Patent ID: 8905637

Claim:
Apparatus for use in scanning a patient, the apparatus comprising: a free-standing support for supporting anatomy of a patient during scanning, the free-standing support comprising: a holder for supporting anatomy of a patient during scanning, wherein the holder is sized so as to fit within a scan opening of a scanning machine, wherein the scan opening of the scanning machine comprises a toroidal shaped center opening, and further wherein at least a portion of the holder is transparent to the scanning machine; and a stand, the stand comprising a shaft having a top end, a bottom end and a longitudinal axis extending therebetween, the shaft terminating in a head at the top end and a base at the bottom end; wherein the head of the stand is configured to receive a mount formed on the holder for attaching the holder to the head so that the holder extends perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis of the shaft; wherein the base comprises a pair of horizontal bars extending perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis of the shaft; wherein the holder and the horizontal bars extend parallel to, but spaced from, one another so that the holder, the shaft and the pair of horizontal bars form a u-shaped configuration; and wherein the base comprises a plurality of casters which permit the stand to move about on a floor, and at least one brake for selectively stopping movement of the stand on a floor, and further wherein the horizontal bars of the base are sized to fit under the scanning machine.