Patent Document

RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    The present application claims benefit of priority as a continuation application to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/017,921 filed Jan. 22, 2008, which claims priority as a divisional application to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/268,182, filed Nov. 7, 2005, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to medical tubing, and more particularly to lighted medical tubing. 
         [0003]    As known to those skilled in the art, medical tubing is commonly used in hospitals and medical settings. There are many accidents every year caused by patients, medical personnel, and visitors tripping over or otherwise dislodging undetected tubing at night. There are also documented deaths that have resulted from disconnected tubing and tubing that has been connected incorrectly. These accidents are unnecessary and unacceptable. At the same time, there are definitely problems with lighting the entire environment at night; patients often need rest, and many people are incapable of obtaining good rest in lit surroundings. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0004]    Lighted oxygen tubing and methods of method of reducing the occurrence of accidents involving inadvertently dislodged medical tubing are disclosed herein. Lighted oxygen tubing of one embodiment includes an elongate wall defining a sterile interior channel for transporting oxygen. The elongate wall has first and second ends and a central portion therebetween. A light source is attached to an outer surface of the wall, so that the light source indicates the location of the wall central portion when in a dark environment. 
         [0005]    In an embodiment, a method of reducing the occurrence of accidents involving inadvertently dislodged medical tubing includes the steps of: (A) providing medical tubing having an elongate wall defining a sterile interior channel for transporting a medical substance, the elongate wall having first and second ends and a central portion therebetween; (B) providing a light source; and (C) attaching the light source to an outer surface of the central portion of the wall so that the light source indicates the location of the central portion of the wall when transporting the medical substance in a dark environment to reduce inadvertent contact with the wall. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
         [0006]      FIGS. 1 through 4  show pieces of lighted tubing in accord with various embodiments. 
           [0007]      FIG. 5  shows a light source operatively connected to a clip in accord with an embodiment. 
           [0008]      FIG. 6  shows the light source and clip of  FIG. 5  without flanges. 
           [0009]      FIG. 7   a  shows a piece of lighted tubing in accord with an embodiment. 
           [0010]      FIG. 7   b  shows a sectional view of the piece of lighted tubing of  FIG. 7   a.    
           [0011]      FIG. 8   a  shows a piece of lighted tubing in accord with an embodiment. 
           [0012]      FIG. 8   b  shows a sectional view of the piece of lighted tubing of  FIG. 8   a.    
           [0013]      FIGS. 9 through 12  show pieces of lighted tubing in accord with various embodiments. 
           [0014]      FIG. 13  shows a sectional view of the light source and clip of  FIG. 12 . The clip is shown in a closed configuration. 
           [0015]      FIG. 14  shows a sectional view of the light source and clip of  FIG. 12 . The clip is shown in an open configuration. 
           [0016]      FIG. 15  shows a sectional view of the light source and clip of  FIG. 12 . The clip is shown in a closed configuration. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0017]      FIG. 1  shows a piece of lighted tubing  100  according to an embodiment. The lighted tubing  100  includes a light source  110  and tubing  120  having an elongate wall  122  defining an interior channel  124  for transporting a substance. The tubing  120  is preferably medical tubing, i.e., oxygen tubing. While the tubing  120  is not limited to oxygen tubing, the tubing  120  is preferably a highly inert and flexible sterile tubing for medical use. The tubing  120  may present a circular cross-section  125  or a cross-section  125  having another shape, such as oval or oblong, for example. The light source  110  allows the tubing  120  to be seen in the dark, preventing accidents caused by tripping over, dislodging, or completely disconnecting unlit tubing  120 . 
         [0018]    The light source  110  is shown in  FIG. 1  as a chemical coating  110   a  having glow-in-the-dark characteristics. Numerous phosphorescent paints  110   a  found in the marketplace today would be appropriate. After exposure to incident radiation (light), some of these coatings  110   a  may emit light for up to twelve hours that can be seen by humans. Further, according to their manufacturers, some of these phosphorescent paints  110   a  can be charged millions of times and have a lifespan of over twenty years. These coatings  110   a  can be obtained in various colors, and may be nearly transparent in lit surroundings. 
         [0019]    As shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the light source  110  may include a piece of tape  110   b  having glow-in-the-dark characteristics. The tape  110   b  may have adhesive  111  attaching the tape  110   b  to the wall  122  ( FIG. 2 ), or the tape may be a vinyl tape  110   b  capable of being selectively affixed to the wall  122  through an electrostatic interaction ( FIG. 3 ). If the tape  110   b  includes the adhesive  111 , the tape  110   b  may be constructed of any of a variety of materials, including cloth, plastic, metal, paper, and others. The tape  110   b  may be manufactured from a material having glow-in-the-dark characteristics, or glow-in-the-dark characteristics may be added to the tape  110   b,  such as by adding the chemical coating  110   a  discussed above to the tape  110   b.    
         [0020]    As shown in  FIG. 4 , the light source  110  may include a heat-shrink material  110   c  having glow-in-the-dark characteristics. Somewhat similar heat-shrink materials are currently used with electrical cords. The heat-shrink material may be manufactured from a material having glow-in-the-dark characteristics, or glow-in-the-dark characteristics may be added to the heat-shrink material. Portion  112   a  represents the heat-shrink material  110   c  in an initial state, and portion  112   b  represents the heat-shrink material  110   c  after heat has been added. 
         [0021]      FIGS. 5 and 6  show a light source  110  that includes a ruminator  113 , i.e., a LED or a light bulb. The luminator  113  is preferably a LED due to the negligible amount of heat produced by a LED, though other luminators  113  may be used. The luminator  113  is operatively connected to a clip  114 . The clip  114  shown in  FIGS. 5 through 9  is a sleeve  114   a  having an inner diameter  115  that is larger than an outer diameter of the elongate wall  122 . The sleeve  114   a  presents first and second ends  116   a,    116   b,  and an opening  116   c  extends from the first end  116   a  to the second end  116   b  to allow the sleeve  114   a  to be selectively positioned about the wall  122 , as shown in  FIGS. 7   a  through  8   b.  As shown in  FIGS. 5 ,  7   a,  and  7   b,  the sleeve  114   a  may include a respective flange  116   d  extending outwardly from each side of the sleeve opening  116   c  so that a user may easily enlarge the sleeve opening  116   c  and selectively position the sleeve  114   a  about the wall  122 . Though not shown, the luminator  113  is in communication with a power source (i.e., a battery). Also, the ruminator  113  may be constantly emitting light, or a user interface (i.e., a switch) may be in communication with the ruminator  113  to allow the ruminator  113  to selectively emit light. 
         [0022]      FIGS. 7   a  through  8   b  show a light source  110  without a ruminator  113 . Instead, the sleeve  114   a  includes glow-in-the-dark characteristics. The sleeve  114   a  may be manufactured from a material having glow-in-the-dark characteristics, or glow-in-the-dark characteristics may be added to the sleeve  114   a,  such as by adding the chemical coating  110   a  discussed above to the sleeve  114   a.    FIGS. 7   a  and  8   a  show that a plurality of sleeves  114   a  may be operatively attached to the wall  122 . The sleeves  114   a  may be positioned periodically along substantially the entire length of the wall  122  so the location of the entire wall  122  may be observed in the dark. Alternately, one or more sleeve  114   a  may be positioned along a predetermined portion of the wall  122  so that the predetermined portion may be observed in the dark. 
         [0023]      FIG. 9  shows a light source  110  that includes a ruminator  113 . A conductor  117  preferably conducts light produced by the ruminator  113 , further marking the position of the wall  122 . The conductor  117  may also connect the luminators  113  to one another, forming a chain of luminators  113 . The conductor  117  is preferably flexible and may be constructed of a fiberoptic bundle. 
         [0024]      FIGS. 10 and 11  show a conductor  117  positioned inside the tubing interior channel  124  ( FIG. 10 ) and positioned inside the tubing wall  122  ( FIG. 11 ). A luminator  113  (not shown) introduces light into the conductors  117 , and the conductors  117  conduct and transmit that light. This effectively displays the position of the wall  122 . 
         [0025]      FIGS. 12 through 15  show a clip  114  that is a hook apparatus  130  for selectively attaching the luminator  113  to the wall  122 . The hook apparatus  130  preferably houses a power source  140  (i.e., a battery) in communication with the ruminator  113 , and as seen in  FIGS. 12 through 15 , the ruminator  113  may protrude from the hook apparatus  130 . Alternately, the ruminator  113  may be located inside the hook apparatus  130  as long as the hook apparatus is transparent or includes openings to allow light from the ruminator  113  to escape. The hook apparatus  130  may include inner and outer portions  132 ,  134  capable of sliding along one another to alter the hook apparatus  130  between an open configuration  130   a  ( FIGS. 12 and 14 ) and a closed configuration  130   b  ( FIGS. 13 and 15 ). A hook  131  may be attached to the inner portion  132  for selectively connecting the inner portion  132  to the wall  122 . A biasing element  136  (i.e., a spring or tension cord) is preferably in communication with the inner and outer portions  132 ,  134  to bias the hook apparatus  130  toward the closed configuration  130   b.  The outer portion  134  may define a recessed region  135  adjacent a top end  134   a  so that the wall  122  may be located at least partially inside the hook apparatus  130  when the hook apparatus  130  is attached to the wall  122  and the hook apparatus  130  is at the closed configuration  130   b.  The inner and outer portions  132 ,  134  preferably include interfering protrusions  132   a,    134   a  so that the inner and outer portions  132 ,  134  are restricted in their range of motion. The interaction between the protrusions  132   a,    134   a  keeps the wall  122  from being kinked or damaged by the outer portion  134  or the hook  131 . 
         [0026]    An example of use for the hook apparatus  130  ( FIGS. 12-15 ) is as follows. The hook apparatus  130  is initially at the closed configuration  130   b  ( FIG. 13 ) due to the biasing element  136 . Opposing ends of the inner and outer portions  132 ,  134  may be squeezed together, altering the hook apparatus  130  to the open configuration  130   a  ( FIG. 14 ). The hook  131  may then be placed about the wall  122  ( FIG. 12 ). By releasing the opposing ends of the inner and outer portions  132 ,  134 , the hook apparatus  130  returns to the closed configuration  130   b  ( FIG. 13 ) due to the biasing element  136 , removably attaching the hook apparatus  130  to the wall  122 . 
         [0027]    As shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the light source  110  may define indicia  119 . The indicia  119  may provide information pertaining to the medical use of the tubing  120  ( FIG. 3 , for example), the direction of flow for a substance inside the tubing  120  ( FIG. 2 , for example), manufacturer information, or other relevant subjects. By indicating direction of flow, the indicia  119  also makes it very easy to observe and identify coils or kinks in the tubing  120 . The indicia  119  may alternately provide comforting or emotionally-beneficial markings, such as teddy bears, snowflakes, etc. Such markings may be especially comforting to a child, though they are not solely intended for use with children. The indicia  119  as shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3  may include the glow-in-the-dark characteristics discussed above, or the indicia  119  as shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3  may be viewable because of a lack of glow-in-the-dark characteristics. Importantly, contrast between the characteristics of the indicia  119  and the surrounding area define the indicia  119 . Though only shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the indicia  119  can be used for any of the described embodiments. For embodiments incorporating luminators  113 , a cover lens having indicia-defining light passageways may be placed adjacent the luminators  113  to define the indicia  119  with the light produced by the luminators  113 .

Technology Category: 1