AU2012216397A1

AU2012216397A1 - Cart for transporting a bottle of medical gas

Info

Publication number: AU2012216397A1
Application number: AU2012216397A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Maxime Dori; Marianne Femy
Original assignee: Air Liquide SA; Air Liquide Sante International SA; LAir Liquide SA pour lEtude et lExploitation des Procedes Georges Claude
Current assignee: Air Liquide Sante International SA; LAir Liquide SA pour lEtude et lExploitation des Procedes Georges Claude
Priority date: 2011-09-30
Filing date: 2012-08-23
Publication date: 2013-04-18
Anticipated expiration: 2032-08-23
Also published as: AU2012216397B2; EP2574361B1; EP2574361A1; ES2752850T3; AR087962A1; FR2980688B1; BR102012023016A2; FR2980688A1; ZA201207289B; CA2785690A1

Abstract

5 The invention relates to a mobile cart (1) that can be used in a hospital environment or in medical practices, comprising a base (2) having a bottom and provided with a plurality of wheels (3), the base (2) being surmounted by a peripheral wall (4) that projects upwards and is shaped so as to delimit an internal volume (6) that is dimensioned to form a housing able to hold a cylindrical bottle of gas (7), said bottle of gas (7) resting on said bottom, the peripheral 10 wall (4) having an opening (5) provided in its rear face (4d) in order for a bottle (7) of gas, in particular a bottle of oxygen, nitrous oxide or one of the mixtures thereof, to be inserted into said internal volume (6) and to be positioned on the bottom of the base (2), two support arms (8, 9) projecting upwards, the support arms (8, 9) being fastened by a first end (8a, 9a) to one of the side faces (4b, 4c) of the peripheral wall (4) and by a second end (8b, 9b) to a plate 15 structure (10) on top of the cart (1). Figure 3 9b 8b 9a 1-5 4d 4 b 4c

Description

AUSTRALIA Patents Act COMPLETE SPECIFICATION (ORIGINAL) Class Int. Class Application Number: Lodged: Complete Specification Lodged: Accepted: Published: Priority Related Art: Name of Applicant: Air Liquide Sante (International) and L'Air Liquide Societe Anonyme pour l'Etude et l'Exploitation des Procedes Georges Claude Actual Inventor(s): Maxime Dori, Marianne Femy Address for Service and Correspondence: PHILLIPS ORMONDE FITZPATRICK Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys 367 Collins Street Melbourne 3000 AUSTRALIA Invention Title: CART FOR TRANSPORTING A BOTTLE OF MEDICAL GAS Our Ref: 951345 POF Code: 1290/43509, 451931 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to applicant(s): 6-016- 2 CART FOR TRANSPORTING A BOTTLE OF MEDICAL GAS This application claims priority from French Application No 1158811 filed on 30 September 2011, the contents of which are to be taken as incorporated herein by this 5 reference. The invention relates to a mobile care cart, such as a sedation cart, that is used to transport a bottle of medical gas and one or more medical apparatuses, such as administration devices and/or an oximeter, said cart being particularly well suited to use in a medical or hospital environment or in a care practice, for example a dental practice. 10 The discussion of documents, acts, materials, devices, articles and the like is included in this specification solely for the purpose of providing a context for the present invention. It is not suggested or represented that any or all of these matters formed part of the prior art base or were common general knowledge in the field relevant to the present invention as it existed before the priority date of each claim of this application. 15 Where the terms "comprise", "comprises", "comprised" or "comprising" are used in this specification (including the claims) they are to be interpreted as specifying the presence of the stated features, integers, steps or components, but not precluding the presence of one or more other features, integers, steps or components, or group thereof. Some medical gases, such as sedation mixtures formed of an equimolar proportion ?0 (50%/50%) of N 2 0 and oxygen are used both in hospitals and in medical practices, in particular dental practices, where they are used to relieve or to reduce pain in patients who will be undergoing a minor medical intervention, such as a tooth extraction, for example. These gases are contained in bottles of gas having a typical capacity of around 5 litres (water equivalent capacity) which weigh several kilograms and are therefore not necessarily 25 easy to handle. Furthermore, the administration of the gas requires the use of specific materials, such as an administration kit comprising tubing, an inflating bag and a breathing mask, or even a medical apparatus for administering gas. However, these materials are bulky and not very practical to store and handle for the 30 clinical personnel. In light of this, the problem set is to make it easier to handle and employ bottles of medical gas and the associated instruments or materials, such as an oximeter, in hospitals or medical practices, while allowing easy and simple access to, visualization of and/or regulation 2462784.1 3 of the regulating members of the valve or expansion valve for dispensing gas with which the bottles of gas are equipped. The solution is an ergonomic mobile cart comprising: - a base having a bottom and provided with a plurality of wheels, 5 - the base being surmounted by a peripheral wall that projects upwards and is shaped so as to delimit an internal volume that is dimensioned to form a housing able to hold a cylindrical bottle of gas, said bottle of gas resting on said bottom, - the peripheral wall having an opening provided in its rear face in order for a bottle of gas to be inserted into said internal volume and to be positioned on the bottom of the base, and 10 - two support arms that project upwards, the support arms being fastened by a first end to one of the side faces of the peripheral wall and by a second end to a plate structure on top of the cart. Depending on the case, the cart of the invention may comprise one or more of the following technical features: 15 - a storage compartment is arranged under the plate structure, said compartment comprising one or more openings providing access to an internal space, that is to say a storage space for small materials. - the two support arms are fastened by their second ends directly to the plate structure or indirectly to said plate structure by way of the storage compartment arranged under said !0 plate structure. - said lateral support arms have a curved elongate shape directed towards the rear face of the peripheral wall. Specifically, by virtue of this rearwardly curved shape of the support arms or brackets for supporting the plate, the user has good visibility and can easily regulate the flow rate of gas exiting the bottle, by way of the rotary regulating member, such as a rotary 25 hand wheel, of the expansion valve which is fitted on the bottle and is accessible by way of an opening located in the top part of the protective cap on the bottle. - the peripheral wall comprises a front face located opposite the rear face provided with the opening, and two side faces located opposite one another with respect to the internal volume. 30 - the front face and the two side faces form a bottle compartment having an internal volume and a U-shaped or virtually U-shaped cross section, as seen at the opening. - the plate structure is planar and horizontal or virtually horizontal when the wheels of the cart are placed on horizontal or virtually horizontal ground. - the plate structure comprises a handle. 2462784.1 4 - the plate structure comprises a handle in the form of a slot provided in said plate structure and dimensioned so as to allow the insertion of a number of fingers of a hand into said slot so as to allow an operator to take hold of the cart by said slot. - the base, the bottom and the wall are moulded in one piece, and preferably they are 5 made of polymer material. - the two support arms and the plate are likewise made of polymer material. - the cart is formed of two sub-units that are connected or joined together and comprise a first sub-unit comprising at least the base, the wheels, the bottom and the wall; and a second sub-unit comprising at least the support arms and the plate structure. 10 - the two support arms are joined to the wall at two wall extensions that project upwards, and preferably said wall extensions are arranged in the two side faces and in particular the wall extensions are formed from a part of the wall of said two side faces. - the support arms are held securely on the wall of the base by virtue of fastening elements, and preferably the fastening elements are elements that are fastened by screwing, 15 such as screws, bolts or the like. - the support arms slot into or are fastened to the base at the wall extensions. - the support arms and the wall extensions have complementary three-dimensional structures such as to allow them to be coupled securely, that is to say to be slotted and held securely one in the other. ?0 - the support arms and the wall extensions comprise guide rails and slides that engage with one another in order to mount said support arms on the wall extensions. - the support arms are fastened to the wall extensions via an intermediate holding piece. - the plate structure also comprises at least one attachment device, preferably a 25 plurality of attachment devices. - at least one of the attachment devices is suitable and designed for the attachment of a breathing bag in particular. - the plate structure comprises at least two attachment devices, each comprising one or more indentations made in the plate, preferably indentations which have different dimensions 30 and can receive a plurality of different types of administration kit. Preferably, in total, the plate has four indentations, two on each side of the plate for easy use by both right-handed people and left-handed people. - the bottle of gas contains a medical gas selected from N 2 0, 02 and 0 2

/N

2 0 mixtures. 2462784.1 5 - it may support a medical apparatus arranged on the plate structure, in particular an oximeter or a breathing apparatus connected to the bottle of gas and to a breathing mask via gas lines, preferably flexible lines. The invention will be understood better by virtue of the following detailed description 5 given with references to the appended figures, in which: - Figure 1 shows a front view of a mobile care cart in one embodiment according to the present invention, without a bottle inserted, - Figure 2 shows a rear view of the mobile cart from Figure 1, - Figure 3 shows the mobile cart from Figure 1 with a bottle inserted in the central 10 housing and equipped with medical instruments, and - Figures 4 and 5 show details of the system for fastening the support arms to the base of the cart from Figures 1 to 3. Figure 1 shows an embodiment of a mobile care cart 1 according to the present invention, said cart 1 being particularly suitable for use in a hospital or in a care practice, for 15 example a dental practice, in order to transport a bottle of gas 17, and also various care materials, in particular different instruments 35, such as breathing masks, breathing apparatus or an oximeter 33, an inflating bag 14, tubing 26, etc. This cart I comprises a lower part or base 2, which is provided with a bottom and a plurality of wheels 3, typically three to five wheels, so that the cart can be moved around on ?0 the ground. Optionally, the wheels 3 can be equipped with a locking system that prevents them from rotating freely so as to immobilize the cart 1 and prevent it from being moved around on the ground. However, the presence of brakes is not obligatory and the cart I in Figures 1 to 3 does not have them. 25 The base 2 is surmounted by a peripheral wall 4 that projects upwards and is shaped so as to delimit an internal volume 6 that is dimensioned so as to form a housing able to hold a cylindrical bottle of gas 7. More precisely, the wall 4 has a front face 4a and two, right-hand and left-hand, side faces 4b, 4c, which are closed. It thus forms a sort of peripheral protective shell that protects the majority of the drum of the bottle 7 and prevents it from tipping towards 30 the front and the sides. Furthermore, as can be seen in Figure 2, an opening 5 is made in the rear face 4d of the wall 4 so as to allow easy insertion of the bottle of gas 7 into the internal volume 6, including when the bottle 7 has a protective cap 17 that serves to protect the expansion valve 18 and the 2462784.1 6 other elements that are used to dispense the gas, in particular a manometer 19 and a regulating hand wheel 28. Such a bottle design is described in the document EP-A-629812. As can be seen from Figure 2, the front face 4a and the two side faces 4b, 4c of the cart form a compartment that has a U-shaped or virtually U-shaped cross section, as seen at the 5 opening 5, and forms the abovementioned peripheral protective shell. When it is inserted into the internal volume 6 of the cart 1, via the opening 5 provided in the rear face 4d thereof, the bottle of gas 7 rests on the bottom of the base 2. The bottom (not visible in the figures) of the base 2 may be shaped so as to hold, or even immobilize, the lower part of the drum of a bottle 7 of gas. For example, it may comprise 10 a set-back region 18 that projects towards the underside of the cart, i.e. towards the ground, and shaped so as to have a cylindrical three-dimensional shape able to hold the lower part of the drum of the bottle 7, such as a sleeve. Such a configuration of the bottom of the base 2 makes it possible for the drum of the bottle 17 to be held better in the housing 6 and to prevent the bottle 7 from tipping through the rear opening 5 provided in the rear wall 4d. Optionally, a 15 holding strap or the like may be provided at the opening 5 made in the rear wall 4d. The internal volume 6 that forms the central housing for the bottle 7 is designed and dimensioned to hold bottles of gas typically of the B5 type which are around 70 cm high (including the cap 17) and 15 cm in diameter at the drum of the bottle. However, the internal volume may be designed to hold bottles having different dimensions. !0 Moreover, two support arms 8, 9 surmounted by a plate 10 are fastened to the two, right-hand and left-hand, side faces 4b, 4c of the wall 4. More precisely, the cart I is formed of two sub-units that are connected together and comprise a first sub-unit (forming the lower part of the cart) comprising the base 2, the wheels 3, the bottom and the wall 4, and a second sub-unit (forming the upper part of the cart) 25 comprising the support arms 8, 9 and the plate structure, and possibly the compartment 11, in particular when the latter is formed in one piece with the arms 8, 9 and the plate 10 or is fastened securely thereto. Specifically, the two support arms 8, 9 are joined, via their first ends 8a, 9a, to the wall 4 at two wall extensions 21, 22 that project upwards from the two side faces 4b, 4c of said wall 30 4. The support arms 8, 9 are then held securely on the wall 4 of the base 2 by virtue of fastening elements 24, such as screws or any similar element for screw fastening. As shown in detail in Figures 4 and 5, the support arms 8, 9 are in fact slotted into the base 2 at the wall extensions 21, 22 of the wall 4. 2462784.1 7 In order to ensure adequate and effective slotting, the support arms 8, 9 and the wall extensions 21, 22 have complementary three-dimensional structures 27, 27', having a more or less complex shape, so that they can be coupled and held in position one in the other. Depending on the embodiment under consideration, the support arms 8, 9 and the wall 5 extensions 21, 22 can have complementary three-dimensional structures 27, 27' that slot and/or are coupled together by being held fastened together via fastening elements 24 such as screws, bolts or the like. These complementary three-dimensional structures 27, 27' not only make it easier to assemble the two sub-units but also prevent assembly errors since, if the direction is reversed, 10 the sub-units cannot be assembled. In order to make assembly easier, the support arms 8, 9 and/or the wall extensions 21, 22 may comprise guide rails 31 that engage with slides by being inserted one into the other, thereby making it easier to slot the sub-units together. The elements 24 for fastening, in particular by screwing, such as screws or the like, can 15 join the support arms 8, 9 directly to the wall extensions 21, 22 or else indirectly via an intermediate holding piece 32, as can be seen in Figures 4 and 5, which is fastened to the support arms 8, 9 and to the wall extensions 21, 22. Each support arm 8, 9 thus projects upwards from its first end 8a, 9a, which is fastened to one of the two wall extensions 21, 22 located at the top of the side faces 4b, 4c of the ?0 peripheral wall 4, and supports, via its second end 8b, 9b, the plate structure 10 on top of the cart 1. This plate structure 10 is approximately parallel to the bottom of the cart and to the surface of the ground on which the cart 1 rests. As can be seen in Figure 1, a storage compartment 11 or container is arranged just 25 below the plate structure 10 and comprises a front opening 13 that provides access to the internal space of the compartment 11. It is preferably made of a polymer. The plate 10 forms the top or upper wall of the compartment 11. Furthermore, in order to allow drainage of liquid which could accumulate in the compartment 11, the latter may comprise one or more drainage orifices through its bottom. 30 The compartment 11 is fastened to the arms 8, 9 for example by screwing or else by simple clip-fastening, being held in position in situ via opposing shoulders 23 that are arranged on the inner wall 30 of each of the arms 8, 9, as is illustrated in Figure 1. These shoulders 23 thus project towards one another and the compartment 11 rests on top, being held in an immobilized manner between said shoulders 23 and the plate 10. 2462784.1 8 As is illustrated in Figure 3, the compartment 11 and the plate 10 can hold utensils 25, medical devices or apparatuses, such as oximetry apparatuses or apparatuses for administering medical gas, and also their flexible tubing 26 or their electrical connection cables, and/or surgical or care instruments that are likely to be used by the clinical personnel. 5 The plate structure 10 furthermore comprises a handle 12 which is in the form of a slot made in the plate structure 10 and dimensioned so as to allow the insertion into said slot of a number of fingers on the hand of a user such that the user can take hold of the cart 1 by this slot and it is thus easier to orient the cart and move it around on the ground. It should be noted that, depending on the embodiment selected, the two support arms 8, 10 9 can be fastened by their second ends 8b, 9b directly to the plate structure 10 or, depending on the case, indirectly thereto, i.e. for example by way of the storage compartment 11 arranged under said plate structure 10. Preferably, the base 2, the bottom, the wall 4 and the support arms 8, 9 are moulded in one piece, and preferably they are made of polymer material. 15 Furthermore, as is illustrated in Figure 2, the plate 10 or the rear face of the compartment 11 can be provided with one or more hooks 15, 16 that are used for attaching instruments that are used during treatments, such as tubing or flexible pipes. As can be seen in Figures 1 and 2, the lateral support arms 8, 9 have a curved elongate shape directed towards the rear face 4d of the peripheral wall 4. They preferably have a ?0 flattened shape, i.e. in the form of a plate. Specifically, by virtue of this rearwardly curved shape of the support arms 8, 9, also called supporting brackets, the plate 10 is offset towards the rear of the cart I and is not vertically above the bottle 7, and accordingly the user has good visibility and can easily regulate the flow rate of gas exiting the bottle 7, via the rotary regulating member 28, such as a rotary hand wheel, of the expansion valve which is mounted 25 on the bottle and is accessible by way of an opening 29 located in the upper part of the protective cap 17 on the bottle 7. The plate structure 10 furthermore comprises an attachment device 20 suitable and designed for the fastening of a breathing bag 14. The attachment device 20 comprises indentations which are made in the plate 10 and have preferably different dimensions such as 30 to be able to hold a number of different types of administration kit. Preferably, the plate has four indentations or the like, two on each side of the plate 10 for easy use by both right-handed people and left-handed people. 2462784.1 9 The bottle of gas 7 positioned within the housing 5 contains a medical gas having one or more gaseous components, for example an equimolar (50/50%) mixture of N 2 0 and oxygen. When the bottle 7 is inserted into the housing in the cart 1, the wall 4 can hold all of 5 the body of the bottle 7 apart from the cap 17, as can be seen in the embodiment in Figure 3, or can hold only a part of the body of the bottle depending on the embodiment selected. The cart 1 of the invention weighs around 14 kg, its height is around 97 cm and its surface area on the ground is 45 cm x 45 cm. All of the polymers, in particular plastics materials, that can be used in the constitution 10 of the cart I of the invention must be compatible with cleaning by conventional disinfectants, including solvents. The cart 1 according to the invention can be used within a hospital in order to transport at least one bottle 7 of gas, and possibly a medical apparatus arranged on the plate structure 10, in particular an oximeter 33, and also other materials, in particular an inflating bag 14. 15 The cart 1 of the invention is particularly suitable for use in a dental or dermatology practice. 2462784.1

Claims

1. Mobile cart comprising: - a base having a bottom and provided with a plurality of wheels, 5 - the base being surmounted by a peripheral wall that projects upwards and is shaped so as to delimit an internal volume that is dimensioned to form a housing able to hold a cylindrical bottle of gas, said bottle of gas resting on said bottom, - the peripheral wall having an opening provided in its rear face in order for a bottle of gas to be inserted into said internal volume and to be positioned on the bottom of the base, and 10 - two support arms that project upwards, the support arms being fastened by a first end to one of the side faces of the peripheral wall and by a second end to a plate structure on top of the cart.

2. Cart according to the preceding claim, wherein a storage compartment is 15 arranged under the plate structure, said compartment comprising one or more openings providing access to an internal space.

3. Cart according to either of the preceding claims, wherein the plate structure is planar and horizontal or virtually horizontal when the wheels of the cart are placed on ?0 horizontal or virtually horizontal ground.

4. Cart according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said lateral support arms have a curved elongate shape directed towards the rear face of the peripheral wall. 25

5. Cart according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said peripheral wall comprises a front face located opposite the rear face provided with the opening, and two side faces located opposite one another with respect to the internal volume, the front face and the two side faces forming a bottle compartment having an internal volume and a U-shaped or virtually U-shaped cross section, as seen at the opening. 30

6. Cart according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the plate structure comprises a handle in the form of a slot provided in said plate structure and dimensioned so as to allow the insertion of a number of fingers of a hand into said slot so as to allow an operator to take hold of the cart by said slot.

2462784.1 l1

7. Cart according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the cart is formed of two sub-units that are connected together and comprise - a first sub-unit comprising at least the base, the wheels, the bottom and the wall; and 5 - a second sub-unit comprising at least the support arms and the plate structure.

8. Cart according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the two support arms are joined to the wall at two wall extensions that project upwards. 10

9. Cart according to claim 8, wherein said wall extensions are arranged in the two side faces.

10. Cart according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the support arms slot into or are fastened to the base at the wall extensions. 15

11. Cart according to claim 10, wherein said support arms and said wall extensions have complementary three-dimensional structures.

12. Cart according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the support arms ?0 and the wall extensions comprise guide rails and slides that engage with one another in order to mount said support arms on the wall extensions.

13. Cart according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the support arms are fastened to the wall extensions via an intermediate holding piece. 25

14. Cart according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the plate structure also comprises at least one attachment device.

15. Cart according to claim 14, wherein the plate structure comprises a plurality of 30 attachment devices.

16. Cart according to claim 14 or 15, wherein the attachment device or devices are suitable and designed for the attachment of a breathing bag. 2462784.1 12

17. Cart according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the base, the bottom and the wall are moulded in one piece.

18. Cart according to claim 17, wherein the base, the bottom and the wall are made 5 of polymer material.

19. Cart according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein it has a fastening device suitable and designed for holding the gas bottle within the housing. 10

20. Cart according to claim 19, wherein the gas bottle is a bottle of a medical gas selected from N 2 0, 02 and 0 2 /N 2 0 mixtures.

21. Use of a cart according to any one of the preceding claims within a hospital for transporting at least one bottle of gas, and optionally a medical apparatus arranged on the plate 15 structure.

22. Use according to claim 21, wherein the medical apparatus is an oximeter.

23. Cart according to claim 1, substantially as hereinbefore described with 20 reference to any one of the Figures. 2462784.1