Patent ID: 7627912

Claim:
A patient lifting system comprised of: a) a vest component adjustably proportioned to fit upon the torso of a patient and comprised of: 1) a rear panel of compliant strong material having a front and rear surface and a substantially trapezoidal perimeter defined by two laterally opposed edges upwardly convergent about a center of symmetry, an upper horizontal edge which meets with said laterally opposed edges to form upper corners, and a lower horizontal edge of greater length than said upper edge, and meeting with said laterally opposed edges to form lower corners, 2) a shoulder strap upwardly emergent from each upper corner, downwardly descendant forwardly of said front surface to attachment with the corresponding lower corner, an upper portion of said shoulder strap being of thickened construction to function as a front lifting handle, a lower portion of said strap being padded so as to function as a forearm support, and length adjustment means interactive between said upper and lower portions, and 3) an upper rear lifting strap associated with the upper horizontal edge of said rear panel, and b) a leg belt component extending between releasable interactive buckling extremities adapted to enable said belt component to form a closed loop of adjustable size adapted to tightly embrace the patient's legs just below the knees.