Utility belt for medical personnel

Abstract

A utility belt, especially for use by medical personnel, has a first strip of material adapted to encircle the waist of a person wearing the belt, and a second strip attached to an outer face of the first strip. The second strip has one or more partial loops formed therein, defining attaching points for connection of one or more items to the belt. At least one of the items is connected to the belt by an extensible device that permits the item to be pulled away from the belt and used without disconnecting it from the belt. The belt is made of a material that can be washed and sterilized.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to utility belts for holding tools, supplies, and the like, and particularly to a utility belt for medical personnel.

2. The Prior Art

Utility belts are known in the art for use in a variety of trades, including use by police, military personnel, and tradesmen such as carpenters, painters, electricians, and the like. Conventional utility belts generally are made of leather or heavy canvas or other material having sufficient strength and durability for the intended use, and typically are provided with pockets or pouches for holding items, and/or loops or other supports for suspending various items from the belt. Tools and the like are removed from their supports for use. The pouches and/or other supports usually are of fixed size and location on the belt, although some prior art belts have means to enable the arrangement or placement of the supports to be varied.

Most medical personnel usually place needed items in the pockets of their jacket, adding weight that is concentrated in the neck and shoulders of the wearer, leading to fatigue. Moreover, items removed from a pocket and used are sometimes mislaid or forgotten. Some utility belts have been designed for use by medical personnel, but these generally provide only a pouch that may have one or more pockets for holding specific items. These prior art devices are fixed in configuration and do not offer much flexibility in their use. Exemplary of such devices are those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,024,361, 5,577,653, Des 333,729, Des 345,861 and Des 354,850, and published application US 2003/0131398. In all of these devices the tool or other item is separated or removed from the belt in order to use it.

It would be advantageous to have a utility belt for medical personnel, that offered great flexibility in its use, and that had means to enable tools and other items to be used without having to separate or detach them from the belt.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a utility belt, especially for use by medical personnel, that offers great flexibility in its use, and that has means to enable tools and other items to be used without having to separate or detach them from the belt.

The belt of the invention comprises a first elongate strip of material having sufficient strength and durability to withstand the rigors of use, with a buckle or other fastener at the ends to secure the belt about the waist of a person. In a preferred embodiment the belt is made of a canvas material that is relatively flexible and lightweight, and that is washable (for sanitary purposes) after all accoutrements are removed. The belt has a width that provides support over a relatively wide area to distribute the weight of the belt and items held thereby, for comfort and ease of use. The length of the belt is easily adjustable, preferably at the buckle end, so that it can be adapted to fit different persons.

At least one pouch is attached to the belt at one side or the other, or multiple pouches and/or holders can be attached to the belt at desired locations, for containing selected items that may be needed by a medical professional during the performance of his or her duties. In a preferred embodiment the pouch has two compartments, each closed by a flap secured by an easily releasable and securable fastener, such as zippers or hook-and-loop fasteners, i.e., Velcro®.

Multiple attachment points are formed on the belt by partial loops or outwardly bowed sections in a second strip of material affixed to the outer surface of the belt along at least a portion of the length of the belt. This second strip of material can be attached to the belt by stitching at selected points, leaving portions of the second strip spaced outwardly from the surface of the belt, forming the attachment points for supporting various items on the belt.

Items commonly used by a medical professional, such as dressing scissors, hemostats, an analog watch for counting respirations and taking pulse, and the like, for example, and identification or security cards for gaining access to secure locations, and/or other items of like or different nature, can be connected to the attachment points by extensible devices that enable the items to remain connected to the belt while they are being used. A pouch or pouches for holding items such as pens and/or other items can be attached to the belt in an easily accessible location. All items, including the extensible devices, can be connected to the attachment points by releasable fasteners such as carabiner clips, for example, so that the various items can be attached to the belt at desired locations, or removed entirely if desired. Some items, such as rolls of tape or the like, because of their nature, can remain attached to the belt during use even if not connected to the belt through an extensible device. The belt of the invention eliminates the need for medical professionals to empty all the loose items from the pockets of their scrub jacket prior to washing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing, as well as other objects and advantages of the invention, will become apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference characters designate like parts throughout the several views, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front, top perspective view of a utility belt according to the invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view in elevation of the belt of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the belt of FIG. 1, with the various medical accoutrements removed.

FIG. 4 is a view in elevation of a belt according to the invention wherein the second strip of material is in two separate sections applied to the belt at spaced locations by stitching or the like.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary view in front elevation of a two-compartment pouch with zippered closures.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary view in side elevation of the pouch of FIG. 5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A first embodiment of the invention is indicated generally at 10 in FIGS. 1-3, and comprises a first strip of material forming a belt 11 adapted to encircle the waist of the person using the belt. A suitable buckle or other securing means 12 is on the ends of the belt for securing it in position. The length of the belt can be adjusted in a well-known and conventional manner, by pulling one of the ends through its connection with the buckle, for example. The belt preferably is made of a strong, durable, and lightweight material such as canvas or the like, that can be appropriately cleaned and/or sterilized, and for comfort preferably has a width of about two inches.

In the first embodiment a second strip of material 13 is affixed to an outer surface of the belt by stitching or the like (not shown), with portions of the second strip forming partial loops 14 spaced outwardly from the belt and defining attachment points for attaching various items to be supported from the belt. These items can include any reasonable thing or things desired by the user of the belt, and in the example shown include a key 15 connected to one of the partial loop attachment points 14 by a carabiner clip 16, a scissor 17 connected to another of the partial loops 14 by an extensible device 18, a roll of tape 19 connected to still another of the partial loops 14 by a support 20 and clip 16, an analog watch 21 for counting respirations and taking the pulse of a patient, and an identification or security card 22 connected to another partial loop 14 by an extensible device 18 and one or more clips 16. The extensible devices 18 are of a commercially available type and have a spring-loaded retractable cord or tether 22 to which the scissor or card or other device is attached, so that when it is desired to use the scissor or other device it is simply grasped and pulled away from the belt, extending the tether. Upon release, the tether automatically retracts to again support the scissor or other device close to the belt. In this way, the item remains connected to the belt and cannot be laid down and forgotten.

A pouch 25 for containing selected items (not shown) may also be supported on the belt in a convenient location, shown in FIGS. 1-3 as on the left side of the belt, in a location approximately over the left hip of the person wearing the belt, and a second pouch or pen holder 26 may be attached to the belt for holding pens or the like. As shown in the drawings, the pouch 26 is on the side of the belt opposite pouch 25, but both pouches could be on the same side, if desired. The pouches may be secured to the belt in any suitable way, and as shown in FIGS. 1-3 they are attached by means of a loop 27 on an upper portion of the pouch, through which the belt is passed. In this way, the pouch can be moved along the belt to different locations to suit the person wearing the belt. However, the pouch could be attached to the belt by stitching or hook-and-loop fasteners or other means, if desired.

The pouch in the example shown has two major compartments, each closed by a respective flap 28 and 29, held closed by a zipper 30 (see FIGS. 5 and 6). One or both compartments can be subdivided into further sub-compartments (not shown) by vertical and/or horizontal partitions (not shown), if desired.

A second embodiment of the invention is indicated generally at 40 in FIG. 7, wherein separate, spaced apart second strips 13A and 13B are affixed to an outer surface of the belt in locations adapted to be positioned toward the front and sides of the belt when it is being worn. As shown, the strips 13A and 13B are affixed to the belt by stitching or an adhesive or the like.

In all embodiments disclosed herein, a utility belt is provided, especially for use by medical personnel, that offers great flexibility in its use, and that has means to enable tools and other items to be used without having to separate or detach them from the belt.

Claims

1. a utility belt for medical personnel, comprising:

a first strip of material having a length adapted to encircle the waist of a person wearing the belt;

securing means on the ends of the belt for securing it about the waist of a person;

a second strip of material attached to an outer surface of said first strip, said second strip being formed with partial loops therein standing out from the outer surface of said first strip and defining attaching points for attaching to said belt items commonly used by medical professionals; and

releasable means connected between said items and said attaching points for connecting said items to said belt, at least some of said releasable means including extensible devices that enable the item connected thereto to be pulled away from said belt and used while remaining connected to the belt.

2. A utility belt as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

said second strip is fixedly attached to said first strip.

3. A utility belt as claimed in claim 2, wherein:

said second strip is gathered to form one or more partial loops therein and then applied to the first strip so that the partial loops stand out from the first strip to form said attaching points, said second strip being capable of being applied to said first strip to form various sizes, shapes and combinations of partial loops.

4. A utility belt as claimed in claim 2, wherein:

more than one said second strip is affixed to said first strip in longitudinally spaced apart relationship to one another along the length of the first strip.

5. A utility belt as claimed in claim 3, wherein:

said second strip extends substantially throughout the length of the first strip.

6. A utility belt as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

a pouch is attached to said belt for carrying selected items.

7. A utility belt as claimed in claim 6, wherein:

the pouch has more than one compartment, said compartments being closed by zippered flaps.

8. A utility belt as claimed in claim 4, wherein:

a pouch is attached to said belt for carrying selected items.

9. A utility belt as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

a said item connected to said belt by a said extensible device comprises a scissor.

10. A utility belt as claimed in claim 9, wherein:

another said item connected to said belt by a said extensible device comprises an identification or security card.

11. A utility belt as claimed in claim 10, wherein:

a further said item is connected to said belt by a carabiner clip.

14. A utility belt as claimed in claim 11, wherein:

said further item comprises a roll of tape.