FR2847157A1 - Cover for gynaecological foot-support, has external strip that is never in contact with foot of patient and two side handles to open cover and to rest cover on foot supports - Google Patents

Abstract

The cover consists of a flexible sheath, open at an end according to an opening (14), closed at another end according to a bottom (2). The bottom comprises of an external strip (5) that is never in contact with foot of a patient. Two side handles (3A, 3B) facilitates to open the cover and to rest the cover on foot supports. An Independent claim is also included for a method of realization of a cover.

Description

- 1

  The invention relates to the hygiene of gynecological examinations.

  During a gynecological clinical examination, the consultant's feet rest bare on footrests. Currently, the footrests are not covered with any protection, which involves a risk of transmission of dermatoses or S infections from one patient to another. The object of the present invention is to provide protection

  for gynecological footrest which remedies this drawback.

  This protection must be for single use, must be easy to put on, easy to remove and must be able to be removed without the doctor himself being able to get his hands dirty. The technical problem to be resolved is to place on the protection a means of removal which is easily accessible by the doctor's hand and which, during all the manipulation, remains at a distance from the parts which have been in contact with the feet of the consultant. The invention comprises a disposable cover with a tab at the level of the

  bottom of the cover and optional padding at the footrest.

  The absence of direct contact between the foot and the footrest allows padding

  the footrest for better comfort for the consultant.

  The advantages brought by the invention are multiple: - elimination of the risk of transmission of infections from one consultant to another

  - improvement of the consultant's comfort.

  Other advantages will appear during the description, in particular the absence of

  waste during the manufacturing process.

  The cover (1) has an opening (14), two gripping handles (3A, 3B), a bottom (2) and at least one tongue (5). The cover (1) has at the bottom (2)

  at least one tongue (5) substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the cover.

  The handles (3A, 3B) open the cover (1), handle it and place it on the footrest. After manufacture, the covers remain contiguous and are rolled up on a display stand. The user's hands grip the cover at the bottom (2) or the tongue (5), then by gentle pulling detach the cover, then grab the

  handles (3A, 3B), then open the cover and put the cover on the footrest.

  The cover is made from a flexible plastic sheath obtained by extrusion and blowing according to a known process. Then, the sheath is flattened according to a known method. Then inscriptions can be printed on the flattened sheath, according to a known process. Then the lateral edges of the sheath are folded back to make a bellows on each side according to a known method. The side gussets allow the cover to open when the user grasps the handles. In the rest of the

  description, the adjective "longitudinal" means "parallel to the longitudinal axis of the

  sheath ". The adjective" transverse "means" perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the

  sheath ". In the rest of the description, the adjective" superior "refers to the part

  of the cover located on the side of the opening (14), the adjective "lower" refers to the part of the cover located on the side of the bottom (2). Figure 1 shows in cross section the sheath before folding: in particular the free edges (6A, 6B) which after folding will become the internal folds. Figure 2 shows in cross section the sheath after folding: the lines (6A, 6B) constitute the internal folds of the folded sheath, the lines (7A, 7B) constitute the external folds of the folded sheath. Figure 3 shows a top view of the sheath after folding. From the folded and printed continuous sheath roll,

  the covers are made by welding, cutting and pre-cutting. In the description which

  follows, the covers will be numbered in ascending order of construction: the cover (n-1) is made immediately before the cover (n). FIG. 4 shows the relative arrangement of the covers (n-1) (n) and (n + 1) according to the preferred embodiment of the invention. In Figure 4, the contours of the cover (n) are shown in solid lines, the contours of the covers (n-1) and (n + 1) are shown in broken lines. The cut and precut lines of the bottom of the cover (n) and its tongue coincide with the cut and pre-cut lines of the handles and the opening (14) of the cover (n-1). The figure

  4 shows that the entire film of the plastic sheath is used and that there is no waste.

  This arrangement has the advantage of saving the amount of plastic sheath and

  remove the problem of waste disposal.

  Figure 5 shows a top view of the cover (1) after folding, cuts, pre-cuts and welds. In FIG. (5): the external folds (7A, 7B) are represented by bold lines, the internal folds (6A, 6B) are represented by broken lines, the cutting lines (4,10) are represented by simple solid lines, the precut lines (12A, 12B, 1 IAJ IB) are represented by dotted lines,

  the welds (8.9A, 9B, 13.15A, 15B, 15C) are represented by double lines.

  Although in FIG. 5 the precut lines are represented by dotted lines, for practical realization the precut lines can be - 3 dotted, broken or straight and are produced according to known methods.

  shows in perspective the cover (1) open, ready to be put on the footrest.

  The cover (1) comprises two gripping handles (3A, 3B), an opening (14), a bottom (2) and at least one tongue (5). According to the preferred embodiment of the invention, the tongue (5) is located substantially in the middle of the bottom (2) of the cover and the axis of the tongue (5) is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the

  cover, but we will see later that other geometric arrangements are possible.

  The upper cutting line (4) determines the opening (14) of the cover. The cutting line (4) is divided into two longitudinal lines (4A, 4B) and a transverse line (4C). The upper cutting line (4) of the cover (n) coincides with the lower cutting line (10) of the next cover (n + 1). Pre-cut lines

  (12A, 12B) determine the upper ends of the handles (3A, 3B).

  After manufacture, the cover (n) remains attached to the next cover (n + 1) at its precut lines (12A, 12B). To detach the cover (n), the user grasps the cover (n) at the bottom (2) or at the tongue (5) and by digital traction causes the covers (n) and (n + 1) to separate level of the precut lines (12A, 12B) of the cover (n). The upper precut lines (12A, 12B) of the cover (n) coincide with the lower precut lines (1 A, 11 B) of the cover

next (n + 1).

  The contours of the handles (3A, 3B) are determined by the external folds (7A, 7B), by the cutting line (4) and by the precut lines (12A, 12B). Welds (9A, 9B)

  close the upper ends of the handles (3A, 3B).

  When the consultant's foot is placed on the footrest, it can happen that the bottom (2) and the tongue (5) are entrained inside the footrest, which makes the tongue (5) inaccessible for removal. In order to remedy this drawback, the bottom (2) of the cover is closed by at least one transverse weld (13) and by at least one arcuate weld (8). The arcuate weld (8) follows the shape of the footrest and prevents the bottom (2) and the tongue (5) from sliding inside the footrest. Ideally, the shape of the weld (8) should be parallel to the part of the footrest with which it comes into contact. Gynecological footrests have various shapes. An arcuate weld (8) adapts to the majority of known footrests, but V or U-shaped welds are also possible. For strength, the welds (8) and (13) can be doubled. The number of welds -4 (8.13) required depends on the thickness and consistency of the plastic film. By way of nonlimiting example, for a polyethylene film 15 microns thick, a

  solder (8) and a solder (13) are sufficient.

  In order for the consultant's heel to be able to sink into the footrest, the width and length of the cover must be greater than that of the footrest. By way of nonlimiting example, the width of the cover is substantially between 2 and 2 times 2/2 the width of the footrest, that is to say taking into account the average width of the supports - feet: approximately 20 to 25 cm. By way of nonlimiting example, the length of the cover is substantially between 2 and 2 times 1/2 the length of the footrest, that is to say taking into account the average length of the

  footrests: approximately 26 to 40 cm.

  The previous cover (n-1) can be detached from the cover (n) at the precut lines (1 IA, 1 1B) of the cover (n). The lower precut lines (1 IA, 1 lb) of the cover (n) coincide with the upper precut lines

  (12A, 12B) of the previous cover (n-1).

  The lower cutting line (10) determines the outline of the tongue (5). The cutting line (10) is divided into two longitudinal parts (1OA, 1OB) and a transverse part (1OC). The lower cutting line (10) of the cover (n) coincides with the

  upper cutting line (4) of the previous cover (n-1).

  For solidity, a weld (15) follows the contour of the tongue (5). The weld (15) has two longitudinal parts (1 5A, 1 5B) and a transverse part (1 5C). The

  welds (i5 A, 1 5B) extend to the transverse weld (13).

  After the welding, cutting and precut operations, the successive covers remain contiguous at the precut lines and are stored in rolls. The roller is placed on a support. The user grasps the cover (n) at the bottom (2) or the tongue (5) and by gentle pulling detaches the cover (n) from the cover (n + 1) at the precut lines. The user then grasps the handles (3A, 3B), opens the cover at the opening (14) and puts the cover (1) on the footrest. After the clinical examination, the user removes the cover (1) by pulling on the tab (5), then without touching the parts that have been in contact with the consultant's foot, he throws the cover into a bin. During the manufacturing process, the covers can also be detached from each other and then stacked on top of each other

packages, according to a known method.

  To facilitate handling, the plastic film may have micro-roughness on its surface which stakes. The plastic film can also receive a known non-slip treatment which facilitates its handling. The plastic film can be made of recyclable material, by way of non-limiting example of polyethylene or polypropylene. By way of nonlimiting example, a thickness of 15 microns of polyethylene is sufficient to ensure solidity, but thicker or more films

thin can be used.

  Currently, gynecological footrests are made of metal. Contact of the foot with a footrest causes a feeling of cold and hardness. Known footrests are not provided with padding because the padding is difficult to clean and cannot be disinfected before each examination. An advantage of the present invention is to allow the padding of the footrests, since they are no longer in direct contact with the feet of the consultant. This results in increased comfort for the consultant, in particular the absence of a feeling of cold and the absence of a feeling of hardness. Inexpensive padding can be easily achieved with sheaths currently used for pipe insulation. In particular, the longitudinally split and self-adhesive insulating sheaths are easy to use

  and are suitable for the use associated with the present invention.

  The preferred embodiment of the invention has been described. Other embodiments are possible. The withdrawal tab (5) can be of different dimensions: the width of the cut (1OC) can be different from the width of the cut (4C). The lengths of the cuts (IOAIOB) can be different from the lengths of the cuts (4A, 4B). In these cases, part of the plastic sheath is unused and waste must be eliminated. The position of the tongue (5) can be lateral instead of median. The orientation of the tongue (5) can be oblique to the axis

longitudinal of the cover (1).

  The number of removal tabs can be more than one. By way of example, FIG. 7 shows another embodiment of the invention: two tongues (20A, 20B) are located at the bottom (2) of the cover. The cutting line (21) determines the shape and size of the tongues (20A, 20B). The cutting line (21) is

  breaks down into two longitudinal parts (21A, 21B) and a transverse part (21C).

  For strength, welds (22A, 22B) follow the contours of the tongues (20A, 20B) and extend to the transverse weld (13). The cut (4), the -6 welds (8.9A, 9B, 13), the handles (3A, 3B), the pre-cuts (12A, 12B) are the same as in the preferred embodiment of the invention. The pre-cuts (16A, 16B) of

  the cover (n) coincides with the precuts (12A, 12B) of the previous cover (n-1).

  According to another embodiment, the shape of the upper cutting line which determines the opening (14) is not rectangular. FIG. 8 shows an exemplary embodiment of the upper section line (24) which comprises two arcuate notches (24D, 24E) located between the longitudinal parts (24A, 24B) and the transverse part (24C). The said notches (24D, 24E) facilitate the maneuver

opening the cover.

-7

Claims (7)

claims   1. Single-use cover (1) for gynecological footrest, consisting of a flexible sheath, open at one end through an opening (14), closed at the other end along a bottom (2), characterized in that the bottom (2) has at least one tongue exterior (5).   2. Cover according to claim 1, characterized in that the tongue (5) is located   substantially in the middle of the bottom (2) of the cover (1).   3. Cover according to claim 2, characterized in that the tongue (5) is oriented   substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the cover (1).   4. Cover according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises on either side of the opening (14) two lateral handles (3A, 3B) diametrically opposite and   oriented substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the cover (1).   5. Method for producing a cover according to claim 3, method according to which the cover is delimited on the side of the opening (14) by the cutting line (4) and two lines of precuts (12A, 12B), method according to which the cover is delimited on the bottom side (2) by the cutting line (10) and two lines of precuts (1 A, IB), method according to which the precut lines (12A, 12B) of the cover ( n) coincide with the precut lines (1 IA, 1 1B) of the following cover (n + 1), characterized in that the upper cutting line (4) of the cover (n) coincides with   the lower cutting line (10) of the next cover (n + 1).   6. Cover according to claim 1, characterized in that the bottom (2) has two diametrically opposite outer tongues and oriented substantially   parallel to the longitudinal axis of the cover.   7. Cover according to claim 1, characterized in that the upper cutting line (24) comprises two arcuate notches (24D, 24E) located between the   longitudinal section (24A, 24B) and the transverse section (24C).