Abstract:
A maneuverable ambulance chair is disclosed that allows an ambulance attendant to safely attend to a patient because the chair is both secured to the floor, wall, or other structure of an ambulance and selectively maneuverable, allowing access to the patient at any number of positions while allowing an ambulance attendant to remain secured in the chair. A track or channel allows an ambulance attendant to selectively position the chair at any position along the track. The rear portion of an ambulance is also configured to facilitate the convenient access of both medical supplies and the patient, without requiring the ambulance attendant to leave the chair or sacrifice protection of the ambulance attendant against crashes or sudden unwanted ambulance movement.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/758,102, filed Jan. 11, 2006, and entitled “Maneuverable Ambulance Chair.” 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0003]     The present invention relates to a maneuverable ambulance chair. More particularly, the present invention relates to a chair that allows an ambulance attendant to safely attend to a patient because the chair is both secured to the floor, wall, or other secured structure of an ambulance and maneuverable, allowing an ambulance attendant access to the patient at any number of positions while remaining restrained in the chair.  
         [0004]     2. Background and Related Art  
         [0005]     The time between when an ambulance picks up a patient to when the ambulance arrives at its destination is often critical to saving a patient&#39;s life. Because of this, ambulance attendants such as Emergency Medical Technicians, Paramedics and Nurses must work feverishly en route to the hospital. Performing this life-saving work is often very dangerous to ambulance attendants because not only do ambulances travel at high speeds, but ambulance attendants are often not restrained in their seats in order to be better able to maneuver around a patient to provide life-saving care. Thus, ambulance attendants often sacrifice their own safety in order to retain the mobility needed to appropriately position themselves near the patient. In addition, ambulance attendants need to stay mobile in order to reach needed medical items that may be stored in various locations around the interior of an ambulance. Thus, a need exists for a safe way for ambulance technicians to work on patients while traveling in ambulances.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0006]     The present invention relates to a selectively maneuverable ambulance chair. More particularly, the present invention relates to a chair that allows an ambulance attendant to safely attend to a patient because the chair is both secured to the floor, wall, or other secure structure of an ambulance and maneuverable, allowing an ambulance attendant access to the patient at any number of positions while remaining restrained in the chair.  
         [0007]     In some embodiments, the chair is connected to a track system in the floor of the ambulance. In one such embodiment, the chair is locked into a channel or track having the ability to passively engage and actively release. In this embodiment, the chair moves along the channel. The chair and channel can be configured in a number of manners. For instance, in some embodiments, multiple chairs and channels exist. In one embodiment, two substantially straight channels exist on different sides of the patient and allow each attendant lateral mobility from either the top to the bottom of the patient or from side to side. In another embodiment, one channel exists that allows an attendant to move to any side of the patient. In yet another embodiment, the chair keeps the attendant restrained while allowing sufficient mobility for the attendant to reach from head to toe of the patient. One skilled in the relevant art would understand that any number of configurations is possible to allow sufficient mobility and appropriate attendant positioning.  
         [0008]     In other embodiments, the chair may be mounted on an elevated track that passes over the wheel well of the ambulance in order to provide more room to work alongside the patient. In some embodiments, all or a portion of the track for the maneuverable chair may be located on a vertical surface, such as the wall of the ambulance. The present invention embraces other methods of supporting a maneuverable chair known to those skilled in the art, such as a ceiling-mounted support structure and track.  
         [0009]     In some embodiments, the chair also swivels 180 degrees. This allows the ambulance attendant to retrieve supplies, while remaining secured in the chair. In other embodiments, the chair swivels 360 degrees, allowing the ambulance technician to turn the chair in either direction, while also being able to selectively lock the chair into one position in order to retain stability. In still other embodiments, the chair tilts up and down and from side to side, allowing the attendant to selectively position him/herself. In all configurations, the chair restrains the attendant, keeping him or her safe in the case of abrupt changes in direction or even in accidents.  
         [0010]     While some embodiments have manual releases, which allow the attendant to manually control the movement of the chair, other embodiments allow the chair to move via power. One such embodiment uses a ball and screw mechanism and allows the chair to move with power along the track.  
         [0011]     In other embodiments, the layout of the entire rear portion of the ambulance positions items close enough to the attendant that he/she can reach any item while remaining restrained in the chair.  
         [0012]     While the methods and processes of the present invention have proven to be particularly useful in the area of ambulances, those skilled in the art can appreciate that the methods and processes can be used in a variety of different applications and in a variety of different areas of manufacture to yield similar safety-related benefits.  
         [0013]     These and other features and advantages of the present invention will be set forth or will become more fully apparent in the description that follows and in the appended claims. The features and advantages may be realized and obtained by means of the instruments and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims. Furthermore, the features and advantages of the invention may be learned by the practice of the invention or will be obvious from the description, as set forth hereinafter. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0014]     In order that the manner in which the above recited and other features and advantages of the present invention are obtained, a more particular description of the invention will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof, which are illustrated in the appended drawings. Understanding that the drawings depict only typical embodiments of the present invention and are not, therefore, to be considered as limiting the scope of the invention, the present invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings in which:  
         [0015]      FIG. 1  illustrates a plan view of a representative maneuverable ambulance chair in a representative ambulance;  
         [0016]      FIG. 2  illustrates a side perspective view of a representative maneuverable ambulance chair;  
         [0017]      FIG. 3  illustrates a perspective view of representative maneuverable ambulance chairs in an ambulance;  
         [0018]      FIG. 4  illustrates a perspective view of a representative maneuverable ambulance chair;  
         [0019]      FIG. 5  illustrates a perspective view of representative maneuverable ambulance chairs in an ambulance;  
         [0020]      FIG. 6  illustrates a perspective view of a representative maneuverable ambulance chair in an ambulance;  
         [0021]      FIG. 7  illustrates a plan view of a representative ambulance having representative maneuverable ambulance chairs;  
         [0022]      FIG. 8  illustrates a plan view of a representative ambulance having representative maneuverable ambulance chairs;  
         [0023]      FIG. 9  illustrates a perspective view of a representative maneuverable ambulance chair;  
         [0024]      FIG. 10  illustrates a perspective view of a representative maneuverable ambulance chair; and  
         [0025]      FIG. 11  illustrates a plan view of a representative ambulance layout including several maneuverable ambulance chairs. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0026]     The present invention relates to a maneuverable ambulance chair. More particularly, the present invention relates to a chair that allows an ambulance attendant to safely attend to a patient because the chair is both secured to the floor of an ambulance and maneuverable, allowing an ambulance attendant access to the patient at any number of positions while remaining safely restrained in the chair.  
         [0027]     In the disclosure and in the claims the term “chair” shall refer to “any chair-like device that allows a person to sit or stand and that functions to both restrain a person and allows sufficient mobility to be able to attend to a patient.” 
         [0028]     In the disclosure and in the claims the term “ambulance” shall refer to “any transportation vehicle including cars, trucks, planes, helicopters, motorhomes and the like that would benefit from the maneuverable ambulance chair.” 
         [0029]     In the disclosure and in the claims the terms “track” and “channel” shall be interchangeable and shall refer to “any device known to one skilled in the art that facilitates the selective directed movement of a chair along a surface.” 
         [0030]     Referring now to the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 , a maneuverable ambulance chair  10  is shown housed within a rear portion of an ambulance  12 . Unlike prior art ambulance chairs or benches, the maneuverable ambulance chair  10  is maneuverable and is provided with restraining means (not shown) for restraining an ambulance attendant (not shown) in the maneuverable ambulance chair  10 . The restraining means includes any seat belt or restraining device known in the relevant art that effectively restrains a person in a seat while allowing him or her sufficient movement to be able to work on a patient. This includes lap belts, lap and shoulder belt combinations, 4-point and 5-point safety harnesses, and any other restraining devices currently known or later invented for restraining an occupant in the maneuverable ambulance chair  10  while providing sufficient arm and/or upper torso movement to attend to a patient.  
         [0031]     This embodiment also shows a track  14  on a floor  16  of the rear portion of the ambulance  12 . The maneuverable ambulance chair  10  is connected to the track  14  and can move laterally in either direction on all portions of the track  14 . Such movement allows an ambulance attendant (not shown) seated in the maneuverable ambulance chair  10  to position him/herself in a large variety of positions alongside or at the head of a patient (not shown) in a cot  22 . In some embodiments, the maneuverable ambulance chair  10  may selectively rotate 180 or 360 degrees at any particular position on the track  14 . This allows the attendant the ability to easily access any supplies or other materials needed to attend to the patient, even if the supplies are located to the side of or behind the attendant, such as in cabinets  18 .  
         [0032]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of one embodiment of the maneuverable ambulance chair  10  as it is connected to the track  14 . In this particular embodiment, the track  14  is elevated from the floor  16 . However, as one skilled in the art may appreciate, the track  14  may also be integrally formed within the floor  16  or even housed within a recessed channel. The track  14  or channel may have a cross-sectional shape  20  such as is shown in  FIG. 2 . Although one cross-sectional shape  20  is shown, the track  14  may have any cross-sectional shape that allows the maneuverable ambulance chair  10  to selectively engage the track  14  to selectively secure the maneuverable ambulance chair  10  against unwanted movement. In any event, this embodiment allows the maneuverable ambulance chair  10  to selectively move on the track  14  so that the ambulance attendant can appropriately position him/herself relative to the cot  22 . The maneuverable ambulance chair  10  shown in this embodiment has a single primary support member  24  that connects the chair  10  to the track  14 . The primary support member  24  may be shaped so as to provide the selective engagement with the track  14  to secure the maneuverable ambulance chair  10  against unwanted lateral movement.  
         [0033]     When movement of the maneuverable ambulance chair  10  is desired, the maneuverable ambulance chair  10  may be allowed to relatively freely slide along track  14  to the desired location alongside or at the head of the patient on the cot  22 , as may be appreciated by reference to  FIGS. 1 and 2 . If the maneuverable ambulance chair  10  is capable of swiveling, the maneuverable ambulance chair  10  may also be rotationally positioned so as to best accommodate the needs of the ambulance attendant and patient, whether the ambulance attendant is working on the patient on the cot, reaching for supplies, or merely facing in the safest direction during ambulance travel. When movement of the maneuverable ambulance chair  10  is not wanted, the maneuverable ambulance chair  10  may frictionally engage the track  14 , or the maneuverable ambulance chair  10  may lockingly engage the track  14  such as with a track  14  having notches (not shown) to prevent such movement. One of skill in the art will readily appreciate the many ways in which the maneuverable ambulance chair  10  may be selectively restrained against unwanted movement along track  14 , all of which ways are embraced by the invention.  
         [0034]      FIG. 3  depicts an embodiment of the present invention that contemplates multiple maneuverable ambulance chairs  10 . In some embodiments, the maneuverable ambulance chair  10  may be capable of reclining, as is shown with one of the maneuverable ambulance chairs  10  in  FIG. 3 . In still other embodiments, the chair may be capable of tilting up and down and/or from side to side, allowing the attendant to selectively position him/herself to best serve the needs of the patient and attendant. Other embodiments allow an attendant to raise or lower the maneuverable ambulance chair, or allow any combination of the described maneuvering.  
         [0035]     The embodiment of  FIG. 3  also shows a chair  10  that has multiple support members  26  that connects the chair  10  to multiple tracks  14 . As one skilled in the art knows, there are many manners in which the chair  10  can be connected to the track  14 , using both single and multiple supports to connect the chair  10  to the track  14 . This embodiment also shows cabinets  18  that are conveniently positioned such that an ambulance attendant (not shown) seated in the maneuverable ambulance chair  10  can access the cabinets  18  without releasing his or her restraining means (not shown). This embodiment also shows a foldable chair  32  affixed to an ambulance wall  34 . The presence of foldable chair  32  allows for additional ambulance attendants to ride safely in the rear portion of the ambulance  12 . This embodiment also shows an example of cot  22 . This particular cot  22  has wheels  35 .  
         [0036]      FIG. 4  shows another embodiment of the present invention that contemplates multiple maneuverable ambulance chairs  10 . The maneuverable ambulance chairs  10  shown in this embodiment have a quad-support system  36  that connects the chairs  10  to the track  14 , providing added stability and security. In addition, this embodiment shows non-foldable chairs  38  that are positioned next to and in between cabinets  18 . In this embodiment, not only can the ambulance attendant seated in maneuverable ambulance chair  10  easily access cabinets  18 , but non-foldable chairs  38  are also positioned such that ambulance attendants seated therein can also easily access the cabinets  18 . In some embodiments, non-foldable chairs  38  may be replaced with additional cabinets  18 , with foldable chairs  32 , or even with another maneuverable ambulance chair  10  on a separate track  14 , depending on the desired configuration and available room in ambulance  12 .  
         [0037]      FIG. 5  shows an embodiment of the present invention where the tracks  14  comprise recessed channel  40 . Using recessed channels  40  as the tracks or channels is sometimes preferable in some embodiments because they create less risk that ambulance attendants will trip. In addition, they are preferable in those embodiments where ambulance attendants must slide other materials along portions of the floor  16  unoccupied by the cot  22  and chair  10 .  
         [0038]      FIG. 6  shows an embodiment of the present invention where the maneuverable ambulance chair  10  has rotated 180 degrees so that it is facing the ambulance wall  34 . In embodiments where the maneuverable ambulance chair  10  can rotate, the ambulance attendant can easily access any materials needed from cabinets  18  located behind and/or over the head of the ambulance attendant.  
         [0039]      FIG. 7 &#39;s plan view of an embodiment of the present invention shows how close tracks  14  allow the chair  10  to be to cabinets  18 . Thus, ambulance attendants can attend to patient (not shown) on cot  22  (not shown) and retrieve needed medical instruments from cabinets  18 , while remaining safely secured by the restraining means of the maneuverable ambulance chair  10 .  
         [0040]      FIG. 8 &#39;s plan view is similar to the embodiment of  FIG. 7 , except that it includes cot  22  and shows foldable chair  32  in an unfolded position.  
         [0041]      FIG. 9  shows an embodiment of the present invention that includes a captain&#39;s chair  50  and an attendant&#39;s chair  52  that have controls  54  for the rear portion of the ambulance  12 . Controls  54  include any number of switches, buttons, etc. that may be useful to ambulance attendants. A non-limiting list includes switches for air-conditioning, heat, interior light controls and even a panic button, should patient become combative. In addition, controls  54  may include switches for controlling the position of the chairs  50  and  52  or for controlling the releasing and engagement of the chairs  50  and  52  to allow the ambulance attendants to reposition the chairs  50  and  52  as needed.  
         [0042]     In some embodiments, the available room in the back of an ambulance  12  may be limited, and the space occupied by the maneuverable ambulance chair  10  should be limited so as to provide more room for the cot  22  and patient. In instances where space is at a premium, an embodiment of the maneuverable ambulance chair  10  such as that depicted in  FIG. 10  may be provided. As with previous depictions of the various embodiments, it is envisioned that restraining means may be incorporated into the depicted embodiment of the maneuverable ambulance chair  10 . In the depicted embodiment, a bench  28  replaces a seating bench commonly found in ambulances  12 . The bench  28  includes one or more hard-surfaced roller tracks  30  which form a part of track  14  in this embodiment.  
         [0043]     The maneuverable ambulance chair  10  in this embodiment includes a back portion  42 , a seat portion  44 , and a leg portion  46 . Other embodiments are envisioned that include only a seat portion  44  or only a seat portion  44  with either a leg portion  46  or a back portion  42 . In the depicted embodiment, the seat portion  44  is provided with rollers  48  that rest on and roll over the roller track(s)  30  of the bench  28 . This allows the maneuverable ambulance chair  10  to easily move from side to side when desired to better access a patient and/or supplies. The ambulance wall  34  and the side wall  56  of the bench  28  may be provided with recessed channels  40  similar to the recessed channels discussed previously with respect to  FIG. 5 . Attached to the back portion  42  and the leg portion  46  of the maneuverable ambulance chair  10  are locking guide members  58  that slide within the recessed channels  40  when the maneuverable ambulance chair  10  moves from side to side, but that lock within the recessed channels as desired to secure the maneuverable ambulance chair  10  against unwanted movement, similar to those systems described above. Although an embodiment has been depicted having two recessed channels  40 , other embodiments may have only one recessed channel  40 , while still other embodiments may have more than two recessed channels  40 .  
         [0044]     In embodiments lacking a back portion  42  and/or a leg portion, a single recessed channel  40  may be provided engaging only the remaining portion  42 ,  44 , or  46 , or multiple recessed channels  40  may be provided to engage locking guide members  58  on the remaining portions  42 ,  44 , or  46 . Additionally, the recessed channel  40  may be provided as part of the top of the bench  28 , and may be close to or integrally formed with the roller track(s)  30 . In some embodiments, a release mechanism (not shown) may be provided to allow the attendant to selectively release and engage the maneuverable ambulance chair  10  to allow for desired movement and then a desired fixed location. Although the embodiments discussed with respect to  FIG. 10  were discussed using recessed channels  40 , it is envisioned that other embodiments may alternatively or jointly use an elevated track  14  similar to the tracks  14  previously discussed.  
         [0045]     As may be appreciated by reference to  FIG. 11 , which is a plan view of an ambulance including an embodiment of the maneuverable ambulance chair  10  similar to the embodiments discussed with respect to  FIG. 10 , some embodiments provide a maximal amount of floor space in the ambulance  12  not taken up by the maneuverable ambulance chair  10 . This is partially accomplished because the bench  28  of the embodiments of the maneuverable ambulance chair  10  depicted in  FIGS. 10-11  may partially cover the already-lost floor space commonly taken by the wheel well of the ambulance  12 . As may be appreciated by one of skill in the art, the various embodiments of the invention may be combined as is depicted in  FIG. 11 , with one maneuverable ambulance chair  10  being a floor-mounted model, and one maneuverable ambulance chair  10  being a bench-mounted model. All maneuverable ambulance chairs  10  may have varying track and/or path lengths as desired to best serve a particular ambulance&#39;s and attendant&#39;s needs.  
         [0046]     Although embodiments have been discussed where the track  14  is located on the floor  16 , on an elevated bench  28 , or on a wall  34  of the ambulance  12 , still other embodiments are envisioned where the track  14  is located above the maneuverable ambulance chair  10 , such as high on the wall  34  of the ambulance  12 , or even on a ceiling of the ambulance  12 . Such an arrangement may be particularly advantageous to eliminate obstructions along the floor of an ambulance to prevent attendants from tripping and to prevent difficulties when loading or unloading a patient and cot  22 . One of skill in the art will readily appreciate how to provide a track  14  that is an overhead track or ceiling-mounted support structure that adequately supports a maneuverable ambulance chair  10  against unwanted movement, such as during sudden direction changes, acceleration or deceleration, bumps, or ambulance accidents.  
         [0047]     In many embodiments of the invention, it is desirable to provide the maneuverable ambulance chair  10  with the ability to passively engage and actively release from the track  14 . This means that the maneuverable ambulance chair  10  is typically automatically locked against unwanted movement as long as the attendant is passive, i.e. doing nothing to release the maneuverable ambulance chair  10 . To release the maneuverable ambulance chair  10  and allow movement, the attendant must actively actuate a release mechanism and then hold the mechanism in its released state until the maneuverable ambulance chair  10  is in the desired location. When the maneuverable ambulance chair  10  is in the proper location, the attendant simply releases or stops holding the mechanism in its released state, and the mechanism automatically re-engages the track  14  to prevent further movement. This safety feature better prevents unwanted movement in manual systems, as it is more difficult to accidentally cause movement, and if a sudden unexpected ambulance movement occurs and the attendant releases the mechanism, the maneuverable ambulance chair  10  is automatically secured against further motion.  
         [0048]     While some embodiments have manual releases, which allow the attendant to manually control the movement of the maneuverable ambulance chair  10 , other embodiments allow the maneuverable ambulance chair  10  to move via a powered mechanism. One such embodiment uses a ball and screw mechanism that allows the chair to move with power along the track. In such embodiments, the ball and screw may be located within the recessed channel  40 , and the attendant actuates the screw to move the maneuverable ambulance chair  10  to the desired location. Once stopped at the desired location, the screw and ball or other powered mechanism prevents further unwanted movement of the maneuverable ambulance chair  10 .  
         [0049]     Thus, as discussed herein, the embodiments of the present invention embrace a chair that allows an ambulance attendant to safely attend to a patient because the chair is both secured to the floor, wall, or other structure of the ambulance and maneuverable, allowing an ambulance attendant access to the patient at any number of positions while remaining secured in the chair.  
         [0050]     The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. All changes that come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.