GB2509564A

GB2509564A - A cabinet that may be used for an automatic external defibrillator

Info

Publication number: GB2509564A
Application number: GB1313711.2A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Clive Christopher John Setter; Philip John Kempson
Original assignee: A E D LOCATOR E U Ltd
Current assignee: A E D LOCATOR E U Ltd
Priority date: 2012-08-01
Filing date: 2013-07-31
Publication date: 2014-07-09
Also published as: GB201313711D0; GB201213714D0

Abstract

A cabinet (C, fig 1) has a body 2, a door 4, a lock 14, 16 and a manually releasable latch (18, fig 3) to hold the door closed or almost closed. The cabinet may have, a seal 38 with a projecting lip 42 to bias the door to open. The latch may have a pivotable hook (20, fig 3) and pin (22, fig 3) mounted on the side of the cabinet (26, fig 3), or an electromagnetic lock 14 with control circuitry 52 including a wireless receiver to allow remote unlocking. In a second aspect, a cabinet contains equipment which emits a visible or audible functionality signal 56, and a transmitter unit, which is responsive to a change in the functionality signal.

Description

A CABINET, FOR EXAMPLE FOR MEDICAL EQUIPMENT This invention relates to a cabinet, for example for medical equipment such as an automatic external defibrillator (AED).

It is known to provide AED's in public places for example on the outside walls of, or inside, shops, office buildings, sports centres, etc for use in the event that a member of the public suffers a cardiac arrest. The AED's are mounted in cabinets and are especially adapted for use by unskilled members of the public. An example of such an AED cabinet is disclosed in US7020520.

An AED may remain unused in its cabinet for a considerable length of time before it is required. During that time, it must be protected from unauthorised access and be shielded from the surroundings. In particular, the AED must be protected from weather conditions such as rain, snow and wind-borne contamination. For this reason, the cabinet may include a locked door. Steps must therefore be taken to enable the door to be unlocked when the AED is to be used. In one system, a caller to the emergency services will be given a door unlocking code in the event of a cardiac arrest, and a user will be able to unlock the AED cabinet by entering the code by way of a keypad provided on the door of the cabinet.

In an emergency situation, unskilled members of the public are liable to become flustered, and this can cause them to forget the code before they are able to unlock the cabinet. It would therefore be desirable for the unlocking of the AED cabinet door to be performed remotely by a member of the emergency services so that the unskilled user can gain access to the AED without needing to perform any complicated procedures.

It is known to operate a variety of devices using wireless communications systems such as the internet or the mobile telephone network. However, an individual suffering a cardiac arrest may be situated some distance away from the nearest publicly accessible AED. If a call to the emergency services is made from the location of the patient, the patient, or a member of the public calling on his or her behalf, can be directed to the nearest AED, and informed that it will be opened when the patient arrives in there. If the member of the emergency services dealing with the situation then remotely unlocks the door of the respective AED cabinet and the door opens, there may be a period before the user arrives when the AED itself will be exposed to ambient weather conditions, and to other members of the public, and this could lead to the AED being damaged or removed before the patient arrives.

According to the present invention there is provided a lockable cabinet comprising a cabinet body, a door and a locking device for locking the door in a closed position with respect to the body, a latch device being provided which, when the locking device is released, retains the door in a closed or almost closed position, the latch device being manually releasable to allow movement of the door to a fully open position.

A cabinet in accordance with the present invention can thus be unlocked remotely, by remote actuation of the locking device, while preventing uncontrolled opening of the door until a user manually releases the latch device. To uninformed passers-by, therefore, the cabinet will appear to remain locked and so will not attract interest.

Also, the door will remain closed, or sufficiently closed, to prevent exposure to ambient weather conditions. Remote unlocking of the door may be controlled by signals transmitted from a computer server which receives data from, for example, an emergency call centre of an ambulance service. The remote unlocking signal may include a time delay signal which causes the control signal to re-lock the door after a specified time, such as 10 minutes, if the door has not been opened fully within that time, in order to preserve the security of the cabinet. Alternatively, a separate re-locking signal may be transmitted from the server.

Means may be provided for resiliently biasing the door away from the closed position.

The resilient bias may, for example, be achieved by a spring provided for that purpose. In a specific embodiment, the resilient bias is achieved by means of a sealing element situated between the body and the door, which sealing element, when the door is in the closed position, provides a seal against rain, dust and other contaminants.

The sealing element may be mounted on the body of the cabinet, and may surround the opening in the body which is closed by the door.

In one embodiment, the sealing element has a base portion which is secured to the body and a lip which projects from the base portion and resiliently engages the door.

At least part of the lip may remain in contact with the door when the door is in the closed or almost closed position.

The locking device may take any suitable remotely actuable form, but in one embodiment it comprises an electromagnetic device comprising an electromagnet which may be secured to the body, and a cooperating plate of magnetic material which may be secured to the door and, when the door is closed, is retained in contact with the electromagnet by the electromagnetic field generated by the electromagnet when it is supplied with power. For this purpose, the electromagnet may be provided with control circuitry which may be connected to an external source of electrical power.

The control circuitry may include a wireless signal receiver adapted to receive signals from, for example, a paging network and to provide an output in response to such a signal to deactivate the electromagnet to unlock the door.

The latch device may comprise a hook element on one of the door and the body, and a cooperating element such as a pin, engageable by the hook element, on the other of the door and the body. The hook element may be pivotable with respect to the door or body on which it is mounted, and may be resiliently biased in the direction corresponding to engagement with the pin. The hook element may have a groove which accommodates the pin in the closed position of the door to prevent pivoting of the hook element.

The hook element may be mounted on a side face of the door, and the pin may be mounted on a side wall of the body.

The latch may be a roller catch which holds the door fully closed until it is manually pulled open. In other embodiments, the latch device may be magnetic or electromagnetic. The door may have an externally visible light, which is illuminated when the door is unlocked. For example, the light may be incorporated into a handle adjacent the opening edge of the door.

The lockable cabinet may accommodate medical apparatus such as an AED.

It is known, for example from W0201 2/1 5909, for cabinets containing AED's to provide for the reporting of errors in the functioning of the AED. Such error reporting is by way of a transmitter-receiver unit installed in the AED, which communicates with another transmitter-receiver unit in the cabinet which in turn communicates with the server. This requires the AED to be modified from a standard for to incorporate the transmitter-receiver. Such modification can require the AED to be re-certified in order to confirm that the safe functioning of the AED will remain despite the connection of the AED to external communication systems. Furthermore, a signal connection needs to be made and maintained between the AED and the cabinet when the AED is installed in the cabinet. This may be a wired connection, in which case there is the potential for errors when installing the AED in the cabinet and establishing the connection by means of an electrical coupling, or it may be a wireless connection, which also involves the possibility of a communication failure between the transmitter-receivers of the defibrillator and the cabinet.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cabinet containing equipment which emits a visible or audible functionality signal, and a transmitter unit which is responsive to a change in the functionality signal to transmit a signal externally of the cabinet representing a change in the functionality of the equipment.

Alternatively, or in addition, the equipment may have beeper or other sound emitting device source which beeps regularly to indicate that the equipment is fully functional and ready for use, for example that a battery of the equipment is fully charged. If the charge level of the battery decreases to a level which compromises the proper functioning of the equipment or some other internal fault occurs, the frequency of the beeping may change, or may stop. The transmitter of the cabinet may then be programmed to detect the change and to transmit a fault signal to the server. Where the behaviour of the beeper differs for different fault modes, the transmitter may transmit a corresponding fault signal to provide a diagnosis at the server of the nature of the fault.

Instead of an audible functionality signal such as a beeper, the equipment may issue a visible functionality signal such as flashing LED. In such a case, the frequency of flashing of the LED may change to indicate a fault, or the LED may flash with a different colour, and the transmitter of the cabinet can identify the change in LED behaviour and issue an appropriate fault signal.

The equipment may be an AED. A database of available AED's may be provided in, or accessible to, the server. If the server receives a fault signal from any of the AED's in the database, it can suspend the availability of that AED, so that, in the event of an emergency, the caller will not be directed to the faulty AED, but to the next nearest fully functioning one. Also, the server can send a message to a suitable person responsible for the checking and maintenance of the faulty AED to attend at the AED to rectify the fault.

The transmitter of the cabinet may be a transmitter-receiver, to enable two-way communication between the cabinet and the server, for example for the purpose of receiving unlocking and re-locking signals.

For a better understanding of the present invention, and to show more clearly how it may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a lockable cabinet; Figure 2 shows the cabinet with the door open; Figure 3 is an enlarged view of part of the cabinet with the door closed; Figure 4 corresponds to Figure 3 but shows the door in an unlocked and almost closed condition; Figure 5 is a diagrammatic sectional view taken on the line V-V in Figure 4; and Figure 6 is a flowchart representing a public access AED network.

The cabinet C shown in Figure 1 is intended to accommodate an AED 50 (shown schematically in Figure 2) and is thus, in effect, a security cabinet which is lockable to prevent unauthorised access. The cabinet C may, for example, be made of stainless steel and is typically of the order of 40 cm in width, 60 cm in height and 20 cm deep.

The cabinet C comprises a body 2 and a door 4 which, in the embodiment of Figure 1, is hinged to the body 2 at the vertical edge to the left as seen in Figure 1.

Figure 2 shows the cabinet of Figure 1 with the door 4 open. The cabinet contains various components to support the use and storage of the AED 50, such as a light 6, a heater 8 to maintain a desired storage temperature within the cabinet, and insulating material such as diagrammatically shown at 10. There is also control circuitry 52 for controlling operation of the cabinet. In order to provide power to the electrical components of the cabinet, the cabinet is connected by means of a lead 12 to, for example, a mains power supply. A back-up battery may be provided in the cabinet to maintain a temporary power supply in the event of failure of the mains power supply.

A locking device comprising an electromagnet 14 and a magnetic plate 16 is provided. The electromagnet 14 is secured to the body 2, and the magnetic plate 16 is secured to the door 4. In the context of this specification, the expression "magnetic plate" means a plate of magnetically susceptible material such as mild steel. The control circuitry in the cabinet comprises a switching device for turning on and off the power supply to the electromagnet 14. When the door 4 is closed, the magnetic plate 16 is in contact with the electromagnet 14, and the electromagnet 14 is energised, the electromagnet magnetically retains the plate 16, so firmly keeping the door 4 closed.

As shown in Figures 3 and 4, a latch device 18 is provided which is independent of the locking device and comprises a hook element 20 and a pin 22. The hook element is pivotably mounted on a base plate 24 which is secured to the side face 26 of the door 4 opposite the hinge at which the door for is mounted on the body 2. The pin 22 is secured to a side wall 28 of the body 2.

The hook element 20 is connected to the base plate 24 at one end by a pivot 32, and at the other end has a hook 30. Between the hook 30 and the pivoted end of the hook element 20 there is a longitudinally extending groove 32 which is open at the end facing the hook 30. At the pivot 34, there is a spring (not shown) which biases the hook element 20 downwardly as shown in Figures 3 and 4.

A projecting stop 35 is provided on the base plate 24, for cooperation with a step 36 in the profile of the hook element 20.

An elastomeric sealing element 38 extends around the opening in the body 2 which is closed by the door 4. The profile of the sealing element is shown in Figure 5, and comprises a base portion 40 and a flexible lip 42. The base portion 40 has a groove which fits over a flange 44 formed from the material of the body 2. The lip 42 projects away from the body 2 so that, when the door 4 is in its closed position, the lip 42 is deflected inwardly of the opening in the body 2 to form a secure seal between the door 4 and the body 2.

Figure 3 shows the condition of the latch device when the door 4 is fully closed and held by means of the electromagnet 14. The hook element 20 is positioned so that the pin 22 is situated within the groove 32 so that the hook element 20 is prevented from pivoting about the pivot 34. If the need arises for the AED accommodated within the cabinet to be used, the person suffering a suspected cardiac arrest, or someone accompanying them, calls the emergency services and indicates their approximate location. Alternatively, if the call is made from a mobile phone or other device that can provide location data, the location can be transmitted automatically to the equipment at the emergency centre. The responder can then explain the position of the nearest public AED, and, at the same time, can transmit a signal to that AED to deactivate the electromagnet 14. The signal can be sent by any suitable wireless means, but may, for example, be transmitted via the internet or via GSM/GPRS wireless link. When the signal is received at the cabinet, the control circuitry 52 within the cabinet activates a switch to terminate the supply of power to the electromagnet 14, causing it to release the magnetic plate 16. When this happens, the resilience of the sealing element 38, and specifically the lip 42, provides a biasing force on the door 14 causing it to move away from its closed position. However, this movement is limited by the hook element 20, since the hook 30 engages the pin 22 as shown in Figure 4. It will be appreciated that, as the door 4 moves away from the fully closed position, the hook element 20 pivots downwardly about the pivot 34 under the action of gravity, assisted by the spring at the pivot 34.

When the user arrives at the AED location, the released door will be in the condition shown in Figure 4, i.e. it will be slightly opened under the resilient force of the sealing element 38, but retained against full opening by engagement between the hook 30 and the pin 22. From the front of the cabinet, as seen in Figure 1, the cabinet will appear closed to the casual observer and so will not attract attention.

The user can release the door 4 fully by pushing it slightly in the closing direction against the force of the sealing element 38 and pivoting the hook element 20 upwards to disengage the hook 30 from the pin 4. The door can then be opened fully so that the AED can be removed for use.

When the door 4 is fully open, the hook element 20 is held against downwards movement by contact between the step 36 and the stop 35. This presents the hook element for engagement with the pin 22 as the door is closed again, so that it will ride over the pin 22 to return to the condition shown in Figure 3.

In an alternative embodiment, the hook element 20 is replaced by a roller catch concealed within the cabinet and door structure. When the locking device is released, the roller catch keeps the door 4 closed until it is pulled open with a force sufficient to overcome the action of the roller catch. A handle may be provided at the opening edge of the door 4 for this purpose, and a light may be integrated into the handle which can be illuminated when the locking device is released to indicate that the door is unlocked.

As an alternative to the electromagnetic locking device shown in Figures 1 to 5, a mechanical lock, which may be solenoid operated, may be used.

The AED 50 is a self-contained unit with its own power supply. It is provided with self-diagnosis circuitry and is equipped with an LED 54 and a sound emitter 56, such as a beeper. If the internal circuitry of the AED 50 determines that there is an internal error, for example that the battery of the AED 50 has a low charge level, this is signalled by means of the LED 54 and/or the beeper 56. For example, when the AED is functioning normally, and no errors are detected, the beeper 56 may beep regularly, or the LED 54 may flash regularly. If an error occurs, the nature of the signal issued by the beeper 56 and/or by the LED 54 will change.

The signals emitted by the LED 54 and the beeper 56 are intended to be detected and interpreted by a human operator. However, the control circuitry 52 is equipped with a sensors (not shown) which detects the signals emitted by the LED 54 and the beeper 56. The control circuitry is configured to process the signals so as to respond to a change in the signalling of the LED 54 and the beeper 56 and to issue a failure signal, over the internet or GSM/GPRS, to enable appropriate action to be taken.

For example, the AED 50 in the cabinet C may be one of many similar AED's situated at various locations and incorporated into a database of available AED's. If any of the AED's provides a fault signal in response to a change in the behaviour of the LED 54 and/or the beeper 56, that AED can be removed from the database so that it is no longer available for use until it has been checked and the fault remedied.

By providing the control circuitry 52 with the means for reacting to the standard human-detectable LED 54 and beeper 56, it is unnecessary to maintain a specific wired or wireless communication connection between the AED 50 and the control circuitry 52. Consequently, removal of the AED 50 from the cabinet C does not require the disconnection of any cables, nor does replacement of the AED 50 require reconnection of such cables or the establishment of any wireless communication link.

The AED can thus simply be hung from a suitable hook within the cabinet.

The present invention thus provides a cabinet which is securely closed when not required for use, but which can be unlocked remotely, while effectively remaining closed, when access is required. A user can easily gain access to the unlocked but effectively closed cabinet by simple manipulation of the hook element 20 or by overcoming the roller catch, without needing to remember a keypad code or perform any other complex procedure which could lead to confusion and delay in a stressful and urgent situation. The cabinet may be provided with a concealed override switch, possibly normally protected by a cover, for emergency unlocking in the event of failure of the transmitted "unlock" signal, or for maintenance purposes.

While any form of communication method can be used to provide the "unlock" signal to the cabinet, it is considered that the use of a paging network, rather than a mobile telephone network will provide reliable operation. Mobile networks are prone to overloading at busy times, such as at New Year, which could lead to failure or delay in the signal reaching the cabinet. Paging networks are not subject to such overloading. It is considered that the use of a paging network for unlocking a cabinet of the kind described above is inventive in itself.

One embodiment of a system for controlling public access AED's is shown in Figure 6. The cabinet C is connected by way of a TCP/IP link, ethernet or GSM/GPRS wireless link to a server 58, which may be a cloud server. In the event of an emergency call to the ambulance centre 60, a computer aided dispatch (CAD) operator will determine from the caller at step 62 the nature of the emergency. If the CAD operator determines that an AED is required, he or she can determine at step 64 where the nearest AED is to the caller, or to the patient on behalf of whom the caller is calling. Once the location of the relevant AED is established, the CAD operator sends an unlock command at step 66 which is transmitted via the server 58 to the respective cabinet C. The caller is informed of the location of this AED, and is able to attend to retrieve it. At the same time, a message is sent to, for example, first responders in the vicinity of the patient to attend the patient and assist in their resuscitation or other treatment.

The signal sent from the server 58 to the cabinet C is of a standard format and identifies the respective cabinet, unlocks it, and provides a re-locking time, for example 10 mm, shown at step 68. The door can then be opened at step 70 and the AED taken to the patient. At each step, a signal is transmitted to the server 58 by the control circuitry 52 in the cabinet C to provide a complete record of the activity at the cabinet C. If the nearest cabinet C to the incident has previously transmitted a fault signal, as described above, to the server 58, that cabinet will be suspended from the database of available cabinets from which selection is made at step 64. This will avoid the caller being directed to a non-functional AED, and the CAD operator will instead direct the caller to the nearest functioning AED. ii

Although the cabinet has been described in the context of an AED, it will be appreciated that a remotely unlockable cabinet as described above could be used for other purposes, such as the storage of other medical equipment or products.

It will be appreciated that the outside of the door 4 may be provided with suitable instructions to inform a user how to gain access.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A lockable cabinet comprising a cabinet body, a door and a locking device for locking the door in a closed position with respect to the body, a latch device being provided which, when the locking device is released, retains the door in a closed or almost closed position, the latch device being manually releasable to allow movement of the door to a fully open position.
2. A lockable cabinet as claimed in claim 1, in which means is provided for resiliently biasing the door away from the closed position.
3. A lockable cabinet as claimed in claim 2, in which the resilient bias is achieved by means of a sealing element situated between the body and the door, which sealing element, when the door is in the closed position, provides a seal against rain, dust and other contaminants.
4. A lockable cabinet as claimed in claim 3, in which the sealing element is mounted on the body of the cabinet, and surrounds the opening in the body which is closed by the door.
5. A lockable cabinet as claimed in claim 3 or 4, in which the sealing element has a base portion which is secured to the body and a lip which projects from the base portion and resiliently engages the door.
6. A lockable cabinet as claimed in claim 5, in which at least part of the lip remains in contact with the door when the door is in the closed or almost closed position.
7. A lockable cabinet as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the locking device comprises an electromagnetic device comprising an electromagnet secured to one of the body and the door, and a cooperating plate of magnetic material which is secured to the other of the body and the door and, when the door is closed, is retained in contact with the electromagnet by the electromagnetic field generated by the electromagnet when it is supplied with power.
8. A lockable cabinet as claimed in claim 7, in which the electromagnet is secured to the body, and the cooperating plate of magnetic material is secured to the door.
9. A lockable cabinet as claimed in claim 7 or 8, in which the electromagnet is provided with control circuitry for connection to an external source of electrical power.
10. A lockable cabinet as claimed in claim 9, in which the control circuitry includes a wireless signal receiver adapted to receive signals from a paging network and to provide an output in response to such a signal to deactivate the electromagnet to unlock the door.
11. A lockable cabinet as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the latch device comprises a hook element on one of the door and the body, and a cooperating element such as a pin, engageable by the hook element, on the other of the door and the body.
12. A lockable cabinet as claimed in claim 11, in which the hook element is pivotable with respect to the door or body on which it is mounted, and is resiliently biased in the direction corresponding to engagement with the pin.
13. A lockable cabinet as claimed in claim 11 or 12, in which the hook element has a groove which accommodates the pin in the closed position of the door to prevent pivoting of the hook element.
14. A lockable cabinet as claimed in any one of claims 11 to 13, in which the hook element is mounted on a side face of the door, and the pin is mounted on a side wall of the body.
15. A cabinet containing equipment which emits a visible or audible functionality signal, and a transmitter unit which is responsive to a change in the functionality signal to transmit a signal externally of the cabinet representing a change in the functionality of the equipment.
16. A cabinet as claimed in claim 15, in which the functionality signal is delivered by a signalling device of the equipment.
17. A cabinet as claimed in claim 16, in which the signalling device emits a regular signal to indicate that the equipment is fully functional.
1 ft A cabinet as claimed in claim 15 or 16, in which, in the event of a failure which compromises the proper functioning of the equipment, the behaviour of the signalling device changes.
19. A cabinet as claimed in claim 18, in which the transmitter unit of the cabinet is configured to detect the change in behaviour and to transmit a fault signal.
20. A cabinet as claimed in any one of claims l6to 19, in which the signalling device is an illumination source.
21. A cabinet as claimed in any one of claims 16 to 19, in which the signalling device is an audible sound emitter.
22. A cabinet substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.
23. A cabinet as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, which accommodates medical apparatus such as an AED.I