Patent ID: 8381331

Claim:
An apparatus for turning a patient from a supine to prone position and from a prone to supine position, comprising: a first-lifting column having a top end and a bottom end; a second-lifting column having a top end and a bottom end: a first-spindle assembly disposed over the top end of the first-lifting column; a second-spindle assembly disposed over the top end of the second-lifting column; a first-COG assembly coupled to the first-spindle assembly; a second-COG assembly coupled to the second-spindle assembly; a posterior platen having a first-frame assembly, the first-frame assembly coupled to a posterior-platen-latch assembly of the first-COG assembly, and further coupled to a lower-latch assembly of the second-COG assembly, the posterior platen having a patient support area; an anterior platen having a second-frame assembly, the second-frame assembly coupled to an anterior-platen-latch assembly of the first-COG assembly, and further coupled to an anterior-platen-latch assembly of the second-COG assembly, the anterior platen having a patient-support area; and a safety belt system coupled between the anterior platen and the posterior platen, wherein the first COG assembly comprises: a housing; an upper pair of rack shafts, each disposed at least partially within the housing, each coupled to one of a pair of pinion gears, and each of the upper pair of rack shafts spaced apart from each other by a first distance; a lower pair of rack shafts, each disposed at least partially within the housing, each coupled to one of the pair of pinion gears, and each of the lower pair of racks spaced apart from each other by a second distance; and a gas shock absorber, disposed in the housing and mechanically connected to the anterior platen-latch assembly; wherein the first distance is greater than the second distance; and wherein a first one of the upper pair of rack shafts and a first one of the lower pair of rack shafts are each coupled to a first-pinion gear of the pair of pinion gears in a first-dual-rack-and-pinion arrangement, and a second one of the upper pair of rack shafts and a second one of the lower pair of rack shafts are each coupled to a second-pinion gear of the pair of pinion gears in a second-dual-rack-and-pinion arrangement.