HK40031071B - Mobile cart for an organ container - Google Patents

Description

Mobile cart for organ containers

Background

I. Related art field

The related art includes organ transport systems and methods, and more particularly, mobile carts and/or organ containers for transporting the organ containers by means of mobile carts and associated methods

II. background of the invention

Advances in organ transplantation and preservation allow organs to be donated at a location remote from the recipient of the organ. Thus, the organs to be donated must be preserved over an extended period of time or distance. Organ containers are known, including portable organ transportation and/or storage devices such as disclosed in U.S. patent No. 6,673,594 to Owen, et al, which is incorporated herein by reference. Other organ containers, such as those described in U.S. patent No. 9,119,393; 9,357,766, respectively; 9,357,767, respectively; 9,402,389, respectively; 9,565,853 and U.S. patent application No. 13/545,281; 13/545,473, respectively; 13/545,514, respectively; and 13/545,598, which are also incorporated herein by reference. With such a container, the viability of the organ, and thus the distance over which the organ can be transported, can be extended to a large extent. Such organ containers may be used in operating rooms where organs are donated, in transit and in operating rooms where organs are transplanted. Also known are mechanisms by which those organ containers can be transported from location to location. For example, U.S. patent application No. 13/097,809, which is also incorporated herein by reference, discloses a mobile cart.

Disclosure of Invention

In the aforementioned operating room, space is highly required. Space must be provided therein for each medical device, surgical team and patient. When transporting organs in organ containers, there must be space available in the transport vehicle (car, aircraft, etc.). The organ container must also be easily and securely transported between the operating room and the transport vehicle. Each of the locations of use of the organ container has specific requirements. For example, it is undesirable to require a table or table dedicated to organ containers in the operating room, as the table or table will use valuable space and the containers may be knocked off the table or table. Similarly, the organ container is preferably conveniently positionable by a donor or recipient of the organ. Space in the transport vehicle is even more valuable because the vehicle may be relatively small, particularly if the vehicle is an aircraft. Therefore, it is undesirable that the organ container or its transport mechanism take up too much valuable space in these situations.

In addition, despite the general trend toward smaller organ containers, certain organs (such as the liver) are relatively large and may require larger organ containers than smaller organs (such as the kidneys). Such relatively large containers may require two people to lift due to weight or size. The basis weight or size of these larger organ containers may also require a more robust transport mechanism and various redundancies during transport to prevent damage to the container or the organs therein caused by, for example, equipment failure or user error. The mechanism by which these organ containers are transported should be designed in consideration of these problems.

Accordingly, an exemplary embodiment of the present principles described herein provides a mobile cart for an organ container, the mobile cart comprising a top assembly configured to be releasably secured to an organ container, the organ container being at least one of an organ transporter and an organ perfusion apparatus configured to perfuse an organ. The mobile cart may also include a support structure attached to the roof assembly to support the roof assembly, the support structure being movable from an extended position to a collapsed position. The roof assembly may also include different primary and secondary locking mechanisms, each of which is configured to secure the support structure in the extended position. And when the support structure is fixed in the extended position, both the primary and secondary locking mechanisms must be actuated so that the support structure can be moved to the folded position.

Other exemplary embodiments of the inventive principles described herein also provide a mobile cart for an organ container, the mobile cart comprising a top assembly configured to be releasably secured to an organ container, the organ container being at least one of an organ transporter and an organ perfusion apparatus configured to perfuse an organ. The mobile cart may also include a support structure attached to the roof assembly to support the roof assembly, the support structure being movable in the extended direction from the extended position to the collapsed position. The roof assembly may further include at least one locking mechanism configured to secure the support structure in the extended position. The support structure may include a damper configured to reduce a velocity of movement of the support structure in a descending direction from the extended position to the collapsed position.

Yet another exemplary embodiment of the present principles described herein provides a mobile cart for an organ container, the mobile cart comprising a top assembly configured to be releasably secured to the organ container by means of a lock, the organ container being at least one of an organ transporter and an organ perfusion apparatus configured to perfuse an organ, the lock being actuated by means of a timed release mechanism, the lock being re-engaged after a period of time sufficient to remove the organ container from the top assembly after disengaging the lock. The mobile cart may also include a support structure attached to the roof assembly to support the roof assembly, the support structure including a damper configured to reduce a speed at which the support structure is lowered from the extended position to the collapsed position. The top assembly may further comprise: (i) a primary locking mechanism configured to secure the support structure in the extended position when the organ container is secured to the top assembly and to be actuated by means of a first manipulatable portion accessible to a user, and (ii) a different secondary locking mechanism configured to secure the support structure in the extended position when the organ container is secured to the top assembly and to be actuated by means of a second manipulatable portion inaccessible to the user. And when the support structure is in the extended position, both the primary and secondary locking mechanisms must be actuated so that the support structure can be moved to the folded position.

Drawings

These and other exemplary embodiments may be described with reference to the following drawings.

Fig. 1 shows a top perspective view of a mobile cart for portable organ containers when the cart is in an extended position.

Fig. 2 shows a top perspective view of the mobile cart of fig. 1 when in a folded position.

Fig. 3 shows a side view of the mobile cart of fig. 1.

Fig. 4 shows a top view of the mobile cart of fig. 1.

Fig. 5 shows a front view of the mobile cart of fig. 1.

Fig. 6 shows a bottom perspective view of the mobile cart of fig. 1.

Fig. 7 shows a perspective view of an organ transport system comprising the mobile cart of fig. 1 and an organ container.

And, fig. 8 shows a bottom surface of the organ container of fig. 7.

Detailed Description

As previously mentioned, fig. 1 shows a top perspective view of the mobile cart 100. The mobile cart 100 may comprise a top assembly 110 for securing to an organ container 200 (shown in fig. 7), which organ container 200 may be a portable organ preservation apparatus and/or a portable organ perfusion apparatus as disclosed in the above-mentioned U.S. patents and applications.

The mobile cart 100 may further comprise a support structure 150, the support structure 150 comprising scissor legs 152, the scissor legs 152 being attached to the underside of the top assembly 110 to thereby support the top assembly and allow it to be moved in a downward direction from an extended position (fig. 1) in which the top assembly 110 is supported in its uppermost position, to a folded position (fig. 2) in which the top assembly 110 is supported in its lowermost position. For example, the extended position may be equal to or about 33 inches above the ground upon which the support structure 150 rests, and the collapsed position may be equal to or about 12 inches above the ground. It is also contemplated that the extended position and the collapsed position may not correspond to the highest possible position and the lowest possible position of the top assembly 110, respectively, but rather to positions therebetween. Also, while the top assembly 110 of this example is manually pulled upward by a user from the folded position to the extended position, and it descends under the force of gravity, other arrangements are considered to be within the scope of the present invention. For example, an electrically or mechanically actuated system may be implemented to automatically control the position of the top assembly 110. The system may be an electronic controller used in conjunction with a gear mechanism. Or the system may use a pneumatic or hydraulic spring mechanism to extend or fold the top assembly 110, and it may use a pneumatic or hydraulic logic system, which would eliminate the need for any electronic controller.

As shown in fig. 6, a pair of legs 152A of scissor legs 152 may be secured to the underside of top assembly 110 by means of pivot portion 112 such that legs 152A rotate about portion 112 during raising and lowering of the top assembly. On the other hand, the ends of the other pair of legs 152B of the scissor legs 152 may be connected together by means of a connecting member or rod 154, which connecting member or rod 154 moves along the longitudinal direction 114 of the top assembly during raising and lowering of the assembly 110. More specifically, when the top assembly 110 is lowered from its extended position, the connecting member or rod 154 moves longitudinally on bearings in the track toward the end of the top assembly 110 where the first steerable portion 122 (discussed below) is disposed. When the top assembly 110 is raised from the folded position to its extended position, the connecting member or rod 154 moves in the opposite direction. The connecting member or rod 154 moves in its entirety in the longitudinal direction 114 less than 4 inches when extended or folded.

In addition, the support structure 150 may have wheels 156, upon which the mobile cart 100 may roll, these wheels 156 may be removable or displaceable so that they may be placed in locations where less space is required. This may be advantageous in applications where space for moving the cart 100 and any attached organ containers 200 is limited. Preferably, the wheels 156 are lockable to prevent the mobile cart 100 from moving. The support structure 150 is also designed to be rigid. As a result, at least the scissor legs 152 thereof may be made of metal, and in particular aluminum such as alloy 6063-T6

Returning to the top assembly 110, and as also shown in fig. 6, it may include different primary and secondary locking mechanisms 120 and 130 to secure the top assembly 110 in the extended position. Each of these locking mechanisms may likewise be made of metal and is preferably hardened steel, although other suitable materials are also contemplated. The primary lock mechanism 120 may include a hook portion at one end thereof, and the hook portion may be biased upward, i.e., toward the topmost surface of the top assembly 110, by a biasing mechanism such as a spring. In use, when the top assembly 110 is actuated by a user, i.e., pulled upward from the folded position to the extended position of the support structure 150, the longitudinally moving connecting member or rod 154 is captured by the hook portion of the primary locking mechanism 120 and is thereby secured to secure the support structure 150 in the extended position. The secondary locking mechanism 130 may likewise include a hook portion at one end thereof, and the hook portion may likewise be biased upward toward the top surface of the top assembly 110 by a biasing mechanism, such as a spring. In use, as the top assembly 110 is pulled upward from the folded position to the extended position of the support structure 150, the longitudinally moving connecting member or rod 154 is captured by the hook portion of the secondary locking mechanism 130 to secure the support structure 150 in the extended position. Thus, the locking mechanisms 120, 130 cooperate to automatically secure the support structure 150 in the extended position.

To disengage them, the primary and secondary locking mechanisms 120, 130 may be actuated by the first and second manipulatable portions, respectively. As shown in fig. 3, when the organ container 200 is secured to the top assembly 110, the first steerable portion 122 may be positioned so as to be accessible to a user moving the cart 100. In the particular embodiment shown in fig. 3, the first steerable portion 122 is a lever that extends from the bottom of the top assembly 110 and then projects toward the longitudinal ends of the top assembly, but other configurations are also contemplated as being within the scope of the present invention. As shown in fig. 6, the first steerable section 122 is functionally connected to the primary locking mechanism 120. Thus to release the connecting member or rod 154 from the primary locking mechanism 120 during the folding operation, the user may move the first manipulable portion 122 upward to correspondingly move the primary locking mechanism downward to disengage it and thus not contact the connecting member or rod.

As shown in fig. 1 and 3, in contrast to the first steerable portion 122, the second steerable portion 132 may be positioned so as to be inaccessible to a user moving the cart 100 when the organ container 200 is secured to the top assembly 110. In the particular embodiment shown in fig. 1 and 3, the second steerable section 132 is a button located in a central region 136 on the topmost surface of the top assembly 110. As a result, the second steerable portion 132 may be covered by the bottom of the organ container 200 when the organ container 200 is secured to the top assembly 110, but the portion 132 may be exposed and accessible when the organ container 200 is removed therefrom. However, other configurations and arrangements are considered to be within the scope of the present invention. As shown in fig. 6, the second manipulatable portion 132 is functionally connected to the secondary locking mechanism 130. Thus to release the connecting member or lever 154 from the secondary locking mechanism 130 during the folding operation, the user may press the second manipulatable portion 132 downwardly to correspondingly move the secondary locking mechanism downwardly.

Accordingly, the top assembly 110 may advantageously include two locking mechanisms to secure the support structure 150 in the extended position. Although one of the primary and secondary locking mechanisms 120, 130 may be slightly weaker than the other, either is sufficient to solely maintain the support structure 150 in the extended position. Thus, the user may need to manipulate both steerable sections 122, 132 simultaneously to disengage the support structure 150 from the extended position. Also, because one of these portions, i.e., the steerable portion 132, may be in a location inaccessible to the user when the organ container 200 is secured to the top assembly 110, this arrangement is beneficial in preventing damage to the container 200 or to the organs therein due to accidental folding of the support structure 150 in which the container 200 is still secured. In addition, because of the biasing elements and their contacting metallic elements, locking the locking mechanisms 120, 130 to the connecting members or rods 154 may emit sufficient noise, such as an audible "click," to indicate to a user that the support structure 150 is secured in its extended position. This in turn further reduces the likelihood of accidental folding of the support structure 150.

The top assembly 110 may further include areas 140 therein, these areas 140 for assisting the user in self-centering and positioning the organ container 200 when placing the container 200 onto the mobile cart 100. These regions 140 may be formed as angled depressions in the topmost surface of the top assembly 110 that correspond to and are configured to receive the legs 202 of the container 200.

As shown in fig. 1 and 4, the topmost surface of the top assembly 110 may further include a plurality of locking members 141. Fig. 1 and 4 show two locking members 141, but more or fewer locking members are contemplated within the scope of the present invention. Each of the locking members 141 may include a chamfered region 143 and a hole 145 at the center of the region. When the organ container 200 is placed on the mobile cart 100, the region 140 may ensure that locking pins 206 (shown in fig. 8) protruding from the lower surface 204 of the organ container 200 are in a position to be received by the apertures 145 and automatically secured within the apertures 145.

Locks 141 for securing organ container 200 may be actuated and released by means of mechanism 142 as shown in fig. 1 and 5, and these locks may default to a closed or engaged state by means of a spring-biased mechanism. The release mechanism 142 of the present invention may be a handle that causes the lock 141 to be released when pulled outward away from the top assembly 110. It may also be a timed release mechanism that automatically returns inward after being pulled outward to reengage the locking member after an amount of time sufficient to allow the user to remove organ container 200. In other words, release mechanism 142 may be configured such that organ container 200 is only removable from top assembly 110 for a certain period of time after the release mechanism is actuated. For example, organ container 200 may be removable for about 3 to 10 seconds, more preferably about 5 seconds. The benefit of this arrangement is that the organ container 200 is prevented from resting on the top assembly 110 in an unsecured state, where the container 200 will more likely tip over or otherwise become dislodged from the assembly 110.

Top assembly 110 may further include an indicator 144, which indicator 144 informs the user that lock 141 is securing the current state of organ container 200. The indicator 144 may be visual. For example, when the locking member 141 is engaged and the container 200 is thus secured to the top assembly 110, the indicator 144 may be green, thereby making it clear to the user that it is safe to move the mobile cart 100. The indicator 144 may also turn red when the lock is not engaged, thereby conversely indicating to the user that it is not safe to move the mobile cart 100. Other indicators may be employed in addition to or in place of the red-green visual indicator. For example, the indicator 144 may display a textual message, such as "lock" or "unlock," to indicate the current state of the lock. Or an audible sound, for example, a beep or ringing sound may be emitted during the period of time that the locking member is disengaged.

In addition to the primary and secondary locking mechanisms 120, 130, the mobile cart 100 may also include additional means by which the organ container 200 secured to the top assembly 110 and the organs therein may be protected from uncontrolled, rapid descent from the extended position to the collapsed position. Specifically, the cart 100 may include a plurality of dampers 160 to slow the descent. One such damper 160 is shown in fig. 6, and a corresponding damper 160 may be provided on the opposite side of the mobile cart 100. The damper 160 in fig. 6 is shown secured to the base 158 of the support structure 150, but it may be secured elsewhere, for example, to the top assembly 110. Further, while two dampers 160 are included in the present embodiment, more or fewer dampers are contemplated within the scope of the present invention. As shown in fig. 6, the damper 160 may be a gas spring with a piston that rides on bearings in a track, although other configurations are possible.

Damper 160 operates to slow the descent of top assembly 110 (with or without organ container 200) to a speed that will prevent damage to organ container 200 or to the mobile cart 100 itself. For example, whether loaded or unloaded, the time for the organ container 200 to descend from the extended position to the collapsed position may be between 10 and 30 seconds, preferably about 15 seconds. Thus, even if both the primary and secondary locking mechanisms 120, 130 fail, the top assembly 110 will safely be lowered to the folded position.

Although various features are described in connection with the embodiments described above, various alternatives, modifications, variations and/or improvements of these features and/or examples are possible. Accordingly, the examples as set forth above are intended to be illustrative. Various changes may be made without departing from the broad spirit and scope of the principles of the invention.

Claims (22)

1. A mobile cart for an organ container, the mobile cart comprising:

a top assembly configured to be releasably secured to an organ container, the organ container being at least one of an organ transporter and an organ perfusion apparatus configured to perfuse an organ; and

a support structure attached to the roof assembly to support the roof assembly, the support structure being movable from an extended position to a collapsed position, wherein:

the roof assembly including distinct primary and secondary locking mechanisms, each of the primary and secondary locking mechanisms configured to secure the support structure in the extended position;

a second steerable portion that actuates the secondary locking mechanism, the second steerable portion being located at the top assembly such that the second steerable portion is inaccessible to a user of the mobile cart when the organ container is secured to the top assembly;

when the support structure is secured in the extended position, both the primary and secondary locking mechanisms must be actuated to enable the support structure to move to the folded position;

when in the extended position, the support structure is prevented from moving to the folded position until the second steerable section is manipulated.

2. The mobile cart of claim 1, wherein the second manipulable portion is a button located below the organ container when the organ container is secured to the top assembly.

3. The mobile cart of claim 2, wherein the button is located in a central region of a topmost surface of the top assembly.

4. The mobile cart of claim 1, wherein a first manipulable portion that actuates said primary locking mechanism is located at said top assembly so as to be accessible to a user when securing said organ container to said top assembly.

5. The mobile cart of claim 4, wherein the first steerable portion is a lever extending from a bottom of the top assembly.

6. The mobile cart of claim 4, wherein the primary and secondary locking mechanisms engage the same member of the support structure to secure the support structure in the extended position.

7. The mobile cart of claim 6,

the support structure comprises a plurality of legs; and is

The member is a connecting rod connecting at least two of the legs at an upper portion of the legs.

8. The mobile cart of claim 1, wherein said organ container is releasably secured to said top assembly by means of a lock at said top assembly, said lock being actuated separately from said primary and secondary locking mechanisms.

9. The mobile cart of claim 8, wherein said lock is actuated by means of a timed release mechanism that re-engages said lock after a period of time sufficient to remove said organ container from said top assembly after disengaging said lock.

10. The mobile cart of claim 9, wherein the timed release mechanism comprises a release handle that releases the lock when pulled outward from the top assembly.

11. The mobile cart of claim 10, wherein the top assembly includes an indicator that indicates to a user of the mobile cart whether the lock is engaged.

12. The mobile cart of claim 11, wherein the indicator is a visual indicator visible to a user of the mobile cart.

13. The mobile cart of claim 11, wherein the indicator is an audible indicator that can be heard by a user of the mobile cart.

14. A portable organ transportation system, comprising:

the mobile cart of claim 1; and

an organ container configured to be secured to a top assembly of the mobile cart such that, when secured, the organ container covers the second steerable portion.

15. The mobile cart of claim 2,

the support structure includes a damper configured to reduce a speed of movement of the support structure from the extended position to the folded position along a descending direction.

16. The mobile cart of claim 15, wherein the support structure is configured to allow the top assembly to move in the descending direction for a time between 10 and 30 seconds.

17. The mobile cart of claim 15, wherein the damper is a gas spring.

18. The mobile cart of claim 17,

the support structure is a plurality of legs connecting the roof assembly to a base of the mobile cart; and is

The gas spring is fixed to the base.

19. The mobile cart of claim 18, wherein the gas spring extends in a direction substantially perpendicular to the descending direction.

20. A portable organ transportation system, comprising:

the mobile cart of claim 15; and

an organ container configured to be secured to the top assembly of the mobile cart.

21. A mobile cart for an organ container, the mobile cart comprising:

a top assembly configured to be releasably secured to an organ container by means of a lock, the organ container being at least one of an organ transporter and an organ perfusion apparatus configured to perfuse an organ, the lock being actuated by means of a timed release mechanism, the lock being reengaged after a period of time sufficient to remove the organ container from the top assembly after disengagement of the lock; and

a support structure attached to the roof assembly to support the roof assembly, the support structure including a damper configured to reduce a speed at which the support structure is lowered from an extended position to a collapsed position, wherein:

the top assembly includes: (i) a primary locking mechanism configured to secure the support structure in the extended position when the organ container is secured to the top assembly and actuated by means of a first manipulable portion accessible to a user, and (ii) a different secondary locking mechanism configured to secure the support structure in the extended position when the organ container is secured to the top assembly and actuated by means of a second manipulable portion inaccessible to the user, and

when the support structure is in the extended position, both the primary and secondary locking mechanisms must be actuated to enable the support structure to move to the folded position.

22. A portable organ transportation system, comprising:

the mobile cart of claim 21; and

an organ container configured to be secured to a top assembly of the mobile cart such that, when secured, the organ container covers the second steerable portion.