IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR MOVING INVALIDS
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Barlow, of Pakenham Street, Gray's Inn Road,
in the County of Middlesex, and Mary Burtenshaw, of 20, Endsleigh Street,
Euston Square, in the same County, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR MOVING INVALIDS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Barlow and Mary
Burtenshaw at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 6th December
1877.
ALFRED BARLOW, of Pakenham Street, Gray's Inn Road, in the County of
Middlesex, and MARY BURTENSHAW, of 20, Endsleigh Street, Euston Square, in
the same County. "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR MOVING INVALIDS."
This Invention is designed to enable invalids to be readily raised and moved
about from place to place or position to position without its being necessary for
these purposes to lay hands upon the person to be moved.
Cross pieces or strips of suitable material, such as woven fabric, are arranged
beneath the body of the person to be moved; these cross pieces or strips are
arranged to fasten at their ends to longitudinal bars provided with transverse rods,
whereby the distance apart of the longitudinal bars may be adjusted. The
longitudinal bars, transvers rods, and cross pieces or strips, when together, as
described, form a stretcher. This stretcher is suspended by cords or other suitable
connections to a longitudinal shaft or bar which rests upon standards, forming parts
of a folding structure, which can be placed upon a bed, or floor, or elsewhere. The
cross pieces or strips having been placed under the body of the person to be moved
and secured to the longitudinal bars, the stretcher can be easily raised by turning
the longitudinal shaft or bar, and so winding upon it the cords or material by which
the stretcher is suspended. When the stretcher has been thus raised with its load
it can be moved to one side or the other, or otherwise, or the stretcher may be
disconnected from the longitudinal shaft or bar and carried to any desired
lene

page_text: It will be evident that by the use of our Invention invalids may be raised in bed
for any purpose, or otherwise moved much more easily and with far less trouble
and inconvenience to the mover and less pain to the sufferer than would result
from removal by hand or by the use of apparatus such as heretofore usually
employed.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Alfred Barlow and Mary Burtenshaw in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 4th June 1878.
ALFRED BARLOW, of Pakenham Street, Gray's Inn Road, in the County of
Middlesex, and MARY BURTENSHAW, of 20, Endsleigh Street, Euston Square, in
the same County. "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR MOVING INVALIDS."
This Invention is designed to enable invalids to be readily raised and moved
about from place to place or position to position without its being necessary for
these purposes to lay hands upon the person to be moved.
Cross pieces or strips of suitable material, such as woven fabric, are arranged
beneath the body of the person to be moved; those cross pieces or strips are
arranged to fasten at their ends to longitudinal bars provided with transverso rods,
whereby the distance apart of the longitudinal bars may be adjusted. The
longitudinal bars, transverse rods, and cross pieces or strips, when together, as
described, form a stretcher. This stretcher is suspended by cords or other suitable
connections to a longitudinal shaft or bar which rests upon standards forming parts
of a folding structure, which can be placed upon a bed, or floor, or elsewhere. The
cross pieces or strips having been placed under the body of the person to be moved
and secured to the longitudinal bars of the stretcher it can be easily raised by
turning the longitudinal shaft or raising bar, and so winding upon it the cords or
material by which the stretcher is suspended. When the stretcher has been thus
raised with its load it can be moved to one side or the other, or otherwise, or the
stretcher may be disconnected from the longitudinal raising shaft or bar and carried
to any desired place.
It will be evident that by the use of our Invention invalids may be raised in bed
for any purpose, or otherwise moved much more easily, and with far less trouble
and inconvenience to the mover and less pain to the sufferer than would result
from removal by hand or by the use of apparatus such as heretofore usually
employed.
In the accompanying Drawings Fig. 1 shews in side elevation our improved
apparatus in position on a bed, the stretcher being raised off the bed.
Fig. 2 is a plan of the apparatus, and Fig. 3 is an end view thereof.
Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view to a larger scale of the stretcher.
a, a, are portable standards or frames, each with a hinge or joint at a¹, and taking
at their lower ends into holes or recesses in a horizontal part b. The parts 6 are
fastened by bolts and nuts to a longitudinal rail c; thus the framework is able to
fold up in a small space when not in use, and when unfolded, as shewn, the parts b

page_text: and c retain standards or frames a in their proper relativo positions; d is the
longitudinal shaft or raising bar (provided with a fixed handle e) resting upon the
standards or frames a, and to which the stretcher is suspended by bands ff, secured
to the said shaft or raising bar. The lower ends of these bands are looped at f¹, so
that they may be readily placed on the handles of the stretcher; g, g, are the longi-
tudinal bars of the stretcher; h, the transverse rods whereby the longitudinal bars
gare kept at a suitable distance apart to give the required tension to the cross
pieces or strips g³, which, at their ends are formed with eyelet holes, as shewn in
Fig. 1, so that the width of the stretcher may be adjusted to suit circumstances.
The cross pieces or stripes g' are secured to the longitudinal bars g by pins i, as
shewn, or other convenient means of attachment may be employed. Each
transverse rod h has near one end a collar or projection h¹ bearing against a washor
surrounding the orifice of the hole in the longitudinal bar, through which the said
end of the transverse rod passes, so that a handle may be slid on to the square part
of the end of the rod for turning the rod, as shown, dotted to the left, in Fig. 4.
Towards the other end each transverse rod h is formed with a screw thread, and
the screwed part passes through a nut h³, secured to a longitudinal bar g, through
which the screwed part of the transverso rod passes freely, as shown, to the right
in Fig. 4, so that by turning the transverse rods h in one direction or the other the
longitudinal bars g will be caused to approach or recede from one another. k is a
small loop or band fixed to one of the standards or frames a, so that by passing
the said loop over the handle e the shaft & may be kept from revolving, and the
stretcher be thus retained in any position to which it may have been raised; for
example, as shewn in Figs. 1 and 3.
Figs. 5 and 6 shew a modification in the arrangement of the upper portions of
the portable folding standards or frames. In this arrangement one inclined
member a¹ of the frame is made shorter than the other, a², and the prolongation of
the latter carries a metal socket 7, constructed with a tubular bearing, through
which passes the shaft or bar d. Each portable folding standard or frame being
thus provided with a socket and bearing, the shaft or bar & will serve to steady the
standards or end frames, so that the longitudinal part e may be dispensed with.
In some cases also we dispense with the parts b, and substitute cords a*, as shewn
by the dotted line in Fig. 3.
Figs. 7 and 8 shew a modification in which the bar d, instead of being arranged,
itself to revolve, is fastened to the standards or frames, and provided with pulleys
d', around which are passed the cords or bands to which the stretcher is suspended;
these cords or bands pass over a guide pulley d³ to a shaft or barrel d³, revolving
with a worm wheel d, so that by turning the handle e of the worm shaft d, the
same result may be obtained as by turning the handle e in Fig. 1.
The following is the mode of using the apparatus in its several forms:-The
cross pieces or strips g¹ are passed under those portions of the body it is desired to
support. The extremities of the cross pieces or strips are secured to the longi-
tudinal bars g; the cross pieces are then tightened up by turning the transverse rods
h; by turning the handle the stretcher, with the body upon it, may be raised as ⚫
required, and if needed the stretcher may be removed from the supporting bands or
cords and carried by hand to any desired place.
It will be obvious that stretchers differing more or less in construction from that
shewn in the Drawings may be used in conjunction with rising apparatus, sub-
stantially such as herein described, without departing from the essential character
of the Invention.
The longitudinal shaft or raising bar d may be made telescopic or in lengths to
fold up for portability. The longitudinal bars g of the stretcher may be similarly
constructed; and where it is desired to give an incline to the surface on which the
body is supported the said bars g may be supported by bands or cords at more than
two points in their length, and being hinged or jointed, the necessary incline may
be given by shortening the suspending cords or bands at those points which are
required to be higher.

page_text: Having thus described the nature of our said Invention, and the manner of
carrying it into practical effect, we desire it to be understood that what we consider
to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to us by the
Letters Patent herein-before in part recited is,-
The use in combination of a stretcher and apparatus for moving it, substantially
as herein-before described.
We also claim the constructing apparatus for moving invalids, as shewn in and
described with reference to Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4 of the Drawings.
We also claim such apparatus, when modified, as described with reference to
Figs. 5 and 6 of the Drawings.
We also claim such apparatus, when modified, as described with reference to
Figs. 7 and 8 of the Drawings.
We also claim the improved construction of stretcher, shewn in and described
with reference to Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4 of the Drawings.
In witness whereof, we, the said Alfred Barlow and Mary Burtenshaw, have
hereunto set our hands and seals, this Thirty-first day of May, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and soventy-eight.
ALFRED BARLOW.
(L.S.)