US2174582A

US2174582A - Bed attachment

Info

Publication number: US2174582A
Application number: US221876A
Authority: US
Inventors: Hudon Blanche
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1938-07-29
Filing date: 1938-07-29
Publication date: 1939-10-03
Anticipated expiration: 1956-10-03

Description

Oct. 3, 1939. B HUDQN 2,174,582

BED ATTACHMENT Filed July 29; 1938 I 30 25 INVENTOR. BL fl/VCf/E h uoo/v BY f % ATTORNEY.

Patented Oct. 3, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BED ATTACHMENT Blanche Hudon, New York, N. Y.

Application July 29, '1938, Serial No. 221,876

3 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in bed attachments and has particular reference to a storage receptacle and operating means therefor.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved receptacle and operating means therefor of simple and practical construction adapted for attachment to a hospital bed or the like, wherein the receptacle is adapted to contain a bed pan and other articles of equipment for storage beneath the bed when not in use, and wherein said receptacle may be adjusted by a patient from a normal position beneath the bed to a projected position in which access may be had to the con tents of the receptacle.

The above and other objects will appear more clearly from the following detailed description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing which illustrates a preferred embodiment of the inventive idea.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a bed frame showing the attachment of the present invention applied thereto. 1

Figure 2 is an enlarged transverse section 5 through the bed frame.

Figure 3 is an end elevation of the attachment, partly in section, and,

Figure 4 is a fragmentary longitudinal section through the attachment.

Referring more particularly to the accompanying drawing the

numerals

5 and 6 indicate respectively the head and foot pieces of the bed frame which are connected by the usual side rails I.

In accordance with the present invention, the receptacle, generally indicated by the numeral 8,. adapted to contain various articles is suspended below the side rail 1 of the bed by means of a pair of parallel tracks 9 extending transversely between said rails at points intermediate the ends thereof. These rails are provided at intervals with small rollers l0 (Fig. 3) adapted to be engaged by flanges I l forming part of the receptacle 8 so as to support the latter in position and reduce friction between the parts so that said receptacle may be reciprocated along the trackway 9 from its normal position beneath the bed to a projected position at one side thereof, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1. The body of the receptacle 8 may be formed of foraminous material which is framed by the end members l2 and the bottom plate 13. The outer end of the receptacle may be provided with a hinged door [4 by means of which access may be had to the interior of the receptacle without projecting the same from its normal position beneath the bed.

Means are provided in connection with the receptacle 8 for propelling the same from its normal to projected positions and vice versa, which 5 means is so arranged as to be under the control of a patient lying in the bed. Said means includes a small reversible electric motor [5 suspended from. the tracks 9 adjacent one end thereof by means of a bracket 16, and adapted for 10 connection to a source of electric energy by a conductor IT. A switch plate l8 may be mounted upon the head piece 5 of the bed in a convenient position and includes a switch l9 connected to the motor i5 by the conductor 20 for energizing 15 said motor. A second switch 2| is mounted upon the plate l8 which is utilized to control the reversing of the motor IS. The motor shaft 22 is provided with an extension 23 arranged below and longitudinally of the receptacle 8 and projecting through

bearings

24 and 25 suspending from the bottom E3 of said receptacle. The opening in the bearing 24 through which the shaft extends is provided with a thread 26 with which the threaded portion 21 of said shaft is adapted to engage when the latter is driven by the motor. Normally, with the receptacle 8 in its retracted position, the inner extremity of the threaded portion 21 of the shaft (Fig. 4) does not extend into the threaded opening 26 of the bearing but is in such position relative thereto that when the shaft 23 is rotated the two

threads

26 and 21 will be interengaged so that the bearing 24, and consequently the receptacle 8, will move along the shaft when the latter is rotated to propel said receptacle outwardly toward its projected position. The interengagement of the

threads

26, 21 is facilitated by means of a coil spring 28 interposed between the bearing 24 and a stop 29 fixed on the shaft 22.

The intermediate portion of the shaft 23 containing the thread 21 extends through a sleeve 30 one end of which abuts the bearing 24 while the other end extends through and is supported by the bearing 25, said sleeve acting to form an enclosure for the threaded portion of the shaft. When the switches l9 and 2| are manipulated to drive the shaft 23 from the motor in the direction to propel the receptacle outwardly from its normal position, continued rotation of the shaft causes the

bearings

24 and 25 and the sleeve 30, together with the receptacle 8 to move outwardly along theshaft 23 until the bearing 24 whose thread is engaged with the thread 21 of the shaft reaches the outer extremity of the latter thread whereupon the receptacle will come to rest since said thread 21 will no longer be engaged with the thread 26 of the bearing, as the latter will have passed outwardly beyond the thread of the shaft. Therefor any further rotation of the shaft 23 in the same direction will have no effect upon the receptacle. In this projected position of the receptacle the sleeve 30 has passed outwardly over the left end of the shaft 23 as viewed in Fig. 2, and the bearing 24 will come into contact with and compress a coil spring 3| encircling the outer extremity of said shaft and engaging the head 32 thereof. With the spring thus compressed, a pressure will be exerted thereby upon the bearing 24 so as to assist the thread 26 of the latter to interengage with the outer extremity of the thread 21 when the direction of rotation of the shaft 23 is reversed by an operation of the switch 2|. When this occurs, the rotation of the shaft 23 in the reverse direction will cause the receptacle 8 to be withdrawn toward its normal position by reason of the engagement of the

threads

26 and 21, until the bearing 24 reaches the position of Fig. 4, at which time said threads will again be disengaged so that the receptacle will be brought to rest in its normal position.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination with the side rails of a bed, a trackway extending between said rails, a receptacle suspended from said trackway for reciprocating movement from a normal position beneath said bed to a projected position relative thereto, an operating shaft for said receptacle having a thread thereon, a threaded bearing on the receptacle through which said shaft extends, the threads of said bearing being disengaged from the thread of said shaft when the receptacle is in its normal and fully projected positions, means to engage the thread of the shaft with that of the bearing to initiate the movements of said receptacle when said shaft is rotated, a motor, means supporting the motor from the bedstead, and means connecting the motor with said shaft for rotating the latter and for holding it against longitudinal movement.

2. In combination with the side rails of a bed, a trackway extending between said rails, a receptacle suspended from said trackway for reciprocating movement from a normal position beneath said bed to a projected position relative thereto, an operating shaft for said receptacle having a thread thereon, a threaded bearing on the receptacle through which said shaft extends, the threads of said bearing being disengaged from the thread of said shaft when the receptacle is in its normal and fully projected positions, springs at opposite ends of said shaft alternately exerting pressure upon said bearing as said receptacle is reciprocated from one position to another to engage the thread of said bearing with that of said shaft, a reversible motor, means supporting the motor from the bedstead, and means connecting the motor with said shaft for rotating the latter and for holding it against longitudinal movement.

3. In combination with the side rails of a bed, a trackway extending between said rails, a receptacle suspended from said trackway for reciprocating movement from a normal position beneath said bed to a projected position relative thereto, an operating shaft for said receptacle having a thread thereon, means holding said shaft against longitudinal movement, a threaded bearing on the receptacle through which said shaft extends, the threads of said bearing being disengaged from the thread of said shaft when the receptacle is in its normal and fully projected positions, a second bearing carried by said receptacle, a sleeve supported by said bearing and extending therefrom to the first named bearing in spaced encircling relation to the thread of said shaft, springs at opposite ends of said shaft alternately exerting pressure upon the first named bearing as said receptacle is reciprocated from one position to another to engage the thread of said bearing with that of said shaft, and means to rotate said shaft in opposite directions. I

BLANCHE HUDON.