Patent ID: 6968584

Claim:
A patient support apparatus, comprising: an elongate frame having a head end, a foot end and lateral sides; a patient support deck mounted on said frame, said patient support deck including a head section, a seat section and a foot section, said foot section including first and second sections; a hinge assembly interconnecting said seat section and said first section and for pivotally supporting said first section for movement to and between a generally horizontal position and a generally vertical position; an extendible and retractable track assembly for supporting said second section on said first section and for movement between an extended position wherein said foot section has a longest dimension and a retracted position wherein said foot section has a shortest dimension; a latch mechanism configured to latch said second extension to said first extension; and a floor engaging latch release mechanism configured to effect an unlatching of said latch mechanism in response to an engagement thereof with a floor surface on which said patient support apparatus is supported and permit a relative movement between said first and second sections as said foot section transitions between said generally horizontal position and said generally vertical position.