WO2013115639A1

WO2013115639A1 - Oxygen supply system

Info

Publication number: WO2013115639A1
Application number: PCT/NL2013/050039
Authority: WO
Inventors: Hendrik Johannes Ijpelaar
Original assignee: Hendrik Johannes Ijpelaar
Priority date: 2012-01-31
Filing date: 2013-01-24
Publication date: 2013-08-08
Also published as: NL2008204C2

Abstract

An oxygen supply system comprises a reel (1) with a horizontal rotation axis. The reel comprising an integral (internal) oxygen duct. An inlet tube (4) is connected with one end to said integral oxygen duct of the reel. With another end the inlet tube is connected to a stationary oxygen source (3). A flexible supply tube (2) is wound on the reel for supplying oxygen to a patient. One end of the supply tube is connected to said integral oxygen duct of the reel and the other end of said tube can be set in fluid communication with a patient intake element. The oxygen supply system furthermore has a tube guiding means (13) with a guiding passage which is in line with the tangent of the reel at the location where the supply tube is wound off or on the reel. A pole (5), in use taken by a patient during movement through a room, includes an aligning device (7) having a swivelling portion (8) with an inlet connection for connecting the supply tube. The swivelling portion is freely rotatable over 360° with respect to a substantially vertical rotation axis, such that the inlet connection can be directed in any radial direction with respect to the pole. The inlet connection in use is located on substantially the same height as the guiding passage of the guiding means of the reel. The aligning device has an internal oxygen duct (94) extending between the inlet connection and an outlet connection for connecting a drop tube (10) provided with the patient intake element.

Description

Title: Oxygen supply system

The present invention relates to an oxygen supply system comprising:

- a reel with a horizontal rotation axis, the reel comprising an integral (internal) oxygen duct,

- an inlet tube which is connected with one end to said integral oxygen duct of the reel and which is to be connected with another end to a stationary oxygen source, and

- a flexible supply tube which is wound on the reel for supplying oxygen to a patient, wherein the length of the supply tube is variable by winding it on or off the reel, wherein one end of the supply tube is connected to said integral oxygen duct of the reel and the other end of said tube can be set in fluid communication with a patient intake element.

Oxygen supply systems of this type are used by patients in need of a continuous oxygen administering throughout the day. In the domestic situation the patient is wearing an oxygen intake element, mostly a nasal catheter, which is connected to a stationary oxygen source via tubing. The oxygen source may be an oxygen generating apparatus or an oxygen storage tank, which is placed stationary somewhere in the accommodation. It is desirable to allow the patient to move about in his/her accommodation with as little limitations as possible. Furthermore, it is desired to prevent tangling or pinching of the tubing extending between the catheter and the oxygen source.

In US 5,392,808 an oxygen supply system is disclosed comprising a reel with a horizontal rotation axis, the reel comprising an interior oxygen duct. Furthermore an inlet tube is connected with one end to said integral oxygen duct of the reel and with another end to a stationary oxygen source. A flexible supply tube is wound on the reel for supplying oxygen to a patient. The length of the supply tube is variable by winding it on or off the reel, wherein one end of the supply tube is connected to said integral oxygen duct of the reel and the other end of said tube is connected to a nasal catheter.

While this known system solves some of the problems of entanglement and pinching of the tubing, because it retracts the excess tubing by means of the reel, it still has practical disadvantages. One of the disadvantages being that when the tubing is stretched it will tend to form a straight line between the reel and the nasal catheter. This will cause unpleasant loads on the patients head and/or other body parts. Furthermore, the tubing may touch and get entangled around objects such as furniture in the room which are located between the level of the reel outlet and the head of the patient. Another oxygen supply system is disclosed in WO 2011/009125. This system includes a rail which is attached to a surface of the room, in particular a ceiling, and a sliding trolley attached to the rail. An oxygen supply tube is attached to an oxygen supply and the trolley for transferring oxygen from the oxygen supply to the trolley. The trolley includes a reel which stores excess amounts of the supply tube. The reel is biased by means of a spring such that the reel collects excess length of supply tube. A drop tube is connected to the trolley, which at the other end has a breathing device such as a nasal cannula. The patient can guide the trolley around the room by pulling the drop tube in the desired direction of travel. The trolley may be provided with an electrical motor to move the trolley along the rail. Although this known system is likely to cause less loads on the head of the patient due to the configuration with the drop tube, it still limits the freedom of movement as the rail is mounted in one room and the patient cannot go to another room wearing the nasal cannula or other breathing device.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved oxygen supply system. This object is achieved by an oxygen supply system according to the preamble of claim 1 , in which the oxygen supply system furthermore comprises:

- a tube guiding means with a guiding passage which is in line with the tangent of the reel at the location where the supply tube is wound off or on the reel,

- a pole, in use taken by a patient during movement through a room, said pole including an aligning device having a swivelling portion with an inlet connection for connecting the supply tube, which swivelling portion is freely rotatable over 360° with respect to a substantially vertical rotation axis, such that the inlet connection can be directed in any radial direction with respect to the pole, wherein the inlet connection in use is located on substantially the same height as the guiding passage of the guiding means of the reel, and wherein the aligning device has an internal oxygen duct extending between the inlet connection and an outlet connection for connecting a drop tube provided with the patient intake element, e.g. a nasal catheter.

The oxygen supply system according to the invention allows the patient to move around freely in his/her accommodation. The reel can be mounted on such a height that the supply tube exiting the reel is generally located above the level of furniture and other objects present in the room(s) of the accommodation. The pole which has the aligning device at substantially the same height as the guiding passage at the reel ensures that the tube is extending on such a height where no objects are present which could obstruct the tube while the patient is moving around. The patient has the pole next to him when moving around. The drop tube is therefore not stretched and the patient can wear the breathing device without uncomfortable pulling loads on his/her head. The system according to the invention optionally may comprise tube guiding elements, to be mounted in the room(s) where the oxygen supply system is to be used, for guiding the oxygen supply tube, which tube guiding elements are to be mounted on substantially the same height as the inlet connection of the aligning device and the guiding passage of the guiding means of the reel. The tube guiding elements can for example be mounted at door posts such that the supply tube is supported and guided along an angle when the patient is moving from the room where the oxygen supply system is located to another room without the hazard of buckling of the tube.

In a possible embodiment biasing means are associated with the reel so as to stretch the supply tube by means of the reel. The biasing means cause the retraction of the supply tube on the reel. Thereby the tube is permanently stretched such that it cannot hang down into a loop which could get entangled in and around objects. It must be noted here that especially when the amount of tubing that is wound off the reel increases the tube will sag to some extent due to its own weight. However, this sagging effect is only limited and is not meant by "hanging down in a loop" as mentioned here.

Preferably the biasing means comprise a tension element, fixed on one end to a rotatable tension reel so as to wind up or wind off the tension element and fixed on the other end to a stationary attachment point which is horizontally spaced apart from the tension reel, said tension reel being coupled to the reel for the supply tube such that a rotation of the reel for the supply tube causes a rotation of the tension reel and vice versa, and the biasing means furthermore comprising a weight which is hanging on the tension element between the two ends thereof thereby forming a hanging loop between the two ends, wherein the weight is movable along the tension element. This structure advantageously provides a constant biasing force which can be chosen such that the supply tube can be unrolled with a relative ease, but also such that the tube remains stretched during movement around the room(s) by the patient.

In a preferred embodiment the weight comprises a moving sheave. In a practical embodiment the sheave may have a weight of about 5-6 kg. The sheave is hanging in the loop of the tension element and by rotation of the sheave, the sheave and the tension element can move with respect to each other.

Preferably the tension element is a steel band, preferably made of spring steel. Such a steel band has the advantage that it will not gain length due to the constant load, whereby an afterwards adjustment of the length is not necessary.

In a further preferred embodiment the sheave comprises a pair of metal outer discs with a low friction lining on the inner side facing the tension element. The inner lining may advantageously also be disc shaped. Advantageously the low friction lining is made of plastics material, preferably from polycarbonate. The lining provides a low friction between the sheave and the tension element, which is preferably a (spring) steel band, whereby the movement of the sheave along the tension element is not hampered. Consequently the winding and unwinding of the tension element on the tension reel, and thus the winding and unwinding of the supply tube on the associated reel can take place smoothly, without jerks. Furthermore the use of a lining prevents that the spring steel band starts to sing, which would be the case if the metal discs would move directly along the edges of the steel band.

In a preferred embodiment the tension reel and the reel for the supply tube are fixed to a common rotation shaft. It is however also possible to mount said reels at locations spaced apart from each other with a transmission between them.

In a preferred embodiment the tube guiding means at the reel comprises two parallel spaced apart rotatable rolls or pulleys, which define between them said guiding passage for the supply tube. The supply tube extends through the space between the two rolls. The rolls have the effect that the tube is supported by a roll surface which has a sufficient radius of curvature such that the tube is not pinched, independent of the direction in which the patient is located with respect to the reel on which the tube is wound.

Preferably the centre axis of the rolls extends in a substantially vertical direction. When the tubing is unrolled from the reel, the distance of the exit point to the central axis of the reel varies. Therefore the rolls may advantageously be cylindrical rolls with a height that ensures that the tube is supported by at least one of the rolls no matter how much tubing is already unwound from the reel.

In a preferred embodiment of the system according to the invention the tube guiding elements, to be mounted in the room(s) where the system is to be used, comprise rolls, preferably rotatable rolls. The rolls are mounted on a height which is substantially in line with the height at which the supply tube exits the reel. These rolls are preferably cylindrical rolls with a certain height such that the supply tube can be supported in a certain height range. Preferably the rolls are rotatable to reduce the friction between the tube and the guiding rolls.

In a possible further embodiment the tube guiding elements may comprise a mounting bracket in which the rolls are mounted, and furthermore may comprise a catching tongue which extends from a lower end of the bracket in a slanting way downward to catch the supply tube when it passes and guide it towards the rolls.

Preferably the pole is height adjustable so as to adapt the height position of the aligning device with respect to the height of the reel.

The pole may be mounted or mountable to a carriage, which is preferably provided with wheels. One could think for example of a walker, which is often already used by the patient as a walking aid. However, also a stand comprising the pole which is placed on a base having wheels is conceivable. The system according to the invention may furthermore comprise a housing in which the reel is housed.

When the patient is moving outside of the range of the oxygen supply system, for example when he/she is moving outside he can connect the breathing device to a portable oxygen container. For such occasions, when the system is not in use, the housing of the oxygen supply system may advantageously be provided with a holding means for holding the pole in storage.

The invention also relates to a room provided with an oxygen supply system as is described in the above, wherein tube guiding elements are mounted at the doorway(s) in the room(s) such that the supply tube is guided through the doorway(s).

The invention will become more apparent in the following detailed description with reference to the drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 illustrates in a side overview a possible embodiment of an oxygen supply system according to the invention,

Fig. 2 shows schematically in an overview from above of an apartment in which the oxygen supply system according the invention is used,

Fig. 3 shows a cross sectional view of the assembly of a tube reel and a tension reel of the system of Fig. 1 ,

Fig. 4 is a front elevational view of a casing for the reel of the system of Fig. 1 , Fig. 5 is a cross sectional view of the casing of Fig. 4,

Fig. 6 is a front elevational view of a reel of the system of Fig. 1 ,

Fig. 7 is a top elevational view of the reel of Fig. 6,

Fig. 8 is a front elevational view of a sheave of the system of Fig. 1 ,

Fig. 9 is a top elevational view of the sheave of Fig. 8,

Fig. 10 is a front elevational view of a tube guiding means of the system of Fig. 1 , Fig. 11 is a side elevational view of the tube guiding means of Fig. 10,

Fig. 12 shows a top elevational view of a tube guiding element of the system of Fig.

1 ,

Fig. 13 shows a side elevational view of the tube guiding element of Fig. 12, Fig. 14 shows a bottom elevational view of the tube guiding element of Fig. 12, Fig. 15 shows a cross sectional view of a head mounted on a pole of the system of

Fig. 1 ,

Fig. 16 shows a cross section of an upper cover portion of a housing of the system of Fig. 1 ,

Fig. 17 shows a front elevational view of the upper cover portion of Fig. 16,

Fig. 18 shows a side elevational view of a lower cover portion of a housing of the system of Fig. 1 , Fig. 19 shows a front elevational view of the lower cover portion of Fig. 18, and Fig. 20 shows a side elevational view of the housing of the system of Fig. 1 in an assembled state. In Fig. 1 is shown an oxygen supply system in use. The oxygen supply system comprises a reel 1 with a horizontal rotation axis. A flexible oxygen supply tube 2 is wound on the reel 1. The oxygen supply tube 2 is connected to an oxygen source 3 via internal ducting in the reel 1 and an inlet tube 4 which connects the reel 1 with the oxygen source 3. The oxygen source 3 in the figure is an apparatus called a concentrator. The oxygen source 3 is a stationary apparatus which is coupled to a power supply by means of a power plug.

The supply tube 2 is coupled with its end remote from the reel 1 to a pole 5 which is taken along by a patient. The pole 5 has on its upper end an inlet connection 6 for the supply tube 2. This connection 6 is part of a head 7 comprising a swivelling portion 8 which is allowed to rotate freely around a substantially vertical rotation axis. The rotation axis of the swivelling portion 8 is preferably parallel to the central axis of the pole 5. The swivelling portion 8 with the connection 6 for the supply tube 2 allows the patient to walk around in any direction with respect to the reel 1 , while the supply tube 2 can always be directed automatically to the shortest way towards the reel 1.

The head 7 has an outlet connection 9 for a drop tube 10. At the end of the drop tube 10 a patient intake device is attached such as for example a nasal catheter 11. The inlet connection 6 and outlet connection 9 on the head 7 are in fluid communication by ducting provided in the head 7.

The pole 5 can be arranged in a holding means provided on a walker 12 as is shown in Fig. 1 , but it is also possible to place a pole 5 on a base which is provided with wheels, such that the patient, which does not need a walker can walk around with the pole 5.

At the reel 1 there is provided a tube guiding means 13. The tube guiding means 13 has a guiding passage which is in line with the tangent of the reel 1 at the location where the supply tube 2 is wound off or on the reel 1 , in this case thus in line with a substantially horizontal tangent at the lower side of the reel 1.

In the room, tube guiding elements 14 are mounted where the oxygen supply system is to be used. In Fig. 1 is shown how a tube guiding element 14 is mounted on an outside corner of the room for guiding the oxygen supply tube 2 along said corner. Of course there can be mounted more tube guiding elements 14 in a room or apartment, as is shown in Fig. 2. The tube guiding elements 14 are generally mounted near door posts or passages to other room(s). The tube guiding elements 14 are to be mounted on substantially the same height as the inlet connection 6 of the aligning device of the head 7 of the pole 5 and the guiding passage of the guiding means 13 of the reel 1. The reel 1 is associated with biasing means which have the effect that the reel 1 winds up any excess length of supply tube 2. Thereby the tube 2 can be kept over its entire length on a height where it travels over objects, such as furniture, present in the room.

In the embodiment shown the biasing means comprise a tension reel 15 which is coupled to the reel 1 for the supply tube 2. On the tension reel 15 a tension element can be wound up, which in the embodiment shown is a band 16 of spring steel. This spring steel band 16 may have a width of about 8mm and a thickness of 0,3 mm. The spring steel band 16 is attached on one end to a fixed attachment point 17. At the other end the band 16 is guided via a rotatable guiding pulley 18 towards the tension reel 15 where it is wound up. The band 16 is hanging in a loop between the attachment point 17 and the guiding pulley 18 as is visible in Fig. 1. In the loop a sheave 19 is hanging freely. The sheave 19 functions as a weight. The band 16 can freely move along the sheave 19, thereby setting the sheave 19 in rotation.

In the shown embodiment the attachment point 17 and the guiding pulley 18 are both located at an equal horizontal distance from the central axis of the tension reel 15 such that the sheave 19 is hanging exactly below the tension reel 15. It should be noted however, that this is not necessary. It is also conceivable to mount the attachment point somewhere else in the room and to provide one additional guiding pulley to guide the band 16 towards the guiding pulley 18. The configuration as shown in Fig. 1 has the advantage however that it provides a compact construction.

As is derivable from Fig. 1 , the tension element 16 is wound on the tension reel 15 when the tube 2 is unwound of reel 1 and vice versa. In the embodiment shown the tension reel 15 and the reel 1 for the supply tube 2 are arranged on one spindle. In Fig. 3 is shown a cross section of the reel assembly of Fig. 1. The stationary spindle is designated by reference numeral 20. The spindle 20 is mounted to a rear plate 1 11 of the housing in which the reels are arranged. The spindle 20 has an inlet connection 21 whereto the inlet tube 4 is connected. In the spindle 20 an internal bore 22 is provided which is in communication with a circumferential groove 23 in the outer surface of the spindle 20. The spindle 20 may be made from metal, e.g. stainless steel.

On the spindle 20 a rotational body 30 is arranged, which rotational body 30 comprises the tension reel 15. The rotational body 30 can be made of plastics material, e.g. Nylon. The rotational body has a central bore that is arranged over the spindle 20 such that the body 30 can rotate over the spindle 20. The rotational body 30 furthermore comprises a hub portion 31 in front of the tension reel 15. On this hub portion 31 the reel 1 for the supply tube 2 is arranged and fixed. In the hub portion 31 is provided a radial bore 32 which in the mounted state, as shown in Fig. 3, is at the same height as the circumferential groove 23, such that the bore 32 is in communication with the groove 23 over 360° of rotation. In the radial bore 32, which extends from the central bore towards the outer surface, a connection piece 33 is inserted which is adapted to connect to the supply tube 2.

The rotational body 30 is fixed to the spindle by means of a locking assembly 34 which comprises a compression ring 35, a metal washer 36 a biasing spring 37, a threaded rod 38 and nut 39. The threaded rod 38 is screwed with one end portion into a threaded bore in the front end of the spindle 20. The washer 36 is arranged over the front end portion of the spindle 20. The compression ring 35 is formed as a cylindrical body which has a front end wall 35a with a through hole for the threaded rod 38. The ring 35 is positioned concentrically with the threaded rod 38. Concentrically with the threaded rod is arranged a coil spring 37. By screwing a nut 39 on the threaded rod against the spring, spring 37 and the ring 35 are urged towards the hub portion 30. The washer 36 is pressed against an O- ring 40 which is received in a recess in the front surface of the hub 30.

At the rear end of the rotational body 30 is also provided a recess in which an O-ring 41 is received. The O-ring 41 is pressed against a rear washer 42 preferably made of stainless steel. When the rotational body 30 rotates, the washer 42 is dragged along by the O-ring 41 and thus rotates as well with respect to the spindle 20.

As was mentioned before the reels are accommodated in a housing. In Figs 4 and 5 a front view and cross section are shown of the housing in which the spindle 20 and the rotational body 30 are mounted. The reel 1 is omitted in these figures.

In Figs 6 and 7 are shown a front view and a top elevational view of the reel 1. The reel 1 has such a diameter that per rotation about 1 m of tube length is wound or unwound. The entire supply tube length can be 12 m. However, this is to be considered as an indication by way of example, not a limitative indication. As can be seen the reel 1 has two side discs 50 which define a storage for the tube 2 between them. The space between the discs 50 is such that the windings are positioned on top of each other and not next to each other. This ensures a smooth winding and unwinding of the tube 2 on and off the reel 1.

In Figs 8 and 9 the sheave 19 is shown in more detail. In particular in the top elevational view of Fig. 9 is visible that the sheave 19 comprises a core 60 along which the tension element 16 is guided. In the shown embodiment the core 60 is made of a central disc 61 made of polycarbonate and two discs 62 made of metal, preferably stainless steel. Furthermore the sheave comprises a front and a rear disc with a larger diameter than the core 60. These discs are composed of an outer metal disc 63 and an inner polycarbonate disc 64. The inner discs 64 form a lining of the metal discs 63 to reduce friction between the spring steel band 16 and the sheave 19 and prevent singing of the spring steel band 16. The total weight of the sheave 19 in the example may be about 5-6 kg, but may of course be different in other configurations. In Figs 10 and 11 the tube guiding means 13 are shown in more detail. The tube guiding means 13 comprise a bracket 70 with a base plate 71 which is mounted to the housing in which the reel 1 and the tension reel 15 are accommodated, and an upper leg 76 and a lower leg 75. Two parallel rolls 72 are mounted rotatable in the bracket 70 with their rotation axis extending in a substantially vertical direction. The rolls 72 define between them a guiding passage 73 for the supply tube 2. In the bracket base plate 71 a slot 74 is provided through which the tube 2 can pass. The slot 74 extends in the mounted state with its longitudinal axis in a substantial vertical direction. The bracket 70 is mounted such that the slot 74 and the guiding passage 73 are in line with the tangent of the reel 1 at the location where the supply tube 2 is wound off or on the reel 1. The elongate shape of the slot 74 and the guiding passage 73 guarantee that the tube 2 is guided on the varying heights resulting from the varying height of the exiting point of the supply tube 2 on the reel 1 as the tube 2 is wound and unwound.

At the end of the lower leg 75 remote from the base plate 71 is formed a bended portion 77. The bended portion guides the tube 2 (indicated in dashed lines), when it is stored and prevents buckling and pinching of the tube 2.

In Figs 12 - 14 a tube guiding element 14 is shown in more detail. The tube guiding element 14 comprises a mounting bracket 80 which includes a base plate 81 and an upper leg 82 and a lower leg 83. A mounting plate 84 is extending substantially perpendicularly from the base plate 81 to mount the mounting bracket 80 to a support surface, e.g. a wall or a door post.

In the mounting bracket a rotatable guiding roll 85 is mounted between the upper leg 82 and lower leg 83 of the mounting bracket 80. The mounting bracket 80 is in use preferably mounted such that the rotation axis of the guiding roll 85 extends in a

substantially vertical direction.

At the lower leg 83 of the mounting bracket 80 a catching tongue 86 is provided. This tongue 86 is attached with one end portion 86a to the lower leg 83 of the bracket 80 and extends slanting downwardly with respect to the leg 83. At the free end of the tongue 86 an end portion 86b is provided that is bended further downwardly with respect to the direction of the tongue 86. In the end portion 86a that is mounted to the first leg 83 of the bracket, one central hole is provided which in the mounted state is preferably in line with the axis of the roll 85, such that a spindle 87 can extend through said central hole. Thus the tongue 86 can be swivelled around the spindle 87 to set it in the desired position. Furthermore, the end portion 86a has several, preferably 5 holes 88 and the lower leg 83 has one hole 89. It should be noted that the upper leg 82 has the same hole 89, such that the bracket 80 can be mounted the other way around, in which case the tongue 86 is attached to the leg 82, which is the upper leg in the drawing. By swivelling the tongue 86 around the spindle 87 and aligning one of the holes 88 in the end portion 86a of the tongue 86 with the hole 89 in the leg 83 of the bracket, a pin member like a screw can be inserted through the aligned holes 88, 89 whereby the orientation of the tongue 86 is fixed.

The tongue 86 on the bracket 80 is adapted to catch the supply tube 2 that extends through the room as the patient is moving around in his accommodation. As can be seen in Fig. 1 the supply tube 2 will sag in the middle due to its own weight. This effect becomes more apparent when the guiding element 14 is more distant from another support point such as the reel 1 , or another guiding element 14. The sagging of the tube 2 can be a few centimetres. As the tongue 86 is extending in a slanting way it will engage the tube 2 with its free end portion 86b or somewhere further upwards and as the patient walks on, the tightening of the tube 2 will cause the tube 2 to slide upwards along the tongue 86 towards the guiding roll 85. In this way it is prevented that the sagging of the tube 2 would cause the tube 2 not to engage the guiding roll 85, but hang below the tube guiding element 14.

In Fig. 15 is shown in more detail a possible embodiment of the head 7 mounted on a pole 5 which is taken by the patient as he/she moves around in the room or apartment.

In the cross sectional view of Fig. 15 the pole 5 is visible, which is inserted with an upper end in a bore 91 that is provided in the main body 90 of the head 7.

The head 7 furthermore comprises a rotatable portion 8 which is mounted rotatable over 360 ⁰ to the main body 90 of the head 7. Thereto the rotatable portion 8 has a cylindrical shaft 92 which extends through a cylindrical bore 93 in the main body 90. The shaft 92 is freely rotatable in the bore 93.

In the shaft 92 a passage 94 for the oxygen is provided, which passage includes an axial bore 94a which at an upper end is in communication with a connection 6 for the supply tube 2 via a radial bore 94b in the upper portion of the shaft 92. The shaft 92 has a circumferential groove 95 which is in communication with the axial bore 94a through a radial bore 94c. At the same height as the circumferential groove 95 a radial bore 96 is provided in the main body 90 which extends from the cylindrical bore 93. The radial bore 96 is in communication with a further bore 97, which is provided with a connection piece 9 for connecting the drop tube 10 to. Thus the drop tube 10 is brought in open communication with the supply tube 2 via the radial bore 94b, the axial bore 94a, the radial bore 94c and the circumferential groove 95 all provided in the rotatable portion 8, and furthermore via the passage provided in the main body 90 of the head 7 constituted in this specific embodiment by the bores 96 and 97.

The rotatable portion 8 is fixed to the main body 90 by means of a locking assembly 98 which comprises a spring housing 98a, a metal washer 98b a biasing spring 98c, a threaded rod 98d and nut 98e. The threaded rod 98d is screwed with one end portion into a threaded bore in the lower end of the shaft 92. The washer 98b is arranged over the lower end portion of the shaft 92. The spring housing 98a is formed as a cylindrical body which has a front end wall 98a' with a through hole for the threaded rod 98d. The housing 98a with the (coil) spring 98c in it are positioned concentrically with the threaded rod 98d and both abut the washer 98b. The washer 98b is preferably made of stainless steel. By screwing the nut 98e on the threaded rod 98d against the front wall 98a' of the spring housing 98a, the housing 98a and the spring 98c are urged towards the shaft 92. The washer 98b is pressed against an O-ring 99 which is received in a recess provided in the main body 90 at the lower end of the cylindrical bore 93.

At the upper end of the bore 93 is also provided a recess in the main body, in which an O-ring 100 is received. The O-ring 100 is pressed against an upper washer 101 preferably made of stainless steel.

The system according to the invention may comprise a housing in which the reel 1 for the supply tube and preferably also the weight 19 are accommodated. In Fig. 20 a side view of a possible housing is shown. The housing may be configured as follows. The reel 1 is accommodated in a casing as is shown in Fig. 5. This casing 110 comprising a rear wall 111 , an upper wall 1 12 and side walls 113. At the lower end the casing is open to allow the tube 4 and the tension element 16 to pass.

At the lower end of the housing a support portion 1 14 may be provided which is visible in Fig. 1 This support 1 14 may be provided with a power socket and a connection for the connecting the inlet tube 4 and the tube 4a coming from the oxygen source 3. The support portion 1 14 may be mounted at variable distances from the casing 110, depending on the specific situation in the accommodation where the system is installed. If the necessary tube length of the supply tube 2 is shorter there is needed less length of the tension element 16, whereby the height needed to hang the weight 19 may be reduced. Thus the height of the housing may be reduced.

The casing 1 10 and the hanging weight can be covered by cover parts which are shown in Figs. 16 -19.

In Figs 16 and 17 an upper cover part 120 is shown in cross section and front elevational view. In Figs 18-19 a lower cover part 130 is shown in a side view and a front elevational view.

The lower cover part 130 is placed on the support 114. It has a front wall 131 and side walls 133. On the front wall 131 a holding means 132 for the pole 5 is provided to store the pole 5 when it is not in use. The lower end of the pole 5 can be supported by the support 114.

The upper cover part 120 has a front wall 121 , an upper wall 122, a bottom wall 123 and side walls 124. The upper cover part 120 is deeper than the lower cover part 130. At the upper wall 122 of the upper cover part 120 is provided an attachment pin 125 which extends downwardly. In the upper wall 1 12 of the casing 110, a hole 115 is provided. When the upper cover part 120 is installed, the attachment pin 125 is inserted through the hole 1 15 in said upper wall 1 12, until the upper wall 122 engages the upper wall 112. The upper cover part 120 is thus supported by the casing 110. The side walls 124 are located just outside the sidewalls 113 of the casing 1 10, thereby fully covering them. The lower end of the upper covering part 120 overlaps the upper end of the lower covering part 130. Thereto the bottom wall 123 of the upper covering part 120 is shorter than the upper wall 122. Hence, a recess is formed through which the upper portion of the lower cover part 130 can extend.

The cover parts 120 and 130 of the housing are mounted without the use of screws or other attachment means. The construction is such that the cover parts 120 and 130 are readily removable such that the system components located within the housing are readily accessible for maintenance.

As can be seen in Fig. 20 the upper cover part 120 has a depth D1 which in a practical embodiment may be about 120 mm. The lower cover part 130 of the housing has a depth which may be about 50mm.

Claims

1. Oxygen supply system comprising:

- an inlet tube which is connected with one end to said integral oxygen duct of the reel and which is to be connected with another end to a stationary oxygen source,

- a flexible supply tube which is wound on the reel for supplying oxygen to a patient, wherein the length of the supply tube is variable by winding it on or off the reel, wherein one end of the supply tube is connected to said integral oxygen duct of the reel and the other end of said tube can be set in fluid communication with a patient intake element,

characterized in that the oxygen supply system furthermore comprises:

2. Oxygen supply system according to claim 1 , wherein the system furthermore comprises tube guiding elements, to be mounted in the room(s) where the oxygen supply system is to be used, for guiding the oxygen supply tube, which tube guiding elements are to be mounted on substantially the same height as the inlet connection of the aligning device and the guiding passage of the guiding means of the reel.

3. Oxygen supply system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein biasing means are associated with the reel so as to stretch the supply tube by means of the reel.

4. Oxygen supply system according to claim 3, wherein the biasing means comprise a tension element, fixed on one end to a rotatable tension reel so as to wind up or wind off the tension element and fixed on the other end to a stationary attachment point which is horizontally spaced apart from the tension reel, said tension reel being coupled to the reel for the supply tube such that a rotation of the reel for the supply tube causes a rotation of the tension reel and vice versa, and the biasing means furthermore comprising a weight which is hanging on the tension element between the two ends thereof thereby forming a hanging loop between the two ends, wherein the weight is movable along the tension 5 element.

5. Oxygen supply system according to claim 4, wherein the weight comprises a moving sheave.

10 6. Oxygen supply system according to claim 5, wherein the sheave has a weight of about 5-6 kg.

7. Oxygen supply system according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the sheave comprises a pair of metal outer discs and a pair of plastic inner discs facing the tension element, the

15 inner discs preferably being made of polycarbonate.

8. Oxygen supply system according to any one of the claims 4 - 7, wherein the tension reel and the reel for the supply tube are fixed to a common rotation shaft.

20 9. Oxygen supply system according to any one of claims 4 - 8, wherein the tension element is a steel band, preferably made of spring steel or stainless steel.

10. Oxygen supply system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the tube guiding means at the reel comprises two parallel spaced apart rotatable rolls or pulleys,

25 which define between them said guiding passage for the supply tube.

11. Oxygen supply system according to claim 10, wherein the centre axis of the rolls extends in a substantially vertical direction.

30 12. Oxygen supply system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the tube guiding elements, to be mounted in the room(s) where the system is to be used, comprise rolls, preferably rotatable rolls.

13. Oxygen supply system according to claim 12, wherein the guiding elements comprise 35 a mounting bracket in which the rolls are mounted, and furthermore comprises a catching tongue which extends from a lower end of the bracket in a slanting way downward to catch the supply tube when it passes and guide it towards the rolls.

14. Oxygen supply system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the pole is height adjustable so as to adapt the height position of the aligning device with respect to the height of the reel.

15. Oxygen supply system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the pole is mounted or mountable to a carriage, e.g. a walker.

16. Oxygen supply system according to any one of the preceding claims, furthermore comprising a housing in which the reel is housed.

17. Oxygen supply system according to claim 16, wherein the housing is provided with a holding means for holding the pole in storage when the system is not in use.

18. Room provided with an oxygen supply system according to any one of the preceding claims 2-17, wherein tube guiding elements are mounted at the doorway(s) in the room(s) such that the supply tube is guided through the doorway(s).