US2631300A - Power-operated sectional invalid bed - Google Patents

Description

March 17, 1953 c MU 2,631,300

POWEROPERATED SECTIONAL INVALID BED Filed June 27, 1949 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1v v 38 3.0 Fig. 2.

1% 0 1 7 I 5 I I l I l2 Inventor 1E1, 0 l6 0 /8l 24 20 22 28 Charles L. Murray March 17, 1953 c. 1.. MURRAY POWER-OPERATED SECTIONAL INVALID BED 2 SHEETSSHEET 2 Filed June 27, 1949 In vernor 0/1 q'r/es L. Murray Patented Mar. 17, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE POWER-OPERATED SECTIONAL INVALID BED Charles L. Murray, Waco, Tex.

Application June 27, 1949, Serial No. 101,519

5 Claims.

This invention relates to novel and useful improvements in hospital beds.

An object of this invention is to operate a hospital bed for adjustment of the mattress supporting section in such a manner that the patient is able to raise or lower the various sections in accordance with his prerogative by simply manipulating the operating members of a control switch unit conveniently located.

Another object of this invention is to prevent overriding of the sections by automatically breaking a circuit with one of the motors therein, rendering that section ineffectual for further movement in the harmful direction.

Ancillary objects and features of novelty will become apparent to those skilled in the art, in following the description of the preferred form of the invention, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure l is an elevational view of one form of the invention showing various operative elements in section;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the device shown in Figure 1, portions of the springs being broken away to illustrate the structure thereunder;

Figure 3 is an end view of the device shown in Figure 1;

Figure 4 is an elevational view of the device, showing the adjusted positions of the mattress supporting head and foot sections;

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the switch control unit which is adapted to be operated by the patient in the bed; and

Figure 6 is a wiring diagram showing schematically the arrangement of motors and switches which are used in connection with the invention.

The present invention relates to a hospital bed attachment having for its purpose the manual operation of the foot mattress supporting section and the head mattress supporting section by the patient in the bed without the necessity of calling someone to operate the said sections.

Illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, particularly, is a bed consisting of a frame which includessides 10 and [2, respectively. These sides are angle iron in this instance and have a central transverse support I 4 extending thereacross with brackets l6 and I8 respectively depending therefrom. These brackets pivotally mount themotors 20 and 22 which havereduction gear boxes 24 and 25 operatively connected therewith.

In order to support the frame at an elevated position,conventional legs 25 at the head of the bed andconventional legs 28 at the foot of the bed are provided in the usual manner.

A mattresshead supporting section 3!} which is a substantially rectangular frame member is connected to thecentral support 14 by means ofhinges 32. A foot mattress supporting section, generally indicated at 36, consists of two substantially equal sizerectangular frames 38 and 50, respectively, which are connected to ether by means of apivotal hinge 44. Awebbing 46 is fixed to the saidsection 30 and a webbing is also fixed to the saidsection 36. The webbings may be of one continuous sheet or two individual sheets, one provided for the section 31] and the other provided for thesection 36.

Extending from thereduction gear box 25 which is operatively connected with themotor 22 is ascrew 50 having an internally threadedtraveller 52 disposed thereon. The end of thescrew 50 is supported in thebracket 54 which is fixed to the bottom of thereduction gearing box 25. Accordingly, upon operation of themotor 22, the screw 5|] is rotated, thereby causing thetraveller 52 to progress longitudinally on the screw. Atransverse rod 58 is secured to thesides 10 and I2 of the frame and has thelink 50 which is pivoted to thetraveller 52, fixed thereto.Arms 62 and 64, respectively, havingrollers 65 and 68 or other equivalent friction lessening means thereon are fixed for movement with thetransverse rod 58. Accordingly, upon operation of the screw 55, thetraveller 52 is operated axially ofthe screw, thereby pivoting themotor 22 and also, through the medium of the arms s2 and 64, operating the section 35 for raising and lowering about the hinges 'lll which connect thesection 36 with the center support l4.Rollers 12 are carried on suitable pins at the end of the saidsection 36 and are adapted to ride on the sides ill and I2 of the frame.

An identical structure is used for the purpose of raising and lowering the head mattress supporting section 33, in this. instance therollers 16 engaging the bottom surface of the said sec" tion 35 along the longitudinal edges thereof for raising and permitting the patient together with the mattress to be lowered.

Referring to the wiring diagram of Figure 6, themotors 22 and 20 are shown to be of the reversing type. This is necessary in that the screw 55 for themotor 22 and the other screw for themotor 20 act as and are actually jacks (screw type) prohibiting return movement of the sections after they have been raised. Hence, it is essential that the motors be operated in the reverse direction so that the screws may be operated in the said reverse direction to allow lowering the sections. Suitable electric conductors are operatively connected with the motors. Themotor 22 has aline 80 connected to one side thereof and aline 82 connected to the other side thereof. However, theline 82 hasmercury switches 84 and 8B which are of the levelling type interposed therein. These mercury switches are carried by thelink 60 so that theline 82 fails to conduct current to the motor after the section has reached the maximum desired height.

A pair ofcontacts 88 and 89 are at the terminal portion of theline 80, while the pair ofcontacts 98 and 94 are disposed at the ends of theline 82. By operating the switch arm 85 which is opposed in its operation by theopposing springs 96 and 91, thecontacts 83 and 90 are bridged in order to operate themotor 22 in one direction or thecontacts 94 and 89 are bridged in order to operate the motor in the opposite direction. Theswtich arms 95 always tend to return to the inoperative position, but because of the action of thesprings 96 and 97.

The described switch is disposed in a unit and covered by ahousing 98 which is conveniently located because of the length of wire 39 in any suitable position accessible to the patient.

The unit having the switches also contains another switch arm I which is used for the purpose of energizing themotor 28 through the mercury level switches till and H32 respectively which are carried by thelink 6| which is connected with thesection 30, serving the identical function as themercury switches 54 and 8G. The switch arm I69 is operated for the purpose of manipulating one part of the bed attachment, while theother switch arm 95 is used for the purpose of manipulating the other part thereof.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. In a hospital bed which includes a substantially horizontal frame and legs, a transverse support having a first and a second. motor respectively, depending therefrom, each on a single pivotal mount, a first and second screw operated by said motors, a traveller disposed on each of said screws, a mattress supporting head section, means hingedly securing said head section to said transverse support, and a foot mattress supporting section, means hingedly securing said foot section to said transverse support, and means operatively connecting said sections with said travellers for hingedly moving said sections when said motors are operated.

2. In a hospital bed which includes a substantially horizontal frame and legs, a transverse support having a first and a second motor respectively, depending therefrom, each on a single pivotal mount, a first and second screw operated by said motors, a traveller disposed on each of said screws, a mattress supporting head section, means hingedly securing said head section to said transverse support, and a foot mattress supporting section, means hingedly securing said foot section to said transverse support, means operatively connecting said sections with said travellers for hingedly moving said sections when said motors are operated, a first switch, a second switch, conductors extending from said motors and having said switches therein, a housing having said-switches therein and said conductors being of sufiicient length to position the housing remote from the motors for patient operation, whereby said sections may be raised and lowered by the patient.

3. The combination of claim 2 and mercury switches carried by said means operatively connecting the travellers with the sections and interposed in said conductors for rendering said motors inoperative responsive to a predetermined angularity of said sections with respect to the horizontal.

4. In a hospital bed, a frame with legs, a transverse support carried by said frame, a motor having a screw operated thereby, means pivotally connecting said motor to said support and below said frame, means including a plurality of linksand a traveller which is disposed on said screw for transferring rotative movement of said screw to swinging movement, a mattress supporting section hingedly secured to said support and operatively connected with said second-mentioned means whereby said section may be operated by said motor.

5. In a hospital bed, a frame with legs, a transverse support carried by said frame, a motor having a screw operated thereby, means pivotally connecting said motor to said support and be low said frame, means including a plurality of links and a traveller which is disposed on said screw for transferring rotative movement of said screw to swinging movement, a mattress supporting section hingedly secured to said support and operatively connected with said secondmentioned means whereby said section may be operated by said motor, and said motor being of the reversing type, an electrical conductor extending therefrom, a switch housing connected with said conductor and having a switch therein, said conductor being flexible whereby said housing may be disposed in various places remote from the motor.

CHARLES L. MURRAY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS

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