems.

The disclosed embodiments can also be tailored for alternative uses other than spine surgery such as integration with measurement and diagnostic equipment requiring portability and height adjustability.

Claim 1:
A system comprising
a table top (<NUM>);
a modular surgical system comprising:
a portable column (<NUM>) having an adaptor (<NUM>),
a control system configured to communicate with remote devices (<NUM>), the control system further configured to control the adaptor (<NUM>), the adaptor (<NUM>) is configured to couple the column (<NUM>) to the table top (<NUM>);
wherein the control system is configured to control the table top (<NUM>) coupled to the adaptor (<NUM>),
characterised in that the system further comprises a second modular surgical system, wherein the table top (<NUM>) is coupled to the adaptor (<NUM>) of the modular surgical system and an adaptor (<NUM>) of the second modular surgical system so that the table top (<NUM>) extends between the column (<NUM>) of the modular surgical system and a column of the second modular surgical system, and
the control system of the modular surgical system communicates with a control system of the second modular surgical system.