Patient transfer arrangement

An arrangement of a wheelchair with a movable seat and leg rest and a bed equipped with transfer apparatus provided with rollers, a movable sheet and lift arms, for transporting a patient comfortably across the bed to a sitting position in the wheelchair.

The process of transferring a patient between a bed and a wheelchair or 
commode often requires the help of two or more assistants. The task 
frequently requires considerable strength and is a common source of injury 
to the person being transferred or to the nurse(s) or attendant(s) doing 
the transfer. These problems often are the major factors that require a 
patient to be hospitalized or moved to a nursing home, rather than being 
cared for at home. They also increase the cost of caring for persons in 
hospitals and nursing homes. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The parent application describes an arrangement for transferring an invalid 
person from a bed to a separate horizontal surface by means of a sheet 
which is pulled over the surface of the mattress, by being rolled up on a 
roller at the foot of the bed and unrolled from a roller at the head of 
the bed. Accordingly, it is the primary object of the present invention to 
provide a special wheelchair, which may be a commode or may be convertible 
to a commode, and a bed equipped with rollers, a transport sheet, and a 
lifting mechanism, so that a person can be comfortably transported over 
the bed and partially onto the horizontal seat of the wheelchair and then 
raised to a normal sitting position thereon. The arrangement is such that 
no effort on the part of the invalid person and only minimal physical 
strength or skill in the part of an attendant are required. 
In many cases invalid persons can easily be injured when they are being 
transferred between a bed and a wheelchair, as a result from stresses 
placed on weak bones or decubitus ulcers, or as a result of accidental 
falling. Accordingly, it is another object of the present invention to 
provide a comfortable and safe method of transfer with minimum stress on 
the person's body and minimum sliding action which could cause or 
aggravate decubitus ulcers. 
It is still another object of the present invention to provide apparatus 
which can be installed on existing hospital or home-type beds so that a 
person can be comfortably transported to a seated position on a wheelchair 
or a commode, or a toilet at the end of the bed. 
Additional objects and advantages of the present invention will become 
evident from the following description of specific embodiments when read 
in connection with the accompanying drawings. 
It is to be understood that the term wheelchair, as used herein, includes 
commodes. The present invention is also applicable to transfer onto fixed 
chairs and seating, such as toilets, and there is no intent to limit the 
present invention to transfer between a bed and a wheelchair.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
FIGS. 1a through 1f schematically illustrate the method used to transport a 
person from a wheelchair to a bed. 
FIG. 1a shows the person 1 seated in a wheelchair 3 ready to be transferred 
to a bed 2. The bed 2 consists of a conventional bed 4, as found in a home 
or institution such as a nursing home or hospital, with modifications to 
be described. The bed is presumed to be adjustable by conventional means 
(not shown) to the proper height to perform the required operations. 
Attached to the bed 4 is an arrangement for transporting a person 
longitudinally across the bed. This arrangement contains a front roller 5 
(shown in FIG. 1a) whose length is approximately equal to the width of the 
bed. The roller is mounted at the foot-end of the bed. A similar rear 
roller 6 is positioned at the head-end of the bed. (Head and foot are seen 
from the patient's point of view.) A transport sheet 7, approximately 
equal in width to the width of the bed and significantly longer than the 
bed, is fastened to and partially rolled up on the front roller 5 while 
the other end is fastened to and partially rolled up on the rear roller 6 
at the head-end of the bed. Transport sheet 7 passes over a supporting 
idler roller 8 between the mattress 9 and rear roller 6. 
Electric motors, or hand cranks provide mechanical power for driving the 
two rollers 5 and 6 to wind up the transport sheet 7 on one roller while 
allowing it to unwind from the other roller so as to move the sheet, and 
to thereby transport a person reclining thereon, across the surface of the 
mattress. 
This particular arrangement of roller is shown to help illustrate the 
principles applying to the present invention, but the invention is not 
limited to this configuration. Other arrangements for moving a sheet 
across a bed to transport a person over the bed can be used equally well. 
Also attached to the bed 4, by means not shown, are a pair of mattress lift 
arms 17, which are described later. 
The wheelchair 3 contains a frame 14 supported on front wheels 15, which 
are depicted as being large, and rear wheels 16, which are small and on 
casters. Alternatively, the front wheels may also be small, in which case 
either or both pairs may be on casters. The wheelchair back rest 11, is 
movably mounted as described subsequently. 
The seat 10 and leg rest 12 of the wheelchair are mounted on a conveyor, to 
be shown, which is a single flexible assembly slidably mounted on tracks 
26 and 27 on each side of the chair. The conveyor is stiff laterally to 
support a sitting person, but is bendable longitudinally to conform to the 
bends in tracks 26 and 27. Track 26 is hinged at the point 22 to enable 
the leg rest 12 to be raised. The foot rest 13 is attached to the conveyor 
below the leg rest 12. 
FIG. 1b shows the initial transfer steps. The wheelchair 3 has been 
latched, by means not shown, to the end of the bed 2. The lift arms 17, 
which include a connecting support under the mattress 9, have been rotated 
by a lift drive 19, comprising an electric motor, gearing and a support 
pivot to lift the mattress up to approximately 80 degrees, as shown, with 
the sheet 7 unrolled as needed from head-end roller 6. The leg rest 12 has 
been raised by the attendant, or by power means not shown, from its normal 
seating position, inclined down from the seat 10 to a substantially 
horizontal position. The lifting action is aided by a spring, not shown. 
Mechanical couplings, shown subsequently, from the hinged track 26 have 
caused the back rest 11, shown in FIG. 1a, and arm rests 24 to be lowered 
out of the way of the transport path when the leg rest 12 was raised. The 
person 1 is resting against and supported by the mattress 9. 
FIG. 1c shows the first step of the actual transfer of the patient by the 
action of lowering the mattress lift arms 17 which have lowered the person 
1 to a partially reclining position, supported by the mattress 9. 
FIG. 1d shows the person or patient 1 reclining partly on the fully lowered 
mattress 9 with his feet 25 resting against the foot rest 13. 
FIG. 1e shows, by arrows 71 and 72, the action of the sheet in pulling the 
person 1 onto the mattress 9 as the rear roller 6 is driven to wind up the 
sheet 7, drawing it across the mattress from the front roller 5. As the 
person is drawn onto the mattress, the conveyor slides freely with him, 
along its tracks from its forward position to its rear position, so that 
the person's body is protected from discomfort due to sliding over the 
seat. 
As shown in FIG. 1f, the roller 6 continues to move the person 1 until he 
reaches the middle of the mattress 9. His feet slide off the leg rest 12, 
which is soft and covered with a smooth slippery material such as nylon to 
prevent skin irritation. The wheelchair 3 can then be unlatched and 
removed from the bed 2, if desired. 
To transfer back onto the wheelchair, the process is reversed. 
FIG. 1e shows the patient 1 after he has been transported by the motion of 
sheet 7 as the sheet is wound up on the roller 5 and unwound from the 
roller 6, part way onto the wheelchair oppositely from arrows 71 and 72. 
FIG. 1d shows that pressure from the person's feet 25 on the foot rest 13 
causes the seat 10 and leg rest 12, to slide forward as the transport 
sheet 7 carries the person further onto the wheelchair 3. When the person 
1 is comfortably positioned on the seat 10 with the leg rest in its 
forward limit position, as shown in FIG. 1d, the sheet drive is stopped. 
FIG. 1c shows the mattress 9 partially elevated by lift arms 17. FIG. 1b 
shows the mattress 9 fully raised and supporting the person 1 on the seat 
10. At this point the attendant pushes down the leg rest 12, thereby 
raising the back rest 11 and arm rest 24, to the positions shown in FIG. 
1a. 
At this point, the wheelchair can be unlatched and moved away from the bed, 
and the mattress lift arms 17 lowered to complete the transfer operation. 
FIG. 2 is a side view showing the wheelchair 3 in its normal seating 
arrangement with the leg rest 12 lowered, corresponding to schematic view 
FIG. 1a. Large front wheels 15 and small rear wheels and casters 16, 
enable the wheelchair to move close to the transfer bed for patient 
transfer. The seat 10, the leg rest 12, and the foot rest 13 are attached 
to a conveyor (shown in a subsequent drawing) which slides in and is 
supported by tracks 26 and 27. The track 26 is attached to the fixed track 
27 and the frame 14 through a hinge 22, and is connected through linkages, 
described below, to the arm rest 24 and back rest 11 such that depressing 
the arm rest 24 raises the leg rest 12 to its horizontal position 12 and 
moves the back rest 11 to its lowered position (both shown in dashed 
lines). 
A link 31, pivoted to the frame 14 at a pivot 32, is connected by the pivot 
42 to a compression spring 41, which is attached to a pivot 34 in the 
frame 14. Pushed by the spring 41, the pivot 42 slides in the slot 45 in a 
member 43 attached to the track 26 and pushes the track 26 up toward its 
horizontal position. The force of the spring 41 is selected to overcome 
most of the gravity force acting to push the leg rest down when a person 
is seated in the wheelchair. At the opposite end of the link 31 is a pin 
35 which slides in a slot 36 in a coupling link 33. The latter is pivoted 
at one end on the pivot 34 and at the other end it has a slot 46 which is 
coupled to and supports the back rest 11 through the pin 39. The back rest 
11 slides in slot 38 in support 37 in accordance with motion of coupling 
link 33. The link 33 is enclosed by rollers 69 and 70 on the arm rest 24 
which is mounted in vertical slides 40, attached to the frame 14. Latch 50 
locks the arm rest 24 in either its upper or lower positions, and thereby 
also locks coupling link 33 and prevents movement of the leg rest and back 
rest. An attendant can release the latch 50 and press down on the arm rest 
24 in the direction of arrow 47 to push down the link 33 through the 
roller 69, thereby lowering the back rest 11 in the direction of the arrow 
48 and, through the link 31, raising the leg rest 12 in the direction of 
arrow 49 to a horizontal position. At that point the arm rest 24 reaches 
its lowest position, where the latch 50 automatically locks it in place. 
Alternatively, instead of depressing the arm rest, the attendant can 
depress the back rest or lift the leg rest 12 to obtain the same result, 
by means of the linkages described above. The resulting positions of the 
arm rest 24, leg rest 12, back rest 11, spring 41, and links 31 and 33 are 
shown in dashed lines. 
FIG. 2a is a partial side view showing a powered arrangement for moving the 
back rest 11, the arm rest 24, and the leg rest 12 through the linkage 
described above. With the wheelchair 3 latched to the bed 2, not shown 
here, a toothed belt 86 on the wheelchair is meshed with a gear 85 on a 
reversible electric motor 84 mounted on the bed. Energizing the motor 84 
drives the belt 86 around idler rollers 88, 89, and 90. The belt 86, which 
is attached through the sliding member 91 to the pin 39 on the back rest 
11, thereby elevates or lowers the sliding back 11, which is attached to 
the belt 86 through the pin 39 and the sliding member 91. 
FIG. 3 is a side view of the wheelchair 3 showing (in solid lines) the 
wheelchair with the leg rest 12 in its elevated position and the back rest 
11 and arm rests 24 lowered, corresponding to schematic view FIG. 1d. 
With the wheelchair in this position a person would be reclining with his 
legs on the wheelchair and his back and head resting on the transfer sheet 
of the bed. As the transfer sheet draws the person off the wheelchair, the 
leg rest 12 and seat 10, mounted on the conveyor, slide freely in track 
members 26 and 27 in the direction of arrows 73 and 74. 
The seat 10 and leg rest 12 bend flexibly as they follow track 27 to their 
limit positions, shown in dashed lines, corresponding to schematic view 
FIG. 1f. 
FIG. 4 is a partial exploded view showing the construction of the conveyor 
18 and the track 26 (or the straight portion of the track 27, which is 
identical). Over most of its length, the conveyor 18 contains slats 56 
which extend across the wheelchair. Links 57 and 58 are screwed or 
otherwise fastened to the ends of the slats 56 in an alternating pattern, 
as shown, and adjacent links are hinged together by shafts 59 which pass 
through holes in the links and which extend across the wheelchair. The 
shafts 59 are supported by rollers 60, which are preferably spherical but, 
alternatively, they may be cylindrical in shape. The shafts 59 and slats 
56 are stiff and thereby can support the weight of a person between the 
track members 26 on each side of the wheelchair 3. 
FIG. 5 is a partial perspective view showing the arrangement of the 
conveyor 18. The conveyor 18 includes an end plate 75 with several 
selectable holes 75a for attaching the foot rests 13 by nuts on threaded 
shafts, or the like. The remaining upper surface of the conveyor 18 
consists of long slats 56 and short slats 63, hingeably connected one to 
another through links 57 and 58 by long shafts 59 (not visible in FIG. 5) 
and short shafts 64. The shafts are attached at their outer ends to 
rollers 60, which freely roll in and are supported by tracks 27 and 26. 
Short slats 63 and short shafts 64 are used in the seat section of 
conveyor 18 and form an opening 61 above the chamber pot 55. The seat 10, 
which is a cushion, and the leg rest 12, which is a pad, are attachable to 
the conveyor 18 by strips of touch-and-close, pull-and-release material 
62, available under the trade name VELCRO, or by other means such as 
snaps, hooks, or the like. The seat 10 contains stiffeners 53 to support a 
person over the opening 61. 
FIG. 5a shows a toilet seat 65, which is similarly attachable to the 
conveyor 18 in place of the seat cushion 51. 
The seat 10, leg rest pad 12, and toilet seat 65 are constructed of 
flexible material such as foam rubber, and they have a stretchable cloth 
surface to enable free movement around the bent portion of the track 27. 
FIGS. 5b and 5c show an alternate arrangement which allows the conveyor 18 
and the bottom of the seat 10 to compress and bend in traversing track 27. 
FIG. 5b shows link 57a and 58a with elongated holes around shafts 59, 
which allow adjacent slats 56 in the conveyor 18, as shown in FIG. 4, to 
slide a distance together and apart. FIG. 5c is a partial side view of the 
seat 10a showing slots 52 and narrow stiffening slats 53a which allow the 
bottom of the seat 10a to compress for bending. The conveyor 18 shown in 
FIG. 5, if fitted with links 57a and 58a and the seat 10a, is thereby 
freely movable around the bend in track 27. 
FIG. 6, which is a sectional front view A--A in FIG. 4, shows the mounting 
and support arrangement of the seating area of the wheelchair. The roller 
60 supported by the track 27 is attached to the short shaft 64 which 
passes through and connects two overlapping links 57 and 58, near each end 
of a short slat 63. The outside end of slat 63 is thereby supported by the 
track 27. The inside end of short slat 63 slides over and is supported on 
a slide 68 which is mounted on the channel 76, attached through the 
bracket 66 to the wheelchair frame (not shown here). The slide 68 can be 
comprised of a slippery material such as PTFE, commonly available under 
the trade name TEFLON, or high density polyurethane to facilitate free 
sliding (or other suitable sliding means). The chamber pot 55 is removably 
mounted on the channel 76. 
FIG. 7 is a partial side view of the bed 2 and wheelchair 3 showing a 
method of driving the conveyor from a transport sheet. A friction roller 
77, mounted through bearings on the track 27 of the wheelchair, is 
positioned in contact with the transport sheet 7 when the wheelchair is 
locked in place for patient transfer. A chain 78 meshes with integral 
sprockets on the friction roller 77 and on the friction roller 79, which 
is mounted through bearings on the wheelchair frame. The friction roller 
79 rests firmly on the conveyor 18 on which is mounted seat 10. When a 
person is reclining partly on the seat 10 and partly on mattress 9, the 
transport sheet 7 is drawn off the roller 5 in the direction of the arrow 
80 to transport the person onto bed 2. The friction rollers 77 and 79 have 
high friction surfaces of rubber, or the like, and thereby are driven by 
the transport sheet 7 and drive the conveyor 18 in the direction of the 
arrow 81. 
FIG. 7a shows an alternate method of driving the roller 77, and thereby the 
conveyor 18, using a reversible electric motor 82 in place of the sheet 7. 
The roller 79, mounted on the bed 2 and coupled to the electric motor 82, 
is held in good frictional driving contact with the roller 77 when the 
wheelchair 3 is latched to the bed 2. 
FIG. 8 is a partial side view of the wheelchair and bed showing an 
alternate conveyor arrangement. The wheelchair 120 is positioned at the 
foot of the bed 2, adjacent to the mattress 9 over which the transport 
sheet 7 passes and is partially wound on the roller 5. The wheelchair 120 
includes a frame 121, a seat 125 removably attached thereon, and a leg 
rest 122, which comprises the front portion of a conveyor cloth 128. The 
leg rest is shown in its elevated position ready for transporting a 
reclining person off the wheelchair and onto the bed, as shown in FIG. 1d. 
A foot rest 124 includes a support plate with rollers 126 on each side, 
which are supported by, and roll in, forward tracks 125a and rear tracks 
125b comprising U-channels extending along each side of the wheelchair. 
The track 125a is mounted by a hinge 127 to the track 125b, which is 
mounted on the frame 121. The conveyor cloth 128 is a strip of cloth 
attached through leg rest 122 to the foot rest 124, and extending over the 
surface of the seat 123, around the idler roller 137, and at its other end 
attached to the roller 129. 
The roller 129 includes an internal spring which acts to wind up the 
conveyor cloth 128 in a similar fashion as in a window shade. The bottom 
surface of the conveyor cloth 128 and the top surface of the seat 123 
preferably comprise slippery materials such as nylon, satin or teflon for 
low-friction sliding. The track 125a is partially supported by the 
compression spring 130 connected to the frame 121 at one end and to the 
track 125a through the pivot 133. The link 134 connects at one end to the 
pivot 133 and at the other end to the pivot 135 on the back arm 131. 
FIG. 8 shows in dashed lines the positions of the track 125a and foot rest 
124 and the back arms 131 when a person is seated on the wheelchair, as in 
FIG. 1a. In transferring a person to the bed, the mattress 9 on the bed 2 
is raised to the position shown, as illustrated in FIG. 1b and described 
previously, and the back rest (not shown here) is removed from the back 
arms 131. The latch 132, which locks the wheelchair in its seating 
position by latching the link 134 to the frame 121, is then manually 
released, allowing the spring 130 to push the track 125a and, through the 
link 134, to push the back arm 131 against the mattress 9. The mattress 9 
is then lowered onto the bed 2, as shown in FIG. 1d, thereby lowering the 
person to a reclining position partly on the wheelchair and partly on the 
bed and allowing the back arm 131 to lower, and thereby the track 125a and 
leg rest 122 to rise to the transport position. Transport sheet drives 
(not shown) on bed 2 can then draw the transport sheet 7 off the roller 5 
and across the mattress 9, carrying the reclining patient onto the bed 2. 
The conveyor cloth 128, with the foot rest 124 slides freely with the 
person over the seat 123 and is wound up by the roller 129. The end 
position of the foot rest 124 is shown in dashed lines. 
FIG. 9 shows a conveyor cloth 128a containing a hole 142 for use with a 
toilet seat 139, which is removably attachable to the frame 121 in FIG. 8, 
in place of the seat 123. The seat 123 also is usable with conveyor cloth 
128a when a cloth cover 140 is attached over the hole 142 by strips of 
touch-and-hold, pull-and-release material such as that available under the 
trade name VELCRO, or by like means. A chamber pot 138 is attachable to 
frame 121 below seat 139. 
It is to be understood that the arrangements shown in FIGS. 8 and 2 for 
lifting the leg rest and for transporting the person onto the wheelchair 
are mutually independent of one another, and that the conveyor arrangement 
shown in FIG. 8 can be used with the linkage arrangement for raising the 
leg rest shown in FIG. 2. The conveyor arrangement shown in FIG. 2 can be 
used with the linkage arrangement for raising the leg rest shown in FIG. 
8. 
FIG. 10 is a partial side view of a wheelchair 165, which is the same as 
the wheelchair 120 in FIG. 8 except for the arrangement of the target 
conveyor. FIG. 10 shows a conveyor belt 153 which is attached to the 
movable foot rest 151 and which extends over, around, and under the seat 
123 and back to the foot rest. The transport belt 153 is supported by 
idler rollers 155, 156, 157, and 158, 159 mounted on frame 161 and track 
125a, respectively. The bottom surface of the transport belt 153 or the 
top surface of the seat 123 are comprised of slippery material for 
low-friction sliding, so that a person reclining partly on the conveyor 
belt and partly on an adjacent bed can be drawn off by a transport sheet 
on the bed, with the friction of the person's body on the transport belt 
153 causing it to move freely. The positions of the rollers 158 and 157 
preferably are selected so that the tension of the transport belt 153 
increases or remains constant as the front track 125a is lowered. 
FIG. 10a shows schematically another arrangement in which separate 
transport belts 153a and 153b pass around a seat 152 and a leg rest 150. 
The foot rest 166 is attached to the leg rest 150. Preferably, these belts 
are constructed with slippery material such as nylon or PTFE, commonly 
available under the trade name TEFLON, on their inside surfaces, and with 
slippery material used on the outside of the seat 152 and the leg rest 150 
so that these transport belts will slide freely as a person is transported 
onto the seat and leg rest. 
FIG. 10b is a partial side view of the seat and leg rest of a wheelchair 
168 adjacent to the bed 2 showing an arrangement for driving the transport 
belt on the wheelchair from the transport sheet on the bed. The wheelchair 
168 is substantially the same as the wheelchair 165 in FIG. 10 except that 
the foot rest 166 is attached to the leg rest 150 rather than to the 
transport belt 153, and an optional roller 167 is attached to the sheet 
152 (or, alternatively to bed 2). The roller 167 has a sticky outer 
surface made of gum rubber or the like and it is held by latching means 
not shown in firm contact with the transport sheet 7 on the bed 2 and the 
transport belt 153 on the wheelchair 168. Motion of the sheet 7 causes the 
roller 167 to rotate, driving the transport belt 153 over the seat 152 in 
the same direction as the sheet 7 over the mattress 9. 
Alternatively, the roller 167, and thereby the transport belt 153 can be 
driven by an electric motor, in a similar fashion as shown in FIG. 7a and 
described previously. 
It is to be understood that the linkage arrangements for raising the leg 
rest shown in FIGS. 2 and 8, as well as other arrangements for performing 
this function, can be used with the conveyor arrangements shown in FIGS. 
10 and 10b. 
FIGS. 11a through 11c show schematically in sequence the motion of the leg 
rest and seat in a still different arrangement for transferring a person 
from a wheelchair to a bed. 
FIG. 11a shows a side view of the wheelchair 90 with its back removed and 
positioned at the foot end of the mattress 9 on the bed 2. A person being 
transferred from the wheelchair 90 to the bed 2 would be reclining 
partially on the bed 2 and partially on the seat 91a and leg rest 92, with 
his feet against the foot rest 99. 
The leg rest 92 is connected through pivots 98 and 96 to links 94 and 93 
which are pivoted on the wheelchair frame 104 at the pivots 97 and 95, to 
form a 4-bar linkage. The leg rest acting through this linkage is movable 
from the inclined position shown in FIG. 11a to an elevated position shown 
in FIG. 11c. The seat 91a is mounted on the seat frame 91 which is 
slidably supported in the slot 102 by the pin 103 of the link 93 and by 
the roller 101 resting on the leg rest 92. The seat frame 91 includes also 
the roller 106 which is slidably held in a slot 105 in the frame 104. The 
seat 91a and leg rest 92 are locked in position by the latch 115 which is 
mounted on the frame 104 and engages the link 93. To transfer a reclining 
person fully onto the mattress 9, the latch 115 is released and the 
transport sheet 7 is drawn off the roller 5 and across the mattress 9. 
FIG. 11b shows the motion of the leg rest as a person is moved toward the 
middle of the mattress 9; the leg rest 92 pivots up and toward the bed 2 
with the aid of a compression spring 114. The seat 91a and seat frame 91 
are now supported mainly by roller 101 on leg rest 92 as the roller 106 
slides down in slot 105. The pin 103, sliding in the slot 102 in 
conjunction with the roller 106 in the slot 105, holds the seat 91a in the 
desired position. 
FIG. 11c shows the leg rest 92 fully shifted to its transport position 
adjacent to the mattress 9. From this position continued motion of the 
transport sheet 7 draws a person's leg off the leg rest 92 and moves him 
to the center of the mattress 9. The seat 91a, when fully lowered, is 
supported through its frame 91 by the roller 101 on the leg rest 92, with 
the seat position controlled by the pin 103 in the slot 102 and the roller 
106 in the slot 105. 
FIGS. 12a through 12d show schematically another method of moving a cloth 
strip for transporting a person onto a wheelchair. As shown in FIG. 12a, 
the wheelchair 200 comprises a frame 205 on which is removably mounted the 
seat 202, which is replaceable by a toilet seat. The leg rest 201 is 
pivotally connected to the frame 205 by the links 210 and 203 so that the 
leg rest is free to move from a inclined position above the seat 202 as 
shown in FIG. 12a for receiving a person being transferred from mattress 
9. A strip of cloth 207 is attached at one end to the rear edge 204 of the 
leg rest 201 and at the other end to roller 206 on which it is wound by a 
spring. As a person is moved by the transport sheet 7 onto the wheelchair, 
his feet slide across the leg rest 201 to the foot rest 208. Further 
motion of a person moves the foot rest, and causes the leg rest 201 to 
move through the positions shown in FIGS. 12b, 12c and 12d and pull the 
cloth strip 207 across the seat 202 and thereby insulate the person from 
rubbing on the seat 202 as he is moved fully onto the wheelchair. It is to 
be understood that, for purposes of clarity, other items such as 
compression springs and latches similar to those shown in FIG. 2, which 
would be used in practice, have been omitted in FIGS. 12a through 12d and 
14. 
FIG. 13 shows schematically the cloth strip 207a with a cutout section to 
provide access to a toilet seat. The leg rest 201 and the cloth strip 207a 
support a patient during transport over the seat 202a. 
In other embodiments, either one or both sets of links 203 and 210 shown in 
FIG. 12a are replaced by tracks. FIG. 14 shows upper tracks 209 with the 
upper edge 204a of the leg rest 201a supported by rollers 211, which move 
along the tracks. The front of the leg rest 201a is supported by lower 
links 210. Similarly, FIG. 14a shows lower tracks 212 with upper links 
203, and FIG. 14b shows lower and upper tracks 212 and 209 supporting the 
leg rest 201a. These tracks may comprise circular arcs to duplicate the 
action of links, or may have other shapes. Preferably a cloth strip 207 is 
attached to the leg rest 201a as shown in FIGS. 14, 14a and 14b to support 
a patient from sliding directly on the seat; however, the cloth strip 207 
may be omitted, and a slippery seat cover may be used. 
FIG. 15 shows another embodiment using a conveyor belt 216 around the seat 
202 of a wheelchair. The leg rest 201 is connected by links 203 and 210 to 
the frame 205 of the wheelchair. The conveyor belt 216 has holes along an 
edge which are engaged by sprocket wheel 215 connected to link 203. 
Movement of leg rest 201 in the direction of arrow 217 causes rotation of 
link 203 and sprocket wheel 215 which drives the conveyor belt 216 in the 
same direction, and at substantially the velocity of a person being 
transferred thereon. 
FIG. 15a shows another method of coupling between the leg rest and conveyor 
belt using a strip of cloth 218 attached at one end to the leg rest 201 
and at the other end to the conveyor belt 216. When a person is 
transferred onto the wheelchair in the direction of arrow 217, the leg 
rest 201 pulls the belt 216 in the direction of arrow 217. The cloth 
length and attachment points can be selected to make the belt velocity 
substantially equal to the person velocity. 
It is to be understood that there is no intention to limit the coupling 
means between the leg rest and conveyor belt to the arrangements shown in 
FIGS. 15 and 15a or to limit the seat rest support arrangement to linkages 
as shown in FIGS. 15 and 15a. For example, tracks may be substituted for 
one or both of the linkages, as shown in FIGS. 14, 14a and 14b.