Stretchers, handle means for stretchers and method for manufacturing of the stretchers
The present invention relates to a stretcher with carrying handles for transport of persons who for one reason or another require transport on account of injury or the like. The stretcher is substantially intended for use on a limited number of occasions, this being reflected in the design, choice of material and construction and it also finds expression in the inventive concept. The stretcher further has a modular design with the result that a number of stretchers can be stacked in a stable fashion on top of one another. The invention further relates to carrying handles for the stretcher and a method for manufacturing the stretcher according to the present invention.
The stretcher is made of chosen materials which in a preferred embodiment provide a light and stable stretcher offering good insulation if it is placed directly on the ground, it will provide buoyancy if it is placed in water and the choice of material and design are also such that the stretcher can pass through X-rays, thus permitting a patient to be X-rayed without being moved from the stretcher. Furthermore, two stretchers can be placed with their undersides facing each other where the lower stretcher acts as a stand or support which can help to lift the upper stretcher to a distance above the ground. In a preferred embodiment the stretcher is made of materials which burn at temperatures of or above approximately 700°C, thus permitting a stretcher to be easily burned when it has been used if it is soiled or damaged. In the preferred embodiment, moreover, all the materials in the stretcher are chosen so that burning the stretcher does not release unnecessary amounts of noxious gases and the residual burned product does not entail an unnecessary environmental risk. In a situation where a large number of stretchers have to be transported to the site of an accident, it will therefore be possible to use the stretchers and then to burn them where they are no longer needed, or when they are damaged or soiled in such a manner that they no longer should be used for reasons of hygiene or safety. In the event of major natural disasters or humanitarian actions it will therefore be possible to transport a number of stretchers to the desired area, whereupon they are used to transport patients to suitable treatment institutions and then to burn the stretchers without the need to return them to storage.
The stretcher according to the present invention is provided with carrying handles which project outward from the stretcher's two short sides in the stretcher's longitudinal direction. According to the present invention the carrying handles may be movably mounted in the stretcher's longitudinal direction or they may be releasably mounted relative to the stretcher, thus enabling them to be used with the stretcher when the stretcher has to be lifted or moved. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention both releasable and movable carrying handles are made of a material which burns at or above approximately 700°C and which results in moderate emissions of environmentally harmful combustion gases.
The stretcher according to the present invention may further be manufactured according to a method according to the present invention. The manufacturing process is substantially conducted by a core being wrapped in a reinforced or reinforcing material substantially of cardboard or the like. An adhesive agent may be applied to the material in advance or this may be done during the manufacturing process and the stretcher subsequently sets to form the finished product. Alternatively, the reinforced or reinforcing material is wrapped round a device which provides the stretcher's correct shape, whereupon it is placed in a mould where a core material is injected and sets on the inside of the reinforced or reinforcing material. This reinforcing or reinforced material may be, e.g., tyverk, rayon, lyocell, dacron, mylar or another suitable and preferably fibrous material.
Among stretchers known in the prior art, the construction is often based on two rigid carrying devices arranged in the stretcher's longitudinal direction, between which a fabric or other flexible material is stretched, on which the patient is laid. Such stretchers often have one or more additional devices, generally placed on the underside of the stretcher, which, when the stretcher is in use, keep the two longitudinally-located reinforcing bodies at a specific distance apart in order to prevent the stretcher with the flexible fabric from enfolding the patient. Furthermore, the reinforcing devices may be employed as legs, thus enabling the stretcher to be placed at a distance above the ground in order to protect the patient from dampness and cold.
Previously known stretcher designs include those specified in EP 0 046 394 and NO 19841546.
Previously known stretcher designs, however, often have the disadvantage that they have a surface and construction together with a choice of materials which make them difficult to clean when they become soiled. Where injured people are involved, soiling will often occur in the form of blood, urine, faeces and vomit as well as dirt etc. which leaves an extremely unhygienic environment if the stretcher has to be used for more patients. To remedy this situation some stretcher designs choose as a material a plastic sheet with a smooth surface which makes it easier to clean the stretcher after use. Moreover, previously known stretcher designs are based on a material composition which cannot be burned or easily removed in any other way and these stretchers are therefore produced with the object of being reused, which means that they have to be transported to a suitable storage place in anticipation of the next occasion for use.
Previously known stretcher solutions, moreover, have a shape which makes them unsuitable for stacking on top of one another, but some stretcher solutions are collapsible, thereby making it possible to pack up the stretchers during transport.
Previously known solutions with regard to carrying handles for stretchers include those specified in GB 1 276 422 and DE 880 045. It is an object of the present invention to provide a stretcher for transport of injured persons or others with a need for transport, which stretcher has a modular design which permits a plurality of stretchers to be stacked on top of one another in a relatively stable stack. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a stretcher which is light and which provides good insulation against the ground for an injured person placed on the stretcher. A further object of the present invention is associated with the modular design which permits two stretchers to be placed bottom to bottom so that the lower stretcher acts as "legs", raising the upper stretcher to a distance above the ground in order to assist in further lifting and insulating an injured person from the ground. In a preferred embodiment, moreover, a stretcher according to the present invention has attachment devices on the top for equipment required for securing and providing tension or support to an injured person who is placed on the stretcher.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a stretcher with carrying handles, where the carrying handle may be releasably connected to the stretcher or movably connected in the stretcher's longitudinal direction, thus enabling the stretcher's total length to be restricted to only the main body of the stretcher. Thus the carrying handles can be pushed into position in suitable devices in the stretcher before use, or the carrying handles may be mounted in such a manner in the stretcher that they can be moved in the stretcher's longitudinal direction between an active and an inactive position. If they are movably mounted in the stretcher's longitudinal direction, the carrying handles may preferably be provided with locking devices which permit the carrying handles to be extended or retracted and locked in a desired position.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method for manufacturing a stretcher according to the present invention, which permits the stretcher to be made of the materials preferred for the stretcher.
A stretcher according to the present invention is composed of a core which is moulded substantially into the modular shape which the finished stretcher should have. In the core, which may be made of one or more layers of foamed material or one or more layers of another sheet material, such as cardboard or corrugated cardboard, there are mounted attachment devices for carrying handles and in a preferred embodiment there are mounted attachment devices for supports or other holding devices for patients who are placed on the stretcher. Alternatively, devices may also be provided which make it possible to place a person under tension on the stretcher. Such devices may be holders or supports, e.g. at the shoulders, armpits, groin, etc., together with tension devices at the head/neck, wrists, ankles etc. The core of the stretcher is covered by an enveloping reinforcing or reinforced material, particularly on the top and bottom of the stretcher which is affixed to the core by a binding agent such as a glue, a thermosetting resin or the like and which together with the stretcher's core form a laminated structure. The stretcher is further mentioned in the introduction to following claim 1 and the characterising features of the stretcher are described in the characterising part of claim 1. Further embodiments are specified in the following claims 2 - 13.
The modular design of the stretcher is achieved substantially by the fact that the stretcher has a middle plane located in the longitudinal direction on
which a person is placed, and on each side of this middle plane, in the stretcher's substantially longitudinal direction, there are formed inclined planes which by means of their angle and length form restricting lateral edges for the person lying on the stretcher. The bottom of the stretcher is so designed that it complementarily corresponds to the top of the stretcher, and this modular design makes it possible to stack a number of stretchers on top of one another in a relatively stable stack.
The stretcher's carrying handles are mounted at each short end of the stretcher and are outwardly projecting from the stretcher in the stretcher's longitudinal direction. The carrying handles are preferably mounted as far out towards the stretcher's lateral edges as possible in order to attain a stable carrying position, and in the present invention the carrying handles are preferably mounted in connection with the slanting side members for the stretcher. In this case the carrying handles may be movably mounted relative to the stretcher, thus enabling the carrying handles to be pushed into the stretcher in order to avoid conflicting with surrounding elements, e.g. during transport or storage. In a preferred embodiment the carrying handles may be extended to their full length and locked by a standard lock device, such as, e.g., a conical surface on the internal part of the carrying handle which meets an opposite conical sleeve mounted in the stretcher's longitudinal holders for the carrying handle, or the carrying handles may be locked by a rotatable lock device where a pin on the carrying handle is inserted in a groove in the stretcher's longitudinal sleeve for the carrying handles or vice versa, thereby locking each of the carrying handles in an extended position. Alternatively, the carrying handles may consist of elongated bodies with substantially the same cross sectional shape as the sleeves or holders which are mounted in the stretcher, whereupon the carrying handles are inserted into and through the longitudinal sleeves in the stretcher, forming a carrying handle which is outwardly projecting in both the transverse ends of the stretcher. These elongated elements may, e.g., be made of wood or another suitable material. In a further embodiment the stretcher's sleeves may be restricted in their longitudinal direction in such a manner that relatively short carrying handles are inserted in the end opening of the sleeves and subsequently locked in the interior of the stretcher's carrying sleeves. As described previously, the lock device here may be, e.g., a splint which by turning the carrying handle is inserted in a groove and locked to the stretcher. The carrying handle is
further mentioned in the introduction to the following claims 14 and 19 and the characterising features of the carrying handle are described in the characterising part of the claims 14 and 19. Further embodiments are specified in the following claims 15 - 18. The stretcher according to the present invention can further be manufactured according to a method also according to the present invention where a core substantially in the shape of the finished stretcher is covered by a reinforcing material. This is effected either by the reinforcing material being wrapped round a core or by the reinforcing material being wrapped round the longitudinally-located holders for the stretcher's carrying handles and subsequently placed in an external mould where it is moulded and subsequently injected between the upper and lower layers of reinforcing material with a preferably expanding material which forms the core. The method for manufacturing the stretcher is further mentioned in the introduction to the following claim 20 and the characterising features of the method are described in the characterising part of claim 20. Further embodiments are specified in the following claims.
The present invention will be further explained with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: figure 1 is a perspective view of a plurality of stretchers according to the present invention stacked on top of one another; figure 2 illustrates support devices mounted on a stretcher on each side of the head of an injured person; figure 3 illustrates a stage in the method for manufacturing a stretcher; figure 4 illustrates a further stage in the method for manufacturing a stretcher.
Figure 1 illustrates an embodiment of a stretcher 1 according to the present invention. The stretcher 1 consists substantially of a level portion 5 extending in the stretcher's substantially longitudinal direction. On each long side of the portion 5 the stretcher 1 has slanting lateral edges or side members 6. The stretcher 1 is essentially composed of a core 2 which is covered on its top and bottom with a reinforcing material 3 and 4 respectively, which is affixed to the core by a binding agent and in an
embodiment it is moulded into a thermosetting resin. On the stretcher's lateral edges in the stretcher's longitudinal direction there are also mounted holding devices such as sleeves or tubes 7 for receipt or mounting of carrying handles 8 according to the invention. The carrying handles 8 are releasably or movably mounted in the openings in the holding devices 7 which may be through-going in the stretcher's longitudinal direction or they may have a limited depth into which the carrying handles 8 are pushed. In the preferred embodiment the core material 2 and the upper and lower reinforcing material, together with the binding agent or thermosetting resin are chosen from materials which can be burned at a temperature of or above 700°C and preferably at a lower temperature, preferably without emitting significant amounts of noxious gases. The stretcher's 1 carrying handle 8 is similarly preferably composed of a material which can be burned at or above a temperature of approximately 700°C and preferably at approximately the same temperature as the rest of the stretcher 1.
Constructed as mentioned above, the stretcher 1 will be light and will provide good insulation for an injured person who is lying on the stretcher 1 when the stretcher 1 is resting on the ground. Moreover, the stretcher 1 will be capable of being X-rayed, thus avoiding the necessity of moving the patient from the stretcher 1 to a suitable device in the event of the need for radiography.
The materials for manufacturing the stretcher may be varied and in an embodiment the core 2 is made of cardboard or paper, or similar material such as corrugated cardboard. Several layers of such a material can be compressed in order to form the core, whereupon the top and bottom of the core respectively can be covered by a reinforcing material which is moulded into a thermosetting resin. Transverse reinforcements, e.g. of wood or the like, may also be included in the stretcher construction. Such transverse elements may be placed at several points along the stretcher's longitudinal extension and will, amongst other things, contribute towards a more rigid structure, better attachment for longitudinal attachments, sleeves or the like for carrying handles etc. In addition, transverse reinforcing elements may be combined with longitudinal reinforcing elements which together form a skeleton for the stretcher. The reinforcing elements may be made of different materials which satisfy the object of the invention.
On the surfaces of the stretcher information may also be provided on, for example, first aid procedure, emergency telephone numbers or other medical information which may be useful to a stretcher user. Furthermore, information may be provided on how the stretcher should be burned or destroyed in some other way.
In figure 2 a stretcher 1 is illustrated where a support 10 is placed on each side of a patient's head in order to keep the patient's head in a stable position. Supports 10 and other elements for keeping the patient in a desired position may be provided on the stretcher 1 according to requirements and in a preferred embodiment the stretcher 1 is provided with attachment devices for such supporting elements or the like. Attachment bodies for such elements may, for example, be Velcro, clip-like devices, adhesive disposable strips or the like. The stretcher is substantially intended as an object which may be destroyed after use by, e.g., burning and it is therefore not necessary for the attachment devices for supports or holding devices on the stretcher to be of a durable nature and simple attachment devices such as, e.g. adhesive strips, may advantageously be employed.
Figure 3 illustrates an early phase in the method for manufacturing a stretcher according to the present invention. A frame 30 is arranged in such a manner that material 34 is coiled up or stored in some other way on a first side 31 of the frame 30 and on a second side 33 of the frame 30 there is mounted a rotatable device where the material 34 is wound around the holding devices 7 for carrying handles in a stretcher. The holding devices 7 may consist of elongated tubes or the like and these are kept at a distance apart by the holding device 35 which is rotatably connected with the second part 33 of the frame 30. The material 34 will form the reinforced or reinforcing layer on the stretcher's surface and is substantially a fibrous material. The material 34 may be pre-impregnated with an adhesive agent or the like, with the result that on subsequent treatment it adheres to a core or other reinforcing parts of the stretcher. The material 34 is wound a desired number of times round the holding devices 7 by turning the handle 32. This may also be operated by a motor. The holding device 35, moreover, may also hold a core between the holding device 7 so that the material 34 is wound around a core.
In figure 4 there is further illustrated a later stage in the method for manufacturing the stretcher according to an embodiment of the present invention. The material 34 and the holding devices 7 are placed in a mould with an upper part 36 and a lower part 39. The two parts 36, 39 of the mould together provide the final shape of the stretcher and if the material 34 in figure 3 is wound around a core, the mould in figure 4 will be able to be employed during the setting process for the stretcher's materials in order to give the stretcher the correct shape. If the material 34 in figure 3 is wound around the holding devices 7 without a core, it will be possible to inject an expanding core material between the upper and lower layers of material 34, thereby forming a core. Thus, as illustrated in figure 4, the core material may be held in a container 37 and injected via the connections 38 into the mould 36, 39.
The invention is described in the above by means of exemplified embodiments and in the light of these, alterations and modifications of the invention will be obvious to a person skilled in the art. The description is not limiting, however, and the invention is defined in the attached patent claims.