Mobile support unit and attachment mechanism for patient transport device

A mobile support unit for use in conjunction with a mobile hospital bed, said support unit comprising:

• a base providing a low center of gravity for said support unit to minimize tilting and tipping of said support unit during transport;
• a latch means for releasably connecting said support unit to said bed proximate an end of said bed, said latch permitting said support unit to swing through an arc, said latch permitting said support unit to be selectively connected and disconnected from said bed without direct manual manipulation of said latch by a user's hand;
• and
• a clutch mechanism including means for providing for said support unit swinging through said arc while connected by said latch to said bed, said clutch mechanism being selectively adjustable so as to provide a sufficient amount of torsional resistance to resist swinging of said support unit during rolling of said support unit and said bed but not so great an amount of torsional resistance as to prohibit manual swinging of said support unit about said bed end by said user.

A mobile support unit which is attachable to an end of a mobile hospital bed to be transported in tandem with the bed and which is detachable from the hospital bed to be transported separately from the bed, the mobile support unit comprising

• a base,
• a plurality of casters mounted to the base and arranged to support the base above a floor on which the mobile support unit sets,
• a tow arm assembly including a tow arm couplable to the end of the hospital bed, the tow arm assembly including a post coupled to the tow arm, and
• a latch assembly including a fork plate mounted to the base, a hook mounted to the fork plate for pivoting movement, and a keeper mounted to the fork plate for pivoting movement, the hook having a post-engaging edge, the fork plate including a slot that receives the post, the hook being pivotable between a releasing position in which the post-engaging edge of the hook is spaced apart from the post so that the post can slide within the slot and a locking position in which the post-engaging edge engages the post so that the hook locks the post to the fork plate thereby preventing sliding and pivoting of the post within the slot, and the keeper being movable to lock the hook in the locking position.

A mobile support unit coupled to an end of a mobile hospital bed to be transported in tandem therewith, the mobile support unit comprising

• a base,
• a plurality of casters mounted to the base and arranged to support the base above a floor on which the mobile support unit sets,
• a tow arm coupled to the end of the hospital bed, the tow arm being formed to include a ledge and an annular wall extending away from the ledge, the ledge being formed to include an aperture,
• a post extending through the aperture formed in the ledge, the post being pivotable within the aperture about an axis, the post being coupled to the base of the support unit so that the support unit can swing about the axis relative to the hospital bed, and
• a clutch assembly coupling the tow arm to the post to provide torsional resistance between the support unit and the hospital bed, the clutch assembly including a clutch pad fixed to the ledge of the tow arm and surrounded by the annular wall, a washer fixed to the post and surrounded by the annular wall, and a clamping assembly coupled to the post and adjustable to compress the washer against the clutch pad to change the torsional resistance of the clutch assembly, the clutch pad remaining fixed relative to the ledge and annular wall during pivoting of the post and washer about the axis.

A mobile support unit which is attachable to an end of a mobile hospital bed to be transported in tandem with the bed and which is detachable from the hospital bed to be transported separately from the bed, the mobile support unit comprising

• a base,
• a plurality of casters mounted to the base and arranged to support the base above a floor on which the mobile support unit sets,
• a tow arm coupled to the end of the hospital bed,
• a post coupled to the tow arm for pivoting movement about an axis,
• a clutch assembly coupling the tow arm to the post to provide torsional resistance between the support unit and the hospital bed, the clutch assembly including a clutch pad fixed to the tow arm, a washer fixed to the post, and a clamping assembly coupled to the post and adjustable to compress the washer against the clutch pad to change the torsional resistance of the clutch assembly, and
• a latch assembly including a fork plate mounted to the base, a hook mounted to the fork plate for pivoting movement, and a keeper mounted to the fork plate for pivoting movement, the fork plate including a slot that receives the post, the hook being pivotable between a releasing position in which the hook is disengaged from the post so that the post can slide within the slot and a locking position in which the hook engages the post to lock the post to the fork plate thereby preventing sliding and pivoting of the post within the slot, and the keeper engaging the hook to lock the hook is in the locking position.

A combination comprising:

• a mobile hospital bed having spaced ends and spaced first and second sides;
• a mobile auxiliary support unit having a base providing a low center of gravity for the support unit to minimize tilting and tipping of the support unit during transport;
• a latch means for releasably connecting the support unit to the bed proximate one of the ends thereof, the latch means permitting the support unit to swing through an arc, the latch means permitting the support unit to be selectively connected and disconnected from the bed;
• and
• a clutch mechanism coupled to the bed, the clutch mechanism including means for providing for the support unit swinging through the arc while connected by the latch to the bed, the clutch mechanism being selectively adjustable so as to provide a sufficient amount of torsional resistance to resist swinging of the support unit during rolling of the support unit and the bed but not so great an amount of torsional resistance as to prohibit manual swinging of the support unit about the bed end by the user, the clutch mechanism remaining coupled to the bed when the mobile support unit is disconnected from the bed.

A combination comprising:

• a mobile hospital bed having spaced ends and spaced first and second sides;
• a mobile auxiliary support unit having a base providing a low center of gravity for the support unit to minimize tilting and tipping of the support unit during transport;
• a latch on the support unit, the latch including means for releasably connecting the support unit to the bed proximate one of the ends thereof, the latch permitting the support unit to swing through an arc, the latch permitting the support unit to be selectively connected and disconnected from the bed without direct manual manipulation of the latch by a user's hand;
• and a tow arm including a post thereon, the tow arm extending from the bed;
• the latch including a hook having a post-engaging edge, the hook being resiliently biased toward an open position to permit receipt in a slot in the latch the post on the tow arm, the post-engaging edge being spaced-apart from the post when the hook is in the open position, the hook being operable between the open position in which the post is moveable into and out of the slot and a locked position in which the post-engaging edge engages the post so that the post is captured and retained by the hook in the slot to thereby releasably connect the bed to the support unit .