GB2114880A

GB2114880A - Footrest

Info

Publication number: GB2114880A
Application number: GB08204879A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Noel Eric Ogden
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1982-02-19
Filing date: 1982-02-19
Publication date: 1983-09-01
Also published as: GB2114880B

Abstract

The footrest is for a person in bed to prevent his sliding down the bed and has a foot support board (3) mounted by brackets (4) to arms (5) which are extendible to vary the position of the board from the foot frame 2 of the bed. The arms (5) have releasable clamps (8) which are rotatable and can clamp against a horizontal or vertical portion of the foot frame 2 and the arms (5) can be swung about the brackets (4) to lie folded along the foot board (3) when the footrest is not in use. The arms (5) may be telescopic and rigidly settable in adjusted positions. Brackets 4 may slide on spigots 11 of the arms 5. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Patient's footrest The invention relates to a new or improved attachment for beds in hospital and for suitably constructed beds in the home where a patient may be confined to for any length of time in a weakened state. The object of the invention is to improve the comfort of the person confined to bed by preventing them sliding down the bed after being lifted up into a semi-reclining or sitting position.

At the moment, a patient after being lifted up, gradually slips down the bed into some very uncomfortable positions. The patient then has to ask for help to be relifted and in most busy hospitals help is often long delayed in coming.

The overworked nurses then have to resit the bed bound person, which puts great strain on the nurses backs.

Many working hours are lost by this exercise where a nurse could be employed elsewhere.

The other methods of holding a patient up in a sitting or semi-reclining position necessitate removing the top covers to attach the foot support (as mentioned in patents nos. 1 220 341 and 1 463 097). These methods involve more work for overworked nursing staff because the bedding has to be partially remade after putting the support in place and also after removing the support. To overworked staff, this operation defeats the object of time saving.

Also patent no. 1 463 097 uses the side members of the bed frame to hold the footrest in position. This method is not very successful because hospital beds vary so much in the construction of the side members because of all the different lifting and tilting devices incorporated in modern beds. This means beds vary from ward to ward so patent no. 1 463 097 cannot be sited in an exact position on every bed.

With these points in mind I have designed a footrest that can be put into position easily and quickly on to any hospital bed with a foot frame without having to remove the bedclothes. It can then be removed quickly when not required and folded up for easy storage or transportation to other beds.

This invention comprises in combination a bed having a frame and foot frame and a support for the occupant's feet. The support comprises swinging and sliding hinges to allow extendable telescopic arms to be positioned in a suitable position on a firm member of the foot frame of the bed so that the foot support section of the footrest is held firmly across the bed parallel with the foot frame of the said bed.

The extendable arms of the foot rest incorporate the use of tubular bars of a telescopic nature. In the drawing, round tube is used but the telescopic effect can be achieved by any shaped tube or bar that will allow one smaller bar to slide smoothly into another of a larger size. For example square, oblong, oval.

The telescopic arms also incorporate stop holes, pins, spigots, rotatable bushes and footframe clamps with means to tighten them to the footframe of the bed i.e. finger screws or butterfly screws.

The invention is diagrammatically illustrated by way of the example in the accompanying drawing in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a bed complete with mattress and bedding with the foot rest support fixed into a suitable position-half the bed has been cut away for ease of description.

Figure 2 is a more detailed view of the means of attaching the telescopic arms to the footrest board by way of the specially designed hinge.

Figure 3 shows in closer detail the foot frame clamp, its tightening bolt and the rotatable bush connection to the telescopic arm.

Figure 4 illustrates the footrest support in its folded up position and ready for storage or transportation.

In the construction illustrated in Figure 1, a bed having a mattress and bedding (1) and a bed foot frame (2) is provided with a footrest support according to the invention including a footrest board (3) which can be made out of any firm and easy to clean material such as wood, melamine, firm plastic.

A good size for the footrest board should be some 2'9't wide by some 6" high. It rests on the bedding by gravity vertically or slightly inclined away from the patient's feet.

Attached to the back of the footrest board are two tubular hinges (4). These are fitted by bolts, rivets or screws nearer the top surface of the board than the bottom. This is to facilitate a small up and down adjustment of the board after the clamps (8) are in position.

One of the hinges is shown more clearly in Figure 2. This shows how the tubular socket is held away at right angles to the footboard by a fiange or bracket effect. The flange is of sufficient length so as to allow the footrest clamp to rest neatly against the back of the board when folded up (as shown in Figure 4).

The tubular socket is designed to allow the upright spigot (11) to swing and slide up and down. These spigots (11) are fixed at right angles or slightly incined by means of an 'L' shaped joint welded or riveted to the retractable arms (5).

These two arms are constructed of tubular metal with holes (12) spaced along the uppermost side.

These holes are to receive the pins (7) when the correct distance from the footframe of the bed is reached. The retractable arms are slidably received into other tubular arms (6). These arms have a pin (7) attached by a short chain (not shown in drawings). These pins can be the simple pin shown in Figure 1 or alternatively can be a trigger type or spring loaded. If a spring loaded one is used the stop holes in (5) are connected by a furrel or groove so that the spring loaded catch can act as a ratchet while being pulled out. The thicker arms (6) are attached to the footframe clamps by a rotatable bush (9). This is shown more clearly in Figure 3. This is to facilitate the easy location of a suitable member of the footframe by the clamps by allowing them to be turned. The example in Figure 1 shows the clamps attached to the top bar of the frame.However, with the use of the swinging hinges at the footboard end of the support, coupled with the use of the revolving clamps, any upright or horizontal member of the footframe can be used even when certain parts of the footframe are panelled in. That is why the clamps have been designed so the open ends are at right angles to the telescopic arms. This means if the footframe is completely panneled in, the clamps can be put on from above. If only certain sections are panneled in the clamps can be attached from underneath or inside to either horizontal or upright members.

The clamps (8) are then fastened to the suitable members by the use of hand tightened bolts ( 10).

With the clamps tightened the complete footrest structure is then held firmly in position and will not allow the patient to slip down the bed.

Claims (Filed on 18/2/83).

1. A bed footrest of the type which, in use, a person occupying the bed can rest his feet against so that he does not slide down the bed, the footrest being adapted for use on a bed with a foot frame member and comprising a foot support mounted on arms, the arms having clamps by means of which the footrest is releasably attachable to a bed foot frame member, the effective length of the arms determining the distance between the foot frame member and the foot support being capable of adjustment whereby the support can be secured across the bed at a selected position spaced from the foot frame member.

2. A footrest as claimed in claim 1, in which the arms are mounted to the support in such a way as to permit them to be positioned to a folded position adjacent the support when the footrest is not in use.

3. A footrest as claimed in claim 2, in which the arms are mounted to the support by connections which permit them to be positioned so as to project away from the support for use or along the support for storage.

4. A footrest as claimed in claim 3, in which the arms are connected to the support by hinges located adjacent each end of the support whereby the arms are pivotable between the use and folded positions.

5. A footrest as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 4, in which the support has brackets which project from the back of the support, the arms being connected to the brackets spaced from the support to enable the arms to be positioned, in the folded position, along the support.

6. A footrest as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, in which the arms are mounted to the support by means permitting adjustment of the support in a direction generally perpendicular to the arms (i.e. vertically when in use on a bed).

7. A footrest as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the support comprises a board positioned perpendicular or somewhat inclined to a plane containing the arms.

8. A footrest as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the arms lie generally perpendicular to the support and are extendible to vary the position of the support from the foot frame member.

9. A footrest as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the support is mounted on extensions of the arms projecting generally at right angles to the arms at the respective ends of the arms.

10. A footrest as claimed in claim 9, in which the support is provided with brackets each affording a sleeve which fits over the spigot extension of the respective arm.

11. A footrest as claimed in claim 10, in which the brackets are located nearer to the top of the support (relative to its use position) to permit adjustment of the position of the support on the spigot extensions.

12. A footrest as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the arms are telescopic for varying their effective length.

1 3. A footrest as claimed in claim 12, in which the arms are each capable of being set at different selected lengths by means of aligned features on each telescopic element.

14. A footrest as claimed in claim 13, in which the telescopic elements of each arm are provided with holes through which a pin may be inserted.

15. A footrest as claimed in claim 13, in which a spring loaded catch, ball or trigger is provided on one telescopic element of each arm engageable in one of a number of spaced stops on the other telescopic element.

16. A footrest as claimed in claim 15, in which the stops of the said other telescopic element of each arm are connected by a furrel or groove so that the spring catch can act as a ratchet.

1 7. A footrest as claimed in any one of claims 1 2 to 16, in which each arm comprises aligned tubes one of which slides in another.

1 8. A footrest as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the clamps are provided one at each end of the respective arm.

19. A footrest as claimed in claim 18, in which each clamp comprises a channel-shaped member adapted to fit over the foot frame member.

20. A footrest as claimed in claim 19, in which each clamp includes releasable fixing means, such as a screw or bolt.

21. A footrest as claimed in any one of claims 1 8 to 20, in which the clamps are each rotatable about an axis along the respective arm whereby it can be oriented to engage a horizontal or a vertical portion of a bed foot frame member.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. easy location of a suitable member of the footframe by the clamps by allowing them to be turned. The example in Figure 1 shows the clamps attached to the top bar of the frame. However, with the use of the swinging hinges at the footboard end of the support, coupled with the use of the revolving clamps, any upright or horizontal member of the footframe can be used even when certain parts of the footframe are panelled in. That is why the clamps have been designed so the open ends are at right angles to the telescopic arms. This means if the footframe is completely panneled in, the clamps can be put on from above. If only certain sections are panneled in the clamps can be attached from underneath or inside to either horizontal or upright members. The clamps (8) are then fastened to the suitable members by the use of hand tightened bolts ( 10). With the clamps tightened the complete footrest structure is then held firmly in position and will not allow the patient to slip down the bed. Claims (Filed on 18/2/83).

22. A footrest substantially as specifically

described herein with reference to the drawings.

23. A bed having a foot frame member, and a footrest as claimed in any one of the preceding claims.