Invalid hoists

Details Invalid hoists Invalid hoists

2000-02-02

2001-12-11

Gibson, Randy W. (Department: 2859)

Weighing scales

Structural installation

Furniture or room fixture

C177S147000, C177S151000, C177S255000, C177SDIG009, C005S086100

Reexamination Certificate

active

06329612

ABSTRACT:

This invention relates to invalid hoists.
Some known invalid hoists comprise a mast, a lifting arm supported by the mast and a sling hanger supported by the lifting arm for supporting a full body support sling. Quite commonly, the lifting arm is secured to a carriage which can be raised and lowered relative to the mast. Additionally or alternatively, the mast is telescopically extendible and retractable to raise and lower the lifting arm. It has become common practice to incorporate a load cell in the lifting arm so that a patient supported by the lifting arm in a full body support sling can be weighed. The accuracy of the load cell depends on it maintaining a constant orientation. The problem is that the entire hoist bends forwards under the weight of the patient resulting in inaccurate readings from the load cell.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the present invention there is provided an invalid hoist comprising a mast, a lifting arm which can be raised and lowered by telescopically extending and retracting the mast and/or by raising and lowering a carriage, which supports the lifting arm, relative to the mast, and a load cell in the lifting arm for providing a signal representative of the weight of a person being lifted, the lifting arm being connected to the mast or the carriage by an arrangement which allows the lifting arm to be displaced angularly in a vertical plane against a resisting force in order to maintain the load cell in a constant orientation as a vertical load is applied to the lifting arm.
Preferably, the arrangement comprises first and second elongate guide tracks on the lifting arm (or on the mast or the carriage) and first and second elements on the mast or the carriage (or on the lifting arm) for co-operating with the first and second elongate guide tracks, the first guide track being above the second guide track and being inclined to the vertical in an upward forwards direction and the second guide track being inclined to the vertical in an upward rearwards direction.
In this latter case, the arrangement preferably comprises a pair of first elongate guide tracks and a pair of second elongate guide tracks, the two guide tracks of each pair being laterally spaced apart and typically being provided on opposite sides of the lifting arm (or on opposite sides of the mast or the carriage).
The guide tracks are preferably in the form of elongate slots or recesses. The elements which co-operate with the guide tracks are preferably rollers.
The resisting force is preferably provided by resilient means, typically a compression spring.
The invention will now be more particularly described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings.


REFERENCES:
patent: 3998284 (1976-12-01), James
patent: 4799562 (1989-01-01), Burrows et al.
patent: 5600104 (1997-02-01), McCauley et al.
patent: 5892180 (1999-04-01), Carey
patent: 6201195 (2001-03-01), Cary

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