AU671443B2

AU671443B2 - An improved barouche for use in hospitals and nursing homes

Info

Publication number: AU671443B2
Application number: AU38346/93A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Frederick Kummerow
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1992-05-29
Filing date: 1993-05-03
Publication date: 1996-08-29
Anticipated expiration: 2013-05-03
Also published as: AU3834693A

Description

45563 DP:KLC P/00/011 Regulation 3.2

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT

ORIGINAL

I

N me of Applcica t: 4 4 FREDERICK KUMMEROW Actual Inventor: FREDERICK KUMMEROW :Address for Service: COLLISON C0.,117 King William Street, Adelaide, S.A. 5000 :',***Invention Title: AN IMPROVED BAROUCHE FOR USE IN HOSPITALS AND r iNURSING HOMES Details of Associated Provisional Applications: Application No. PL2667 dated 29th May 1992 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me:

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f 2 This invention relates to improvements in barouches used in hospitals and nursing homes for the handling of patients.

Staff in hospitals and nursing homes have suffered stress, strain and injury when physically lifting patients when transferring them from one bed, table, or barouche to another, or when lifting them from chair or wheel-chair to a bed or vice versa. In such handling patients are often subjected to a amount of discomfort.

There have been a number of proposals and aids developed to facilitate the j handling of patients from the erect to the supine position and vice versa and 1 0 for transferring them from one bed to another or from bed to barouche and barouche to theatre or x-ray table. These proposals and aids have been r limited in scope and application.

These limitations have been overcome in the present invention which provides an improved barouche incorporating a mechanical means of taking a I 1 5 patient from an erect position to the horizontal or vice versa by means of the barouche bed pivoting on a centre axle and being controlled by foot-operated i cantilever jack-arms whilst the patient is held in place thereby avoiding any rlifting of the patient.

Therefore according to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided an improved barouche for use in hospitals and nursing homes for handling patients with the bed of the barouche pivoting on a centre axle and raised or lowered or titled from horizontal to vertical or vice versa by means of cantilever jack-arms driven by a foot operated reversible worm drive and with the bed of via., the barouche to be slid sideways from the barouche frame over a hospital bed or operating theatre table and with an endless belt to deliver or recover a patient without having to do any physical lifting of the patient.

Preferably, the pivoting bed controlled by cantilever jai,.k arms can be locked in any desired position by means of a pin in matching holes in circular plates individually mounted on pivot axle and on the cantilever jack-arms. Preferably, the adjustment of the bed is controlled by cantilever jack-arms extended or retracted by a worm drive clockwise or anti-clockwise.

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.4-JUL -96 THU 14:21 COLLISON CO FAX NO, 082311273 P.03/13 3 Preferably, the bed of the barouche is connected to the main frame by five cross member slides permitting the bed to be moved sideways from the barouche over a bed cr table.

Preferably, the bed is operated sideways to the main frame by a hand operated gear box.

Preferably, the opposing long sides of the bed consist of four sections of small diameter rollers around which travel individual sections of endless belting which form the mattress section of the bed which when turned recover or deliver to or from the bed.

Preferably, a detachable handle is fitted to any end of the opposing long sides of the bed to driv 3 the belting in transferring a patient tc or from the barouche.

To assist with understanding the invention reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings which show an example of the invention, In the drawings;: FIG 1 illustrates in side view an improved barouche in accordance with one aspect of the present invention; FIG 2 illustrates schematically the improved barouche of FIG 1 in a retracted position; FIG 3 illustrates the barouche of FIG 1 in use for the side delivery of the patient from the bed of the barouche to another bed or table, or recovery from bed or table to barouche; and FIG 4 shows the side delivery of the patient from the bed of the barouche to another bed or table or recovery from bed or table to baroucrhe 2 5 Shown in the drawings is a barouche 1 in accordance with the present invention which is capable of being raised or lowered and also of being tilted between h or'rontal and vertical positions. The drawings in dotted lines in Figure 1 illustrate some of the various positions that the barouche may adopt.

T I P^ ^j 1 8 lr ,04-JUL'96 THU 14:22 COLLISON CO FAX NO, 082311273 P.04/13 4 The barouche comprises a bed base la supported at sides thereof by a pair of spaced cantilever arms 4 which attach at their upper ends to the sides of the bed at a centre pivot 3. The centre pivot 3 is connected to a pivot axle 17 which extends between opposing long ends of the bed at a centre position midway between opposing short ends of the bed. The bed base la is able to pivoi around the pivot axle 17 as described below. The cantilever arms 4 are formed of a parallel linkage having upper and lower parallel arms 4a and 4b inteircornected at an upper end. At their lower ends the parallel arms 4a, 4b are pivotally connected to an upstanding member on a base frame lb of the 1 0 barouche. A jack arm 5a is used to raise and lower the bed, the jack arm being movable over a worm gear 5. The cantilever jack-arms 4 are therefore extended or retracted by a foot-operated ratchet driving the worm gear The base frame 1b rests on casters 6,7. Five slides indicated at 8, 9, 10, 11 and 2 on which the bed is moved sideways from the main frame of the 1 5 barouche to deliver to or retrieve a patient from another bed or table.

FIG 1 illustrates a typical operation of the pivoting bed of the barouche of the present invention showing the bed in the vertical position (broken lines) and in the horizontal position as it receives or delivers a patient to or from a standing position.

The operation of the pivoting mechanism is illustrated in figs 1 and 4. The mechanism comprises essentially a pair of matched circular plates, one fixed plate 15 attached to the pivot axle 17, the second a movable plate 16 revolving circularly around the pivot axle 17.

The cantilever arms 4a,4b are connected at their upper ends to the pivoting 2 5 mechanism. The upper cantilever arm 4a is pivotally linked to a pivot axle 17.

The pivot axle 17, as indicated in FIG 1 is the axle around which the bed pivots between vertical and horizontal positions. Also centred on the pivot axle 17 is the fixed plate 15. The second, movable plate 16 is mounted on an outer bracket 18 and is movable in a elliptical orbit around the pivot axle 17. The lower cantilever arm 4b is also pivotally linked to the bracket 18. Matching pin holes 19 in the plates 15, allow the bed to be fixed in any position by insertion of pins 20 there through.

SThus, when the pins 20 are engaged rotation of the pivot axle 17. with the S. r. o. 04-JUL-96 THU 14:22 COLLISON CO FAX NO, 082311273 P,05/13 assistance of handle 21 produces a following rotation of the movable plate 16, the bracket 18 and the therefore the bed base la. When the pins are disengaged the angle of thrust of the jack-arms raises the bed of the barouche to a vertical position. Engaging the pins causes the bed base to be locked in any position.

By operating the foot driven ratchet, the worm operating through the worm block at the bottom of the driving bar, which is mounted by axle and bearings to the jack arms 5a, extends or retracts the cantilever jack arms 4a,4b to raise the bed a of the barouche vertically or to lower it horizontally.

1 0 In FIGS 2 and 3 the bed of the barouche 1 is shown accommodating a patient. In FIG 2 the patient is shown in the horizontal position with adjustable foot-rest and jack-arms 5a retracted. With the arms 4a,4b locked at the plates 15,16 with the bed in a horizontal position, the bed is raised or lowered by operating the foot-driven ratchet worm drive to extend or retract the cantilever jack-arms FIG 3 shows the side delivery of the patient from the bed of the barouche to another bed or table or recovery from bed or table to barouche by means of the bed slides 8-12. A three-sectioned endless belting is utilised for carrying the patient. The patient travels around small circumference rollers 22.23 2 0 which are turned by a detachable handle (not shown) which can be fitted to any end of the rollers.

Modifications and variations of the present invention such as would be apparent to a skilled addressee are deemed to be within the scope of the present invention.

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Claims

04-JUL-96 THU 14:23 COLLISON CO FAX NO. 082311273 P. 06/13 1^ :i 4 THE CLAIMS DEFINING THE INVENTION ARE AS FOLLOWS: 1. An improved barouche for use in hospitals arid nursing homes for handling patients with the bed of the barouche pivoting on an axle located midway between opposing short ends of the bed and oxter, iing transversely of opposing long sides of the bed, the bed being raised or lowered or tilted from horizontal to vertical or vice versa by means of cantilever jack-arms driven by a foot operated reversible worm drive and with the bed of the barouche to be slid sideways from the barouche frame over a hospital bed or operating theatre table and with an endless belt to deliver or recover a patient 1 0 without having to do any manual lifting of the patient. 2. An improved barouche for use in hospitals and nursing homes according to claim 1, wherein the pivoting bed controlled by cantilever jack arms can be locked in any desired position by means of a pin in matching holes in circular plates individually mounted on pivot axle and on the 1 5 cantilever jack-arms. 3. An improved barouche for use in hospitals and nursing homes according to claim 1, wherein the adjustment of the bed is controlled by cantilever jack-arms extended or retracted by a worm drive clockwise or anti- clockwise. 4. An improved barouche for use in hospitals and nursing homes according to claim 1, wherein the bed of the barouche is connected to the main frame by five cross member slides permitting the bed to be moved sideways from the barouche over a bed or t"ble. An improved barouche for use in hospitals and nursing homes 2 5 according to claim 4, wherein the bed is operated sideways to the main frame by a hand operated gear box.
6. An improved barouche for use in hospitals and nursing homes according to claim 4, wherein the opposing long sides of the bed consist of four sections of small diameter rollers around which travels three individual 3 0 sections of endless belting which form the mattress section of the bed which when turned recover or deliver to or from the bed. K ,04-JUL*96 THU 14!23 COLLISON 00C FAX NO, 082311273 P.07/13
7. An improved barouche for use in hospitals and nursing homes according to claim 4, wherein a detachable handle is fitted to any end of the opposing long sides of the bed to drive the belting in transferring a patient to or from the barouche.
8. An improved barouche for use in hospitals and nursing homes substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated In the accompanying drawings. Dated this 4th day of July 1996 FREDERICK KUMMEROW By his Patent Attorneys, COLLISON 00C. T1 -air k