Ventilator and care cart each capable of nesting within and docking with a hospital bed base

A hospital care cart adapted to dock to a foot end of a hospital bed for supplying DC electricity, oxygen and air to a ventilator which is docked to a head end of the bed during transport of the cart, bed and ventilator, the bed having a periphery which when projected downward to the floor therebelow defines a footprint, said care cart comprising:

• a base having casters thereon;
• a housing mounted atop said base adapted to house batteries therein;
• a support extending upwardly from said base and adapted to support air and oxygen tanks and other patient critical care items thereon;
• said support including a generally vertical portion and lower and upper generally horizontal portions mounted to and extending forwardly from said vertical portion so as to define a generally C-shaped configuration when said care cart is viewed in side elevation, said upper and lower portions being spaced so as to receive therebetween the foot end of the hospital bed when said vertical portion is abutted against the foot end of the hospital bed, said vertical and horizontal portions, base and housing being dimensioned so that said care cart falls substantially within the footprint of the hospital bed when docked thereto;
• and
• structure on said base for removably connecting said cart to a hospital bed base thereby permitting said cart and bed to be rolled as a unit.

A hospital care cart adapted to dock to a foot end of a hospital bed for supplying DC electricity, oxygen and air to a ventilator which is docked to a head end of the bed during transport of the cart, bed and ventilator, the bed having a periphery which when projected downward to the floor therebelow defines a footprint, said care cart comprising:

• a support frame including a base having casters thereon;
• said support frame including a generally vertical portion and lower and upper generally horizontal portions mounted to and extending forwardly from said vertical portion so as to define a generally C-shaped configuration when said care cart is viewed in side elevation, said upper and lower portions being spaced so as to receive therebetween the foot end of the hospital bed when said vertical portion is abutted against the foot end of the hospital bed, said vertical and horizontal portions, base and housing being dimensioned so that said care cart falls substantially within the footprint of the hospital bed when docked thereto;
• a DC power supply mounted on said frame;
• an oxygen supply mounted on said frame;
• an air supply mounted on said frame;
• and
• structure on said base for removably connecting said cart to a hospital bed base thereby permitting said cart and bed to be rolled as a unit.

A hospital care cart adapted to dock to a foot end of a hospital bed for supplying DC electricity, oxygen and air to a ventilator which is docked to a head end of the bed during transport of the cart, bed and ventilator, the bed having a periphery which when projected downward to the floor therebelow defines a footprint, said care cart comprising:

• a support frame including a base having casters thereon;
• said support frame including a generally vertical portion and lower and upper generally horizontal portions mounted to and extending forwardly from said vertical portion so as to define a generally C-shaped configuration when said care cart is viewed in side elevation, said upper and lower portions being spaced so as to receive therebetween the foot end of the hospital bed when said vertical portion is abutted against the foot end of the hospital bed, said vertical and horizontal portions and base being dimensioned so that said care cart falls substantially within the footprint of the hospital bed when docked thereto;
• a DC power supply mounted on said frame;
• an oxygen supply mounted on said frame;
• an air supply mounted on said frame;
• structure on said base for removably connecting said cart to a hospital bed base thereby permitting said cart and bed to be rolled as a unit;
• and
• a motorized drive wheel incorporated into said cart for motorized transport of said cart, bed and ventilator.

A hospital care cart adapted to dock to a foot end of a hospital bed for supplying DC electricity, oxygen and air to a ventilator which is docked to a head end of the bed during transport of the cart, bed and ventilator, the bed having a periphery which when projected downward to the floor therebelow defines a footprint, said care cart comprising:

• a base having casters thereon;
• a housing mounted atop said base;
• a generally vertical support extending upwardly from a rear of said base;
• a first generally horizontal support mounted above said housing and extending forwardly from said vertical support;
• and
• a second generally horizontal support mounted above said first support and extending forwardly from said vertical support;
• said first and second supports spaced on said vertical support so as to define a sufficient space therebetween to position said second support above the foot end of the hospital bed and said first support below the foot end of the hospital bed;
• whereby when said cart is docked to the foot end of the hospital bed, said vertical support abuts the foot end of the hospital bed thereby positioning said second support above the foot end of the bed and said first support below the foot end of the bed, each of said base and first and second horizontal supports having a lateral dimension associated therewith, and said vertical support having a longitudinal dimension associated therewith, permitting said care cart to fall substantially within the footprint of the bed.

A piece of medical equipment adapted to dock to one end of a wheeled hospital bed for supplying power and fluids to another piece of medical equipment docked to another end of the bed during transport of said piece of medical equipment, the bed and the other piece of medical equipment, the bed having a periphery which when projected downward to the floor therebelow defines a footprint, said piece of medical equipment comprising:

• a support including a wheeled base;
• said support defining a generally C-shaped configuration when said piece of medical equipment is viewed in side elevation, said support including a vertical portion and lower and upper horizontal portions mounted to and extending forwardly from said vertical portion, said upper and lower portions being spaced so as to receive therebetween the one end of the hospital bed, said vertical and upper and lower portions being dimensioned so that said piece of medical equipment falls substantially within the footprint of the hospital bed when docked thereto;
• means mounted on said support for supplying fluids to the other piece of medical equipment;
• and
• means mounted on said support for supplying power to the other piece of medical equipment.