GB2423291A

GB2423291A - A transfer apparatus

Info

Publication number: GB2423291A
Application number: GB0503588A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Emils Gailis
Original assignee: Leec Ltd
Current assignee: Leec Ltd
Priority date: 2005-02-22
Filing date: 2005-02-22
Publication date: 2006-08-23
Anticipated expiration: 2025-02-22
Also published as: GB2423291B; GB0503588D0

Abstract

A transfer apparatus for use with a medical trolley 14 having a support tray positioned on a support surface 18, comprises an attachment means 12 for attaching the transfer apparatus to the trolley 14 and a driving member 16 engageable with the support tray for moving the tray relative to the support surface 18 of the trolley 14. Preferably the transfer apparatus further includes a free-running member 32 which is driven by the driving member 16. An outer surface of the driving member may be or include a frictional material such as a conveyor belt (34, fig 3) which extends between the driving member 16 and the free-running member 32. The attachment means 12 preferably includes an actuator, such as a pair of hydraulic arms 22, 24, for moving the transfer apparatus between a first position in which it is adjacent to the support surface 18 of the trolley 14 and a second position spaced from the support surface 18.

Description

A TRANSFER APPARATUS

This invention relates to a transfer apparatus for use with in particular, but not exclusively, a medical trolley.

Medical trolleys intended for use in hospitals and other medical establishments generally include a support surface for receiving a support tray on which a body may lie.

When loaded with a body the support tray is heavy and difficult to manually move about. Consequently it is difficult for an operative to load and unload the body and tray from the trolley. Indeed, in the UK, Heath and Safety regulations prohibit an operative from lifting, pushing and pulling heavy objects.

One way of moving the support tray relative to the trolley is to use an overhead gantry that incorporates a lifting block which is typically electrically powered.

Such an arrangement is inconvenient because an operative can only load or unload the trolley in a fixed location determined by the location of the overhead gantry.

To allow for loading and unloading of a trolley in a variety of different locations a modified fork lift truck may be used. The forks of the truck include a belt which engages with the underside of a support tray to move the tray between the support surface and the forks.

However, such an apparatus is extremely bulky, thereby limiting the environments in which it is able to operate. In addition, the provision of a modified fork lift truck requires a considerable capital investment on the part of the hospital or medical establishment.

Therefore it is a general aim of the invention to provide a cost effective transfer apparatus that is able to operate in a wide range of locations within a hospital or medical establishment.

According to the invention there is provided a transfer apparatus, for use with a medical trolley, comprising: an attachment means for attaching the transfer apparatus to the trolley; and a driving member engagable with a support tray for moving the support tray relative to a support surface of the trolley.

The ability to attach the transfer apparatus to a trolley means that the transfer apparatus is useable in all of the locations in which the trolley would normally operate.

Optionally the transfer apparatus further includes a free-running member adapted to be driven by the driving member. The inclusion of a freerunning member helps to distribute the weight of the support tray between the driving member and the free-running member, thereby reducing the wear on each of these components. A free-running member also provides additional support for a tray as an operative moves it.

Conveniently each of the driving member and the free-running member is a roller.

Such an arrangement provides a ready way of converting rotary motion from e.g. a motor into linear movement of the tray.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention an outer surface of the driving member is or includes a frictional material.

Optionally the outer surface is or includes a conveyor belt extending between the driving member and the free-running member.

The foregoing arrangements provide a convenient way of increasing the coefficient of friction between the driving member and the underside of a support tray so as to allow the driving member to drag the support tray relative to the support surface of the trolley.

Conveniently the transfer apparatus further includes at least one bumper member engagable with the support tray. An operative may use the bumper member to push one end of a support tray into a confined space, as well as retrieve one end of a support tray from a confined space.

Preferably the attachment means includes an actuator for moving the transfer apparatus between a first position adjacent to the support surface of the trolley and a second position spaced from the support surface The inclusion of an actuator for moving the transfer apparatus between first and second positions assists an operative in retrieving a support tray from an awkward position. It also assists an operative in positioning the support tray within a confined location such as a mortuary refrigerator.

Preferably the actuator includes a pair of arms each arranged at one side of the transfer apparatus, the arms being moveable between the first position and the second position. A pair of arms provide the transfer apparatus with a desired degree of support and rigidity.

In another preferred embodiment of the invention the arms include one of hydraulic or pneumatic actuation. This is a convenient way of operating the arms.

There now follows a brief description of preferred embodiments of the invention, by way of non-limiting example, with reference being made to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 shows a perspective view of part of a transfer apparatus according to a first embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 shows a perspective view of part of a transfer apparatus according to a second embodiment of the invention in a second position; Figure 3 shows a perspective view of a complete transfer apparatus according to the second embodiment of the invention in a first position; Figure 4(a) shows a transfer apparatus according to a third embodiment of the invention in a first mode of operation; Figure 4(b) shows the transfer apparatus shown in Figure 4(a) in a second mode of operation; Figure 4(c) shows a perspective view of a complete transfer apparatus according to the third embodiment of the invention; Figure 5(a) shows a plan view from above of a bumper member according to an embodiment of the invention; Figure 5(b) shows an elevational view from one side of the bumper member shown in Figure 5(a); Figures 6(a) and 6(b) shown a schematic representation of the removal of a support tray from a refrigerator using the transfer apparatus shown in Figure 4(c).

A transfer apparatus according to a first embodiment of the invention is designated generally by the reference numeral 10. The transfer apparatus 10 comprises an attachment means 12 that attaches the transfer apparatus 10 to a medical trolley 14.

The transfer apparatus 10 also includes a driving member 16 in the form of a roller. An outer surface of the driving member 16 is defined by a friction generating material such as rubber (not shown in the drawings). The purpose of the friction generating material is to generate a high frictional contact force for dragging a support tray (not shown in the drawings) on and off of a support surface 18 of the trolley 14. The outer surface of the driving member 16 is engagablc with the underside of the support tray.

The attachment means 12 includes an actuator 20 for moving the transfer apparatus 10 between a first position adjacent to the support surface 18, as shown in Figure 1, and a second position spaced from the support surface 1 8.

The actuator 20 includes a pair of arms 22, 24 each of which is attached to one side of the transfer apparatus 10. In the embodiment shown the arms are moveable by one of hydraulics or pneumatics. In other embodiments of the invention different types of activation are possible.

In each of the first position and the second position the transfer apparatus 10 remains in the same plane as the support surface 1 8. Normally the transfer apparatus resides in the first position in which it lies within the outer envelope defined by the perimeter of the trolley to which it is attached. This helps to protect the transfer apparatus 10 from becoming damaged by hitting walls or doors within a hospital.

The driving member 16 is driven by an electric motor 26 via a series of intermeshing gears 28. Other embodiments of the invention may include different drive arrangements.

In use the reversible electric motor is operable to selectively rotate the driving member 16 in a given direction.

When removing a support tray from, e.g. a mortuary refrigerator an operative first partially retrieves the support tray from the refrigerator by hand. The trolley to which the transfer apparatus 10 is attached is then positioned so as to engage the outer surface of the driving member 16 with the underside of the protruding portion of the support tray.

The operative then operates the driving member 16 so as to move the tray onto the support surface 18.

Unloading the tray from the trolley involves reversing the aforementioned steps.

Often a mortuary refrigerator door opening prevents the driving member 16 from moving the tray support completely within the refrigerator compartment. In this case the operative extends each arm 22, 24 so as to move the transfer apparatus to the second position, and thereby push the tray completely within the compartment.

A transfer apparatus according to a second embodiment of the invention is designated generally by the reference numeral 30. The second embodiment shares similar components with the first embodiment. These components are designated by the same reference numerals.

The second transfer apparatus 30 includes a free-running member 32, in the form of a roller, that is freely rotatable about an elongate central axis. The second transfer apparatus also includes a conveyor belt 34 that extends between the driving member 16 and the free-running member 32, whereby the free-running member 32 is rotatable by the driving member 16, as shown in Figure 3. The conveyor belt 34 includes a frictional material such as rubber. In addition, in the preferred embodiment shown the conveyor belt 34 includes a plurality of shaped ridges extending from one side to the other thereof.

The gears 28 of the second transfer apparatus 30 are connected via a chain 36.

An operative uses the second transfer apparatus 30 in the same way as the first transfer apparatus 10. Figure 2 shows the second transfer apparatus 30 in the second position spaced from the support surface 18. Figure 3 shows the second transfer apparatus 30 in the first position adjacent to the support surface 18.

The support surface defined by the conveyor belt 34 sits in the same plane as the support surface 18 as it moves between the first and second positions.

Figures 4(a) to 4(c) show a transfer apparatus 40 according to a third embodiment of the invention. The third embodiment shares similar components with the first and second embodiments. These components are designated by the same reference numerals.

The third transfer apparatus 40 includes an attachment means 12 that is welded to the frame of a medical trolley 50. It is possible to retrofit other embodiments of the invention to existing medical trolleys.

The driving member 16 includes an integral driving motor and gearbox (not shown) located within the roller thereof.

The third transfer apparatus 40 also includes a bumper member 42. In the embodiment shown the bumper member 42 is in the form of an elongate plate 44 having an s-shaped cross-sectional profile. The s-shaped profile includes a pushing portion 52 and a pulling portion 54.

In other embodiments of the invention the transfer apparatus 40 may include a bumper member 42 having a different cross-sectional profile or configuration.

The third transfer apparatus 40 is used in a similar way to each of the first and second transfer apparatus 1 0, 30.

However, when removing a support tray 46 from, e.g. a mortuary refrigerator 48, an operative first engages the pulling portion 54 of the bumper member 42 with a handle 56 on one end of a support tray 46, as shown in Figure 4(a).

Moving the trolley 50 away from the refrigerator 48 pulls the support tray 46 partially from the refrigerator 48, as shown in Figure 6(a).

The trolley 50 to which the transfer apparatus 40 is attached is then repositioned so as to engage the conveyor belt 34 with the underside of the protruding portion of the tray 46, as shown in Figure 6(b).

The operative then operates the driving member 16 so as to drag the tray 46 onto the support surface 18.

An operative unloads the tray 46 from the trolley 50 in a similar way as described in connection with the second embodiment of the invention.

However, an operative may use the bumper member 42 to push a support tray 46 further into, e.g. a mortuary refrigerator 48. This is achieved by engaging the pushing portion 52 of the bumper member 42 with the handle 56 on one end of the support tray 46, as shown in Figure 4(b).

Claims

CLAIMS: 1. A transfer apparatus, for USC with a medical trolley,

comprising: an attachment means for attaching the transfer apparatus to the trolley; and a driving member engagable with a support tray for moving the support tray relative to a support surface of the trolley.
2. A transfer apparatus according to Claim I further including a freerunning member adapted to be driven by the driving member.
3. A transfer apparatus according to Claim 2 wherein each of the driving member and the free-mnning member is a roller.
4. A transfer apparatus according to any preceding claim wherein an outer surface of the driving member is or includes a frictional material.
5. A transfer apparatus according to Claim 4 when dependent from Claim 3 wherein the outer surface is or includes a conveyor belt extending between the driving member and the free-running member.
6. A transfer apparatus according to any preceding claim further including at least one bumper member engagable with the support tray.
7. A transfer apparatus according to any preceding claim wherein the attachment means includes an actuator for moving the transfer apparatus between a first position adjacent to the support surface of the trolley and a second position spaced from the support surface.
8. A transfer apparatus according to Claim 7 wherein the actuator includes a pair of arms each arranged at one side of the transfer apparatus, the arms being moveable between the first position and the second position.
9. A transfer apparatus according to Claim 8 wherein the arms include one of hydraulic or pneumatic actuation.
10. A transfer apparatus generally as herein described with reference to and/or illustrated in the accompanying drawings.