Modular fluid warmer
AssigneeEnthermics Medical Systems, Inc.
InventorsWilliam J. Hansen, Terence T. Smith
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present invention provides a modular fluid warmer and a method of stacking a plurality of modular fluid warmers. As each of the modular fluid warmers is independently operated, the modular fluid warmers are energy efficient. Further, each modular fluid warmer may be equipped with sensors and a controller that reduces the required amount of user interaction with the modular fluid warmer.
Claims20
A modular fluid warmer for heating a fluid disposed in a container to a desired temperature, the modular fluid warmer comprising:
- a shelf having a substantially horizontally extending support surface for supporting the container having said fluid disposed therein;
- a support structure supporting said shelf and including a back wall;
- a heating element proximate the support surface;
- a controller that selectively operates the heating element to warm the container placed on the support surface;
- a first mating structure formed on an upper surface of said back wall;
- a second mating structure formed on a lower surface of said back wall;
- wherein the first mating structure of the modular fluid warmer is configured to mate with a second mating structure of another modular fluid warmer to stack the modular fluid warmers;
- wherein the back wall of the support structure is attached to a back plate that is sized to receive the at least one modular fluid warmer;
- and
- wherein the back plate includes a power source having a plurality of wires for connecting to each of the at least one modular fluid warmer to provide power the at least one modular fluid warmer.
A method of stacking a plurality of modular fluid warmers comprising:
- providing a back plate sized to receive a number of modular fluid warmers, each of the modular fluid warmers configured to heat a fluid disposed in a container;
- stacking the modular fluid warmers by attaching each of the modular fluid warmers to the back plate and nesting a first mating structure of one of the modular fluid warmers into a second mating structure of another of the modular fluid warmers;
- and
- wherein the stacking of modular fluid warmers by attachment to the back plate and nesting the modular fluid warmers into one another forms a stacked assembly.
A transportable fluid warmer assembly comprising:
- a stacked assembly including a plurality of modular fluid warmers, each of the plurality of modular fluid warmers for heating a fluid disposed in a container to a desired temperature, each of the plurality of modular fluid warmers including:
- a shelf having a substantially horizontally extending support surface for supporting the container having said fluid disposed therein;
- a support structure supporting said shelf and including a back wall;
- a heating element proximate the support surface;
- a controller that selectively operates the heating element to warm the container placed on the support surface;
- a first mating structure formed on an upper surface of said back wall;
- and
- a second mating structure formed on a lower surface of said back wall;
- wherein the first mating structure of each modular fluid warmer is configured to mate with a second mating structure of another modular fluid warmer to stack the plurality of modular fluid warmers;
- and
- an I.V. pole having the stacked assembly attached thereto.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.