Collapsible Stretcher Having Removable Bed Section

Abstract

A collapsible and portable stretcher having a breakdown rectangular frame and a flexible sheet forming a bed for the stretcher but removable therefrom. The flexible sheet has side flats which can be drawn and held together over the bed by way of hooks on one flap and cord-receiving members on the other flap, a cord being threaded through the cord-receiving members to form loops which are caught on the hooks, the cord then being drawn tight and snugged. The stretcher is rapidly disassembled and packed into a compact carrying pack formed from the bed itself and the removable flexible sheet can itself, without frame, be utilized for securing and carrying a patient.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

There is a pressing need in the medical and military fields for a light, easily assembled and disassembled collapsible stretcher which is still rigid and strong enough for demanding service. Furthermore, it would be most advantageous to have such a stretcher available which can be stored in a compact bundle in the disassembled state and which can be easily carried by one person. Although collapsible stretchers are available which can be put into service and collapsed quite quickly, all suffer from at least one of the disadvantages of being too heavy, too cumbersome in the disassembled state, not compact and easily packed and transported in the collapsed state, not rigid and strong enough when put in service or not easily maneuverable or even usable in difficulty accessible areas.

In U.S. Pat. No. 3,336,060, dated Aug. 15, 1967, the present inventor describes a collapsible stretcher having a takedown frame which is light, easily portable, rigid and strong. However, this stretcher has a number of disadvantages. Thus, although it is readily disassembled into a bundle of components, these components must be packed into a separate bag or container for carrying purposes. Loss of the carrying bag, such as under battlefield conditions, could cause a problem with respect to portability of the stretcher and/or loss of one or more of the components thereof. There is a further disadvantage in this prior art stretcher in the time required to secure the patient to the bed of the stretcher if such is necessary. Another problem resides in removal of an injured person from difficulty accessible areas using this prior art structure. Although it can be quickly assembled at any location, there could be difficulty in removing the assembled, rigid structure with a casualty thereon from a difficult area.

A portable and collapsible stretcher has now been devised which overcomes problems encountered with prior art stretchers with respect to portability, rapid securing of a casualty and accessibility to and/or from difficult areas.

SUMMARY

The collapsible and portable stretcher of the invention has a rectangular, takedown frame comprising two end frame members, each having a tubular connecting member subtended by and connected to a housing member at each end, and two side frame members releasably connected to the housing members to form the frame. The side frame members comprise at least two tubular sections releasably connected end to end. A flexible sheet is removably located on the frame and forms a bed for the stretcher. The sheet has a central bed section located between the sides of the frame, two longitudinal sleeves through which the side frame members extend and two end flap members located over and attached to the tubular connecting members on the ends of the frame. The flexible sheet also has two side flaps located along and outside each longitudinal sleeve with hook fasteners along the edge of one side flap and cord-receiving members along the edge of the outer side flap. The flap with the cord-receiving members has a cord attached to one end with the cord being threaded through the cord-receiving members to form loop portions between them. The loops engage with the hook fasteners when the side flaps are folded over the central bed section and a tightening and securing means on the stretcher is used to tighten and hold the cord when the loops have been engaged with the hook fasteners.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an easily disassembled collapsible stretcher which can be quickly stowed for carrying purposes.

A further object of the invention is to provide a strong but collapsible stretcher with a removable bed portion which can itself be used as a flexible stretcher for use in difficulty accessible areas.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a collapsible stretcher embodying the invention, shown with a portion thereof broken away;

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view of a variation of an end flap of the stretcher taken through line 2--2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the stretcher shown in FIG. 1 with a casualty secured therein;

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken through line 4--4 of FIG. 3 but with side flaps of the stretcher retained underneath the bed portion thereof;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the stretcher shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 disassembled and stowed, using the bed portion as a carrying case therefor; and

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the bed portion of the stretcher shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, removed from the frame and containing a casualty strapped therein.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

An embodiment of the collapsible and portable stretcher device of the invention is shown in perspective in FIG. 1, fully assembled and ready to receive a casualty or patient. The stretcher 10 has a rectangular, tubular frame 11 similar to that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,336,060, dated Aug. 15, 1967, of the present inventor. The frame 11 has two end frame members 12, 13 and two side frame members 14, 15 releasably engageable with the end members 12, 13. Each of the end frame members 12, 13 comprises a tubular connecting member 16, 17 subtended at each end by and connected to housing members 18, 19 respectively. The side frame members 14, 15 are made of at least two sections, three sections 20 being shown in FIG. 1, releasably connected together end to end. The side frame members 14, 15, the housing members 18, 19 and the connecting members 16, 17 assembled as shown in FIG. 1 make up the rectangular tubular frame 11 for the stretcher 10.

The members of the frame 11 are advantageously constructed in a manner similar to the stretcher frame disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,336,060, aforementioned. Thus, the sections 20 of the side frame members are releasably socketed together and are preferably connected to one another by flexible cord or chain members located in the ends of the sections and held in tension to allow the sections 20 of the side frame members to be positively and quickly socketed together when the stretcher is being assembled. The tubular connecting members 16, 17, which are subtended by the housing members 18, 19 to form the end frame members 12, 13, may be releasably connected to the housing members 18, 19, although as described hereinafter, the end frame members are advantageously left fully assembled when disassembling and stowing the stretcher for carrying by one person. As shown in FIG. 1, the housing members 18, 19 have inwardly projecting tube members 21, 22 respectively which provide connecting members for the side frame members 14, 15. Thus, the tubes 21 on the housing members 18 of the end frame member 12 provide, for example, releasable socket connections for female connecting ends on the side members 14,15 and the tubes 22 on the housing members 19 of the end frame member 13 provide female connecting ends for releasable socket connections on the other ends of the side members 14, 15.

The housing members 18, 19 have outwardly projecting tubes 23, 24, opposite tubes 21, 22, which provide handle connections for the stretcher. Handle members 25 are advantageously releasably socketed into the tubes 23, 24. When the stretcher is disassembled the handles 25, which are preferably inwardly attached to the tubes 23, 24 by flexible chains or cords, can be removed from the tubes 23, 24 and folded inwardly along the connecting members 16, 17. As shown in FIG. 1, the housing members have tubular leg members 26 preferably releasably attached thereto by way of downwardly projecting tubes on the housing members and socket portions 27 are located on the top of the housing members 18, 19 to receive vertical support members upon which another stretcher can be placed in bunk style.

A flexible sheet 28 forms a bed for the stretcher 10 and the sheet 28 comprises a central bed section 29 located between the side frame members 14, 15, a pair of longitudinal sleeves 30, 31 through which the side frame members 14, 15 extend, two end flap members 32, 33 which are located over and attachable to the tubular connecting members 16, 17 respectively, and two side flap members 34, 35 integral with and located along and outside the longitudinal sleeves 30, 31 respectively. The side flap 34 has a series of hook fasteners 36 located along the edge thereof and cord-receiving members, such as loops or grommets 37, as shown in FIG. 1, are located along the edge of the other side flap 35. A cord member 38 is threaded through the grommets 37 shown in FIG. 1 and one end of the cord 38 is attached at one end of the side flap 35. Portions of the cord 38 between the grommets 37 can be pulled out to form loops 39 which are engageable with the hook fasteners 36 when the side flap members 34, 35 are folded over the central bed section 29. A tightening means 40 is attached to the stretcher and the other end of the cord member 38 is engageable therewith and the cord 38 is tightened and then held by the tightening means 40 in order to hold the flap members 34, 35 tightly in folded position over the central bed section 29.

Although the end flaps 32, 33 are shown in FIG. 1 as being merely draped over the tubular connecting members 16, 17 respectively, the flaps 32, 33 are attached to the connecting members 16, 17, such as by way of attachment straps 41, 42, respectively which are integral with the flaps 32, 33, perpendicular to the connecting members and are drawn through and held by holding means located under and attached to the central bed section 29, such as buckles 43. The arrangement of one of the flaps 32 and the attachment strap 41 around the connecting member 16 and through the buckle 43 is clearly shown in FIG. 2 which is an enlarged sectional view of an end portion of the stretcher taken along line 2--2 of FIG. 1. In FIG. 2 an alternative additional feature which may be associated with the end flaps 32, 33 is shown in the form of a separate permanently closed flap or loop member 44 attached to the end flap 32, with the connecting member 16 being located therethrough. A similar loop member may be located at the other end of the stretcher on the end flap 33. The loop members 44 serve to keep the end frame members 12, 13 connected to the flexible sheet 28 to prevent accidental displacement of an end frame member when the frame 11 is disassembled and stowed in the sheet 28, as described hereinafter. The straps 41, 42 are shown broken away under the central bed section 29 in FIG. 1 but these straps are advantageously one continuous strap running from end to end on the underneath side of the sheet 28 and attached thereto along its full length, as partially shown in the broken away sectional view of FIG. 2. This continuous nature of the straps 41, 42 allows the central bed section 29 to be tightened lengthwise by tightening the straps 41, 42 on the buckles 43 while avoiding direct stress on the section 29 of the sheet 28.

Referring now to FIG. 3, taken in conjunction with FIG. 1, the stretcher 10 of FIG. 1 is shown with a casualty or patient restrained therein. The patient is placed on the central bed section 29 and the side flap members 34, 35 are folded over the patient, the cord member 38 is loosened to allow the loops 39 to engage with the hook fasteners 36 and the cord 38 is tightened and held by the tightening means 40, which is advantageously a quick release device located on the side flap 35 through which the cord 38 is drawn, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3. The end flap members 32, 33 are shown attached around the connecting members 16, 17 respectively in FIG. 3. The patient is held firmly in position by way of shoulder-restraining strap members 45 and foot-restraining strap members 46 attached to the upper side of the central bed section 29 at opposite ends thereof as shown in FIG. 1. The shoulder straps 45 are engageable with first fastening members such as buckles 47 located on and at one end of the side flap members 34, 35 and the foot straps 46 are engageable with second fastening members such as buckles 48 located on and at the other end of the side flap members 34, 35. In FIG. 3 the shoulder straps 45 are shown placed around the shoulders of the patient and tightened and cinched in the buckles 47 but the foot straps 46 are shown merely stowed under the feet of the patient. The straps 46 may be secured around the feet of the patient and then tightened and cinched in the buckles 48. Advantageously, each of the straps 46 are looped around the sole of a foot of the patient and then attached to an opposite one of the buckles 48. The shoulder straps 45 are stowed when not in use by feeding them through and around side loops 49 (only one being shown in FIG. 1) and loop 50 located at the centerline of the bed section 29. The foot straps 46 are stowed as shown in FIG. 3 by feeding them through and around side loops 51 and center loop 52, one of the straps 46 being shown stowed in this manner in FIG. 1.

Advantageously, two cross tightening straps 53 are attached to and located under the central bed section 29, as shown in FIG. 1, the straps 53 being so located so as to take up slack in the sheet 28 above and below the hips of a person located in the stretcher. Carrying members or loops 54 are attached to the end flaps 32, 33 at each side thereof and are utilized for carrying the flexible sheet 28 removed from the frame 11 with a person secured thereon as described hereinafter. A carrying strap 56 is advantageously attached at one end of the flexible sheet 28 to provide means for carrying the rolled up sheet with disassembled members of the frame 11 stowed therein. Furthermore, securing flaps 57, shown in FIG. 1, are advantageously attached at one end of the flexible sheet 28 with first fastening devices such as dome fasteners 58 thereon engaging with second fastening devices such as dome fasteners 59 located on the sheet 28. The flaps 57 and the fasteners 58, 59 as so placed to allow the flaps to close off the ends of the sheet 28 when rolled up with the collapsed or disassembled members of the frame 11 stowed therein as shown in FIG. 5. The carrying loops 54 subtend crosswise strap 55 attached to the end flap 32 but on the end flap 33 the loops 54 are advantageously attached to the undersides of the flaps 57, as shown in FIG. 1 and in FIG. 6, referred to hereinafter.

Referring now to FIG. 4, instead of being folded and secured over a person on the stretcher, as shown by broken lines 60, the side flaps 34, 35 may be folded under the central bed section 29 with the loops 39 in the cord 38 being engaged in the hook fasteners 36 and the cord 38 then being drawn tightly. Advantageously, the side flaps 34, 35 are stowed in this underneath position when the stretcher is disassembled and rolled up as shown in FIG. 5.

When disassembling and stowing the stretcher, referring to FIG. 1, the side flaps 34, 35 are secured under the central bed section 29, as shown in FIG. 4, the side frame members 14, 15 are released from the tubes 21, 22 of the housing members 18, 19 and are drawn out of the longitudinal sleeves 30, 31. The sections 20 of the side frame members 14, 15 are then unsocketed and folded upon each other. The handles 25 are unsocketed from the tubes 23, 24 on the housing members 18, 19 and are folded against the connecting members 16, 17. The straps 45, 46 are preferably stowed around the loops 49, 50 and the loops 51, 52 respectively. The sections 20 of the side members 14, 15 are bundled against the connecting member 16 along with the handles 25 at the end of the stretcher. The whole end frame member 12 is then rolled with the sections 20 in the sheet member 28 towards the other end of the stretcher but with the sheet 28 turned over from the position shown in FIG. 1. The whole end frame member 13 is rolled together with the end frame member 12 and the sections 20 to form a bundle 61 as shown in FIG. 5 so that the flaps can be drawn around and close off the open ends of the rolled sheet 28 with the frame members 11 stowed therein and so the dome fasteners 58 meet and engage with the dome fasteners 59 (seen in FIG. 1). The bundle 61 can then be easily carried by one person by way of the carrying strap 56. The bundle is made more rigid and more easily packed by socketing the end frame members 12, 13 together by way of tube members or spigots 21, 22. Assembling of the stretcher is carried out by merely reversing the afore-described procedure.

It is to be noted that, if desired, the sleeves 30, 31 may be relieved by openings or notches to allow easy access to the sections 20 of the side members 14, 15 and in particular to allow access to the joins between the sections 20 and permit separation of the sections 20 for separate removal of each section if need be in close quarters. Such openings in the sleeves 30, 31 alternatively allow easy folding of the separated sections 20 one upon the other while still in the sleeves 30, 31 to permit portability of the stretcher in a compact state without removal of the side members 14, 15 from the sleeves 30, 31.

One of the main advantages of the stretcher device of the present invention is the feature of complete removability of the flexible sheet 28 from the frame 11 and the use of the flexible sheet without frame as a flexible securing and supporting means for an injured person. Such a feature is, of course, most useful in removing people from close and/or difficulty accessible quarters. Referring to FIG. 6, an injured or ill person is seen secured in the flexible sheet 28 with all members of the frame 11 (see FIG. 1) removed therefrom. In such case the disassembled stretcher stowed as shown in FIG. 5 is unrolled and the end frame members 12, 13 are removed therefrom by unfastening the end flap members 32, 33. The casualty is placed on the central bed section 29 of the flexible sheet 28 after the side flaps 34, 35 have been released and placed each side of the central section 29. The side flaps 34, 35 are then placed over the casualty and are secured by engaging the loops 39 with the hooks 36, the cord 38 then being pulled tight and snugged. The shoulder straps 45 are then placed around the casualty's shoulders and are tightened and secured in the buckles 47. The foot straps 46 are also secured around the feet of the casualty and any slack around the hips of the casualty is taken up by tightening the straps 53, if desired. The casualty is then transported easily by two persons by way of the carrying loops 54. The complete frame 11 of the stretcher is easily placed in position on the flexible sheet 28, when and if desired, by feeding the assembled side frame members 14, 15 into the longitudinal sleeves 30, 31, socketing the side frame members 14, 15 together with the end frame members 12, 13, securing the end flap members 32, 33 over the connecting members 16, 17 and socketing the handles 25 into place on the housing members 18, 19. The stretcher is thereby very quickly assembled and ready for use.

It is to be noted that a further advantageous feature of the present stretcher is its usability with a fracture board located on the bed section with the patient then being secured as before with the side flaps and the shoulder and foot straps.

It can be seen that the stretcher of the present invention is exceedingly versatile and can be used to reach inaccessible areas while being carried in a compact bundle by one man. With a frame made from extruded aluminum and a bed section fabricated of flexible, but strong and durable, plastic the stretcher is very light and yet strong and rigid. At the same time, the stretcher is easily and economically fabricated and is therefore quite inexpensive compared with stretchers of the prior art. Fabrication of the frame of the stretcher from a light but strong and durable plastic, such as polycarbonate plastic, further reduces the total weight of the stretcher. The complete removability of the bed section from the frame with separate use of this bed section as a litter in which to secure and carry a casualty is, of course, a most attractive feature of the stretcher of the present invention.

Claims

What I claim: as my invention is:

1. A collapsible and portable stretcher device having a rectangular tubular frame with two end frame members and two side frame members engageable with the end frame members, each of said end frame members comprising a tubular connecting member subtended at each end by a housing member connected thereto, each of said side frame members comprising at least two tubular sections releasably connected end to end, said side frame members being releasably connected to said housing members to form said rectangular tubular frame, and a flexible sheet forming a bed for said stretcher, said sheet comprising a central bed section located between said side frame members, a pair of longitudinal sleeves through which said side frame members extend, end flap members located over and attached to said tubular connecting members in said end frame members, two side flap members integral with and located along and outside each of said longitudinal sleeves, hook fasteners located along the edge of one side flap member, cord-receiving members located along the edge of the other side flap member, a cord member attached to said side flap member containing the cord-receiving members at one end thereof, said cord member being threaded through said cord-receiving members to form loop portions there between, said loops being engageable with said hook fasteners upon folding of said side flap members over said central bed section, and a tightening means for pulling said cord member tight and holding the same upon engagement of said loops with said hook fasteners, said flexible sheet member being removable from said frame for placement and securing of a person thereon without said frame connected thereto.

2. A stretcher device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the cord-receiving members are grommets.

3. A stretcher device as claimed in claim 1 wherein each end flap member of the flexible sheet has an attachment strap integral therewith and substantially perpendicular to the respective connecting member, each said attachment strap being releasably attached to a separate strap holding member located under and attached to the central bed section, said attachment straps being tightened to tighten said central bed section lengthwise.

4. A stretcher device as claimed in claim 3 wherein shoulder-restraining straps are attached to the upper side of the central bed section of the flexible sheet at one end thereof engageable with first fastening members located on the side flap members and foot-restraining straps are attached to the upper side of said central bed section at the other end thereof engageable with second fastening members located on the side flap members.

5. A stretcher device as claimed in claim 4 wherein the cord-receiving members are grommets.

6. A stretcher device as claimed in claim 1 wherein carrying members are attached to each side at each end of the flexible sheet to assist in supporting the flexible sheet with the frame removed therefrom and a person secured therein.

7. A stretcher device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the tightening means for the cord member is a quick release device through which the cord is drawn.

8. A stretcher device as claimed in claim 1 wherein each end flap member has a separate permanently closed loop member attached thereto through which each tubular connecting member is located.

9. A stretcher device as claimed in claim 1 wherein two tightening straps are located under and attached to and across the central bed section of the flexible sheet, said tightening straps being placed to take up slack in the sheet above and below the hips of a person located on the sheet.

10. A stretcher device as claimed in claim 1 wherein securing flaps are attached at one end of the flexible sheet with first fastening devices thereon engaging with second fastening devices also located on the flexible sheet, said securing flaps and said first and second fastening devices being so placed to allow said flaps to close off the ends of said sheet when rolled up with collapsed members of said frame stowed therein and a carrying strap is attached to said flexible sheet for carrying said rolled up sheet with the frame members stowed therein.

11. A stretcher device as claimed in claim 5 wherein carrying members are attached to each side at each end of the flexible sheet to assist in supporting the flexible sheet with the frame removed therefrom and a person secured therein and two tightening straps are located under and attached to and across the central bed section of the flexible sheet, said tightening straps being placed to take up slack in the sheet above and below the hips of a person located on the sheet.

12. A stretcher device as claimed in claim 11 wherein securing flaps are attached at one end of the flexible sheet with first fastening devices thereon engaging with second fastening devices also located on the flexible sheet, said securing flaps and said first and second fastening devices being so placed to allow said flaps to close off the ends of said sheet when rolled up with collapsed members of said frame stowed therein and a carrying strap is attached to said flexible sheet for carrying said rolled up sheet with the frame members stowed therein.