AU675995B2

AU675995B2 - Patient lifting device

Info

Publication number: AU675995B2
Application number: AU54897/94A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Helmut Speich
Original assignee: Eisen und Drahtwerk Erlau AG
Current assignee: Erlau AG
Priority date: 1993-02-10
Filing date: 1994-02-04
Publication date: 1997-02-27
Anticipated expiration: 2014-02-04
Also published as: DE9301857U1; DE59402328D1; NO302855B1; AU5489794A; ATE151267T1; NO940082L; NO940082D0; EP0610664B1; DK0610664T3; FI940615A0; FI940615A; EP0610664A1

Abstract

The nursing lift and support device (1) comprises a support column (2) with a support arm (3) on which a holding member (7) is arranged. Its height can be adjusted via a support means (4). The support column (2) is releasably fastened by a holder (9) on a counter-holder which is preferably stationary. The device can be simply transported to the desired place and can be securely fixed there. For example, the support column (2) can be simply fastened by the support arm (3) via the holder (9) on the wall (10) or the rear wall of a bed. Moreover, the holder (9) needs little space, so that it causes little interference on fastening and the device (1) can therefore be brought up close to or mounted on a bed or the like. <IMAGE>

Description

__IICI~- Regulation 3.2 1

AUSTRALIA

PATENTS ACT 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD FATENT

ORIGINAL

Name of Applicant: EISEN- UND DRAHTWERK ERLAU

AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT

s Actual Inventor: Helmut Speich Address for Service: R K MADDERN ASSOCIATES, 345 King William Street, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia Invention title: "PATIENT LIFTING DEVICE" The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us.

I

This invention relates to a lifting and load-bearing device for use in the field of nursing care.

Prior art lifting and load-bearing devices of this type are used in hospitals and in private nursing care to shift disabled or sick people from bed to bed and to lift and transport them. In prior art devices, the load-bearing pillar is attached to a movable stand. The load-bearing means consists of a strap which runs outside the load-bearing arm and therefore can get soiled and damaged relatively easily.

Another disadvantage with these prior art devices is that they take up a relatively large amount of room and often cannot be brought up close enough to the bed or suchlike.

Also, because such devices require a lot of space, they are not really suitable for private use.

There are also devices of the type known as "bed-gallows" in Germany; these are attached to the bed itself and are used by patients in hospitals and suchlike to lift themselves up.

The aim of the invention is to design a device of this type such that it can be used both as a bed-gallows and as an aid to the lifting and shifting of sick and disabled patients, oo and can be easily transported while taking up a minimal 25 amount of space.

According to the invention a device for use in nursing care; ooo:*. comprises a load-bearing pillar on which there is a loadbearing arm, a handle movably supported with respect to the *30 load-bearing arm by a load-bearing means which allows the vertical position of the handle to be altered, characterised in that the load-bearing pillar is detachably fastened, by means of at least one holder, to a mating holder arranged to be fixed to a support surface.

be fixed to a support surface.

-I

As a result of the design according to the invention, the device can easily be transported to where it is needed and securely attached there. For example, the load-beaLing pillar with the load-bearing arm can be easily attached to the wall, or to the rear wall behind a bed, by means of the holders.

Because of this detachable arrangement, however, the device can easily be taken to another place and just as easily installed there by means of the holders. Due to the secure fastening of the device according to the invention to the 0/ 99 wall or the bed, it serves both as a bed gallows and as a patient-lift. In addition, the device according to the invention has the advantage that the holders can be designed as simple parts taking up little space, which therefore cause little bother during mounting and enable the device to be brought up and fitted close to the Led. Because the device takes up little space, it can also be used in cramped conditions in hospitals and private homes, without getting in the way of normal nursing care.

Further features of the invention will emerge from the other claims, the description of the invention, and the drawings.

The invention will now be described in greater detail by referring to a number of embodiments, which are shown in the drawings.

In the drawings: FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic representation of one example of the lifting and load-bearing device for use in the area of nursing care, and shows mounting devices for attaching it to the wall or suchlike; 20 FIG. la is an exploded enlargement of the mounting devices shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is an enlarged top view of the holder of the mounting Se device of FIG. la, through which the load-bearing pillar of the lifting and load-bearing device according to FIG 1 is 25 inserted; o o0 FIG. 3 is the same as FIG 2 but with the pillar in one of the S stopped positions; .:o FIG. 4 is a section taken at line IV-IV in FIG. 2; FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of a second embodiment of the ooa 30 lifting and load-bearing device according to the invention; FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic representation of a sectional view of the lifting and load-bearing device shown in FIG. 1; I- _I FIG. 6a shows the front end of a different lifting and loadbearing device according to the invention, in a view corresponding to that shown in FIG. 6 FIG. 7 shows part of another embodiment of a lifting and load-bearing device according to the invention, in a view corresponding to FIG. 6; FIG. 8 shows another embodiment of a lifting and load-bearing device according to the invention, in a view corresponding to FIG. 7; FIG. 9 is an enlarged representation of the handle of the lifting and load-bearing device shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 10 is an enlarged side-view of the free end of a loadbearing arm of the lifting and load-bearing device shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 11 shows a section taken at line XI-XI in FIG. FIG. 12 shows a section taken at line XII-XII in FIG 11; and FIG. 13 shows a section taken at line XIII-XIII in FIG. 11.

V000.

The lifting and load-bearing device 1 shown in FIG. 1 is a .combination of a bed gallows and a patient lift, and serves :i 20 for the lifting and moving of sick and disabled persons. The device 1 comprises a load-bearing pillar 2 with a loadbearing arm 3, which are preferably made in one piece from a single tube. Thus the pillar 2 changes, by way of an upwardsloping arm-piece 3a, into a horizontal arm-piece 3b. Arm- 25 piece 3b is approximately the same length as arm-piece 3a.

The load-bearing pillar 2 and load-bearing arm 3 have a round cross-section. They can, however, also have an oval crosssection, or can be made from a polygonal tube. Inside the pillar 2 and arm 3 there is a load-bearing means 4, which runs over direction-changing guide rollers 5a to 5d, as shown in particular in FIG. 6. The load-bearing means 4 is preferably a belt with a high load-bearing capacity, which is connected at its lower end to a drive mechanism 38. At its other, free end 4a, the load-bearing means 4 is attached to a triangular handle 7. The load-bearing means 4 comes out through a slot S (FIG. 9) in the region of the free end of the load-bearing arm 3.

The device 1 is attached to a wall 10 by means of mounting devices 8, 9.

As shown in FIG la, the mounting device 9 consists of a holder 9a which is held onto the wall 10 by means of a sliding tenon block 11. The sliding tenon block 11 is attached to the wall at the desired height with screws. Its cross-section is trapezium-shaped (in the European and British sense of the term, i.e. it is quadrilateral wit one pair of opposite sides parallel and the other pair nonparallel), and it is attached to the wall in such a way that its wider face lies against the fitted holder 9a. As shown in FIG. 2 in particular, there is a open-ended dovetail-shaped recess 12 in the holder 9a, into which the tenon block 11 fits. This recess is provided in one end 13 of the holder 9a, the latter being roughly rectangular when viewed from above.

The other end 14 is basically rounded off in a semicircular shape, and has a hole 16 through it for a locking bolt Hole 16 opens into a hole 17, to whose curvature the end 14 of the holder is contoured. When the holder 9a is fitted, the pillar 2 projects from hole 17 (FIGS. 2 and Also, as 25 shown in FIG. 2, the pillar 2 has two stops 19 and projecting radially outward, and a locking hole 21 (FIG. 3); said stops and locking hole are preferably at the same :.-angular distance from one another. In the locked position, FIGS. 2, a peg-like locking member 22 on the locking bolt 15 projects into the locking hole 21, thereby absolutely preventing the pillar 2 from turning relative to the mounting ".device 9 and thus relative to the wall 10. The locking bolt is designed according to the state of the art and is e.g.

screwed into the holder 9a. The locking mo.'ber 22 is spring- 35 loaded in the direction of its locking position so that it can automatically lock into the locking hole 21 in the pillar 2.

C- In the unlocked state as shown in FIG. 3, the locking member 22 is withdrawn far enough for it to be outside the locking hole 21, and the pillar 2 can then be turned freely relative to the holder 9a. In this regard, the degree to which the pillar 2 can be turned relative to the holder is limited by stops in two positions. In one of these positions, as shown in FIG. 3, the pillar is stopped when its bolt-like stop meets the locking member 22. Further turning in the clockwise direction is thereby prevented. In the other stopping position, the boltlike stop 19 on the pillar 2 also comes in contact with the locking member 22, thereby preventing the pillar from being turned any further in the anticlockwise direction.

As shown in FIG. 2, the stops 19 and 20 project into an annular groove in the inner wall of the holder 9a; the position of this groove is halfway up said inner wall. A hole 24 in the middle of the bottom 18 of the recess 12 opens into this annular groove 23.

Mounting device 8 is of the same design as mounting device 9, and therefore will not be described further.

The embodiment in FIG. 5 differs from that shown in FIGS 1 to 4 in that the lifting and load-bearing device 1' is attached not to a wall but to a stand 25. The stand has three feet 26 to 28, and a back part 29, to which the pillar 2' is attached 25 by means of the mounting devices 8' and As with the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the mounting devices 9' and 8' are fitted to the upper and lower quarters of the pillar 2' respectively. They are attached to the middle strut 30 of the back part 29. Two lateral struts 31 and 32 are connected to 30 the upper third of the strut 30, and run downwards and outwards at the same acute angle therefrom. They are attached to the feet 26 and 28 respectively. In the example shown, these feet 26 and 28 are in alignment with each other and can be fitted with wheels. Halfway along these two feet 26, 28, the other foot 27 is connected to them at right angles. Strut is connected to the middle of feet 26 and 28 at the same location as foot 27. The sliding tenon blocks (not shown in -I -I detail) for connecting the holders to the back part 29 are screwed to the upright strut 30 thereof. The three struts to 32 all stand in the same vertical plane, which runs perpendicular to foot 27.

The device 1' can be attached to the pack part (not shown) of a patient's bed or suchlike by means of a further holder 33.

This holder consists of an angle-piece whose horizontal leg 34 is attached to the pillar The other leg 35, which is vertical, is T-shaped, with its crosspiece 36 running perpendicular to the pillar 2' and parallel to the back part 29. Approximately halfway along the crosspiece 36 there is a threaded hole (not shown), into which a clamping screw with a handle 37 is screwed. When the device 1' is mounted on the back part of a bed, the upper horizon al edge of said back part projects into the space between the pillar 2' and the legs 35, 36 of the angle piece. In this position the device is clamped fast to the bed, by screwing the clamping screw inwards against the edge of the back part of the bed, which is thereby clamped between the pillar 2' and the clamping 20 screw.

At the lower end of the pillar 2' there is a drive mechanism e in which there is a drum 39 (FIG. 6) onto which the load-bearing means 4 can be wound.

The pillar 2 shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 is supported by its lower 0 25 free end 40 standing on the floor 41 of a room, while the free end 40' of the pillar 2' in FIG. 5 projects into a hole (not shown) in the feet 26, 28. In both cases the vertical forces occurring when the device i, 1' is under load are transmitted to the substratum, so that overloading of the 30 pillar 2, 2' is avoided.

e:¢e The take-up drum 39 can be turned in the desired direction by a motor 42 which is only indicated diagrammatically in FIG.

6. It is preferable for the drive mechanism 38, 38' to be detachably mounted on the pillar 2, so that it can be easily removed when necessary.

I_

In the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the load-bearing means 4, as shown in FIG 6a, passes over a roller 5d inside the load-bearing arm 3, a short distance from the free end thereof, and comes out through a slot. In contrast, the roller 5d in the embodiment shown in FIG. 6 is mounted right at the end 43' of the load-bearing arm and projects beyond the end thereof; therefore no slot is required in the load-bearing arm 3' to permit the emergence of the loadbearing means 4.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, a drive mechanism 44 is again provided at the lower end of the pillar This di.re mechanism 44 controls an electrically, pneumatically, or hydraulically operated lifting-cylinder 45 housed in the pillar The load-bearing means 4 is attached to the free end 47 of the piston rod 46 of said lifting cylinder 45. The handle 7 is raised and lowered by the inward and outward travel of the piston rod 46. In other respects the design of the device is the same as for the embodiments described V above.

S 20 In the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, the load-bearing means 4 is redirected around the free end 47' of the piston rod, and o.the end of the load-bearing means 4 is attached to a connecting piece 48 provided on the inside wall of the pillar To change the direction of the load-bearing means 4, it 25 is advantageous to have a freely rotatable roller 47a mounted on the end of the piston rod 46', so that when the piston rod 46' moves in or out, the load-bearing means 4 can easily run round the roller 47a. As shown in FIG. 8, the load-bearing o means 4 changes direction around the roller 47a by approximately 1800. This embodiment has the advantage that, as a result of said change of direction, the load-bearing means 4 can be moved a long way by a small movement of the piston rod 46'. Because of this simple direction changing arrangement, the available lifting height is double that of the embodiment shown in FIG. 7. In other respects, the embodiment shown in FIG. 8 is of the same design as the examples described above.

-I L Lmr The patient or disabled person can himself hold onto the handle 7; however, carrying-cloths and sling-means such as straps, ropes, and carriers can also be hung from the handle 7, in order to raise or shift the patient from a bed, chair, or suchlike. Hooks 58 to 60 (FIG. 9) are provided for this purpose. Hooks 58 and 59 are provided in the region of the two lower corners of the handle 7, and project outwards. Hook is situated within the handle 7, near the upper corner region 55 thereof. The handle 7 and the hooks 58 to 60 all li. in the same plane.

Operating-controls 49 to 54 are provided in the handle 7, whereby the patient and/or the nursing staff can control the upward and downward movement of the load-bearing means 4. In the example shown, controls 49, 50, and 51, 52 are provided on both the left-hand and right-hand sides of the handle 7, next to the region of the lower corners thereof. Preferably the lower controls 50, 52 trigger the downward movcment of the load-carrying means 4 and the upper contr)ils 49, 51, preferably positioned at the same level as each other, 20 trigger its upward movement. Controls 53 and 54 are provided in a panel 57, situated above the handle and cohnected to the top corner region 55 thereof. The upwards and downwards movement of the load-bearing means 4 can also be controlled by these controls 53, 54, which are positioned one above the other. It is advantagecas if the controls 49 to 54 are buttons whereby the drive mechanism 38, 38', or 44 for the o load-bearing means 4 can be easily actuated. Since the controls are triplicated, the patient in particular can operate those controls whose position he or she finds most 30 convenient. The top two buttons 53 and 54 are mainly provided for the nu-sing staff. The controls 49 to 54 are connected to the drive mechanism by a control line 57. This control line 57 passes into the load-bearing arm 3 near the free end 43 thereof and runs protected inside the load-bearing pillar to the drive mechanism.

It is advantageous if, as shown in FIG. 10, the lifting and load-bearing mechanism 1 has a safety device 61 to prevent b- the handle 7 from falling downwards if the load-bearing means 4 should become severed. The load-bearing means 4 is in the form of a toothed belt which runs over a toothed idler wheel 62 mounted in the load-bearing arm 3. Opposite the toothed wheel 62 there is a freely rotatable safety roller 63 which prevents the load-bearing means 4 from jumping off the toothed wheel 62. This safety roller is borne on a shaft 64 (FIG. 11, 12) which is mounted in mutually aligned hol's in the load-bearing arm 3. On one of its faces, the toothed wheel 62 is provided with a toothed control disk 65, which is preferably designed so as to be integral with the toothed wheel. The toothed wheel 62 is mounted on and rotates positively with a shaft 66 whose ends, which project from the side faces of the toothed wheel, are rotatably mounted in bearing-parts 70, 81.

On the opposite end of the shaft to the control disk 65, a return sprizig 67 is fitted, One end of this return spring 67 is attached to the shaft 66, and the other end is attached to the unrotatably-mounted bearing-part 70. The return spring 67 20 spring-loads the toothed wheel 62 in such a way that the toothed wheel tries to pull the load-bearing means 4 out of the load-bearing arm 3. The advantage of this is that when the load-bearing means 4 is in the unloaded state, it is pretensioned. The shaft 66 has a diametral slot 68 (FIG. 13) for the end of the return spring. The bearing-part 70 has a circular space 72 to accommodate the return spring 67 (FIG.

eeo whose other end is fitted to a pin 69 attached to the bearing-part On the opposite side of the bearing part 70 to the toothed wheel 62, there is an axial rib 77 whereby the bearing part 70 projects into a slot 78 which extends as far as the free end 43 of the load-bearing arm 3. As can be seen in FIG. 11, the curved outer surface 75 of the bearing part 70 lies directly against the internal wall 74 of the load-bearing arm 3. The bearing part 70 extends nearly to the face of the lateral flange 75 of the toothed wheel 62. This flange forms an axial safety guide for the load-bearing means 4.

I I

II

Diametrically opposite the above-mentioned slot 78 there is a second axial slot 79 (FIG. 10 and 11i); a rib 80 on bearingpart 81 projects into this second slot 79. As with bearingpart 70, so too in the case of bearing-part 81 the entire curved outer face 82 thereof lies against the internal wall 74 of the load-bearing arm 3. On the lateral face 83 of bearing-part 81 facing the toothed wheel 62, there is a tooth arrangement 81a which can be engaged by a tooth arrangement on an inertia disk 84. This inertia disk 84 is mounted on shaft 66 and rotates positively therewith, and is provided with control surfaces 86 on the side facing the control disk which act in conjunction with control surfaces 71 on the control disk 65. Shaft 66 is surrounded by a helical pressure spring 87, which rests against bearing-part 81 and pushes the inertia disk 84 against the control disk 65. These disks 84 have their control surfaces 71, 86 lying directly against each other, as shown in FIG. 11.

The control sdrfaces 71, 86 are the rear surfaces of teeth; they permit relative rotary motion, in one direction only, 20 between the control disk 65, whichi is fixed to the shaft 66 rotationwise, and the inertia disk 84.

o:om When the handle 7 is being lowered, then if the load-bearing omeans 4 is unsevered, the toothed wheel 62 will be rotated at a given speed of rotation. The design of the inertia disk 84, 25 as regards its moment of inertia, is such that it will be v eo driven by friction (FIG. 11). There will then be a gap between the tooth arrangement 85 on the inertia disk 84 and the tooth arrangement 81a on the bearing-part 81, and thus the load-bearing means 4 can be paid out of the load-bearing arm 3 unimpeded. The return spring 67 is relieved during this paying-out process.

co Should the load-bearing means 4 become severed in the region between the safety device 61 and the drive mechanism, the handle 7, particularly if under load, will be jerked downwards. The toothed wheel 62 and its shaft 66 will thus be very rapidly accelerated. Due to its moment of inertia, the inertia disk 84 cannot keep up with this acceleration. It therefore remains stationary relative to the control disk As a result, the inertia disk 84 is displaced on the shaft 66, against the force of the pressure spring 87, due to the control surfaces 71, 86 which ascend in this direction of rotation. The tooth arrangement 85 on the inertia disk 84 comes into mesh with the tooth arrangement 81a on bearingpart 81, with the result that the inertia disk 84 is stopped from rotating in the pay-out direction of the load-bearing means 4. The inertia disk 84 is also still in engagement with the control disk 65. Thus the toothed wheel 62 is also stopped from rotating in the pay-out direction of the load.bearing means 4.

This locking function just described occurs in milliseconds, thus reliably preventing the severed load-bearing means 4 from being pulled out, thereby ensuring that the patient will not be injured should the load-bearing means 4 happen to part while the device is in operation.

The front end 43 of the load-bearing arm 3 is closed by a cover 88 (FIG. 10), thus securely protecting the safety unit S 20 61 in the load-bearing drm 3. In addition, the cover 88 also closes off the longitudinal slots 78, 79 in the load-bearing eo o arm 3, so that the bearing-parts 70, 81 cannot slip out.

Moreover, these bearing parts can be easily mounted, because their ribs 77, 80 simply have to be pushed into the 25 longitudinal slots 78, 79.

emee The safety unit 61 described can be used with all the described embodiments of the device according to the invention. For the load-bearing means 4, instead of using toothed belts it is also possible to use e.g. chains, which 30 can also be secured by the safety unit in cases of danger, in the manner described.

The lifting and load-bearing devlze can be detachably fastened to the wall 10 by means of the mounting devices 8 and 9. The holders 9a attached to the load-bearing pillar are merely pushed onto the sliding tenon blocks, which are attached to the wall or the stand. The pillar can be removed 13 just as easily. The sliding tenon blocks 11 can easily be installed in a suitable place where the device is required.

The pillar can be readily transported and can thus be used at a number of different places. Therefore it is not necessary to provide a device at every different place of use.

The pillar stands on the substratum 41 or the stand 25, and therefore the vertical forces do not have to be borne by the tenon blocks 11. They are only subjected to the substantially smaller horizontal forces, so the tenon blocks and their connection do not become damaged.

s r e sc r r

Claims

1. A lifting and load-bearing device for use in nursing care; comprising a load- bearing pillar 2, 2" or 2" with a load-bearing arm 3 or from whose free end there projects a load-bearing means 4, on which is arranged a holding-means 7 whose vertical position can be adjusted; in which the load-bearing pillar 2, 2" or can be detachably fastened by means of at least one holder 9a to a mating holder 11, characterised in that: the holder 9a is connected to the mating holder 11 by an insert-and-socket- type connection; the mating holder 11 can be fastened to a wall-part 10 or 29 on the side of the load-bearing pillar 2, 2" or facing away from the load-bearing arm 3, which pillar can be s. pported on a bottom-part 41 or 26 to 28; and the load-bearing means 4 is adjustable in length. S 15 2. A device as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the mating holder 11 is fixed in position.

3. A device as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the holder 9a has a dove-tail-shaped recess 12 on one side, to receive the mating holder 11, so as to form 20 an insert-and-socket-type connection therewith.

4. A device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, characterised in that the mating holder 11 is a tenon block.

5. A device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, characterised in that the holder 9a has a hole 17 through it for the load-bearing pillar 2, 2" or

6. A device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, characterised in that the wall- part (10) is a wall of a building.

7. A device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, characterised in that the wall- part 29 is formed by a vertical back part of a stand I I

8. A device as claimed in claim 7, characterised in that the mating holder 11 is provided on a middle strut 30 of the back part 29 of the stand

9. A device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8, characterised in that the load- bearing pillar 2, 2" or is rotatable within limits relative to a mounting device 8, 9 or 9'. A device as claimed in claim 9 (when dependent on claim 7 or 8), characterised in that the load-bearing pillar 2' is held, by the mounting device 8, 9 or on the stand 25, and the mating holder 11 is fastened to the stand

11. A device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 10, characterised in that the load- bearing pillar 2, 2" or is fastened to the wall-part 10 or 29 by means of two mounting devices 8, 9 or 9' arranged one at either end of said load-bearing pillar 2, 2" or

12. A device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 11, characterised in that the bottom-part 26 to 28, on which the load-bearing pillar 2 is supported, is formed by the feet of a stand

13. A device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 12, characterised in that the holder 9a comprises a locking bolt 15 whereby the load-bearing pillar 2, 2" or 2'" can be locked.

14. A device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 13, characterised in that a further holder 33 is provided on the load-bearing pillar 2' and can be clamped fast to a patient's bed or suchlike. A device as claimed in claim 14, characterised in that the further holder 33 is of angular design and fits over the head of a bed or suchlike, to which it can be clamped fast by its leg 35, 36, by means of a locking bolt 37. nn i s ~I

16. A device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 15, characterised in that the load- bearing means 4 is housed for its entire length inside the load-bearing pillar 2, 2" or and/or the load-bearing arm 3 or 3'.

17. A device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 16 characterised in that the load- bearing means 4 can be adjusted by means of a drive mechanism 38, 38' or 44 provided at the lower end of the load-bearing pillar 2, 2' or 2" or

18. A device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 17, characterised in that the load- i bearing means 4 is attached to a piston rod 46 or 46' of a lifting cylinder f

19. A device as claimed in claim 18, characterised in that the direction of the load- bearing means 4 is changed at a free end 47' of the piston rod 46'. A device as claimed in claim 19, characterised in that the load-bearing means 4 is fastened to the internal wall of the load-bearing pillar A device as claimed in claim 19 or 20, characterised in that a freely-rotatable 20 direction-changing roller 47a for the load-bearing means 4 is mounted on the free end 47' of the piston rod 46'.

22. A device as claimed in claim 17 or any one of claimr-s 18 to 21 (when dependent on claim 17), characterised in that the load-bearing means 4 is a pulling-means and that the drive mechanism 38 comprises a take-up drum 39 for the pulling-means 4 to be wound onto.

23. A device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 22, characterised in that the load- bearing means 4 is guided over a number of direction-changing rollers 5a to arranged one after another at intervals inside the load-bearing pillar 2, 2" or 2'" and load-bearing arm 3. I sl~-r ~Lss~k 17

24. A device as claimed in claim 17 or 22, characterised in that at least one operating-element 49 to 54 is provided on a handle 7, to actuate the drive mechanism 38, 38' or 44 provided for the load-bearing means 4.

25. A device as claimed in claim 24, characterised in that each operating-element 49 to 54 is in the form of a button.

26. A device as claimed in claim 24 or 25, characterised in that an operating- element 50 or 52 for lowering the handle 7 and an operating element 49 or 51 for raising it are provided in the lower region of the handle 7. o *o*

27. A device as claimed in claim 26, characterised in that one such pair of operating-elements is provided in each lower corner region of the handle 7.

28. A device as claimed in any one of claims 24 to 27, characterised in that two further control elements 53 and 54 for respectively lowering and raising the handle 7 q are provided in the upper region of the handle 7. 0 29. A device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 28, characterised in that the load- 20 bearing means 4 can be stopped if a certain pay-out speed is exceeded. A device as claimed in claim 29, characterised in that the load-bearing means 4 is in the form of a toothed belt which is in mesh with a toothed wheel 62.

31. A device as claimed in claim 30, characterised in that the toothed wheel 62 can be brought into engagement with a locking part 81 of the load-bearing arm 3.

32. A device as claimed in claim 31, characterised in that a control disk 25 on the toothed wheel 62 is in mesh with an inertia disk 84 by way of control surfaces, and the inertia disk 24 can be brought into mesh with the locking part 81 when the maximum permitted pay-out speed is exceeded. I ra~ 18

33. A device as claimed in claim 31 or 32, characterised in that the locking part 81 comprises a form-fitting member 8 whereby it is engaged in a form-fitting opening 79 in the load-bearing arm 3.

34. A device as claimed in claim 33, characterised in that the form-fitting opening 79 is a longitudinal slot. A device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 34, characterised in that the free end of the load-bearing arm 3 can be closed off with a cover 88.

36. A device as claimed in any one of claims 30 to 34, characterised in that the oad-bearing means 4 is prevented by a safety part 63 from jumping out of the toothed wheel 62. a a 15 37. A device as claimed in claim 36, characterised in that the safety part 63 is a safety roller.

38. A device as claimed in claim 36 or 37, characterised in that the toothed wheel 62 is acted upon by a return spring 67.

39. A device as claimed in claim 38, characterised in that the return spring 67 is accommodated in a recess 72 in an insert 70 that is held unrotatably in a form-fitting opening 78 in the load-bearing arm 3 by means of a form-fitting member 77.

40. A device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 39, substantially as described herein and with reference to any one of accompanying Figures 1 to 13. Dated this 20th day of November, 1996. EISEN- UND DRAHTWERK ERLAU A KTIENGESELLSCHAFT 1 its Patent Attorneys MADDERNS ftl -W c s -I I ABSTRACT The invention relates to a patient lifting device which comprises a load-bearing pillar or column which terminates at its upper end :n a laterally projecting load- bearing arm an elongate load-bearing member housed within and extending through the pillar and connecting to a handle which is suspended from the free end of the arm the handle being adjustable in the vertical direction, and releasable fastening means for releasably securing the pillar to a support surface o*o0 o