Medical weighing systems
AssigneeMedline Industries, Inc.
InventorsHeidi Frances Hendrix, David Richard Rawlings, Sean Corrigan, David B. Richmond, David Davis
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A weighing system for medical applications may include a basin that has a base and a sloped sidewall that collectively form a bounded cavity with open top surface that receives and holds the material to be weighed. The basin may be free floating above the weighing device within a restricted range of travel. In some examples, the weighing system includes a thermal treatment device to adjust the temperature of the material in the basin. The rate at which heat is delivered to the basin may vary depending on the weight of the contents in the basin.
Claims18
A thermal treatment system comprising:
- a basin configured to receive and hold a material to be heated;
- a thermal treatment device thermally coupled to the basin and configured to adjust a temperature of the material to be heated in the basin;
- a weight measurement device positioned to measure a weight of the basin and any contents therein;
- a temperature sensor;
- a user interface;
- and
- a controller in communication with the user interface, the temperature sensor, the thermal treatment device, and the weight measurement device, wherein the controller is configured to:
- receive a target temperature via the user interface to which any contents in the basin are to be heated;
- receive weight measurement information from the weight measurement device concerning the weight of the basin and any contents therein;
- receive temperature measurement information from the temperature sensor concerning a measured temperature of any contents in the basin;
- compare weight measurement information from the weight measurement device to a threshold weight stored in memory;
- and
- control the thermal treatment device to heat the basin and any contents therein to the target temperature based on weight measurement information received from the weight measurement device and temperature measurement information received from the temperature sensor by controlling the thermal treatment device to heat the basin and any contents therein at a first rate of heating when weight measurement information is greater than the threshold weight and controlling the thermal treatment device to heat the basin and any contents therein at a second rate of heating less than the first rate of heating when the weight measurement information is less than the threshold weight.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.