Beds – Invalid bed or surgical support – Knockdown – foldable or specially adapted for portability
Reexamination Certificate
2002-09-25
2004-05-04
Luu, Teri Pham (Department: 3673)
Beds
Invalid bed or surgical support
Knockdown, foldable or specially adapted for portability
C005S600000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06728984
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a bed, in particular a sickbed or a nursing bed.
Sickbeds and nursing beds are normally mobile beds and for this purpose comprise swivelling rollers mounted on the bedstead, which swivelling rollers are in most cases configured as guide rollers swivelling about vertical axes. For the purpose of height adjustment the bedstead is provided with a lifting device which is arranged on a lower frame comprising the swivelling rollers and adapted to lift and lower an upper frame comprising a mattress support.
In the known sickbeds or nursing beds the swivelling rollers are held on the bedstead in that a holding element holding a roller body is fixed in a receiving portion of the bedstead. Each of these receiving portions is open only towards the lower side of the bedstead, i.e. in the direction of the floor. A bed having such a bedstead is described e.g. in U.S. Pat. No. 5,903,940.
Wear and damage to the roller bodies require the swivelling rollers to be exchanged. In the known beds this is a rather difficult and time-consuming process since the holding elements of the swivelling rollers can be removed from their receiving portions of the bedstead only in downward direction. This is troublesome since for this purpose the entire bed must be lifted to relieve the swivelling rollers of the load. Further if the bedstead is jacketed (for aesthetical reasons) in the area of its “roller feet”, the jacketing must be removed in most cases, which adds to the expenditure and effort (in terms of time and assembly/disassembly).
From U.S. Pat. No. 5,737,801 a swivelling roller receiving device is known where a bearing block is unrotatably arranged in a U-shaped receiving element. In DE-C-43 195 16 the lower frame of a sickbed and/or nursing bed is described whose swivelling rollers can be centrally locked and released via an actuating rod assembly.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to provide a mobile bed whose swivelling rollers are easy to exchange.
This object is achieved with a bed, in particular a sickbed or nursing bed, provided with:
a bedstead comprising a mattress supporting surface, and
a plurality of swivelling rollers each of which comprises a holding element fastened to the bedstead and at least one roller body swivel-mounted on the holding element,
wherein the bedstead comprises receiving portions for the holding elements, and
wherein each receiving portion has an open lower side averting the mattress supporting surface of the bedstead, beyond which lower side the respective holding element projects.
According to the invention
each receiving portion is also open on at least one side face extending essentially transversely to the lower side, and
the holding elements are capable of being inserted via these side faces into the receiving portions.
According to the invention the swivelling rollers can, after releasing of a safety element, be removed in lateral direction from the bedstead. In this connection “in lateral direction” means removal of the swivelling rollers along a direction perpendicular to the normal line of the lower side of the bedstead.
According to the invention it is provided that each receiving portion is, besides its lower side, also open at a side face essentially extending transversely to the lower side. Thus the receiving portions are configured as edge recesses open at two faces extending essentially perpendicularly to each other. Into this receiving pockets the holding element plus the roller bodies can be inserted, wherein the holding element, when installed, projects in downward direction beyond the bedstead, and in this portion of the holding element the at least one roller body is held.
The configuration according to the invention does no longer require the bedstead and/or the entire bed to be lifted or turned over or similar measures to be taken for the purpose of exchanging the rollers. This considerably facilitates the exchange of the swivelling rollers. This is in particular important when the bedstead comprises completey encapsulated housing portions on which the rollers are arranged. Previously, such bedstead required the housing shells to be separated to exchange the rollers. This is no longer necessary with the present invention since the rollers merely need to be removed from the receiving portions formed by the two housing shells or to be inserted into these receiving portions.
Preferably, the holding elements of the swivelling rollers can be removed from the bedstead towards the longitudinal sides of the bed and/or inserted into the bedstead from the longitudinal sides of the bed. Alternatively, it is possible that the receiving portions are open towards the foot and/or head end of the bed.
That portion of a holding element which is received in a receiving portion is positively accommodated in this receiving portion. In other words, the form of the receiving portion or a receiving space is complementary to the form of the holding element portion received in the receiving space. This configuration is advantageous for reasons of stability.
For reasons of safety and comfort it is necessary that mobile beds can be locked. For this purpose the swivelling rollers comprise locking mechanisms provided with a locking element which presses against the tread of a roller body (frictional engagement) or positively blocks the roller body. The locking mechanisms of all swivelling rollers of a bed are preferably actuated via a central actuation mechanism. For this purpose the bedstead comprises a foot-operated actuating lever connected via an actuating rod assembly with the locking mechanisms of all swivelling rollers.
A coupling element of the locking mechanism of a swivelling roller is preferably arranged on the holding element of the swivelling roller and can be pushed onto a rod or a journal of the actuating rod assembly. The receiving portion according to the invention of the swivelling roller holding elements is advantageous since the capability of the holding element of being inserted into the receiving portion allows the coupling element of the locking mechanism of this swivelling roller to be simultaneously pushed onto a portion of the actuating rod assembly projecting into the receiving space.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5377372 (1995-01-01), Rudolf et al.
patent: 5457849 (1995-10-01), Branson et al.
patent: 5737801 (1998-04-01), Flood
patent: 5903940 (1999-05-01), Volker et al.
patent: 43 19 516 (1994-12-01), None
Conley Fredrick
Luu Teri Pham
Voelker AG
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