The Boc Group, Inc.

Anthony D Buttitta

Robert J Koch

Douglas D Garden

An infant incubator is disclosed having a hood that encloses the infant compartment. In the base of the incubator is the heating air and ducting means and which provides heated through an ever open outlet in the base and which heated air passes from the base through a flow path formed by the hood that circulates around the infant and re-enters the base through an inlet. That heated air is thus introduced into or along the access door in the front of the hood from the outlet and travels through or along the access door and through or along the hood around the infant and is returned to the base for recirculation. The hood itself is pivotally attached to the base at the rear of the incubator so that it can be opened from the front for complete access to the infant. The access door in the front of the hood is pivotally attached to the incubator base and can also be opened for access to the infant. When the access door is in its closed position, it forms part of the air path for the heated air. The heated air from the access door continues to pass along the flow path formed by the hood. When the access door is opened, it pivots out of the way of the air flow from the ever open outlet in the base and the flow of heated air continues over the area normally occupied by the access door when in its closed position forming an air curtain to protect the environment of the infant compartment. The flow of air thereafter enters the flow path formed by the hood in the same manner as the path of the air flow when the access door is closed and eventually re-enters the base through the inlet.

Infant incubator with air curtain

An infant care center that includes a standing, vertical frame and has an infant bed that is suspended outwardly from the vertical frame. The infant bed is adapted to retain the infant and is readily adjustable to a plurality of positions devised for the infant. The bed itself is tiltable about an axis to the various positions and a unique tilt mechanism allows the degree of tilt to be easily selected and then locked into position by attending personnel. The tilt mechanism includes a double acting piston assembly that secures the frame to a point on the infant bed remote from the axis about which the bed is tiltable. The double acting piston assembly includes a piston operable within a cylinder and which divides the cylinder into two variable chambers. Each chamber has a part to introduce and remove hydraulic fluid therefrom and a closed circuit joins the parts so that fluid normally can move from one chamber to the other or the piston travels within the cylinder to move the tilt position of the infant bed. A valve is conveniently located for such personnel to open or close the closed circuit to the flow of hydraulic fluid such that when the valve is open, the infant bed may be moved to the desired position and the valve then closed to prevent further movement of the piston and therefore the infant bed is locked into that desired position.

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Ellicott City, MD, United States of America

Anthony D Buttitta