Jaw support apparatus
PREAMBLE 
     The present invention relates to an apparatus for supporting the jaw of a supine patient to maintain or improve the patient&#39;s airway, and was co-invented by the applicants: (1) Paul Lanier, of 2227 Arbor Springs, Carrollton, Tex. 75007; (2) Lee H. Mota, of 2970 Crystal Springs, Richardson, Tex. 75082; and (3) Chuck Russler, 11424 Chairman Drive, Dallas, Tex. 75243. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     A variety of situations arise in modem health care when it is required to maintain or improve a supine patient&#39;s airway without intubation. Such situations are common, for example, when transporting a partially or completely anesthetized supine patient to or from surgery. Other similar situations may arise in the emergency room, or in the recovery room after surgery. In such situations, intubation may not be desirable or even feasible due to the physical condition of the patient. Without intubation, however, several mechanisms can work to occlude the supine patient&#39;s airway, such as the pharynx collapsing, the tongue falling back into the throat, or the jaw simply falling back. 
     Up until now, health care professionals have countered these effects by using a procedure whereby the thumbs are placed on the patient&#39;s forehead and the fingers are placed behind the angles of the patient&#39;s jaw. When the health care professional rotates the wrist and pushes the fingers forward, the effect is to thrust the patient&#39;s jaw anteriorly. With the jaw in this artificial anterior position, the patient&#39;s airway is dramatically improved without intubation. The problem, however, is that this position with the hands now has to be maintained, disabling the health care professional from any other activity that requires use of the hands, and causing fatigue in hands and wrists of the health care professional. 
     The present invention is directed to an apparatus and a method that addresses this problem. A frame (with detachable pillow) is placed under the supine patient&#39;s head, secured to the patient&#39;s forehead if desired. Extensions attached to the frame emerge from under the back of the neck and run just above and parallel to the shoulders. Swinging members, pivoting about the far ends of the extensions, are then brought back towards the sides of the patient&#39;s neck, allowing jaw support members slidably attached to the ends of the swinging members to extend up under the angles of the patient&#39;s jaw. 
     Copying the effect of the health care professional&#39;s fingers when improving the airway as described above, the jaw support members are slid away from the frame, making contact with the angles of the patient&#39;s jaw and forcing the patient&#39;s jaw to be thrust forward anteriorly. 
     The slidable attachment of the jaw support members to the swinging members also includes a unidirectional clutch such as a ratchet and pawl system. Once the patient&#39;s jaw is thrust anteriorly to the position required to maintain or improve the airway, therefore, the unidirectional clutch keeps the jaw in this position until the clutch is released. At that time, if desired, the patient&#39;s head may then be tilted forward and the present invention removed. 
     Emergency removal of the present invention from the vicinity of the patient may also be accomplished by rotating the swinging members away from the patient until the jaw support members are clear. The patient&#39;s head may then be lifted momentarily and the entire apparatus removed quickly. 
     Related devices directed to supporting the human jaw from its angles are known in the field of undertaking. Morticians have patented devices intended to improve the appearance of supine corpses by modifying the position of the jaw with respect to the head. See, e.g., Stenshoel, U.S. Pat. No. 1,776,167; Hanson, U.S. Pat. No. 2,270,588. These devices do not solve the basic need addressed by the present invention, however, in that they are not directed to thrusting a patient&#39;s jaw anteriorly to maintain or improve the airway. Moreover, these devices are intended to hold the jaw semi-permanently for long periods, whereas the present invention fulfills a need to release the jaw quickly if necessary in an emergency. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide a means of maintaining or improving the airway of a supine patient by supporting the jaw from the angles and then thrusting it anteriorly. 
     It is a further object of this invention, once the jaw is thrust anteriorly, to support the jaw in that position in a hands-free environment. 
     It is a further object of this invention to support the jaw using a unidirectional clutch, so that the support for the jaw may be removed quickly and easily by releasing the clutch. 
     It is a further object of this invention to provide a means of clearing all mechanisms attached to the invention from the vicinity of the patient in the event of an emergency. 
     It is a further object of this invention to enhance control over the movement of the patient&#39;s head by providing an optional head restraint attached to the frame. 
     It is a further object of this invention to enhance the comfort of the patient by providing contact surfaces that are sculpted to fit the anatomy that they touch. 
     It is a further object of this invention to provide removable pillow and jaw cradles that may detached to be cleaned if necessary. 
     It is a further object of this invention to provide a pillow and jaw cradles that may be made from a variety of resilient materials. 
     It is a further object of this invention to provide a device that is relatively simple and inexpensive to manufacture, and yet sturdy and reliable in use. 
     These and other objects of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in this art from the detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the invention set forth below. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     This invention will be further described in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a top view looking down on a supine patient with the present invention in use. Front plate 42 and pawl means 54 of second swinging member 34 are partially cut away to reveal pawl face 55 engaging on straight ratchet means 68. Head restraint 78 is not in use. 
     FIG. 2 is a side view of FIG. 1 looking from the patient&#39;s left side. Elastic means 57 are illustrated. 
     FIG. 3 is an elevation view of the present invention from the side normally under the patient&#39;s neck. The sculpted shapes of detachable pillow means 74 and jaw cradles 70 are illustrated. Swinging members 30 and 34 are illustrated &#34;see-through&#34; to display components otherwise hidden. 
     FIG. 4 is a top view of the present invention, without a patient, and with detachable pillow means 74 removed to reveal frame 10 in more detail. 
     FIG. 5 is a detailed view of near end 40 of second swinging member 34, as taken from FIG. 3. Front plate 42 is shown &#34;see-through&#34; to display components in gap 48 more clearly. 
     FIG. 5A is a view of FIG. 5 looking up from underneath. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     With reference to FIGS. 2 and 4, frame 10 has an anterior face 15. FIGS. 1, 3 and 4 illustrate that frame 10 also has left extension member 20 and right extension member 25 connected thereto, left extension member 20 extending leftwardly from anterior face 15 of frame 10 and right extension member 25 extending rightwardly from anterior face 15 of frame 10. Extension members 20 and 25 also have far ends 27 and 29 respectively, far ends 27 and 29 located distant from frame 10. As shown in more detail on FIG. 1, first swinging member 30 is pivotally attached at its far end 32 to far end 27 of left extension member 20, and second swinging member 34 is pivotally attached at its far end 36 to far end 29 of right extension member 25 so that near ends 38 and 40 of first and second swinging members 30 and 34 may pivot to approach anterior face 15 of frame 10. 
     As further shown on FIGS. 1, 2 and 4, first swinging member 30 and second swinging member 34 each include a substantially dihedral front plate 42 and a substantially dihedral back plate 44. Front and back plates 42 and 44 are fixed rigidly together and separated by spacer means 46 to provide gaps 48. As shown in cutaway on FIG. 1, and in detail on FIGS. 5 and 5A, each gap 48 contains first boss 50 facing second boss 52, first boss 50 located on back plate 42 opposite second boss 52 located on front plate 44. Each gap 48 also provides pawl means 54 fixed within gap 48 and offering pawl face 55 available to be engaged upon from within gap 48. The preferred embodiment described herein, with dihedral plates 42 and 44 forming gaps 48, reflects the inventors&#39; current understanding of the best mode of making the present invention. It will be understood that instead, however, first and second swinging members 30 and 34 could also be generally of a more solid construction, with facing bosses 50 and 52 located within slots or openings provided in swinging members 30 and 34, and that such an arrangement would not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention. 
     FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 4 also illustrate that each gap 48 also provides stop means 56, each stop means 56 defining a predetermined pivotal rest position for swinging members 30 and 34 with respect to left and right extension members 20 and 25 respectively as swinging members 30 and 34 approach anterior face 15 of frame 10. In the preferred embodiment herein, spacer means 46 are located within gaps 48 so that they may also serve as stop means 56. The present invention is not limited to this &#34;dual purpose&#34; configuration, however, and it is contemplated that spacer means 46 and stop means 56 may be separate components without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. With reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, elastic means 57 encourage swinging members 30 and 34 to approach anterior face 15 of frame 10 and make contact with stop means 56. 
     Best seen on FIGS. 1, 5 and 5A, near end 38 of first swinging member 30 provides left jaw support member 58, while near end 40 of second swinging member 34 provides right jaw support member 60. Jaw support members 58 and 60 each have an anterior end 62 opposite a posterior end 64. Jaw support members 58 and 60 also each have two grooves 66 and a straight ratchet means 68 provided therein. Bosses 50 and 52 are each paired with a groove 66. 
     Referring now particularly to FIGS. 5 and 5A, left and right jaw support members 58 and 60 are then received into gaps 48 in first and second swinging members 30 and 34 respectively, each boss 50 and 52 also simultaneously received slidably into its paired groove 66 so as to permit jaw support members 58 and 60 to slide towards and away from anterior face 15 of frame 10. Left and right jaw support members 58 and 60 as received into gaps 48 also offer their straight ratchet means 68 to pawl faces 55, the straight ratchet means 68 and the pawl faces 55 oriented so as to restrict jaw support members 58 and 60 to sliding displacement away from anterior face 15 of frame 10 only. 
     FIG. 5 also illustrates that bosses 50 and 52 as received into grooves 66 will permit a predetermined amount of pivotal rotation of jaw support members 58 and 60 about bosses 50 and 52. This pivotal rotation is limited in one direction at the point when straight ratchet means 68 and pawl faces 55 fully engage, at which time jaw support members are restricted to sliding displacement away from anterior face 15 of frame 10 only. When pivotal rotation of jaw support members 58 and 60 is effectuated in the direction of arrows F1 and F2 as shown on FIG. 1, however, straight ratchet means 68 and pawl faces 55 eventually become fully disengaged, allowing free sliding displacement of jaw support members 58 and 60 towards anterior face 15 of frame 10. 
     Referring now to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, jaw cradles 70 are attached to anterior ends 62 of jaw support members 58 and 60. Jaw contact surfaces 72 are sculpted to allow jaw cradles 70 to fit snugly when jaw cradles 70 are brought into contact with the angles of a patient&#39;s jaw. The preferred embodiment herein contemplates that jaw contact surfaces 72 will be made from a resilient material, including polyurethane, sponge or rubber, to enhance comfort of the patient while the present invention is in use. The preferred embodiment herein also contemplates that jaw cradles 70 may be removable to allow cleaning, although this feature could be optional. It will also be understood that the present invention could also function as intended, if necessary, with jaw cradles 70 removed, possibly in an emergency. 
     With further reference to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, detachable pillow means 74 is attached to anterior face 15 of frame 10, whose head contact surface 76 is sculpted to fit the back of a supine head and neck snugly. Again, the preferred embodiment herein contemplates that head contact surface 76 will be made from a resilient material, including sponge, rubber or polyurethane, to enhance comfort of the patient while the present invention is in use. Again, as in reference to jaw cradles 70, it will be understood that the present invention could also function as intended, if necessary, with detachable pillow means 74 detached, possibly in an emergency. 
     Optional additional control over the movement of the patient&#39;s head while the present invention is in use may be achieved by using head restraint 78, which secures the forehead of the patient to pillow means 74 and frame 10. The preferred embodiment herein contemplates that if included, head restraint 78 could be of one of several types of construction, including two ties 79 fastened by contact friction grip means 80, as illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2 and. 4, or alternatively an elasticated band, or two ties knotted together, or buckled, or fastened by contact adhesive or by a hook-and-loop mechanism. 
     It will now be seen from FIGS. 1 and 2 that in order to operate the present invention, frame 10, as proffering detachable pillow means 74, may be placed under the head and neck of a supine patient so that left and right extension members 20 and 25 extend out from under the neck, above and substantially parallel with the shoulders. Head restraint 78 may be applied, if required or desired. Jaw support members 58 and 60, as proffering jaw cradles 70, may then be placed beneath the angles of the patient&#39;s jaw. The patient&#39;s jaw may then thrust anteriorly as the operator&#39;s hands cause jaw support members 58 and 60 to slide in a direction away from frame 10. Once the patient&#39;s jaw is in the desired position to improve the patient&#39;s airway, the operator&#39;s hands may be removed, and the weight of the patient&#39;s jaw will cause pawl faces 55 to engage upon straight ratchet means 68. Sliding displacement of jaw support members 58 and 60 back towards frame 10 will thereby be prevented, allowing the jaw to remain thrust forward and the airway to remain improved in a hands-free environment. Release of the jaw is effectuated by the operator rotating posterior ends 64 of jaw support members 58 and 60 about bosses 50 and 52 in directions F1 and F2 as shown on FIG. 1, thereby disengaging pawl faces 55 from straight ratchet means 68. With pawl faces 55 and straight ratchet means 68 so disengaged, the weight of the patient&#39;s jaw will cause jaw support members 58 and 60 to slide unimpeded towards frame 10 until the patient&#39;s jaw assumes a normal position. If necessary, emergency removal of the present invention away from the vicinity of the patient may then be accomplished by rotating first and second swinging members 30 and 34 so that near ends 38 and 40 thereof, along with jaw support members 58 and 60 attached thereto, are swung away from the patient and clear. The patient&#39;s head may then be elevated momentarily to remove the present invention out from underneath. 
     The invention has been shown, described and illustrated in substantial detail with reference to a presently preferred embodiment. However, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention which is defined by the claims set forth hereunder.