JP3334546B2 - Endoscope storage case - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a storage case for storing an endoscope for transportation and storage.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art When an endoscope is carried or stored in a warehouse or the like, the endoscope is stored in a storage case to protect the endoscope. The storage case generally includes a case main body and a lid, and the case main body and the lid are connected to each other so as to be openable and closable by, for example, a hinge, so that an endoscope storage section is provided on the case main body side. . Here, the endoscope is formed by connecting an insertion portion and a universal cord, each of which is a long member mostly having a flexible structure, to the main body operation portion, so that the insertion portion and the universal cord are bent in a loop shape. To be stored.
For this purpose, a concave portion having a required shape is formed in the case main body, and the endoscope is housed in this concave portion so that the entire endoscope is not misaligned. In addition, together with the endoscope, there may be cases in which an instruction manual, a warranty card, and various slips for the endoscope are stored in a storage case, but these are formed with a storage pocket on the lid side. , In this pocket.

[0003] Here, the case body and the lid constituting the storage case are made of hard plastic in order to have robustness and to be excellent in appearance. On the other hand, in order to protect the endoscope stored in the storage case from being damaged, it is necessary that at least a portion where the endoscope is stored has some elasticity. For this purpose, an interior member having elasticity is fixedly provided on the inner surface of the exterior body of the case body and the lid body, and a recess for accommodating the endoscope is formed in the interior member of the case body side. Here, the interior member is generally formed of a foamed resin from the viewpoint of weight reduction in addition to protection of the stored endoscope. In addition, the lower side is hingedly connected to the case body so that it can be opened and closed, and the case body and the lid are stable in the closed state and not to open unintentionally. A lock mechanism for locking the body in a closed state is provided between the body and the body, and can be locked.

[0004]

By the way, an endoscope is
It is not used alone, but is inserted into a dark place such as the body of a patient to perform inspection, diagnosis, treatment, and the like. Therefore, it is necessary to illuminate the observation target portion. For this purpose, the universal cord must be connected at least to the light source device. Further, in the case of an electronic endoscope, since an image inside the body is converted into an electric signal by a solid-state image pickup means and taken out, it is necessary to connect to an image signal processing device equipped with a monitor. From the above, the endoscope is used in a predetermined medical room where these light source devices and video signal processing devices are installed, and cleaning and disinfection are performed in a room separate from the medical room. Although they may be carried outside the clinic, they are rarely taken out of the hospital where they are used. When the endoscope is not used, it is stored. Usually, the endoscope is stored in a sterilization room or the like by hanging it on a hanger or other jig. Therefore, a special storage case is not required when storing the endoscope.

[0005] From the above, the necessity of the storage case for the endoscope is usually limited to the time of shipment. The storage case is taken to a use site in a hospital or the like, and the endoscope is taken out of the storage case and used. After starting, the storage case becomes almost unnecessary. In addition, the endoscope is taken out of the hospital at the time of repair. In this case, the endoscope can be stored in a storage case dedicated to repair and carried out of the hospital. Therefore, as a storage case for the endoscope, it is not necessary to make the structure complicated and expensive, such as making it durable and robust, improving the appearance, and further including a locking device. It is useless to use the storage case described above. The conditions that are actually required for the storage case are that the endoscope can be sufficiently protected during transportation and that it can be easily opened and closed, and that the case body and lid are not separated from each other except when necessary. I just need to.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to provide an endoscope which can sufficiently protect an endoscope even during transportation or the like, and has a simple structure and can be manufactured at extremely low cost. An object of the present invention is to provide a mirror storage case.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a case body having an endoscope accommodating portion for accommodating an endoscope, each of which is formed of a foamed resin. A step is formed on the outer periphery of the case body and the cover, and one is formed on the outer periphery of the case body and the cover, and the other is formed on the outer periphery thereof. At the top and bottom of the body,
At least two band insertion portions are provided, and at least two band insertion portions are formed below the lid side, and the bands are passed through these band insertion portions, and the ends of the bands are fastened by fasteners on the front surface side of the lid body. It is characterized in that the parts are fixed in a connected state.

At least two positioning projections are provided on one side of the case body and the lid, and a positioning recess is provided on the other side. The positioning projection is fitted with the positioning projection. When the engagement is made in a substantially close fitting state, the case body and the lid are joined to each other in an extremely stable state, and no relative displacement occurs unnecessarily. Also,
It is convenient to carry the storage case if two bands are provided in order to fix the case body and the lid in the joined state, and the handbags are fastened so that both bands are bridged. Furthermore, at the time of shipment, a booklet such as an instruction manual is required together with the endoscope, but an elastic locking piece for holding the upper and lower portions of such a booklet so as to be sandwiched therebetween is integrally formed on the inner surface of the lid. It is possible to

[0009]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. First, FIG. 1 shows a state in which a case main body and a lid constituting a storage case are separated, FIG. 2 is a front view of the storage case, FIG. 3 is a right side view thereof, and FIG. It is sectional drawing in the position of XX of FIG. 1 which shows a lid body in the joining state.

In these figures, reference numeral 1 denotes a case body, 2
Indicates a lid body, respectively. The case body 1 and the lid 2
Is formed of a molded article of a foamed resin having a certain degree of elasticity and a shape retention property such as polyurethane foam. The case body 1 has an endoscope housing section 3 formed in a recessed portion on an inner surface facing the lid 2. Here, the concavo-convex shape of the endoscope housing section 3 is appropriately set according to the endoscope to be housed, and the main body operation section of the endoscope has a relatively short dimension and is hard. Since it is a member, it is stored in the portion shown by 3a, the insertion portion is stored in the portion shown by 3b, and the universal cord is stored in the portion shown by 3c. Here, since most of the insertion portion and the universal cord are formed of a flexible member, the insertion portion and the universal cord are stored in a loop shape with a gentle curve, so that the insertion portion and the universal cord can be easily stored in a small space. Further, the part indicated by 3d is for accommodating the part of the light source and the power supply connector of the universal cord.

The endoscope housing 3 in the case body 1 is
Almost the entire endoscope can be stored so as not to protrude from the surface thereof. Therefore, when the lid 2 is joined to the case main body 1, the inner surface of the lid 2 is positioned with respect to the endoscope. The lid 2 partially functions as a holding member, and the endoscope is stably stored in the endoscope storage unit 3.
Therefore, the inner surface of the lid 2 is almost entirely flat. However, a booklet accommodating portion 5 for accommodating the booklet 4 is formed on the lid 2 side. The booklet accommodating section 5 has a depth corresponding to the thickness of the booklet 4 to be accommodated. Usually, the booklet 4 is provided by an instruction manual of the endoscope accommodated in the endoscope accommodating section 3. is there. The left and right walls of the booklet storage unit 5 are substantially perpendicular to the inner surface of the lid 2, but the upper and lower walls 5 a, 5 a, as seen from FIG. The housing space of the booklet housing section 5 is accordingly inclined so as to expand. And the upper and lower walls 5a, 5
a is slightly smaller than the height dimension of the booklet 4, so that the booklet 4 is separated from the walls 5a, 5a.
It is held at a predetermined position so as to be sandwiched therebetween.

Here, the case body 1 and the lid 2 are not connected by a hinge or the like, but can be completely separated. Then, the case body 1 and the lid 2 are connected by joining. When the case main body 1 and the lid 2 are joined, they are joined in a stable state so as not to cause a mutual displacement or the like. For this reason, the following configuration is adopted.

First, the case body 1 is formed with a stepped portion 1a falling down on the outer peripheral edge thereof over the entire circumference. On the other hand, a step 2a is formed on the inner surface of the lid 2 facing the case main body 1 so that the outer peripheral edge thereof rises up. Therefore, when the case main body 1 and the lid 2 are joined, FIG. As is apparent, the concave and convex engagement is made between the step portions 1a and 2a. By this concave-convex engagement, the length of the joint between the case main body 1 and the lid 2 is increased, and the joint surface has a bent shape, which has a function of preventing contaminants and the like from entering the storage case. Demonstrate. In addition, the relative positional deviation between the case body 1 and the lid 2 can be suppressed by the uneven engagement between the step portions 1a and 2a. To prevent this, the work of joining and separating the two becomes difficult because the gap must be eliminated between them. Therefore, the function of restricting the case body 1 and the lid 2 to the joined state can be formed by another means.

Here, as means for positioning the case main body 1 and the lid body 2 so as not to be displaced relative to each other in the joined state, the case main body 1 and the lid body 2 are provided near four corners at positions inside the steps 1a and 2a. The positioning is performed by the positioning protrusion 6 and the positioning recess 7. That is, in FIG. 4, a positioning projection 6 is provided on the case body 1 side, and a positioning recess 7 into which the positioning projection 6 is fitted is formed on the lid 2 side. The positioning projections 6 are fitted into the positioning recesses 7 in a substantially tight fit, so that the case body 1 and the lid 2 are joined without any relative displacement. As a result, a certain gap can be provided in the engagement between the steps 1a and 2a, and the case body 1 and the lid 2 can be easily joined and separated.

The case body 1 and the lid 2 are joined as described above, and the band 8 is used to fix the case in this joined state. That is, as is clear from FIGS. 2 and 3, the band 8 is wound around the outer periphery at two places in a state where the case body 1 and the cover 2 are joined, It is designed to be locked. To this end, concave grooves 10, 10 having a slight step in the vertical direction are formed on the outer surfaces of the case main body 1 and the lid 2, and two upper and lower
Band insertion portions 11 and 12 are provided at the locations. On the other hand, on the lid 2 side, two band insertion portions 13 are provided on the lower side. Therefore, the band 8 extends along the concave groove 10 on the outer surface side of the case body 1 and the lid 2, and sequentially passes through the band insertion portions 11, 12, and 13 provided at three locations above and below, respectively. With the stopper 9 provided on one end thereof positioned on the outer surface side of the lid 2, the other end of the band 8 is inserted through the stopper 9 so that the band 8 is locked under a predetermined tension. Fixed. Here, the locking position of the band 8 by the stopper 9 is on the outer surface side of the lid 2 as is clear from FIG. Further, a hand strap 15 is fastened between the bands 8 on the upper side, and if the hand strap 15 is grasped, the storage case can be grasped and carried by hand. In addition, four band insertion portions 12 and 13 are provided at the lower portion of the storage case, and these band insertion portions 12 and 13 have the same shape. Therefore, when the storage case is placed upright on a floor or the like, these four band insertion portions 12 and 1 are inserted.
Since 3 is in contact with the floor, it can be placed in a stable state.

As described above, the storage case is composed of the case main body 1 and the lid 2 made of a molded article of foamed resin, and the two bands 8 and the one hand strap 15.
The structure is extremely simple, and the only parts that need to be connected beforehand are the parts between the band 8 and the hand strap 15 and these connections can be made by fastening. . Although the case body 1 and the lid 2 have irregular shapes, they are formed from wall surfaces that are substantially perpendicular to each other, except for the portions of the band insertion portions 11, 12, and 13 substantially. The case body 1 and the lid 2 can be easily formed by using a mold that is divided into two at the band insertion portion. The lid 2 is formed with inclined walls 5a, 5a in the booklet accommodating portion 5, and since the walls 5a are used to easily lock the booklet 4, the inclination angle of the wall 5a is small. Is small, and the material is foamed resin, which has a certain degree of elasticity, so that die cutting can be performed relatively easily.

The endoscope is accommodated in the endoscope accommodating section 3 of the case body 1 and the required booklet 4 is accommodated in the booklet accommodating section 5 of the lid 2. If the case main body 1 and the lid 2 are fixed in a bonded state by the band 8 after being joined so as to fit into the case, the case main body 1 and the lid 2 cannot be separated from each other, and there is no relative displacement. Furthermore, since the step walls 1a and 2a are interposed at the joint between the case body 1 and the lid 2, it is possible to suppress the intrusion of solids and liquids such as dust from the outside.
Further, by providing the case body 1 and the lid 2 with a predetermined thickness, there is no possibility that the endoscope may be damaged by an external impact.

An endoscope or booklet 4 stored in a storage case
In order to remove the band, the stopper 9 of the band 8 and the stopper 1
Release the lock with 4. Then, one side of the band 8 is free up to the portion of the band insertion portion 13 provided at the lower portion of the lid 2 side, and the other side is provided up to the portion of the band insertion portion 11 provided at the upper side of the case body 1. Is in a free state. As a result, the lid 2 can be separated from the case body 1 and the band 8 can be separated from the special band insertion portions 11 and
As long as the case body 1, the cover body 2 and the band 8 are not separated from each other, they are not separated from each other. Therefore, it is possible to smoothly and easily perform the operation of returning the endoscope to the endoscope housing portion 3, joining the lid 2 to the case body 1 again, and fixing the lid 2 with the band 8.

[0019]

According to the present invention, the configuration of the storage case for storing the endoscope can be significantly simplified.
In addition, it is possible to manufacture and assemble at low cost, protect the endoscope housed inside, and not only is it easy to carry, but also the fixability of the joint between the case body and the lid The secured endoscope can be easily taken out and re-stored, and the stored endoscope can be easily operated.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external view of a storage case according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which a case main body and a lid constituting a storage case are separated.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the storage case in an assembled state.

FIG. 3 is a right side view of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along a line XX of FIG. 1 showing a case body and a lid facing each other.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Case main body 2 Lid 1a, 2a Step part 3 Endoscope storage part 4 Booklet 5 Booklet storage part 6 Positioning protrusion 7 Positioning recess 8 Band 9 Stopper 11, 12, 13 Band insertion part 15 Hand strap

Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-6-122480 (JP, A) JP-A-8-156942 (JP, A) JP-A-8-24210 (JP, A) JP-A-7-69378 (JP, A) , A) Japanese Utility Model 383501 (JP, U) Japanese Utility Model 4-30510 (JP, U) Japanese Utility Model 4-114301 (JP, U) Japanese Utility Model 3-100135 (JP, U) Japanese Utility Model 50-96134 (JP, U) Jikken 61-32657 (JP, Y2) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) A61B 1/00-1/32 A61B 19/02 B65D 81 / 00-81/133 B65D 23/00-25/56 B65D 6/00-13/02

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] 1. A case body formed of a foamed resin and having an endoscope housing portion for housing an endoscope, and a lid joined to the case body. A step is formed on the outer peripheral part, one of which rises and the other falls, and is joined in a state where the steps are unevenly engaged, and at least two band insertion parts are provided on the upper and lower parts of the case body, respectively. A structure in which at least two band insertion portions are formed in the lower portion of the lid side, and the bands are passed through these band insertion portions, and the ends of the bands are fixed in a connected state by fasteners on the front surface side of the lid. A storage case for an endoscope. 2. A joint between the case body and the lid,
The storage case for an endoscope according to claim 1, wherein a positioning projection and a positioning recess into which the positioning projection fits are provided at at least two places. 3. The storage case for an endoscope according to claim 1, wherein the band is provided at two places, and the handbag is fastened so as to bridge the two bands. 4. A structure in which an elastic locking piece for holding the upper and lower portions of a booklet such as an instruction manual of an endoscope so as to be sandwiched between the inner surface of the lid and the lid is integrally formed with the lid. The storage case for an endoscope according to claim 1, wherein: