Patent ID: 7073219
Filing Date: 2006-07-11
Classification: A61G

Abstract:
1. A side rail for mounting onto a patient support assembly, the patient support assembly having a longitudinal x-axis, a transversal y-axis and a vertical z-axis, said axes being mutually orthogonal to each other, the x-axis extending longitudinally along the patient support assembly, from a front portion of the assembly to an opposite rear portion thereof, the y-axis extending transversally across the patient support assembly, from a left side portion of the assembly to an opposite right side portion thereof, and the z-axis extending vertically along the patient support assembly, from a bottom portion of the assembly to an opposite top portion thereof, the side rail extending substantially along the x-axis of the patient support assembly, the side rail being operatively mountable onto a corresponding side portion of the patient support assembly, the side rail comprising: a first support bar having upper and lower ends, the lower end of the first support bar being pivotally mountable to said corresponding side portion of the patient support assembly; a second support bar having upper and lower ends, the lower end of the second support bar being pivotally mountable to said corresponding side portion of the patient support assembly; and a plurality of cross bars each having first and second ends pivotally connected to the first and second support bars respectively; the side rail being operable between a raised configuration where the cross bars are above a segment of the patient support assembly for preventing egress of a patient from said assembly, and a lowered configuration where said cross bars are below said segment of the patient support assembly for allowing egress of the patient from the assembly; wherein the support bars and the cross bars of the side rail are substantially positioned within a same vertical plane, being substantially parallel to the corresponding side portion of the patient support assembly, and wherein the first and second support bars are rotatable with respect to said corresponding side portion about respective axes being parallel to the y-axis, and the first and second ends of the cross bars are rotatable with respect to the support bars about respective axes being parallel to the y-axis, so that the side rail be operated between the raised and lowered configurations along said same vertical plane and so that the side rail and corresponding cross bars be collapsible in the lowered configuration, within said same vertical plane; and wherein the side rail comprises a pivot bar having first and second ends, the first end of the pivot bar being pivotally mountable about said corresponding side portion of the patient support assembly and being rotatable thereabout about an axis parallel to the y-axis, and the second end of the pivot bar being pivotally connected to the lower end of the second support bar and being rotatable thereabout about an axis parallel to the y-axis, the pivot bar being shaped, positioned and dimensioned so as to prevent the side rail from exceeding a predetermined distance longitudinally along the patient support assembly when operated and collapsed into the lowered configuration.