Improvements in or relating to Invalids' Beds or the like.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Aug., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 23rd May, 1893-Accepted, 24th June, 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Invalids' Beds or the like.
I, WILLIAM WEBSTER WATSON, of 1 Temple Gardens, London, Barrister-
at-law, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows
This invention relates to invalids' beds and has for its object to enable invalids
compelled to remain in bed to perform acts of nature without being disturbed and
without the bed being soiled and so that the pan or receptacle after being used
may be casily removed and the bed again made comfortable by a nurse or
attendant or, with but very little exertion, by the patient himself, when capable of
such exertion.
In carrying the invention into practice I construct the mattress with an aperture
of suitable size and position and which is closed by a removable pad when not in
This pad may be made of any suitable material and mounted on a base
board or equivalent, grooved or otherwise adapted to fit on to a plate capable of
being raised and lowered by suitable means such as hereinafter described.
use.
The base board of the pad is adapted to slide transversely beneath the mattress
and for this purpose is guided on a suitable fixed frame or platform in which may
also be mounted the raising and lowering apparatus.
A second base board substantially similar to that attached to the pad is provided
for conveying the pan or receptacle to and from and into the aperture in the
mattress and is adapted to slide on the platform and be attached to and disengaged
from the rising and falling plate.
The mechanism for raising and lowering the plate may be constructed as
follows,
The plate may have attached to it a screw on which works a nut which is
prevented from moving in the direction of its axis but may be rotated by bevil
gearing operated by a horizontal shaft provided with a crank handle at the side
of the bed for an attendant's use. A vertical shaft is geared with the horizontal
shaft by bevil or other wheels and terminates at its upper end in a crank handle
which is in a position convenient to the hand of the patient.
The base boards may be moved laterally beneath the mattress in one direction
by means of a movable frame guided on the platform and in the other direction
either by pushing or by means of a suitable handle attached to the base-board of
the pan or receptacle.
Supposing the patient desires to use the pan he may if able rotate the nut by
turning the appropriate handle until the pad is lowered out of the aperture of the
mattress and the pan ready upon its base board may be pushed inwards until it is
arrested by a suitable stop when he will know that the pan is immediately beneath
the mattress aperture. He then turns his handle in the direction necessary for
raising the pan into the aperture. After using the pan the patient may lower it
out of the aperture, and draw it and the pad sideways by the movable frame until,
by the engagement of the base-board of the pad with a suitable stop, he knows
that the pad is immediately below the aperture when by turning his handle in
the proper direction the pad will be raised into the aperture, the pan being
subsequently emptied, cleansed and replaced ready for further use.
The manner in which the apparatus is operated by a nurse or attendant is
substantially the same as that followed by the patient when he is able.
Dated this 23rd day of August 1892.
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Invalids' Beds or the like.
1, WILLIAM WEBSTER WATSON of 1 Temple Gardens, London, Barrister-
at-law, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
This invention relates to invalids' beds and has for its object to enable invalids
compelled to remain in bed to perform acts of nature without being disturbed and
without the bed being soiled and so that the pan or receptacle after being used
may be easily removed and the bed again made comfortable by a nurse or
attendant or, with but very little exertion by the patient himself, when capable of
such exertion.
In carrying the invention into practice I construct the mattress with an aperture
of suitable size and position which is closed by a removable pad when not in use.
This pad may be made of any suitable material and mounted on a base-board or
equivalent, grooved or otherwise adapted to fit on to a plate capable of being
raised and lowered by suitable means such as hereinafter described. The pad can
be disengaged from the plate as hereinafter described.
The base-board of the pad is adapted to slide transversely beneath the mattress
and for this purpose is guided on a suitable fixed frame or platform in which may
also be mounted the raising and lowering apparatus.
A second base-board substantially similar to that attached to the pad is provided
for conveying the pan or receptacle to and from and into the aperture in the
mattress and is adapted to slide on the platform and be attached to and disengaged
from the rising and falling plate.
The mechanism for raising and lowering the plate may be constructed as
follows;-
The plate may have attached to it a screw on which works a nut which is
prevented from moving in the direction of its axis but may be rotated by bevil
gearing operated by a horizontal shaft provided with a crank handle at the side of
the bed for an attendant's use. A vertical shaft is geared with the horizontal
shaft by bevil or other wheels and terminates at its upper end in a crank handle
which is in a position convenient to the hand of the patient.
The base-boards may-be moved laterally beneath the mattress in one direction
by means of a movable frame guided on the platform and in the other direction
either by pushing or by means of a suitable handle attached to the base-board of
the pan or receptacle.
When the patient is in bed and the pan is not in use the pad is in the aperture
of the mattress the base of the pad resting on the plate which is kept in position
by the screw. The pan is on the platform ready for use when required.
Supposing the patient desires to use the pan he may if able rotate the nut by.
turning the appropriate handle until the pad is lowered out of the aperture of the
mattress and the pan ready upon its base-board may be pushed inwards on to the
plate until it is arrested by a suitable stop when he will know that the pan is
immediately beneath the mattress aperture. He then turns his handle in the
direction necessary for raising the pan into the aperture. After using the pan
the patient may lower it out of the aperture by turning the handle in the proper
direction and draw it and the pad sideways by the movable frame until, by the
engagement of the base-board of the pad with a suitable stop, he knows that
the pan is moved off the plate and that the pad has taken its place and is
immediately below the aperture when by turning his handle in the proper direction
the pad will be raised into the aperture, the pan being subsequently emptied,
cleansed and replaced ready for further use.
The manner in which the apparatus is operated by a nurse or attendant is

page_text: substantially the same as that followed by the patient when he is able, or the nurse
or attendant may use the second handle.
In the accompanying drawings
Figure 1 is a plan of the apparatus constructed according to my invention.
Figure 2 is an end elevation thereof-partly broken away-with the pad raised
as when closing the mattress, bed or equivalent aperture, hereinafter referred to as
the "bed aperture."
Figure 3 is a longitudinal section also with the pad raised.
Figure 4 is a longitudinal section of the upper part of the apparatus showing
the pad as when lowered and moved away from the rising and falling plate.
Figures 5 and 6 are perspective views of the underside of the pad and pan base-
boards respectively.
Figure 7 is a perspective view of a bed fitted with my improved apparatus.
Like letters indicate like parts throughout the drawings.
A, Figure 7, is the bed aperture in the mattress A and B the pad fitting into and
closing it. B is the base-board upon which the pad B is mounted and which, at
its underside, its lower end in the box H.
The grooves B of the base-board B' extend from edge to edge of the board
which latter may also be provided with plates B3 for protecting it against
damage by the stop J hereinafter described. The base-board K at its underside is
provided with a recess and grooves which however, unlike those of the base-
board B', do not extend completely across it, as shown in Figure 6. The
base-board K is provided at its underside with a central groove K2 which admits
of its being moved freely over the end J of stop .J.
The stop
J may be in the form of a hand lever bent towards one side as shown
in Figures 1 and 2 and pivoted to a bracket J2 secured to the underside of the
platform D2; the end J of stop J projects through an opening in the platform so
that it may prevent the base board B being moved past the bed aperture A' when
it is desired to move the pad into said aperture. After raising the outer end of
stop lever J and thereby lowering its effective end J' the base board B' may when
desired be drawn outwards from the rising and falling plate C and entirely
removed from the apparatus.
L is a preferably metal rod guided so that it may be moved longitudinally,
between the bar L secured to the platform D2 and the adjacent wall of the frame D.
At one end this rod L has attached to it a bar L2 extending transversely across the
platform D and at the other end it is bent upwards and may terminate in a ring
or handle L³ and to this same end there may conveniently be attached one end of a
piece of chain L the other end of which may be secured in any convenient manner
to the frame D or platform D.
M, Figure 7, is the pan which is preferably of a shape corresponding with that
of the bed-aperture A which in the example shown is square but which if desired
may be round or of other shape. This pan may be provided with means to enable
it to be fitted on or to the base board so as to ensure its always being in proper
position thereon for entering the bed-aperture A; or if desired the pan M may be
arranged to fit directly on to the plate in which case the base-board K would be
dispensed with.
The normal condition of the before described apparatus is with the pad B located
in and filling up the bed aperture A and with the base-board K in the position
shown in Figure 3 and with the pan M resting on it.
Supposing that the patient desires to use the pan and is not able to operate the
apparatus himself as it was supposed he was at the earlier part of this Specification
wherein the operation of the apparatus by the patient was described the nurse or
attendant turns either the handle G or I in the proper direction and through the
shaft G and bevel wheels F and C4 rotates the nut C³ so that the bar C' is lowered
and the pad B through the plate C and base-board B' is drawn down out of the
bed aperture A.
As soon as the upper surface of the pad B is below the level of the underside of

page_text: the bed or mattress A' the attendant pushes the base-board K with the pan M
upon it, inwards towards the bed aperture A by which operation the base-board Bi
and pad B are disconnected and moved away from the plate C by the base-board K
bearing against B₁ and the latter (B') is moved so that its recess and grooves K¹
fit on to the plate C.
The base board K will be stopped when it is immediately below the bed-
aperture A, by its shoulder K abutting against the outer edge of the plate Cas
shown in Figure 4. When the base-board K and the pan M upon it are in this
last described position the nut C³, through the gearing C F shaft G and crank
handle G or 1, is rotated in the direction necessary to raise the screwed bar Ci so
that the pan M is moved into the bed aperture A and may then be used by the
patient. After use the base board K and plate C are lowered by rotating the
nut C³ in the proper direction so that the pan is removed from the bed aperture A.
As soon as the pan M is below the level of the under surface of the bed or
mattress A' the attendant either through the chain L or handle L³ draws the
rod outwards towards the side of the bed and in this manner through the bar L²
moves the base-board B' and pad B along with it, and B' then bearing against the
base-board K pushes the latter (K) and the pan M thereon off the plate C and
takes the place of K on said plate C this movement being arrested at the time
that B¹ B is immediately below A by the edge of Bl abutting against the stop
end J. The handle G or 12 is then rotated to turn the nut C³ so as to raise the
screwed bar C and replace the pad B in the bed aperture A. The pan M may
then be emptied, cleansed and replaced ready for further use.
The before described apparatus is applicable for use with mattresses of various
kinds the only provision necessary to be made being for the aperture A which, for
example in a spring mattress would be located between the rows of springs, or
certain of the springs may be arranged out of line with the others to provide for
the aperture.
Wire-woven mattresses may equally well be constructed with an
aperture A the edges of which if necessary may be formed by a more or less rigid
frame.
If desired the mattress may be provided with a recess or opening at or near the
side thereof so as to enable the patient by passing his hand through it to more
readily operate the before described apparatus.
The apparatus is capable of being modified without departing from the spirit of
the invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is ;-
1. The combination with a bed or the like having an aperture A therein of a
pad such as B pan such as M and plate such as C which is capable of being raised
and lowered for placing the pad or pan into or removing it from the bed aperture
substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
2. The combination with a bed or the like having an aperture A therein of a
rising and falling plate such as C and base-boards such as B' B and K. K¹
attachable thereto and detachable therefrom substantially as described and illustrated
in the accompanying drawings.
3. The combination with a bed or the like having an aperture A therein of a
plate such as C screwed bar such as Cnut C³ gearing CF shaft and crank
handle G G substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
4. The combination with a bed or the like having an aperture A therein and a
plate such as C screwed bar such as C nut C³ gearing C F shaft G of gearing
shaft and crank handle such as G2 I 11 12 substantially as described and illustrated
in the accompanying drawings.
5. The combination with a bed or the like having an aperture A therein a rising
and falling plate such as C and base-boards such as B' and K of a frame consisting

page_text: of a rod and bar such as L L and a pivotted stop such as J J' substantially as
described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
6. The combination with a bed or the like having an aperture therein of a
pad and pan and apparatus so constructed that the pad which normally closes
the bed aperture may be lowered out therefrom and simultaneously with the
moving aside of the pad a pan brought below the aperture and thereafter raised
into the bed aperture and subsequently the pan may be lowered out of the bed
aperture moved aside from it and the pad moved to below the bed aperture and
raised into it the whole substantially as described.
7. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the complete
invalid bed attachment substantially as described and illustrated in the accom-
panying drawings.
Dated this 20th day of May 1893.
W. W. WATSON.
W. P. Thompson & Boult,
Agents for the Applicant.