Beds – Invalid bed or surgical support
Reexamination Certificate
1999-05-19
2001-04-24
Trettel, Michael F. (Department: 3628)
Beds
Invalid bed or surgical support
C005S611000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06219864
ABSTRACT:
The present invention relates to patient handling equipment and to a method of monitoring patient handling equipment.
Stretcher trolleys are frequently collapsed into a lower position and then raised again. Collapse normally occurs when the trolley is entering an ambulance and the trolley is normally raised when a patient is being manoeuvred on the trolley. Similarly chairs that are used to transport patients are frequently collapsed to a storage position when not in use.
The raising and lowering of the trolleys subjects the trolleys to metal fatigue. Whilst trolleys are serviced regularly there is no way of making a visual inspection of the fatigue that the metal has suffered. Accordingly, good practice is to replace the trolleys when they are likely to have undergone a certain number of raising and lowering operations.
When trolleys are sold they normally go, in a batch order, to a particular authority. That authority then allocates the stretchers either to inner city front line ambulance services, where the trolleys are subjected to frequent raising and lowering, or to suburban or rural services where frequency of use is far less. Nevertheless, good practice dictates that the trolleys are exchanged when fatigue may have occurred to an extent where replacement is required on the assumption that each trolley is an inner city trolley that has been subject to frequent raising and lowering. Alternatively trolleys are frequently kept in use beyond what is to be an acceptable or safe life span.
Similar points apply to the collapsing and erecting of chairs.
It is an object of the present invention to attempt to overcome at least some of the above described disadvantages.
According to one aspect of the present invention patient handling apparatus includes a support portion movable between a first position and a second position, the arrangement including counting means arranged to provide an indication of the number of the times the support portion has been moved to at least one of the positions.
The counting means may be arranged to provide a count when the support portion is moved to at least one of the positions.
The counting means may be arranged to provide an indication of the number of times the support portion has been moved to the second position.
The counting means may comprise first and second parts that are arranged to move relative to each other when the support portion has moved between the two positions. Relative movement of the first and second parts may be arranged to effect the count. The first part may comprise a magnet and the second part may comprise a counter responsive to the magnet, such as being responsive to movement of the magnet. The first and second parts may be arranged to be spaced from each other when the support portion is being moved between the first and second positions and when the support portion is in the first and second positions and monitoring that indication.
The first and second parts may both be arranged to move. One part may move translationally. Alternatively or additionally at least one and preferably both parts may move pivotally. The parts may both be arranged to be mounted in the top region of a stretcher when that stretcher is in both positions. At least one and preferably both parts may be arranged to be located beneath the support portion.
The first and second parts may be arranged to come within 10 mm of each other in order to activate the counting means.
The counting means may be arranged to record every alternative count.
The apparatus may comprise a chair in which the first position is the erect position and the second position is the storage position.
The apparatus may comprise a stretcher trolley in which case the first position is an upper position and the second position is a lower position.
The trolley arrangement may include a first, upper frame arrangement associated with the support portion and being arranged to move between the upper and lower positions. At least one of the first or second parts of the counting means may be mounted to move when the upper frame arrangement moves between the upper and lower positions.
The trolley arrangement may include a second lower frame arrangement that the upper frame arrangement is arranged to move towards and away from when the upper frame arrangement is being moved away from or towards the raised position.
The upper frame arrangement may be arranged to be supported directly on the lower frame arrangement when the support portion is in the lower position.
The upper frame arrangement and the lower frame arrangement may be connected together by a linkage arranged to control the movement between the upper and lower frame arrangements.
At least part of the counting means may be concealed. At least part of the counting means may be located in part of a frame of the patient handling equipment or mounted on or to a part of a frame of the trolley arrangement. The part of the counting means that is located in part of the frame may be visible through part of the frame. Alternatively or additionally that part may be accessible by removing part of the frame such as a cover on part of the frame.
According to a further aspect of the present invention a method of monitoring patient handling apparatus comprises providing an indication of the number of times a support portion of the apparatus is moved between first and second positions.
The apparatus may comprise a chair in which case the method may comprise monitoring the erecting and collapsing of the chair. Alternatively the apparatus may comprise a stretcher in which case the method may comprise monitoring movement between an upper and a lower position. The trolley arrangement may include wheels that the trolley arrangement is moved on.
The method may comprise periodically monitoring the number of times that the support portion has been moved between the upper and lower positions and causing an event to occur as a result of the number of times that a support portion has been moved to at least one of the positions, that event being, for instance, to provide a service for the apparatus, or to vary the service that is provided, or to recommend replacement of at least part of the apparatus.
The method may comprise viewing a counter when the apparatus is being monitored and the method may comprise viewing the counter through a part of the apparatus or the method may comprise moving a part of the apparatus in order to view the counter.
The method may comprise monitoring alternate counts.
The present invention includes any combination of the herein referred to features or limitations.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3735101 (1973-05-01), Stewart
patent: 4207770 (1980-06-01), Grushow
patent: 4233844 (1980-11-01), Dreisinger et al.
patent: 5799258 (1998-08-01), Fidanza et al.
patent: 0 022 002 A1 (1981-01-01), None
patent: 2 720 177 A1 (1995-11-01), None
Ellis Jonathan Stewart
Jackson Alan
Ward Philip Ian
Ferno-Washington, Inc.
Killworth, Gottman Hagan & Schaeff LLP
Santos Robert G.
Trettel Michael F.
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