US2747652A - Device for moving invalids and the like - Google Patents

Description

May 29, 1956 G. E. MARSH DEVICE EOE MOVING INVALIDS AND THE LIKE Filed Deo. 29, 1952 INVENTOR. George E Marsh FIG l United States Patent C nevica non MovrNG nsvALms AND THE LIKE George E. Marsh, 1Fort Collins, Colo., assigner to Robert M. Morrell, Fort Collins, Colo.

Appiication December 29, 1952, Serial No. 328,459

9 Claims. (Cl. 155-28) This invention relates to` devices for moving invalids and the like, such as from or to a bed, chair, toilet or the like.

In general, it is dii-heult' for invalids who have insufieient use of the legs to permit them to walk unaided, or who have practically no use of thev legs, to move from and.l to a bed, a chair, a toilet orV the like. It is an undue burden on a person taking'care of the invalid to lift the invalid bodily and carry the invalid to various places, and even a. wheel chair involves considerable lifting of the patient, which is. extremely tiring toV or sometimes beyond the strength of the person` taking care of the patient. Thus, to lift an invalid from' a bedY to a wheel chair. requires considerable strength and then to transfer-the patient from a wheel chair'to a toilet, for instance, again involves a strength-taxing, lifting operation.

Among the objects of the present invention are to provide an invalidr moving device by which an invalid having` a little or no use of the legs may betransferred'from or to a bed, a chair, a toilet or thev like without requiring the person taking care of thepatient to lift the patient; to provide such a device Which'may be'operated by even a relatively frail person; to'provide such a device bywhich the invalid may be lifted and moved gently; to provide such a device which insures a maximum of access to a bed,l chair, toilet or the like;l to provide such a device which permits the invalid to be raised or lowered to any desired height necessary for placement on or removal from positions at various heights above floor level, such as those of a bed, a chair, a toilet or the like; to provide such a device which permits the invalid to be removed from one point to another Without danger of the device tipping over; to provide such a device which is comparatively light in weight yet sturdy in construction;Y and to provide such a device which may be manufactured relatively economically.

Additional objects and the novel features of this invention will become apparent fromV the description which follows, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. l is a side elevation of an invalidk moving device constructed in accordance with this invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary view taken from the position of. line 2-2 of Fig. l;

Fig, 3 is a iront elevation ofthe invalid moving device of Fig. l; and

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the same.

As illustrated in the drawing, an invalidl moving device constmcted in accordance with this invention may comprise, in general, a base which includes a pair of horizontal, rearwardly diverging bars I0, a pair of front rollers or casters 11, a pair of rear rollers or castersIZ and a horizontal foot platform 13, which may be mounted on top of the base 1). The rear casters 1.2 are mounted on the under side of the bars 140, at the rear ends thereof, to prevent a tendency for lateral' tipping at the rear, while the front casters 11 may be mounted on the under side of a transverse plate14, which has suicient length to prevent a' tendency for lateral tipping at the front. The rear casters 12 arev preferably swiveled, while the rear casters 11 maybe xedorswiveled, as desired. The angle of divergence between the bars 1i) isV preferably such thatV the upper portion of the device maybe moved over a toilet seat with one of the bars 16 on each side of the toilet, while the bars I0 are preferably disposed suciently close to the lloor that they may be moved underneath an upholstered chair, divan, or the like.

The device of this invention also includes a support, which may include a vertical post 15 attached to the forward ends of the bars 10', which may be tubular, and also to the transverse plate 14, and which extends to a convenient height, such asV four feet. The post 15, as Well as the bars 10 and` transverse plate 14 are preferably metal andY attached together in a suitable manner, as by welding, while the foot platform 13 is preferably wood, although it may be made of metal. Attached to each'side of the post 15in vertically spaced relation and extending horizontally and laterally therefrom, are a pair of arms comprising upper arms 16 andV lower arms 17 which may be tubular and when' made of metal as is preferable, may be welded'to the post 15. Also mounted on the post 15 is a jack platform 18, additionally supported by a triangular gusset 19, one edge of which may be welded to the post 15 andthe other edge to the platform 1S. In addition, a triangular reinforcing plate 2i) may be spot or fusion Weldedto the post along its centralV axis, and theA lower edge thereof welded to transverse plate 14 and angle bars`10;

In further accordance with this invention, at least one pair of parallel arms or links is provided, forming a parallelogram arrangement for moving the seat provided for the patient upwardly and downwardly while maintaining the seat in horizontal position. The seat for the patienttmay be specially constructed, as in the manner descrbedlater. Preferably, there are' two pairs of parallel arms or links adapted to form a parallelogram arrangement at each side of the device. Thus, a pair of upper links 22' and lower links 23 maybe pivotedv at their front ends on the outer ends of the upper arms 16 and lower arms 17, respectively. If the upper arms 16 and lower arms 17 are circular in cross section and suflicient'- ly small in diameter, the arms 16 and 17 themselves may form pivots for the bars 22 and 23; otherwise,y suitable pivot pins 24 and 25 may be attached to the ends of the arms 1'6 and 17.

Each set of parallel links at each side, consisting of an upper link 22 and a lower link 23, is pivotally attached at its forward end, as by pivot pins 26 and 27, respectively, to the vertical or upright section of a right angle bar 28, whose horizontal section 29 extends rearwardly from the rear end of the lower link 23. The points of pivotal connection between the links 22 and 23, and the right angle bars 28, are spaced apart a distance equal to the distance between the' pivot points attheV front ends of the links 22 and 23, so that the. links 22 and 23 will always remain in parallel relationship during upward and downwardY movement such as between the full and dotted positions ofY Fig. l. Aswill be observed, with the links 22 and". 23 remaining parallel, the' horizontal' section 29 of each right angle bar 28 will always remain horizontal. At the rear, the upper links 22' may be connected together by an upper rod 30" and the lower links 23 by a lower rod 3l, the lower rod 31, if desired, being a metal rod and conveniently extending., through the angle bars 23 andthe lower links 23, to form pivotal c'olrnections between the same, while the upper rod 31 may be either metal' or wood-in the latter case metal. piu 26 may be mountedY in the end'sthereof. A wooden rod is less cold to the touch, and since the upper rod is often grasped by the patient, if the rod is made of metal, l

it may be covered with cloth or the like, so that it will not be cold to the touch of the bare hand. A thrust plate 32 also extends between and is attached to the lower links 23, adjacent the forward ends thereof, the plate 32 preferably having a cut out portion 33, such as having substantially the shape shown in Fig. 4, to give greater knee space to the patient when the device is raised, such as to the dotted position of Fig. l.

For raising the lowering the links 22 and 23, a jack 35, such as a hydraulic jack having a raising and lowering adjustment valve 36 and a handle 37 for producing the required hydraulic pressure, is mounted on platform 18. I ack is provided with a movable head 3S, which is moved up andy down in accordance with the desired actuation of the jack, and may merely engage the under side of the plate 32, but is preferably connected thereto, such as through an inverted U-bracket 39, welded or otherwise suitably attached to the under side of plate 32, and which is pivotally engaged by a slotted block 40 on jack head 38. The slot in block 40 is preferably Sulliciently wide from front to rear that relative forward or rearward displacement of the U-bracket 39, during raising or lowering of the plate 29 and associated parts, can be readily accommodated. Of course, other types of connections may be utilized, such as a pivotal connection between jack head 38 and plate 32 and a pivotal connection between jack 35 and platform 18.

The seat for the patient is preferably specially but simply constructed, so as not only to support the patient adequately but also to permit readier removal from or insertion beneath the patient.V Thus, the seat may comprise two right angle plates 42 and 42', which are complementary in shape and are provided with inwardly extending, flat flanges 43 and 43', on which the patient sits, and along their upper edges with inwardly and downwardly extendingangular anges 44 and 44'. Each of the lianges 44 and 44' are adapted to at least partially encircle the horizontal section 29 of a right angle bar 28, so that the seat plates can be slipped onto the sections 29, either from above or from the end, but will tend to remain in position. It will be observed that if the horizontal sections 29 of the right angle bars 28 were circular in cross-section, the seat plates would tend to pivot around thereon, and therefore when the ilanges 44 and 44 are utilized the horizontal sections 29 must be rectangular or at least non-circular in cross section.

When a patient is to be movedfrom a bed to another piace, the anges 43 and 43 of the seat plates 42 and 42 may be merely slipped beneath the hips of the patient, and the device then rolled into position so that the horizontal sections 29 of the angle bars 28 will slide along the inside of the seat plates 42 and 42. Then, the jack 35 may be actuated to lift the sections 29 into engagement with the anges 44 and 44. Of course, the sections 29 may be positioned at such a level that they will slip directly into the anges 44 and 44' If not in sitting position, the patient may be helped to a sitting position-which operation involves much less expenditure of effort by an attendant than bodily 'lifting the patient-and thepatient may rest his feet upon the foot platform 13, and, as is usually desired, grasp the lower rod 30 with one or both hands. Then, the jack 35 may be actuated to lift the patient off the bed, whereupon the Adevice and patient may be rolled to a chair, a toilet, or any :other desired place. If the patient is to be placed in a chair, the device is guided so that the base bars 10 will be moved underneath the chair, andthe seat rplates 42 and 42 (with the patient of course sitting thereon), positioned directly above the chair seat. Thereupon, the jack 35 .may beactuated to lower the patient to the chair seat. The jack is conveniently operated until all of the patients weight is taken by the chair, rather than bythedevice, after which the device may be moved from the chair, leaving the seat plates 42 and 42 still beneath the patient. Then, the seat plates 42 and 42 may be individually removed from beneath the patient, which is considerably more convenient for the patient than any attempt to pull the plates directly outwardly. Thus, by merely shifting slightly to one side, while the seat plate 42 is being removed, and then to the opposite side while the plate 42' yis being removed, the operation may be completed with gentleness and facility. When the patient is to be moved back to the bed, the reverse operation takes place, i. e., the vseat plates 42 and 42 are rst inserted beneath the patient, and then the device moved to engage the same, after which the patient sits up or is assisted to a sitting position, then is lifted by the jack and the device wheeled to a bed or any other desired place. When a patient is to be placed on a conventional toilet, the device is moved so that the patient is directly above the toilet seat,.i. e., with the base bars lll straddling the base of the toilet. Then, the patient is lowered to the toilet seat by the jack, and the horizontal sections 29 of the right angle bars 28 lowered until below the angular anges 44 and 44' of the seat plates. Then, the seat plates may be moved laterally from beneath the patient, and the device may either be left in position or moved away, as desired. As will be evident, this type of operation is quite convenient to use when only a small space is available for' moving the device, and also may be used for raising or lowering the patient to or from any other position, such as on a bed or in a chair, or the like.

From the foregoing, it will be evident that the invalid moving device of this invention fulfills to a marked degree the requirements and objects hereinbefore set forth. A base having a minimum height permits the device to be moved into operative position, for raising or lowering a patient, with respect to an upholstered chair, or the like, which may extend to a point relatively close to the iloor. Also, the diverging base bars permit a toilet base or similar solid article to be straddled. By the use of one or more sets of parallel links, the seat for the patient can be maintained in horizontal position, thus preventing unnecessary movement of the patient. The lateral spacing of the rear casters, which are preferably spaced further apart than the distance between the parallelogram links, insures that there will be little or no tendency for side tipping during the movement of the device, with the patient thereon. The use of a fixed post, as a support, and a set of parallelogram links at each side, adds rigidity to the device, so that any tendency for sidewise movement of the upper portion of the device is obviated. The use of a specially constructed seat, including the anges at the upper edges which at least partially encircle a non-circular support therefor, and the inwardly extending anges on which the weight of the patient is placed, permits the seat plates to be removed readily, but still maintain rigidity during use, The removable seat plates facilitate the lifting of a patient off a bed, chair, or the like, and also the lowering of the patient thereon, since the seat plates are readily placed under or removed from beneath the patient individually. The use of a jack to raise and lower the patient minimizes the elort required by the person taking care of the invalid, and permits even a relatively frail person to handle a large or heavy patient without undue elort. Y

Although a specic embodiment of this invention has been illustrated and described, it will be understood that other embodiments may exist, and that various changes may be made therein, all without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention.

What is claimed is:

l. An invalid moving device, comprising a base including a pair of rearwardly diverging, horizontal members provided with rollers on the underside, said base having a height normally adapted to permit the same to be ammala moved under chairs andv the: like; a". platformf on: said base adjacent the forward end thereof;, an upwardly extending post attached' to said base at the forward end thereof; a pair of horizontal armsv in vertically spaced relation extending laterally from each side of said'post, thev uppermost arms being disposedadjacent thev top of said post; a parallelogram link extending rearwardly from and pivotally attached to the-outer end of each` of said arms; an angle bar, of non-circular cross-section and havinga vertical section and a rearwardly extending horizontal section pivotally attached to the rear ends of each pair of parallelogram links at each side, the pivotal connections being at points adjacent the upper and lower ends of said vertical sections and being spaced apart the same distance as the distance between the ends of said lateral arms, so that said parallelogram links will remain in parallel relation when moved upwardly and downwardly; an angular seat plate for the horizontal section of each said angle bar, each said seat plate having a ange along its upper edge adapted to extend over and at least partly surround the said angle bar horizontal section for removably attaching said plate to said angle bar, and each said plate having a lower and inwardly extending, horizontal at section for supporting a patient in sitting position; a horizontal, laterally extending rod connecting the vertical sections of said angle bars and extending respectively between the upper and the lower pivot points thereof; a laterally disposed plate mounted forwardly on the lower parallelogram bars, said plate having a centrally cutout portion at the rear; a jack platform attached to said post below said lateral arms and on the rear side of said post; and a jack mounted on said jack platform and having a movable head connected with said lateral plate for moving said parallelogram links upwardly and downwardly.

2. An invalid moving device, comprising a base including a pair of rearwardly diverging, horizontal tubular metal members, a transverse metal member at the front and welded to said horizontal members, and rollers on the underside of said diverging horizontal members at the rear and at each side of the underside of said transverse member, said base having a height normally adapted to permit the same to be moved under chairs and the like; a wooden platform mounted on said base adjacent the forward end thereof; an upwardly extending tubular metal post mounted centrally on said transverse member; a vertical triangular gusset welded to said post and at its lower edge to said horizontal base member; a pair of horizontal, tubular metal arms on each side of said post, said arms being in vertically spaced relation and extending laterally from and welded to said post, the uppermost arms being disposed adjacent the top of said post; a metal parallelogram link extending rearwardly from and pivotally attached to the outer end of each of said arms; a metal angle bar of rectangular cross-section and having a vertical section and a rearwardly extending horizontal section pivotally attached to the rear ends of each pair of parallelogram links at each side, the pivotal con nections being at points adjacent the upper and lower ends of said vertical sections and being spaced apart the same distance as the distance between the ends of said lateral arms, so that said parallelogram links will remain in parallel relation when moved upwardly and downwardly; a metal angular seat plate for the horizontal section of each said angle bar, each said seat plate having a right angle flange along its upper end adapted to extend over and at least partly surround the said angle bar horizontal section for removably mounting said plate on said angle bar, and each said plate having a lower and inwardly extending, horizontal flat section for supporting a patient in sitting position, the inner edges of said at sections being slightly spaced apart with said seat plates mounted on said angle bars; a horizontal, laterally extending rod connecting the vertical sections of said angle bars and extending respectively between the upper and the lower pivot points thereof, thelowen said rod-being metal and the upper said rod beingy wood'V and providedV witlr4 metal pivot" pins for saidangle bars and`parallelogramlinks; a laterally disposed plate mountedv forwardly onthe' lower parallelogram links, saidy plate. having a centra-l cutiout portion of dual arcuate shape: at the rear; a horizontal metal jack platform welded to said post below said lateral arms and on the rear side of said post; a vertical, triangular metal gusset welded to said post and to the underside of said jack platform; a jack mounted on said jack platform and having a movable head; and a pivotal connection between said lateral plate and said jack head, for moving said parallelogram links upwardly and downwardly.

3. An invalid moving device comprising a wheeled base; a vertically extending support mounted forwardly on said base; vertically spaced parallel links extending rearwardly from and pivoted at their front ends on said support, one pair of links being pivoted in vertically spaced relation at each side of said support; means for moving said links upwardly and downwardly; and means for supporting a patient, mounted on and movable upwardly and downwardly with said parallel links and a portion thereof extending from the position of each said pair of links toward the opposite pair.

4. An invalid moving device comprising a wheeled base; a vertically extending support mounted forwardly on said base; means mounted on said support for upward and downward movement; a pair of generally horizontal bars of non-circular cross-section extending rearwardly in laterally spaced relation from said means; and a removable seat for supporting a patient, including an angular seat plate for each bar having a vertical section and a horizontal section, each said vertical section having a ange along its upward edge adapted to extend over and at least partly surround said bar and each said horizontal section extending inwardly toward the other plate.

5. An invalid moving device comprising a wheeled base; a vertically extending support mounted forwardly on said base; two pair of parallel links extending rearwardly from and pivoted on said support at laterally spaced points; means connecting the rear ends of each pair of parallel links and extending rearwardly therefrom; means for moving said links upwardly and downwardly; and seat means for supporting a patient between said rear# wardly extending means and mounted on said rearwardly extending means.

6. An invalid moving device comprising a wheeled base; a vertically extending support mounted forwardly on said base; two pair of parallel links extending rearwardly from and pivoted on said support at laterally spaced points; means connecting the rear ends of each pair of parallel links and extending rearwardly therefrom in the form of a horizontal bar of non-circular crosssection; means for moving said links upwardly and down wardly; and seat means for supporting a patient between said rearwardly extending means and mounted on said rearwardly extending means, said seat means including at each side a generally vertical section having a llange for engaging said bar.

7. An invalid moving device, as defined in claim 6, including a rod extending between the rear ends of the corresponding opposite links of each said pair and pivotally connecting the rear ends of each pair' of parallel links with said connecting means.

8. An invalid moving device comprising a wheeled base; a vertically extending support mounted forwardly on said base; two pair of parallel links extending rearwardly from and pivoted on said support at laterally spaced points; thrust means extending between corresponding opposite links and intermediate the ends thereof; means acting between said support and said thrust means for moving said links upwardly and downwardly; means connecting the rear ends of each pair of parallel links and extending rearwardly therefrom; and a seat supported by said rearwardly extending means. v

'9.YAn invalid moving device as deined in claim 8, wherein said thrustrmeans comprises a plate provided with a cut-out at the center to accommodate the knees 5 of an invalid seated on said seat.

i 7 References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Y Wilt A Oct. 2, 1906 Jenkins Aug. 17, 1920 Mayeld May 25, 1948 Drott et a1. Nov. 22, 1949 Ives Oct. 31, 1950 Valentine Aug. 28, 1951

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