Source: http://www.google.com/patents/US4875555?ie=ISO-8859-1
Timestamp: 2014-10-01 15:17:57
Document Index: 26843098

Matched Legal Cases: ['art.\n3', 'art 14', 'art 16', 'art 16', 'art 24', 'art 16', 'art 16', 'art 24', 'art 10', 'art 24', 'art 24', 'art 16', 'art 24', 'art 16', 'art 16']

Patent US4875555 - Patient lifting device - Google PatentsSearch Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More »Sign in<nobr>Advanced Patent Search</nobr>PatentsA patient lifting device shows a lifting platform (26) connected to an upper column part (16), which is raiseable and lowerable by a jack (18) operated by an electric motor (20). A gas spring (34) is arranged between the upper column part (16) and a lower part (24) of the jack (18) to reduce the load...http://www.google.com/patents/US4875555?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US4875555 - Patient lifting deviceAdvanced Patent SearchPublication numberUS4875555 APublication typeGrantApplication numberUS 07/126,024Publication dateOct 24, 1989Filing dateNov 27, 1987Priority dateDec 29, 1986Fee statusLapsedAlso published asDE3769774D1, EP0273888A2, EP0273888A3, EP0273888B1Publication number07126024, 126024, US 4875555 A, US 4875555A, US-A-4875555, US4875555 A, US4875555AInventorsJan A. Johansson, Jan I. Jonsson, Bjorn T. LindstromOriginal AssigneeAktiebolaget ElectroluxExport CitationBiBTeX, EndNote, RefManPatent Citations (9), Referenced by (30), Classifications (19), Legal Events (5) External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, EspacenetPatient lifting deviceUS 4875555 AAbstract A patient lifting device shows a lifting platform (26) connected to an upper column part (16), which is raiseable and lowerable by a jack (18) operated by an electric motor (20). A gas spring (34) is arranged between the upper column part (16) and a lower part (24) of the jack (18) to reduce the load on said jack. The lower part (24) rests on a seat (27), from which it can move in upwards direction. If the lifting platform (26) on lowering is stopped by an obstacle (30) the jack (18) will continue to retract, the lower part (24) together with an arm (28) moving upwards from the seat (27), which arm (28) acts on a switch (32) to break the current to the jack (18), which thereby is stopped.
We claim: 1. A patient lifting device comprising a lower part having a base and a lower column portion, an upper part having an upper column portion, a lifting platform, means connecting said platform to said upper column portion whereby said platform is elevated and lowered relative to said lower column portion, an electrically driven and rectilinearly extendable jack having a top part and a bottom part, said jack being mounted between said column portions to selectively raise and lower said upper column portion with said platform, one part of said jack being fixed to one of said column portions, the other part of said jack being anchored with limited axial play to the other said column portion thereby permitting an axial relative movement of said jack at said anchoring place when the jack continues to retract after the platform upon lowering has been stopped by an obstacle, means utilizing said relative movement to interrupt electrical current to said jack thereby stopping it, and a gas spring arranged in parallel to work in tandem with said jack to reduce the working load on said jack by pre-loading the jack, with one end of said gas spring being fixed to said part of said jack which is anchored with limited axial play and the other end of said gas spring being fixed relative to the other part of said jack.
2. A patient lifting device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said bottom part of said jack is anchored to said lower part.
3. A patient lifting device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said means for interrupting electrical current to said jack is a switch located in the path of relative movement of said jack.
The invention relates to a patient lifting device comprising a bottom part showing a base and a lower column part, a lifting platform connected to an upper column part which is raiseable and lowerable relative to the lower column part, an electrically driven, rectilinearly extendable jack arranged to raise and lower the upper column part with the lifting platform, the upper part of the jack being anchored to the upper column part and the lower part of the jack being anchored to the bottom part and one of said parts being anchored with an axial play, which allows an axial relative movement at the corresponding anchoring place when the jack continues to retract after the lifting platform on lowering has been stopped by an obstacle, and means utilizing said relative movement to break the current to the jack and thereby stopping it.
Said stopping of the jack is effected in order that the lifting platform shall not continue to move downwards after it has encountered an obstacle, in which case the patient lifting device could tip over and cause an accident.
Such a patient lifting device is known through e.g. the European patent application publication No. 198 946.
The object of the invention is to improve the patient lifting device introductorily set forth by providing it with a gas spring which reduces the load on said electrically driven jack without losing the property of the jack to stop, when the platform on lowering is stopped by an obstacle.
This object is attained by the patient lifting device according to the invention thereby that a so-called gas spring is arranged in parallel with the jack to unload it, one end of the gas spring being fixedly connected to the part of the jack which is anchored with the axial play.
A patient lifting device operated by an electrical jack, which is unloaded by a gas spring, is known per se through the European patent application publication No. 96 208, page 6, line 6. Said publication does not, however, suggest how the gas spring shall be arranged at a patient lifting device of the kind introductorily set forth in order to maintain the property of the jack to stop, when the platform on lowering is stopped by an obstacle.
The reduction of the load on the jack by the gas spring brings with it, a decrease in consumption of electrical energy of the jack having the advantage that, when the jack is driven by a chargeable battery located on the patient lifting device, the battery need not be charged so often.
An embodiment of a patient lifting device according to the invention will now be described below in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which
FIG. 1 shows a longitudinal sectional view of the patient lifting device and
FIG. 2 shows the same lifting device when a lifting platform has been stopped by an obstacle.
The numeral 10 designates a bottom part showing a base 12 and a lower column part 14, on which an upper column part 16 is displaceably journalled. The upper column part 16 is raiseable and lowerable by a jack 18 which is driveable by an electric motor 20, driving a longitudinal screw in the jack 18. The screw engages a nut connected to a rod 22 of the jack, so that the rod 22 is displaced in its longitudinal direction relative to a lower part 24 of the jack when the screw rotates. A lifting platform 26 for a patient is fixedly connected to the upper column part 16.
The rod 22 is fixedly connected to the upper column part 16. The lower part 24 of the jack is arranged to support against a seat 27 of the bottom part 10, from which seat the lower part 24 can move in upwards direction. A plate 28 is fixedly connected to the lower pat 24. If the lifting platform 26 during lowering movement is stopped by an obstacle, e.g. a bath tub 30, the jack 18 will continue to retract causing the lower part 24 with the arm 28 to move upwards from the seat 27 until the arm 28 acts on a switch 32, which breaks the electric current to the motor 20 and thus stops the jack.
The load on jack 18 is reduced by a gas spring 34, the one end of which being fixedly connected to the upper column part 16 and the other end of which being fixedly connected to the lower part 24 of the jack via an arm 36. The gas spring 34, the force of which being substantially constant during the whole stroke of the gas spring as is characteristic for gas springs, is arranged to lift the upper column part 16 with a force substantially equal to the weight of the parts of the patient lifting device moving in vertical direction together with the upper column part 16 plus 37.5 kiloponds in which one kilopond is the gravity force on one kilogram (i.e. 9.80665 Newtons.), which is half the weight of an average patient. By this the jack 18 will be loaded by an up force of substantially 37.5 kiloponds when the platform 26 is unloaded and by a down force of substantially 37.5 kiloponds, when the platform is loaded by a patient with a weight of 75 kilogrammes.
The electric motor 20 is driven by a chargeable battery 38. The base 12 is provided with wheels 40, so that the patient lifting device is movable along a floor.
Patent CitationsCited PatentFiling datePublication dateApplicantTitleUS1563792 *May 6, 1925Dec 1, 1925Rickard John HCableless elevatorUS3309060 *Sep 8, 1965Mar 14, 1967Julio VillarsLift for motor vehiclesUS3940808 *Oct 21, 1974Mar 2, 1976Bartholomew PetriniPatient transfer apparatusUS4475072 *Nov 12, 1982Oct 2, 1984General Electric CompanyPatient-positioning X-ray tableUS4631761 *Jun 11, 1985Dec 30, 1986Ganmill LimitedPatient transfer trolleyUS4633538 *Feb 11, 1985Jan 6, 1987James Industries LimitedInvalid hoistUS4742891 *Sep 3, 1986May 10, 1988Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki KaishaElevator systemEP0096208A2 *Apr 28, 1983Dec 21, 1983Kaspar Albert WeberBath lift for the corporally disabledEP0198946A2 *Sep 11, 1985Oct 29, 1986Arjo Hospital Equipment AbDevice for interrupting lowering movements of motor-driven hoisting gears at patient-lifting units* Cited by examinerReferenced byCiting PatentFiling datePublication dateApplicantTitleUS5135305 *Mar 1, 1991Aug 4, 1992Thermo Jarrell Ash CorporationSpectroanalytical systemUS5273132 *Dec 28, 1992Dec 28, 1993Kabushiki Kaishi Aichi CorporationCompact aerial lift vehicle with a vertically movable platformUS5456335 *Aug 18, 1994Oct 10, 1995Kinsey; James E.Patient lifting deviceUS5461736 *May 13, 1994Oct 31, 1995Carpenter; Joyce A.Portable hydraulic lift step stool for raising handicapped patients to an elevated locationUS5953774 *Jul 11, 1997Sep 21, 1999Arndt; Robert L.Frontally insertable body hoist seat and sling assemblyUS6206059 *Dec 14, 1999Mar 27, 2001Guy MaakadSkirt lifting apparatus and methodUS6997424 *May 1, 2003Feb 14, 2006Atkinson Jr Ronald NeilLifting apparatusUS7347410Dec 8, 2005Mar 25, 2008Titan Products, LlcLifting apparatusUS7523808 *Mar 20, 2007Apr 28, 2009Kabushiki Kaisha Toyota JidoshokkiMast assembly in forklift truckUS7610977 *Sep 23, 2004Nov 3, 2009Crown Equipment CorporationLift truck having hydraulically separate main frame and power unit assemblyUS7611203 *Jul 27, 2007Nov 3, 2009Roberts Cameron BPatient chair liftUS7657951Jun 14, 2005Feb 9, 2010Ez Way, Inc.Support and transfer apparatus for transport of an incapacitated individualUS7694360Sep 15, 2006Apr 13, 2010Ez Way, Inc.Support and transfer apparatus for transport of an incapacitated individualUS7971295Mar 31, 2006Jul 5, 2011Siemens AktiengesellschaftProtection for a lifting unitUS8104115May 9, 2006Jan 31, 2012Hecare Systems ApsHandling system for lifting or moving a person, a weighting system and method of lifting and moving a personUS8661744 *Apr 15, 2008Mar 4, 2014Falck Schmidt Defence Systems A/STelescoping mastUS8763176Mar 28, 2011Jul 1, 2014Korea Institute Of Industrial TechnologyLift device including ring-shaped driving unitUS8776289Nov 30, 2011Jul 15, 2014Korea Institute Of Industrial TechnologySenior friendly shower carrierUS8789654Jul 27, 2011Jul 29, 2014Jlg Industries, Inc.Mast lift with screw drive and gas strutUS20080277208 *May 1, 2008Nov 13, 2008Giuseppe BaroneBalanced actuator device and hoisting and transporting apparatus incorporating such deviceUS20100146873 *Apr 15, 2008Jun 17, 2010Falck Schmidt Defence Systems A/STelescoping mastCN101166500BMar 31, 2006Dec 8, 2010西门子公司Protection for a lifting unitEP2420469A2 *Aug 16, 2011Feb 22, 2012JLG Industries, Inc.Mast lift with screw drive and gas strutWO2004083098A2 *Mar 17, 2004Sep 30, 2004Atkinson R Neil JrLifting apparatusWO2006058652A1 *Nov 24, 2005Jun 8, 2006Palesta AnstaltBath liftWO2006106083A1 *Mar 31, 2006Oct 12, 2006Siemens AgProtection for a lifting unitWO2006119769A2 *May 9, 2006Nov 16, 2006Asger GramkowA handling system for lifting or moving a person, a weighting system and method of lifting and moving a personWO2012024378A2 *Aug 17, 2011Feb 23, 2012Jlg Industries, Inc.Mast lift using multi-stage mast moduleWO2012074297A2 *Nov 30, 2011Jun 7, 2012Korea Institute Of Industrial TechnologySenior-friendly shower carrierWO2013140149A1 *Mar 19, 2013Sep 26, 2013Power Towers LimitedLoad lifting device* Cited by examinerClassifications U.S. Classification187/226, 5/86.1, 187/244, 267/75, 187/224, 5/83.1, 187/233International ClassificationA61G7/10Cooperative ClassificationA61G7/1003, A61G5/1059, A61G7/1063, A61G7/1046, A61G7/1019, A61G7/1059, A61G2203/72European ClassificationA61G7/10N6, A61G7/10V, A61G7/10T10, A61G7/10S6Legal EventsDateCodeEventDescriptionJan 4, 1994FPExpired due to failure to pay maintenance feeEffective date: 19931024Oct 24, 1993LAPSLapse for failure to pay maintenance feesMay 25, 1993REMIMaintenance fee reminder mailedJan 5, 1990ASAssignmentOwner name: UNBESCHEIDEN GMBH, GERMANYFree format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST.;ASSIGNOR:AKTIEBOLAGET ELECTROLUX;REEL/FRAME:005206/0660Effective date: 19891207Nov 27, 1987ASAssignmentOwner name: AKTIEBOLAGET ELECTROLUX, STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN, A CORPFree format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST.;ASSIGNORS:JOHANSSON, JAN A.;JONSSON, JAN I.;LINDSTROM, BJORN T.;REEL/FRAME:004814/0812Effective date: 19871020RotateOriginal ImageGoogle Home - Sitemap - USPTO Bulk Downloads - Privacy Policy - Terms of Service - About Google Patents - Send FeedbackData provided by IFI CLAIMS Patent Services©2012 Google