Abstract:
A method of weighing a patient on a platform scale comprising carrying the patient upon an ambulance cot having first and second pairs of wheels, and a kickstand having a lowered position and a raised position, wherein the kickstand in the lowered position lifts only the first pair of wheels of the ambulance cot in the air; and then supporting the ambulance cot on the platform scale with the second pair of wheels and said kickstand.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
   This application is a division of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/331,841 filed Jan. 13, 2006, of which the entire disclosure is herein incorporated by reference. 

   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   This invention relates to ambulance cots and in particularly, to a multi-level roll-in ambulance cot having a kickstand. 
   Ambulance cots typically comprise an essentially rectangular patient support frame with wheeled collapsible-leg assemblies enabling the stretcher to be stowed or loaded into the back of an ambulance. Examples of such prior art cots are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,097,941, 4,192,541, 4,767,148, 5,537,700, and 5,575,026. Although the prior art cots have been generally adequate for their intended purposes, they have not been satisfactory in all aspects. 
   Patients transported on an ambulance cot often need to be weighed as part of a medical check upon admittance to a hospital or other health care facility. Due to the size of the wheelbase of a cot and the size of platform scales generally found in clinics, hospitals, nursing homes, or rehabilitation centers, patients typically must either stand on the platform scale or be placed in a wheelchair in order to be weighed. For many of these individuals, standing or being transferred from the ambulance cot to a wheelchair is difficult, or impossible, to accomplish. Consequently, forgoing the weighing of such patients has become commonplace, which can degrade the quality of medical care provided to them. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   It is against the above background that the present invention provides a kickstand to a cot construction. Cot constructions of the present invention include a cot frame supported by a stable wheeled undercarriage, which permits the cot frame to be raised and lowered to a plurality of positions of use. The kickstand is provided to the wheeled undercarriage, and may be situated in at least raised and lowered positions. The kickstand when placed in the lowered position lifts one of the two pairs of wheels provided to the wheeled undercarriage into the air. By lifting one of the two pairs of wheels, the kickstand reduces the footprint of the wheeled undercarriage upon a support surface such that a patient situated upon the cot may be conveniently weighed on a platform scale. 
   In one embodiment of the present invention, an ambulance cot comprising a kickstand having a lowered position and a raised position is disclosed. 
   In another embodiment of the present invention, an ambulance cot for transporting a patient is disclosed. The cot comprises a cot frame for support the patient thereon, a wheeled undercarriage supporting the cot frame, and a kickstand mounted to the undercarriage. 
   In still another embodiment of the present invention, a method of weighing a patient on a platform scale is disclosed. The method comprises carrying the patient upon an ambulance cot having a kickstand and a pair of wheels, and supporting the ambulance cot on the platform scale with the pair of wheels and the kickstand. 
   These and other features and advantages of the invention will be more fully understood from the following description of some embodiments of the invention taken together with the accompanying drawings. It is noted that the scope of the claims is defined by the recitations therein, and not by the specific discussion of features and advantages set forth in the present description. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The present invention is illustrated by way of example and not limitation in the accompanying figures, in which like references indicate similar elements, and in which: 
       FIG. 1  is a side view of a cot structure embodiment of the invention having a kickstand situated in a raised position and also illustrating a conventional platform scale; 
       FIG. 2  is a side view of a cot structure embodiment of the invention having a kickstand situated in a lowered position and also illustrating the cot situated upon the conventional platform scale of  FIG. 1  according to the present invention; and 
       FIGS. 3 and 3A  are top sectioned view of a portion of the embodiment of  FIG. 1  taken along section line  3 - 3 , and showing the kickstand in a raised position. 
   

   Skilled artisans appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of embodiment(s) of the present invention. 
   DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
   Referring to  FIGS. 1 ,  2 ,  3 , and  3 A, illustrated is a cot structure embodiment, generally indicated by symbol  10 , having a kickstand, generally indicated by symbol  12 , according to the present invention. The cot  10  has a rectangular undercarriage  14  mounting pairs of swivel caster wheels  16  at its opposite ends. The undercarriage  14  includes opposing side frame members  18  and  20 , which are interconnected by transverse frame members  22  and  24 , which are best seen in  FIG. 3 . 
   Extending upwardly from the undercarriage  14  are pairs of cross forming frame members  26   a ,  28   a  and  26   b ,  28   b , which serve to interconnect the undercarriage  14  with a cot frame, generally indicated by symbol  30 . Cot frame  30  includes opposing tubular side frame members  32  (same on side not shown) interconnected at the foot or trailing end by a transverse tubular end member  34 . At their leading or forward ends, the side frames  32  each terminate at a respective hinge pivot  36  (same on side not shown). Supported by the pair of hinge pivots  36  is a drop frame  38  rotatably coupled thereto. 
   The drop frame  38  is releasable engaged by the pair of hinge pivots  36 , which also limits the range of motion of drop frame  38 . In particular, the drop frame  38  is movable from the extended position, as seen in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , to a collapsed position placing the drop frame below the cot frame  30 . The drop frame  38  is provided with a pair of loading wheels  40 . 
   It will be understood that the basic cot frame  30  may be provided with various adjustable features, such as folding side arms (not shown), a multiple-position backrest, indicated generally at  42 , and an adjustable leg section for placing the patient in a shock position, indicated generally at  44 , all of which are conventional features. Other conventional features also may be provided in other embodiments. 
   The undercarriage  14  is configured to selectively secure the cot frame  30  in a number of elevational positions relative to the undercarriage  14 . The lowermost ends of the cross-forming frame members  26   a ,  26   b  and  28   a ,  28   b  are pivotally connected to transverse frame member  22  and  24 , respectively. At their uppermost ends, the cross-forming frame members  26   a  and  26   b  are pivotally connected to the cot frame  30 , and the cross-forming frame members  28   a  and  28   b  are connected slidably and pivotably to the cot frame  30 . The cot frame  30  is height adjusted by releasing a locking bar (not shown) thereby permitting the cross-forming frame members  28   a  and  28   b  to move within slots  46 . At the same time, extensible sections  48  (same on side not shown) telescope within the lowermost ends of cross-forming members  26   a  and  26   b . As the cot  10  is repositioned, the sets of cross-forming frame members  26   a ,  26   b , and  28   a ,  28   b  will elevate or lower as desired the cot frame  30  relative to the undercarriage  14 . 
   As mentioned above in the background section of the invention, patients transported on an ambulance cot often need to be weighed as part of a medical check upon admittance to a hospital or other help care facility. A platform scale  100  generally found in clinics, hospitals, nursing homes, or rehabilitation centers, used to weigh patients either standing or situated in a wheelchair thereon is shown. 
   The cot  10  at the undercarriage provides the kickstand  12  which may be moved between a raised position ( FIG. 1 ) and a lowered position ( FIG. 2 ). The kickstand  12  when placed in the lowered position lifts one of the two pairs of wheels  16  provided to the wheeled undercarriage  14  into the air as illustrated by  FIG. 2 . By lifting one of the two pairs of wheels  16 , the kickstand  12  reduces the footprint of the wheeled undercarriage  14  upon a surface  50 . In this manner, by reducing the footprint of the wheeled undercarriage  14  by lowering the kickstand  12 , a patient situated upon the cot  10  may be conveniently weighed on the platform scale  100 . It is to be appreciated that the distance between one of the pair of wheels  16  and the kickstand  12  (i.e., the footprint) is such that the total weight of the cot and patient may be placed upon the platform scale  100  for weighing, such as illustrated by  FIG. 2 . Accordingly, the patient conveniently does not have to be removed from the cot  10  in order to be weighed. 
   As shown by  FIG. 3 , the kickstand  12  includes a u-shaped support bar  52  that is rotatably mounted between the side frame members  18  and  20 , via a pair of kickstand mounts  54 . Each kickstand mount  54  is removably secured to its respective side frame member  18  and  20 . In one embodiment, the u-shaped support bar  52  is spring-biased, via at least one spring  56 , to the dropped position. In this manner, the u-spaced support bar  52  is returned to the raised position from the lowered position against the force of the spring(s)  56 . 
   In still another embodiment, the kickstand  12  includes a catch  58  and a release  60 . Moving the release  60  from a locked position (as illustrated) to a release position, which is indicated by moving the release  60  in the direction of arrow  62 , clears the catch  58  with an engagement with a pin  64  on the u-shaped bar  52 , thereby causing the u-shaped bar  52  under the force of one of the springs  56  to lower to the surface supporting the cot  10 . The kickstand  12  is then fully deployed by continuing to rotate the cot  10  over the u-shaped support bar  52  until being stopped in the fully lowered positioned illustrated by  FIG. 2 . In the lowered position, the release  58  also will secured the u-shaped bar  52  from movement. In another embodiment illustrated by  FIG. 3A , the catch and release may be an integral unit, such as a spring biased lever  66 . In such an embodiment, when a release portion  68  is pivoted downwards against spring bias from a spring  90 , a catch portion  92  is released from its engagement with pin  64 . As the movement and positioning of the u-shaped bar  52  is the same as described above in the previous embodiment no further discussion is provided. 
   Upon a desire to raise the kickstand  12 , such as after a patient has been weighed on the platform scale  100 , the release  60  is again moved from the locked position to the release position, and the cot  10  is either raised or rotated over the u-shaped support bar  52 . Once the u-shaped support bar  52  is clear of the surface supporting the cot  10 , it will return to the raised position, which is illustrated by  FIGS. 1 and 3 , under force of the at least one of the springs  56 . In other embodiments, the u-shaped support bar  52  is manually placed in either the raised or lowered position, or both. 
   Accordingly, it is to be appreciated that a method of weighing a patient on a platform scale with the present invention is also disclosed. The method comprises carrying the patient upon the ambulance cot  10 , and moving the cot into position upon the platform scale  100 . Once so positioned, the kickstand  12  is placed in the lowered position. In this manner, the cot  10  is supported upon the platform scale  100  with one of the pairs of wheels and the kickstand  12 , such as illustrated by  FIG. 2 . After recording the combined weight of the cot and patient and the patient has been transferred to another support surface, such as an operating table, bed, wheelchair, etc., the cot without the patient is then weighed (if unknown) in the same fashion as before on the platform scale. Accordingly, subtracting the weight of the ambulance cot from the combined weight of the ambulance cot and patient provides the weight of the patient. 
   In compliance with the statute, the invention has been described in language more or less specific as to structural and methodical features. It is to be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the specific features shown and described, since the means herein disclosed comprise preferred forms of putting the invention into effect. The invention is therefore, claimed in any of its forms or modifications within the proper scope of the appended claims appropriately interpreted in accordance with the doctrine of equivalents. Any modification of the present invention that comes within the spirit and scope of the following claims should be considered part of the present invention.