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AssigneeStryker Corporation
InventorsKeith Waters, Dennis Reed, Mark Friedman, Craig Mulder, Steve Nichols
Estimating the term…
A power assisted wheeled carriage includes a patient support having a length, a wheeled base supporting the patient support, and an auxiliary wheel mechanism including an auxiliary wheel spring support for biasing an auxiliary wheel into contact with a floor. The carriage further includes a control apparatus for moving the auxiliary wheel away from the floor. The auxiliary wheel spring support can be a spring steel member having an opening and biased to move the auxiliary wheel into contact with the floor. The control apparatus can include a foot pedal for turning a rotatable shaft that enables a cam apparatus to apply an upward force to the auxiliary wheel. The wheeled carriage also includes a drive handle pivotable about a single axis to control a drive motor for the auxiliary wheel. The drive handle controls driving of the wheeled carriage in forward and rearward directions. Safety sensors on the drive handle require grasping thereof at a specific location to operate the carriage. The wheeled carriage includes a decision/drive circuit that ramps the speed of the wheeled carriage for a few seconds after start-up to prevent a jerking motion. An operating program prevents operation of the carriage when a safety sensor is closed for a predetermined time while the carriage is not being driven. A display/control panel displays the condition of the carriage brake and the condition of the auxiliary wheel to assist an operator placing the wheeled carriage in condition for driving.
1-39. (Cancelled)
A method for driving a wheeled carriage used for supporting and transporting a person in a substantially horizontal position, the carriage including a patient support having a length, opposing ends of the length comprising a head end and a foot end of said patient support, a wheeled base having a length and supporting said patient support and enabling movement of said patient support, an auxiliary wheel mechanism secured to said wheeled base and for positioning at least one auxiliary wheel into a first position contacting a floor below the wheeled carriage and into a second raised position out of engagement with the floor, a drive motor assembly including a drive motor for driving said auxiliary wheel, the method comprising the steps of, when said carriage is in a rest position and the auxiliary wheel contacts the floor:
A method for driving a power assisted wheeled carriage used for supporting and transporting a person in a substantially horizontal position, the carriage including a patient support having a length, opposing ends of the length comprising a head end and a foot end of said patient support, a wheeled based having a length and supporting said patient support and enabling movement of said patient support, castered wheels mounted at each opposing corner at each opposing end of said wheeled base, an auxiliary wheel mechanism secured to said wheeled base and for positioning at least one auxiliary wheel into a first position contacting a floor below the wheeled carriage and into a second raised position out of engagement with the floor, a drive motor assembly including a drive motor for driving said auxiliary wheel in one of a first direction and a second opposing direction, said auxiliary wheel being located at a position toward a central section inwardly with respect to said castered wheels of said carriage, and a battery for supplying power to said drive motor, the method comprising the steps of, when said carriage is in a rest position:
A method for driving a power assisted wheeled carriage used for supporting and transporting a person in a substantially horizontal position, the carriage including a patient support having a length, opposing ends of the length comprising a head end and a foot end of said patient support, a wheeled based having a length and supporting said patient support and enabling movement of said patient support, castered wheels mounted at each opposing corner at each opposing end of said wheeled base, an auxiliary wheel mechanism secured to said wheeled base and for positioning at least one auxiliary wheel into a first position contacting a floor below the wheeled carriage and into a second raised position out of engagement with the floor, a drive motor assembly including a drive motor for driving said auxiliary wheel in one of a first direction and a second opposing direction, said auxiliary wheel being located at a position toward a central section inwardly with respect to said castered wheels of said carriage, and a battery for supplying power to said drive motor, the method comprising the steps of, when said carriage is in a rest position and an on/off switch enables driving of said auxiliary wheel:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.