Huazhong University of Science and Technology to Transfer Two Medical Patents for RMB 200,000
Recently, Union Hospital affiliated with Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology released a public notice on the transformation of scientific and technological achievements, proposing to transfer the hospital’sProfessor Yuan Shulei's Team"Two Utility Model Patents Developed Are Priced by Agreement"200,000 yuanTransferred to Wuhan Fengyue Medical Technology Co., Ltd. The core achievements of this transfer include“A Rain Cover for Hospital Beds” and “A Sharps Container with Cutting Function”. This section primarily introduces the content related to the first patent.
Image from the official website of Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology
This patent focuses on addressing the pain point of rain protection during the outdoor transfer of mobile hospital beds, overcoming the drawbacks of traditional devices that offer only top-side rain protection with limited coverage, cumbersome assembly and disassembly, and an inability to be folded for storage. By employing a combined structure featuring multiple sets of folding components, a top rain cover, and side transparent rain curtains, it achievesFully Enclosed Rainproof Design, Quick Assembly and Disassembly, Foldable Storage, and Visual Observationintegrated innovation, significantly enhancing the safety and practicality of mobile stretcher transport, represents a practical medical device innovation tailored for clinical transport scenarios.
In clinical diagnosis, treatment, and patient transport, mobile hospital beds have been widely used in scenarios such as ward transfers, surgical pickup and delivery, and transportation for medical examinations. They enable rapid transfer without moving the patient’s body, which is of great significance for ensuring the safety of transporting patients with trauma, postoperative conditions, critical illnesses, or mobility impairments.
Such patients often present with predisposing factors, including surgical incisions, open wounds, and indwelling catheters. During outdoor transport on rainy days, inadequate protective measures may allow rainwater to directly contact the patient’s body, leading to wound contamination, an elevated risk of infection, and even exacerbation of the underlying condition. This constitutes a significant hazard for clinical healthcare-associated infection (HAI) prevention and control as well as safe patient transport. Currently, conventional rainproof solutions for mobile hospital beds primarily consist of traditional detachable shielding devices. These systems typically achieve their protective function through a combination of components such as mounting bases, bolts, linkages, rotating rods, and retractable rainproof tarps.
Such devices exhibit significant technical deficiencies:
First,Limited Rain Protection Range, it can only cover the top of the hospital bed and fails to provide side protection, resulting in poor rainproof performance;
Second,Complex Disassembly and Assembly Structure, requiring multiple sets of fasteners for installation and removal, which is cumbersome and time-consuming, making it difficult to meet the needs of emergency care and urgent transport;
Third,Non-foldable storage structure, bulky in the idle state, inconvenient for storage and transportation, and insufficient in practicality.
In light of the aforementioned clinical pain points, there is an urgent need for solutions in mobile hospital bed transport scenarios.A Novel Rainproof Device with Comprehensive Coverage, Easy Installation and Removal, Foldable Storage, and Convenience for Clinical Observation and Operation, to address the limitations of existing technologies and enhance the safety and comfort of outdoor patient transport.
The rain cover for hospital beds in this utility model features structural innovations tailored to the actual needs of clinical transport protection, achieving comprehensive upgrades across multiple dimensions—including rainproof efficacy, operational convenience, storage portability, and clinical practicality—thereby establishing core technical advantages that distinguish it from traditional devices.
Compared with the design limitation of existing technologies that can only provide single shielding for the top of the hospital bed, this deviceFull-enclosure protective structure featuring a top rain cover + dual-side rainproof tarps + side transparent rain curtains, providing three-dimensional rain protection for the patient’s head, trunk, and limbs, thereby preventing rainwater infiltration from the sides at the source, significantly reducing the risk of wound contamination, infection, and condition exacerbation, and markedly enhancing protective safety.
In terms of structural design, this device utilizesThe first folding component and the second folding component achieve bidirectional folding in both transverse and longitudinal directions.，No Tools Required for Folding, its deployment and retraction are simple and efficient, enabling rapid readiness for use while significantly reducing its footprint during storage, thereby addressing the challenges of bulky size, difficult storage, and poor portability associated with traditional devices. To meet the clinical demand for high-efficiency operation, this deviceA first magnetic base and a second magnetic base are added to the bottom., can be directly adsorbed and fixed to the corresponding position on the hospital bed, eliminating traditional complex fasteners such as bolts, nuts, and sleeves, thereby achieving rapid one-second installation and removal, significantly saving preparation time during emergency treatment, first aid, and urgent transport.
Meanwhile, the deviceSide components featuring two transparent rainproof curtains with zipper closures, while ensuring a sealed and rainproof environment, it allows medical staff to visually monitor patients’ vital signs and positional status in real time. The zipper can be quickly opened to facilitate bedside examinations, nursing care, and emergency response, thereby balancing protective sealing with clinical operational convenience.
The overall design combines structural rationality with functional practicality, fundamentally addressing long-standing pain points of traditional rainproof devices—such as limited coverage, complex assembly and disassembly, non-foldability, and impaired visibility. It represents a highly innovative and practical medical device tailored to modern hospital patient transport scenarios.
"As the requirements for medical quality and safety continue to rise, hospital infection prevention and control standards become increasingly refined, and greater attention is paid to patient care experience and safety, medical nursing devices that combine practicality, safety, and innovation will enjoy broader market prospects."
Patent CN204766257U, titledA Rain Cover for Hospital Beds, byHunan Provincial People's HospitalResearch and Development: Designed primarily to address the challenge of protecting patients from rain and snow during inter-building transfers within hospitals, this device is suitable for various scenarios, including intra-hospital gurney transport and ambulance transport. The unit features an integrated structure comprising an arched canopy and side skirts with a rainproof cover. Ventilation windows are installed on the arched canopy, with transparent window covers connected above them via multiple support columns. This design ensures adequate internal ventilation while allowing medical staff to clearly monitor the patient’s condition during transit. The rainproof side skirts are equipped with storage pockets for the secure placement of medical records, medications, and other items, preventing loss during transport. Additionally, fixing holes at the four corners of the arched canopy facilitate quick and stable attachment to hospital beds, enhancing operational stability.
The core innovation of this patent lies inAdopts an arched streamlined canopy design, allowing rainwater to drain away and preventing water accumulation from compressing the patient, thereby enhancing the safety and comfort of transport. It also integrates multiple practical functions, including breathability, visibility, storage, and rapid fixation. With low material costs and easy installation and use, it effectively addresses the challenge of protecting patients during inter-building transfers in small and medium-sized hospitals that lack covered walkways, demonstrating strong clinical applicability and potential for widespread adoption.
The patent CN213910925U is titledA Hospital Bed Rain Canopy, byLiuzhou People's Hospital**R&D:** This innovation primarily addresses issues with traditional transport stretchers, such as the lack of protective shielding, patient exposure to sun and rain, and the added burden on medical staff who must manually hold umbrellas. It is designed for sun and rain protection for both inpatient beds and transport gurneys within hospital facilities. The device features a base structure comprising a fixed baseplate, bed-edge mounting components, and a sliding push plate. A support frame is constructed from retractable rainproof fabric, tail rods, rotating support rods, intermediate brackets, and bed rail support rods, complemented by three-sided transparent side curtains to achieve fully enclosed protection. The rainproof fabric can be stored in the space between the push plate and the headboard; all support rods are foldable and concealable. The bed rail supports adopt a graduated structure—longer in the middle and shorter on the sides—to form an arched slope that facilitates drainage. The transparent side curtains balance protection with the need for visual observation, while the entire assembly is securely attached to the hospital bed via a clamping mechanism.
Its core innovation lies inIntegrated Foldable Storage Design, it can be folded for compact storage when not in use, and rapidly deployed to provide comprehensive protection during use. It effectively reduces the workload of healthcare workers, while integrating drainage, stability, and observation functions. With strong practicality, it holds significant potential for clinical adoption.
Whereas this patentHospital Bed Rain CoverDesigned around the actual protection needs for mobile hospital bed transfers, focusing on convenience, practicality, and safety in clinical use, withFoldable Design, Rapid Installation, Full-Range Protection, and Visualized Operation...and other features, creating product advantages that align with clinical scenarios.
As the requirements for in-hospital transport efficiency and patient safety protection continue to rise, there is a growing demand among medical institutions for specialized, convenient, and reliable transport protective equipment. The integrated protection and flexible usability features of this patent make it well-suited for diverse scenarios across hospitals at all levels, including emergency departments, ward transfers, and patient escorting for examinations. It demonstrates significant potential for application and promotion in both routine clinical use and emergency support, and may become a practical solution in the field of mobile hospital bed-associated protective equipment in the future.