Patent ID: 6951034

Claim:
A wheeled carriage for supporting a patient in a substantially horizontal position, comprising: a patient support having head and foot ends and a pair of lateral sides intermediate said head and foot ends and a base supported on at least four floor surface engaging and castered wheels; brake means for braking and unbraking each of said floor surface engaging wheels, said brake means including a moveable control means moveable between a first position whereat said brake means brakes each wheel and a second position whereat said brake means is unbraked, said control means including a first control element oriented on an axis parallel to a longitudinal axis of said patient support and having a first manually manipulatible member connected to said first control element, said first manually manipulatible member being oriented adjacent at least one of said head and foot ends, whereby an attendant can operate said first manually manipulatible member from said at least one of said head and foot ends to effect a braking or unbraking of said wheels; said control element including at left one linkage member interconnecting to a first position of a multiple position releasable catch for holding said control element rotatably affixed until sufficient force is applied by the attendant to effect a release off said catch means and a rotative movement of said control element to a further postion whereat said at last one linkage member interconnects said control element to a second position at said multiple position releasable catch means; wherein said brake means includes at least one elastically yieldable elongate bar extending transversely of a longitudinal axis of said wheeled carriage and has adjacent opposite ends thereof a wheel engaging member, said elongate bar being suspended from said wheeled carriage by at lease a pair of laterally spaced springs so that said wheel engaging members are spaced from a peripheral surface of said castered wheels; a cam member pivotally secured to said elongate bar and being suspended therefrom, said cam member having at least two cam follower receiving positions thereon; a cam follower mounted on said wheeled carriage and configured to operatively engage a cam surface on said cam member, said pair of laterally spaced springs effecting a maintenance of engagement of said cam follower with said cam surface; and a linkage member interconnecting said control element with said cam member to effect, in response to an operation of said first manually manipulative member, a pivotal movement of said cam member and a relocation of said cam follower from one of said at least two cam follower receiving positions to another to cause to said elongate bar and said wheel engaging members thereon to be pulled downwardly against an urging of said at least a pair of laterally spaced springs and to cause said wheel engaging members to engage said peripheral surfaces of said castered wheels.