Probe Head-Cover Applicator and Method Thereof
AssigneeBard Access Systems, Inc.
InventorGlade H. Howell
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Disclosed herein is a probe head-cover applicator and method for applying a probe-head cover to a probe head of an ultrasound probe. A probe head-cover applicator can include a tray including a cavity, an insert of a compressible material suspended over the cavity, and a probe-head cover adhered to the insert. The insert can include a first adhesive on an outward-facing surface of the insert facing away from the cavity. The probe-head cover can be adhered to the insert by the first adhesive. The probe-head cover can include a second adhesive on an outward-facing surface of the probe-head cover facing away from the insert. The second adhesive can be configured to adhere the probe-head cover to a probe head of an ultrasound probe when the probe head is inserted into the cavity.
Claims21
A probe head-cover applicator, comprising:
- a tray including a cavity;
- an insert of a compressible material suspended over the cavity, the insert including a first adhesive on an outward-facing surface of the insert facing away from the cavity;
- and
- a probe-head cover adhered to the insert by the first adhesive, the probe-head cover including a second adhesive on an outward-facing surface of the probe-head cover facing away from the insert configured to adhere the probe-head cover to a probe head of an ultrasound probe when the probe head is inserted into the cavity.
A probe head-cover applicator, comprising:
- a tray including a cavity defined by a bottom, major sides, and minor sides of the tray, the major sides including major-side openings and the minor sides including minor-side openings;
- an insert of a compressible material suspended over the cavity by transverse projections of the insert in the major-side openings of the tray and longitudinal projections of the insert in the minor-side openings of the tray, the insert including a first adhesive on an outward-facing surface of the insert facing away from the cavity;
- and
- a probe-head cover adhered to the insert by the first adhesive, the probe-head cover including a second adhesive on an outward-facing surface of the probe-head cover facing away from the insert having a greater adhesive strength for a probe head of an ultrasound probe than that of the first adhesive for the probe-head cover such that when the probe head is inserted into the cavity to adhere the probe-head cover to the probe head and subsequently withdrawn from the cavity, the probe-head cover remains adhered to the probe head instead of the insert.
A method for applying a probe-head cover to a probe head of an ultrasound probe, comprising:
- obtaining a probe head-cover applicator, the probe head-cover applicator including:
- a tray including a cavity defined by a bottom, major sides, and minor sides of the tray;
- and
- an insert of a compressible material suspended over the cavity, wherein the probe-head cover is adhered to the insert by a first adhesive;
- inserting the probe head into the cavity, the bottom, major sides, and minor sides of the tray causing the probe-head cover to contact the probe head, thereby adhering the probe-head cover to the probe head by way of a second adhesive on an outward-facing surface of the probe-head cover facing away from the insert;
- and
- withdrawing the probe head from the cavity, thereby separating the probe-head cover from the insert.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.