U.S. patent number 3,680,158 [Application Number 05/039,639] was granted by the patent office on 1972-08-01 for bedding support apparatus.
Invention is credited to Roy A. Speed.
United States Patent |
3,680,158 |
Speed |
August 1, 1972 |
BEDDING SUPPORT APPARATUS
Abstract
Support Apparatus for bedding comprising post means, means for
attaching the post means to the central portion of the foot of a
bed mattress support frame or to the central portions of the foot
board of the bed so that the post means is vertically disposed, a
cradle member having a first transverse section connected at its
central point to the top of the post means, the transverse section
having depending from the ends thereof two spaced apart
longitudinal sections extending in parallel relationship and each
having at least one stage of telescoping so as to be adjustable in
the longitudinal sense, and a second transverse section connected
to the other ends of the longitudinal sections whereby said cradle
member may be positioned a selected amount along and in spaced
parallel relationship with the mattress to thereafter serve as a
support for bedding.
Inventors: |
Speed; Roy A. (Brainerd,
MN) |
Family
ID: |
21906565 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/039,639 |
Filed: |
May 22, 1970 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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5758 |
Jan 26, 1970 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
5/505.1;
108/49 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47C
29/006 (20130101); A47C 21/024 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A47C
29/00 (20060101); A47C 21/00 (20060101); A47c
021/00 (); A47c 023/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;5/332,318,320,319,321
;108/49 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Gay; Bobby R.
Assistant Examiner: Calvert; Andrew M.
Parent Case Text
This application is a continuation-in-part of my application
entitled "Bedding Support Apparatus" filed January 26, 1970, Ser.
No. 5,758, now abandoned.
Claims
Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire
to secure by Letters Patent is:
1. Support apparatus for bedding and the like for use with a bed
having a horizontally disposed rectangular mattress support frame
lying between the foot and the head of the bed and with said frame
having a transverse foot member, said support apparatus
comprising:
a. post means;
b. means for attaching said post means to the central portion of
said transverse foot member of said mattress support frame, said
post means when so attached being vertically oriented with respect
to said horizontally disposed frame;
c. means for selectively adjusting said post means relative to said
attaching means along the longitudinal axis of said post means so
that the top end of said post means may be selectively vertically
adjusted with respect to the top of a mattress supported on top of
said mattress support frame;
d. a cradle member having a first transverse section, two spaced
longitudinal sections respectively depending in parallel
relationship from the two ends of said first transverse section,
said longitudinal sections each having at least one stage of
telescoping coacting parts to provide a means of adjustably varying
the longitudinal extent thereof, a second transverse section
connected to said longitudinal sections at or near the ends thereof
remote from said first transverse section so as to provide equal
and simultaneous longitudinal adjustability of said longitudinal
sections; and
e. means for connecting the central portion of said first
transverse section of said cradle member to the top of said post
means so that said cradle member is supported thereby and disposed
(when said post is vertically oriented with respect to said frame)
generally in a horizontal plane spaced above and parallel to said
mattress and extending from said foot of said bed forward toward
said head of said bed, whereby said cradle member may be (1)
positioned a selected distance above said mattress and (2) extended
longitudinally a selected amount along and in spaced parallel
relationship to said mattress to thereafter serve as a support for
bedding (e.g., a sheet) with the side of the bedding sloping
"tentlike" downwardly and outwardly from said longitudinal sections
toward the sides of said mattress to be thereafter tucked
thereunder and with the foot of the bedding sloping downwardly from
said first transverse section toward the foot of said mattress to
be thereafter tucked around said post means and under the foot of
said mattress.
2. Support apparatus as claimed in claim 1 further characterized by
said attaching means (b) and said adjusting means (c) comprising a
bracket adapted to coact with and to be connected to said central
portion of said transverse foot member of said frame, a tubular
socket connected to said bracket for receiving said post means, and
pin means on said tubular socket for coacting with a plurality of
detents on said post means.
3. Support apparatus as claimed in claim 1 hereof further
characterized by connecting means (e) comprising a socket portion
so as to permit said cradle member to be selectively connected to
or disconnected from the top of said post means.
4. Support apparatus as claimed in claim 1 further characterized by
connecting means (e) comprising a hinge member to permit said
cradle member to be selectively rotated away from its normal
horizontal position above said mattress.
5. Support apparatus as claimed in claim 1 hereof further
characterized by including an additional means attached to the
bottom of said post means and adapted to bear against the foot of
said bed so as to stabilize said cradle member in a horizontal
plane spaced above and parallel to said mattress.
6. Support apparatus as claimed in claim 1 further characterized by
said cradle member having at least one auxilliary transverse member
slidably connected at its ends to said longitudinal sections so as
to augment the support of bedding and to serve as a support means
for auxilliary apparatus such as a heat lamp.
7. Support apparatus as claimed in claim 1 further characterized by
said attaching means (b) comprising an adjustable two-part bracket
means which is adapted to coact with and be clamped to said central
portion of said transverse foot member of said frame, said two
parts of said two-part bracket means being adapted to be freely
abutted against the upper and the lower surfaces of said central
portion of said transverse foot member and thence held in such
abutting position by locking means associated therewith to thereby
hold said attaching means rigidly with respect to said bed
frame.
8. Support apparatus for bedding and the like for use with a bed
having a mattress support means generally horizontally disposed
between the foot and the head of the bed, said support apparatus
comprising:
a. post means;
b. means for attaching said post means to the central portion of
said foot of said bed, said post means when so attached being
vertically oriented with respect to said horizontally disposed
mattress support means;
c. means for selectively adjusting said post means relative to said
attaching means along the longitudinal axis of said post means so
that the top end of said post means may be selectively vertically
adjusted with respect to the top of a mattress supported on top of
said mattress means;
d. a cradle member having a first transverse section, two spaced
longitudinal sections respectively depending in parallel
relationship from the two ends of said first transverse section,
said longitudinal sections each having at least one stage of
telescoping coacting parts to provide a means of adjustably varying
the longitudinal extent thereof, a second transverse section
connected to said longitudinal sections at or near the ends thereof
remote from said first transverse section so as to provide equal
and simultaneous longitudinal adjustability of said longitudinal
sections; and
e. means for connecting the central portion of said first
transverse section of said cradle member to the top of said post
means so that said cradle member is supported thereby and disposed
(when said post is vertically oriented with respect to said
horizontally disposed mattress support means) generally in a
horizontal plane spaced above and parallel to said mattress and
extending from said foot of said bed forward toward said head of
said bed,
whereby said cradle member may be (1) positioned a selected
distance above said mattress and (2) extended longitudinally a
selected amount along and in spaced parallel relationship to said
mattress to thereafter serve as a support for bedding (e.g., a
sheet) with the sides of the bedding sloping "tentlike" downwardly
and outwardly from said longitudinal sections toward the sides of
said mattress to be thereafter tucked thereunder and with the foot
of the bedding sloping downwardly from said first transverse
section toward the foot of said mattress to be thereafter tucked
around said post means and under the foot of said mattress.
9. Support apparatus as claimed in claim 8 further characterized by
connecting means (e) comprising hinge means to permit said cradle
member to be selectively rotated away from its normal horizontal
position above said mattress.
10. Support apparatus as claimed in claim 1 further characterized
by connecting means (e) comprising hinge means to provide for at
least limited relative rotation between said cradle member and said
post means about a rotational axis, and adjustment means connected
between said cradle member and said post means to selectively
position said cradle means relative to said post means about said
rotational axis.
11. Support apparatus as claimed in claim 1 further characterized
by including means for selectively angularly adjusting the plane
defined by the cradle member with respect to the plane defined by
the top surface of said mattress.
12. Support apparatus as claimed in claim 8 further characterized
by attaching means (b) comprises a first member adapted to be
securely connected to said foot of said bed and a second member
connected between said first member and said post means so as to
support said post means in spaced relationship to said foot of said
bed.
Description
This invention has special application to the field of hospital
beds where, as is well known, patients frequently have problems
such as burns, ulcers, etc. on their legs and bodies which
necessitate that the bedding, e.g., sheets, blankets, or the like,
do not touch the skin surface of the patient. While it is essential
that the bedding be out of contact with the patient, it is usually
necessary that bedding be used to maintain the comfort (proper body
temperature and privacy of the patient. It is therefore necessary
to have a means for keeping the bedding in general proximity to the
patient but yet not in contact with the patient.
There have been numerous proposed prior arrangements for achieving
the above result but all of these prior arrangements for one reason
or another have been unsatisfactory. They are either very
expensive, extremely cumbersome and heavy requiring two or more
persons for the installation thereof, and/or they tend to have
apparatus in close proximity to the patient with which the patient
will engage or come in contact to his discomfort. Another
disadvantage of some prior arrangements is that they do not permit
the bedding to be tucked in around both the sides and the foot of
the mattress of the bed with resultant discomfort for the patient.
Some of the prior arrangements were conceived, so it would seem,
with cruel and inhuman treatment in mind because they were so
discomforting to the patient.
An object of my invention therefore is to provide a bedding support
means that is lightweight, easily installed by one person, which
will support bedding without having any apparatus with which the
patient will contact, and which will permit the bedding to be
tucked under both the sides and the foot of the bed.
Other objects and advantages of my invention will become apparent
to those skilled in the art upon reading the following detailed
description of a preferred embodiment and modifications thereof
wherein reference is made to the accompanying drawings in
which:
FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a hospital bed having mounted
thereon the bedding support apparatus;
FIG. 2 is a showing of details for the apparatus of FIG. 1; and
FIGS. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 depict modifications of my
invention.
Referring to FIG. 1, reference numeral 10 generally depicts a
hospital bed having a head 12 and a foot 14. The bed is shown
somewhat schematically so as to not detract from an understanding
of my invention. A horizontally disposed rectangular mattress
support frame 16 is supported in any of the well known arrangements
by the head 12 and foot 14 of bed 10. The frame 16 comprises a
transverse foot member 17, a transverse foot member 17, a
transverse head member 18, and two longitudinal side members 19 and
20. Although the frame 16 is shown to be of unitary or solid
construction it will be understood that the present invention may
be utilized with the widely used articulated type of frames that
permit the mattress to be elevated at the head, at the foot, at the
"knee" zone, etc.
Reference numeral 30 generally designates the bedding support
apparatus comprising a post means 40, an attaching means 50 and a
cradle member 60.
Post means 40 may be of a variety of configurations. It is depicted
in FIG. 2 as being tubular with a generally square cross section
but it will be understood that other cross sections, e.g.,
circular, triangular, oval, U-shaped, etc. may be used all within
the scope of this invention. Also it may be solid instead of
tubular if desired.
Attaching means 50 generally comprises a means for attaching post
means 40 to the central portion of the transverse foot member 17 of
the mattress support frame 16, the post means when so attached
being vertically oriented with respect to the horizontally disposed
frame 16. The attaching means 50 is shown in greater detail in FIG.
2 wherein it is depicted as including a bracket member 51 which has
an inverted "L" cross-section to generally conform with the top and
outboard external surfaces of the transverse foot member 17 of the
mattress support frame. A pair of spaced apart lugs 52 attached to
bracket 51 extend down and forward in hook-like fashion to serve as
a means for permitting the bracket 51 to be hooked onto and engaged
with the transverse frame member 17 to be held in place therewith.
As viewed in FIG. 2, the lugs 52 constrain bracket 51 from
counter-clockwise motion but do not constrain clockwise motion.
Thus the bracket 51 may be quickly attached to or detached from the
frame member 17. When so attached, the constraint against
counter-clockwise motion assures that the cradle member 60 will be
rigidly supported in parallel relationship with respect to the
horizontally disposed bed frame 16. Referring again to FIG. 2, the
attaching means 50 further comprises a tubular socket 54 attached
(such as by welding) to the bracket 51 in between the lugs 52.
Tubular socket 54 is connected at a right angle to bracket 51 so
that when the bracket member is attached to the mattress support
frame 17 the axis of tubular socket 54 will be generally vertical.
Tubular socket 54 is dimensioned so as to freely receive the post
means 40 to permit the post means 40 to be slid up or down (along
its longitudinal axis) with respect to the bracket means to be
thereafter held fixedly in place by any suitable means such as a
pin means 56 on socket 54 coacting with a plurality of holes or
detents 57 in post means 40.
The cradle member 60 comprises a first transverse section 61 and
two spaced apart longitudinal sections 63 and 65 which depend in
spaced apart parallel relationship from the two ends of the first
transverse section 61. Each of the longitudinal sections 63 and 65
have at least one stage of telescoping coacting parts to provide a
means of adjustably varying the longitudinal extent thereof. As
depicted in FIG. 1, each of the longitudinal sections has two
stages of telescoping. Thus longitudinal section 63 has a first
element 63A attached at one end to an end of transverse section 61,
and further comprises successively reduced elements 63B and 63C.
Longitudinal section 65 has corresponding elements 65A, 65B and
65C. The cradle member 60 further includes a second transverse
section 67 connected to the outer ends of elements 63C and 65C of
the longitudinal sections 63 and 65, i.e., at the ends thereof
remote from the first transverse section 61. By having the ends of
the longitudinal section 63 and 65 joined at both ends by the
transverse sections 61 and 67 and recognizing the function
permitted by the telescoping sections, it then follows that a means
has been provided for facilitating equal and simultaneous
longitudinal adjustability of the longitudinal sections 63 and 65
and hence of the entire cradle member 50. The cradle member, when
fully extended, preferably is long enough to extend to a point
adjacent to near the neck of a patient lying in the bed. The cradle
is retractable preferably to a length where it would be adjacent
the knees of a patient in the bed.
The central portion of the first transverse section 61 of cradle
member 60 is adapted to be connected to the top of the post means
40. In FIG. 1 this is shown as a rigid connection which may be a
welded connection and which may be preferred for some applications
of my invention.
However, it may be desired to have a means for selectively
disengaging the cradle member 50 from the post means 40. For
example, it may be desired to store the support apparatus 30 (when
not in use) with the post means 40 disengaged or separated from the
cradle member 50. One arrangement for accomplishing this is
depicted in FIG. 3 wherein a portion of a first transverse section
161 of a cradle member is shown having connected to the underside
of the central portion thereof a socket 162 attached by any
suitable means and said socket 162 being adapted to receive the top
of post means 140.
FIG. 4 shows yet another modification of the connection means
between the post means and the cradle member, the connection means
being in the form of a hinge element 241 fastened in between the
top of a post means 240 and a first transverse section 261 of a
cradle member. The hinge means is arranged to permit the cradle
member to be supported in the position of being horizontal and
spaced above a mattress (not shown) supported on the mattress frame
or to be pivoted counterclockwise as shown in FIG. 4 into or beyond
a vertical position.
In operation, the post means is adjusted along its longitudinal
axis with respect to the attaching or bracket means 50 so that the
top thereof is at a desired point above the surface of a mattress
(not shown) supported on the top of the mattress frame 16. With the
cradle member 60 attached to the top of post means 40, it follows
that by adjusting the post means along its longitudinal axis, i.e.,
in the vertical sense, with respect to the bracket means 50 then
the entire cradle member 60 will be positioned in a selected
distance above any such mattress. Further, by adjusting the
longitudinal extent of the cradle means by use of the telescoping
sections it follows that the cradle means may be extended
longitudinally from the foot of the bed a selected amount toward
the head of the bed in spaced parallel relationship to the mattress
to thereafter serve as a support for bedding.
It may be desirable to have the support means serve not only as a
support for bedding and the like but also for auxilliary apparatus
such as a heat lamp and to this and I have provided a plurality of
auxiliary transverse members 71 and 72 each of which is slidably
connected at its ends to the longitudinal section 63 and 65.
In operation once the cradle member has been positioned a selected
distance above the mattress and extended longitudinally a selected
amount along and in spaced parallel relationship to the mattress,
then bedding, e.g., a sheet, may be suspended over the cradle
member with the sides of the bedding sloping tent-like downwardly
and outwardly from the longitudinal sections 63 and 65 of the
cradle toward the sides of the mattress to be thereafter tucked
thereunder and with the foot of the bedding or sheet sloping
downwardly from the first transverse section 61 of the cradle
toward the foot of the mattress to be thereafter tucked around the
post means and under the foot of the mattress. Because the post
means is attached directly to the mattress support frame through
the attaching means 50, the bedding may be tucked directly under
the foot of the mattress and around the post means so that the
entire foot of mattress is enclosed by the bedding, i.e., along the
sides and under the foot, thus assuring patient comfort.
The entire apparatus may be very lightweight. For example, I have
found that light weight tubing, e.g., aluminum, works very
satisfactorily for the cradle member transverse sections 67, 71 and
72 and longitudinal sections 63 and 65. The apparatus may be easily
installed by one person such as a nurse or other hospital
personnel. The attaching means 50 is first connected to the frame
section 17. The post means 40 is then inserted into the tubular
socket 54 and adjusted along its longitudinal (vertical axis) as
desired and the cradle member 60 is extended as desired.
When the apparatus is in use, if desired, either the patient ot a
hospital attendant may further extend or retract the cradle. The
cradle, for example, might be temporarily retracted while the
patient changes from a reclined position to a sitting position. The
second transverse section 67 of the cradle may be grasped by either
the patient or the attendant for the longitudinal adjustment, i.e.,
extension or retraction.
At all times the patient is assured of maximum comfort. It is most
improbable that his limbs or body would inadvertently strike the
support apparatus. Further, the bedding may be tucked under the
matress along the sides and across the foot thereof assuring proper
body temperature and privacy.
As discussed, the lugs 52 constrain bracket 51 (and hence the
entire post means 40 and cradle member 60) from counterclockwise
movement about the axis of bracket 51 as viewed in FIG. 2. This
assures that cradle member 60 will be securely held above and in
spaced parallel relationship with the mattress. If it is desired to
further stabilize and lock the cradle member in this position, then
a stabilizer 80 may be utilized. In FIG. 2, the stabilizer 80 is
shown attached to the lower portion of the tubular socket 54. The
stabilizer 80 includes an arm 81 extending out from socket 54 at a
right angle toward an appropriate section (not shown) of the foot
14 of the bed. A suitable means (e.g. screw threads) associated
with arm 81 permits its longitudinal extent to be selectively
adjusted so that a solid connection is established between the foot
of the bed and the socket 54. Thus bracket 51 is further
constrained against counterclockwise movement (as viewed in FIG. 2)
and the entire support apparatus is thus stabilized as aforesaid.
With stabilizer 80 installed as in FIG. 2, the bracket 51 is not
constrained against clockwise motion. If there was apprehension
that the patient would push up on the transverse section 67 of the
cradle 60 and thus tend to disengage the bracket 51 from the frame
member 17, this can be prevented by attaching stabilizer 80 to the
upper portion of the tubular socket 54, i.e., above the top surface
of the bed frame.
I have also recognized that, from one model bed to another, there
is some variation in the size of the bed frame, i.e., in the
"cross-section" dimensions. It is desirable, for a bedding support
apparatus that is to be used with beds with such varying frames, to
have an attaching means that may be adjustable to fit all such
frames. In FIG. 5 is shown an adjustable attaching means which I
have developed, and which is generally identified by reference
numeral 150. It comprises a lower clamp member 151 having a "J"
cross section to define a ledge or shoulder 152. A tubular socket
154 is attached as by welding to the center of clamp member 151. An
upper clamp member 155 is provided to coact with lower clamp member
151 to clamp therebetween the transverse foot member 17 of the bed
frame. A notch 158 in upper clamp member 155 permits it to be
freely moved up and down with respect to the socket 154. A pair of
adjustable threaded rods 164 and 165 are adapted to freely pass
through bushings 164A and 165A respectively integrally mounted on
the upper clamp member 155 and to be received by internally
threaded log portions 164B and 165B respectively which are integral
with the lower clamp member 151. To facilitate the manual rotation
of the rods 164 and 165 suitable head or knob portions 164C and
165C are provided. In operation the lower clamp member 155 and to
be received by internally threaded lug portions 164B and 165B
respectively which are integral with the lower clamp member 151. To
facilitate the manual rotation of the rods 164 and 165 suitable
head or knob portions 164C and 165C are provided. In operation the
lower clamp member 151 is positioned so that the shoulder 152
thereof is in engagement with the lower edge or surface of the
central portion of the transverse foot member 17 of the bed frame.
The upper clamp member is then brought into engagement with the top
surface of the member 17 and the rods 164 and 165 are screwed into
the threaded log portions 164B and 165B until the member 17 is
tightly clamped therebetween. This then positions the longitudinal
axis of socket 154 in a vertical orientation. As shown, socket 154
has an elongated rectangular cross-section as compared to the
square cross-section of socket 54 of FIG. 2. This has been so
depicted to illustrate some variation in the cross-section
configurations of the post receiving sockets (and hence of the
coacting posts) as aforesaid. Also, the "thin" socket 154 of FIG. 5
may be especially advantageous for beds having narrow clearances
between the bed frame and the foot board. In FIG. 5 a pin actuating
means 156 is provided similar to means 56 of FIG. 2 for coaction
with the post means not shown to selectively lock the same in
place.
I am aware that there are some hospital-type beds currently being
manufactured which have very little clearance between the foot of
the mattress-supporting means and the so-called foot board of the
bed. A portion of such a bed is depicted in FIGS. 6 and 7 in
combination with a special post attaching means which I have
developed for this type of bed.
FIG. 6 is a side view of a portion of a bed on which is the special
post attaching means and FIG. 7 is an isometric view of the same
apparatus as viewed looking from the head of the bed toward the
foot of the bed and with the mattress supporting means and the bed
foot board shown in cross-section.
In FIGS. 6 and 7 the reference numeral 300 designates a solid foot
board of a bed, the lower portion of which is not depicted. The
foot board 300 is rigidly supported by a well known means (not
shown) as part of the total bed assembly. The reference numeral 301
designates the "foot" end portion of portion of a mattress
supporting means. As depicted, it is of solid "board-like"
construction, i.e., not per se resilient as a bedspring although
there also are beds currently being manufactured of the latter type
which have the same "slight clearance" characteristic depicted in
FIGS. 6 and 7. To explain this further, the patient or head side or
surface of the solid foot board 300 is identified by reference
numeral 302 and the transverse edge surface of the mattress support
means 301 is identified by reference numeral 303.
It will be noted in FIG. 6 that there is a relatively small
clearance or gap 304 between the surface 302 of the footboard 300
and the surface 303. In one bed currently being manufactured, by
way of example, the actual clearance is between one-eighth inch and
one-quarter inch. This slight clearance does not permit the use of
an attaching means such as those shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 5 because,
obviously the sockets 54 and 154 would be too wide (as measured
along the longitudinal axis of the bed) to fit within gap 304.
For this type of bed I have provided a special attaching means
comprising a socket portion 354 having a similiar function to
sockets 54 and 154 of FIGS. 1 and 5 respectively, i.e., a means for
attaching a post means to the central portion of the foot of the
bed. In FIG. 6 the post means is designated by reference numeral
340 and an associated cradle member is designated by the reference
numeral 360. It will be understood that the complete post cradle
would be substantially the same as depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2
subject to the permissible variations and modifications such as
those shown in other figures of the drawings. For example, an
adjustment means 356 is associated with post means 354 to provide a
function analogous as that of means 56 and 156 depicted in FIGS. 1,
2 and 5.
The special post attaching means depicted in FIGS. 6 and 7 includes
a clamping arrangement connected to the lower portion of post means
354 and which is generally designated by the reference numeral 310.
It comprises a frame having a base portion 313, a pair of vertical
portions 314 and 315, and a pair of top sections 316 and 317. The
bottom of the post 354 is attached by welding to the central
portion of section 313 of the frame and the post is further
connected as by welding to the ends of sections 316 and 317. The
frame is further provided with a pair of bushings 321 and 322 which
are integral with the sections 316 and 317 and which depend
upwardly therefrom along axes substantially parallel to the
longitudinal axis of the post 354. A pair of threaded rods 321A and
322A having knob or head portions 321B and 322B respectively at the
tops thereof are adapted to freely pass through bushings 321 and
322. The threaded rods 321A and 322A are substantially longer than
the bushings 321 and 322 so that the lower extremeties thereof
depend downwardly toward the base section 313. A vertically movable
clamping member 325 having a main vertical portion adjacent to the
outboard side of the frame 313-317 and a pair of inwardly extending
flange portions 325A and 325B at the top thereof. The clamping
member 325 is connected to the lower ends of the threaded rods 321A
and 322A by threaded lug portions 325C and 325D respectively
integral with flange portions 325A and 325B. At the bottom of
member 325 is an inwardly extending shoulder 326 adapted to engage
the underside of the mattress support means 301.
The attaching means further includes a flat plate-like member 327
connected at one end thereof to the underside of base portion 313
of the frame and which extends toward the head of the bed a
relatively short distance. Plate 327 serves the function of
providing stability to the entire post attaching means from the
standpoint of supporting the associated cradle 360. If desired, a
cradle-plane adjustment 328 integral with the plate 327 may be
provided. It is depicted in FIGS. 6 and 7 as a threaded rod
positioned in an internally threaded lug of plate 327 adjacent the
inboard end thereof. The adjustment means 328 has a head portion
328A and a bearing portion 328B. When the head 328A is rotated then
the angular relationship between the mattress support means 301 and
the longitudinal axis of the socket 354 is altered and thus a means
has been provided for varying the plane of the cradle member 360
with respect to the top surface of a mattress (not shown) supported
on top of the mattress support means 301.
The attaching means depicted in FIGS. 6 and 7 in practice is quite
easily installed by the threaded rods 321A and 322A initially being
rotated so that there is a substantial amount of clearance between
the shoulder 326 at the bottom of vertically adjustable member 325
and the underside of plate 327. The entire assembly comprising the
socket 354 and its associated attaching means is then connected to
the mattress supporting means 301 (at this time the mattress would
be temporarily moved from its normal position out of contact with
the mattress supporting means 301). The member 325 with its
associated lower shoulder 326 is relatively thin so that it may be
slid down through the gap 304 and then the knobs 321B and 322B are
rotated so as to lift the movable member 325 upwardly to the point
where the shoulder 326 thereof engages the underside of the
mattress supporting means 301. The knobs 321B and 322B are rotated
until a tight clamping of the mattress support means 301 occurs, it
being understood that the clamping takes place between the
underside of the plate 327 (at bearing point 327A) and the shoulder
326 on the movable member 325 which is connected to the lower
extremities of the threaded rods 321A and 322A.
I am also aware that there are some hospital-type beds currently
being manufactured wherein the so-called foot board is an integral
part of the mattress support means. My invention may also be very
conveniently used with this type of bed. FIGS. 8 and 9 depict a
special attaching means to be used with this type of bed. FIG. 8 is
a side elevation partly in section of a portion of such a bed and
FIG. 9 is an isometric view of the apparatus depicted in FIG. 8 as
viewed from the head of the bed looking toward the foot of the
bed.
In FIG. 8 the reference numeral 401 designated a solid mattress
supporting means which is generally horizontally disposed between
the foot and the head of the total bed. In FIG. 8 the head of the
bed is not shown but the foot of the bed is identified by reference
numeral 402 and it is shown to be integral with the foot end of
mattress supporting means 401 and extending upwardly; i.e., in a
vertical orientation as referenced to the generally horizontally
disposed mattress supporting means 401. As has been the case with
the previously described attaching means for my invention, the
apparatus depicted in FIGS. 8 and 9 constitutes a means for
attaching the post means to the central portion of the foot of the
bed. More specifically an inverted U-shaped bracket 403 adapted to
be slid down over the top of the foot board 402 is provided and
comprises a forward or inboard portion 404 and a rear or outboard
portion 405. An adjustable screw means 406 associated with portion
405 provides a means for adjustably clamping the "U" shaped bracket
403 to the foot board 402 of the bed.
In FIGS. 8 and 9 a socket 454 is provided for serving as part of
the attaching means for a post means 440 to the bed, it being
understood that at the top of the post means 440 would be a
connection to a cradle member, not shown, but which cradle member
generally would be similar to the cradle member 60 shown in FIG. 1.
The post 454 is adapted to be attached to U-shaped bracket but
spaced therefrom by a supporting member 410 which is depicted as a
rod-like member integrally connected at one end as by welding to
portion 404 of the U-shaped clamp 403 and having at its other end a
transversely positioned pivot pin 411. Pivot pin 411 in turn is
connected at its two extremities to the socket 454. The connection
410 with its pivotal means 411 connected to the socket 454 provides
a dual function of generally supporting the socket 454 in the
vertical sense and simultaneously permits limited relative rotation
of the socket 454 with respect to the inverted U-shaped clamp 403
about the pivotal axis defined by pivot pin 411. This limited
pivotal movement may be utilized in some applications of my
invention for the purpose of adjusting the plane of the cradle with
respect to the plane of the top surface of the mattress (not shown)
supported on top of the mattress means 401. In general it is
desirable to have the plane of the cradle in parallel relationship
to the top surface of the mattress. A threaded rod 412 carried by a
threaded lug 413 at the lower end of the socket 454 has at its one
extremity a bearing portion 414 and at its other extremity a knob
415 for facilitating manual rotation thereof. It will be understood
that the rotation of the threaded rod 412 with respect to the
internally threaded lug 413 will cause a co-action between the
bearing portion 414 and the portion 404 of the U-shaped clamp 403
so that there will be relative rotation between the socket 454
(about the pivotal axis 411) with respect to the bracket 403 and
hence with respect to the entire bed assembly. By this a means has
been provided for adjusting the plane of the cradle 360 with
respect to the top surface of the mattress (not shown).
It will be understood that with both the special attaching means
depicted in FIGS. 6 and 7 on the one hand and FIGS. 8 and 9 on the
other hand that the bedding may be tucked under not only the sides
of the mattress but also under the foot of the mattress. In the
case of the attaching means shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 the overall size
of the apparatus 310 attached to the bottom of the socket 354 is
relatively small in comparison to the total width of the mattress
and hence the apparatus does not meaningfully interfere with the
tucking in of the sheets, blankets, etc. By the same token, the
modification of my invention depicted in FIGS. 8 and 9 also permits
the bedding to be tucked in, the socket 54 being spaced away from
the foot of the bed by support pin 410 a sufficient distance so
that, to the extent desired, the bedding may be tucked in under the
foot of the mattress.
On FIG. 10 I have shown another modification of my invention
wherein the top of a post means 540 is depicted and where a portion
of the associated cradle member 560 is shown attached thereto
through a special connection means comprising a socket portion 501
adapted to fit on top of the post means 540 and connected through
hinge means 502 to the central portion of a first transverse
section 561 of the cradle 560. Socket 501 is analogous to socket
162 of the apparatus shown in FIG. 3 and hinge means 502 is
analogous to the hinge means 241 depicted in FIG. 4. In addition
the socket 501 has a flange portion 503 integral therewith
extending toward the head of the bed from the socket 501 and
connected integrally therewith is an internal threaded lug portion
504 for receiving a threaded rod 505 having a knob portion 506 at
the lower end thereof. The other or upper end of the rod 505 67
adapted to bear against the underside of a flange 507 which is
integral with the first transverse section 561 of the cradle 560
and which also extends toward the head of the bed. It will be
understood that rotation of the threaded rod 502 will result in
relative rotation of the cradle 560 with respect to the post means
540. On the assumption that the post means 540 is rigidly connected
to the bed (not shown) then it follows that relative rotation of
the threaded rod 505 will provide a means of adjusting the plane of
the cradle 560 with respect to the top surface of the mattress on
the bed.
Finally, it is recommended that the transverse width of the cradle
member be approximately the width of an adult person. This then
will provide an optimum arrangement allowing the support apparatus
to be used with "standard"-sized hospital bedding.
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