EP1714586A1

EP1714586A1 - Retractable side railing for beds

Info

Publication number: EP1714586A1
Application number: EP06380063A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Alvaro Reinoso Gomez De La Casa
Original assignee: Flex Equipos de Descanso SA
Current assignee: Flex Equipos de Descanso SA
Priority date: 2005-04-19
Filing date: 2006-03-30
Publication date: 2006-10-25
Also published as: BRPI0601650A

Abstract

Retractable railing for beds provided with vertical grooves (2) by way of a guide in the edges (3) of the end boards (4), inside which slide blocks (5) placed on the inner face of each crossbar (1), near its two ends next to the headboard and footboard respectively, so that if the railing is in inoperative state the crossbars (1) will be stacked to define a continuous side, while when the user wants to make the railing operative the top crossbar (1) can be easily pulled up with the aid of notches (17), so that said top crossbar (1), together with the remaining crossbars (1) to which it is joined by a grooved plate (7), will move guided in the grooves (2) until they are locked at the correct height.

Description

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is applicable in the industry of the manufacture of resting furniture, particularly for the clinic and hospital sector.
The object of the invention is to provide a sliding side applicable to any type of bed meant to protect the user, particularly useful for persons using and handling medical care beds in hospitals, clinics, geriatric homes, etc., with the special characteristic that a simple sliding action whether downward or upward on the sides of the bed end pieces respectively folds and unfolds the posts that conform the side of said bed.
The invention described herein corresponds to an improvement of a retractable railing for beds protected by the same applicant under invention patent 200100500.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The main patent 200100500 constitutes a structurally simple solution for providing folding and retracting sides for any bed, consisting of a railing configured as a plurality of crossbars, the ends of which slide vertically in guides established for such purpose in the headboard and footboard.
As described in said patent, the applicant is aware of the existence of many kinds of railings meant to be used as protectors on the sides of beds.
However, currently no invention is known with the same purpose, provided with the technical characteristics described in this memory.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In order to solve the situation described above, the present invention relates to improvements that substantially improve the characteristics of the retractable railing for beds protected by the aforementioned main patent 200100500.
According to the improvements proposed herein, the railing structure consists of a number of crossbars that can be stacked on a same plane or conveniently separated from each other, depending on whether the railing is in an inoperative or operative position respectively, by sliding said crossbars along the sides of the headboard and footboard of the bed in which they are applied, where vertical grooves by way of guides are provided inside which slide blocks disposed on the inner face of each crossbar and near its two ends.
From the opposite side, an attachment screw transversally connects each crossbar with the blocks that will be guided along the grooves made in the sides or edges of the corresponding headboard or footboard of the bed.
Each of said blocks has a lateral sprig that longitudinally connects a crossbar to each block at its ends, and allows connecting adjacent crossbars with the aid of a grooved plate, inside of which the sprigs of two adjacent crossbars can move.
The length of said plate limits the vertical separation between the crossbars when the railing is in the operative position.
Without requiring great complexity in the structure of the railing, the improvements described allow, as in the retractable railing described in patent 200100500 of the same applicant, that when the railing is retracted under the action of gravity the crossbars will remain superimposed and intimately related, while when the user pulls the top crossbar upward, after it rises a certain distance this top crossbar will pull on the second crossbar from the top and so on, until fully extending the operative railing.
To fix the fully extended railing, the two blocks at the corresponding ends of the top crossbar are provided with a latch that tends to engage a suitably shaped plate placed at the top inner area of the corresponding headboard and footboard guides, with a pushbutton coaxially opposite it.
When the user presses said pushbutton in order to retract the railing which provides protection when extended, the pushbutton will push on the latch and separate it from the inner plate of the guides, releasing the railing from the guides so that the connected crossbars will be stacked on one another by gravity in the inoperative position.
In addition, the top crossbar has one or more notches, preferably one near the end next to the headboard and another near the end next to the footboard, which make it easier for the user to insert the fingers of one hand to lift said first crossbar and thereby pull manually on the remaining crossbars until the railing is fully extended.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

To complete the description being made and in order to aid a better understanding of the characteristics of the invention, according to a preferred embodiment, a set of drawings is accompanied as an integral part of the description in which, for purposes of illustration only and in a non-limiting sense, the following is shown:

Figure 1 shows a schematic perspective view of a bed incorporating the retractable railing with the improvements according to the object of the invention, in which both sides are provided with the railings, fully extended on one side and not on the other.
Figure 2 shows a perspective view of one of the ends of two adjacent crossbars of those composing the retractable railing, according to a preferred embodiment, representing the component elements of the system for sliding in the guides and locking.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

In view of the aforementioned drawings, one of the possible embodiments of the invention can be described as a railing composed of a plurality of crossbars (1), at least two and preferably three, although their number may vary without affecting the essence of the invention, which tend to stack on one another due to the action of gravity, defining a lateral monoblock surface, also provided with means for separating them suitably, as shown in Figure 1, by the manual action of the user on the top crossbar (1).
As shown in figure 2, each crossbar (1) incorporates on its inner face near each of its ends a prismatic and laterally flattened block (5) that is connected to the crossbar (1) transversally and on its outer face by an attachment screw (8).
The blocks (5) of the inner face of each crossbar (1) are meant to slide guided inside a groove (2) provided on the edges (3) of the end boards (4), both on the headboard and the footboard of the bed.
Between each two adjacent crossbars (1) is disposed a grooved plate (7) dimensionally adapted to the diameter of a lateral sprig (6) that joins the crossbar (1) longitudinally to its block (5).
The grooved plate (7) allows a free displacement along its length of the lateral sprigs (6) housed in it until said sprigs (6) reach the maximum separation between crossbars defined by the length of said grooved plate (7).
Fixed at a suitable height inside each groove (2) of the sides of the end boards (4) is a locking plate (9) with a profile such that it engages a latch (10) incorporated in each block (5) of the top crossbar (1), in order to automatically lock said top crossbar (1) and thereby the entire railing in its fully extended position, so that it will provide an effective protection, preventing an accidental fall of the user lying on the bed.
When the user wants to rise from the bed, in order to unlock the railing by releasing the latch (10) of the fixed plate (9) in each groove (2) a pushbutton (14) is provided attached to the outer part of the groove (2) which, when manually activated by the user, will push said latch (10) until separating it and releasing it from the locking plate (9), thereby releasing the top crossbar (1) and thus the remaining crossbars (1) which will stack by action of gravity, forming a continuous surface.
Because when the railing is retracted the crossbars (1) are perfectly superimposed, the crossbar (1) is provided near its ends and in correspondence with its outer edge with some notches (17), two in the example of embodiment of figure 1, in order to make it easier for the user to lift said top crossbar (1) and thus carry with it all crossbars (1) by inserting his/her fingers in the notches (17).
Remaining within the scope defined by the claims below, in view of this description and the accompanying figures, an expert in the field will understand that multiple variations may be made in the embodiment described herein and combined in multiple manners to produce additional variations of the invention within its object.

Claims

Retractable railing for beds constituted by a plurality of crossbars (1) that stack to form an outer monoblock lateral surface in the inoperative position of the railing and are jointly movable separated in height in the operative position of the railing, characterised in that in the inner faces of said crossbars (1) and near each of their ends are placed blocks (5) that slide guided inside a vertical groove (2) made in the edges (3) of the end boards (4) of the bed, by means of a manual pull exerted by the user on the top crossbar (1), to which the remaining crossbars (1) are connected, until said top crossbar (1) is locked in said grooves (2) to set the retracted railing in its operative position.
Retractable railing for beds according to claim 1, characterised in that said blocks (5) of the top crossbar (1) incorporate a latch (10) which, when said top crossbar (1) reaches the correct height, automatically engages a locking plate (9) conveniently placed at said height inside the groove (2).
Retractable railing for beds according to claim 2, characterised in that parallel to and outside the groove (2) is placed a pushbutton (14) that can move so that, when it is pressed by the user, it pushes the latch (10) separating it until releasing it from the locking plate (9) so that the top crossbar (1) is released and falls by gravity, carrying with it the remaining crossbars (1) and leaving the railing retracted in an inoperative position.
Retractable railing for beds according to any of the previous claims, characterised in that the blocks (5) are joined to each crossbar (1) by an attachment screw (8) that crosses the outer face of the crossbars (1).
Retractable railing for beds according to any of the previous claims, characterised in that all the blocks (5) of each crossbar (1) are provided with a lateral sprig (6), with a grooved plate (7) disposed between each pair of adjacent crossbars (1) inside which move said sprigs (6), the grooved plate (7) constituting the union between the crossbars (1) and its length determining the maximum separation between adjacent crossbars (1) when the railing is fully extended.
Retractable railing for beds according to any of the previous claims, characterised in that the top crossbar (1) has at least one notch (17) on its bottom edge to allow the user to insert his/her fingers and easily grip said top crossbar (1), to displace it and thus the remaining crossbars (1) guided in the grooves (2) until fully extending the railing.