Abstract:
A lifting sling for use with an invalid hoist, includes a flexible body support, and suspension elements for suspending the sling from an invalid hoist. The flexible body support has at least one inflatable chamber, for cushioning at least a part of an invalid when supported by the body support.

Description:
[0001]     This invention relates to a lifting sling for use with an invalid hoist.  
         [0002]     A common complaint with known invalid lifting slings is the discomfort caused to invalids by the hard and cutting binding on the edge of current slings.  
         [0003]     The present invention seeks to provide a sling which will give improved comfort to an invalid.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0004]     According to the present invention, there is provided a lifting sling for use with an invalid hoist, the sling comprising a flexible body support and suspension means for suspending the sling from an invalid hoist, the flexible body support having at least one inflatable chamber for cushioning at least a part of an invalid when supported by the body support.  
         [0005]     The invention will now be more particularly described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0006]      FIG. 1  is a side perspective view illustrating a conventional one-piece sling and shown in use with a supported invalid.  
         [0007]      FIG. 2  is a plan view of one embodiment of a sling according to the present invention,  
         [0008]      FIG. 3  is an outside plan view of another embodiment of a sling according to the present invention,  
         [0009]      FIG. 4  is an inside plan view of the sling shown in  FIG. 3 ,  
         [0010]      FIG. 5  is an outside view of yet another embodiment of a sling according to the present invention,  
         [0011]      FIGS. 6   a  and  6   b  show inflatable pads for fitting in the pouches of the sling of  FIG. 5 , and  
         [0012]      FIG. 7  is a fragmentary cross sectional view through part of the sling shown in  FIG. 5 . 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0013]     Referring firstly to  FIG. 1  of the drawings, the conventional sling shown therein has a one-piece full body support  1  comprising a body portion  2  with lower end dependent leg support portions  3  and an upper end head support extension  4 . The body portion  2  supports the back and shoulders of the suspended invalid I with the portions  3  respectively extending beneath and up between the thighs of the invalid whose head H is supported by the extension  4 . Short extension tapes  5  providing suspension means are permanently attached by stitching to the body portion  2  in the shoulder regions thereof, and suspension tapes  6  are similarly attached to the ends of the leg support portions  3 .  
         [0014]     The body support  1  is manufactured from a sheet of synthetic textile fabric, and it is tailored to conform to the shape of the body of the invalid I.  
         [0015]     The sling is illustrated in the drawings as used with a hoist  10  having a cantilever lifting arm  11  supporting a sling hanger  12  of unitary construction and from which the sling  1  is directly suspended. However, it could be used with other types of hoist including ceiling hoists. Only the outer end of the lifting arm  11  is shown, and the hanger  12  is connected to the arm  11  through a pivotal connection  13 . The connection is mounted in a bearing  14  providing a vertical pivotal axis A at the end of the arm  11  and it is pivotally connected to the hanger  12  at points  13   a.    
         [0016]     The hanger  12  is of symmetrical form with spaced arms  15  which respectively pivot on connection  13  and which at their free ends provide a pair of spaced sling attachment points to which the tapes  5  are attached. At the other end the hanger has a central rod  16  terminating in a hand grip  17  and presenting, on opposite sides, a second pair of sling attachment points to which the suspension tapes  6  are attached.  
         [0017]     The suspension tapes  5  and  6  are doubled over and pass through respective connecting elements  7  which, as shown, are in the form of key-hole plates that hook onto headed attachment studs  18  providing the respective attachment points on the hanger  12  but which could, for example, be in the form of loop attachments.  
         [0018]     Referring now to  FIG. 2  of the drawings, the sling shown therein has a full body support  21  of similar shape to that shown in  FIG. 1 . The body support  21  has a body portion  22  with lower end dependent leg support portions  23  and an upper end head support extension  24 . It also has two suspension tapes  25  attached by stitching to the body portion  22  in the shoulder regions thereof and suspension tapes  26  stitched to the ends of the leg support portions  23 . Attachment members in the form of keyhole plates  25   a ,  26   a  (or loop attachments) are connected to the suspension tapes  25  and  26 .  
         [0019]     The sling has an inflatable chamber  27  formed in the upper end head support extension  24  and inflatable chambers  28  and  29  formed in the lower end dependent leg support portions  23 . In the embodiment shown, the chambers  28  and  29  are in fluid communication with one another via a narrow chamber  30  extending along the lower edge of the body portion  22 .  
         [0020]     The body support is made of flexible, air impermeable material, typically Dartex PO97 (C. S. &amp; P.) Types sold by Dartex Coatings Limited, of Nottingham, United Kingdom and the chambers  27 ,  28 ,  29  and  30  are formed by double thickness regions of the material secured together using radio frequency induction (RFI) welding, or other suitable bonding means.  
         [0021]     Referring now to  FIGS. 3 and 4  of the drawings, the sling shown therein comprises a full body support  31  having a body portion  32  with lower end dependent leg support portions  33  and an upper end head support extension  34 . It also has suspension tapes  35  attached to the body portion  32  in the shoulder regions thereof and suspension tapes  36  similarly attached to the ends of the leg support portions  33 , each connected to an attachment device in the form of a keyhole plate  35   a ,  36   a . In this embodiment, the upper end head support extension  34  has five separate inflatable chambers  37   a ,  37   b ,  37   c ,  37   d  and  37   e . The dependent leg support portions  33  each have two separate inflatable chambers  38   a  and  38   b ,  39   a  and  39   b , respectively, and there are three separate chambers  40   a ,  40   b  and  40   c  in the lower region of the body portion  32 .  
         [0022]     The body support  31  is again made of flexible air impermeable material, typically Dartex PO97, and the chambers are again formed by double thickness regions of the material secured together using radio frequency induction (RFI) welding, or other suitable bonding means.  
         [0023]     Two head support stiffener pockets  54  are sewn or bonded onto the body support  31 . These pockets  54  extend substantially throughout the head support extension  34  and for a distance beyond a line joining the attachment points of the upper suspension tapes  45  of the sling. The two pockets  54  are spaced laterally of the sling and each contains a removable strip of resiliently flexible material, typically plastics material such as polypropylene.  
         [0024]     Referring now to FIGS.  5  to  7  of the drawings, the sling shown therein again comprises a full body support  41  having a body portion  42 , lower end dependent leg support portions  43 , an upper end head support extension  44  and suspension tapes  45  and  46  with keyhole attachment members  45   a  and  46   a  (or loop attachments).  
         [0025]     Inflatable pads  51  ( FIG. 6   b ) can be inserted respectively in pouches  47  and  48  in the leg support portions  43  and inflatable pad  52  ( FIG. 6   a ) can be inserted in the pouch  49  in the head support extension  44 . These pouches  47 ,  48  and  49  can then be releasably closed by loop and hook fastening means  53  shown in  FIG. 7 .  
         [0026]     Two head support stiffener pockets  54  are sewn or bonded onto the pouch material. These pockets  54  extend substantially throughout the head support extension  44  and for a distance beyond a line joining the attachment points of the upper suspension tapes  45  of the sling. The two pockets  54  are spaced laterally of the sling and each contains a removable strip of resiliently flexible material, typically plastics material such as polypropylene.  
         [0027]     This body support  41  can be manufactured from a flexible sheet of synthetic textile fabric and is in that regard similar to the conventional sling shown in  FIG. 1 . The inflatable pads can be removed if desired to enable the sling to be used in conventional manner and they can also be removed, if required, when the invalid has been lifted into a position in which he/she will remain for some considerable time.  
         [0028]     The body supports of the slings described above are flexible, allowing accommodation of persons of varying sizes and dimensions.  
         [0029]     The inflatable chambers of the embodiments described above provide improved comfort particularly where an invalid has special lifting requirements, suffers from brittle bone, delicate skin or physical shape problems or has specific medical requirements.  
         [0030]     The inflatable chambers could also be subject to air rippling with the use of a small air pump in order to minimise the risk of pressure sores/pressure ulcers.  
         [0031]     The slings described above are full body support slings but the invention is equally applicable to other types of slings including toileting slings which include a relatively narrow body portion and two dependent leg portions and also to slings which are used with standing aids and which pass around the back of a patient and beneath the arms to lift a patient from a seated to a standing position.  
         [0032]     The embodiments described above are given by way of example only and various modifications will be apparent to persons skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. For example, the removable inflatable chambers could be held to the body support simply via heads and loop fastening means.