Medical gas tank receptacle for patient support apparatus
View Patent ↗A fluid tank receptacle comprises a housing, a cage, and a retainer. The housing includes an opening therethrough configured to receive a fluid tank. The cage movably engages the housing and configured to support the fluid tank. The retainer is coupled to the housing and is configured to movably retain a portion of the cage within the housing such that the cage is able to move between a storage position and a use position with respect to the housing.
1. A fluid tank receptacle for a patient support apparatus, the fluid tank receptacle comprising:
a housing with an opening therethrough configured to receive a fluid tank; and
a support movably engaging the housing and configured to support the fluid tank, a portion of the support being retained within the housing such that the support is able to move between a storage position and a use position with respect to the housing, wherein the support is biased upwardly with respect to the housing and wherein weight of the fluid tank bearing on the support overcomes the bias and translates the support from the storage position to the use position.
2. The fluid tank receptacle of claim 1 , wherein the support comprises a cage.
3. The fluid tank receptacle of claim 2 , wherein the cage comprises a circular hub and a plurality of cage segments extending from the hub.
4. The fluid tank receptacle of claim 3 , wherein each of the cage segments is generally L-shaped.
5. The fluid tank receptacle of claim 4 , wherein each cage segment includes a first portion extending radially outwardly from the circular hub and a second portion that is generally perpendicular to the first portion.
6. The fluid tank receptacle of claim 5 , further comprising a plurality of springs, each spring being coupled to the second portion of a respective cage segment.
7. The fluid tank receptacle of claim 6 , wherein the plurality of springs are located within an interior region of the housing.
8. The fluid tank receptacle of claim 6 , wherein movement of the cage downwardly relative to the housing from the storage position to the use position compresses the springs.
9. The fluid tank receptacle of claim 1 , further comprising a bumper coupled to the housing.
10. The fluid tank receptacle of claim 9 , wherein the bumper is configured to rotate about a rotational axis passing through a center of the opening in the housing.
11. The fluid tank receptacle of claim 9 , wherein the bumper is annular in shape and surrounds a lower end portion of the housing.
12. The fluid tank receptacle of claim 11 , wherein a portion of the support extends through a bore of the bumper.
13. The fluid tank receptacle of claim 12 , wherein the housing has a generally cylindrical inner wall that defines the opening and wherein the portion of the support that extends through the bore of the bumper is situated between the bumper and the generally cylindrical inner wall.
14. The fluid tank receptacle of claim 1 , further comprising at least one spring configured to engage the housing and the support to bias the support toward the storage position.
15. The fluid tank receptacle of claim 1 , wherein the housing is configured to maintain the fluid tank in a substantially vertical orientation.
16. The fluid tank receptacle of claim 1 , wherein the housing has a slot and a portion of the support is received in the slot.