EP0352043A1

EP0352043A1 - A hanger

Info

Publication number: EP0352043A1
Application number: EP89307207A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Patrick Hugh Mcleod
Original assignee: Simpla Plastics Ltd
Current assignee: Simpla Plastics Ltd
Priority date: 1988-07-19
Filing date: 1989-07-17
Publication date: 1990-01-24
Also published as: GB8817131D0

Abstract

A hanger (1) for suspending an article such as a urine drainage bag (2) which has spaced holes has spigots (3) for passing through the holes and means (4) in the form of flaps (5) which have holes aligned with the spigots (3) so that when a bag (2) is suspended from those spigots and the flaps (5) are folded down over the bag so that the spigots (3) go through the holes in the flaps (5), the bag (2) is secured on the hanger (1) by the means(4).

An inlet tube (16) to the bag (2) is prevented from kinking by a spring (15) and there are hooks (18) rotatable through 90° for suspending the hanger and bag from a bed rail.

Description

The invention relates to a hanger, particularly a bedside hanger which is used to hang a drainage bag, designed to collect body fluids in particular a urine collection bag, from part of a bed frame or free standing frame.
Such urine collection bags often have holes through a non-urine containing part which holes receive spigots projecting from a hanger. The bags depend from the spigots under gravity, but they are liable to be knocked-off the spigots particularly when empty or nearly so as they are then light in weight.
It is therefore an object of the invention to seek to mitigate this disadvantage.
According to the invention there is provided a hanger for an article which has spaced holes, comprising spigots for passing through the holes and means adapted to secure an article on the hanger.
The means may comprise flaps which are hinged to a body from which the spigots project and which may include gripper devices for the spigots.
The body may include means for preventing kinking of a tube led from the article.
The kinking preventing means may be a coiled spring device.
The hanger may include means by which it is suspensible from a support.
The suspension means may comprise two spaced hooks adapted for engagement over a bed frame.
The hooks may be mounted on the body of a respective hinge whereby to enable the respective hook to be rotated through substantially 90° for mounting on any type of bed-rail.
Hangers embodying the invention are hereinafter described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 shows a schematic perspective view of a hanger according to the invention in use to support a bag.
Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the hanger of Fig. 1 in a position where no bag is supported;
Fig. 3 shows an enlarged plan view of part of the means of a flap of the hanger;
Fig. 4 shows an enlarged side elevational view of a spigot of the hanger;
Fig. 5 shows a side elevational view of the hanger; and
Fig. 6 shows an elevational view of another embodiment of hanger according to the invention.

Referring firstly to Figs. 1-5 of the drawings, there is shown a hanger 1 for suspending an article, such as a urine drainage bag 2 (Fig. 1), which has spaced holes, four in the embodiment shown, the hanger 1 comprising spigots 3 for passing through the holes and means 4 adapted to secure an article on the spigots 3.
The means 4 comprises two flaps 5 which are hinged by hinges 6 to a body 7 of the hanger 1 from which the spigots 3 project and which include gripper devices 8 for the spigots 3.
The spigots 3 are of trifurcate shape having a central portion 9 with a rounded nose 10 and three equiangularly spaced prongs or ridges 11. The gripper devices 8 comprise ears 12 in each of which there is a hole 13 having a trifurcate shape in plan to provide areas for receiving the prongs or ridges 11 and curved parts 14 defining the hole for bearing on the spigot 3 between two adjacent prongs on ridges 11, with a push or interference fit, so gripping the spigots 3 in use.
Between the flaps 5 there is an upstanding coil spring device 15 with a central orifice, longitudinally of the coil 15 which has a diameter just sufficient to accommodate the external diameter of an inlet tube 16 of the bag 2.
There is at each lateral edge of the hanger 1, secured to the body 7 thereof by a respective hinge 17, a hook 18, the distal end of which nests in a groove 19 of a respective adjacent flap 5.
The body 7, flaps 5, hooks 18 and hinges 6, 17 are integrally moulded in one piece as by an injection moulding process.
The coil 15 may be of plastic or metal, and is incorporated in the hanger 1 during moulding.
In use, the inlet tube 16 of the bag 2 is threaded up through the bore of the coil 15 and nested in a groove 20 of the body 7 and the bag is suspended from the spigots 3 by passing the spigots through the holes 13, with the flaps 5 turned back as shown in Fig. 2. The flaps 5 are then folded down through 180° about the hinges 6 so that the gripper devices 8 pass over and along the spigots 3 towards the bag 2, the curved parts 14 bearing on the spigots 3 with a push or interference fit so that the bag 2 is secured on the spigots 3. The spigots 3 and gripper devices 8 provide a mechanism which effectively prevent the flaps 5 from being accidentally opened.
The hooks 18 are then rotated as desired, up to the 90° possible from the position shown in Figs. 2 and 5 to the Fig. 1 position to locate on any type of bed rail.
The coil spring device 15 prevents kinking of the tube 16 so allowing free flow of urine from a patient into the bag 2.
Referring now to Fig. 6, there is shown a second embodiment of hanger 20 according to the invention, which can be free standing. The hanger 20 has a planar body 21 which has two main parts, a support part 22 for a bag to be supported by the hanger, and a leg part 23 which is hinged at lateral hinges 24 to the support part.
The leg part 23 is shown shaded and comprises a generally U-shaped part the limbs of which form the legs 25 hinged by the hinges 24 to the support part 22 and a web part 26 which is integral with the legs 25 and acts as a brace therefor to stop them splaying apart laterally.
The web 26 includes an intermediate upstanding part 27 which is bowed or arched in the embodiment and has a retaining means in the form of a retaining or locating slot 28.
The support part 22 has a central elongate cut-out 29 with a curved upper (as viewed) part and an opposite straight part to which is hinged at an integral hinge 30 a tongue or brace 31 which terminates in the position of the hanger shown, short of the curved part.
The upper (as viewed) part of the support part has two sets of through holes 32 arranged in a chevron kind of array. There is a groove 33 for an inlet tube for a bag (not shown) to be supported by the hanger 20, and aligned with the groove a device 34 with notches 35 through which the tube can in use be threaded to obviate kinking. There are lateral hooks 36 which may be turnable through substantially 90° for hooking like the hooks 18 of the first embodiment over a bed rail or the like. There is also a pair of flaps 37 with securing means such as holes or spigots 38 for cooperation with spigots or holes 39 of the support part 22 of the body 21. The holes 32 provide lightness.
The hanger 20 is planar and can be made from one piece of suitable material such as cardboard, hardboard, plastics or the like in a single forming, such as a cutting and pressing, operation in which the leg part 23 is formed by cutting out material to separate the legs 25 and web 26 from the bag support 22, by slot 40, forming the hinges 24, 30 by pressing or heat where plastic is used for the body 21. The orifice 39 and tongue 31 are formed by cutting out in the same operation, as are the hooks 36, tube straightener 34 and flaps 38. The hinges 24, 30 are of a thinner section than that of the rest of the body 21, to provide for hinging relative thereto.
The hanger 20 can be used free of floor standing by folding the leg part 23 out of the plane of the body part 22 (out of the plane of the drawing as viewed) about the hinges 24. The tongue 31 is likewise hinged out of the plane of the body about the hinge 30 and its free end is located in the slot 28 in the web 27. This braces the leg part 23 and provides stability to the hanger when it stands on the floor next to a patient's bed. A urine collection bag can then be held in position by the flaps 37 as described with reference to the first embodiment, the hooks 36 being used to support the upper end over a bed rail if necessary. The fluid inlet tube is threaded through the device 34 to prevent kinking.
It will be understood that the embodiment 20 can be used by directly hanging it from a bed rail by the hooks 36 without the need to support it from the floor. In either application the planar body or bag support part 22 provides a backing and support for a urine drainage bag.
In a modification, the hanger can be a combination of a separate hanger like the hanger 1 of the first embodiment and a separate leg part like the part 23 of the Figure 6 embodiment to make a composite hanger like that of Fig. 6.

Claims

1. A hanger for an article which has spaced holes, characterised by spigots (3, 38, 39) for passing through the holes and by means (5, 37) adapted to secure an article on the hanger (1, 20).

2. A hanger according to Claim 1, characterised by the means (5, 37) comprising flaps which are hinged to a body (7, 21).

3. A hanger according to Claim 2, characterised by the spigots (3, 39) projecting from the flaps (5, 37).

4. A hanger according to Claim 3, characterised by gripper devices (8) for the spigots (3).

5. A hanger according to any preceding claim, characterised by a device (15, 34) for preventing kinking of a flexible inlet tube of the article being suspended.

6. A hanger according to Claim 5, characterised by the device (15, 34) comprising a coiled spring device (15).

7. A hanger according to Claim 5, characterised by the device (15, 34) comprising a device with alternate blind notches (35).

8. A hanger according to any preceding claim, characterised by means (18, 36) by which the hanger is suspensible from a support.

9. A hanger according to Claim 8, characterised by the means comprising two spaced apart hooks (18, 36).

10. A hanger according to Claim 9, characterised by the hooks (18) being mounted on the body (7) by a respective hinge (17) whereby to enable the respective hook to be rotated through substantially 90°.

11. A hanger according to any preceding claim, characterised by a device (23) whereby the hanger (20) is free-standing.

12. A hanger according to Claim 11, characterised by the device (23) comprising spaced legs (25) hinged at (24) to a body (21).

13. A hanger according to Claim 12, characterised by a web (26) being integral with and connecting the legs (25).

14. A hanger according to Claim 12 or Claim 13, characterised by a brace (31) hinged to the body (21) at a hinge (30), and by the brace (31) being adapted for engagement with the web (27) for bracing the legs (25).

15. A hanger according to Claim 14, characterised by slot (28) in the web (27) for receiving a free end of the brace (31).

16. A hanger according to Claim 15, characterised by the tongue (31) being in a cut out (29) in the body (21).

17. A hanger according to any of Claims 11 to 16, characterised by the hanger (20) being formed from one piece of material in a single forming operation.