Patient lead wire detangler
AssigneeKoninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.
InventorPatrick L. Hauge
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A device for detangling or preventing the tangling of a plurality of elongated flexible members. At least one slidable collar includes at least one elongated bore for receiving the flexible members. The slidable collar is slidable along the flexible members. In an embodiment, the device includes a fixed collar that is fixed to the flexible members; and a retractable sheath surrounds the flexible members and id fixed to the fixed collar and to the slidable collar, wherein sliding the slidable collar along the flexible member away from the fixed collar extends the sheath along the flexible members.
Claims27
A device for detangling or preventing the tangling of a plurality of elongated flexible members, the device comprising:
- at least one slidable collar comprising at least one elongated bore for receiving at least one of the flexible members, wherein the slidable collar is slidable along the flexible members;
- a fixed collar comprising at least one elongated bore for receiving a plurality of flexible members, and wherein the fixed collar is fixed to the flexible members;
- and
- a plurality of retractable sheaths, each sheath surrounding at least a portion of two or more of the flexible members and fixed to the collar and the slidable collar, wherein each of the plurality are sheaths of adapted so as to surround a variable amount of the flexible members by sliding the slidable collar along the flexible member away from the fixed collar to extend at least one of the sheaths along the two or more flexible members so as to surround a variable amount of the flexible members.
A method for detangling a plurality of flexible members, the steps comprising:
- sliding at least one slidable collar member along the flexible members, said at least one slidable collar member having a bore fore each of the flexible members, and
- sliding the slidable collar member away from a fixed collar member fixed to the flexible members, thereby extending a plurality of retractable sheaths, each sheath surrounds at least a portion of two or more of the flexible members and is fixed to the slidable collar member and the fixed collar member so as to surround a variable amount of the flexible members.
A method for preventing a plurality of flexible members from becoming tangled, the method comprising:
- retaining the flexible members with a flexible member retainer comprising a plurality of flexible member retaining grooves, each groove retaining one flexible member, each groove comprising an opening having a maximum width smaller than a maximum width of the flexible member the groove is to retain;
- wherein
- moving the flexible members in a first direction reassociates the flexible members and the retainer after removal, and moving the flexible members in a second direction opposite the first direction disassociates at least a portion of the flexible members from the retainer after insertion.
A device for preventing a plurality of flexible members from becoming tangled, the device comprising:
- a flexible member retainer for retaining the flexible members, the flexible member retainer comprising a plurality of flexible member retaining grooves, each groove retaining one flexible member, each groove comprising an opening having a maximum width smaller than a maximum width of the flexible member the groove is to retain;
- wherein
- said flexible member retainer for reassociating the flexible members after removal from the retainer when one of said flexible member retainer and the flexible members are moved in a first direction, and said flexible member retainer is for disassociating at least a portion of the flexible members from the retainer when one of said flexible member retainer and the flexible members are moved in a second direction opposite the first direction after insertion of the flexible members in said flexible member retainer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.