Beds – Having safety device – Side guard
Reexamination Certificate
2001-12-07
2003-05-20
Santos, Robert G. (Department: 3673)
Beds
Having safety device
Side guard
C005S428000, C005S425000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06564404
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a side rail disposed above the deck on one lateral side for preventing the bedding such as a bed quilt and a user such as a patient from falling, particularly a liftable side rail, which can be lifted and lowered between the service position above the deck and the stored position below the deck.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The conventional side rails to be disposed above the deck on one lateral side of a lying table such as a bed or stretcher include, as described later, a detachable side rail consisting of a side rail proper and columns which are inserted into the fitting holes formed in a lateral side of the deck, for supporting the side rail proper in its service condition, and a liftable side rail in which a side rail proper is supported liftably by any proper lifting mechanism, to be used at a lifted position and to stored at a lowered position for avoiding any disturbance by the top of the side rail proper. They also include an full side rail to cover an entire lateral side of a lying table, and a partial side rail to cover an entire lateral side of a lying table in combination with other side rails, usually another side rail.
As an example of lying tables, medical beds are being specified in dimensions of respective portions by standards to allow their safe use. For example, for partial side rails, for example, IEC specifies the dimensions of respective portions as described below in reference to FIG.
6
.
The components of
FIG. 6
will be explained at first. Symbol
1
denotes the deck of a bed, and the deck
1
is liftably supported above a base
2
by any proper link mechanism
3
, and can be driven to be lifted and lowered by a drive mechanism not illustrated.
Symbol
4
denotes a partial side rail which is supported by any proper support mechanism at one lateral side of the deck
1
in its service condition. Two such partial side rails
4
are installed side by side, to cover the entire lateral side of the deck
1
. Each of the partial side rails consists of a side rail proper
5
and columns
6
which are inserted into the fitting holes (not illustrated) formed in a lateral side of the deck
1
. As for other illustrated components, symbol
7
denotes a mattress placed on the deck
1
;
8
, a head board; and
9
, a foot board.
The specified dimensions of the respective portions shown in
FIG. 6
are described below.
The dimension indicated by A shows the dimension of each closed space formed in the side rail proper
5
of the side rail
4
, when the side rail proper
5
is a lattice with spaces in it. The dimension of each space is specified to be 120 mm or less, to prevent that the head of the user enters into the space.
The dimension indicated by D is the dimension of the gap between the side rails proper
5
of the adjacent side rails
4
, or the dimension of the gap between the side rail proper
5
on the head board side and the head board
8
or between the side rail proper
5
on the foot board side and the foot board
9
. The dimension of any of the gaps is specified to be 60 mm or less to prevent that the neck of the user enters into the gap, or to be 235 mm or more, to prevent that the head is caught in the gap.
The dimension indicated by F is the dimension of the gap between the bottoms of the side rails proper
5
and the deck
1
when there is an open space above the gap. The dimension of the gap is specified to be 120 mm or less to prevent that the head enters into the gap when the neck cannot enter into the above opening, or to be 60 mm or less to prevent that the neck goes into the gap below the side rails proper
5
when the neck can enter into the above opening.
G
1
and G
2
indicate the horizontal lengths of the side rails proper
5
of the respective side rails
4
, and are specified to satisfy a formula of G
1
+G
2
>L/2, where L is the total length L of the deck
1
.
The dimension indicated by H is the height of the side rails proper
5
of the side rails
4
above the mattress, i.e., the dimension between the upper surface of the mattress
8
and the tops of the side rails
4
, and is specified to be 220 mm or more.
The dimensions of respective portions of the partial side rails described above are applied also when liftable side rails proper are used at a lifted position.
A conventional example of liftable side rails, particularly partial side rails is described below in reference to FIG.
7
.
In
FIG. 7
, symbol
11
generally denotes a bed equipped with liftable side rails. In this drawing, the detailed structure of the bed is not illustrated, and some components only are indicated by two-dot-dash lines.
Symbol
12
denotes a deck to have a mattress (not illustrated) placed on it, and the deck
12
is divided into four deck portions, i.e., four deck portions
12
a
,
12
b
,
12
c
and
12
d
respectively corresponding to the back, waist, thigh and legs of the user. They are respectively connected to allow pivotal rotation. The deck
12
consisting of these deck portions is supported above a deck support frame
13
. For example, the deck portion
12
b
is stationarily supported on the deck support frame
13
. The deck portions
12
a
and
12
c
are pivotally rotatably connected with the deck portion
12
b
, and pivotally rotatably and liftably supported respectively by proper drive mechanisms (not illustrated). Said support mechanism and drive mechanisms are not illustrated, since they are well-known.
The deck support frame
13
is supported by any appropriate support mechanism on the floor
15
of a room, etc. The support mechanism is not illustrated. For example, the deck support frame
13
can be supported at a predetermined height by stands with casters or can be liftably supported by a lifting link mechanism above a base as shown in FIG.
6
. In
FIG. 7
, symbol
17
denotes a head board, and
18
, a foot board.
On the head board
17
side and the foot board
18
side of the deck support frame
13
, pairs of support arms
19
a
and
19
b
are supported pivotally rotatably around the rotary shafts extending in the transverse direction of the bed. At the tips of the pairs of support arms
19
a
and
19
b
, side rails proper
20
a
and
20
b
are pivotally rotatably connected, to form parallel motion link mechanisms. The support arms
19
a
and
19
b
can also be pivotally rotatably supported on the deck portions
12
a
,
12
c
, etc., not on the deck support frame
13
.
In the above constitution, the side rails proper
20
a
and
20
b
are lifted and lowered by the pivotally rotational motion of the support arms
19
a
and
19
b
in parallel along the pivotally rotational loci. The condition that they are held at a lowered position is the stored condition, and the condition that they are held at a lifted position indicated by one-dot-dash lines is the service condition.
FIG. 7
shows the side rail proper
20
a
on the head board
17
side in its service condition, and the side rail proper
20
b
on the foot board
18
side in its stored condition. The holding mechanism for the service condition and the stored condition is not illustrated, and any proper mechanism using, for example, stopper pins as described later can be used.
These side rails proper
20
a
and
20
b
are constituted to satisfy the above mentioned standard dimensions in their service condition. For example, the dimension indicated by b in the drawing corresponds to the dimension of A in the above mentioned standard. According to the standard, b must be 120 mm or less, to prevent that the head of the user does not enter into the gap.
As described above, the liftable side rails, the side rails proper
20
a
and
20
b
of which are liftably supported by a lifting mechanism in the service condition at the lifted service position and also in the stored condition at the lowered stored position, must conform to the standard dimensions as described above in the service condition. However, also in the stored condition, there are desirable dimensions in view of convenience.
That is, in the use of the bed shown in
FI
Paramount Bed Company Limited
Santos Robert G.
Townsend & Banta
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