Beds – With means for relocating an invalid – Rotatable platform type
Reexamination Certificate
2000-04-07
2001-11-27
Santos, Robert G. (Department: 3628)
Beds
With means for relocating an invalid
Rotatable platform type
C005S083100, C005S085100, C005S087100, C005S089100, C212S901000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06321398
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a medical apparatus for turning a patient over on a sickbed, and more particularly to a multipurpose body-turn-over apparatus which uses a motor-driven assembly to pull or lower ropes having a net connected to lower ends thereof, so that a patient lying on the net can be automatically turned over regularly. Other treatment means may also be selectively connected to the ropes to help the patient do rehabilitation exercises, back exercises, etc.
There are many aged, sick, and invalid people lying on bed for a prolonged time and need nurses to regularly turn them over to avoid bedsore and other mental problem resulting from confinement to bed. There are automatic machines developed to help patients turn over and do rehabilitation exercises on sickbeds. Most of these sickbeds with such automatic machines include two lateral halves that are alternately lifted and lowered by motors or hydraulic cylinders to help patients turn over. However, patients' backs always keep close contact with the sickbeds when they are turned over with the help of inclined bed surfaces. Therefore, such sickbeds have only limited effect in preventing bedsore. Besides, these sickbeds with automatic machines to help patients turn over have complicate structure and are expensive. Not all the patients can afford to buy such a sickbed for use at home. Moreover, such sickbeds are usually designed for use by one single patient. The automatic machines are fixedly mounted on individual sickbeds and can not be freely moved to cooperate with multiple sickbeds for use in an economical manner.
To effectively solve the above-mentioned problems, the inventor has tried to develop an improved multipurpose body-turn-over apparatus based on but superior to a multipurpose body-turn-over apparatus disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,946,748 granted to the same inventor.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to provide a multipurpose body-turn-over apparatus that can be freely moved for use with any sickbed to help a patient turn over on the sickbed and do rehabilitation exercises, back exercises, suspension treatment, etc.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a multipurpose body-turn-over apparatus that includes heavy-duty and light models to provide patients with more choices.
To achieve the above objects, the present invention mainly includes an elevator to which a driving mechanism is mounted. The driving mechanism includes a controller, a motor, a gearbox, a driven assembly, and an optional vibrator. Ropes are hung from two ends of the driven assembly. Limit switches are provided at predetermined positions in the travel of the driven assembly, so that ropes hung from two ends of the driven assembly are pulled upward or lowered alternately by the driving mechanism. A net is connected at two sides to lower ends of the ropes for a patient to lie thereon. Whereby when the ropes connected to two sides of the net are alternately pulled upward and lowered, the patient lying on the net is regularly turned over or assisted to do rehabilitation exercises.
In the heavy-duty model of the present invention, the driven assembly works in a linear movement and includes a screw stem connected at one end to the gearbox. An internally threaded collar is put around the screw stem for a displacement shaft to perpendicularly connect to the threaded collar. The displacement shaft and front and rear pulley supports separately mounted to two ends of the driven assembly are perpendicular to the driving mechanism with their two ends projected from two sides of the driving mechanism. Each end of the displacement shaft has two ropes connected thereto to extend in opposite directions. The ropes separately pass pulleys on two ends of the two pulley supports to hang down from four spaced points. (It is also possible for the ropes to hang down directly from the displacement shaft without passing the pulley supports and the pulleys, so that a net may be connected to the ropes by means of hooks.) The limit switches are preferably mounted at two ends and a middle point of the travel of the displacement shaft for the displacement shaft to reverse or reset when it moves to two outmost points or a middle point, respectively, in its travel.
In the light model of the present invention, the driven assembly works to rotate a displacement shaft and accordingly swing two pairs of arms on the displacement shaft. In this model, the driven assembly includes an internally threaded sleeve connected at a rear end to the gearbox and at a front end to a screw stem. When the sleeve is driven or rotated by the motor and the gearbox, the screw stem is driven to move forward or backward and therefore push or pull a push bar slidably connected to a front end of the screw stem. The push bar is connected at a root portion to the displacement shaft that extends perpendicularly to the screw stem with two ends thereof projected from two sides of the driving mechanism. Each end of the displacement shaft has two arms perpendicular to the displacement shaft and extending in opposite directions. Hangers are provided near outer ends of the arms for the ropes to hang therefrom. Upper, middle, and lower limit switches are provided outside and around the displacement shaft so that they can be touched by flanges correspondingly provided on the displacement shaft when the push bar is shifted. When the screw stem pushes or pulls the push bar, the displacement shaft is rotated and the arms connected to two ends of the displacement shaft swing like a seesaw. The upper, middle, and lower limit switches limit the angles within which the arms can swing. And, a vibrator is provided at a bottom of the driving mechanism to pull or lower another two ropes connected to the net at high frequency, so that the net is shaken quickly.
With these arrangements, the body-turn-over apparatus of the present invention can be freely moved to any desired position. When the driving mechanism is actuated, the driven assembly is driven to cause the net, which is connected to the lower ends of the ropes hanging from the driven assembly and has a patient lying thereon, to be alternately pulled upward or lowered at two sides for a desired time period, so that the patient lying thereon can be turned over leftward and rightward in a regular manner. Or, the ropes may be used to directly bind the patient's hands and/or feet and then be pulled or lowered to help the patient do rehabilitation exercises. And, the net shaken by the vibrator is helpful in preventing the patient from bedsore.
After the apparatus of the present invention is equipped with desired optional accessories, the elevator is adjusted to a desired height relative to the sickbed, and the net is connected to the ropes for use, the whole body-turn-over apparatus can be easily operated under instructions of doctor or professional personnel to achieve following purposes:
1. Spread a net made of pliable, air-pervious and washable material on a bed surface before letting a patient lie on the net. The net may have a size large enough to extend longitudinally from the patient's chest to buttocks and transversely from one side of the bed to another side thereof. Two flexible flat members are extended through two longitudinal sides of the net and fixed thereto. The flat members are flexible so as to match a raised head portion of the sickbed. There are spaced connecting holes formed on the flexible flat members for the ropes to connect thereto. When the ropes connected to two sides of the net are alternately pulled upward and lowered by a small distance, the patient can be turned over on the net repeatedly. Or, the net can be fixed to an inclined position for the patient to lie on the side to expose the patient's back to the air and avoid bedsore.
2. Two grip bars instead of a net may be connected to the ropes for the patient on the sickbed to grip or rest legs, so that the patient's hands, legs or knees may move along with the upwa
Dougherty & Troxell
Santos Robert G.
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