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US 4,536,903 AGranted
Device for manipulating invalid bed patients
OwnerLeslie L. Parkerinventor
Life of this patent
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OwnerLeslie L. Parkerinventor
Estimating the term…
A device for conveniently, gently and comfortably manipulating bed patients into various positions of rest, to aid in the prevention and/or treatment of pneumonia and to aid in the prevention and cure of bed sores in long term bed ridden patients, comprises a sheet of porous, "breathable" fabric of a size to span the width of the bed and to underlie the torso of the patient, hand grip means at the ends of the sheet adjacent the sides of the bed facilitating movement of the sheet into partially encircling relation to the patient's torso and rolling of the patient's body between the supine position (flat on the back) and positions on either of the patient's sides, at any desired degree of roll, and means for fastening the hand grip means to the bed for holding the patient's body at the desired degree of roll, thereby to mitigate accumulation of fluids in the patient's lungs and minimize the potential for pneumonia, to expose the patient's back to the air to mitigate the occurrence of bed sores, and to contribute to the patient's overall comfort and well being. Moreover, the device accommodates manipulation of the patient by one person without assistance, thereby to facilitate good care of the patient at home without professional aid, as well as in hospitals and professional nursing facilities.
A device for manipulating bed patients into various positions of rest comprising a flexible, pliant sheet of porous fabric of a size to underlie the torso of the patient, said sheet of fabric including a central portion of a width approximately equal to the width of the patient's torso and of a length to underlie the patient's torso from approximately the shoulders to the buttocks, and end portions extending laterally outward from said central portion at an elevation to extend outwardly below the patient's arm pits, whereby the patient's arm and legs may be free from confinement when the device is in use, hand grip means on at least one end of said sheet adjacent a respective side of the bed for moving the contiguous end portion of said sheet into partially encircling relation to the torso of the patient and for rolling the patient from a supine position into a position on one of the patient's sides, said hand grip means including a hemmed edge portion on said at least one end of said sheet defining a socket extending along substantially the full length of said end of said sheet, a renforcing member of a length approximately equal to the length of said end of said sheet removably inserted in said socket to rigidify said end of said sheet and to cause the same to move as a unitary whole despite the pliability of said sheet, and fastening means removably associated with said reinforcing member for fastening said end of said sheet to the bed for holding the respective end of said sheet to the bed in partially encircling relation to the patient's torso and for thereby holding the patient's body on its side in a selected position, said reinforcing member maintaining said sheet smooth and fully extended lengthwise throughout the length of said sheet both during a patient rolling movment and when the patient's torso is held in a selected position to insure uniform and comfortable engagement of said sheet with the patient's torso throughout the length of said sheet, said fastening means and said reinforcing member being removable from said sheet to facilitate laundering of said sheet.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.