Beds – Support means for discrete portion of user – useable with bed...
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-18
2001-05-01
Melius, Terry Lee (Department: 3628)
Beds
Support means for discrete portion of user, useable with bed...
C005S655300, C005S695000, C004S457000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06223368
ABSTRACT:
THE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION AND PRIOR ART
The present invention relates to a support device provided to be arranged onto a base member such as a mattress, a bunk or a bed, and comprising an inflatable portion provided to be in an inflated state in order to lift a person resting upon the inflatable portion, the inflatable portion comprising at least one opening for the supply and evacuation of an inflation medium.
According to prior art, a plurality of such support devices are known, these particularly being arranged to permit the insertion of a bowl or the like below a person resting on the support device in order to permit said person to relieve himself or herself by means of said bowl while being supported by the inflatable portion on which the person may lay or sit. In particular, such devices are provided to be used in the medical service where the persons being treated often have substantial difficulties in moving themselves in order to relieve themselves, and where, accordingly, it is up to the personnel to move and position such patients, which are often bound to their beds, in order to make them able to relieve themselves in a bowl, a so called basin, which in turn is positioned on the bed. Prior support devices, such as for instance the one disclosed in FR 2 656 795 or FR 2 168 759, comprises a recess in the inflatable portion, into which the recess the bowl, that is the basin, may be brought into a position below a person resting on the inflatable portion and lifted by the latter as it is in its inflated state. Thereby, an important advantage is obtained, as the personnel is relieved from heavy lift operations that would otherwise be necessary in order to position persons or patients correctly on the basin. Moreover, the inflatable portion gives a comfortable support to the patient as the latter is laying or sitting on the basin and is to relieve himself or herself. This aspect is also important in order to provide for the physical and psychological health of the patient.
When the inflatable portion is in its evacuated state, it is requested that the support device is positioned as plane and flat as possible along the surface of the base member, in order to avoid the person or the patient from experiencing any discomfort due to the presence of the support device. Support devices according to prior art take this into consideration by being formed by relatively thin layers of a material that enables them to better follow the outer shape presented by the base member as the patient takes different positions thereon. This is for instance disclosed in the documents WO 91/07938, U.S. Pat. No. 5,193,232 and the above French documents.
However, prior art does not take into consideration the substantial unevenness caused by the inlet and outlet openings respectively and valves possibly arranged at said openings. Accordingly, by support devices according to prior art, there are inlet and outlet openings with their possible valves arranged on the inflatable portion in such a way that they are present on the base member upon which the patient or person in question is resting. Thereby, the patient may lay upon these unevennesses, which might me found uncomfortable by patients in general and which might be harmful to patients that are disabled or have tendencies towards bedsores.
SUMMERY OF THE INVENTION
One object of the present invention is to provide a support device which, in an inflated state, fully or partly lifts a person resting thereupon and which forms a surface which is generally free from unevennesses which would cause discomfort or hurt a person resting thereupon as the support device is positioned onto a base member such as a mattress, a bunk or a bed. Another object of the invention is to provide a cheap and functional alternative to support devices of prior art. This object is obtained by a support device of the type initially defined, which is characterized in that the inflatable portion comprises a lateral projection provided to project beyond a lateral edge of the base member and at which said opening is arranged.
According to a preferred embodiment of the inventive support device, the inflatable portion comprises a recess and support surfaces for the person, arranged around the recess, said recess being arranged to permit the insertion of a bowl-shaped element into it below the person as the inflatable portion is in its inflated state.
Thereby the maintenance of the hygiene of a person resting on the support device is substantially facilitated in the case where said person is totally or partly unable of moving himself or herself, which is often the case for patients taken care of by the medical service. Hereby, one assisting person is enough in order to position the patient above the bowl-shaped element, or so called basin, into which the patient is to relieve himself or herself, which is an advantage. Also afterwards, when the bowl-shaped element has been removed from its operative position, the embodiment is advantageous in that a cleaning of the patient may take place through the recess, and the patient does not need to be further moved in order to be cleaned.
According to another preferred embodiment of the device according to the invention, said opening is connected to a source for the inflation medium via a conduit, and comprises a joint member in order to be released from the source of the inflation medium. Moreover, the conduit comprises a valve member which is arranged somewhere along the part of the conduit that extends from the region of the opening to the joint member.
Thereby, a particular advantage is obtained as a decoppling of the support device from the inflation medium may take place after the inflatable portion has been brought to its inflated state, and as the base member, often constituted by a bed with wheels in a hospital, may be removed from the source of the inflation medium while, at the same time, the inflated state is maintained.
According to another preferred embodiment of the device according to the invention, said device comprises an evacuation valve, arranged at said opening. The evacuation valve comprises an overpressure regulator, provided to open the valve as the pressure in the inflatable portion reaches a predetermined value.
Thereby, particularly the risk of obtaining to high pressure in the inflatable portion during the inflation thereof is avoided. A too high pressure will otherwise, in the worst case, result in a bursting of the inflatable portion, which, of course, is not desirable. Thanks to the evacuation valve being arranged at the lateral projection, the valve may be of significant dimension, which may be advantageous when a rapid evacuation is requested.
According to another embodiment of the device according to the invention, said device comprises means for attaching the inflatable portion to the base member.
Thereby, there is a guaranty that the person resting on the support device obtains a relatively stable support while being lifted by the support device as the latter is in its inflated state. This aspect is important to the person in question as well as for the assisting personnel, in order to make it easy for the latter to take the required measures as the person in question, that is the patient, is to relieve himself or herself by using the inventive device.
According to another preferred embodiment of the device according to the invention, the attachment means are arranged to extend around the base member, and they comprise at least one band that extends around the base member and is connected to the inflatable portion. Thereby, a very good and reliable attachment of the inflatable portion is obtained, in contrast to those cases when one tries to accomplish an attachment only by applying a friction material between the inflatable portion and the base member or
when one only tries to obtain an attachment by means of flaps or the like projecting from the inflatable portion by folding the latter under the base member. Moreover, the attachment means of the invention permit a good hold of a sheet positioned
Melius Terry Lee
Santos Robert G.
Vigil Thomas R.
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