Inlet tube stabilizer for flexible container

May 17, 1966 j. _L. _CLARK 3,251,069

INLET TUBE STABILIZER FOR FLEXIBLE CONTAINER Filed March s, 1964

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United States Patent Office

3,251,069

Patented May 17, 1966

3,251,069

INLET TUBE STABILIZER FOR FLEXIBLE CONTAINER

James L. Clark, Whitefish Bay, Wis., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Plastronics, Inc., Milwaukee, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin

Filed Mar. 9, 1964, Ser. No. 350,493 4 Claims. (Cl. 4—110)

This invention relates to an inlet tube stabilizer means for a flexible container designed for use as a bedside drainage bag or the like.

The object of this invention is to provide such a stabilizer means which is effective to maintain the inlet tube in the desired position and which can be manufactured at relatively low cost.

Other objects and advantages will be pointed out in, or be apparent from the specification and claims, as will obvious modifications of the two embodiments shown in the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of a bedside drainage bag constructed in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view of the tube gripping member of this invention; and

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3—3 of FIG. 2.

While the stabilizer means of this invention may be put to a wide variety of uses, for purposes of explanation it is shown used in combination with a plastic bedside drainage bag of the type used in hospitals and the like. The bedside bag 10 is made from two sheets of plastic 12,14 which are sealed to each other around the peripheral edges thereof as at 16 by any suitable welding procedure to provide a sealed container. The bag 10 is provided with a pair of inlet connector portions 16 and 18 (of different size) formed in the upper right-hand portion of the bag as shown in FIG. 1. The construction of such bag inlet portions may be of any suitable type such as that shown in my copending application Serial No. 350,329. The inlet tube 20 for carrying drainage fluid from a patient into the bag 10 is inserted into the connector portion 16 as shown in FIG. 1 and the bag is supported from a bed member or other support 22 by a strap 24.

It is important in the proper functioning of the drainage bag and tube that the tube be at all times positioned so that fluid will readily flow by gravity from the patient into the bag and that the tube be retained out of the way of nurses, etc. working around the patient.

This is accomplished by providing a tube gripping member 26 mounted on strap 24 as shown. Gripper member 26 is comprised of one or more pairs of spaced lips 28, 28 and 30, 30 which are curved to form cylindrical enclosures 52 and 34 of different diameter. As shown in FIG. 3, to accommodate tubes of different size, such lips are adapted to receive a tube 20 as shown in FIG. 1 and to firmly retain such tube in the desired position. While gripper member 26 can be made of different materials it is preferably made from a resilient plastic material.

Gripper member 26 is secured to the outer face of strap 24 by any suitable means such as welding with the axes of enclosures 32 and 34 extending in a horizontal plane above the point at which the tube 20 enters the 5 connector portion 16 of bag 10. With the gripper member thus positioned it will be effective to hold tube 20 as shown with the tube curving downwardly from the gripper member to the bag inlet to thus maintain the tube safely in such inlet and out of the way of nurses, 10 etc. working in the area. Furthermore, gripper member 26 very effectively serves to keep tube 20 positioned so that it will not drop down below the bag inlet and thus retard the free flow of liquid therethrough, a situation which could have adverse consequences on the pa15 tient being treated.

Although but one embodiment of the present invention has been illustrated and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without depart20 ing from the spirit of the invention or from the scope of the appended claims.