Improvements in Combined Invalid and Operating Beds.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application (in United Kingdom), 22nd May, 1891
Complete Specification Left 22nd May 1891-Accented. 21st May. 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Combined Invalid and Operating Beds.
1, WILLIAM T. WALKER, of Lynchburg in the County of Campbell, and State
of Virginia, United States of America do hereby declare the nature of my invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
My invention relates to an improvement in beds, and to that particular class of
beds designed for the use of invalids. In beds of this character it is necessary to
provide .eans whereby the operation of changing the bed-clothing and properly
ventilating the bed may be carried on with a minimum amount of disturbance to
the patient. Further, it is desirable to provide means whereby a commode or
vessel other than the ordinary bed-pan may be used by the invalid without any
great inconvenience, such as is occasioned by his removal from the bed or in the
use of the latter vessel.
Many invalid-bedsteads have up to the present time been invented and some
have been put upon the market, but even those which have gone into use are
defective in many ways, principally by reason of their complicated nature, their
failure to be effective in operation, their expense and the necessity which exists in.
their use of disturbing the patient.
It is the object of the present invention, therefore broadly stated, to provide a
construction in which the defects heretofore existing in such apparatus shall be
remedied and an organization effected which shall be composed of few parts, but
yet be very complete and efficient in operation and inexpensive to manufacture.
A further and very important object is to so construct the bed that it may be
converted, with scarcely any trouble into a surgeon's operating table, upon which
the patient may be treated for fractures and for such other ills as necessitate the
performance of operations.
The invention, therefore, consists in the various matters hereinafter described.
and pointed out in the appended claims.
In the accompanying drawings:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of my invention, the upper part being raised and
the position when used as an operating table being shown in dotted lines;
Figure 2 is a side elevation, the upper part being lowered into its normal
position;
Figure 3 is a plan view showing the manner in which the sheets are secured
together.
In the drawings, A represents the main or lower portion of the bedstead
supported upon suitable posts a aa a. This part A is made of suitable length and
width and is provided with slats or springs, as preferred, upon which the mattress B,
preferably made in three parts to facilitate handling, is laid. The posts or legs a a
a a preferably do not extend above the level of the frame, as customary, but merely
serve as supports upon which the frame rests. They are adapted to fold up against
the bottom of the bed for purposes of packing and are provided with the ordinary
ת
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page_text: casters. Normally resting upon and supported by this lower frame A is a second
frame C, of equal dimensions, upon which are placed the head and foot boards Dd,
the latter being herein shown as hinged to swing and adapted to be held in its
upright position by buttons u, similar to ordinary door-buttons. To the side pieces
of the upper frame C, upon either side, are pivoted at one end rods or links e e,
which are pivoted at their opposite ends to the lower or main frame A of the
bedstead. These rods are so pivoted that when the upper frame is in position
upon the lower the rods will lie obliquely instead of horizontally, their vertical
position being attained only when the upper frame is elevated to its greatest
extent.
Passing through the side pieces of the lower frame A is a rod or shaft F,
carrying near either end a cam or eccentric E, adapted to bear upon the under side
of the upper frame C. This under side is preferably covered with an iron strip at
the point where the cams bear against it to prevent the same from cutting into the
wood. In order to provide for operating the cams, the ends of the shaft F are
squared, so that a lever f, having a square hole in its end, may fit thereover and
serve to rotate the shaft, and thereby elevate or depress the upper frame.
The side pieces of the lower frame are cut out upon the inside for the reception
of the cam, with a shoulder corresponding in shape to the outer surface of the cam,
against which the same rests when in its clevated position, thus preventing forward
movement but in order to prevent backward movement of the same by reason of
jarring when the frame is in its elevated position pins are adapted to be inserted
through holes in the side pieces of the lower frame upon the inner side of the cam,
thus acting as stops. Instead, however, of using a smooth cam, as above described,
the same may be provided with a row of cogs upon its upper surface adapted to
mesh with corresponding cogs upon the under side of the iron strip above referred
'to. It will be understood that the shaft is preferably passed through the lower
frame at a point a little to one side of the middle and between it and the head-
board at about the point where the centre of gravity of the person would be
located.
While I have shown herein a special form of apparatus for elevating and
depressing the upper section of the bed, and while desire to claim such cou-
struction specifically, it will be understood that so far as other features of the
invention are concerned other means for elevating and depressing said upper
-section might be used-for instance the upper section might be raised vertically by
means of any suitable hoisting means, it not being deemed necessary to illustrate
the same herein.
As a further and special improvement in apparatus of this class. I have designed
a particularly suitable and effective form of construction for the upper frame C of
said bedstead. Said upper frame C has a central portion G raised slightly above
the other portions. The remainder of said frame is divided horizontally in such a
manner as to leave this raised portion, thus leaving a lower rectangular frame upon
which this raised portion rests. The parts upon either side of said central portion
are hinged thereto, the part i carrying the head-board D and the part being
again divided into two sections hinged together. The part G and hinged sections i
and are provided with a covering of canvas, duck, or like material, which is
unlikely to sag, suitably secured to the sides and ends of said sections.
Near the center of the raised portion G of the frame C is formed in the canvas a
hole of suitable size bound around, whereby when the upper frame is elevated
through the medium of the lever, shaft and cam the patient may make use of a
commode or vessel placed beneath him without having to be removed from the bed.
To the under side of the part is hinged a leg, or legs 1, adapted, when said part is
elevated, to fit into notches in the side pieces of the frame, thereby holding the
same in any desired position and the upper portion of the body of the patient at any
suitable angle.
The section, as above stated, is divided into two hinged sections corresponding
with the knee-joints of a patient. The outer section is hinged to swing downward

page_text: and its end is adapted to enter notches in the frame C, thereby being held at the
angle desired. This section k may also be divided longitudinally to give different
positions for each leg.
In order to provide for any sagging of the canvas covering which may happen
from long, continued use, any suitable means for taking up the slack may be
used.
For the greater comfort of the patient sheets are placed over the upper frame
and upon the canvas upon which he lies. These are preferably arranged as shown
in Figure 3 of the drawings. As therein shown, two sheets n n, folded in the
middle, are placed upon the canvas, one coming below the middle of the hole in the
centre of the canvas and the other above the middle, thus overlapping each other
and covering the hole completely. It will be seen that by this arrangement the
sheets may be removed and clean ones substituted without disturbing the patient at
all, thus overcoming the great difficulty now existing in beds of this class, it being
necessary simply for the attendant to draw one sheet downward from the head and
the other up from the foot. These sheets are fastened together in any suitable
manner, but preferably by safety-pins, which may be easily removed and the
sheets slipped back out of the way when the patient is desirous of using the
commode.
As before stated, a very important feature of the present invention consists in
the means whereby this bed is, with a minimum amount of trouble, converted into
a surgeon's operating table.
Heretofore it has been proposed to combine in one apparatus a lounge and
medical operating table, and I do not broadly claim any such combination, my
invention being limited to important details, whereby the desired results are
accomplished in the simplest and most effectual manner.
As above mentioned, the section k, hinged to the central portion G of the
upper frame, is preferably divided into two parts hinged together. The lower
section o or that nearer the foot-board, is provided near either end with straps H H,
adapted, when the said section o is elevated, as shown in dotted lines in Figure 1, to
be secured to the foot-board d, preferably by having holes in them which fit over
buttons attached to the foot-board. The mode of fastening preferred by me is
shown in Figure I in which the foot-board d is provided with openings, formed
therein at suitable positions, in the sides of which openings are fixed buttons, to
which the straps are secured. In Figure 1 are also shown fastened to the foot-
board stirrup-irons 9 %, or straps extending down to a level with the feet of the
patient, thus affording the supports for the heel which are required when any
gynecological operation is to be performed. An adjustable pulley I is also
provided upon the footboard, over which a rope with weight attached may be
passed for use in case of fracture or other injuries. It will thus be seen that when
the bed is in its normal position the patient lies upon a mattress and by inclining
the section the upper portion of the body can be placed at any desired angle, or
by raising the part of the section k, nearer the central part G of the frame, and
allowing the lower section o to fall into the notches in the upper frame, a double
inclined plane is formed corresponding to the knee-joint of the patient, thus
affording him several changes of position without in the slightest degree disturbing
his position. When, however, it is desired to give the patient proper ventilation,
thus preventing bed-sores, it is merely necessary to raise the upper frame. He can
also make use of the vessel or commode when the upper frame is raised by merely
moving back the sheets covering the same. When, however, it is desired to use the
apparatus as an operating table, the lower section o is raised by means of the straps
and secured in the position shown in dotted lines in Figure 1, thereby bringing the
lower parts of the body upon an inclined plane into just the right height and
position for operating, especially in gynecological operations. Furthermore, it will
be observed that by this arrangement of hoisting the foot of the canvas-frame I
secure an inclined plane elevated so as to cause the counter-extension while the
weight over the pulley make the extension in injuries of the thigh, knee, and other

page_text: .
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portions of the leg. If, however, it is not desired to make use of the inclined
plane and foot-board the latter can be swung inwardly and a perfectly flat table
formed.
I am aware that prior to my invention invalid-bedsteads have been invented in
which the upper frame is adapted to be raised or lowered by a system of cams and
shifting levers, and, further, that other means have been devised for raising the
upper frame upon which the patient rests for the purpose of changing the bed-
clothing for ventilation or for the insertion of a commode beneath him. I am also
aware that it is broadly old to combine a lounge or bed and a medical operating
table.
My invention differs from all others of which I have knowledge in various details
of construction and arrangement of parts, whereby a simpler and less expensive
organization than those heretofore used is produced, but more effective in operation
and having a wider range of usefulness.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, 1 declare that what I
claim is
1st. In a combined invalid-bed and operating table a stationary lower section, a
movable upper section, means for elevating and depressing the same, said upper
section being composed of a lower rectangular frame carrying the foot-board
extending above the horizontal plane of the bed, a central portion, as G, secured on
said frame, sections 7 k, hinged upon either side of said central portion, and con-
necting devices adapted to be attached at one end to the lower end of the hinged
foot-section and at the other end adapted to be secured to the foot-board, whereby
when said hinged section is connected to the foot-board by said devices it is elevated
to an inclined position, substantially as described.
2nd. In an invalid-bed, a stationary lower section, a movable upper section, rods
pivoted at each end to the same, a shaft passing through the lower section and
provided with cams near either end adapted to bear against the upper section, the
sides of the lower frame being cut out for the reception of the cams and having
shoulders against which the outer surfaces of the cams bear when elevated, pins
adapted for insertion in holes in said side pieces whereby backward movement of
the cams is prevented, and a lever for rotating the shaft.
3rd. In a combined invalid-bed and operating table, a stationary lower section, a
movable upper section, means for elevating and depressing the same, said upper
section being composed of a lower rectangular frame carrying the foot-board
extending above the horizontal plane of the bed, buttons secured on said foot-board,
a central portion, as G, secured on said lower rectangular frame, and sections i
and, hinged upon either side of said central portion, the hinged foot-section k
being provided at its lower end with straps, whereby when said hinged section is
connected to the foot-hoard by said straps it is elevated to an inclined position.
4th. In a combined invalid-bed and operating table, a stationary lower section, a
movable upper section, and means for elevating and depressing the latter, said
upper section being composed of a lower rectangular frame, a foot-board carried
thereby extending above the horizontal plane of the bed, said foot-board having
apertures formed therein, buttons secured to the sides thereof, a raised central
portion G, secured upon said rectangular frame, a section i, hinged to said central
portion and carrying the head-board, a foot section, hinged to the opposite side
of said central portion and composed of two parts hinged together, the lower
section o, swinging in a direction opposite from the other, whereby a double inclined
plane is formed, and straps upon the lower end of said section o whereby when the
straps are secured to the buttons on the foot-board said section is elevated to an
inclined position.
5th. In the herein described invalid-bed and operating table, the following
instrumentalities, to wit: a stationary lower section, a movable upper section com-
prising a lower rectangular frame, a raised portion G, secured thereto, a hinged

page_text: head section i, carrying the movable head-board, a hinged foot section composed of
two parts hinged to swing in opposite directions, means for elevating and depressing
the upper section, a foot-board carried upon the lower end of said rectangular
frame and having apertures formed therein, buttons secured in the sides of said
apertures, straps upon the lower part o of the hinged foot-section adapted when
secured upon said buttons to elevate the entire foot-section to an inclined position,
stirrup-irons, as qq, removably secured upon the foot-board, and an adjustable
weight-pulley also attached thereto.
6th. In a combined invalid-bed and operating table a stationary lower section, a
movable upper section, said upper section comprising a lower rectangular frame
having a hinged foot-board upon one end, a raised portion, as G, secured upon said
frame, a head section i, hinged to the part G, a foot-section as k, hinged to said
part G upon the opposite side from the section i, buttons upon said hinged foot-
board, and straps upon the foot-section of the bed, whereby when the foot-board is
swung above the horizontal plane of the bed and the straps secured on the buttons
an inclined plane is formed by said foot-section, substantially as described.
Dated this 22nd day of October 1890.
FELL & WILDING,
1, Queen Victoria Street, London, E.C., Agents for the Applicant.