Copyright © Françoise Herrmann
Every year, since 1901, the Concours Lépine is hosted in Paris (France). Originally organized by Louis Lépine, the Paris Police Commissioner, to protect small artisan toymakers from growing competition, the modern-day version of the exhibit and contest is now hosted under the auspices of the Paris Faire (Foire de Paris), held every year in Spring.
In 1901, the toymakers flocked to the exhibit because they were given free patents. Today, no one gets a free patent for their participation, but everyone submitting to the Concours Lépine contest is an inventor! The many prizes awarded are all reminiscent of the administrative roots of the contest. For example, the first prize is called the President of the Republic Award, the second prize is the Senate Award, the third prize is The National Assembly Award etc., through to the Police Commissioner Awards and the City of Paris Awards. Competition is quite stiff with some 500 contestants participating in 2018.
The 2018 President of the Republic Award was awarded to Samuel Mercier, fireman, first responder and Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), for the MEDPACK, a medical ER workstation.
Drawing on his experience as a fireman EMT, eight years of ergonomic R&D and the idea that the iconic "doctor's bag" needed serious upgrading, Mercier invented this emergency first response workstation for use in difficult emergency situations. Thus, the workstation is designed to resolve a series of very specific issues arising in ER situations, such as portability for the management of space, light, hygiene, waste, safety, time and staff. In particular, the design incorporates a very precise ergonomic analysis of the EMT’s gestures and actions as demonstrated in the video (in French) included below.
This invention is recited in a French patent, FR3016513, titled Station de travail médicale extra-hospitalière. A US patent application was also filed, US2016338792(A1), titled Extra-hospital medical workstation.
The patent discloses such aspects as:
- a telescoping mast equipped with a powerful light
- three articulated and telescoping legs adaptable to uneven ground
- a drawer and a nested tray, functioning as horizontal work surfaces when deployed
- means for carrying the workstation
- means for dispensing different sorts of tape
- means for securing, organizing, and protecting supplies from wind, rain, sand, and snow
- means for sorting and safely disposing of needles and vials
- means for opening vials
- means for preparing, setting up and starting an IV
- removable tray for tracheal intubation performed on the ground
- means for loading fresh trays and drawers containing new supplies
- means for portability of the whole workstation.
The abstract of this invention is included below, together with a patent drawing of the deployed, and ready-to-use, workstation.
The invention relates to a medical equipment structure intended to be used chiefly by medical or paramedical personnel in an extra-hospital environment, comprising at least a work tray (500), as well as a raised hook-up system and attachment means allowing care waste storage accessories to be attached, characterized in that said structure further comprises a platform (10) having a top surface, a bottom surface, and several lateral surfaces, the platform (10) being connected at its bottom surface to folding legs and, by a pivot means, to at least one work tray (500), in that said platform (10) has a mast (300) passing through it, and in that it comprises a means (600) for holding, all of this allowing the collection of these various elements to be transported and set up quickly, stably and level both on flat ground and on uneven ground.
References
Concours Lépine
Foire de Paris - Concours Lépine
Oh, patents! The Concours Lépine. Posted at Patents on the soles of your shoes, May 13, 2017
Paris emergency medic pack wins Concours Lépine 2018 (May 16, 2018)
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