Removable canister holder bracket

Abstract

A system for mounting commercially available sanitizing agent canisters, includes a fixed mounting bracket and expandable mounting bracket. The brackets are adapted for tool-less and removable mounting to the tubular structures of hospital equipment via an open-ended spring-force clip. The brackets include means for removable connection to prior art canister holders, such that a unitary bracket and canister holder apparatus can be removably mounted to tubular structures.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

Not applicable.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

SEQUENCE LISTING, TABLE OR COMPUTER PROGRAM ON COMPACT DISC

Not applicable.

FIELD OF INVENTION

This invention relates generally to mounting brackets. The invention is specifically directed to brackets that are adapted to attach to commercially available holders of sanitizing products and that can be removably mounted to hospital equipment having one or more tubular structures or features.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Both the number and severity of infections contracted in hospitals are increasing. Recent studies indicate that nosocomial infection has grown to become a leading cause of death in the United States. According to published estimates, one out of every twenty hospital patients succumbs to a nosocomial infection. In raw numbers, this equates to approximately two million Americans a year, of which, an estimated 103,000 die due to the infection. Attempts to control the increase in nosocomial infection via antibiotics, as opposed to rigorous hygiene, have failed. Of note, the United States lags behind many developed countries in the prevention of one of the most deadly hospital infections, Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA). Despite the fact that it is preventable, MRSA infection poses a major threat to the United States hospital system.

Bacteria are largely spread through touch. Hence, unclean hands and contaminated equipment are the primary cause behind the spread of nosocomial infection such as MRSA. The most effective way to reduce hospital infections is for doctors and other health care workers to clean their hands and equipment in between treating patients. In particular, pertinent literature suggests that antiseptic treatment of wheelchairs and other hospital equipment is effective in reducing the risk of transmission of bacteria from infected patients to inanimate objects and then to other patients. This is because bacterial resistance to disinfectants is nowhere near as common as antibiotic resistance.

To foster infection-reducing hygiene practice, a hospital administrator will often locate sanitizing agents (e.g., lotions, foams, wipes, etc.) throughout a hospital for staff to use. As purchased, these sanitizing agents are often contained in cylindrical or near-cylindrical containers. In this application the term “canister” will be used to describe both cylindrical and near-cylindrical containers. These canisters are then mounted in holders secured to walls. An example of a prior art canister holder is shown in FIG. 1.

A hospital's decision to permanently affix wall-mounted sanitizing agent holders to control hospital infection, though laudable, is not without disadvantage. First, permanently affixing a sanitizing agent holder to a wall surface normally requires a member of the hospital's maintenance staff to use tools, such as drills and screwdrivers, to accomplish the task. Second, locating such permanently mounted sanitizing agents is hampered by the fact that in hospitals and nursing homes, wall space is at a premium due to the need to also affix medical equipment and informational displays (e.g., medical records, charts, patient instructions, hospital information, etc.) to the walls at convenient working heights and distances. Of course, permanently mounting any item to a wall, necessarily involves marring the wall, which in turn requires cosmetic repairs to the wall if the mounted item is later removed or relocated.

Also, when a hospital or nursing home chooses to permanently mount sanitizer holders, it must install a sufficiently large number of dispensing devices to ensure that all rooms and areas of the hospital are outfitted with a device. However, much of the equipment in a hospital or nursing home, such as wheelchairs, intravenous stands or diagnostic equipment is mobile and used among patients throughout the facility. The itinerant use of hospital equipment not only raises the chances of cross-transmission of contagion among staff and patients, it could result in the equipment being moved to an area not outfitted with a sanitizer. Accordingly, vigilant sanitizing of such equipment and the hands of persons using the equipment is necessary for infection control. Accomplishing the requisite frequent equipment cleaning (or hand cleaning after using equipment) is often made difficult by the lack of a near-at-hand sanitizer after using the equipment. In the case where sanitization of mobile equipment was desired immediately after patient use, the equipment would have to be brought to a location where a known sanitizer dispenser was located. Additionally, in the situation where there arose the possibility of in-transit exposure of a patient or medical equipment to infectious agents such as might be encountered while traveling through a floor, ward or room of a facility, facility staff would need to detour or wait until their destination to find an available sanitizing agent dispenser. Still another disadvantage to placing sanitizing agents in wall-mounted holders arises from the fact that sanitizing agents often contain alcohol as an ingredient. For reasons of fire safety, alcohol-based agents must be located away from wall-mounted electrical sources such as light switches or hospital equipment. Because of these considerations, wall-mounted sanitizers are often affixed at less than convenient places.

Because of the above-described and other disadvantages there is thus a need in the art for a sanitizing agent holder mounting system and apparatus that can be quickly and easily secured to hospital equipment so that sanitizing agents can be located near-at-hand. Additionally, there is a need in the art for a sanitizing agent holder mounting system and apparatus that can be quickly and easily removed for deployment on other equipment.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention meets the need in the art by providing for a system of mounting brackets that are each adapted to attach to aftermarket sanitizing agent holders. The subject invention comprises a fixed mounting bracket and an expandable mounting bracket that can be used to mount prior art canister holders to tubular or near-tubular structures. In their preferred embodiments, each mounting bracket can be installed upon and removed from hospital equipment quickly, without tools and with one hand. The brackets are adapted so that they may be removably mounted on the tubular members commonly found on hospital equipment, such as an IV pole, a bed, a stretcher or an equipment cart. The brackets may be used individually or as part of system to allow non-permanent, equipment-based mounting of sanitizing agent holders.

The fixed version of the preferred embodiment mounting bracket includes a spanning bracket adapted to connect to the prior art canister holder. In this regard, the front face of the bracket is adapted with means to receive and hold the faceplate of the canister holder. A rear face of the bracket is provided with means for removably mounting the prior art holder to a tubular member. The preferred embodiment means for removably mounting the holder to a tubular member comprise one or more open-ended spring-force clips. This version of the embodiment advantageously provides for an easily-removable mounting device that has a sufficiently minimal profile that does not interfere with the operation or portability of hospital equipment or furniture. A second version preferred embodiment mounting bracket provides for an expandable bracket that has a larger profile, but accommodates a greater variety of positioning needs. This embodiment includes an expandable elongate platform with a pair of opposing end walls. The forward end wall is adapted with means to receive the prior art canister holder. A rear end wall is provided with means for removably mounting the bracket with attached canister holder to a tubular member. The preferred embodiment means for removably mounting the holder to a tubular member comprise one or more open-ended spring-force clips. By virtue of this mounting means, the brackets can be mounted to hospital or nursing home equipment using no tools and only one hand. In both the fixed and expandable embodiments, the ends of the open-ended spring-force clips can be augmented with latches or fastener-receiving holes to increase holding power.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a prior art canister holder.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the fixed mounting bracket of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the fixed mounting bracket of the present invention with attached canister holder.

FIG. 4 is right side elevation view of a preferred embodiment of the fixed mounting bracket of the present invention with attached canister holder.

FIG. 5 is a left side elevation view of a preferred embodiment of the fixed mounting bracket of the present invention with attached canister holder.

FIG. 6 is an overhead plan view of a preferred embodiment of the fixed mounting bracket of the present invention with attached canister holder.

FIG. 7 is a bottom plan view of a preferred embodiment of the fixed mounting bracket of the present invention with attached canister holder.

FIG. 8 is a front elevation view of a preferred embodiment of the fixed mounting bracket of the present invention with attached canister holder.

FIG. 9 is a rear elevation view of a preferred embodiment of the fixed mounting bracket of the present invention with attached canister holder.

FIG. 10a is a perspective view of open-ended spring-force clips with arms adapted with holes to accept a fastener such as a screw and nut.

FIG. 10b is a perspective view of open-ended spring-force clips with arms adapted with a latch.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the expandable mounting bracket of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a bottom plan view of a preferred embodiment of the expandable mounting bracket.

FIG. 13 is an overhead plan view of a preferred embodiment of the expandable mounting bracket.

FIG. 14 is a left side elevation view of a preferred embodiment of the expandable mounting bracket.

FIG. 15 is a right side elevation view of a preferred embodiment of the expandable mounting bracket.

FIG. 16 is a front elevation view of a preferred embodiment of the expandable mounting bracket.

FIG. 17 is a rear elevation view of a preferred embodiment of the expandable mounting bracket.

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of the prior art canister holder removably connected to the expandable mounting bracket.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Before embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of the examples set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or carried out in a variety of applications and in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of “including,” “comprising,” or “having” and variations thereof herein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. The terms “mounted,” “connected,” or “coupled,” if used, are used broadly and encompass both direct and indirect mounting, connecting, and coupling. Further, “connected” and “coupled” are not restricted to physical or mechanical connections or couplings. As used in this application, the terms “tubular member” or “tubular structure” are not limited to hollow cylindrical structures, but also include any solid cylindrical or near-cylindrical structure such as a rod or pole. The terms “removably connected” or “removably attached” mean to firmly connect or attach an object to a second object in a manner that does not alter the structure of the second object and that allows for the first object's later complete removal from the second object.

A prior art canister holder 100 designed to hold canisters of varying sizes is disclosed in FIG. 1. Prior art canister holder 100 comprises a seating cage 101 adapted to receive canisters containing sanitizing products. Seating cage 101 comprises a pair of co-axial arcuate struts: an upper arcuate strut 104 and a lower arcuate strut 105. The circumferential outline of arcuate strut 104 defines an opening through which cylindrical containers may be received into, and engaged by, seating cage 101. The ends 106 of upper arcuate strut 104 descend to form outboard struts 108 which are in axial arrangement with arcuate struts 104, 105. Outboard struts 108 continue downward and terminate at the ends 107 of lower arcuate strut 105. Seating cage 101 is shaped to receive canisters holding sanitizing products in an interference fit.

Seating cage 101 also comprises floor frame 102. Floor frame 102 is comprised of a pair of vertical inboard struts 112. Inboard struts 112 are each symmetrically affixed to arcuate strut 104 at a point along a rear segment of arcuate strut 104. Inboard struts are similarly attached to arcuate strut 105 at points below the fixing points on arcuate strut 104. From their respective top ends 114, vertical inboard struts 112 each continue downward to a lowermost point 113 and then form outwardly projecting struts 118, which serve as a floor of the prior art canister holder. Outwardly projecting struts 118 have outermost ends, which are connected by lower transverse strut 121.

Holder 100 can be adapted with a swing-down gate 111 that attaches rotatably about transverse strut 121 and clasps to transverse strut 116 at the top of frame 102. Swing-down gate 111 is thus attached in hinge fashion to lower transverse strut 121. Hinged in the fashion described above, swing-down gate 111 can rotate about lower transverse strut 111. From the open position, swing-down gate 111 swings up and over seating cage 101 (and any engaged container). Near their rearmost sections, arcuate struts 104, 105 are secured to the front face 123 of faceplate 122. Faceplate 122 has a front facing portion 123 and a rear-facing portion 125. As shown in the drawings, seating cage 101 is affixed to the forward face 123 of faceplate 122. Faceplate 122 includes arranged holes 124.

A preferred embodiment fixed mounting bracket 130 of the present invention is disclosed in FIGS. 2-9. Fixed mounting bracket 130 includes spanning bracket 133. Front face 131 of spanning bracket 133 has a set of holes 132 matching the spacing and arrangement of openings in faceplate 122. Preferably the holes 132 in spanning bracket 133 are tapped so that faceplate 122 can be secured to bracket 133 by passing threaded screws or bolts through holes 124 and threading them into the threaded holes 132 in spanning bracket 133.

Face 131 of spanning bracket 133 is made complementary to faceplate 122 of holder 100 such that holes 124 in faceplate 122 are disposed and arranged in accordance with holes 132 on bracket 130. Rear-face 125 of faceplate 122 is placed in face-to-face contact with front face 131 of spanning bracket 133 such that holes 132 align with complementary holes 124 of faceplate 122. Once holes 124 align with holes 132, a fastener such as a bolt or screw 136 is inserted through holes 124 and threaded on into holes 132 until tight. As is best seen in FIG. 1, for ease of connection, faceplate 122 is adapted with one or more holes 124 that are keyhole shaped. Threaded fasteners, such as screws 136 insert through holes 124 and into engagement with the tapped openings 132 of spanning bracket 133. In this fashion faceplate 122 can be removably connected to fixed mounting bracket 130. Alternatively, the holes 132 in front face 131 of spanning bracket 133 may be un-threaded so as to require alternative securing means such as nut and bolt, screw and bolt, rivet or other type of mechanical fastener in order to removably connect fixed mounting bracket 130 to faceplate 122.

With fasteners inserted through holes 124 and holes 132, faceplate 122 is now secured to spanning bracket 133 and canister holder 100 is now conjoined with fixed mounting bracket 130. A depiction of the apparatus comprised of conjoined holder 100 and bracket 130 is shown in FIGS. 3-9. The conjoined units may now be attached as a unitary structure to a tubular member such as an IV pole or such as might be found on a hospital bed or equipment cart. This version of the embodiment advantageously provides for an easily-removable mounting device that has a sufficiently minimal profile that does not interfere with the operation or portability of hospital equipment or furniture. By virtue of its mounting means described below, the brackets can be mounted to hospital or nursing home equipment using without tools and using only one hand.

In the depicted embodiment spanning bracket 133 is an open ended box-shaped bracket, but may be any shape, including solid, hollow, tubular or planar. Attached to the rear-facing portion 138 of spanning bracket 133 are means for removably securing fixed mounting bracket 130 to tubular structures. In the embodiment shown the means for removably securing fixed mounting bracket 130 comprise one or more spring-force clips 140. Spring-force clips 140 can be made out of any rigid, resilient material, such as spring steel, carbon fiber or Nylon. The “open” spring construct of the spring-force clip 140 shown is particularly suited for one-handed mounting of the holder. Alternatively, means for providing removable securement may be accomplished via a hinged clamp or a clamp having a mechanically actuated opening. In the embodiment shown in the figures, open-ended spring-force clips 140 each comprise a pair of arms 141 with distal ends 142 that define an opening 150 through which the profile of a tubular member 300 (shown in outline) is inserted. Bulge sections 144 are disposed opposite from each other and have a concave inside surface 145. Within their interior, bulge sections 144 roughly define an approximate circular area of diameter D. Hence, spring-force clips 140 are ideally suited to hold tubular structures with a cross-section diameter greater than the distance D. In this fashion, after the profile of tubular member 300 is inserted in opening 150, tubular member 300 is then pushed on into the interior of bulge sections 144. Inside surfaces 145 of bulge sections 144 thereafter receive the tubular member and embrace it by interference fit.

Outfitting the holder bracket with an appropriately sized, open-ended spring-force clip as herein described and shown enables the holder to be advantageously deployed and removed from tubular structures without tools and using only one hand. To provide for securement to tubular structures of varying dimensions, spring-force clips 140 may comprise a plurality of bulge sections of tapering diameters D. Additionally, when mounted upon a tubular structure, the holder can be protected against axial and transverse (in relation to the tubular structure) twisting forces by providing the holder with at least two spring-force clips mounted in vertical arrangement to support bracket 130. Spring-force clips 140 can be secured to the rear face 138 of spanning bracket 133 by any conventional attachment means, including but not limited to brazing, welding, adhesives or mechanical fasteners such as rivets or screws. In the embodiment shown, spring-force clips 140 are attached to rear face 138 by means of screws 151. Screws 151 are placed through holes (not shown) in spring-force clips 140 and through holes (not shown) in rear face 138 of spanning bracket 133 and threaded into nuts 152. If it is desired that bracket 130 be able to swivel transversely about tubular member 300, then a preferred means of securing spring-force clip 140 to spanning bracket 133 would comprise a rivet.

As shown in FIG. 10a, to provide spring-force clips 140 with more holding power or protection against removal, ends 142 can be provided with oppositely disposed fastener receiving holes 146 that can receive a screw or bolt 147, which, in, turn, can receive a nut 148. A washer 149 can be included in the fastening arrangement as security against nut 148 loosening. Alternatively, one of holes 146 may be adapted or threaded so as to mechanically receive screw 147 and thereby dispense with the need for nut 148 and washer 149. Utilizing a screw and nut arrangement to secure spring-force clip 140 to a chosen tubular member, would effectively result in holder 100 being mounted in a fashion that would require tools to mount and remove the holder. Mounting a sanitizing agent holder such as shown to a piece of hospital equipment with tool-dependent fasteners would solve the problem of not having a sanitizing agent near at hand while using the equipment, but could create other concerns. For example, installing holders requiring tool-dependent fasteners on hospital equipment would require tools, fastening hardware and the likely services of hospital maintenance workers (as opposed to treating staff) who may not be readily available. Additionally, some hospital equipment is collapsible to allow for storage. Mounting a sanitizing agent holder to collapsible equipment with tool-dependent fasteners would not just make it more difficult to remove the holder, but it could cause the bracket-to-tubular member connection to be too tight and thus interfere with the holder's ability to rotate axially about the tubular member. These problems could interfere with the ability of the equipment to collapse and stow-away or travel through confined hospital spaces. Finally, mounting a holder on a specific piece of hospital equipment using tool-dependent fasteners would prevent the holder from being readily used on other equipment and would thus require the hospital to purchase holders to outfit many pieces of equipment. Hence, if additional holding power is desired, than it is preferred that ends 142 be adapted with a latch mechanism 160 such as is shown in FIG. 10b. A holder outfitted with a latch mechanism as is shown in FIG. 10b would provide additional holding power, yet still enable the holder to be mounted and removed without tools and with one hand.

Once removed from fixed bracket 130, canister holder 100 can be mounted to expandable bracket 200 as herein described. Canister holder 100 can be removed from bracket 130 by loosening the screws holding faceplate 122 to spanning bracket 133. A preferred embodiment expandable mounting bracket of the present invention is disclosed in FIGS. 11-17. Mounting bracket 200 comprises an expandable platform 201 with a first end wall 203 and a second end wall 202. Expandable platform 201 comprises two L-shaped brackets 204, 205 with respective end walls 202, 203 and slidably mounted together on their respective platform sections 206, 207.

As best seen in FIG. 14, in the embodiment shown, L-shaped bracket 205 includes mounting holes 209 on platform section 207. As seen in FIG. 15, L-shaped bracket 204 includes lengthwise slot 210 on platform section 206. When the respective platform sections 206, 207 of L-shaped brackets 204 and 205 are placed in face-to-to face contact with each other, holes 209 align with slot 210. L-shaped bracket 204 is secured to L-shaped bracket 205 by inserting screws 211 through slot 210, into holes 209 and then into fastener receivers 212. When brackets 204, 205 are arranged and connected in the depicted fashion, end walls 202, 203 define an expandable space 240.

L-shaped brackets 204, 205 are preferably made out of any lightweight rigid material such as plastic, carbon fiber or metal. In the preferred embodiment, fastener receivers 212 are threaded bosses that are glued, welded or brazed on platform section 207. Fastener receivers 212 could be, however, any type of bolt or screw-receiving fastener that allows for loosening and tightening, such as a nut. Threaded bosses 212 receive screws 211, which are then threaded into threaded bosses 212 until tightened. By virtue of slot 210, the overall length of holding platform 201 can be adjusted to different lengths merely by loosening the fasteners holding L-shaped brackets 204, 205 together and sliding L-shaped bracket 204 forward or rear-ward along L-shaped bracket 205.

Attached to outside face 213 of rear end wall 203 of L-shaped bracket 205 are one or more means for removably securing the holder to tubular structures. In the embodiment shown the means for removably securing the holder comprise one or more open-ended spring-force clips 214. Spring-force clips 214 can be made of any rigid, resilient material including but not limited to spring steel, carbon fiber or nylon. Alternatively, means for providing removable securement may be accomplished via a belt clamp, hinged clamp or a clamp having a mechanically actuated opening. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 11-18, spring-force clips 214 each comprise open, oppositely disposed arms 215 with distal ends 216. The space between ends 216 defines an opening 218 through which the profile of a tubular member 300 (shown in outline) is inserted. Bulge sections 220 are disposed opposite from each other and have a concave inside surface 221. The interior of bulge sections 220 roughly defines an approximate circular area of diameter D. Hence, spring-force clips 214 are ideally suited to hold tubular structures with a cross-section diameter slightly greater than the distance D. In this fashion, after the profile of tubular member 300 is inserted in opening 218, member 300 is then pushed on into the interior of bulge sections 220. The inside surfaces 221 of bulge sections 220 thereafter receive tubular member 300 and embrace it by interference fit. By virtue of a proper interference fit, bracket 200 is held secure to tubular member 300 but can rotate axially about the member as space needs dictate.

Outfitting mounting bracket 200 with open-ended spring-force clips as herein described and shown enables the holder to be deployed and removed from tubular structures without tools and in one-hand fashion. To provide for securement to tubular structures of varying dimensions, spring-force clips 214 may comprise a plurality of bulge sections of tapering diameters D. Additionally, when mounted upon a tubular structure, the holder can be protected against axial and transverse (in relation to the tubular structure) twisting forces by providing the holder with at least two spring-force clips mounted in vertical arrangement to end wall 203 as shown in FIGS. 11-18.

Spring-force clips 214 can be secured to the outside face 213 of end wall 203 by any conventional attachment means, including but not limited to brazing, welding, adhesives or mechanical fasteners such as rivets or screws. In the embodiment shown, spring-force clips 214 are attached to rear end wall 203 by means of bolts 226. Bolts 226 are placed through holes (not shown) in end wall 203 and then threaded into brazed-on nuts 227. If it is desired that holder 200 be able to swivel transversely about tubular member 219, then a preferred means of securing spring-force clip 214 to end wall 203 would comprise a rivet.

End wall 202 of bracket 200 contains means for receiving the canister holder 100. In the preferred embodiment the means comprise faceplate 230 mounted in face-to-face fashion to the outside face 241 of end wall 202 of L-shaped bracket 204. Faceplate 230 is made complementary to faceplate 122 of holder 100 such that holes 124 in faceplate 122 are disposed and arranged in accordance with holes 232 on faceplate 230. Rear-face 125 of faceplate 122 is placed in face-to-face contact with front face 233 of faceplate 230 such that holes 232 align with complementary holes 124 of faceplate 122. Once holes 124 align with holes 232, a fastener such as a bolt or screw 235 is inserted through holes 124 and threaded on into holes 232 until tight. As is best seen in FIG. 1 and FIG. 18, for ease of connection, faceplate 122 is adapted with one or more holes 124 that are keyhole shaped. Threaded fasteners, such as screws 235 insert through holes 124 and into engagement with the tapped openings 232 of faceplate 230. In this fashion faceplate 122 can be removably connected to expandable mounting bracket 200. Alternatively, the holes 232 in faceplate 230 may be un-threaded so as to require alternative securing means such as nut and bolt, screw and bolt or other type of mechanical fastener in order to removably connect expandable mounting bracket 200 to holder 100.

With fasteners inserted through holes 124 and holes 232, faceplate 122 is now secured to faceplate 230 and canister holder 100 is now conjoined with expandable mounting bracket 200. A depiction of the apparatus comprised of conjoined holder 100 and bracket 200 is shown in FIG. 18. The conjoined units form a unitary apparatus that may now be attached to a tubular member such as an IV pole or such as might be found on a hospital bed or equipment cart. By virtue of the expandable mounting bracket, canister holder 100 can be mounted and deployed to accommodate positions and locations not permitted by fixed mounting bracket 130.

It is a feature and advantage of expandable mounting bracket 200 that it may be removably attached to tubular structures. In particular, it is a feature and advantage of the described and depicted invention that it can be easily attached to and removed from tubular structures without tools and by using only one hand. However, as described and disclosed in connection with bracket 130, spring-force clips 214 of bracket 200 can be provided with means such as screws, bolts or latches to provide for additional holding power. Additionally, when mounted upon a tubular structure, the holder can be protected against axial and transverse (in relation to the tubular structure) twisting forces by providing the holder with at least two spring-force clips mounted in vertical arrangement to support bracket 200.

The construct of the invention may be varied depending on a number of factors, such as the size of the mounting means, spanning brackets, platforms, end walls and their component parts and the composition of their component parts. Though the invention described herein has particular application to mounting canister holders that hold containers of sanitizing products, it can be adapted and used to hold containers of other shapes and products. Additionally, though the invention described herein has particular application for mounting holders of sanitizing products to tubular members found on mobile hospital equipment, it can be employed on any object having tubular members, such as shopping carts, baby strollers, carriages and cages. While specific embodiments have been shown and described, many variations are possible. Those skilled in the art will recognize that many variations are possible within the scope of the invention, which is intended to be defined by the following claims and their equivalents, in which all terms are meant in their broadest reasonable sense unless otherwise indicated. Accordingly, while specific embodiments have been shown and described, many variations are possible. Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the invention can be carried out with various other minor modifications from that disclosed herein, and same is deemed to be within the scope of this invention.

Claims

1. A system for removably mounting a canister holder to a tubular structure, the system comprising:

a fixed mounting bracket and an expandable mounting bracket;

the expandable mounting bracket having an expandable platform;

the expandable platform having a first end wall and a second end wall;

the first end wall and the second end wall being oppositely disposed on the expandable platform and defining an expandable space on the platform;

the first end wall having means for removably mounting the expandable mounting bracket to the tubular structure;

the second end wall of the expandable mounting bracket having means for removably connecting to the canister holder;

the fixed mounting bracket having means for removably mounting the fixed mounting bracket to the tubular structure; and

the fixed mounting bracket further having a spanning bracket with means for removably connecting to the canister holder.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the canister holder comprises:

a seating cage having a first arcuate strut and a second arcuate strut arranged in co-axial relation, the first and second arcuate struts each having ends;

the seating cage further having a pair of outboard struts, each outboard strut descending from an end of the first arcuate strut and terminating at the end of the second arcuate strut;

the seating cage further having a floor frame, the floor frame being connected to the seating cage;

the floor-frame comprising a pair of vertical inboard struts with top ends;

the vertical inboard struts descending from the top ends to a lowermost point and then bending outwardly to form outwardly projecting struts;

the outwardly projecting struts having outermost ends and being at their outermost ends connected by a lower transverse strut; and

the seating cage being connected to a first faceplate, the first faceplate having holes.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the seating cage further comprises a swing-down gate, the swing-down gate being connected in hinge fashion to the lower transverse strut.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the means for removably mounting the fixed mounting bracket to the tubular structure comprises means for one-handed or tool-less mounting.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the means for removably mounting the expandable mounting bracket to the tubular structure comprises means for one-handed or tool-less mounting.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the means for mounting the fixed mounting bracket to the tubular structure comprises one or more open-ended spring-force clips.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the one or more open-ended spring-force clips comprise ends with a latch.

8. The system of claim 6 wherein the one or more open-ended spring-force clips comprise ends adapted with holes to receive a screw.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the means for mounting the expandable mounting bracket to the tubular structure comprises one or more open-ended spring-force clips.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the one or more open-ended spring-force clips comprise ends with a latch.

11. The system of claim 9 wherein the one or more open-ended spring-force clips comprise ends adapted with holes to receive a screw.

12. The system of claim 2 where the means for removably connecting the second end wall of the expandable mounting bracket to the canister holder comprises a second faceplate attached to the second end wall of the expandable mounting bracket, the second faceplate having holes complementary to the first faceplate of the seating cage.

13. A bracket for mounting a canister holder to a tubular member, the bracket comprising:

an expandable platform;

the expandable platform having a first end wall and a second end wall;

the first end wall and the second end wall being oppositely disposed on the expandable platform and defining an expandable space on the platform;

the first end wall having means for removably mounting the bracket to the tubular structure; and

the second end wall having means for removably connecting to the canister holder.

14. The bracket of claim 13 wherein:

the canister holder comprises a seating cage connected to a faceplate, the faceplate having holes;

the seating cage having a first arcuate strut and a second arcuate strut arranged in co-axial relation, the first and second arcuate struts each having ends;

the seating cage further having a pair of outboard struts, each outboard strut descending from an end of the first arcuate strut and terminating at an end of the second arcuate strut;

the seating cage further having a floor frame, the floor frame being connected to the seating cage;

the floor-frame comprising a pair of vertical inboard struts with top ends;

the vertical inboard struts descending from the top ends to a lowermost point and then bending outwardly to form outwardly projecting struts; and

the outwardly projecting struts having outermost ends and being at their outermost ends connected by a lower transverse strut.

15. The bracket of claim 14 wherein the seating cage further comprises a swing-down gate, the swing-down gate being connected in hinge fashion to the lower transverse strut.

16. The bracket of claim 13 wherein the means for removably connecting the second end wall to the canister holder includes a faceplate with holes in it.

17. The bracket of claim 13 wherein the means for removably mounting the bracket to the tubular structure comprises means for one-handed or tool-less mounting.

18. The bracket of claim 13 wherein the means for removably mounting the bracket to the tubular structure comprises one or more open-ended spring-force clips.

19. The bracket of claim 18 wherein the one or more open-ended spring-force clips comprise ends with a latch.

20. The bracket of claim 18 wherein the one or more open-ended spring-force clips comprise ends adapted with holes to receive a screw.

21. A bracket for mounting a canister holder to a tubular member, the bracket comprising:

a spanning bracket having a front face and a rear face;

the rear face having means for removably mounting the bracket to the tubular structure; and

the front face having means for removably connecting to the canister holder.

22. The bracket of claim 21 wherein:

the canister holder comprises a seating cage connected to a faceplate, the faceplate having holes;

the seating cage having a first arcuate strut and a second arcuate strut arranged in co-axial relation, the first and second arcuate struts each having ends;

the seating cage further having a pair of outboard struts, each outboard strut descending from an end of the first arcuate strut and terminating at an end of the second arcuate strut;

the seating cage further having a floor frame, the floor frame being connected to the seating cage;

the floor-frame comprising a pair of vertical inboard struts with top ends;

the vertical inboard struts descending from the top ends to a lowermost point and then bending outwardly to form outwardly projecting struts; and

the outwardly projecting struts having outermost ends and being at their outermost ends connected by a lower transverse strut.

23. The bracket of claim 22 wherein the seating cage further comprises a swing-down gate, the swing-down gate being connected in hinge fashion to the lower transverse strut.

24. The bracket of claim 22 wherein the means for removably connecting the bracket to the canister holder includes holes in the front face, the holes being arranged according to the holes in the faceplate of the canister holder.

25. The bracket of claim 21 wherein the means for removably mounting the bracket to the tubular structure comprises means for one-handed or tool-less mounting.

26. The bracket of claim 21 wherein the means for removably mounting the bracket to the tubular structure comprises one or more open-ended spring-force clips.

27. The bracket of claim 26 wherein the one or more open-ended spring-force clips comprise ends with a latch.

28. The bracket of claim 26 wherein the one or more open-ended spring-force clips comprise ends adapted with holes to receive a screw.