US2876464A

US2876464A - Hospital bed bell cord anchor

Info

Publication number: US2876464A
Application number: US606317A
Authority: US
Inventors: Helen I Helverson
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1956-08-27
Filing date: 1956-08-27
Publication date: 1959-03-10
Anticipated expiration: 1976-03-10

Description

March 10, 1959 H, 1 HELVERSON 2,876,464

HOSPITAL BED( BELL CORD ANCHOR Filed Aug. 27,- 1956 United States Patent O HOSPITAL BED BELL CORD ANCHOR Helen I. Helverson, Carthage, Mo.

Application August 27, 1956, Serial No. 606,317

2 Claims. (Cl. 5-317) This invention relates to hospital room accessories and more particularly to an anchor adapted to be affixed to a sheet on a hospital bed, the most important object hereof being to provide a bell signal anchor for releasably holding the signal in a position readily accessible to a patient lying in the bed.

An equally important object of the instant invention is to provide a bell signal anchor as above identified wherein is utilized a circular disc of flexible material and to which is attached a looped tape for releasably holding the bell signal.

Also an important object of this invention is to provide a bell signal anchor wherein the bell signal holding loop is affixed to the circular disc substantially equidistantly from the peripheral edge of the disc so as to equalize lateral strain on the latter.

A further important object is to provide a bell signal anchor in which the circular disc is folded and refolded upon itself to present a centrally disposed tuck extending thereacross and which is adapted to receive the free ends of a retainer tape and which is held in place by suitable lines of stitching.

Other important objects of the instant invention, as well as details of construction, will become obvious as the following specification progresses.

In the drawing:

Figure l is a fragmentary, perspective view of a hospital bed wherein a bell signal anchor embodying the concepts of the instant invention as afixed to a sheet thereof.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged plan view of the instant invention and being broken away for details of construction; and

Fig. 3 is an enlarged, transverse, fragmentary, crosssectional view taken on line III-III of Fig. 2.

A bell signal anchor embodying the principles of the instant invention is shown perspectively in Fig. 1 of the drawing and designated broadly by the numeral 10, it being apparent from the drawing that anchor is adapted to be affixed to a sheet 12 which has been placed over the mattress (not shown) of a hospital bed 14.

Anchor 10 preferably comprises a circular disc 16 of highly flexible material which may be the same as that from which sheet 12 is made, namely, muslin. It is manifest however, that disc 16 may be made of any suitable material having the desired characteristics of flexibility, washability and relatively high tensile strength.

The peripheral edge of disc 16 is folded over to present a hem 18 which is secured to the lowermost face of disc 16 by a circular line of stitching 20. As is clearly apparent from Fig. 2 of the drawing, disc 16 is folded upon itself to present a first fold 22 and then refolded upon itself to present a fold 24 opening in the opposite direction. Thus, there is formed by folds 22 and 24, a` tuck 26 which is disposed centrally of disc 16 and extends thereacross.

An elongated, flexible tying tape 28 has a pair of free ends 30 and 32 which are disposed within tuck 26 equi- 2,876,464 Patented Mar. 10, 1959 lCC distantly between the ends thereof. Tape 28 may be conveniently formed of woven cotton material rebent upon itself to form a relatively narrow band, the outermost edges of which are secured together by a line of stitching 34. Because of the provision of lines of stitching 36 extending through folds 22 and 24 and free ends 30 and 32, tape 28 presents a loop 38 which is adapted to releasably hold a bell signal 40 in a manner hereinafter4 to be described.

It can now be ascertained that because of the provision of stitching 36, tape 28 is securely aixed to disc 16 substantially in the center thereof. It should be noted that it is generally preferable to provide a line of stitching 42 through the outermost marginal edge of fold 22 and through the adjacent face 44 of disc 16 to ythereby close tuck 26 along the entire length thereof.

Having reference to Figure 1 of the drawing, it can be seen that sheet 12 is of the contour-type which is adapted to be placed over the mattress of hospital bed 14 and disc 16 may be suitably secured to the uppermost surface 46 of sheet 12 by any suitable means but which conventionally may be a line of stitching 48 through hem 18.

It is contemplated that discs 16 be sewn to sheet 12 prior to the use thereof and thus become a permanent fixture on the sheet. In this respect it should be noted that disc 16, when secured to sheet 12, preferably is positioned adjacent the head portion of sheet 12 and proximate to a longitudinal edge of the mattress of bed 14 When sheet 12 is placed thereon. As illustrated in Fig. 1, disc 16 is placed in a position whereby the patient may readily reach bell signal 40 when desired.

Inasmuch as most hospital rooms are provided with an outlet 50 which is electrically connected to a signaling system for summoning a nurse, such rooms are conventionally provided with' bell signals such as 40 attached to a cord 52 which is adapted to be plugged into outlet 50. Therefore, after a sheet 12 having a disc 16 secured thereto, is placed over the mattress of bed 14, loop 38 is Wrapped around cord 52 as shown in Fig. l. Thus, bell signal 40 is releasably held in a position readily accessible to a patient lying in bed 14.

By provision of anchoring means such as 10, the heretofore practiced methods of wrapping gauze around bell signal 40 and pinning the same to sheet 12 by a safety pin is precluded and bell signal 40 is rendered accessible at all times without great effort or movement of the patient.

Also, it is to be pointed out that because of the circular configuration of disc 16 and the fact that tape 28 is secured to disc 16 in such a manner as to be disposed substantially in the center thereof, lateral strain on disc 16 is equalized irrespective of the direction of pull on loop 38 by a patient operating bell signal 40. It is contemplated that disc 16 may be secured to sheet 12 by any number of lines of stitching 48, but it is clearly manifest that if a plurality of concentric circles of stitching 48 are provided, the strain on disc 16 and sheet 12 is materially lessened.

It can now be appreciated that there is presented herein a bell signal anchor which renders the bell signal 40 readily accessible to a patient and precludes the necessity of his reaching up to the headboard of bed 14 to operate the signal 40 as has been heretofore necessary, as well as eliminating the danger of tearing or mutilating sheet 12 by pinning signal 40 to the same.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In an anchor adapted to be affixed to a sheet on a hospital bed, a circular disc of highly flexible material, said disc being folded and refolded to present a relatively narrow, centrally disposed tucl; extending across the disc;v

an elongated, ilexible tape having a pair of free ends, said ends being disposed Within the tuck; lines of stitching securing the marginal edge of the uppermost ,fold to the adjacent face of the member to close the tuck; and lines of stitching through the tuck for securing the ends of the tape therein, said tape presenting a loop for releasably holding a bell signal 'in a position readily accessible to a patient in the bed.

2. In an lanchor 'adapted to be aixed to a sheet on a hospital bed, a `hat member of flexible material having a reben't peripheral margin edge; an elongated, rebent, flexible tape; means for securing the free ends 'of the tape to the uppermost face of the member to present a loop for releasably holding a bell signal in a position readily accessible to a patient in the bed, said ends being secured 5to vthe member approximately equidistantly from said edge ,of the latter whereby strain on the member is equalized, said member being disc-shaped and provided with a centrally disposed tuck extending diametrically thereacross and receiving the ends of the tape.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 553,645 Green Jan. 28, 1896 2,137,012 Bobrow Nov. 15, 1938 2,150,486 Bjornson Mar. 14, 1939 2,784,423 Droeger et al Mar. 12, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS Germany Feb.