IMPROVED BEDRIDDEN INVALID'S BEDS & APPLIANCES THEREFOR
Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Feb., 1886.
Complete Left, 10th Nov., 1886.
Complete Accepted, 11th Feb., 1887.
RICHARD RICHARDSON Engineer 29 West Walls Carlisle Cumberland I do hereby
declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVED BEDRIDDEN INVALID'S BEDS &
APPLIANCES THEREFOR to be as follows:-
The said Improved Invalid's bed is of iron frame at ends with wood sides, with
raising & falling stretcher, to rise Invalid to allow chamber room between stretcher
& bed, without disturbing Invalid the stretcher is lifted by a screw at each end & is
worked by a Handle easily turned by nurse.
RICHARD RICHARDSON,
29, West Walls, Carlisle.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Bedridden Invalid's Bed and Appliances therefor.
RICHARD RICHARDSON Engineer 29 West Walls Carlisle Cumberland I do hereby
declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVED BEDRIDDEN INVALID'S BEDS 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 an improvement in beds for bedridden people whereby without
disturbing the invalids they may be raised from the mattress and have change of sheets
and other necessary attentions.

page_text: Such beds are now in use and my Invention more particularly refers to the method
whereby the patient is raised and lowered and which gives greater safety and steadiness
to the motion, less disturbance to the patient and greater case to the attendant.
It has been usual to erect a structure on or over the bed, and, resting on the bed to
have a stretcher with transverse webs which are passed one by one under the patient
and fastened to the sides thereof. The stretcher is then hoisted by means of straps
attached to the structure over the bed, and thus the patient lying on the webs of the
stretcher is lifted from the mattress. As this is done in sight of the patient it is apt
to cause great disturbance and nervousness.
I form a strong bed-stead preferably of iron at ends and with wood sides, but it
may be all of iron or other metal. On this lies the mattress and bedsheet. Resting
on the bedstead is a stretcher with head and foot of wood or metal of any design so as to
represent the head and foot of a bed, and provided with webs fastened to the sides in
the usual maner. From the centre of each endpiece of the stretcher and securely
fastened to it by a crosshead with screws or bolts, 1 place vertically downward a
screw with a strong thread and about one and a half inches in diameter and which may
be conveniently about two feet long. These screws I cause to pass down through
metal guides bolted to the ends of the bedstead.
Extending longitudinally along and under the bed is a shaft which can be turned by a
handle at either end. By any of the usual methods for converting the circular motion
of a shaft into the forward motion of a screw this shaft raises and lowers the screws
at both ends of the bed simultaneously and noiselessly, so that the stretcher can be
raised and lowered in a steady manner and in a perfectly horizontal position. The
method 1 preferably use for working the screws is the following:-On the longitudinal
shaft 1 fasten at each end by means of a pin or key a brass worm wheel. This works
into a companion brass wheel which is bored and threaded so as to act as a nut to the
screw and rests in a recess prepared for it in the guide.
The accompanying sheet of drawings is intended to explain my invention.—
Fig. I is a side elevation of my bedridden Invalids bed.
A. B. are the ends of the stationary Bed stead,
( is the mattress.
E. F. are the upright screws that support the stretcher.
G. H. are the guides for the screws.
I is the longitudinal shaft.
J is the handle used by the attendant to raise and lower the patient.
K, L, are the ends of the stretcher.
M is the side of the stretcher to which is fastened the bands that carry the patient
when he is raised off the mattress (. By turning J, M. is moved upward and downward
in a plane parallel to C.
Fig. II shows the arrangement for working the screws and is a section through one
of the screws transverse to the bed.
a, longitudinal shaft 1.
, worn wheel on I.
e, companion wheel or nut.
d, screw.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is:
(1) The raising and lowering of the stretcher of an invalid's bed by means of
screws substantially in the manner hereinbefore described.
RICHARD RICHARDSON.