Cincinnati Sub-zero Products, Inc.

Gentherm Medical, LLC

Danial Koewler

Michael Molloy

Brandon Wyatt

Christopher John Mantz

A unitary inlet port assembly for use as a closable air inlet port for an inflatable heating blanket or garment. The inlet port assembly has a port panel on the outside of blanket, having an inlet opening configured for receiving an air hose nozzle. A closure panel that is disposed within an interior portion of the inflatable heating blanket or garment, and is hinged an edge of the port panel. A latch extends from an outer-facing surface of the closure panel, to register with the inlet opening of the port panel when pivoted to a closed position. At the closed position, the outer-facing surface of the closure panel confronts and engages the inside surface of the port panel to close the air inlet port. The latch is configured to engage the annular rim of the port panel to hold the closure panel in the closed position.

Integral inlet port assembly

A patient temperature control system () uses variable temperature gradient warming/cooling in combination with a warming/cooling device (), such as a blanket, to increase efficiency in driving a patient's temperature to a desired setpoint, with reduced occurrence of and magnitude of overshoot conditions. In operation, the controller () of the system () senses the temperature of a patient () via a sensor (), for comparison to a temperature of the circulating water, sensed via sensor (). If the patient temperature is not sufficiently close to a setpoint temperature, the system () is operable to warm/cool the circulating water to a temperature which differs from the patient's temperature by a temperature gradient of 10 &#xb0; C., or some other preselected initial temperature gradient. After a subsequent time interval, if the patient temperature has not moved sufficiently close to the setpoint temperature, the controller () incrementally raises or lowers the temperature of the circulating water, to intensify the a warming/cooling effect. This procedure repeats at desired intervals, to more efficiently reach the setpoint temperature. Thus, the system () is capable of automatically increasing or decreasing the temperature gradient, dependent upon subsequently sensed patient temperatures.

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Batavia, OH, United States of America

Danial Koewler