WO2003055432A1

WO2003055432A1 - Hook, object holder and suspension system with such a hook, and use of such an object holder

Info

Publication number: WO2003055432A1
Application number: PCT/NL2002/000870
Authority: WO
Inventors: Libbe Jitze Jonkman
Original assignee: Hoek Loos Medical B.V.
Priority date: 2001-12-27
Filing date: 2002-12-24
Publication date: 2003-07-10
Also published as: AU2002362172A1; NL1019669C2

Abstract

Hook for suspending an object connected thereto from a carrier. The hook has a first passage for receiving a part of a carrier extending in a horizontal direction and a second passage transverse to the first passage for receiving a part of a carrier extending in vertical direction. The first and second passages intersect. The hook can be brought into engagement with both horizontally and vertically running carriers and can be of compact design. An object holder with such a hook and the use of such an object holder are also described.

Description

Title: Hook, object holder and suspension system with such a hook, and use of such an object holder.

The invention relates to a hook, to an object holder and a suspension system with such a hook and to the use of such an object holder.

With different uses, the problem occurs that objects of some volume have to be held in position temporarily, for instance to prevent them from falling over or being in the way. Thus, in hospitals and ambulances for instance, often, gas bottles are used which are filled with oxygen. A patient who needs oxygen from such a bottle can for instance be in a ward, can be moved through the hospital bed and all, or can move himself. It is difficult to then keep the bottle in the vicinity of the patient with simple means. Other examples of objects which are difficult to position and/or carry along in different situations of use are iv-pumps, medical work stations, waste holders, displays for instrumentarium, anesthetics equipment, respiration equipment and vacuum equipment.

An object of the invention is to provide a simple solution which simplifies placing and carrying along objects in various situations of use.

According to the present invention, this object is achieved by providing a hook according to claim 1.

When using the proposed hook, this can be brought into engagement both with horizontally extending carriers and vertically extending carriers. Due to the passages intersecting, the hook can be of compact design and the mass of the hook can be kept limited.

The invention further provides an object holder according to claim 5 and a suspension system according to claim 6, which are provided with such a hook and the use of such an object holder as laid down in claim 7. Special elaborations of the invention are described in the dependent claims. In the following, the invention is further illustrated and elucidated on the basis of an exemplary embodiment with reference to the drawing. In the drawing:

Fig. 1 shows a front view of an example of a hook according to the invention;

Fig. 2 shows a side view in cross section along the line II-II in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 shows a bottom view of the hook according to Figs. 1 and 2;

Fig. 4 shows an isometric view of the hook according to Figs. 1 — 3;

Fig. 5 shows a gas bottle holder with a hook according to Figs. 1 - 4; Fig. 6 shows an isometric view of a hook according to an alternative exemplary embodiment;

Fig. 7 shows a hook according to Figs. 1 - 4 engaging a first upright; and

Fig. 8 shows a hook according to Figs. 1 — 4 engaging a second upright.

First, the invention is elucidated with reference to the hook 1 according to the example represented in Figs 1 - 4, 7 and 8. This hook 1 bounds a first passage 2 in a first direction (arrow 3). In this first passage 2, for instance, a carrier in the form of a horizontal tube of a hospital bed can be included, so that the hook 1 can engage on the frame of the hospital bed. In Fig. 2, the cross section of such a tube 4 is represented in chain-dotted lines. The longitudinal direction of the tube 4 is then directed in the first direction 3 in which the passage 2 also extends.

The hook 1 also bounds a second passage 5 in a second direction (arrow 6) transverse to the above-described first direction 3. This second passage 5 is destined for receiving a part of a carrier extending in a vertical direction. This can, for instance, be an iv-upright, a part 7 of which is represented in chain-dotted lines in Figs. 1 - 3. The longitudinal direction of the iv-upright 7 is then directed in the second direction 6. As can be seen in the drawings, the first and second passages 2, 5 intersect. As a result, the hook can be of compact design. Further, parts of the hook have a supporting function both when it engages a horizontal carrier and when it engages a vertical carrier. This contributes to the mass of the hook being kept limited in comparison to solutions wherein a different hook is used for each carrier.

The hook 1 according to this example is provided with a third passage 8 for receiving carriers running horizontally. It is located at the front side of the hook 1, is also directed in the direction 3 and also intersects the second passage 5 (see Fig. 1). This passage is particularly suited for receiving an ISO 25 x 10-rail, which is often found is hospitals and in many cases runs along the head of hospital beds. By suspending the gas bottle therefrom the bed is kept clear and the gas bottle is not in the way of the patient and the nursing staff. Also the rail 9 according to this example is represented in chain- dotted fines. As can be seen in Fig. 2, by an inner surface 10 of the passage 8, the hook rests behind the opening 11 for introducing the rail 9 on the free upper edge of the rail 9 on the rail and, in the area of the opening 11, is clear of the rail 9 at its upper side. Further, the distance between the lower side of the second passage 8 and the lower side of the rail 9 is smaller than the distance over which the upper boundary of the opening 11 projects downwardly relative to the highest point of the passage 8 on which the rail 9 engages. As a result, it is not possible that the hook 1, when it is accidentally pushed upwards, comes clear of the rail 9. However, for taking the hook 1 from the rail, it is possible to tilt the hook 1 such that the lower side of the hook 1 moves away from the rail 1. When the lower side of the passage 8 has come clear of the rail 9, the hook 1 and the object connected thereto can be freely moved upwards to undo the engagement of the hook 1 on the rail 9.

The first passage 2 has an open side 12 facing downwards in a condition of use, for the introduction of the carrier 4. The second passage 5 has a part 13, being a lower part in condition of use, with a first cross section 14, and a part 14, being an upper part in condition of use, with a second cross section 15. The cross section 15 of the upper part 14 is smaller than the cross section 14 of the lower part 13. The transition 16 between the lower part 13 and the upper part 15 forms a supporting surface for supporting against a shoulder structure 17 of the carrier 7. The second passage 5 further has a lateral opening 18 with a smallest width bis which is smaller than the width bi3 of the lower part 13 of the second passage 5.

As a result, the lower part 13 of the passage 5 can receive a part 19 of a carrier 7 of a width which is larger than the smallest width bis of the lateral opening 18 at the location of the lower part 13 of the second passage 8. However, as the width of this part 19 is larger than the smallest width bis of the lateral opening 18 at the location of the lower part 13, this part 19 cannot escape in lateral direction through the opening 18. As a result, the hook 1 embraces the part 19 in a reliable manner without further projections for cooperation with the hook being necessary. It is noted that the shoulder 17 and the widened part 19 of the carrier 7 can be formed by a transition of a narrow part of the carrier to a wider part of the iv-upright, but that it is also possible, for instance, as is represented in the Figs. 7 and 8, to equip the upright with a sleeve 35 or 36 forming a local widening, and hence the shoulder 17 and the thickened part 19.

The smallest width bis of the lateral opening 18 preferably corresponds to the width b₁₄ of the upper part 14 of the second passage 8. As a result, the smallest width bts of the lateral opening 18 is just large enough for allowing the passage of a narrow part 20 of the carrier 7 which, width-wise, fits exactly in the upper part 14 of the second passage 5. Therefore, the hook 1 can easily be placed over the carrier 7 but has, in front view in the lower area 13, sufficient overlap with the carrier 7 to guarantee a reliable embrace. To bring the hook 1 into engagement with an upright 7 in the manner shown in Figs. 7 and 8, a thin part 20 of the upright 7 is brought through the lateral opening 18 into the second passage 5, and the hook 1 is then moved downwards, until a widened part of the upright 7 is confined in a lower part 13 of the passage 5 and a shoulder 17 of the upright 7 abuts against the supporting surface 16.

The supporting surface 16 of the hook 1 has a conical configuration. This offers the advantage that, when being placed over the shoulder 17 or over a different projection extending around the carrier or distributed over the circumference, the hook 1 gradually centers itself without clearance, so that an accurate and rattle-free engagement of the hook 1 on the carrier 7 is obtained. The upright according to the example shown in Fig. 8 is provided with a lateral projection 34 of a width which, apart from some clearance, corresponds to the width bis of the lateral opening 18. As a result, the hook 1 cannot pivot around the upright 7.

The object holder 21 represented in Fig. 5 is designed as a gas bottle holder for suspending a gas bottle. This gas bottle holder has a casing 22 consisting of a bottom 23 and a curved plate 24 connected thereto. The plate 24 in its turn is connected via a connecting block 25 to a handgrip 26. The hook 1 is connected by its rear side to the connecting block 25. For a constructionally simple structure, it is advantageous if the connecting block is clamped between the hook 1 and the curved plate 24 by means of attachment means such as bolts. The holder is further provided with resilient brackets 27 for holding the gas bottle 28. The rigidity and shape of the brackets is such that the gas bottle 28 can be pulled loose from the clamping by the brackets 27 by manual power. To prevent the gas bottle 28 from inadvertently falling from the holder 21, the holder is further provided with a safety bracket 29. The plate 22 which is curved around an axis parallel to the central axis perpendicular to the bottom 23 forms a firm connection between, on the one side, the handle 26 and the coupling piece 25 and, on the other side, the bottom 23 and occupies very little space because the curvature of the plate 24 follows the curvature of the gas bottle. Use of an object holder as shown in Fig, 5 renders it possible to successively suspend the gas bottle 28 from different carriers such as the carriers 4, 7, 9 while the hook 1, upon engagement on horizontal carriers, engages from the side of the casing 22 over the carriers 4, 9, while the hook 1 upon engagement on a vertical carrier 7 engages on two opposite sides along the carrier 7 and embraces a widening 19 of the carrier 7. This renders it possible, for instance, to hang the gas bottle 28, while using the same hook, in random order from an ISO-rail at the head of the bed of a patient, from a horizontal tube of the frame of the bed of the patient and from an iv-upright taken along by a mobile patient when he or she moves about. Coupling to other auxiliary means of patients, such as Zimmer frames and wheel chairs is also a possibility. When patients are brought in by ambulance, it is also advantageous that, when the patient is transferred from the stretcher, the gas bottle can immediately be suspended from the bed. In Fig. 6, an alternative exemplary embodiment of the proposed hook is represented. The hook 51 has a back plate 80 and brackets 81 extending away from the back plate 80. The brackets 81 and the back plate 80 bound a first passage 52 in a direction 53 for receiving parts of horizontal carriers. The brackets 81 and 80 also bound a second passage 55 in a direction 56 for receiving a part of a carrier 7 running vertically, such as the iv-upright represented in chain-dotted lines. Between the parts 82 of the brackets 81 running vertically, a lower part 63 of the second passage 55 is located, whose width is limited only at the location of the parts 82 of the brackets 81 running vertically. Between the parts 83 of the brackets 81 running horizontally, an upper part 64 of the second passage 55 is located. The width thereof is limited and equal to the width of the passage 68 between the parts 82 of the brackets 81 running vertically.

Thus, in a simple manner, the hook 51 can be hooked over carriers running horizontally as well as over a widening in a carrier 7 running vertically. For the latter use, the brackets 81 are introduced on both sides along the carrier at the location of a narrow part of the carrier 7, and the hook 51 is then moved downwards until the widened part of the carrier is confined between the vertical parts 82 of the brackets 81 and the back plate 80, i.e. in the lower part 63 of the second passage 55.

Claims

1. A hook for suspending an object (28) connected thereto from a carrier (4, 7, 9), having a first passage (2; 8; 52) in a first direction (3; 53) for receiving a part of a carrier (4, 9) extending in a horizontal direction, the longitudinal direction thereof directed in said first direction (3; 53), and having a second passage (5; 55) in a second direction (6; 56) transverse to said first direction (3; 53) for receiving a part of a carrier (7) extending in a vertical direction, the longitudinal direction thereof directed in said second direction (6; 56), while said first passage (2; 8; 52) and said second passage (5; 55) intersect.

2. A hook according to claim 1, wherein the first passage (2; 8; 52) has an open side (12) facing downwards in a condition of use, for the introduction of the carrier (4, 9), and wherein the second passage (5; 55) has a part (13; 63), which is a lower part in a condition of use, with a first cross section, and a part (14; 64) which is an upper part in a condition of use, with a second cross section smaller than the first cross section, while the transition between the lower part (13; 63) and the upper part (14; 64) forms a supporting surface (16) for supporting against a shoulder structure (17) of the carrier (7), and wherein the second passage (5; 55) has a lateral opening (18; 68) with a smallest width (biβ) which is smaller than the width (b^) of the lower part (13; 63) of the second passage (5; 55).

3. A hook according to claim 2, wherein the smallest width (bis) of the lateral opening (18, 68) corresponds to the width (b₁₄) of the upper part (14, 64) of the second passage (5; 55).

4. A hook according to claim 2 or 3, wherein said supporting surface (16) has a conical configuration.

5. An object holder for suspending an object (28), comprising a hook (26) according to any one of the preceding claims and a casing (22) for receiving and at least locally embracing the object (28).

6. A suspension system, comprising a hook (1) according to any one of the preceding claims and said vertical carrier in the form of a sleeve (35, 36) designed for engagement by said hook (1) and for attachment around an upright.

7. Use of an object holder according to claim 5, for successively suspending the object (28) from different carriers (4, 7, 9), wherein the hook (1; 51), when engaging horizontal carriers (4, 9), engages over the carrier (4, 9) from the side of the casing, and wherein the hook (1; 51), when engaging a vertical carrier (7), engages along the carrier (7) at two opposites sides and engages on a shoulder structure (17, 19) of the carrier (7).