Patent ID: 7856682

Claim:
A patient lift and transfer device comprising: an elongate base; a plurality of wheels attached to a bottom of said base; and a transfer table supported by said base and sized to accommodate a person, said transfer table having upper and lower table portions surrounded by respective upper and lower belts which counter-rotate as the table moves between a patient and a support surface, said lower table portion having a first set of pinch rollers affixed thereto, said upper table portion having a second set of pinch rollers which are movable between an extended position wherein said upper and lower belts are forcibly engaged between said first and second sets of pinch rollers and a retracted position wherein said upper and lower belts are disengaged without relative movement of said upper and lower table portions, and at least one side of said upper table portion having one or more edge rollers which engage said upper belt and translate between an extended position wherein said upper belt is taut and a retracted position wherein said upper belt has slack.