AU3430202A - A power cord for a hospital bed - Google Patents

Description

1 A Power Cord For A Hospital Bed Technical Field The present invention relates to power cables and more particularly to power cables employed with hospital beds.

Background of the Invention Hospital beds are now frequently provided with electric motors which are operable to change the configuration, and/or height, and/or inclination of the bed. Associated with the electric motor/s is a power cord which extends to a typical wall socket.

Before moving a hospital bed any substantial distance the hospital staff are required to unplug the power cable and store it properly on the bed. However it is not uncommon for the hospital staff to forget to do so in which case it is not uncommon for the cable to be damaged. This can be dangerous particularly if a live wire is exposed. A further problem is damage to the wall socket and plug at the terminal end of the cable.

Object of the Invention It is the object of the present invention to overcome or substantially ameliorate at least one of the above disadvantages.

Summary of the Invention There is disclosed herein a power cord for use with a hospital bed, said cord including a socket end and a pin end, and an elongated flexible conductor portion extending between the pin end and socket end, and wherein the cord is relatively short so that when disconnected from a hospital bed it can depend from a wall socket and terminate above an adjacent floor.

There is further disclosed herein a hospital bed having at least one electric motor, a first power cord, said first power cord being operatively associated with the electric motor to deliver power thereto and being of a substantial length; and a second power cord attached to the first power cord so as to extend therefrom to engage a wall socket, said second power cord being substantially shorter than the first power cord so that when disconnected from the first power cord the second power cord depends from the wall socket so as to terminate above an adjacent floor surface.

Brief Description of the Drawings A preferred form of the present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein: Figure 1 is a schematic side elevation of a power cord; [R:\L1BTT]03039.doc:yxa 2 Figure 2 is a schematic side elevation of a further power cord; and Figure 3 is a schematic side elevation of a hospital bed employing the power cords of Figures 1 and 2.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments In the accompanying drawings there is schematically depicted a hospital bed The hospital bed 10 includes an electric motor 11 that is operated by a user to change the height, and/or inclination, and/or configuration of the bed The electric motor 11 receives electric power from a typical wall socket 12.

Attaching the motor 11 to the wall socket 12 are power cables 13 and 14.

The cable 13 is directly attached to the bed 10 and has a pin plug 15 joined to a socket plug 16 by a length of flexible conductor 17. The plug 16 would engage a pin plug directly coupled to the motor 11.

The power cord 14 has a pin plug 18 to engage the wall socket 12, and a socket plug 19 to engage the pin plug The power cord 13 is of a substantial length while the power cord 14 is relatively short. More particularly the power cord 14 when depending from the wall socket 12 would terminate short of the floor surface 20 so that the plug 19 would not engage or rest on the floor surface 20. This would ameliorate any problems associated with the floor surface being wet should the plugs 16 and 19 become disengaged while the power cord 14 is still electrically connected to the wall socket 12.

Should the power cords 13 and 14 be still connected to the wall socket 12 and the bed 10 moved, the plugs 16 and 19 will disengage or alternatively the plug 18 will disengage from the socket 12. Even if the bed 11 is moved in a direction substantially normal to the plug 18, the plugs 16 and 19 will disengage as the power cords 13 and 14 will align themselves in the general direction of movement of the bed 10. This ameliorates any problems in respect of the plug 18 remaining in engagement with the wall socket 12.

Preferably the power cord 14 is 2 00-400mm in length. More preferably the power cord 14 is about 330mm in length.

[R:\LIBTT]03039.doc:yxa

Claims (6)

1. A power cord for use with a hospital bed, said cord including a socket end and a pin end, and an elongated flexible conductor portion extending between the pin end and socket end, and wherein the cord is relatively short so that when disconnected from a hospital bed it can depend from a wall socket and terminate above an adjacent floor.

2. A hospital bed having at least one electric motor, a first power cord, said first power cord being operatively associated with the electric motor to deliver power thereto and being of a substantial length; and a second power cord attached to the first power cord so as to extend therefrom to engage a wall socket, said second power cord being substantially shorter than the first power cord so that when disconnected from the first power cord the second power cord depends from the wall socket so as to terminate above an adjacent floor surface.

3. In combination, the power cord of claim 1 and a wall has an electric wall socket engaged by said pin end, and wherein said wall socket is displaced from an adjacent floor so that said socket end is suspended from said wall socket without contacting said floor.

4. A power cord substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

5. In combination, a power cord and wall having a wall socket substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

6. In combination, a power cord, wall socket and hospital bed substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Dated 11 April, 2002 Medicraft Australia Pty Limited Patent Attorneys for the Applicant/Nominated Person SPRUSON FERGUSON [R:\LIBTT] 03 039. doc: yxa