Patent ID: 7500280

Claim:
Apparatus for supporting a patient, the patient producing a weight force having a vertical direction, the weight force including a first force vector having a first magnitude and a second force vector having a second magnitude, the first force vector having a first direction aligned at angle relative to the direction of the weight force, the second force vector having a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, the apparatus comprising: a supply configured to receive a control signal and supply a compressible medium in response to the control signal; a patient support including an inflatable portion coupled to the supply to receive the compressible medium therefrom, the inflatable portion being configured to be pressurized by the compressible medium; a pressure sensor coupled to the inflatable portion of the patient support to be exposed to the pressure therein, the pressure sensor being configured to generate a pressure signal in response to the pressure; a force sensor positioned to detect the first magnitude of the first force vector, the force sensor being configured to generate a force signal in response to the first magnitude; and a controller coupled to the pressure sensor to receive the pressure signal therefrom and coupled to the force sensor to receive the force signal therefrom, the controller being configured to generate the control signal in response to the pressure signal and the force signal so that the supply automatically keeps the inflatable portion of the patient support at a desired pressure based on the force signal continuously through movement of at least a portion of the patient support from a first position to a second position.