Patient weigh scale

A patient weigh scale comprising:

• a base;
• an upright support pole mounted to said base;
• a cantilever boom mounted on one end to an upper end of said upright support pole;
• a transducer suspended from said cantilever boom for sensing the weight of a load applied to said scale;
• and
• a latch mounted to one of said base and pole for removably securing said scale to a hospital bed while weighing a patient to prevent relative movement between said scale and the bed during patient weighing.

A patient weigh scale comprising:

• a base;
• an upright support pole mounted to said base;
• a cantilever boom mounted on one end to an upper end of said upright support pole;
• a cross member mounted to the other end of said boom;
• a pair of transducers mounted on either end of said cross member for sensing the weight of a load applied to said scale;
• and
• wherein said transducers are cantilever beam type load cells oriented transversely to said cross member and having fixed ends mounted to said cross member and free ends laterally spaced from said fixed ends.

A patient weigh scale comprising:

• a base;
• an upright support pole mounted to said base;
• a cantilever boom pivotally mounted on one end to an upper end of said upright support pole;
• a bracing arm pivotally mounted on one end to said upright support pole and removably securable on the other end to said cantilever boom;
• a latch rotatably mounted to said upright support pole for latching said scale to a hospital bed and allowing rotation of said scale relative to the bed about a generally vertical axis;
• a cross member pivotally mounted to the other end of said boom for pivoting relative to said boom about a generally vertical axis;
• a pair of cantilever beam load cells mounted on either end of said cross member oriented transverse to said cross member having fixed ends mounted to said cross member and free ends;
• and
• an H-frame having arms suspended from said free ends of said load cells, said H-frame arms for connection to lateral sides of a patient support.

Apparatus comprising:

• a hospital bed having a base, a frame mounted above said base and a patient support supported atop said frame;
• a latch bar mounted to said bed base;
• a patient weigh scale having a base, an upright support pole mounted to said base, a cantilever boom mounted on one end to an upper end of said support pole and a transducer suspended from said cantilever boom for sensing the weight of a load applied to said scale;
• and
• a latch mounted to said scale which cooperates with said bed base latch bar for removably securing said scale to said bed.

A method of weighing a patient atop a patient support, the patient support being mounted on a raisable and lowerable frame of a hospital bed, comprising the steps of:

• providing a patient weigh scale having a base, an upright support pole mounted to said base, a cantilever boom mounted to an upper end of said upright support pole, a transducer suspended from said cantilever boom for sensing the weight of a load applied to said scale and a display;
• connecting said transducer to lateral sides of the patient support;
• lowering the frame out from under the patient support;
• and
• noting the patient weight on said display.

A method of weighing a patient comprising the steps of:

• supporting a patient atop a substantially rigid patient support;
• supporting said substantially rigid patient support atop a raisable and lowerable frame of a hospital bed;
• connecting said substantially rigid patient support to a weigh scale;
• lowering said bed frame out from under said patient support so that said patient support and patient is suspended from said scale;
• and
• taking the weight of the patient.

In combination:

• a hospital bed having a raisable and lowerable frame means supporting a substantially rigid patient support;
• and
• a weigh scale having an overbed portion means connectable by drop means to said patient support;
• wherein when said overbed portion means of said weigh scale is rigidly connected to said substantially rigid support by said drop means and said bed frame means is lowered out from under said support, a patient supported by said patient support is weighed with no vertical relative movement of the patient relative to a supporting floor and no hammocking of the patient support.