Abstract:
A bed having a base, a pedestal mounted on the base and a patient supporting member mounted on the pedestal. The pedestal is generally centrally oriented relative to the base and to the patient supporting member and includes a mechanism for effecting an elevating of the patient supporting member relative to the base. A stabilizing mechanism is provided for enabling the pedestal to accommodate differing elevations between the base and the patient supporting member and yet facilitate a maintaining of longitudinal axis congruency between the relatively movable components of the pedestal so that an orientation of the patient supporting member will remain relatively fixed with respect to the base independent of a height of the patient supporting member relative to the base. In addition, the stabilized patient supporting member of the bed has a fowler section wherein the lower region thereof is supported for movement toward the head end of the patient supporting member as the fowler section is elevated from a horizontally aligned position to other positions oriented at an obtuse angle with respect to the remainder portion of the patient supporting member.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to a bed and, more particularly, to a patient supporting bed having a stabilizing mechanism facilitating stabilized support of the patient supporting member in all elevated positions thereof and a traveling fowler mechanism movable to elevated positions without necessitating patient movement lengthwise of the patient supporting member in order to accommodate the elevated position of the fowler section. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Wheel supported beds for use in patient care have become more and more sophisticated and more versatile. Beds used as patient supports are now being used to transport patients from a room in which patient care is provided to other facilities within a health care establishment without necessitating removal of the patient from the bed. As a result, it has been a desire to lighten the weight of the patient supporting bed while, at the same time, maintaining a stabilized patient supporting member relative to the base structure for the bed. In beds wherein the patient supporting member is elevatable by hydraulic jacks, electric jacks or the like, it has heretofore been necessary to provide a plurality of such jacks in order to maintain a stabilized arrangement of the patient supporting member on the base structure. It is a desire of this invention to facilitate the reduction of the number of hydraulic jacks, electric jacks or the like and yet maintain the stability of the patient supporting member relative to the base. 
     Another situation with respect to patient supporting beds having a fowler section adjacent the head end is that when the fowler section is elevated from a horizontal position to one of many elevated or inclined positions forming an obtuse angle with the remainder portion of the patient support member, the fowler section in a sense effects an urging of the patient supported on the patient supporting member toward the foot end of the patient supporting member as the fowler section is elevated from the horizontal position to the aforesaid inclined position. It is a desire to provide a fowler traveling mechanism which will allow the fowler section to be elevatable without necessitating an altering of the position of the patient supported on the patient supporting member. 
     Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a bed for supporting a patient thereon wherein the patient supporting surface is elevatable relative to the base therefor. 
     It is a further object of the invention to provide a bed, as aforesaid, wherein a single hydraulic or electrically operated jack is provided for facilitating an elevating of the patient supporting member relative to the base. 
     It is a further object of the invention to provide a bed, as aforesaid, wherein a stabilizing mechanism is provided between the base structure and the patient supporting member to maintain the patient supporting member stable in every elevated position thereof relative to the base. 
     It is a further object of the invention to provide a bed, as aforesaid, wherein the use of the stabilizing mechanism enables the number of hydraulic jacks or electrically operated jacks to be reduced and to have the jack or jacks oriented adjacent the geometric center of the base structure as well as operatingly engaged with the patient supporting member adjacent the geometric center location thereof. 
     It is a further object of the invention to provide a bed, as aforesaid, wherein the patient support surface stabilizing mechanism is of durable construction and requires little or no maintenance. 
     It is a further object of the invention to provide a bed having a patient supporting member with an elevatable fowler section having associated therewith a mechanism that prevents the patient from being moved lengthwise of the bed in response to movements of the fowler section from the horizontal position toward an elevated or inclined position relative to the remainder portion of the patient supporting member. 
     It is a further object of the invention to provide the fowler section with a guide section and structure for facilitating low friction guiding of the fowler section with respect to the guide structure therefor, even when forces tending to twist the fowler section out of a generally flat orientation are applied to the fowler section. 
     It is a further object of the invention to provide a bed, as aforesaid, wherein the traveling fowler section is of a durable construction requiring little or no maintenance. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The objects and purposes of the invention are met by providing a bed having a base, a pedestal mounted on the base and a patient supporting member mounted on the pedestal. The pedestal is generally centrally oriented relative to the base and to the patient supporting member and includes a mechanism for effecting an elevating of the patient supporting member relative to the base. A stabilizing mechanism is provided for enabling the pedestal to accommodate differing elevations between the base and the patient supporting member and yet facilitate a maintaining of longitudinal axis congruency between the relatively movable components of the pedestal so that an orientation of the patient supporting member will remain relatively fixed with respect to the base independent of a height of the patient supporting member relative to the base. 
     In addition, the patient supporting member of the bed has a fowler section wherein the lower region thereof is supported for movement toward the head end of the patient supporting member as the fowler section is elevated from a horizontally aligned position to other positions oriented at an obtuse angle with respect to the remainder portion of the patient supporting member. This movement of the lower region of the fowler section enables the patient to remain situated on the patient supporting member and without necessitating longitudinal movement of the patient relative to the patient supporting member in response to varying angles of inclination of the fowler section with respect to the remainder portion of the patient supporting member. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Other objects and purposes of this invention will be apparent to persons acquainted with apparatus of this general type upon reading the following specification and inspecting the accompanying drawings, in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a prospective view of a base having a centralized pedestal mechanism mounted thereon; 
     FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of a bed embodying the invention, a cover to one section of the pedestal having been removed in order to reveal the stabilizing mechanism; 
     FIG. 3 is an enlarged prospective view of a portion of the pedestal embodying the invention; 
     FIG. 4 is a top view of the pedestal construction illustrated in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 5 is a perspective view from the head end of the patient supporting member illustrating the fowler section thereof in an inclined position relative to the remainder portion of the patient supporting member; 
     FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the lower region of the fowler section; 
     FIG. 7 is an end view of one side of the lower region of the fowler section; 
     FIG. 8 is a side view of the fowler section in the horizontally aligned position; 
     FIG. 9 is a side view of the fowler section in a first elevated position thereof; and 
     FIG. 10 is a side elevational view of the fowler section in a further elevated position thereof. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     A patient supporting bed  10  is illustrated in FIG.  1  and includes a wheel supported base  11  on which is supported a pedestal  12  which enshrouds a jack member  13  facilitating elevational movement of a patient supporting member  14  mounted thereon. The wheel supported base  11  includes, in this particular embodiment, four caster-type wheels  16 , one in each of the four corners of the patient supporting bed  10 . 
     The base frame  11  includes a pair of elongate side rails  17  and  18  interconnected by cross braces  19 ,  20  and  21 . It is at the longitudinal ends of each of the side rails  17  and  18  that the aforesaid caster-type wheels  16  are located. 
     The pedestal  12  is composed of two telescopically related pedestal parts  22  and  23 . The pedestal part  22  is mounted on the cross braces  19  and  20  and is oriented generally adjacent the geometric center of the base  11 . The pedestal part  22  is a four sided hollow shell that extends upwardly from the base  11  and terminates in an upper edge adjacent which is provided two sets of coaxially aligned shaft bearings, namely, shaft bearings  24 A and  24 B and shaft bearings  26 A and  26 B. A shaft  27  is rotatably supported by the shaft bearings  24 A,  24 B. A shaft  28  is rotatably supported by the shaft bearings  26 A,  26 B. The shaft ends project through the side walls of the pedestal part  22  and have mounted thereat gears. More specifically, the shaft  27  has at opposite ends thereof gears  29 A,  29 B fixedly secured thereto and rotatable therewith. The shaft  28  has at opposite ends thereof gears  31 A and  31 B fixedly secured thereto and rotatable therewith. As is clearly depicted in FIGS. 1 and 4, the gears  29 B and  31 B are meshingly engaged with one another as are the gears  29 A and  31 A on the opposite ends of the respective shafts  27  and  28 . 
     Housed within the shell of the pedestal part  22  is the jack  13  as is illustrated in FIG.  2 . In this particular embodiment, the jack  13  can be of the hydraulic variety or the electrically operated variety or any equivalent thereto. The jack  13  includes an upstanding cylinder body  32  mounted to the base  11  and includes the requisite mechanisms for facilitating longitudinal reciprocal movement of a rod  33  thereof. 
     The pedestal part  23  is also a hollow shell designed to loosely telescope over the outside of the pedestal part  22 . The pedestal part  23  is shown in clearer detail in FIG.  3  and includes a plurality of interconnected vertically upstanding walls  34  terminating at an upper edge thereof in a pair of laterally spaced brackets  36  and  37  each fixedly secured to the walls  34  adjacent the upper edges thereof. The brackets  36  and  37  support an axle  38  which is generally horizontally aligned and oriented generally perpendicular to a vertically upright plane containing the central longitudinal axis of the base  11 . A bearing  39  is rotatably supported on the axle  38  intermediate the brackets  36  and  37  as illustrated in FIG.  1 . The upper end of the rod  33  of the jack  13  is secured to the bearing  39  as illustrated in FIG.  2 . 
     Mounted to an inside wall surface of the walls  34  of the pedestal part  23  are a pair of elongate toothed racks  41  and  42 . In this particular embodiment, the teeth on each of the toothed racks  41  and  42  face one another and the teeth on the rack  41  meshingly engage the teeth on the gear  29 B whereas the teeth on the rack  42  meshingly engage the teeth on the gear  31 B. A plurality of fasteners  43  effect a securement of each of the toothed racks  41  and  42  to one of the walls  34  of the pedestal part  23 . The combination of structure comprising the meshing gears  29 A,  31 A and  29 B,  31 B coupled with the meshing relation between the teeth on the gear  29 B and the teeth on the toothed rack  41  as well as the teeth on the gear  31 B and the teeth on the rack  42  constitute a stabilizing mechanism  44  for rendering stable the pedestal part  23  relative to the pedestal part  22  in all elevated positions of the pedestal part  23  caused by extension and retraction of the rod  33  of the jack  13 . 
     An elongate frame part  46  is fixedly secured to the bearing  39  so that the frame  46  will be supported for tilting motion about the axis of the axle  38 . Referring to FIG. 2, the frame  46  will be capable of clockwise and counterclockwise tilting movement about the axle  38 . A control linkage  47  is provided between the underside of the frame  46  and a bracket  48  provided on an exterior surface of the wall  34  of the pedestal part  23 . In this particular embodiment, and referring to FIG. 3, the length of the control linkage  47  is adjustable by a motorized length adjusting mechanism  49  consisting of an externally threaded and rotatably supported rod  51  pivotally secured and rotatably supported at one end thereof to the bracket  48  and extending outwardly from the wall surface  34 . A nut mechanism  52  is provided on a frame  54  pivotally secured between a pair of flanges  56  secured to the underside of the frame  46 . A motor  53  is provided on the frame  54  for incrementally rotating the externally threaded rod or screw to cause the frame  46  to pivot about the axle  38 . 
     If desired, a further frame  57  can be mounted on top of the aforementioned frame  46  and supported for pivotal movement about the axis of an axle  58  rotatably supported in bearing housings  59  mounted on the upper facing surface of the frame  46 . A motor driven rotatable screw  61  is secured to the underside of the frame  46  and is received in a nut member  62  rotatably supported on a frame part  63  secured to the frame  57  to facilitate adjustment of the rotative position of the frame  57  relative to the frame  46  about the axis of the axle  58 . 
     The patient supporting member  14  is mounted on the combination of the frame  46  and the frame  57  so that it will be supported for a tilting motion about the axle  38  as well as a tilting motion about the axle  58 . Pivotal support about the axle  38  will allow the patient supporting member  14  to move to the trendelberg position wherein the head end  64  of the patient supporting member  14  is lower than the foot end  66  as well as to the reverse trendelberg position wherein the head end  64  of the patient supporting member  14  is higher than the foot end  66  thereof. 
     The frame  57  includes a plurality of brackets  67  oriented outwardly therefrom and are adapted to be secured to parallel side rails  68  and  69  (FIG. 5) of the patient supporting member  14 . The actual surface, usually a mattress surface, on which the patient is supported extends between the aforesaid side rails  68  and  69 . Adjacent the head end  64  of the patient supporting member  14  is a fowler section  71  supported for movement relative to the side rails  68  and  69  by the following described structure. The fowler section  71  includes a generally inverted U-shaped frame  72  having a bracket  73  attached to the free ends of the legs  74  of the U-shaped frame  72 . A patient or mattress supporting plate  76  is mounted on the U-shaped frame  72 . An additional bracket  77  is mounted to each of the legs  74  of the U-shaped frame  72  adjacent the bight section  78  thereof. A linkage member  79  is pivotally connected to each bracket  73  as at  81  and to each side rail  68  and  69  as at  82 . The location of the pivots  81  is oriented above the lowermost end of each of the legs  74  of the U-shaped frame  72  so that as the fowler section  71  rotates relative to each of the links  79  about the pivots  81 , the lowermost end of the legs  74  and, consequently, the lowermost edge  83  of each bracket  73  will be caused to move in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the patient supporting member  14 . To facilitate this movement, a pair of C-shaped channels  84  are provided wherein the open part of the C-shape of each channel faces each other and the longitudinal center of the patient supporting member  14 . Each C-shaped channel has a pair of vertically spaced parallel surfaces  86  and  87  (FIG.  7 ). An axle  88  is mounted to each of the brackets  73  and extends into the space between the vertically spaced surfaces  86  and  87  of the C-shaped channels  84 . A pair of independently rotatable wheels  89  and  91  are rotatably mounted on the axle  88 . As is illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7, the aforementioned independently rotatable wheels  89  and  91  are mounted side by side on the axle  88 . The diameter of each of the wheels is identical to each other and is preferably less than the vertical spacing between the surfaces  86  and  87 . The side by side orientation of the wheels  89  and  91  oriented between the surfaces  86  and  87  allow for a guided movement of the lowermost region of the frame  72  of the fowler section  71  and in a way that will not encounter obstruction during the aforesaid movement of the lower region of the fowler section in directions toward the head end and the foot end of the patient supporting member  14 . If a twisting force is applied to the frame  72  of the fowler section  71 , it is likely that one wheel  89  or  91  will engage one surface  86  or  87  while the other wheel engages the other surface. Since the wheels are independently rotatable, and capable of engaging only one surface  86  or  87  at a time, the wheels will provide the requisite guiding motion of the lowermost region of the fowler section relative to each of the side rails  68  and  69 . 
     The fowler section  71  is drivable by a pair of spring locking gas springs  92  pivotally secured at one end as at  93  to the mid region of the length of the link  79  and at the other end to the bracket  77  as at  94 . A manually engagable handle  96  is also pivotally secured to each of the brackets  77  and extends therebetween and includes a mechanism for effecting actuation of the spring locking gas springs  92 . The spring locking gas springs  92  and the handle activating mechanism are conventional and are available through Stabilus GmBh in Gastonia, N.C. under the trademark BLOC-O-LIFT. Manipulation of the handle  96  will enable adjustable movement of the fowler section  71  to and between the positions illustrated in FIGS. 8,  9  and  10 . 
     Operation 
     Although the operation of the mechanisms described above will be understood from the foregoing description by skilled persons, a summary of such description is now given for convenience. 
     The stabilizing mechanism  44  serves to maintain the pedestal part  23  stabilized with respect to the pedestal part  22 . If a downward force is applied to the foot end  66 , for example, of the patient supporting member  14  (see FIG.  2 ), a downward force would be applied to the tooth rack  41  which would tend to drive the toothed gear  29 B clockwise about the axis of the axle  27 . This clockwise movement of the gear  29 B would generate a counterclockwise movement of the gear  31 B so that the teeth thereof would urge the toothed rack  42  downwardly. Similarly, a downward force applied to the head end  64  of the patient supporting member would cause a corresponding urging of the geared components but in the opposite direction. Similarly, and since toothed gears  29 A,  29 B and  31 A,  31 B are provided on opposite ends of the shafts  27  and  28 , downward forces applied to the lateral edges of the patient supporting member  14  will cause similar actions described above of the aforesaid gears of the stabilizing mechanism  44  to maintain the pedestal part  23  stabilized with respect to the pedestal part  22 . It is to be noted that the pedestal part  23  is supported solely on the intermeshed gears  29 A,  29 B and  31 A,  31 B through the interconnection of the aforesaid gears to the toothed racks  41  and  42 . 
     As the rod  33  of the jack  13  is reciprocated, the intermeshed gears  29 A,  29 B and  31 A,  31 B will rotate in opposite directions while the teeth thereof walk along the teeth of the racks  41  and  42  to effect a stabilized raising and lowering of the patient supporting member without losing the stabilized relationship between the pedestal parts  22  and  23 . 
     The stabilizing mechanism  44  translates also into a stabilized positioning of the patient supporting member and the fowler section mounted thereon. In this particular embodiment, and since the lower end of the fowler section  71  traverses lengthwise of the patient supporting member  14  by reason of the side by side rollers  89 ,  91  moving lengthwise in the C-shaped channels  84 , it will be unnecessary for a patient supported on the patient supporting member  14  to move longitudinally of the patient supporting member in response to movements of the fowler section  71  between the positions illustrated in FIGS. 8-10. That is, as the fowler section  71  is moved from the FIG. 8 position toward the FIG. 9 position and toward the FIG. 10 position, the lowermost position  97  is moved toward the head end  64  of the patient supporting member so that the lower back region of the patient will be better accommodated as the patient is moved toward the upright sitting position. As a result, it is unnecessary for the patient to reorient himself/herself lengthwise of the patient supporting member  14  as the fowler section  71  is moved toward the elevated position illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 10. This is due to the fact that the lowermost region  97  of the fowler section withdraws from the back of the patient supported on the patient supporting member to accommodate a change in body position from one that is lying flat in a horizontal position to one that is in the upright sitting position. 
     Although particular preferred embodiments of the invention have been disclosed in detail for illustrative purposes, it will be recognized that variations or modifications of the disclosed apparatus, including the rearrangement of parts, lie within the scope of the present invention.