Patient support
AssigneeSyntex (U.S.A.) Inc.
InventorsJames H. Broadhead, Lawrence A. Wilbur, Ivan E. Sams
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A patient support is disclosed having a contoured upper body support with an integral lumbar support area. The lower body support is curved at the knee and likewise contoured for patient comfort. The upper body support is pivotally attached to the lower body support at a point simulating the pivotal location of the human hip. A drive linkage raises the toe area of the lower body support simultaneously with, but only for the initial reclining movement of the upper body support, maintaining the oral cavity in fixed relation to the head support. Arm supports are upwardly rotatable from a down, locked position to an up, unlocked position. The patient support has automatic recline and sit-up mechanisms with emergency stop circuitry.
Claims15
A patient support, for supporting a patient thereon, and reclinable between a fully upright position and a reclined position, comprising:
- a base;
- a unitary lower body support, for supporting the lower body and legs of the patient, tiltably connected at a rear end thereof to said base;
- a unitary upper body support, for supporting the upper body of the patient, pivotally connected to said lower body support at a pair of pivotal connection points disposed on either side of said lower and upper body supports upwardly of said rear end of said lower body support and forwardly of a lower end of said upper body support, an axis between said pivotal connection points approximating an axis between the hip joints of the patient;
- a pair of arm supports, for supporting the arms of the patient, each arm support being pivotally connected at one of said pair of pivotal connection points;
- a head support, for supporting the head of the patient, slidably mounted on an upper end of said upper body support;
- and
- linkage means using a single drive means for reclining said upper body support while simultaneously raising a front end of said lower body support during only a first part of the reclining of said upper body support, said simultaneous reclining and raising acting to advance the redistribution of the weight of the patient from being directed downwardly through the buttocks in the fully upright position to being directed downwardly through the chest through the back in the reclined position, thereby maintaining the oral cavity of the patient in a fixed position with respect to said head support for the entire reclining range of said patient support.
A drive linkage system for a patient support having an upper body support member pivotally connected to a lower body support member which is pivotally connected near a back end thereof to the top back portion of a base, comprising:
- a pair of slotted, angled members connected at the top in parallel to a bottom surface of the lower body support member, said slots extending lengthwise along a downwardly extending portion of said angled members,
- a drive motor connected between said angled members extending outwardly from their front,
- a drive screw operatively connected to said motor and extending backwardly between said angled members,
- a screw-receiving member having a threaded opening at its front end for insertion of said drive screw, said screw-receiving member being slidably disposed in said slots,
- an upper body support drive link connected between the back of said screw-receiving member and the bottom of said upper body support member,
- a first pair of parallel links pivotally connected at a back end thereof to said screw-receiving member outside said angled members, and pivotally connected at a front end thereof to the back end of a second pair of parallel links,
- said second pair of parallel links pivotally connected at a front end thereof to said angled members near the front end thereof, and
- a third pair of parallel links pivotally connected at a top end thereof to said second pair of parallel links and at a bottom end thereof to a top forward portion of said base,
- said drive linkage system operating to simultaneously raise the front of said lower body support member during only the first portion of the reclining of said upper body support member.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.