Patent ID: 7921489

Claim:
A patient care equipment support system for use in a room having a ceiling, the patient care equipment support system comprising a first arm mounted to the ceiling for pivotable movement, the first arm extending generally horizontally and carrying a first patient care equipment column, a second arm mounted to the ceiling for pivotable movement, the second arm extending generally horizontally and carrying a second patient care equipment column, at least one of the first and second arms being a telescopic arm that is extendable and retractable, the at least one telescopic arm being of non-round cross section when sectioned perpendicular to its length, a plurality of service lines routed through the at least one telescopic arm, and an energy chain situated in an interior region of the at least one telescopic arm, the plurality of service lines being grouped together inside the energy chain, the energy chain having a series of pivotably interconnected movable links of similar size and shape, the energy chain managing the movement of the plurality of service lines within the interior region as the at least one telescopic arm extends and retracts so that the plurality of service lines each are controlled by the energy chain to form an S-shaped pattern that is substantially the same for all of the plurality of service lines.