IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS OR APPLIANCES FOR RAISING SICK OR BEDRIDDEN PERSONS IN THEIR BEDS, AND FOR LIFTING THEIR BED CLOTHES
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Hearn, of Hatford, in the County of Berks,
Clerk, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS OR APPLIANCES
FOR RAISING SICK OR BEDRIDDEN PERSONS IN THEIR BEDS, AND FOR LIFTING
THEIR BED CLOTHES."
Sealed the 6th February 1863, and dated the 14th August 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Hearn at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 14th August
1862.
I, JAMES HEARN, of Hatford, in the County of Berks, Clerk, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS OR
APPLIANCES FOR RAISING SICK OR BEDRIDDEN PERSONS IN THEIR BEDS, AND FOR
LIFTING THEIR BED CLOTHES," to be as follows:-
My improvements in apparatus for the treatment of sick persons consist in
the application of a framework which is mounted over the bed of the patient
and furnished with a series of cords which are conducted over suitable pullies
carried by the framing, the ends of which cords are pendant over and distri-
buted throughout the area occupied by the patient. The free ends of the cords
are conducted and fastened to a double-armed lever mounted on the end
standards, by which lever power can be applied to any number of the cords
simultaneously to lift any weight attached to the opposite ends. I dispose the
pendant cords in pairs, one at each side of the head at either shoulder, or

page_text: across the back, one at either side of the loins or thighs, and one at either side
near the feet, in all, eight; but this number may be varied. One or more
pairs of these suspending cords may be arranged, separate and independent
from the lever before mentioned, so as to be operated on separately, and so as
to permit a greater or less lift for the head and shoulders or other parts of the
body that may be necessary. Suitable means are provided for fixing the lever
or hand bar in position when the patient is raised, to which bar a single pair
of cords may be attached. The pendant cords are provided with hooks or
other means of easy attachment, to which bands or cradles (on which parts of
the body are supported) may be applied. This system of support is also
applicable for the support of the bed clothes of a patient or other articles that
it may be necessary to support independently of the bed. The upper hori-
zontal framework is carried on standards raising it sufficiently above the bed
for all purposes that may be required. The apparatus might also be supported
from a bedstead having an overhead framework, but I prefer to make it
complete in itself.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Hearn in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 14th
February 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES:
HEARN, of Hatford, in the County of Berks, Clerk, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-sixth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said James Hearn, Her special licence, that I, the said James Hearn, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said James
Hearn, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the
term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS OR
APPLIANCES FOR RAISING SICK OR BEDRIDDEN PERSONS IN THEIR BEDS, AND FOR
LIFTING THEIR BED CLOTHES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said James Hearn, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe

page_text: and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the
said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said James Hearn, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what-manner the same is to be performed
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following state-
ment, reference being had to the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed, and to
the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
My improvements in apparatus applicable for the treatment of sick persons
consists in the application of a framework which is mounted over the bed of
the patient and furnished with a system or series of cords which are conducted
over suitable pullies carried by the framing; the ends of these arms are
pendant over and distributed around the area occupied by the patient. The
free ends of the cords are conducted and fastened to a double-armed lever
mounted on the end standards, by which lever power can be applied to any
number of the cords simultaneously to lift any weight attached to the opposite
ends. I dispose the pendant cords in pairs, one at each side of the head, one
at either shoulder or across the back, one at either side of the loins or thighs,
and one at either side near the feet, in all, eight; but this number may be
varied. One or more pairs of these suspending cords may be arranged sepa-
rate, independently from the lever before mentioned, so as to permit a greater
or less lift for the head and shoulders or other parts of the body that may be
necessary. Suitable pawls and ratchets or other means are provided for fixing
the lever or hand bar in position when the patient is raised, to which bar a
single pair of cords only may be attached. The pendant cords are provided
with hooks or other means of easy attachment, to which bands or cradles, in
which parts of the body are supported, may be applied. This system of
support is also applicable for support of the bed clothes of a patient or other
articles that may be necessary to be supported independently of the bed. The
upper horizontal framework is carried on standards raising it sufficiently above
the bed for all purposes that may be required. This apparatus might also be
supported from a bedstead having an overhead framework, but I prefer to
make it complete in itself. For general purposes the several suspending cords
are used simultaneously and in combination, in which case, for their more free
action and readier application, I prefer to attach them all to a rising stretcher
and falling frame which is of a width and length to enclose the area occupied
by the patient, and is, in fact, made to slide up and down the uprights of the
supporting frame. The weight of this stretcher frame causes the suspending

page_text: cords to descend or overhaul when they are released or eased away by the
hand lever, and also keeps the belts or pliant supports, on which the patient
rests distended, and prevents them pressing on his or her sides.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 of the annexed Drawing represents an elevation of the apparatus
according to my Invention. a, a, a, a, are four uprights supporting the hori-
zontal framing b, b, above. The uprights and longitudinals are suitably tied by
cross bars c, c, and diagonal stays d, d, to afford the necessary rigidity, The
frame is made of a sufficient length to extend beyond the limits of a bed,
and of a breadth of about two feet, while the height is such as will give the
necesssary head room and permit of the requisite rise and fall of the parts for
lifting the patient to the desired extent. To the uprights a, a, is fitted a
stretcher frame e, e, so that it can rise and fall thereon, being guided in its
ascent and descent by the uprights a. This stretcher frame is suspended by
the cords fff, which pass up over pullies 9, 9, mounted on the longitudinals
b, b, and thence round other pullies h, h, down to the lever frame i, i, which is
mounted on fulcra at k, k, in the uprights a, a. The cords ff, can be short-
ened or lengthened at pleasure to regulate the position of the stretcher frame e.
By depressing the hand lever frame i, i, the whole of the cords will be pulled
simultaneously and will lift the frame e, e, and the weight of the person
suspended thereto. Having so lifted a patient, two pawls 1, l, take into
ratchet-toothed quadrants fixed to the frame i, which keeps the patient in the
elevated position desired. The patient is slung to the frame by belts m, m,
having loops at the ends, hooked on to the pins p, p, of frame e, e. In addition
to belts a broad canvas n may be us d under the back, and soft cushions inter-
posed between the back of the patient and the belts or canvas. The belts
may be readily introduced under the patient by a thin strip of wood used for
that purpose. These belts are prevented pressing on the sides of the patient
by the stretcher frame e, which is kept rigid in its breadth by the cross bars
9. 9. q', the latter of which is of curved iron, as seen, which provides room for
the patient's head and shoulders being more elevated than the other part of
the body, if desired.
Fig. 2 represents the apparatus without a stretcher frame e. e. In this case
I simply attach the belts m, m, to the hooks on the ends of the cords f,f,f,
instead of to the frame e, as before. The cords are manoeuvred by the hand
lever frame i, which is all as before described; but in this case I have repre-
sented eight suspending cords, six of these being used and operated as before;
but in addition thereto I employ two extra cords ff, near the head,

page_text: separately attached to a hand hold r, which may be more or less operated on
independently of the other cords for the purpose of elevating the head and
shoulders more or less; I provide a suitable fastening for the hold r. These
extra cords may also be applied in addition to the apparatus represented at
Fig. 1, and such additional cords might even be applied to the stretcher frame
if that frame be jointed in its length so as to permit of the one part being
inclined to the other. Instead of the simple hand hold r a second hand lever
may be provided to operate the two additional suspending cords.
Having described the nature of my Invention and the manner of performing
the same, I declare that what I claim as my Invention to be protected by the
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, the use and application of the
apparatus herein-before described and represented in the Drawings annexed
as and for the purposes herein-before set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Hearn, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twelfth day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
Signed, sealed, and delivered by the
within-named James Hearn, in the
presence of
JOHN HOOKINS,
JAMES HEARN. (L.S.)
Faringdon, Gento.