Folded Telescopic Equipment Drape and Method of Folding and Using the Same
AssigneeMedline Industries, Inc.
InventorMark Spencer G. Chua
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An equipment drape (1000) is made from an elongated drape body (1401) that includes an equipment opening (1041). The elongated drape body (1401) is telescopically folded (1403) to form a telescopic drape body (1404). An accordion fold (1501) is then applied to form a rectangular shape (1503). The distal edges (1011,1012) are then folded back over the rectangular shape (1503) to meet at a longitudinal part (1511). Insertion indicators (1043,1044) can be attached to the equipment opening (1041). A user can easily and quickly insert their hands into the equipment opening (1041) to deploy the equipment drape (1000) with a single motion without having to first fumble with and unfold the drape.
Claims20
An equipment drape, comprising:
- an elongated drape body defining an equipment opening and comprising a telescopic fold along a length thereof to form a telescopic drape body;
- and
- two or fewer insertion indicators disposed along the equipment opening;
- wherein the telescopic drape body comprises an accordion fold along a width so as to be substantially a rectangular shape;
- wherein distal edges of the rectangular shape are folded back across the rectangular shape to meet at a longitudinal part;
- wherein the rectangular shape is folded on a longitudinal fold line beneath the longitudinal part to form a folded equipment drape having the longitudinal part disposed along a first edge thereof and the two or fewer insertion indicators disposed along a second edge thereof.
A method of folding an equipment drape, comprising:
- folding the equipment drape telescopically along a length to form a telescopic equipment drape;
- folding the telescopic equipment drape in an accordion fold to form a rectangular shape;
- folding two distal edges of the rectangular shape back over the rectangular shape until the two distal edges meet at a longitudinal part;
- and folding the rectangular shape in half beneath the longitudinal part such that the longitudinal part is disposed at an edge of a resulting folded equipment drape.
A telescopically folded equipment drape having a length, comprising:
- a plurality of lateral folds comprising an accordion fold disposed along the length;
- and
- a plurality of longitudinal folds disposed along a width of the telescopically folded equipment drape;
- wherein distal edges of the telescopically folded equipment drape are folded back across the width at two longitudinal folds to meet at a third longitudinal fold;
- wherein the third longitudinal fold is opposite in direction from the two longitudinal folds.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.