Surgical protective system and assembly having a head gear assembly supporting a surgical garment and air delivery system
A surgical protective system and assembly for use in a sterile environment includes an air movement assembly, a surgical garment and a head gear assembly. The head gear assembly includes an air movement assembly and a face shield mount. The face shield mount removably attaches a face shield to the head gear assembly, and the face shield is attached to the surgical garment. The surgical protective assembly also includes a head securing apparatus having a head band and an adjustment device. The adjustment device has a plurality of arms, each of which is movably coupled to a different portion of the head band. The surgical protective system and assembly provides users with enhanced functionality, comfort and ease of operation.
When surgeons operate, it is possible that blood, bodily fluids, bacteria, viruses and air borne pathogens and particles can travel from the patient to the surgeon. It is also possible that certain fluids and particles, such as sweat drops and hair, can fall from the surgeon into the surgical site of the patient. In each case, the surgeon and the patient are exposed to the possibility of acquiring an infection or disease. For these reasons, there is a growing need for advancements in surgical equipment which helps to protect both the surgeon and patient from these risks.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe surgical protective system and assembly described herein generally relates to protective systems, and more particularly to a surgical personal protective assembly that includes an adjustable helmet or head gear assembly which supports a surgical garment and an air delivery system. The disclosed surgical protective assembly is intended to be worn on a user's head and is well-suited for use in a sterile environment such as an operating room or a clean room where exposure to contaminants can have undesirable consequences.
The surgical protective assembly provides a multi-way barrier to protect the user and the patient against airborne debris, pathogens or contaminants and while delivering and circulating filtered air to and around the user's face to help maintain personal comfort. Moreover, the surgical protective assembly may be adjusted to snuggly fit the user's head thereby increasing the overall comfort and wearability of the system.
Additional features and advantages of the present invention are described in, and will be apparent from, the following Detailed Description and the figures.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
I. Overview of the Surgical Protective Assembly
Turning to the figures,
As illustrated in
II. Head Gear Assembly
As illustrated in FIGS. 2 to 2F, the helmet or head gear assembly 200 includes a two-piece helmet, composite shell or shell unit 202, though the shell unit 202 can be constructed from any suitable number of connected pieces or as a single, integral helmet. During normal operation and wear, the shell unit 202 rests forward on the user's head with an interior surface 204 (see
A. Shell Unit
As illustrated in
i. Outer Shell
As illustrated in
The outer shell 206 further includes a plurality of air intakes 216 forming and air grill or vent within a top or crown portion 218 of the shell unit 202. The plurality of air intakes 216 provide a fluid connection between the air movement device 210 (see
In one embodiment, the ridges 220 extend substantially vertically away from the an outer shell surface 232 towards the surgical garment 500 when the surgical protective assembly 100 is worn in use. As shown in
In one embodiment, the air passages 222 are sealed with a conformal material 222a to help further define the central air passage 221 as one continuous space and to encourage laminar air flow between the two shells 206, 208. It will be understood that the differences in the geometry and curvature of the two shells 206, 208 can be altered to modify the shape and size of the central air passage 221 and the air passages 222.
The outer shell 206 further includes a shield engagement assembly 226 integrally formed into the outer shell surface 232. The shield engagement assembly 226 includes an central aligner or central alignment guide 228 formed within, or otherwise connected to, the outer shell surface 232 adjacent to the visor portion 212, and a pair of securing devices, restraints or locks 230 formed along the lateral portions 244 of the outer shell surface 232. In operation, the shield engagement assembly 226 aligns and secures the face shield 300 relative to the shell unit 202 and user's face during normal operation (see
The central alignment guide 228 protrudes beyond the outer shell surface 232 and defines a groove or pocket 234. The pocket 234 forms a depression or chamber within the outer shell 206 sized to engage an alignment engager, or tab 302 of the face shield 300 (see
When the face shield 300 and the head gear assembly 200 are being assembled for use, the alignment tab 302 engages the pocket 234 of the alignment guide 228 in a snap-fit, male-female cooperative arrangement. Specifically, the pocket 234 traps and engages the alignment tab 302 to both vertically and horizontally align the face shield 300 relative to the outer shell 206. Similarly, the locking tab 306 formed on the face shield 300 slideably or removably snaps into the locking slot 236 formed within the outer shell 206, while the locking tab 238 snaps into the corresponding locking slot 304. Thus, each of the elements of the locks 230 engages in a male-female securing relationship with the corresponding elements formed on the face shield 300. These securing male-female relationships serve to removably affix the face shield 300 to the outer shell 206 (and the overall shell unit 202) without the need for an additional joining mechanism such as a snap or adhesive.
ii. Inner Shell
As illustrated in
It should be understood that many different configurations of the central air passage 221 and the air passages 222 are possible by altering the shape and configuration of the ridges 220 and the corresponding ridges 250 formed along the raised wall 242. For example, one of the pair of ridges 220 and 250, which is uniquely identified for the sake of clarity as the ridges 220a and 250a, may be designed and manufactured to provide air discharge along the lateral portion 244 of the shell unit 202. In particular, the interior portion of the ridge 220a (which would correspond to an air passages 222a, if such an air passage were visible in these exemplary illustrations) may not be blocked or otherwise engaged by the ridge 250a to allow air flow along the lateral portion 244 of the inner shell 208. In this manner air flow and ventilation can be provided to the user 102 over both the front and sides of the face which may be desirable in some applications.
iii. Air Movement Device
One example of the air movement device 210 that can be incorporated into the head gear assembly 200 is an impeller assembly 252 illustrated in
As illustrated in
In one embodiment, the shape or configuration of the blades 256 increases the quietness and efficiency of the air movement device 210, which, in turn, reduces distractions that may be attributed to the overall surgical protective assembly 100, while simultaneously increasing the ventilation performance and overall endurance or operation of the system. As illustrated in
As illustrated in
Turning now to
B. Face Shield
Referring to
The face shield 300 includes a first arm 308 that supports one pair of the locking tab and slot 304 and 306, respectively, and the face shield 300 has a second arm 310 that supports the second pair of locking tabs and slots 304 and 306, respectively. As previously discussed, in order to secure the face shield 300 to the helmet or head gear assembly 200, the alignment tab 302 is inserted into and cooperates with the pocket 234 to center and support the face shield 300 relative to the shell unit 202. Simultaneously, the locking tabs and slots 304 and 306, respectively, on the first and second arms 308 and 310 snap into or otherwise engage the locks 230 on each of the sides of the shell unit 202 in a male-female securing relationship.
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
C. Adjustable Head Securing Assembly
Referring to
The tensioning assembly 404 includes: (a) a multi-arm tensioning band 410 which is slidably coupled to the lower band 408; (b) a tensioning device 412 which enables users to adjust the degree of tension; and (c) a tensioning band, flexible force transmitter or cord 414 arranged to moveably couple the multi-arm tensioning band 410 and the tensioning device 412 to the head support assembly 402.
i. Head Support Assembly
The head support assembly 402, as illustrated, is intended to be worn with the upper support band 406 resting adjacent to the crown of the user's head and the lower band 408 resting adjacent to the user's forehead and temple area. It should be understood that the head support assembly 402 may be secured within the shell unit 202 in a variety of manners. For instance, the head support assembly 402 may be secured directly to the inner shell 208 to allow modular assembly of each component within the head gear assembly 200. Alternatively, the head support assembly 402 may be directly secured to an inner surface of the outer shell 206 thereby leaving the inner shell 208 unencumbered.
As illustrated in the embodiment of
When assembled, the first and second support arms 420 and 422, respectively, are attached or rivet to the lower band 408 adjacent to the user's temples. Low profile rivets or other suitable fasteners 436a can be used to attach the components of the head securing apparatus 400 to reduce the likelihood of poking, reaching pressure points or other user sources discomfort. In addition, a soft or deformable comfort band 446 can be attached to the components to cushion the user and act as a perspiration absorber.
Each of the first and second support arms 420 and 422, respectively, includes a first and second flexible sub-arm 426 and 428, respectively. For the sake of clarity, the following description will focus on the first support arm 420 and the first and second flexible sub-arms 426 and 428 connected thereto. However, it should be noted that the second support arm 422 includes identical components and operates in a similar manner. The flexible sub-arms 426 and 428 of this embodiment extend substantially perpendicular from the support arm 420. In other words, if the first support arm 420 were viewed in a plan view, the first flexible sub-arm 426 and the second flexible sub-arm 428 would cooperate to form a roughly cross shape.
In one embodiment, the deformable connectors 444 (see
Each of the deformable connectors 444 functions as a cushion to distribute the force and weight that is conveyed through the shell unit 202 and the head securing assembly 400 to the user's head. In this way, the head support assembly 402 provides for additional freedom of movement relative to the shell unit 202 thereby increasing the wearability and user comfort of the helmet or head gear assembly 200. It should be appreciated that the lower band 408 can be similarly attached within the shell unit 202 to provide lateral cushioning of the head support assembly, or may, in other embodiments, directly attach to the outer shell 206 and/or inner shell 208.
ii. Tensioning Assembly
In further description of the tensioning assembly 404, the multi-arm tensioning band 410 includes a left adjustable arm 430 and a right adjustable arm 432. The left and right adjustable arms 430, 432 each have a pair of inner slot walls 434a, 434b which define a slot 434 aligned along their respective lengths. The slots 434 are sized to slideably or movably accept a slot follower or cylindrical follower 436 secured within the first and second ends 416 and 418, respectively, of the lower band 408. Stated another way, the left and right adjustable arms 430 and 432 can be flexed and wrapped around the rear of the user's head such that the cylindrical followers 436 secured within the first and second ends 416, 418 fit within the slots 434. This sliding relationship allows the multi-arm tensioning band 410 to be shifted relative to the lower band 408.
In addition, the multi-arm tensioning band 410 includes an upper arm 438 which is movably coupled to the sub-arm 424 of the upper support band 406. Here, a fastener 436a is positioned adjacent to the slot 434 and the cylindrical follower 436 is secured within the slot 434 of the sub-arm 424. Moreover, the fastener 436a is connected to the upper arm 438 of the multi-arm tensioning band 410 so that the cylindrical follower 436a may traverse along the slot 434. Accordingly, the position of the upper arm 438 and the sub-arm 424 is adjustable by the user. This adjustment function enables the tensioning assembly 404 to be adjusted and shifted relative to the head support assembly 402, and this function also facilitates conformity of the head securing assembly 400 to the user's head.
The tensioning device or tensioner 412 attaches, in this embodiment, to the multi-arm tensioning band 410 through a flexible mounting arm 440. The tensioning device 412 includes a hand control, knob or rotary ratchet 442 that is coupled to the tensioning cord 414. The tensioning cord 414 is connected to the first and second ends 416 and 418 of the lower band 408 and the adjustment arm 424 of the head support assembly 402 to allow these components to contract and release in a unified manner. Specifically, the tensioning cord 414 is connected to sliding fasteners 436b which, in turn, may be connected to the followers 436 and/or fasteners 436a.
By rotating the rotary ratchet 442 the tensioning cord 414 can be extended or retracted (depending on the direction of rotation) to increase or decrease the tension applied to the head support assembly 402. An increase in the tension transmitted through the tensioning cord 414, pulls or forces the first and second ends 416, 418 to slide along the slot 434 thereby increasing the tension along the entire lower band 408. Similarly, an increase in the tension along the tensioning cord 414 forces the adjustment arm 424 to slide along the slot 434, relative to the fastener 436a and the follower 436 secured within the fixed arm 438, thereby increasing the tension and fit of the support band 406.
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
In one embodiment, the head support assembly 402, as coupled to tensioning assembly 404, provides at least three degrees of freedom for making two types of adjustments. The first type of adjustment, tension adjustment, involves increasing and decreasing the tension of the head securing assembly 400 on the user's head. The second type of adjustment, head shape adjustment, involves enabling the lengths of the different band arms to change, through the follower and slot process described above, to conform (or substantially conform) to the unique shape of the user's head. Accordingly, the head securing assembly 400 provides enhanced comfort and adjustment functions for users.
III. Surgical Garment
Referring back to
In either embodiment, the surgical hood 502 covers both the hear gear assembly 200 and the adjustable head securing assembly 400 while covering the user's shoulders and chest. As discussed in connection with
The surgical hood 502 may be manufactured from any suitable surgical fabric to help repel water, debris and other containments such as blood born pathogens, and viruses. One non-limiting example of a suitable surgical fabric may be the fabric which is commercially known as ProVent® 3000 and is sold by Kappler, Inc. headquartered in Guntersville, Ala. ProVent® 3000 is a relatively lightweight fabric with relatively soft, draping characteristics that utilizes a microporous film to allow gas to pass through the fabric. This ProVent® 3000 fabric meets or substantially meets the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) F1670-98 standard for blood penetration resistance. The surgical fabric can be a multilayer fabric which meets or substantially meets the ASTM F1671-97B standard for viral penetration resistance. In one non-limiting example of the fabric of the hood 502, the fabric has a pore size in the approximate range of 0.08 to 0.15 microns. It should be appreciated, however, that the fabric can have any suitable pore size or structure.
The surgical hood 502 may further act as filter to prevent debris and containments from entering the surgical protective assembly 100 through the plurality of air intakes 216 and the impeller 252. Specifically, the surgical garment 500 and the surgical hood 502 can include a primary filter 510 (see
A secondary filter 504 may be incorporated into the surgical garment 500 and surgical hood 502 adjacent to the head gear assembly 200 to provide additional filtering (see also
IV. Control Device
As illustrated in
In operation, the user engages or actuates the power switch 604a to provide electrical or motive power to the impeller 252. The user may further increase or decrease the motive power (i.e., the electrical energy provided by the battery), using a power regulator or speed control input device 604b. In this way, the speed of the impeller 252 may be controlled simply by changing the amount of power provided from the battery through the power switch 604a, and the speed control 604b is communicatively connected to the impeller 252 through the electrical cord 606.
With continued reference to
Alternatively, the control device 600 may include a battery 618 and a transmitter (not shown) communicatively connected to a receiver 612 which may be worn, for example, on the wrist, or incorporated within the head gear assembly 200 as illustrated in
V. Charge Device
Referring to
As previously discussed, the control device 600 and the charge device 700 cooperate to charge and recharge the battery 618 to enable repeated performance of the impeller 252 motor. In one embodiment, the control device 600 and the charge device 618 have the electronic configuration 800 illustrated in
In one embodiment, the battery can include one or more rechargeable cylindrical lithium ion cells (generally indicated as the battery 618) connected in series and communicatively connected to a fuel gauge integrated circuit 802 (IC) that conforms to the smart battery industry standard. The smart battery standard governs and controls the charge and discharge of the battery to enhance the performance and operation of the control device 602. The IC 802 can include a system management bus (SMBus) and a fuel gauge IC configured to support the smart battery data (SBData) commands and charge-control functions operable to control the charge device 700. The IC 802 can be coupled to an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM) for storing configuration information received from the fuel gauge IC, and the IC 802 can include a plurality of individual contacts 620a to 620e for Battery +, Battery −, Clock, Data and Thermistor, respectively. The contacts 620a, 620b, 620c, 620d and 620e are configured to interface with the contacts 704a, 704b, 704c, 704d and 704e, respectively, of a bay 702 of the charge device 700.
In one example operation, the control device 602 and bay 702 of a charge device 700 cooperate to raise the battery voltage above a threshold level by applying a trickle charge to battery, through the electrical contacts 620a to 620e and 704a to 704e, before applying a full charge. The IC 802 limits the full charge current applied by the charge device 700 to an amount that is less than or equal to the a designated maximum charge rate which can be 0.7V to 1V. Furthermore, the IC 802 can be programmed to control and limit the voltage rise within the battery 618 to, for example, to a range within four and two-tenths plus or minus five one-hundredths voltage per cell 4.2±0.05 V/cell while holing the battery voltage constant at a desired control level as the charge current decays and each of the cell's internal electromotive force (EMF) continues to rise.
As previously discussed, the charge device 700 includes a plurality of bays 702 to gang charge multiple control devices 600. The gang charging operations will typically employ the SMBus can be contained on separate control ICs such as, for example, the commercially available MAX1645, MAX1667 and LTC1759 control ICs. The charge device 700 includes a plurality of batter charger ICs, where each battery charger IC 804 is associated with a bay 702 of the charge device 700. In one embodiment, the battery charger IC 804 substantially conforms to the previously described smart battery charger standard, and particularly that of a Level 2 Smart Battery Charger. The battery charger IC 804 can operate as a slave device to controller 602 within the control device 600 such that the battery charger IC 804 within the charge device 700 does not initiate communication on the SMBus. However, each battery charger IC 804 within the charge device 700 can be adapted to receive commands and respond to queries for status information and can adjust its provided output characteristics in direct response to the commands and messages received from the control device 602.
It should be understood that various changes and modifications to the presently preferred embodiments described herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention and without diminishing its intended advantages. It is therefore intended that such changes and modifications be covered by the appended claims.
Claims
1. A surgical protective assembly comprising:
- an air movement assembly;
- a head gear assembly including: an outer wall having a shield mounting device; an inner wall spaced apart from the outer wall, the inner wall having a mounting wall which supports the air movement assembly; at least one air passage defined between the inner and outer walls, the air passage fluidly connecting the air movement assembly to a peripheral portion of the inner and outer walls; a head securing apparatus including: a head band carried by an inner surface of the inner wall; and an adjustment device having a plurality of arms, each of the plurality of arms movably coupled to the head band; and
- a face shield, the face shield configured to cooperate with the shield mounting device such that the face shield is removably carried by the outer wall.
2. The assembly of claim 1, further comprising a surgical garment attached to the face shield and covering the outer wall.
3. The assembly of claim 2, wherein the surgical garment includes at least one filter element.
4. The assembly of claim 2, wherein the surgical garment includes a surgical hood.
5. The assembly of claim 2, wherein the surgical garment includes a surgical body suit.
6. A surgical assembly comprising:
- a head gear assembly including: an air movement assembly; at least one wall which supports the air movement assembly; and a head securing apparatus including: a head band carried by an inner surface of the inner wall; and an adjustment device having a plurality of arms, each of the plurality of arms movably coupled to the head band;
- a face shield configured to be attached to the wall; and
- a surgical garment attached to the face shield.
7. The assembly of claim 6, wherein the air movement assembly includes an impeller assembly.
8. The assembly of claim 6, wherein the head gear assembly includes an inner wall connected to and spaced-apart from an outer wall, the inner wall and the outer wall defining at least one channel.
9. The assembly of claim 6, wherein the adjustment device includes a tensioner.
10. The assembly of claim 9, wherein the tensioner includes and adjustable cord slideably connected to the plurality of arms.
11. The assembly of claim 6, wherein the face shield has a toroidal-shaped configuration.
12. The assembly of claim 6, wherein the face shield includes a flange arranged to cooperate with a lip formed in the wall.
13. The assembly of claim 6, wherein the face shield includes centering mount arranged to cooperate with a receiving pocket formed in the wall.
14. The assembly of claim 6, further comprising a control device operatively coupled to the air movement assembly.
15. The assembly of claim 14, wherein the control device includes a processor and at least one battery.
16. The assembly of claim 15, wherein the control device includes a wireless software module enabling the processor to wirelessly communicate with the air movement assembly.
17. The assembly of claim 15, further comprising a battery charge device having a plurality of charge bays, each one of the bays configured to removably receive the control device.
18. The assembly of claim 17, wherein the battery charge device includes at least one recharging circuit to recharge the battery.
19. The assembly of claim 18, wherein the recharging circuit includes a magnetic circuit operable to magnetically couple the battery charge device to the control device.
20. The assembly of claim 6, wherein the surgical garment includes a surgical hood.
21. The assembly of claim 6, wherein the surgical garment is removably attached to the face shield.
22. The assembly of claim 6, wherein the surgical garment includes a filter element.
23. A surgical protective assembly comprising:
- a face shield;
- an air movement assembly;
- a head gear assembly including: an outer wall having a face shield mount to carry the face shield; an inner wall having a mounting wall configured to support the air movement assembly, the outer wall and the inner wall being connected to one another in a spaced-apart fashion to define at least one air passage which fluidly connects the air movement assembly to a peripheral portion defined between the inner and outer walls; a head securing apparatus including: a support band carried on an inner surface of the inner wall; a forehead band having first and second ends, the forehead band connected to the support band; a tensioning band having a plurality of arms, the plurality of arms arranged to movably engage the support band and the first and second ends of the forehead band; and a tensioner having a tensioning cord operatively coupled to the tensioning band.
Type: Application
Filed: Aug 9, 2005
Publication Date: Mar 8, 2007
Inventors: Keith Larson (Libertyville, IL), Salvatore Manzella (Barrington, IL), David Platt (Mt. Prospect, IL), Alison Sanders (Rancho Mirage, CA), Michael Shaughnessy (Arlington Heights, IL)
Application Number: 11/199,716
International Classification: A41D 13/12 (20060101);