US1003865A - Adjustable support. - Google Patents

Description

A. R. BARNETT.

ADJUSTABLE SUPPORT.

APPLICATION TILBD NOV. 1, 1910.

Patented Sept. 19,1911.

A. R. BARNBTT.

ADJUSTABLE SUPPORT.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 1, 1910. 1,003,865 Patented Sept. 19, 1911.

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ARTHUR R. IBARNETT, OF PORTLAND, OREGON, ASSIGNOR TO UNIVERSAL BED AND HOSPITAL SUPPLY COMPANY; OF PORTLAND, OREGON.

ADJUSTABLE SUPPORT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 19, 1911.

Application levd November 1, 1910. Serial No. 590,231.

To all whom 'it may concern.'

Be it known that I, ARTHUR R. BARNETT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Portland, in the county of Multnomah and State of Oregon, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Adj ustable Supports, of which the following is a specitication.

The present invention comprises an adjustable support designed particularly for use in hospitals and similar places, for application to beds, and to facilitate the raising and lowering of the opposite end portions of the mattress of a bed, means being employed to hold either end of the mattress at a desired elevated adjustment or in the normal position in which it is ordinarily used.

The invention is particularly advantageous in handlingsick patients in a h ospital, the home, or the like, whereby to 1ncrease the comfort of the patient or place him in a position convenient for operations, ete.

For a full understanding of the present invention, reference is to be had to the following description and to the accompanying drawings, in whichl Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a bed showing the invention mounted thereon in cooperation with a spring and mattress; Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view partly in section and partly in side elevation, showing one ofthe adjusting mechanisms and operating means therefor; Fig. 3 is a transverse section taken about on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a top plan view parts being broken away in places, andl illustrating the arrangement of the invention as shown in Fig. l; Fig. 5 is a horizontal fragmentary sectional view taken about on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2; Fig, 6 isa detail fragmentary view of the corner portion of one of the end sections of the support.

vThroughout the following detail description and on the several figures of the drawings, similar parts are referred to by like reference characters.

In carrying out the invention, the same 1s constructed so that it is most readily applicable to an ordinary bed embodying thev usual side rails A and legs B supporting the same.

The attachment comprises essentially a central section C and two end sections D,

the latter of the same construction exactly. ',lhc central section includes spaced angle bars connected together at opposite end portions by transverse rods l, suitably secured to downwardly projecting arms 2, the latter being integral with segments or ratchet members 3. One of the segments or ratchet numbers 3 is secured to each end of each of the spaced bars of the section C, the segments having outwardly projecting lugs 4 overlapped by the bars of the central section and secured thereto by suitable fastenings 5.

Spaced bars of the central section C are of angle form, the outer flanges of said bars engagillg with the outer surfaces of the lugs 4. The segments 3 are housed by casings 6 of circular form, each casing having a lateral extension 7 provided with a longitudinal opening 8 in which is mounted a ratchet pawl 9. The casing (3 is secured to its adjacent segment 3 by means of a pivot `member 10 passing through the central portion of the casing and entering an opening in the lug 4 of the segment, a pin ll connecting the` pivot member with the lug and extending transversely through said parts, preventing displacement of the pivot member. At its inner end, the pivot member 10 has a head 10', normally preventing separation of the segment 3 from the casing 6.

'lhe spaced bars of the central section C of the adjustable support are adapted to be positioned above the side rails A of the bed on which the support is placed, the lugs 4 of the several segments 3 under such conditions resting directly on the rails A and being secured by means of set screws l2 which are carried by auxiliary lugs 13 projecting outwardly from the depending arms 2` of the segments, said lugs being spaced from the larger superposed lug 4 of each segment so that the horizontal portion of .the rail A is adapted to be received between the lugs 4 and 13, and the bars of the central section C clamped to the side rails by the screws 12. The pins l1 are prevented from displacement by being practically received between the horizontal portions of the bars of the central section C and similar portions of the rails A.

lVhile the central section C really comprises a frame composed of spaced bars and connecting rods l, the end sections D are of U-form, being also preferably made from angle bars. The sides of each end section D are attached at their inner extremities to the extensions 7 of the adjacent casings 6, by the fastenings 14e. l

For the purposes of this description, the parts 3 and G will be called adjusting mechanisms. At its outer end, each section D of the support has a transverse rock shaft 15 mounted in suitable bearings upon its sides, said rock shaft having cranks 16 at its opposite extremities and which are connected by rods 17 to the pawls 9 of the adjacent adjusting mechanisms. A short distance from its opposite ends, the rock shaft 15 has rocker arms 18 applied thereto and extending downwardly therefrom, each rocker arm having a strap 19 connected to its lower end and extending outwardly and upwardly through a loop guide 19 on the outer end bar of the section D. `Grrips or hand-holds 20 are applied to the upper free ends of the straps 19 and it will be observed that in the actual operation of the invention these handholds 20 may be simultaneously grasped and when pulled upwardly, the rock shaft will be tilted, pulling on the rods 17 and disengaging the pawls 9 from the segments 3, continued pull permitting the section D to be raised or lowered into any desired position. rlhe end sections D of the support are preferably made from a single angle bar notched and bent to provide the corner portions of the sect-ion as shown at 21 in Fig, 1.

On the adjustable support comprising this invention is adapted to be placed a spring 22 having the end bars 23 resting directly upon the outermost portions of the end sections D. The spring 22 is held in its proper position relative to the adjustable support by means of loops 211 of wire or the like, said loops being attached to the transverse rods 1 of the central section C and extending upwardly therefrom into a proper engagement with the material from which the body of the spring 22 may be made. The connections 24 are advantageous in that they hold the spring 22 in proper place relative to the adjustable support when the end sections of the latter are raised, slack or looseness in the spring being prevented by the connections 24. Furthermore, the mattress 25 is prevented from shifting on the spring by means of the provision of loops 26 attached to the under side of the mattress, extending downwardly into engagement with the material of the spring 22, j

rThe end bars 23 of the spring 22 may be provided with handles 26 to facilitate raising and lowering of the ends of the spring and mattress simultaneously with similar movement of an end section D of the support.

From the foregoing, it will be observed, in reference tothe general construction of this invention, that the adjustable support just described comprises a central section or frame including side bars adapted to engage over, or overlap, the side rails of a bed, and end sections or frames adjustable with reference to the central frame and movable above and below the horizontal plane of the side rails by reason of the arrangement of said end sections or frame between said side rails. The above mounting of the central section affords a rigid supporting means for the end sections as well as desirable adjustments of the adjustable support, especially when it is necessary that one end of the support be elevated above the side rails and the opposite end lowered so as to extend below the side rails of the bed.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. 1n an adjustable support of the class described, the combination of a main section comprising spaced bars, adjusting mechanism carried by corresponding ends of said bars, each adjusting mechanism comprising a segment rigidly attached to its adjacent bar, a casing receiving said segment and pivotally connected therewith, the casings of the adjusting mechanisms being` formed with lateral extensions, an end section comprising sides and an end bar, means connecting the sides of the end section with the extensions of the casings aforesaid, ratchet pawls mounted on the casings and coacting with the segments adjacent thereto to hold the end section in a predetermined position with reference to the main section, a rock shaft mounted on the end section and having crank arms projecting therefrom, means connecting the crank arms with the ratchet pawls, rocker arms projecting from the rock shafts, and hand-holds operably connected with the rocker arms for actuating the latter to impart movement to the ratchet pawls and simultaneously move the end section into a desired position.

2. In an adjustable support of the class described, the combination `of a main section composed of spaced bars, adjusting mechanisms connected with corresponding ends of said bars, and each comprising a segment rigid with respect to an adjacent bar, a cooperating ratchet member pivotally connected with said segment, a ratchet pawl carried by said ratchet member, a member rigidly connecting the segments of the adjusting mechanisms, and thereby rigidly connecting the bars, an end section comprising sides connected with the pivoted ratchet members for movement therewith, and means on the end section for disengaging the pawls from the segments comprising a rock shaft mounted at the outermost portion of the end section and having crank arms connected with the pawls, rocker arms projecting from said rock shaft, straps connected with the rocker arms and having loose connection with the end section, and grips carried by said straps for actuating the rocker shaft and simultaneously manipulating the end section.

3. In an adjustable support of the class described, the combination of a central section comprising spaced bars of angle form, a pair of adjusting mechanisms at opposite corresponding ends of said spaced bars, each adjusting mechanism comprising a segment having an outwardly extending lug arranged beneath and secured to an adjacent bar of the central section, auxiliary lugs proj ecting from the segment beneath and spaced from the first mentioned lug thereof, a supporting bed rail having a portion thereof received between said lugs, set screws carried by the auxiliary lugs of the segment and engaging the bed rail, a ratchet casing inclosing the segment, a pivot member connecting said casing with the first mentioned lug of the segment, said ratchet casing having an offstanding extension and a pawl mounted in said extension, transverse rods connecting the pairs of ratchet mechanisms at opposite ends of the central section, bars, end sections, each end section comprising sides attached to the oflstanding extensions of an adjacent pair of ratchet mechanisms, a rock shaft mounted on the outer end of each end section and having crank arms at opposite ends beneath the lsides of the end section, rods connecting said crank arms with the pawls of the adjacent ratchet mechanisms, rocker arms projecting downwardly from the rock shaft at opposite ends, and straps connecting the lower end with said rocker arms, guides carried by the end of each end section and loosely receiving t-he straps therein, hand-holds applied to the free ends of the straps whereby to exert a pull thereon to operate the rock shaft.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ARTHUR R. BARNETT.

Witnesses:

W. Y. CURTIS, A. R. MENDENHALL.

Gopies of this patent may be obtained.V for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

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