IMPROVEMENTS RELATING TO ATTITUDE SUPPORT SYSTEMS

Abstract: Cushions (11, 12) provide for support of the head and torso of the user. The cushion (12) is held against lateral displacement by location members (10) and a strap (13) is positioned over the cushion (12) and is removably attached to the cover (2). The hips of the user are located by small cushions (14) and the ankles lie over a banana-shaped cushion (16) at the bottom end of the bed. A spacer cushion (17) holds the feet of the user apart. The spacer cushion (17) is held down by straps (18). The whole array will then be protected by the overlay foam sheet (7) and the covering sheet (8).

Description: Improvements Relating to Attitude Support Systems Children who have suffered from a debilitating disease or who have certain genetically inherited problems have difficulty m moving some or all of the parts of their body. It is recognised by therapists that such children are at risk of developing an unconventional body shape and it is desirable therefore to try to create a symmetrical posture for such children to minimise these problems The problem also occurs with adults who have been subjected to temporary or permanent paralysis due to disease or injury. Support cihairs are available which allow seating postures to be created which are helpful. A serious difficulty arises, however, at night time when the person is lying on a bed. They will tend to develop a particular posture and over a period of time that posture can become "set". According to the present invention, there is provided an attitude support system for a person lying on a mattress and comprising a cover to be applied over the mattress and a variety of movable modular support members, shaped or adjustable m shape for holding parts of the person's body in a required attitude, the outer surface of the cover and the modular support members having mutually engaging but disconnectable connecting formations whereby the support members may be located positively m a desired location on the cover. Such a system can readily be set up to create support for parts of the body of the user m any desired configuration to provide a comfortable location of the user on the mattress and also to direct the body parts into a particular postural attitude which will be beneficial. Because the support members are removably attachable to the cover, they can be adjusted at will to form a new array but will be held in that new array by the connecting formations. Ideally a sheet of foamed or other flexible material is provided to be laid over all of the modular support members as mounted in desired positions over the cover. This gives added comfort to the user as it provides padding over the support members. Preferably a protective sheet is additionally provided to be draped over the parts mounted on the cover and tucked under the edge of the mattress. The mattress then has the appearance of a conventional bed with support members integrated smoothly into it. The protective sheet can have elasticated edges to hold those edges under the mattress after application thereto. The modular support members can comprise or include members of rounded form providing convex or concave support surfaces. Preferably at least some of the moulded support members are formed from a partially resilient foamed material . At least some of the moulded support members may be angled to match angled areas of the body (such as a knee or ankle) of the person to be supported. Furthermore one or more of the angled support members could be articulated about the joint of an angle to enable the shape of the support member to be adjusted. Additional adjustment features, such as telescopic or rotational arrays for some support members could be incorporated to increase the scope of the system. One form of angled support member could have parts mounted on rigid frame structure portions. The system can advantageously incorporate a raised support platform for raising limb portions of the person above the mattress surface. In the preferred arrangement the connecting formations (such as those marketed under the Trade Mark "Velcro") comprise mutually interengaging but detachable hook and loop formations over the cover surface and on the bases of the support members. The invention may be performed in various ways and preferred embodiments thereof will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, m which:- Figures 1, 2 and 3 are illustrations of various stages of formation of a support assembly for a person who is to lie on his front; Figures 4 and 5 illustrate stages of assembly of an alternative form of assembly for a person lying on his front; Figures 6, 7 and 8 are similar illustrations to those of Figures 1, 2 and 3 of stages of assembly of a support arrangement for a person who is to lie on his back; Figures 9 and 10 are views similar to Figures 6 and 7, but showing a modified leg support structure, Figure 11 illustrates the leg support structure of Figures 9 and 10 in greater detail; and Figures 12 and 13 are similar illustrations of assembly of a support arrangement for a person who is to lie on his side . Figures 1 to 3 show how a support arrangement can be built up on a standard mattress 1 to provide firm support for a particular attitude for a person lying on his front. Wrapped around the mattress 1 is cover 2 formed from a type of material sold under the Trade Mark "Velcro" . Various moulded support members are formed on their bases with compatible parts of the "Velcro" (Trade Mark) fixing system so that those members can be mounted securely on the cover 2 in any desired location. The set of support members is specially moulded to support parts of the body of the person who is to lie on the bed. There is a first support member 3, defining a hollowed out portion which will support comfortably the head of the person (as can be seen from Figure 3) . The next support member 4 provides support for the torso so as to resist sideways movement and to lift the upper part of the torso slightly. The support member 5 is of a wedge shape to fit into the crutch of the user to cause the legs to be splayed outwardly to some extent. Finally two angled support members 6 cause the calves of the user to be lifted, whilst allowing the feet to drop down at the ankles. Once the support members 3, 4, 5 and 6 have been positioned in a desired array, to suit the size and shape of the user, the support members are then covered by a foam sheet 7 (Figure 2) . This provides additional rounding and softening of the moulded shapes so as to provide a comfortable and padded "nest" for the user. The whole arrangement is then overlaid by a covering sheet 8 which has elasticated edges so that these edges are held securely underneath the mattress 1. It will be appreciated that the array of support members can be readjusted to improve the comfort for the user or to match the requirements of an alternative user. A more flexible support assembly is illustrated in Figures 4 and 5. This employs a number of cushions incorporating crumbed slow recovery foam material . The crumbs within the cushion can therefore be adjusted into an approximate desired shape and the slow recovery foam will provide for a comfortable resilient support for the user. The various cushions incorporate the disconnectable connecting (Velcro) formations which enable them to be fixed to the cover 2 m desired locations. It will be noted incidentally that the cover incorporates guide lines 9 which assist the person making up the assembly to position the cushions in approximately the same positions as for a previous array. In addition to the cushions there are angled location members 10 which are also removably attached to the cover 2. The cushions 11 and 12 provide for support of the head and torso of the user (as can be seen from Figure 5) . The cushion 12 is held against lateral displacement by the location members 10 and a strap 13 (Figure 5) is positioned over the cushion 12 and is removably attached to the cover 2. The hips of the user are located by small cushions 14 and the ankles lie over a banana-shaped cushion 16 at the bottom end of the bed. A spacer cushion 17 holds the feet of the user apart. The spacer cushion 17 is held down by straps 18. The whole array will then be protected by the overlay foam sheet 7 and the covering sheet 8 (as shown m Figures 2 and 3) . The assembly shown in Figures 6 to 8 incorporates two roll-type support members 19 and 20 for supporting the neck and the small of the back of the user. There are also some side supports 21 for resisting sideways movement of the torso but leaving gaps between them through which the arms can pass. The legs are supported by ramp-like members 22 defining angled portions 23 for the back of the knee and support platforms 24 for the base of the feet of the user. These support members are built on a framework 25. Again, the support members are covered by a foam sheet 26 and a final cover sheet 27. In the assembly shown m Figures 9 and 10 support cushions 28 and 29 are provided for the head and the small of the back of the user and there are also side cushions supported by location members 31. An angled support assembly 32 is provided for the bent legs of the user. A curved cushion 33 is draped over the assembly 32 to hold apart the legs of the user (as can be seen from Figure 10) . The detail of the assembly 32 can be appreciated from Figure 11. Two leg supports, generally designated 35 and 36, are connected by pivots 37 to a base plate 38. The length of each of part of the leg supports 35 and 36 can be extended and locked into place by lock nuts 39 and 40. The angle of the foot rests 41 can also be adjusted and locked into place by locking levers 42. Adjustable straps 43 provide for added stability of the whole assembly. The angle between the two leg supports 35 and 36 can be adjusted at the pivots 37 and fixed there by locking nuts. The assembly shown m Figures 12 and 13 allows for support of a person lying on his side. In this arrangement a one piece base cushion 44 is provided. Central splits 45 enable parts of the cushion to be brought up and wrapped around the user, with the raised parts of the cushion being held in place by location members 46. Further cushions 47 and 48 are provided to support the head and arm of the user. In addition a padded table 49 is provided, on which one of the legs of the user can be supported. The height of the table can be modified by adjusting the telescopic legs 50 and locking them m place by lock nuts 51. Again the various parts (as with the arrangement of Figures 9 to 11) are held m place on the cover 2 by disconnectable connecting formations. It will be appreciated that the support members can take many shapes to provide individual support for various parts of the body and can be arrayed as desired to locate the body of the person in any required attitude. The system is particularly useful for therapeutic purposes m setting the body of a person (who is to a greater or lesser extent immobilised) in a particular attitude which will provide comfort whilst resting and will cause the body to develop a preferred semi-permanent attitude.

Claims: Claims 1. An attitude support system for a person lying on a mattress and comprising a cover to be applied over the mattress and a variety of movable modular support members, shaped or adjustable in shape for holding parts of the person's body in a required attitude, the outer surface of the cover and the modular support members having mutually engaging but disconnectable connecting formations whereby the support members may be located positively m a desired location on the cover. 2. A system according to Claim 1, wherein a sheet of foamed or other flexible material is provided to be laid over all of the modular support members as mounted in desired positions over the cover. 3. A system according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein a protective sheet is provided to be draped over the parts mounted on the cover and tucked under the edge of the mattress . 4. A system according to Claim 3, wherein the protective sheet has elasticated edges to hold those edges under the mattress after application thereto. 5. A system according to any one of Claims 1 to 4 , wherein the modular support members comprise or include members of rounded form providing convex or concave support surfaces. 6. A system according to Claim 5, wherein at least some of the moulded support members are formed from a partially resilient foamed material. 7. A system according to any one of Claims 1 to 6 , wherein at least some of the moulded support members are angled to match angled areas of the body of the person to be supported. 8. A system according to Claim 7, wherein one or more angled support members are articulated about the joint of an angle to enable the shape of the support member to be adjusted. 9. A system according to Claim 7 or Claim 8, wherein the angled support member has parts mounted on rigid frame structure portions. 20. A system according to any one of Claims 1 to 7, wherein the modular support members comprise or include shaped cushions incorporating crumbed slow recovery foam material. 11. A system according to Claim 10, including location members for holding the cushions in place. 12. A system according to any one of Claims 1 to 11, including a raised support platform for raising limb portions of the person above the mattress surface. 13. A system according to any one of Claims 1 to 12, wherein the connecting formations comprise mutually mterengagmg but detachable hook and loop formations over the cover surface and on the bases of the support members . 14. An attitude support system or any novel combination of the features thereof as described herein and illustrated in the accompanying drawings .

Inventors: GOLDSMITH ELIZABETH, GOLDSMITH JOHN EDWARD, RUIZ ROBERT, GOLDSMITH, ELIZABETH, GOLDSMITH, JOHN, EDWARD, RUIZ, ROBERT
Applicants: GOLDSMITH ELIZABETH, GOLDSMITH JOHN EDWARD, HELPING HAND CO LEDBURY, RUIZ ROBERT, GOLDSMITH, ELIZABETH, GOLDSMITH, JOHN, EDWARD, RUIZ, ROBERT, THE HELPING HAND COMPANY (LEDBURY) LIMITED
Application year: 1997
Main classification: A61G7
IPC codes: A61G7