US2303618A

US2303618A - Cot holding means

Info

Publication number: US2303618A
Application number: US348413A
Authority: US
Inventors: Edwin F Couleur
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1940-07-30
Filing date: 1940-07-30
Publication date: 1942-12-01
Anticipated expiration: 1959-12-01

Description

Dec. 1, 1942 E. F. COULEl JR I 2 ,6

COT HOLDING MEANS Filed July so, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Qwue/Mom Z'bW/A/ 004 E02,

Patented Dec. 1, 1942 COT HOLDING MEANS Edwin F. Couleur, Glendale, Calif., assignor to WilliamH. Heise, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application July 30, 1940, Serial No. 348,413

Claims.

This invention relates to cot-holding means and pertains more particularly to cot-holding means which may be used in hearses or the like It is usually somewhat wardly from the wall and are likely to interfere with the free movement of the cot during the loading and unloading operations. Also, cotholding devices of this type are entirely unsuited for use in hearses of the side-loading variety.

when it is desirable to use such a hearse for am-' bulance service, as for bringing a body from a residence to a mortuary.

A particular object of the invention is to pro vide an improved cot-holding means which is universally adapted for use in ambulances and hearses of either the rear-loading 0r side-loading type.

A further object of the invention is toprovide a particularly advantageous cot-holding device as a part of a cot-holding means for use in hearses or the like.

Another important object of the invention is to provide a cot-holding means for use in hearses or the like which may be placed in the hearse on the bed that holds the casket and held there in the same manner as a casket when the hearse is used as an ambulance and may be easily removedtherefrom when not in use.

provided with a manually operated lever operable to move it between the two positions.

According to a preferred embodiment, this cotholding device comprises'an arm pivotally mounted at its lower-end for movement substantially in a vertical plane between a raised and substantially vertical position and a lowered position at one side of the vertical position, and is associated with an articulated mechanism which is manually operableto move the arm between the raised and lowered positions and to lock the arm in the raised position. All parts of the articulated mechanism and of the device including the arm are positioned in non-interfering relation to the cot when the arm isin the loweredposit-ion.

Myinvention will be more particularly described in connection with theaccompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of my cot-holding means'positioned on the casket bed of a hearse and in engagement with a typical cot, certain parts of the cot and of the cot-holding means being-broken away for clarity;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the arrangement illustrated in Fig. 1 with the upper portions of the cot broken away for clarity;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail view of one of the cot-holding devices illustrated in Fig. 1, with certain portions broken away;

Fig. 4 is a partly sectional end elevation there of, taken along line 4-4 in Fig.3;

Fig. 5 is another elevational detail, taken along line 5 5 in Fig. 3; and

Fig. 6 is a view corresponding in general to the view of Fig. 1 and illustrating a modified form or" cot-holding means utilizing a fixed cot-holding device.

Referring to Figs. 1-5 and more particularly to Figs. 1 and 2, a portable cot such as used in am- Further objects and advantages of my inven- 4o balances or the like is shown as comprising a bed tion will either be specifically brought out in the ensuing description or will be apparent therefrom.

The cot-holding means of this invention may comprise a pair of cot-engaging devices adapted to be mounted on a horizontally extending base member in horizontally spaced relation to each other and provided respectively with cot gripping members to engage the opposite ends of the cot to clamp the same therebetween. I At least one of these cot-engaging devices is movable between one position to clampingly engage the cot and another position out of engagement with the cot, this cot-engaging device being provided with means holding it in the one position upon moveportion I for supporting a body which is carried by a suitable framework 2, all usually of tubular members and mounted on swiveled casters 3 so that'it may be rolled to any desired'position with at positions above the casters 3 so that any object which is narrow enough in a transverse diment-thereof to the one position and also being motion for the casters 3 to straddle and, when so straddled is below the level of the frame members, may be said to be mounted in non-interfering relation to the frame members.

The cot-holding means is shown as comprising two cot-engaging devices 8 and 9 mounted on a horizontally extending base member ID in horizontally spaced relation to each other for engagement with opposite ends of the cot to clamp the sametherebetween. With the cot-holding means illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, the cot-engaging devices 8 and 9 are identical, and the ensuing detailed description of the cot-engaging device 8 will also apply to the cot-engaging device 9.

Still referring to Figs. 1-5 but with particular emphasis on Figs. 3-5, the cot-holding device 8 is shown as comprising an arm I I pivotally mounted at its lower end as at I2 for movement about a substantially horizontally extending axis between a raised substantially vertical position such as shown in Figs. 1-5 and a lowered position at one side of the vertical position as shown in dot-dash lines at 8a in Fig. 1. The arm is provided at its upper end with a recessed cotgripping member I3 which is adapted to engage recess is preferably provided with a lining I5 of resilient material such as rubber, for reasons which will appear obvious as the description proceeds. The member I3 is also provided with a flange I6 which extends inwardly about the recess;

I4 to hold the member I5 in place. Due to its resilient nature, the member I5 may be sprung into position in the recess I4 in back of the flange I6.

In order to provide for the engagement of cots 4o made by different manufacturers and to accommodate for different mounting conditions, the member I3 is preferably mounted for vertical movement on the arm II. The member II may be provided with a vertically extending slot IT to accommodate a mounting stud I8 carried by the member I3. By loosening the stud I8, member I3 may be moved to any desired vertical position and held there when the stud is tightened. The member I3 is provided with vertically extending guide flanges I8a which embrace the edges of the arm II and prevent rotation of the member I3 about the axis of stud I8.

The arm II is movable between its lowered position and its substantially vertical position by means of an articulated mechanism which is pivotally associated with the arm and manually operable to move the arm between said positions and to lock the arm in the raised position. All parts of this mechanism and the arm, including the cot-gripping member I3, are positioned in non-interfering relation to the cot when the arm is in the lowered position, so that the cot may be rolled over the device 8 and along the member ID without interference from any part of this member.

This articulated mechanism is shown as comprising a lever I9 pivotally mounted as at 20 at a position below the level of the gripping member I3 when the arm is in the raised position and at a position on the side of the member 8 toward which said member moves when it is lowered. A link 2I is provided which is pivotally connected to the lever and to the arm at 22 and 23 respectively. The pivotal connection 22 is shown as located at an intermediate position between 76 pivot 20 and the outer end of the lever I9, while the pivotal connection 23 is located a substantial distance above pivot I2 along the arm I I and preferably somewhat below the cot-gripping member I3. I

The link, lever, and arm are so arranged that the pivotal connection of the link to the lever is in dead-center position between the pivotal mounting of the lever and the pivotal connection of the link to the arm when the arm is substantially in the raised position as shown in Fig. 3. This dead-center condition is attained when the centers of the

pivots

20, 22 and 23 fall on the same straight line.

The lever I9 is pivotally movable downwardly toward the arm I I past such dead-center position and means is provided for limiting such downward movement, such as a hook-shaped stop 24 projecting upwardly from the outer end of the lever I9 and laterally over the link 2I for engagement therewith in order to limit the movement of the lever past dead-center position and thus lock the arm II substantially in its raised position.

The lever I9 is pivotally movable in the reverse direction (in a counter-clockwise direction as viewed inFig. 3) to a position in which the arm II is in its lowered position and the mechanism is wholly below the level of the frame members of the cot, as shown in'dot-dash lines at 8a in Fig. 1. The lever I9 is provided with suitable handle means so that it may be manually moved between the above-described positions. For example, the outer end portion of this lever may be provided with a laterally projecting handle portion 25.

When

pivots

20, 22, and 23 are in their deadcenter position as above described, the arm II and the cot-gripping member I3 are in their most forward positions. Dowward movement of the handle 25 to move the pivot 22 past dead-center and to bring the stop 24 in looking engagement with the link 2I causes the arm II and the cotgripping member I3 to move very slightly in a direction away from the frame member 4 and toward the pivot 20. For the cot to be held firmly between the members 8 and 9 requires a certain. amount of resilient deformation of the cot-gripping means and/or the cot frame. Usually the frame members are sufiiciently resilient so that they may be engaged by the gripping member I3 at a position outward of the locked position of this member and sprung inwardly to the position corresponding to the deadcenter position of the pivot 22 and will continue I to exert a force outwardly against the cot-gripping member I3 when this member has been moved back to a position corresponding to the locked position of the articulated mechanism. If the cot frame members are not sufficiently subject to this elastic deformation, the resilient lining I5 will allow this movement of the member I3 and will maintain the firm engagement with the frame member when the articulated mechanism is in its locked position.

For convenience in mounting the cot-holding devices and for maintaining the desired alinement of the various pivots in the articulated mecha nism, the pivots 20 and I2 are preferably carried on a suitable plate 26 which may be secured to the base member I0 in any convenient manner as by means of bolts 27. The above-described cot-holding devices mayv be mounted to extend upwardly from any horizontally extending base member such as the floor of an ambulance or a hearse. When my cot-holding devices are used in hearses, however, particularly of the type which may be loaded either from the side or the rear, Iprefer to mount them on a supporting base means, which may be easily inserted or removed from the hearse.

For example, themember It! may comprise a flat member of an area somewhat greater than the cot, such as a plate or cot board formed of plywood, light metal or the like, having substantially the same base dimensions as a casket, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The member may then be placed in position on a casket bed 28 of a hearse and held in position thereon in any suitable manner, as by means of pins 29 which are provided to hold a casket in place.

These pins fit in openings provided in the casket bed and may be removed when it is desired to slide the member Ii! on or off of the bed. Thus a hearse may be used as an ambulance by simply placing my cot-holding means in position on the casket bed and by removing the cot-holding means when the hearse is required for other duties. Furthermore, a cot-holding means which includes a light base member like'the base member I0 may be used in emergencies to convert other vehicles for ambulance purposes.

Where my cot-holding means is to be used in hearses or' the like in which the cot may be rolled into position from either end of the cotholding means, both of the cot-holding devices are preferably provided with an articulated mechanism such as illustrated at B and 9 in Figs. 1 and 2, for example. However, when the cotholding means is to be used in vehicles which can be loaded from one end only, or when it is only desirable to placethe cot in position from one end, it is not necessary to provide both of the cot-holding devices with articulated mechanisms. For example, an arrangement such as illustrated in Fig. 6 may be used.

Referring thereto, I have shown a cot frame 3| provided with cross frame members 32 and 33, which are gripped between cot-holding devices 34 and 35 respectively. The device 34 may be entirely comparable to the device 8 and is movable between its upper or cot-gripping position as shown in Fig. 6 and a lower non-interfering position comparable to that taken by the member 8 and shown in dot-dash lines at 311 in Fig. 1. When the device 34 is in this lastmentioned position, the cot may be rolled into or out of position to be engaged and over the member 34. The device 35 may comprise a cotgripping member 36 constructed in the same manner as the member I3 and supported by a suitable fixed bracket H. The movable and fixed cot-holding devices 34 and 35 are adapted to be mounted in proper horizontally spaced relation upon a horizontally extending base member, such as the fioor of a hearse or the like, or a cot board or other removable base member as shown at It] in Figs. 1 and 2.

To facilitate the positioning of a cot and the loading and unloading thereof, the base member such as the member I 0 may be provided with a pair of spaced longitudinally extending guide members 38 and 39 which are curved inwardly toward one another at their ends and are adapted to guide the cot casters to correctly position the cot between the cot-engaging devices as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2. The guideways 38 and 39 are preferably spaced from one another by a distance which is somewhat less than the distance between the casters when they are trailaxes.

ing as -showni-n Figs. 1 and 2, so that the casters maybe free-to sw-ivel when the cot is located on the base member I0. The-casters trail behind the axes-about which they-swivel when they are rolled, and it may be assumed that the cot illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 was rolled into position from the right-hand side of the member 10. If the cot is to be removed from the same side, it will be necessary for thecasters to swivel through degrees in' order to trail their swivel Obviously, my invention is subject to considerable modification; hence, I do not choose to be limited to the examples described herein, but rather to the scope of the subjoined claims.

I claim:

l. A relatively light -weight cot-holding means adapted to be readily positioned on and removed from the casket bed of a hearse, comprising: a substantially fiat base member adapted to receive and supporta cot-and having base dimensions which are substantially the same as the base dimensions of a casket; and two cot-engaging devices mounted on and extending upwardly from said base member in horizontally spaced relation to each other for engagement with opposite ends of a cot positioned therebetween upon said base member,'to clamp said cot in such position, at least one of said cot-engaging devices being movable between one position to clampingly engage the cot and another position out of engagement with the cot, said one cot-engaging device being provided with means holding it in said one position upon movement thereof to said one position and with a manually operated lever member operable to move it between said two positions.

2. A relatively light-weight cot-holding means adapted to be readily positioned on and removed from the casket bed of a hearse, comprising: a substantially fiat base member adapted to receive and support a cot and having base dimensions which are substantially the same as the base dimensions of a casket; two cot-engaging devices mounted on and extending upwardly from said base member in horizontally spaced relation to each other for engagement with opposite ends of a cot positioned therebetween upon said base member, to clamp said cot in such position, at least one of said cot-engaging devices being movable between one position to clampingly engage the cot and another position out of engagement with the cot, said one cot-engaging device being provided with means holding it in said one position upon movement thereof to said one position and with a manually operated lever member operable to move it between said two positions; and a pair of longitudinally extending laterally spaced guide members secured to the base member for guiding the cot in its travel on the base member.

3.. A relatively light-weight cot-holding means adapted to be readily positioned on and removed from the casket bed of a hearse, comprising: a

substantially fiat base member adapted to receive and support a cot and having base dimensions which are substantially the same as the base dimensions of a casket; and two upwardly extending cot-engaging devices mounted on said base of said cot-engaging devices beingmovable between one position in which its gripping member is in such engagement and another position in which its gripping member is removed from such engagement, said one cot-engaging device being provided with means holding it in said one position upon movement thereof to said one position and with a manually operated lever member; operable to move it between said two positions.

4. A relatively light-weight cot-holding means.

adapted to be readily positioned on and removed from the load-holding bedof a hearse or the like, comprising: a substantially fiat base member having base dimensionsadapting it for positionto each other for engagement with opposite end of a cot positioned 'therebetween 'upon said base member, to clamp said cot in such position, at least one of said cot-engaging devices being movable between one position to clampingly engage the cot and another position out of engagement with the cot, said one cot-engaging device being provided with means holding it in said one position upon movement thereof to said one position and with a manually operated lever member operable to move it between said two positions.

5. A relatively light-weight cot-holding means adapted to be readily positioned on and removed from the load-holding bed of a hearse or the like, comprising: a substantially flat base member having base dimensions adapting it for positioning on and removal from the load-carrying bed of the hearse or the like and also adapting it to receive and support a cot; two cot-engaging devices mounted on and extending upwardly from said base member in horizontally spaced relation to each other for engagement with opposite ends of a cot positioned therebetween upon said base member, to clamp said cot in such position, at least one of said cot-engaging devices being movable between one position to clampingly engage the cot and another position out of engagement with the cot, said one cot-engaging device being provided with meansholding it in said one position upon movement thereof to said one position and with a manually operated lever member operable to move it between said two positions; and a pair of longitudinally extending laterally spaced guide members secured to the base member for guiding the cot in its travel on the base member.

EDWIN F. COULEUR.