Patent ID: 7986141

Claim:
A patient bed comprising: a bed surface configured to receive a patient thereon; a socket in said bed surface having electrical socket contacts therein; an electrical device configured to interact with the patient while the patient is on the bed surface, said electrical device comprising a plug with electrical plug contacts thereon, said plug being pluggable into, and removable from, said socket to make and break electrical connections between said socket contacts and said plug contacts; a force generator associated with said socket that generates a force that interacts with said plug to at least assist at least one plug action selected from the group consisting of insertion of said plug into said socket and removal of said plug from said socket said force generator comprising a sealed space between said socket and said plug and a pump communicating with said sealed space, said pump being operable to produce at least one of a negative pressure in said sealed space to pull said plug toward said socket and to generate an overpressure in said sealed space forcing said plug away from said socket; and said plug comprising a plug guide and said socket comprising a guide receptacle in which said plug guide moves during said at least one plug action, and wherein said sealed space is formed between said plug guide and said guide receptacle upon insertion of said plug into said socket.