EP4301311A1

EP4301311A1 - Inflatable neck collar

Info

Publication number: EP4301311A1
Application number: EP23722278.1A
Authority: EP
Inventors: designation of the inventor has not yet been filed The
Original assignee: Saluscur Aps
Current assignee: Saluscur Aps
Priority date: 2022-04-26
Filing date: 2023-04-21
Publication date: 2024-01-10
Also published as: WO2023208789A1

Abstract

Inflatable neck collar comprising an inflatable airtight chamber and a connection device, said inflatable airtight chamber comprising at least one horizontally oriented air channel and at least two vertically oriented air channels, a first of said at least two vertically oriented air channels arranged on a left side of the at least one horizontally oriented air channel and a second of said at least two vertically oriented air channels arranged on a right side of the at least one horizontally oriented air channel, said connection device being arranged outside the inflatable airtight chamber and connecting outer sides of the two vertically oriented air channels together. The at least one horizontally oriented air channel comprises two horizontally oriented air channels arranged vertically spaced apart from each other and in that the first and second vertically oriented air channels are connected to both of the two horizontally oriented air channels. In this way, a neck collar is provided which is stiff in the vertical orientation, but narrow in the forward-backward direction.

Description

Inflatable Neck collar

The current invention relates to an inflatable neck collar comprising an inflatable airtight chamber and a connection device, said inflatable airtight chamber comprising at least one horizontally oriented air channel and at least two vertically oriented air channels, a first of said at least two vertically oriented air channels arranged on a left side of the at least one horizontally oriented air channel and a second of said at least two vertically oriented air channels arranged on a right side of the at least one horizontally oriented air channel, said connection device being arranged outside the inflatable airtight chamber and connecting outer sides of the two vertically oriented air channels together. The neck collar of the current invention is arranged to be used to hold the jaw of a deceased person up so that the mouth is maintained in a closed position, as well as to stabilize the head position. The neck collar comprises a cuff which comprises an inflatable air chamber, hence the jaw and neck support is provided by air.

The inflatable neck collar of the invention is applied to the deceased person in the deflated state before Rigor Mortis sets in. Once the collar is applied, it is inflated. When the collar is inflated, the inflatable air chamber will expand and slowly apply a force to the jaw and neck of the deceased person. In one embodiment, the collar is inflated via a hand pump connected to the air chamber via a valve. After rigor mortis has occurred in the jaw and neck region, the neck collar can be removed and the jaw and head will stay in the desired position. of related art

When death occurs in humans, some different physiological processes take place in the body. One of the initial effects of these processes is that all the muscles in the body relax. This typically leaves the deceased person with a jaw which hangs down and an open mouth. Similarly, in certain cases, when the neck muscles relax, the head can hang to one side and/or twist. After the initial relaxing of the muscles, Rigor Mortis sets in which locks the position of the muscles and holds the position of the jaw and the head in their last position. If the last position of the jaw and head was an unnatural position, after Rigor Mortis sets in, the deceased person is left with a stiff body, but where the jaw and head are held in an unnatural position. In the case where a deceased person is to be arranged in an open coffin during a funeral or a final visitation, the unnatural position of the jaw and head is not desired.

It is therefore common practice, soon after death, to put the deceased person’s jaw and head in a suitable, more natural position and then hold them stably in that position until Rigor Mortis sets in. Since it can take many hours for Rigor Mortis to set in, it is typical to use some form of device to hold the jaw and head in place.

One example of a prior art solution is an elastic band which is tied around the head and below the jaw. Another example is a hard plastic strap which is applied around the neck. Another example is to place a rolled up towel or other device under the jaw of the deceased person. The prior art solutions do not however provide a satisfying result, since they often don’t solve the problem with the open mouth, either because they don’t fit in size, because they are not strong enough to hold the mouth shut or because they are not secure and can move over time. Furthermore, many of the existing solutions apply a large amount of pressure on a small area of the deceased person’s body. This can leave pressure marks on the deceased, which is undesired as the pressure marks are not natural looking.

One prior art example of another type of device is provided in JP2003010266. Here an inflatable collar device is provided to hold the jaw of a deceased person in place. However, this device has not been put into production as the device does not work as desired. The inflatable collar will form into a large balloon which will apply pressure in the wrong places, possibly leading to bruising. Likewise, there is nothing to hold the device in place securely.

Other inflatable devices which wrap around the neck of a user have been disclosed in the prior art, but they are not relevant for the current invention as they are developed to provide completely different functions. However, for the sake of completeness, they are mentioned here and described briefly.

WO0215989 discloses a complicated inflatable structure which is placed around the neck of a patient to monitor the forces which the neck of the user exerts during motion. This solution comprises different forms of sensors and control devices.

WO9734661 discloses a device for performing abdominal exercises. While having some similar features to the current invention, it is from a completely different and unrelated field.

GB2165762 provides an inflatable neck support which helps a user hold their head in a stable position, both forwards and backwards and side to side. This device therefore has a portion which extends along a large portion of the side of the head. Likewise one of the horizontal portions extends underneath the side portions to support the side portions.

US3164151 discloses an inflatable neck splint which can be used to secure the neck of a patient. This device wraps entirely around the neck of the user to support the neck from motion in all directions. Summary of the invention

A first aspect of the current invention is to lift the jaw of a deceased person into a more natural position where the mouth is closed and thereafter maintain the jaw’s position in a stable manner.

A second aspect of the current invention is to minimize the risk of generating pressure marks on the skin of the deceased person.

A third aspect of the current invention is to give the friends and relatives to the deceased person the best possible farewell seen from an ethical perspective, where the invention will ensure that the deceased will look like themselves as much as possible and appear presentable with closed mouth and symmetrical head position.

A fourth aspect of the current invention is to allow the person who should prepare the deceased, to operate the device alone. This is in contrast to current solutions which most often require multiple people to properly apply the device to the deceased.

A fifth aspect of the current invention is to allow the person who should prepare the deceased to operate the device without needing to exert large muscular forces.

These aspects are provided according to the current invention, via an inflatable neck collar as defined by claim 1 .

Due to this arrangement, the invention will minimize the risk of pressure marks, since it spreads the pressure applied to the skin over multiple zones with the help of air. At the same time, the invention will fit all body types, since it, via the help of air, forms itself around the deceased persons jaw, throat and neck as it is inflated.

Furthermore, by dividing the inflatable chamber into both horizontal and vertical zones, different functions can be provided by each zone. The vertical zones have a stabilizing effect on the sideways position of the head. This create a symmetry in the deceased person’s head position. In contrast, the horizontal zones have a lifting effect on the jaw of the deceased which makes it possible to maintain the jaw in the desired position and hence the mouth in its closed position. The horizontal zones will act similar to the jack of a car, which lifts the jaw as air is pumped into the device. Furthermore, by splitting the horizontal section into two separate air channels, the “thickness”, of the horizontal portion will be reduced when compared to a solution with a single air chamber. By providing the two vertically oriented air channels on each side of the two horizontally oriented air channels, the horizontally oriented air channels will be prevented from folding together which would otherwise cause the vertical expansion of the horizontally oriented channels to be reduced.

In some embodiments, the neck collar can be adjusted and closed as needed with a connection device with Velcro which is mounted on the rear most points of the collar. This also contributes to ensure that the neck collar can be used for different body types.

In some embodiments, the neck collar is inflated manually with a detachable hand pump via a valve which is placed in the neck collar’s inflatable airtight chamber. In some embodiments, a valve is placed on one of the collar’s vertically or horizontally oriented air channels.

In some embodiments, the neck collar is inflated via a source of compressed air. In some embodiments, the source of compressed air is located inside the air chamber and is activated from outside the chamber. In some embodiments, the source of compressed air is activated by activating a mechanical mechanism.

It should be mentioned that in this specification when terms of orientation are used, the terms should be understood with reference to a position of the collar when it is applied to a user. The terms left and right should be understood as if one were facing the user and the term up should be understood as being towards the head of the user and the term down should be understood as being towards the feet of the user. Likewise, the terms horizontal and vertical should be understood in the context of a collar applied to a person who is standing up, ie horizontal is from shoulder to shoulder and vertical is from head to foot.

In some embodiments, the first and second vertically oriented air channels are connected to the two horizontally oriented air channels at left and right ends of the two horizontally oriented air channels respectively.

In some embodiments, the inflatable airtight chamber is formed from at least two layers of plastic material which are welded together via a continuous weld seam between the at least two layers, said continuous weld seam forming a closed loop and thereby forming an enclosed area. In this way, a cheap and simple construction is provided. In some embodiments, the at least two layers of plastic material are sheets of plastic material which are arranged on top of each other. In some embodiments, the at least two layers of plastic material are cut into shapes having an identical outline and welded together via a continuous weld seam arranged along the periphery of the outline of the two sheets of plastic material.

In some such embodiments, there is a distance between a periphery of the two sheets of plastic material and the continuous weld seam. In some embodiments, the distance is greater than 4mm, greater than 6mm or greater than 8mm. In this way, the edge of the airtight chamber will not be arranged as a sharp edge, but will be a flexible flap of material which is softer on the skin of the person to which the collar is applied.

In some embodiments, the first vertically oriented air channel is formed by a first vertical weld seam between the at least two layers and arranged on the left of the at least one horizontally oriented air channel and the second vertically oriented air channel is formed by a second vertical weld seam between the at least two layers and arranged on the right of the at least one horizontally oriented air channel. In some embodiments, the first vertical weld seam is arranged spaced apart and to the right of a left side of the enclosed area and the second vertical weld seam is arranged spaced apart and to the left of a right side of the enclosed area.

In some embodiments, the at least two horizontally oriented air channels are formed by a horizontal weld seam between the at least two layers and arranged between the at least two horizontally oriented air channels. In some embodiments, the first and second vertical weld seams and the horizontal weld seam are provided between the at least two layers in the enclosed area of the inflatable airtight chamber and in that the horizontal weld seam is provided horizontally between the first and second vertical weld seams and vertically between the top and bottom of the first and second vertical weld seams.

In some embodiments, the first and second vertical weld seams and the horizontal weld seam form a rough H shape in the center of the inflatable air chamber. In some embodiments, ends of the horizontal weld seam are not in contact with the first and second vertical weld seams. In this way, an air channel can be formed between the horizontal and vertical weld seams. In some embodiments, the ends of at least some of the weld seams are provided with a loop. In this way, the forces at the ends of the weld seams are distributed over a larger area. In some embodiments, the loop is arranged as a continuous weld seam having an oval path in the plane of the airtight chamber.

In some embodiments, the vertically and horizontally oriented air channels are connected via air passages, thereby forming one large air chamber. In this way, the horizontally and vertically arranged air channels are inflated at the same time.

In some embodiments, an upper edge of the inflatable airtight chamber is arranged as a curved edge when seen from the front and with a center portion which is lower than the side portions. In some embodiments, a lower edge of the inflatable airtight chamber is arranged as a curved edge when seen from the front and with a center portion which is lower than the side portions. In some embodiments, a valve device is placed in the airtight chamber such that air can be injected into the airtight chamber via the valve device.

In some embodiments, the connection device comprises a first portion connected to the first vertically oriented air channel and a second portion connected to the second vertically oriented air channel and in that the first and second portions are arranged to be connected together. In some embodiments, the connection between the first and second portions is provided by Velcro. In some embodiments, the length of the first and second portions can be adjusted and/or the point of connection between the first and second portions can be adjusted. In some embodiments, the first and second portions comprise strap portions which extend past outer sides of the first and second vertically arranged air channels. In some embodiments, the first and second portions are straps which are attached to the inflatable airtight portion. In some embodiments, the material on the outside of the inflatable neck collar is of the kind which does not stick to the skin of a human. This could for example be provided by an airtight plastic material covered by a fabric covering arranged on the side closest to the skin.

The invention also provides a kit of parts comprising an inflatable neck collar as described above and a hand pump suitable for inflating the inflatable neck collar.

In one embodiment, a neck collar with inflatable function is constructed of at least to layers of arbitrary plastic material which are welded together in a continuous contour where the enclosed area forms an inflatable air tight chamber with at least one valve for inflating placed within the contour and with minimum one horizontally centered divided air channels in the middle of the interconnected chamber and with minimum two vertical air channels on respectively right and left sides of the centered horizontal air channels and with an arbitrary connection device placed outside the interconnected air channel which can maintain the two material sides outside of the vertical air chambers to each other and which form the neck collars back side.

It should be emphasized that the term "comprises/comprising/comprised of" when used in this specification is taken to specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps or components but does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, components or groups thereof.

Brief description of the drawings

Figure 1 shows a schematic front view of a first embodiment of an inflatable neck collar according to the invention. Figure 2 shows a perspective view of a second embodiment of an inflatable neck collar according to the invention.

Figure 3 shows a front view of the inflatable neck collar of figure 2.

Figure 4 shows a top view of the inflatable neck collar of figure 2.

Figure 5 shows a rear view of the inflatable neck collar of figure 2.

Figure 6 shows a front view of the inflatable neck collar of figures 2-5, but seen in a non-inflated position.

Figure 7 schematically illustrates four steps of attaching an inflatable neck collar according to the invention to a deceased person.

In the following, the invention will be described in greater detail with reference to embodiments shown by the enclosed figures. It should be emphasized that the embodiments shown are used for example purposes only and should not be used to limit the scope of the invention.

Detailed description of the embodiments

Figure 1 schematically illustrates an embodiment of an inflatable neck collar 1 according to the invention. The neck collar comprises an inflatable airtight chamber 2 in the form of a cuff and a connection device 4 on the rear of the cuff portion. The connection device in this embodiment is in the form of two straps 6, 8 which are attached to either side of the inflatable airtight chamber. The two straps are provided with Velcro portions 10 which can connect to each other. In this way, the inflatable airtight chamber can be arranged underneath the jaw of a person and then the straps of the connection device can be wrapped around the neck of the person and connected together behind the neck of the person via the Velcro portions to secure the inflatable airtight chamber on the person.

The inflatable airtight chamber 2 is in this embodiment divided into five separate zones or air channels. A first vertically oriented air channel 12 is arranged on the left of the device and a second vertically oriented air channel 14 is arranged on the right of the device. Between the two vertically oriented air channels, are three horizontally oriented air channels 16, 18, 20: an upper horizontal air channel 16, a middle horizontal air channel 18 and a lower horizontal air channel 20. The different air channels are defined by seams 22 between the different channels as shown in the figure. In the figure there are four individual seams to form the five separate air channels. By air channel is understood a portion of the airtight chamber which forms an elongated hollow structure filled with air when inflated. In the current embodiment, all the five air channels are interconnected, so when air is inserted into the airtight chamber at one locations, all the air channels will inflate. It should be noted that in the embodiments shown in the figures, the seams are provided as elongated continuous welded seams. However within the scope of the invention, the different channels could also be provided by seams which are sewn. Likewise instead of a continuous seam, the seams could be formed of multiple segments with gaps in between. However, the overall effect will still be the formation of an elongated air channel.

An air valve 22 is provided in the airtight chamber. To inflate the airtight chamber, the valve 22 can be opened and then a hand pump (not shown) can be connected to the valve. The hand pump can then be activated to inflate the airtight chamber. As was mentioned earlier on, since all the air channels are interconnected, the specific location of the valve is not critical. However, it is advantageous to place the valve on the outside surface of the airtight chamber, so that it is easy to access when the collar is applied on a person and so that the valve does not press into the skin of the person when the collar is applied to the person.

As the airtight chamber inflates, the vertical air channels 12,14 stabilize the head and the horizontal air channels 16,18,20 lift the jaw into the desired position. When the jaw is in the desired position, the inflation process can be stopped. In this way, the same collar can be used for different people.

It can also be seen that the two vertically oriented air channels will stabilize the horizontal air channels and prevent them from folding together. This arrangement will provide a stiff construction, but also a construction which is not so thick, thereby it occupies less space on the person and can apply an upwards oriented force on the jaw of a person without forming a large cylindrical structure. Furthermore, this construction can be established in a low cost manner, which allows the collar to be formed as a disposable device which can be disposed after it has been used on a person.

Figures 2-6 show some different views of a second embodiment of an inflatable neck collar 50 according to the current invention. As in the previous embodiment, this embodiment comprises an inflatable airtight chamber 52 and a connection device 54 arranged at the rear of the airtight chamber. As in the previous embodiment, the connection device is in the form of two straps with Velcro and will not be described in more detail here. Likewise, a valve 56 is provided to inflate the airtight chamber.

In this embodiment, instead of three horizontally arranged air channels, only two horizontally arranged air channels 58, 60 are provided, however, the overall function of the device is the same and will not be described in great detail here. Figure 6 illustrates the neck collar 50 of figures 2-5 when it is not inflated. In this embodiment, the device is manufactured from two layers of plastic sheet 62 which are cut out into the shape with the outer periphery 63 shown in figure 6. As can be seen the upper and lower edges 64, 66 of the sheets has a curved shape when seen from the front of the device. The curved shape has a central portion 68 which is lower than the side portions 70.

The two sheets are joined together via a continuous weld seam 72 which follows the outer contour 63 of the two sheets. In this embodiment, the weld seam forms a closed loop and defines an enclosed area 74 inside the weld seam. The valve 56 is placed in the outer sheet of the two sheets and inside the enclosed area. Hence, when air is injected into the valve, the air ends up in the enclosed area and inflates the chamber formed between the two sheets and defined by the continuous weld seam.

As can be seen from the figures, the weld seam 72 is offset a short distance from the edge 63 of the two sheets. In this way, when the air chamber is inflated, the edges of the two sheets will form a soft and floppy edge 76 which can be folded down easily when the device is attached to a person. This will ensure that no cuts or pressure points are applied to the person.

The two vertically oriented channels 78,80 are provided via two vertically arranged weld seams 82, 84 and the two horizontally oriented channels 58,60 are provided via a horizontally arranged weld seam 86 arranged between the two vertically arranged weld seams. As can be seen from the figures, the ends of the weld seams are formed as small loops 88. This will ensure that the forces at the seam ends will be spread out over a larger area and thereby prevent the weld seams from opening.

Figure 7 illustrates schematically how the inflatable neck collar 100 of the current invention is applied to a deceased person. In a first step (1 ) the deflated collar is wrapped around the neck 102 of a deceased person 104. Once the collar is secured with the Velcro strap 106, a hand pump 108 is used in step (2) to inflate the air chamber 110 of the collar 100. As the air chamber is inflated, the jaw of the person will be pressed upwards and the mouth 112 will be closed. In step (3), the collar is left on the person until Rigor Mortis has set in. Then in step (4), the collar is removed and discarded.

It is to be noted that the figures and the above description have shown the example embodiments in a simple and schematic manner. Many of the specific mechanical details have not been shown since the person skilled in the art should be familiar with these details and they would just unnecessarily complicate this description. For example, the specific materials used and the specific manufacturing procedures have not been described in detail since it is maintained that the person skilled in the art would be able to find suitable materials and suitable processes to manufacture the inflatable neck collar according to the current invention.

Claims

1 . Inflatable neck collar comprising an inflatable airtight chamber and a connection device, said inflatable airtight chamber comprising at least one horizontally oriented air channel and at least two vertically oriented air channels, a first of said at least two vertically oriented air channels arranged on a left side of the at least one horizontally oriented air channel and a second of said at least two vertically oriented air channels arranged on a right side of the at least one horizontally oriented air channel, said connection device being arranged outside the inflatable airtight chamber and connecting outer sides of the two vertically oriented air channels together, characterized in that said at least one horizontally oriented air channel comprises two horizontally oriented air channels arranged vertically spaced apart from each other and in that the first and second vertically oriented air channels are connected to both of the two horizontally oriented air channels.

2. Inflatable neck collar according to claim 1 , characterized in that the inflatable airtight chamber is formed from at least two layers of plastic material which are welded together via a continuous weld seam between the at least two layers, said continuous weld seam forming a closed loop and thereby forming an enclosed area.

3. Inflatable neck collar according to claim 2, characterized in that there is a distance between a periphery of the two sheets of plastic material and the continuous weld seam

4. Inflatable neck collar according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the first vertically oriented air channel is formed by a first vertical weld seam between the at least two layers and arranged on the left of the at least one horizontally oriented air channel and the second vertically oriented air channel is formed by a second vertical weld seam between the at least two layers and arranged on the right of the at least one horizontally oriented air channel. Inflatable neck collar according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that the at least two horizontally oriented air channels are formed by a horizontal weld seam between the at least two layers and arranged between the at least two horizontally oriented air channels. Inflatable neck collar according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the vertically and horizontally oriented air channels are connected via air passages, thereby forming one large air chamber.. Inflatable neck collar according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that an upper edge of the inflatable airtight chamber is arranged as a curved edge when seen from the front and with a center portion which is lower than the side portions. Inflatable neck collar according to any one of claims 1 to 7 characterized in that the connection device comprises a first portion connected to the first vertically oriented air channel and a second portion connected to the second vertically oriented air channel and in that the first and second portions are arranged to be connected together. Inflatable neck collar according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the material on the outside of the inflatable neck collar is of the kind which does not stick to the skin of a human. A kit of parts comprising an inflatable neck collar according to any one of claims 1 to 9 and a hand pump suitable for inflating the inflatable neck collar.