Beds – Invalid bed or surgical support – Sectional user supporting surface
Reexamination Certificate
1998-06-04
2001-09-18
Melius, Terry Lee (Department: 3628)
Beds
Invalid bed or surgical support
Sectional user supporting surface
C005S613000, C005S617000, C005S624000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06289536
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. The Field of the Invention
This invention relates to apparatus for supporting a patient comprising a bed.
2. Background
U.S. Patent Specification No. 4,006,499 discloses a patient's bed having a base frame which supports a central panel for supporting the patient's bottom, a second panel and a third panel for supporting the upper and lower parts, respectively, of the patient's legs and a fourth panel for supporting the patient's back. There are drive means for displacing the panels such that in one configuration their upper surfaces lie in a single horizontal plane and in another configuration adjacent panels are inclined with respect to each other such that the patient is supported in a sitting position with his back and the lower parts of his legs inclined in the same sense to the vertical and the upper parts of his legs horizontal. There is no disclosure of the possibility of using the drive means to assist the patient in leaving the bed other than by causing him to stand upright preparatory to walking.
French Patent Specification No. 949,470 discloses a patient's trolley in which a panel at one end can be lifted, presumably manually, from a horizontal position to an inclined position to raise the patient's head. A side bar of the trolley is constructed to support various accessories which can be slid along it, including a leg support which forms a local widening of the trolley and is designed to support the lower part of one leg of the patient when heis lying on his back with that one leg projecting beyond one side of the trolley proper. The leg support always forms a local widening of the trolley, wherever the leg support is situated, until it is removed entirely from the trolley.
U.S. Patent Specification No. 4,737,997 discloses a method of transferring a patient from a bed to a wheelchair without using electrical or other power other than manual power. starting from the situation where the patient is lying on one of his sides on the bed, a patient support having a seat portion and a back portion is placed on the bed, with the seat portion engaging the patient's bottom and the upper parts of his legs and the back portion engaging the patient's back. Then the patient support is strapped to the patient and the two are rolled over by an assistant until the patient is sitting on the seat portion with the lower parts of his legs dangling over the side of the bed or projecting beyond it. A buggy is then advanced towards the bed, secured to the patient support and backed away from the bed to carry the patient away from the bed. A wheel chair is then moved towards the patient from behind him until the seat portion and the back portion of the patient support are close to the seat and back portions of the wheelchair and the buggy is then disconnected from the patient support and removed, leaving the patient seated on the wheelchair. The operation of rolling the patient over, with the patient support strapped to him, would be difficult, especially in the case of a heavy patient.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to provide a bed having a plurality of possible configurations and from which a patient can be removed in a sitting position using motive power which is provided on the bed for changing the configuration of the bed.
According to the invention, there is provided an apparatus for supporting a patient comprising a bed having a base frame which supports a central panel for supporting the patient's bottom, a second panel and a third panel for supporting the upper and lower parts, respectively, of the patient's legs and a fourth panel for supporting the patient's back, there being conventional drive means for displacing the panels such that in one configuration their upper surfaces lie in a single horizontal plane and in another configuration adjacent panels are inclined with respect to each other, characterised in that the apparatus further includes a leg support which is displaceable into and out of a position in which it forms a local widening of the bed, in which position it can support the lower parts of the patient's legs when the patient is in an attitude in which the legs are straight or are bent and the patient is lying on his side, and further characterized by a patient seat support having a seat portion and a back portion, the patient seat support being supported by the bed, the apparatus being such that when the patient is in said attitude said seat portion may be interposed between the patient's bottom and upper parts of the legs, on the one hand, and the second panel when upright, on the other hand, with the back portion of the patient seat support adjacent the patient's back, and the fourth panel may be brought upright by said drive means to cause the patient to adopt a sitting position on the patient seat support.
The leg support is preferably pivotally mounted on the bed.
To assist in causing the patient to lie on his side, the bed may be rotated about on axis extending horizontally along the bed and then rotated back again.
To assist in placing the patient seat support in an optimum position on the bed, in relation to the patient, there are preferably means whereby the fourth panel can be brought into a position in which its upper surface is parallel to, but in a higher plane than, the upper surface of the central panel. Preferable there are means for interlocking the central panel and the fourth panel so that they may be pivoted together to bring the fourth panel upright.
When the patient seat support is upright and the patient is sitting on it on the bed, a buggy is preferably engaged with the patient support and used to transport the patient away from the bed.
If the leg support is pivotally mounted on the central axle or on the fourth panel, the leg support does not impede use of the buggy because it swings out of the buggy's path.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2373018 (1945-04-01), Deckert
patent: 2472675 (1949-06-01), Mueller
patent: 3138805 (1964-06-01), Piazza
patent: 3312985 (1967-04-01), Callaghan
patent: 4006499 (1977-02-01), Young
patent: 4240169 (1980-12-01), Roos
patent: 4737997 (1988-04-01), Lamson
patent: 4805249 (1989-02-01), Usman et al.
patent: 5095561 (1992-03-01), Green et al.
patent: 5308359 (1994-05-01), Lossing
patent: 5379468 (1995-01-01), Cassidy et al.
patent: 5444883 (1995-08-01), Iura
patent: 5454126 (1995-10-01), Foster et al.
patent: 949470 (1949-08-01), None
patent: WO 94/27547 (1994-12-01), None
Conley Fredrick
Madson & Metcalf
Melius Terry Lee
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