US3112387A - Frozen blood plasma defroster - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 26, 1963 M. v. BlsoRDl ETAL l FROZEN BLOOD PLASMA DEFROSTER Filed April 7, 1960 JWVEN'ORS- MARIO V. BISORDI PAUL WINCHELL A 77E/PNE? United States Patent Of 3,112,387 FROZEN BLOOD PLASMA DEFROSTER Mario V. Bisordi, 812 Gramatan Ave., Mount Vernon, N.Y., and Paul Winchell, 9 Althea Lane, Larchmont,

Filed Apr. 7, 1960, Ser. No. 20,593 1 Claim. (Cl. 21935) -This invention concerns a defrosting device for frozen blood, milk land other fluids.

The invention is particularly directed at a -device for defrosting containers of frozen blood plasma. Heretofore, when blood plasma has been required for immediate transfusion to a patient it has been necessary first to defrost and warm up the plasma which is normally preserved in frozen form. l1`he defrosting process generally requires thirty to forty-live minutes and requires continuous attention of a physician. This means that the physician cannot give his whole time and attention to the patient and the administration of the plasma is delayed until it `is properly defrosted and warmed up.

The present invention has as a principal object to ,overcome the foregoing and other difficulties and disadvantages by providing a defrosting device for containers of blood plasma which operates quickly and automatically without requiring attention of a physician so that in a few minutes the plasma is ready for administration to the patient.

A further object is to provide a defroster for blood plasma in whichA the intensity of applied heat is adjustable.

Another object is to provide a defroster for a container of blood plasma in which ymeans are provided for rotating the container while it is being heated, so that the contents of the container are uniformly and homogeneously warmed.

Still another object is to p rovide a defroster deyigerof.. s

the charater ldescribed wherein the speed of rotation of the container is adjustable at will and the intensity of applied heat is also adjustable, the device being provided with means for automatically turning off the heat and rotation means at ythe end of a predetermined time. i

For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects and advantages thereof, reference will be had to the following Idescription and accompanying drawings, and to the appended claim in which the various novel features of the invention are more particularly set fonth.

In the accompanying drawings for-ming a material part of this disclosure:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a device embodying the invention.

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view on an enlarged scale taken on line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a horizontal sectional View taken on line 3 3 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a diagram of an electrical circuit employed in the device.

lIn FIGS. 1-3, there is shown fthe device 10 including a casing having a rectangular base 12 and a top cover 14 hinged to one side of the base by a hinge 16. Knob 18 on the cover facilitates opening the cover. Both the cover and base are formed of metal sheets 20, 22 lined with sheets 24, 26 of asbestos, Fiberglas, .rock wool or other thermal insulation material. FIhe bottom of the box is lined with a plastic sheet or plate 28.

lSecured to the bottom plate 28 are four sockets 30 in which are removably inserted four lamps or other suitable heating elements L1-L4. e011 side wall 21 is a heat control 23, a speed control 25 and timer cut-out switch 27. Handles 32 secured to sides 19 and 21 of the base permit :the device to be lifted and carried. IOn the rear wall 17 of the base is mounted a motor 34 hav- 3,112,387 Patented Nov. 26, 1963 'ice ing a shaft 36 extending horizontally forward. A ange 38 is secured to the shaft 36 and to a larger circular disc 40 disposed to rotate in a vertical plane.

Disc 40 carries a forwardly extending shelf 42 secured thereto by screws 44. A pair of spaced spring fingers 46, 47 Iare secured to the disc for embracing removably a bottle, can or other type of container 48 of blood plasma or other fluid. Another pair of spaced fingers 5.0, 51 secured to disc 40 engages the neck N of the container 48 closed by cap 49. The controls 23 and 25 have control knobs 23a and 25*ab while switch 27 has a switch handle 27a. A power cord 41 terminating in a plug 52 may be connected to a suitable power supply to provide electrical energy for the device.

fI'he several electrical components are connected in an electrical circuit as shown in FIG. 4 to which reference is now made. Motor 34 is connected in series with speed control 25 which is a rheostat, and with power lines 53, 54 of power cord 41. Lamps L1-L4 are connected to arcuate pairs of contacts C1-C8 secured to a stationary insulated disc 56 inside the housing 58 of control 23. Power lines 53, 54 are connected via wires 57, 58 to conductive discs 59, 60 carrying radially extending conductive bars 61, 62. lBar 61 has four spaced spring wiper contacts W located to contact arcuate contacts Cl-C4. Bar 62 has four other wiper contacts W located to contact arcuate contacts C5-C8. Bars 61 and 62 and their supporting discs 59, 66 are mounted on insulated shaft 63 of the control and rotate together. The bars and discs are spaced apart so that one power line can be disposed in circuit with contacts C1-C4 while the other power line can be disposed in circuit 'with contacts CS-CS depending on the setting of the switch.

It will be noted from FIGS 1 and 4, that control/23 has four circumferentially spaced heat settings marked H114 .in addition toean GFF 'positioT-Iln position H1, only lamp L1 is lit via contacts C1, C5. In position H2, lamps L1 and L2 are lit via pairs of contacts C1, C5 and C2, C6, respectively. In position H3, lamps L1, L2, L3 are lit via pairs of contacts C1, C5; C2, C6; and C3, C7, respectively. In position H4, all the lamps L1-L4 are lit |via pairs of contacts C1, C5; C2, C6; C3, C7; and C4, C8, respectively. Control 23 is thus a two-pole switch effective to connect any desired number of lamps in parallel to the power supply. Each lamp is used as a heat rather than a light source.y In one practical installation, twenty-iive watt tubular incandescent lamps were used effectively.

Switch 27 isa double pole switch. One pole 701 is closed with contact 71 while pole 72 is open; and pole 72 is closed with contact 73 while pole 70 is open. The timer 31 has a thermal relay including a heating element 74 which can be connected across the power lines 5-3, 54 when pole 72 is closed with contact 73. A bimetallic element 75 is normally closed with a contact 76 and connected in parallel with pole 70 and contact 71.

In FIGS. 2 and 4, the timer 31 in the Off position and pole 70 is closed with contact 71. -If the pole 70 is opened, pole 72 will iclose in the On .timer position and element 74 will star-t to heat up. After a predetermined time, the thermal element 74 will cause the bimetallic element 7S to sepa/rate fromv contact 76 to open the circuit normally closed through elements 75 and contact 76 and turn off the lamps and motor. By closing pole 70 with contact 71 lthe timer 31 is deactivated and power is continuously supplied to the lamps and motor. When the timer is activated, the lamps will be energized along with the motor for only the preset time of the timer.

In operation of the device, the physician or a nurse will place a Ibottle 48 of frozen plasma on shelf 42 and secure it between the spring fingers 46, `47 and 50, 51.

Timer switch 27 may be in Uit position. By plugging cord 41 into a suitable power outlet, the lamps L1-L4 will become energized and the -motor 34 will turn shaft 36 and disc 40 continuously funtil the plasma becomes sufiiciently fluid and heated. If the switch 27 is set to On position, .then the lamps will be lit only for a predetermined time long enough for the thermal element '74 to cause contacts 75, 76 to open whereupon the motor will stop and the lamps will be turned off. The number of lamps which will be on during the operating cycle will depend on the setting of control knob 23a. In settings HIL-H4, respectively, one, two, three or four lamps, respectively, will be on. The container 48 is mounted on the shelf 42 to rotate on an laxis perpendicular to the axis of the disc 40.

The plasma will thus be heated and simultaneously stirred in the container to homogeneity while 'being heated for the required length of time. No attention of the physician or nurse will be required since the device can be set to turn off automatically when heating is completed. The container of plasma heats uniformly throughout. The turning of the bottle in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the disc 40I and shaft 36 keeps the air in the box circulating during the entire operating cycle. This distributes the heated air convection currents in the casing uniformly. The bottle is also heated by direct radiant energy from the adjacent lamps. The asbestos or other insulation lining prevents heat loss, shortens heating time, and increases eliiciency of the heating cycle to the optimum. Of course the cover 14 is closed during the heating cycle.

Upon completion of the heating cycle, the cover is opened and the bottle of plasma is ready for use. The device can v'also be used for defrosting and heating other iiuids such as milk, fruit juices and other liquid foods, and the like.

While we have illustrated and described the preferred embodiment of our invention, it is to \be understood that we do not limit ourselves-tothe precise constructi,orrlgregegl l the casing, means for energizing the motor and lamps,

switch rneansfor turning the motor and ylamps on and off, said casing having a cover and being lined with insulation material -for retaining heat within the casing, said support including a rdisc supported on the shaft of the motor, a shelf on the disc for supporting a container, and spring means carried by the disc for detachably engaging a container while supported on the shelf, said switch means including a multiple position switch for selectively energizing a selected number of said lamps at a time, said spring means including arcuate spring iingers adapted to engage the body of a bottle-shaped container and smaller spring `fin-gers shaped to engage the neck portion of a bottle-shaped container.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,135,473 Vath Apr. 13, 1915 1,440,519 Woodson Jan. 2, 1923 1,785,079 Grapp Dec. 16, 1930 1,870,476 Badcock Aug. 9, 1932 1,971,012 MacDonald Aug. 21, 1934 2,824,943 Laughlin Feb. 25, 1958 2,839,989 Persinger June 24, 1958 2,885,952 Campbell May 12, 1959 2,931,882

Strauss Apr. 5, 1960

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