US3462772A

US3462772A - Center-pivoting bed

Info

Publication number: US3462772A
Application number: US659920A
Authority: US
Inventors: Earle A Morrison
Original assignee: EARLE A MORRISON
Current assignee: EARLE A MORRISON
Priority date: 1967-08-11
Filing date: 1967-08-11
Publication date: 1969-08-26
Anticipated expiration: 1986-08-26

Description

Aug. 29, 1969 A. MOR ISON CENTER-PIVOTING BED 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 11, 1967 EAR LE MORRISON Agent Aug. 29, 1969 E. A. MORRISON CENTER-PIVOTING BED 2 Sheets-Sheet. 2

Filed Aug. 11, 1967 FIG. 5 3

E' xwsaaem 454, I ZJ Agent United States Patent Olfice 3,462,772 CENTER-PIVOTING BED Earle A. Morrison, 3490 Cypress St., Vancouver 9, British Columbia, Canada Filed Aug. 11, 1967, Ser. No. 659,920 Int. Cl. A61g .7/ US. Cl. 63 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A bed having a base and a vertically displaceable mattress-supporting frame which is pivoted at its mid-point to one end of a connecting arm of which the other end is pivoted to the base. Means are provided for keeping the frame in a horizontal position while being lowered or raised, but this means can be selectively disconnected from the frame to allow the latter to assume an angular orientation.

This invention relates to a bed of which the mattresssupporting frame is adapted to be raised and lowered with respect to the floor, and wherein the frame, at any vertical position, can be tilted to place the head-end either above or below the foot-end. The bed to which this invention relates is particularly suitable for use in hospitals.

The object of this invention is to provide a bed of the above type, simple in construction and easy to operate.

Accordingly, this invention provides a bed, comprising: a base, a frame for supporting a mattress above said base, a connecting arm mounted at one end to said base to pivot in a vertical plane about a first axis, said frame being mounted at substantially its mid-point to the other end of said connecting arm for pivotal movement with respect thereto about a second axis parallel with the first axis, means for pivoting said connecting arm about said first axis to raise and lower said frame, and means for maintaining said frame in a horizontal orientation during raising and lowering of said frame.

Two embodiments of this invention are shown in the accompanying drawings, in which like numerals denote like parts throughout the several views, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a partly broken-away perspective view of a portion of the bed in accordance with this invention;

FIGURE 2 is a partly broken-away perspective view, to a larger scale than FIGURE 1, of one portion of the bed of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a partly broken-away perspective view of another portion of the bed of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a view similar to FIGURE 3, to a smaller scale, showing an alternate construction; and

FIGURE 5 is a schematic elevational view of the bed of FIGURE 1 showing three diiferent orientations that the mattress-supporting frame is capable of assuming.

Turning first to FIGURE 5, the bed of this invention is seen to comprise generally a base 11, a frame 12 for supporting a mattress above the base 11, a connecting arm 14 mounted at one end 16 for piovtal movement in a vertical plane parallel with the long dimension of the bed 10, and connected at its other end 17 to the frame 12 at approximately the mid-point of the latter. Means, later to be described, are provided for causing the connecting arm 14 to pivot about its end 16, and further means are provided, selectively operable, to cause the frame 12 to remain in a horizontal position during elevation and lowering. These latter means can be disconnected in order to permit the frame 12 to assume an angled position as shown at 18 in FIGURE 5.

Attention is now directed to FIGURE 1 which shows, in perspective, part of the base 11, the frame 12, the means by which the latter is raised and lowered, and the 3,462,772 Patented Aug. 26, 1969 means by which the frame 12 is kept in a horizontal position during raising and lowering.

The base 11 includes a hollow rectangular member 20, connected at either end to T-

bars

21 and 22, both of which are supported on a pair of castor wheels 23 (only two of the four wheels 23 visible).

In FIGURE 1 the connecting arm 14 is shown to have a width comparable to the width of the frame 12, and is pivoted about a shaft 24 to the T-bar 22. At the end 17 of the connecting arm 14 is pivotally mounted a shaft 25, which is not visible in FIGURE 1, but which can be seen in FIGURE 2. The shaft 25 is secured at either end to the frame 12 by means of plates 26 (only one such plate 26 visible in each of FIGURES 1 and 2). The connection between the shaft 25 and the frame 12 is at substantially the mid-point of the latter, such that the frame 12 can be easily pivoted away from the horizontal posi. tion, when and if this should become necessary.

The raising and lowering of the frame 12 is accomplished by means of a further connecting arm 28, and a hydraulic cylinder 30 (shown in dotted lines in FIGURE 1). The connecting arm 28 is pivoted at its upper end 31 about the shaft 25, and is thus pivoted to the upper end 17 of the connecting arm 14. The lower end of the further connecting arm 28 is bifurcated into two

arms

33 and 34, which constitute a kind of clevis between which a clevis pin 36 extends. The clevis pin 36 is adapted to slide in a pair of slots 38 (only one visible) in the member 20 of the base 11. The right hand end 40 of the hydraulic cylinder 30 is fixed to the base 11, and the piston rod 41 of the hydraulic cylinder 30 is secured to the clevis pin 36. Thus, extension and retraction of the piston rod 41 causes the connecting

arms

14 and 28 to geniculate, thereby causing the frame 12 to be raised and lowered.

The means by which the frame 12 is maintained in a horizontal orientation during its raising and lowering will now be described with reference to FIGURES 2 and 3 of the drawings.

Referring to FIGURE 2, a short tubular element 42 is mounted rotatably about the shaft 25. In FIGURE 1, element 42 is shown in its assembled position, adjacent the side of the frame 12. A further identical tubular element 42 is located at the opposite end of the shaft 25 adjacent the other side of the frame 12, but it is partly hidden by the frame 12. Each tubular element 42 has, at one end, a flange 44 rigidly secured thereto. The flange 44 has a plurality of radial slots 45 for a purpose shortly to be described. At the other end of each tubular element 42 are rigidly secured two pinion members 46. The T-bar 22 has two upstanding projections 48, of which one is visible in FIGURE 3. The shaft 24 about which the connecting arm 14 pivots passes through the projections 48. Rigidly secured to each projection 48 is a further pair of pinion members 50 identical to the pair 46 of pinion members. Thus, the connecting arm 14 may pivot about the shaft 25 while the pair 50 of pinion members remains in fixed relation with the T-bar 22. An endless chain 52 is tightly engaged around both

pairs

46 and 50 of pinion members such that the pinion members 46 always remain in the same orientation, regardless of the angular position of the connecting arm 14. That is to say, the uppermost spoke or tooth of one of the pinion members 46 will always remain the uppermost tooth, regardless of the angular position of the connecting arm 14.

In FIGURE 1 is shown a release bar 54 pivoted to the frame 12 at two pivot points 55, of which one is visible in FIGURE 1. Connected at 56 to the release bar 54 is a rod 58 which runs parallel with the frame 12 and passes through a bracket 60 attached to the frame 12. The rod 58 has a wedge-shaped end 61 and a flange 62 (see FIG- URE 2). A compression coil spring 64 is compressed between the flange 62 and the bracket 60, thereby urging the rod 58 to the left. When the tubular element 42 shown in FIGURE 2 has been slid along the shaft 25 to its proper position immediately adjacent the frame 12, the wedge-shaped end 61 on the rod 58 is adapted to engage in one or the other of the radial slots 45 in the flange 44. Because the flange 44 always maintains the same orientation regardless of the position of the connecting arm 14, it is possible to lock the frame 12 in a horizontal position, maintained throughout its raising and lowering, merely by engaging the rod 58 into the appropriate one of the radial slots 45. FIGURE 1 shows this engagement. There is, preferably, another rod 58 along the opposite nearer side of the frame 12, engaging with the flange on the other tubular element, but none of this is visible, being hidden by the frame 12 itself.

If it is desired to release the frame 12 from its locking relation with the flange 44, the operator merely pushes downwardly on the release bar 54, thereby retracting the wedge-shaped end 61 from engagement with the flange 44, releasing the frame to pivot about the shaft 25. The operator can then, if desired, place the frame 12 in, for example, the Trendelenburg position, for which another slot 45 is provided in the flange 44. Pressure on the release bar 54 is then relaxed, thereby letting the wedge-shaped end 61 move to the left and engage the appropriate Trendelenburg slot.

FIGURE 4 shows an alternate construction for assuring that the flange 44 always remains in the same orientation during the raising and lowering. Instead of the

sprockets

46 and 50 and the chain 52, there is provided on the T-bar 22 an upstanding member 66 having two wings 67 disposed at approximately a 45 angle to the horizontal. Two similar wings 68 are fixed to the tubular element 42. Two parallel rods 70 extend between corresponding wings, as shown. Each rod 70 is pivotally connected at either end to a wing 67 and a wing 68, and the length and direction of the line extending between the pivot axes of either rod are at all times the same as the length and direction of the line extending between the pivot axes of the connecting arm 14. It will be appreciated that one of the rods 70 could be dispensed with without impairing the operation. Furthermore, the angle 45 is not critical. The pairs of wings could, for example, extend roughly vertically.

Although a hydraulic cylinder 30 has here been shown as the means by which the frame 12 is raised and lowered, those versed in this field will be aware that other means, such as an electrically or manually operated mechanical screw or a ratchet, could also be employed for this purpose.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A bed comprising:

a base,

a frame for supporting a mattress above said base,

a connecting arm mounted at one end to said base to pivot in a vertical plane about a first axis,

said frame being mounted at substantially its midpoint to the other end of said connecting arm for pivotal movement with respect thereto about a second axis parallel with the first axis,

means for pivoting said connecting arm about said first axis to raise and lower said frame,

and means for maintaining said frame in a horizontal orienttion during raising and lowering of said frame, said last-mentioned means for maintaining including: a first pinion member secured to said base and coaxial with said first axis, a second pinion member mounted for rotation coaxially with said second axis, the two pinion members having the same diameter,

an endless, flexible member engaged tightly around both pinion members, and

means for selectively locking said frame to said second pinion member.

2. A bed as claimed in claim 1, in which said endless flexible member is a chain, and in which said pinion members are spur gears adapted to engage with said chain.

3. A bed as claimed in claim 1 in which said means for pivoting comprises:

a further connecting arm having its one end pivotally connected to said first-mentioned connecting arm at a location spaced from said first axis, and its other end slidable horizontally toward and away from said first axis, such that movement of the other end of said further connecting arm toward said first axis causes said frame to rise relative to said base.

4. A bed as claimed in claim 3, in which a hydraulic cylinder provided in said base is operable to move said other end of said further connecting arm toward and away from said first axis.

5. A bed comprising:

a base,

a frame for supporting a mattress above said base,

said frame being mounted at substantially its mid-point to the other end of said connecting arm for pivotal movement with respect thereto about a second axis parallel with the first axis,

and means for maintaining said frame in a horizontal orientation during raising and lowering of said frame, said last-mentioned means for maintaining including:

a member mounted for rotation coaxiaily with said second axis and carrying a first pivot remote from said second axis,

a second pivot fixed with respect to said base, the second pivot being spaced from said first axis the same distance as separates said first pivot from said second axis, and

an elongated rigid member pivoted at one end to said first pivot and at the other end to said second pivot, the elongated rigid member maintaining the first and second pivots apart the same distance as separates said first axis from said second axis.

6. A bed as claimed in claim 5, in which said means for pivoting comprises:

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,471,90l 5/1949 Ross 254-9 3,200,416 8/1965 Warrick 562 3,201,806 8/1965 Hutt 5-62 3,203,670 8/1965 Farris 254-122 3,284,815 11/1966 Grossman et al. 5-62 3,308,485 3/1963 Evans 563 CASMIR A. NUNBERG, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R.