Inflatable medical lifting devices
AssigneeMangar International Limited
InventorDavid Edmund Talbot Garman
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Mobile medical lifting apparatus comprising a mobile support means having wheels, castors or rollers, which mobile support means supports or provides a mounting for a lifting device comprising a stack of inflatable bags for raising a seat or platform supported by the lifting device, an inflatable bag at the bottom of the lifting device is actuable to raise the wheels, castors or rollers off the ground to enable the wheels, castors or rollers, and, optionally, associated parts of the mobile support means, to be removed so that the lifting device can lower the seat or platform to very close to the ground to minimize the effort required to move a fallen person onto the platform.
Claims20
Mobile medical apparatus for lifting a disabled person in a confined space, said apparatus comprising:
- a) means for mounting a lifting device on mobile support means
- b) the lifting device having a plan area and including a stack of inflatable bags secured together, in which the fully inflated thickness of each bag is less than the width and breadth of each bag, at least one of the bags below the uppermost bag of the stack containing internal flexible links to limit the inflated thickness thereof;
- c) the mobile support means including wheel means disposed on the mobile support means outside the plan area of the lifting device;
- d) at least a portion of the mobile support means being removable from the lifting device to permit clear access to the lifting device when the latter is deflated;
- and
- e) said lifting device further including an inflatable base lifting bag means to support the lifting device while said removable support means is refitted,
- f) said base lifting bag means being deflatable to rise clear above a bottom level of the wheel means.
Medical lifting apparatus for lifting a disabled person in a confined space, said apparatus comprising:
- a) wheel means located on platform means for supporting said lifting device;
- b) said lifting device including a stack of inflatable bags secured together, in which stack the fully inflated thickness of each bag is less than the width and breadth of each bag,
- c) at least one bag below an uppermost bag of the stack contains internal flexible links to limit the inflated thickness of said bag;
- d) said lifting device including a lowermost jacking bag actuable to raise the wheel means off the ground so that at least the wheel means can be removed to lower the platform means to very close to the ground to minimize the effort required to move a fallen person onto the lifting device.
Medical lifting apparatus for disposition on a floor to lift a person, said apparatus comprising:
- a) a lifting device including a stack of inflatable bags secured together, in which the fully inflated thickness of each said bag is less than the width and breadth of each bag,
- b) at least one of the bags containing internal flexible links to limit the inflated thickness thereof;
- c) the stack including a lowermost bag mounted on rigid base means including detachable wheel means, and
- d) base lifting means for raising said rigid base means to a height sufficient to enable the wheel means to be lifted off the floor on which the lifting device is disposed.
Mobile medical lifting apparatus for lifting a disabled person in a confined space, said apparatus comprising:
- a) base jacking bag means and lifting means supported on a frame for lifting a person
- b) said lifting means including a stack of inflatable bags secured together and each bag having a fully inflated thickness less than the width and breadth of each bag,
- c) at least one of the bags of the stack containing internal flexible links to limit the inflated thickness thereof;
- d) the frame including two lateral frame units on which wheel means are mounted, said frame units being individually separable from said lifting means;
- e) said base jacking bag means being located below said stack;
- f) mounting arrangement means being releasably attached to said lateral frame units,
- g) said base jacking bag means being inflatable to raise the lifting means sufficiently above the ground to allow the lateral frame units to be attached to and detached from the mounting arrangements.
Medical lifting apparatus for lifting a disabled person in a confined space, said apparatus comprising:
- a) a stack of inflatable bags secured together with each said bag having a fully inflated thickness less than the width and breadth of each bag,
- b) at least one of the bags below an uppermost bag of the stack containing internal flexible links to limit the inflated thickness thereof;
- c) mounting arrangement means releasably engageable with said stack when the bags are inflated,
- d) wheel means on said mounting arrangement means, and
- e) base jacking bag means disposed below said stack and actuable firstly to raise said stack to a height to enable said mounting arrangement means to be engaged with the stack and secondly to retract said base jacking bag means upwardly clear of the floor on which the wheel means rests.
A wheelchair for transporting a person, said wheelchair comprising:
- a) wheeled chassis means and a seat lifting means including a stack of inflatable bags,
- b) said wheeled chassis including rigid upper and lower mountings attached to said stack, and
- c) two lateral frame units individually and separably attached to said upper and lower mountings;
- d) said stack including a lowermost bag which is deflatable to lower said wheeled chassis onto the ground.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.