STRETCHER FOR LIFTING INJURED PEOPLE WITHOUT NEED OF MOVING THEM

Abstract: A stretcher for lifting injured people without need of moving them (A) comprising a frame (1) supporting four rollers (2), (2′), (2″), (2‴), rotating independently, two by two in axis between them, and two by two opposed, and connected respectively by a sheet (3), wherein said two sheets (3) of the stretcher (A) are paired, and when stretched parallel between them, and when loosened and inserted under the body of an injured person (B) are stretched and locked thus permitting the injured person to be lifted and carried without being moved. The action of loosening, in neutral, of stretching and locking in said position of said sheets (3) is carried out by means of lever or jack crank (5), inserted on the pin (6) of a box containing suitable gears (7), for controlling each winding roller respectively,

Description: Stretcher for liftillg injured people without need of moving them The presellt invention relates to a stretcher for lifting injured people without need of movillg them. The invention is particularly suitable for use ill lifting people injured in road accidents, while workillg alld ill several other occasioiis where people suffering from traumas, camlot be moved without daiiger alld/or risk of making their lesions worse or even of jeopardiziiig their life; the stretcher is further suitable for use also ill llursillg-homes and hospitals where the same need occurs, in particular for movillg people having- undergolle an operation and carryillg them from the operating-room to their beds and/or vice versa. At the present state of the art the only known meals for moving or shifting injured people are the conventional ones, such as the usual stretchers generally used also outside or very complicated liftiiig implements used in hospitals, e.g. the lifting small cradles used in operatillg-rooms. The - disadvantages of these currelltly-used knows embodiments consist essentially ill that for lifting and moving the person suffering from trauma, the latter must be lifted from where he/she lies alld placed oll one of said positiolling and transporting means, with handlillg by the helpers. This inevitable handling involves movements of the body of the injured person and, collsequently, of his/her external and iiiteriial orgalls, with daiiger and risk for the lesioned ones. The object of the present izwei'tion is to obviate the above mentiolled disadvantages and particularly to provide a stretcher consisting of a frame within which two sheets are arranged, paired and parallel in longitudinal directioll which wind when stretched or u1iwind when loosened, respectively round two opposite winding rollers fixed on the same frame. At the respective ends of the stretcher said opposite rollers are in axis between them. Stretching or loosening of the respective sheets on the two opposite ends caii be carried out by mealls of gears for draft workillg in lock or ill neutral, said gears being placed in four boxes each connected with the respective roller. Drive of said gears will be preferably carried out by means of suitable leverage or craiiks, for example jack type cracks. Use of the stretcher is as follows: 1. the stretcher, with the sheet winding rollers in neutral alid the sheets looselled alid widened enough to let the body pass within the frame of the stretcher, is placed so that the frame sorrowids the injured person; 2. rotating slightly oll one side the body of the injured person in longitudinal directioll, one of the stretcher sheet is inserted as far as the center axis of the body, said aperation can be performed even without rotating the body but simply slipping the halides with the respective sheet length under the body to the half thereof; 3. said operation is then repeated at the other side with the other sheet; 4. after these operatiolls, the body of the injured person lies on the two sheets loosened aligned between them. Now, acting with the jack lever oll the respective gear boxes coiiiiected with the respective rollers, the two sheets are stretched until maximum stretch ill order to reach a ulliform, almost horizontal plane for supporting the body; the stretcher with the body thereon can then be lifted without ally damage for the injured person, who is thus carried with miilimum risk. The advantages offered by this invelltioll are essentially that the body of the injured person is not subjected to handlillg which may cause further dangerous traumas, except for the two slight movements of partial rotatioij of the body, or even without these movements if a little care is taken. The illventioll will be now described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate some preferred embodimellts, ill which: Figure 1 is a side view of the stretcher frame; Figure 2 is a plall view of the stretcher frame of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a side view of the stretcher with all injured person settled thereoll; Figure 4 is a plall view of the stretcher of Figure 3 with all injured person settled thereoll; Figure 5 shows ill section X-X the illjured person of Figure 3 on the supportillg plalle; Figure 6 shows, still ill section X-X, the injured person of Figure 5 illserted within the stretcher, with the two sheets prearranged for slipping uiider the body; Figure 7 shows the injured person of Figure 6 ill the first partial rotation, with the first sheet slippillg ullder the body; Figure 8 shows the injured person of Figure 7 in-the secolld partial contrary rotatioll, with the second sheet slippillg Lulder the body; Figure 9 shows the injured person of Figure 6 settled on the two sheets inserted under the body. As showtl in the above-mentioned figures, the invention collsists in a stretcher (A) for holding and carrying all injured body (B), said stretcher (A) consisting of a frame 1, supporting four winding rollers two by two in axis between them, 2 with 2', gId 2" with 2"' respectively, collected two by two between them and precisely 2 with 2", wid 2' with 2"' by a respective sheet 3. Each of the two respective sheets 3 is fixed at both the edges, respectively in the groove 4 of the opposite rollers and is would round each of them at olle side alld/or the other independently, until stretching and lock, or loosened ill neutral by means of a lever or jack crank 5, workillg, for instaiice, by ratchet gear or free wheel, wherein said lever or craiik is extractable or not, applicable to the pin 6, operatillg the relevaiit gears which allow said actions. Said gears (four units) are placed in a box 7, fixed and connected in axis with each of the four rollers. The winding rollers ill axis are kept aligned between them by an arm 8, while independence of rotation is ensured by the guide pin 9. The stretcher is further provided with four small feet 10, for resting oll the supporting plane PA; but obviously said feet can be replaced with other means for different uses. The embodimellts shown in the figures illustrate use of only two sheets 3, but it is obvious that alternatively a third sheet can be provided extractable in unwinding from otle head end of the frame, from wilder said two sheets, ill known mainer, for being hooked oll the other opposite end and successively stretched. This embodiment is particularly useful for reinforcing the two upper sheets of the stretcher when the injured person has to be carried far away by halld, thus illoreasing safety agaillst accidental loosenillg of olle of the two upper sheets. Obviously stretching of the lower sheet caii be carried out ollly when the injured person has beell lifted, not involving any longer ally - risk of movillg the body already supported by the two upper sheets. Of course, chaiiges alld modifications can be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims: Claims: 1. Stretcher for lifting injured people without cueed of moving them, being said stretcher of the type consistillg of a frame with sheet, characterised in that said frame (1) supports at least two longitudinal sheets (3) which can be stretched within said frame, said sheets being paired in alignment, parallel and copl lar with the two iller edges adjacent one near the other placed also in longitudinal direction practically in median position, said sheets call be loosened and stretched at least at one of the respective ends. 2. A stretcher as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that stretching wid loosening of each sheet (3) is carried out by meals of two independently rotatable opposite rollers, supported by the frame (1), working or in neutral, e.g. (2-2"), to which the sheet edges are respectively fixed. 3. A stretcher as claimed in claims 1 aiid 2, characterised in that the end edges of the sheet are fixed in a suitable groove (4) of the respective rollers. 4. A stretcher as claimed in claims 1 and 2, characterised in that actioll in neutral, for loosening, of stretching and locking in stretching position of the sheet (3), is carried out by means of suitable gears and/or clutch placed in a box (7) and connected with each single roller wid operated independently, by a jack lever (5) extractable or not, applicable to the pin (6) of the respective roller. 5. A stretcher as claimed ill the preceding claims, said stretcher being provided with four independently rotatable windillg rollers (2), (2'), (2"), (2"') supported by the frame (1), opposite two by two respectively, and two by two in axis between them and kept aligned by meals of all arm (8) fixed oil a pin (9) of said frame (1). 6. A stretcher as claimed in the preceding claims, said stretcher beiiig provided with restiiig feet (10). 7. A stretcher as claimed in the preceding claims, characterised ill that stretching of the sheets (3) is carried out operating ole or more roller at a time. 8. A stretcher as claimed in the preceding claims, wherein a third extractable sheet is provided under said two sheets (3), said third sheet being hooked and stretched independently.

Inventors: BET, ENZO ALESSANDRO
Applicants: BET, ENZO ALESSANDRO
Application year: 1984
Main classification: A61G1
IPC codes: A61G1, A61G7