US836889A

US836889A - Invalid's bed.

Info

Publication number: US836889A
Application number: US31294206A
Authority: US
Inventors: Alice M Parkhill
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1906-04-21
Filing date: 1906-04-21
Publication date: 1906-11-27
Anticipated expiration: 1923-11-27

Description

No. 836,889. PATBNTBD NOV. 2v, 1906. A. M. 1 ARKLHILL- INVALIDS BBD.

APPLIOATION FILED APR. 21.1906.

z SHEETS-SHEET 1.

No. 83mm). 'PATENTED Noma?, 1906.

' A. M. PARKHILL.

INVALIDS BBD.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 21.1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

l IW

nois,

A.posts A A, foot-posts UNITED sra-Tas PATENT OFFICE.

Specification of Letters' -}?atent.'

" 'Patented N0v.'"27, 1906.

,Application ledrApril' 21, 1906. f Serial No. 312,942.

\ Be it known that I, ALroEM. BA'RKHiLL', a

lcitizen of the United -States,residing^at Chicago in thevoounty'of Cook and State of Illihave invented certain new Aand useful Improvements in Invalids Beds, of which the following is a specification.

The-invention to be hereinafter described relates to invalid-beds of that general character wherein meansJ areV employed vforv raising or lowering a patient while maintaining a substantially prostrate position.

In this general type of invalid-bed it is desirable to move the patient into the raisedl or lowered positionwith positiveness and certainty without jar, to avoid as far as possible the use of racks and pinions or intermeshing gears, which produce noise and are susceptible of uneven action owing to lost motion, and to do away with such lifting devicesas straps and the like, which stretch lmore-or less, and thereby cause the lifting-plane to move in a plane inclined to the horizontal.

It is likewise a desideratum that the sustainp ing-sheet or like `iexible support on which the patient rests may be given tension when the sustaining-frame is in raised position and that it be readily detachable at desired times.

With these general considerations in'view the invention consists of the parts and combinations to be hereinafter described, i and deiinitely pointed out in the claims.

Inthe drawings, Figure 1 is an end elevation of a bed embodying 'the presentinvention and looking at the foot portion thereof, some-parts being broken away. Fig. 2 is an end lelevation of the head end of thebed. Fig. 3 is a plan view. Fig. 4 is a transverse section on line Fig. 4; fand Fig'. 5 isa sectional detail to be described.

VThe bedstead proper, comprising the head- B B, and siderails C C, maybe provided with any usual. or desired character of mattress-support D, that shown being inthe form of cross rails or slats. 'The head-posts A A and the foot-posts B B are connected, respectively, byA suitable transverse piecesy E E, between which, and preferably below the slats D ,extends-the operatingshaft F for a purpose to be presently described.

ted ends a/ a and b b of which',`Fig.-;3,em brace and lare guided in their :vertical movement by the guides a aand b. b ,formed in the head and footuposts, respectively. "Secured l to the end portions-I of theoperating-shaft F "are thecrank-disks F F', a pairof suchfdisks -being preferably secured to the shaft F at the `foot and head end portions: thereoff'and4 connected to said crank-.disks byrpins ff'areuthe operating-arms H H, lthe endv f portions `near pins ff being curved, as best shownin Fig-.2, to embrace `the shaft F"y when [the stretcherframe is in its loweredposition, as will presently appear.

' Pivotally jointed to the outer endsbf :the operating-arms H H at hl'areathe toggle-levers .K K', the lower one of each setbeing pivoted to the head and foot transverse pieces ElE-at 7c and the upper one of each set beinginlike manner connected tothe head andfoot transverse bars Gr Gal-at g2 g2.

From the construction thus far. described it will be apparent that rotation ofthe. operating-shaft F will operate: theftoggle-levers `KK `at the head'and `foot-'of lthebed, to thereby positively and evenlyraise or-l'ower the transverse bars- G Cr` ofv the stretcherframe, which at such times are. guided-ein their vertical movement bythe-:guides a a and b l). When the toggle-levers lare invthe position shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the stretcherframe will be in its lowest position, and when 'the shaft F is turned'into the position `.indicated in Fig. 4 and the Ytoggle-levers are straightened in a manner well understoodthe stretcher-frame will be in its raised lorhi'ghest position. l

In order to maintain the stretcher-frame in its highest position, a notch f 2 is provided `inoney of the crank-disks; eitherV at t-hevhead 4or foot ofthe beelstead, and pivotallyf connected at etothe piece E, adj acentthereto; is the locking-lever L,' having a locking-pin e in its end adapted toregister withthe notch f2 when lthe shaft F yand* lcrank-disksfare turned to place the 'stretcher-frame in its raised position. Aspring e3`ftends'tox normally raise-the end of the lever Ltofcauset'he pin e to enter the notch f 2 when said notch v is brought into position above it. 'Ilofenable the lever L to `be turned; about its pivot e to unlock the 'crank-diskfrom' the pin ef', a ltrip Mis provided, rhaving its-end mturned about IOO ating-shaft.

In this character of'device it is desirable that the supporting sheet or fabric of the stretcher. be relatively slack whenV the stretcher-frame is in its lowest position and that such sheet' or fabric be automatically f' tightened gradually as the stretcher-frame is I raised to its raised position, and as one of the Y zo ' ent invention in these respects I have deforms of mechanism that embodies the presvised the following:

l Each of the transverse bars G G, one at the .heady and one at the foot of the bed and directly connected to the toggle-lever mechanism already described, is provided with a longitudinallydisposed. rib or flange g g. (Shown in full lines,` Fig. 3, and by dotted lines, Figs. 'l and 2.)

` The side bars O of the stretcher-frame, to which lthe' fabric or stretcher-frame bottom O is secured by means presently to be described, have slotted ends, as best shown by detail lin Fig. 5. These slotted ends of the stretcher side bars embrace the rib or fiange g g of the'transverse bars G G at the head and foot ends of the bed, so as to be movable transversely of the'bed upon such ribs or flanges.

Centrally secured at the foot and head ends of the bed,respectively, are the stationary uprights P, the lower ends whereof preferably embrace the operating-shaft F and are then secured to the head and foot transverse pieces E by pins p. Pivotally connected to the upper ends of the stationary uprights I arev the stretching-bars Q, the outer ends of each of which are jointed to the ends of the side bars O of the stretcher-frame, as best seen in Figs, l and 3 at g. From this construction it will be seen that as the transverse bars G G of the stretcher-frame are raised by the toggle-levers in the manner already described the stretching-arms Q Q will be brought more nearly onto a straight line and will thereby separate the side bars O O of the stretcher-frame as the latter rises to its upper position, and conversely as the stretcher-frame is lowered the stretchingbars Q Q will draw the side bars O O of the stretcher-frame toward each other, to therej by slacken the bottom of the fabric O.

' In order that the bottom of the fabric may be readily detached from the sidel bars O O of the stretcher-frame, the same is preferably secured thereto by means of semicircular pieces, preferably of metal, R. The bottom of the fabric O being passed about the side bars O O of the stretcher-frame, the semicircular clamping-pieces are then placed about the fabric at the point where it passes over the side bars, and such semicircular clamping-pieces may be secured to the side bars in any suitable manner, as by set-screws r. In the construction already shown these semicircular clamping-pieces R are two in number for each side of the bottom of the fabric, and a set-screw 1' is placed over their adjacent ends and a like set-screw 1 through their remoteends to securely hold the semicircular clamping-pieces R and the fabric clamped thereby to the side rails O O of the stretcher-frame.

From the construction described it will be noted that the toggle arrangement for raising and lowering the stretcher-frame avoids the use of all ratchets, pinions, and gears, which are undesirable in an invalid-bedA structure, where noise and lost motion are often a serious detriment to the comfort of the patient, and such toggle construction enables a positive, even, and uniform motion to be given to the stretcher-frame as it is raised and lowered. Moreover, when in raised position the toggles themselves act as a locking means for holding the stretcher-frame in its raised position, and this may be all that is desirable in some cases 5 but a special locking device, as I have already described, may be also employed. By the construction described also not only can the bottom of the fabric of the stretcher-frame be readily detachedand replaced, but the fabric itself will be tautened or stretched widthwise as the stretcher-frame rises and by virtue ofthe general mechanism hereinbefore described, which illustrates one of the many forms in which these results may be accomplished.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In an invalid-bed, the combination of a main bed-frame, a stretcher-frame having a bottom fabric, an operating-shaft mounted in the main bed-frame, toggle-link connec- IIO tions between said main and stretcher frame operating-arms connecting said shaft with said toggle-arms, and means for stretching' the bottom fabric of the stretcher-frame as the latter is raised.

2. In an invalid-bed, the combination of a main bed-frame, a stretcher-frame having a bottom fabric and comprising transverse bars, side bars connected to the transverse bars and movable toward and from each other, toggle-link connections between the main bed-frame and the transverse bars of the stretcher-frame, andV means for separating the side bars of the stretcher-frame from each other as the stretcher-frame is raised.

3. In an invalid-bed, the combination of a main bed-frame, a stretcher-frame having a bottom fabric and comprising transverse bars, side bars connected to the transverse bars and movable toward and from each other, toggle-link connections between the main bed-frame and transverse bars of the stretcher-frame, stretching-bars having a fixed pivotal connection with the main frame, and jointed at their opposite ends to the side bars of the stretcher-frame to move the side bars of the stretcher-frame from and toward each other as the said frame is raised and lowered.

4. In an invalid-bed, the combination of a main bed-frame, a stretcher-frame having a bottom fabric, an operating-shaft mounted in the main bed-frame and provided with crank-disks, toggle-link connections between the main bed-frame and the stretcher-frame at the head and foot ends thereof, operatingarms connecting the crank-disks with the toggle-linl connections, a locking device for securing the stretcher-frame in its raised position, and a trip extending to one side ofthe main bed-frame for tripping the locking device.

5. In an invalid-bed, the combination of a main bed-frame, a stretcher-frame having a bottom fabric, an operating-shaft mounted in the main bed-frame and provided with crank-disks, toggle-link connections between the main bed-frame and the stretcher-frame at the head and foot ends thereof, operatingarms copnecting the crank-disks with the toggle-link connections, means for stretching the bottom fabric of the stretcher-frame as the latter is raised, a 'locking device for securing the stretcher-frame in its raised position, and a trip extending to one side of the main bed-frame for tripping the locking device.

6. In an invalid-bed, the combination of a main bed-frame, a stretcher-frame havinga bottom fabric and comprising transverse bars each provided with a rib or flange, side bars engaging said ribs or flanges and movable thereon toward and from each other, toggle-link connections between the main frame and transverse bars of the stretcherframe, and stretching-bars having a fixed pivotal connection with the main frame and jointed to said side bars of the stretcherframe to stretch the fabric thereof as the stretcher-frame is raised by the toggle-links.

7. In an invalid-bed, the combination of the main bed-frame, an operating-shaft mounted therein and extending to the head and foot portions thereof', vertical guides carried by the main frame, a stretcher-frame having a bottom fabric, and comprising transverse bars engaging said guides, said bars being provided with'ribs or flanges at right angles to said vertical guides, side bars movable toward and from each other on said ribs or flanges, toggle-link connections between the main bed-frame and said transverse bars, operating-arms connecting the operating-shaft to said toggle-links, and means for operating said shaft.

8. In an invalid-bed, the combination of the main bed-frame, anV operating-shaft mounted therein and extending to the head and foot portions thereof, vertical guides carried by the main frame, a stretcher-frame having a bottom fabric, and comprising transverse bars engaging said guides, said bars being provided with ribs or flanges at right angles to said vertical guides, side bars movable toward and from each other on said ribs or flanges, toggle-link connections between the main bed-frame and said transverse bars, stretching-arms pivoted to a fixed point at one end and having their opposite ends jointed to the side bars, operating-arms connecting the operating-shaft to said togglelinks, and means for operating said shaft.

9. In an invalid-bed, the combination of a main frame, a stretcher-frame having side bars, a bottom fabric therefor, semicircular clamping plates for securing the bottom fabric to said side bars, a toggle-link connection between the main frame and stretcherframe, and means for separating the side bars of the stretcher-frame as the latter is moved into its raised position.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ALICE M. PARKHILL.

Witnesses HENRY A. PHILLIPS, FRED E. R. JONES.