US3232251A

US3232251A - Combined bed tray, table and walker

Info

Publication number: US3232251A
Application number: US302540A
Authority: US
Inventors: Walter P Hughes
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1963-08-16
Filing date: 1963-08-16
Publication date: 1966-02-01
Anticipated expiration: 1983-02-01

Description

Feb. 1, 1966 w. P. HUGHES COMBINED BED TRAY, TABLE AND WALKER Filed Aug. 16, 1963 M i U Wm w M 1 a M a 4 Na 2 a a) 2 7 4 I NVEN TOR.

WALTER I! HUGHES ATTORNEYJ United States Patent l 3,232,251 C(EMBINEB BED TRAY, TABLE AND WALKER Walter P. Hughes, 3 Daley Ave, lvlcthuen, Mass. Filed Aug. 16, 1963, et. No. 302,540 3 Claims. (Cl. TOE-t?) This invention relates to invalid walker frames and particularly to a walker frame having a removable bed table which enables the frame to be used as an invalid dining table.

In late years, nursing homes for elderly invalid patients have been on the increase, some of the patients being able to walk, some being bedridden and some being able to sit down at a table during meals. A room in a nursing home usually contains a hospital type bed, bureaus, chairs and the like, together with some of the personal furniture and possessions of the occupant and space is often at a premium. There is seldom sulficient space to accommodate a separate walker, dining table and bed food table and often it is difficult to find a surface on which to rest a bed table when it cannot be supported on the bed for any of various reasons, such as the need of the patient to leave the bed temporarily.

The principal object of this invention, therefore, is to provide a combined unit occupying only a single space in the room of a patient but quickly convertible from a dining table, to a bed table and invalid walker.

Another object of the invention is to provide combined walker, dining table and table apparatus made at low cost of light tubular material and separable for shipment in a relatively flat container.

A further object of the invention is to provide such an apparatus with side frames of A configuration, whereby the bed table can be supported on the cross bar of the A frames to form a leg supporting hassock.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the claims, the description of the drawing and from the drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of an apparatus constructed in accordance with the invention,

FIG. 2 is a front elevation,

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 1 showing the device in use as an invalid walker,

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1,

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the bed table removed from the walker, and

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 1 showing the bed table forming a hassock.

The combined invalid walker, bed food table and dining table apparatus 2i), of the invention, includes the walker frame 21 and the removable bed table 22.

The walker frame 21 is formed by a pair of

side frame members

23 and 24, each preferably being of A configuration and of light, tubular material such as aluminum. Each side frame includes a horizontal side rail, or support 25, a front leg 26, a rear leg 27 and a cross bar 2%, the supports 25 being at dining table level, or height above the level of floor 29.

Each

side frame member

23 and 24 includes a walker handle such as 31 or 32 and each walker handle 32 is fixed to, and integral with the frame, preferably extending upwardly from dining table level at the back thereof as at 33 and then turning forwardly at 34 to extend horizontally at walker handle level well above dining table level as at 35, parallel to the support 25 and terminating at a free terminal end at beyond the centre of the side frame. As shown, each

side frame member

23 and 24, including its

walker handle

31 or 32, is preferably unitary and fiat so that the apparatus 20 may be shipped in disassembled form without occupying undue space. It will Patented Feb. 1, 1966 be seen that a forward opening 37 is thus formed for the forward insertion and removal of the bed table 22 of the invention.

Transverse brace means 39 extends between the

side frame members

23 and 24 in the form of a generally U-shaped bar -f-ll having terminal ends 41 and 42 detachably connected by bolts 43 to each rear leg 27 of the members at about the height of the horizontal supports 25. Another generally U-shaped bar 44 has its

terminal ends

45 and 45 detachably connected by bolts 47 to each rear leg 27 of the members at about the level of the cross bars 28 of the side frame members. The bars il and 44 are preferably tubular aluminum and extend longitudinally across the rearward portion of the space 48 between the upstanding

side frame members

23 and 24 to rigidly connect the same into a recumbant U-shaped figure. It should be noted that a forward opening 49 and an upper opening 56 are thus formed which, as in the case of the space 43, are free of transverse elements of any kind.

The bed food table 22 includes the food supporting surface 53 and a pair of

legs

54 and 55, each at an opposite end of the surface 53, the latter preferably being of tubular aluminum bent as shown in FIG. 5. The underside 56 of table 22 rests on the horizontal supports 25, with the

legs

54 and 55 extending downwardly on the outside of the side rails and frame members to prevent longitudinal displacement while the upstanding parts 33 of the handles prevent rearward lateral displacement. However, the table 22 may be quickly inserted, and removed, through forward opening 37, from the front of the frame 21 and, as shown in FIG. 1, forms a dining table at which a patient may sit down to eat or upon which the table may be temporarily supported before being placed on the bed of a bedridden patient.

As shown in FIG. 6, the table 22 may also be supported on the cross bars 28 of

side members

23 and 24 at hassock height above the floor level to support the legs and feet of a patient.

In PEG. 3 the table is shown removed, with the frame 21 in use as an invalid walker. The unobstructed upper opening 50, forward opening 49 and the space 43 enclosed by the three sided frame permit the handles 35 to be grasped by the patient while the centre of gravity of the patient is within the confines of the frame. The light tubular structure of the frame permits it to be easily lifted and advanced by the patient for walking with the handle grip portions 35 at walker handle level of about waist height above the level of the fioor 29.

I claim:

1. Combined invalid walker, bed table and dining table apparatus, said apparatus comprising a pair of longitudinally spaced apart, upstanding, tu-

bular side frame members, each having a laterally extending side rail at dining table level above floor level, said members defining an unobstructed space therebetween;

transverse brace means extending longitudinally across the rearward portion of said space and rigidly connecting said frame members; bed table having an intermediate food supporting surface and a pair of longitudinally spaced apart legs, said legs being each on an opposite end of said surface and extending downwardly therefrom, on the outside of said side rails to well below said dining table level to prevent sidewise displacement of said table, and said surface resting on, and extending between said side rails but being independent of connection thereto for ready removability;

a pair of invalid walker handles, each fixed to one of said side frame members and each extending upwardly from the rearward portion thereof, to prevent rearward displacement of said table, then turning forwardly and horizontally at walker handle level of about waist height above fioor level and terminating in a free terminal end beyond the centre of said frame members;

said apparatus constituting a dining table when said bed table is resting on said side rails and constituting an invalid walker when said bed table is removed therefrom.

2. Combined Walker, bed table and dining table apparatus as specified in claim 1 wherein each said side frame member is of A configuration with the cross bar of the A, at hassock level between chair level and floor level, and

said frame members are parallel to each other whereby said bed table may be inserted sidewise into said frames to rest on said cross bars and serve as a removable hassock.

3. In an invalid walker of the recumbent U-shaped type having a pair of tubular A side frames and a rearward connecting frame the combination of side rails on said A frames extending horizontally at dining table level above floor level;

a bed table having a horizontal food supporting portion resting on said side rails and extending from outside of one said side frame transversely to outside the other said side frame, said table having legs depending downwardly from each opposite end, on the outside of said frames to Well below said dining 4. table level to prevent sidewise displacement of said bed table, and a pair of walker handles fixed on said frame each handle extending upwardly from the rearward portion thereof, to prevent rearward displacement of said bed table; then extending forwardly and horizontally at walker handle level of about waist height above floor level and terminating in a free terminal end to form a forward opening for the insertion and removal of said bed table.

References Cited by the Examiner FRANK B. SHERRY, Primary Examiner.

Claims

1. COMBINED INVALID WALKER, BED TABLE AND DINING TABLE APPARATUS, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING A PAIR OF LONGITUDINALLY SPACED APART, UPSTANDING, TUBULAR SIDE FRAME MEMBERS, EACH HAVING A LATERALLY EXTENDING SIDE RAIL AT DINING TABLE LEVEL ABOVE FLOOR LEVEL, SAID MEMBERS DEFINING AN UNOBSTRUCTED SPACE THEREBETWEEN; TRANSVERSE BRACE MEANS EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY ACROSS THE REARWARD PORTION OF SAID SPACE AND RIDIGLY CONNECTING SAID FRAME MEMBERS; A BED TABLE HAVING AN INTERMEDIATE FOOD SUPPORTING SURFACE AND A PAIR OF LONGITUDINALLY SPACED APART LEGS, SAID LEGS BEING EACH ON AN OPPOSITE END OF SAID SURFACE AND EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY THEREFROM, ON THE OUTSIDE OF SAID SIDE RAILS TO WELL BELOW SAID DINING TABLE LEVEL TO PREVENT SIDEWISE DISPLACEMENT OF SAID TABLE, AND SAID SURFACE RESTING ON, AND EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID SIDE RAILS BUT BEING INDEPENDENT OF CONNECTION THERETO FOR READY REMOVABILITY; A PAIR OF INVALID WALKER HANDLES, EACH FIXED TO ONE OF SAID SIDE FRAME MEMBERS AND EACH EXTENDING UPWARDLY FROM THE REARWARD PORTION THEREOF, TO PREVENT REARWARD DISPLACEMENT OF SAID TABLE, THEN TURNING FORWARDLY AND HORIZONTALLY AT WALKER HANDLE LEVEL OF ABOUT WAIST HEIGHT ABOVE FLOOR LEVEL AND TERMINATING IN A FREE TERMINAL END BEYOND THE CENTRE OF SAID FRAME MEMBERS; SAID APPARATUS CONSTITUTING A DINING TABLE WHEN SAID BED TABLE IS RESTING ON SAID SIDE RAILS AND CONSTITUTING AN INVALID WALKER WHEN SAID BED TABLE IS REMOVED THEREFROM.