JP2024123892A - Medical Cart - Google Patents

Abstract

To freely store both a long article such as a catheter and a small box-shaped article.SOLUTION: A medical cart has: struts which are arranged in four corners and extend in at least a vertical direction; a frame group extending almost linearly in a width direction orthogonal to the vertical direction; casters provided for lower ends of the struts respectively; and a receiving member which is located between the frame group and the casters in a vertical direction and a bottom receiving surface extending in a width direction, the vertical direction and a back and forth direction orthogonal to the width direction. The frame group is provided with at least first and second frames extending in the width direction. The first and second frames are located with intervals in the back and forth direction, the first and second frames support first and second supporting surfaces extending in the width direction. The first and second supporting surfaces are located so that a first virtual surface extending the first supporting surface and a second virtual surface extending the second supporting surface are almost orthogonal to each other.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a medical cart used in medical settings for storing and transporting medical supplies.

In hospitals and other medical facilities, specialized fixtures for storing long medical supplies and specialized carts for storing and transporting medical supplies are used. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an item storage fixture designed to store catheters.

JP 2019-72303 A

In medical settings, there is a need for a cart that can neatly store long items such as catheters together with relatively small box-shaped items such as books, files, and other booklets, and boxes containing rolled-up catheters. There is also a need for flexibility in the layout when storing items.

Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a medical cart that can freely store both long items such as catheters and small box-shaped items.

The above problems are solved by the present invention. That is, the present invention (1) provides:
A support pillar is disposed at each of the four corners and extends at least in the vertical direction;
A frame group extending substantially linearly in a width direction perpendicular to the up-down direction;
Casters provided at the lower ends of the columns,
A receiving member is positioned between the frame group and the casters in the vertical direction, and has a bottom receiving surface extending in the width direction and in a front-rear direction perpendicular to the vertical direction and the width direction;
having
The frame group includes at least a first frame and a second frame extending in the width direction,
The first frame and the second frame are positioned with an interval in the front-rear direction,
The first frame and the second frame each include a first support surface and a second support surface extending in the width direction as a support surface,
The medical cart is such that the first support surface and the second support surface are positioned such that a first imaginary plane extending the first support surface and a second imaginary plane extending the second support surface are approximately perpendicular to each other.

The present invention (2) is the medical cart of (1), in which the frame group further includes a third frame and a fourth frame extending in the width direction as the frames, the first frame, the second frame, the third frame, and the fourth frame are positioned at intervals in the front-rear direction, and the third frame and the fourth frame respectively include a third support surface and a fourth support surface extending in the width direction as support surfaces, the third support surface being approximately coplanar with the first imaginary surface, and the fourth support surface being approximately coplanar with the second imaginary surface.

The present invention (3) is a medical cart according to (1) or (2), in which the support surface is a surface that is inclined with respect to the plane in the up-down direction and the front-rear direction.

The present invention (4) is a medical cart according to any one of (1) to (3), in which the frame group includes at least an upper frame group and a lower frame group located lower than the upper frame group in the vertical direction, and the support member is located between the lower frame group and the casters in the vertical direction.

The present invention (5) is a medical cart according to any one of (1) to (4), in which at least one frame of the frame group is provided with a plurality of holes at a predetermined interval in the width direction, has a protrusion that engages with the holes, and is provided with at least one detachable partition member that constitutes a surface extending in the up-down direction and the front-rear direction.

The present invention (6) is a medical cart according to (5), in which the partition member is a linear member having a substantially S-shape.

The present invention (7) is a medical cart according to any one of (1) to (6), in which each frame of the frame group is an L-shaped member, and one surface of the L-shaped member constitutes the support surface.

The present invention provides a medical cart that can store both long items such as catheters and small box-shaped items.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a medical cart in use according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a medical cart (including a partition member) according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a medical cart (excluding the partition member) according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a front view showing the medical cart (excluding the partition member) according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a side view showing a medical cart according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a plan view showing a medical cart (excluding the partition members) according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a medical cart according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between the frames in the frame group. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the partition member. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the partition member is attached to the frame. FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining storage of a long item. FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining the storage of small box-shaped items. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing another aspect of the frame group. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing another aspect of the frame group. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing another aspect of the frame group.

The medical cart 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, the medical cart 1 according to this embodiment can freely store both a long item 101 such as a catheter, and a small box-shaped item 102. The small box-shaped item 102 refers to a relatively small box-shaped item such as a book, a file, or a box that stores rolled-up catheters.

Figures 1 to 7 are diagrams showing an example of a medical cart 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the following description, the X direction in the drawings is the front-to-rear direction (depth direction) of the medical cart 1, the Y direction is the width direction (left-right direction) of the medical cart 1, and the Z direction is the up-down direction (height direction) of the medical cart 1.

As shown in Figs. 1 to 7, the medical cart 1 according to this embodiment includes support columns 11, casters 12, a frame group 13, a support member 14, and a partition member 15. The material of the medical cart 1 is not particularly limited, but it is made of steel, for example.

The medical cart 1 has pillars 11 arranged at the four corners. The pillars 11 extend at least in the vertical direction of the medical cart 1. In this embodiment, the front and rear pillars 11 at the same position in the width direction are connected at their upper sides, forming a roughly inverted U shape. In addition, side plates 16 extending in the front-rear direction are provided between the front and rear pillars 11. In this embodiment, two side plates 16, an upper side plate 17 and a lower side plate 18, are provided at both ends of the medical cart 1 in the width direction. In addition, reinforcing members 19 are provided extending in the width direction between the left and right pillars 11 at the same position in the front-rear direction. The reinforcing members 19 are located, for example, on the lower end side of the pillars 11.

A caster 12 is attached to the lower end of each of the posts 11. The casters 12 may be of a general type having a well-known structure.

The frame group 13 extends in a substantially straight line in the width direction of the medical cart 1. In this embodiment, the frame group 13 includes an upper frame group 21 and a lower frame group 22. The lower frame group 22 is located lower than the upper frame group 21 in the vertical direction of the medical cart 1. The medical cart 1 according to this embodiment is capable of storing small box-shaped items 102 in two tiers, an upper tier and a lower tier, by using the two upper and lower frame groups 21 and 22. Since the configuration of the upper frame group 21 and the configuration of the lower frame group 22 are the same, the configurations of the upper frame group 21 and the lower frame group 22 will be simply referred to as the frame group 13 below.

The frame group 13 includes a first frame 23, a second frame 24, a third frame 25, and a fourth frame 26, which extend in a substantially straight line in the width direction. As shown in Figs. 3 and 6, the first frame 23, the second frame 24, the third frame 25, and the fourth frame 26 are spaced apart in the front-rear direction. In this embodiment, the third frame 25, the first frame 23, the fourth frame 26, and the second frame 24 are located in this order from the front of the medical cart 1, and the frames 23, 24, 25, and 26 are located at different heights in the vertical direction. In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 8, the front-rear distance d1 between the third frame 25 and the first frame 23 and the front-rear distance d2 between the rear second frame 24 and the fourth frame 26 are substantially equal, and the front-rear distance d3 between the intermediate first frame 23 and the fourth frame 26 is slightly wider than the distances d1 and d2. The intervals d1, d2, and d3 form a space for storing long items. The intervals d1, d2, and d3 may be approximately uniform. Both ends of each frame 23, 24, 25, and 26 are fixed to the side panels 17 and 18.

Each frame 23, 24, 25, 26 of the frame group 13 has a support surface 27, 28, 29, 31 extending in the width direction. That is, the first frame 23, the second frame 24, the third frame 25, and the fourth frame 26 have a first support surface 27, a second support surface 28, a third support surface 29, and a fourth support surface 31 extending in the width direction as support surfaces. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, the first support surface 27 of the first frame 23 and the third support surface 29 of the third frame 25 are substantially on the same plane. The second support surface 28 of the second frame 24 and the fourth support surface 31 of the fourth frame 26 are substantially on the same plane.

The support surfaces 27, 28, 29, and 31 are inclined with respect to the planes in the up-down and front-back directions. The first support surface 27 of the first frame 23 and the third support surface 29 of the third frame 25 are disposed, for example, at an angle of about 50° with respect to the support column 11. The second support surface 28 of the second frame 24 and the fourth support surface 31 of the third frame 26 are disposed, for example, at an angle of about 40° with respect to the support column 11. By making the inclination of the support surfaces 28 and 31 located at the rear of the medical cart 1 gentler than the inclination of the support surfaces 27 and 29 located at the front, it becomes easier to see and take out the small box-shaped item 102 from the front.

8, the first support surface 27 of the first frame 23 and the second support surface 28 of the second frame 24 are positioned so that the first imaginary plane S1 extending from the first support surface 27 and the second imaginary plane S2 extending from the second support surface 28 are approximately orthogonal. The third support surface 29 is approximately coplanar with the first imaginary plane S1, and the fourth support surface 31 is approximately coplanar with the second imaginary plane S2. In other words, the first support surface 27 and the third support surface 29, and the second support surface 28 and the fourth support surface 31 are positioned so that the first imaginary plane S1 extending from the first support surface 27 and the third support surface 29 and the second imaginary plane S2 extending from the second support surface 28 and the fourth support surface 31 are approximately orthogonal.

In this embodiment, each of the frames 23, 24, 25, and 26 constituting the frame group 13 is an L-shaped member, and one surface of the L-shaped member constitutes the support surface 27, 28, 29, and 31. In addition, each of the frames 23, 24, 25, and 26 can be provided with a plurality of holes 32 at a predetermined interval in the width direction. The protrusion 33 of the partition member 15 can be engaged with the holes 32. In this embodiment, a plurality of holes 32 are provided at a predetermined interval in the width direction on the first support surface 27 of the first frame 23 and the third support surface 29 of the third frame 25, and a plurality of holes 32 are provided at a predetermined interval in the width direction on a surface 34 (a surface perpendicular to the second support surface 28) different from the second support surface 28 of the second frame 24. The shape and interval of the holes 32 of each of the frames 23, 24, and 25 are the same.

The receiving member 14 is located between the frame group 13 (lower frame group 22) and the casters 12 in the vertical direction of the medical cart 1. The receiving member 14 has a bottom receiving surface 35 extending in the width direction and the front-rear direction of the medical cart 1. In this embodiment, the receiving member 14 is a basket (mesh-like cage member) and, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, is fixed to the third frame 25 of the lower frame group 22 at the front of the medical cart 1 and is fixed to the second frame 24 of the lower frame group 22 at the rear of the medical cart 1.

1, 2, 9, and 10 are members that are attached to the frame group 13 of the medical cart 1 to support items (long items or small box-shaped items) on the vertical and front-rear planes. The medical cart 1 can be equipped with at least one partition member 15 that constitutes a surface extending in the vertical and front-rear directions. The partition member 15 is, for example, a wire partition, and is a linear member having a substantially S-shape. The partition member 15 has, for example, a total of three protrusions 33 at both ends of the S-shape and at the middle part. The protrusions 33 engage with the holes 32 of each frame 23, 24, and 25. Figures 11 and 12 show a first protrusion 36 provided in the middle part of the S-shape, and a second protrusion 37 and a third protrusion 38 provided at both ends of the S-shape. The first protrusion 36 engages with the hole 32 of the first support surface 27 of the first frame 23, the second protrusion 37 engages with the hole 32 of the second support surface 28 of the second frame 24 (the hole 32 is located at the same position in the width direction as the hole 32 of the first support surface 27), and the third protrusion 38 engages with the hole 32 of the third support surface 29 of the third frame 25 (the hole 32 is located at the same position in the width direction as the hole 32 of the first support surface 27 and the hole 32 of the second support surface 28). The partition member 15 is detachable from each frame and can be attached at various positions in the width direction. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, multiple partition members 15 may be attached.

With reference to Figures 1, 11 and 12, the storage of a long item 101 and a small box-shaped item 102 in the medical cart 1 according to this embodiment will be described.

The long item 101 is inserted between the frames 23, 24, 25, and 26 from above the frame group 13 (upper frame group 21). By inserting the long item 101 into the gaps between the frames 23, 24, 25, and 26, as shown in Figures 1 and 11, the long item 101 comes into contact with the frames 23, 24, 25, and 26, and the long item 101 can be stored in a good posture with the item leaning upright. The lower end of the long item 101 is supported by the bottom receiving surface 35 of the receiving member 14.

The small box-shaped item 102 is placed on the support surfaces 27, 28, 29, 31 of the frames 23, 24, 25, 26 from the front-rear direction or above the medical cart 1 for the upper frame group 21, and from the front-rear direction of the medical cart 1 for the lower frame group 22. As shown in Figs. 1 and 12, the first support surface 27 of the first frame 23 and the third support surface 29 of the third frame 25 abut against one side of the small box-shaped item 102 to support it, and the second support surface 28 of the second frame 24 and the fourth support surface 31 of the fourth frame 26 abut against the other side (the side perpendicular to the above side) of the small box-shaped item 102 to support it. The inclined support surfaces 27, 28, 29, 31 allow the small box-shaped item 102 to be stored at an angle so that it can be easily seen from the front-rear direction.

Thus, the medical cart 1 according to this embodiment is a multi-functional cart that functions as both a cart for storing long items 101 and a cart for storing small box-shaped items 102. As shown in FIG. 1, the medical cart 1 may store both long items 101 and small box-shaped items 102 at the same time, or may store only long items 101 or only small box-shaped items 102 depending on the application. In FIG. 1, a partition member 15 is arranged between the long items 101 stored on the right side and the small box-shaped items 102 stored on the left side, and partition members 15 are also arranged between the long items 101 arranged in three rows in the width direction, so that each item is stored in an orderly manner.

The configuration and arrangement of the frame group 13 are not limited to those described above. Other aspects of the frame group 13 will be described below with reference to Figures 13 to 15.

In FIG. 13, the support surfaces 27, 28, 29, 31 of the frames 23, 24, 25, 26 constituting the frame group 13 are arranged at an angle of about 45° to the support 11. The first support surface 27 of the first frame 23 and the third support surface 29 of the third frame 25 are arranged at an angle of about 45° to the support 11. The second support surface 28 of the second frame 24 and the fourth support surface 31 of the third frame 26 are arranged at an angle of about 45° to the support 11. The first frame 23 and the fourth frame 26 are located at approximately the same height in the vertical direction, and the second frame 24 and the third frame 25 are located at approximately the same height in the vertical direction. In other words, the configuration of the frame group 13 is symmetrical in the front and rear. This allows the medical cart 1 to be used from both the front and rear in the same way.

In FIG. 14, the number of frames constituting the frame group 13 is three (first frame 23, second frame 24, and third frame 25). The first support surface 27 of the first frame 23 and the third support surface 29 of the third frame 25 abut against one side of the small box-shaped item 102 to support it, and the second support surface 28 of the second frame 24 abuts against the other side (the side perpendicular to the first side) of the small box-shaped item 102 to support it. By using three frames, the spacing between the frames in the front-to-rear direction is widened, providing a large space into which a long item 101 can be inserted.

In FIG. 15, each of the frames 23, 24, 25, and 26 that make up the frame group 13 is a round bar-shaped member. They may also be square bar-shaped members. Parts of the round bar-shaped members form the support surfaces 27, 28, 29, and 31. Each of the frames 23, 24, 25, and 26 is not limited to frames with an L-shaped cross section, and may be any frame that can support an item by having the support surfaces 27, 28, 29, and 31 abut against the item.

The effects of the embodiments of the present invention will be described below.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the medical cart has four corners, and includes support columns extending at least in the vertical direction, a frame group extending substantially linearly in a width direction perpendicular to the vertical direction, casters provided at the lower ends of the support columns, and a support member located between the frame group and the casters in the vertical direction and having a bottom support surface extending in the width direction and in a front-rear direction perpendicular to the vertical direction and the width direction. The frame group includes at least a first frame and a second frame extending in the width direction as frames, and the first frame and the second frame are positioned with a gap in between in the front-rear direction. The first frame and the second frame each include a first support surface and a second support surface extending in the width direction as support surfaces. The first support surface and the second support surface are positioned such that a first imaginary plane extending from the first support surface and a second imaginary plane extending from the second support surface are substantially perpendicular to each other. The frames (first frame and second frame) extending substantially linearly in the width direction are positioned with a gap in the front-rear direction, so that a long object such as a catheter can be inserted from above into the gap in the front-rear direction, and a receiving member having a bottom receiving surface is provided below the frames, so that the long object inserted from above can be received and supported. This allows long objects to be stored. In addition, the support surfaces (first support surface and second support surface) of the frames (first frame and second frame) are positioned so that a virtual surface extending from the first support surface and a second virtual surface extending from the second support surface are substantially perpendicular to each other, so that the first support surface and the second support surface can abut against two sides of a rectangular object with corners, such as a book, a file, or a box containing wound and bundled catheters, to support the object. This allows small box-shaped objects to be stored accurately.

In other words, according to this embodiment, it is possible to provide a medical cart that can freely store both long items such as catheters and small box-shaped items. A single cart can store both long items and small box-shaped items in an orderly and compact manner, providing an easy-to-use medical cart. There is also a degree of freedom in the arrangement of long items and small box-shaped items when storing them, making it highly convenient.

The frame group may further include a third frame and a fourth frame extending in a substantially linear manner in the width direction as frames. The first frame, the second frame, the third frame, and the fourth frame are positioned at intervals in the front-rear direction. The third frame and the fourth frame each include a third support surface and a fourth support surface extending in the width direction as support surfaces. The third support surface is substantially coplanar with the first imaginary surface, and the fourth support surface is substantially coplanar with the second imaginary surface. By increasing the number of frames extending in the width direction, the support surface also increases, making it possible to more reliably support small box-shaped objects. Even if the number of frames is increased, since each frame is positioned at intervals in the front-rear direction, long objects such as catheters can be inserted from above into the gaps in the front-rear direction to store them.

The support surface can be a surface that is inclined with respect to the plane of the medical cart in the up-down and front-to-back directions. This allows small box-shaped items to be held at an angle, making them easy to see and easy to take out when stored.

The frame group can include at least an upper frame group and a lower frame group that is located lower than the upper frame group in the vertical direction of the medical cart. The receiving member is located between the lower frame group and the casters in the vertical direction. By including an upper frame group that constitutes the upper tier and a lower frame group that constitutes the lower tier, small box-shaped items can be stored in two tiers. Even in this case, the frames that make up each frame group are positioned with a gap in the front-to-rear direction, so long items such as catheters can be inserted from above into the gap in the front-to-rear direction for storage.

At least one frame of the frame group is provided with a plurality of holes at a predetermined interval in the width direction. At least one partition member having a protrusion that engages with the hole and constituting a surface extending in the up-down and front-rear directions can be detachably provided on the medical cart. By providing the partition member, long items and small box-shaped items can be stored in an orderly manner. By providing a plurality of holes at a predetermined interval in the width direction, the partition member can be freely positioned in the width direction. By providing multiple partition members, it becomes possible to store items in an organized manner that looks better and is easier to use. In addition, the partition member has a simple configuration in which the protrusion engages with the hole, making it easy to handle and allowing the position of the partition member to be freely changed.

The partition member can be a linear member having a substantially S-shape. By using a linear member having a substantially S-shape as the partition member, it is possible to realize a partition member capable of supporting the side surface of an article with a simple configuration. It also has a good appearance.

Each frame of the frame group can be an L-shaped member, and one surface of the L-shaped member can form a support surface. By making one surface of the L-shaped member the support surface, the entire surface can support an item. Also, by making the frame an L-shaped member with a flat surface, it is easy to insert a partition member. Furthermore, by making the frame an L-shaped member, the medical cart can be made lightweight. Costs can also be reduced.

Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the present invention. In addition to the basket, a plate-shaped member having a flat surface extending in the front-rear and width directions may be provided as a receiving member. The side plate is not limited to two, an upper side plate and a lower side plate, but may be one side plate. The frame group is not limited to an upper frame group and a lower frame group, but may be one, or three or more. For example, if there are three frames, small box-shaped items can be stored in three tiers. The partition plate is not limited to a linear member having an approximately S-shape, but may be a flat plate. In addition, although the medical cart used in the medical field has been described, it is of course possible to use it as a multi-function cart for storing and transporting long items and other small box-shaped items.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 medical cart 11 support 12 caster 13 frame group 14 support member 15 partition member 21 upper frame group 22 lower frame group 23 first frame 24 second frame 25 third frame 26 fourth frame 27 first support surface 28 second support surface 29 third support surface 31 fourth support surface 32 hole 35 bottom support surface 101 long object 102 small box-shaped object

Claims (7)

A support pillar is disposed at each of the four corners and extends at least in the vertical direction;
A frame group extending substantially linearly in a width direction perpendicular to the up-down direction;
Casters provided at the lower ends of the columns,
A receiving member is positioned between the frame group and the casters in the vertical direction, and has a bottom receiving surface extending in the width direction and in a front-rear direction perpendicular to the vertical direction and the width direction;
having
The frame group includes at least a first frame and a second frame extending in the width direction,
The first frame and the second frame are positioned with an interval in the front-rear direction,
The first frame and the second frame each include a first support surface and a second support surface extending in the width direction as a support surface,
A medical cart, wherein the first support surface and the second support surface are positioned so that a first imaginary plane extending the first support surface and a second imaginary plane extending the second support surface are approximately perpendicular to each other. The frame group further includes, as the frames, a third frame and a fourth frame extending in the width direction,
the first frame, the second frame, the third frame, and the fourth frame are positioned at intervals in the front-rear direction,
The third frame and the fourth frame respectively include, as support surfaces, a third support surface and a fourth support surface extending in the width direction,
The medical cart of claim 1 , wherein the third support surface is generally coplanar with the first imaginary surface and the fourth support surface is generally coplanar with the second imaginary surface. The medical cart according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the support surface is a surface inclined with respect to the plane in the up-down direction and the front-rear direction. the frame group includes at least an upper frame group and a lower frame group located below the upper frame group in the up-down direction,
The medical cart according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the receiving member is located between the lower frame group and the casters in the vertical direction. At least one frame of the frame group is provided with a plurality of holes at predetermined intervals in the width direction,
3. The medical cart according to claim 1, wherein at least one partition member is detachably provided, the partition member having a protrusion that engages with the hole and constituting a surface extending in the up-down direction and the front-rear direction. The medical cart according to claim 5, wherein the partition member is a linear member having a substantially S-shape. The medical cart according to claim 1 or 2, wherein each frame of the frame group is an L-shaped member, and one surface of the L-shaped member constitutes the support surface.

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