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US 8,636,154 B2Granted
Litter support systems for medical care units and methods of their use
AssigneeFerno-Washington, Inc.
InventorRobert Chinn
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A litter support system for a vehicle, the litter support system comprising a support arm assembly for supporting a litter in a horizontal position, the support arm assembly including an adjustable hook assembly at a free end of the support arm assembly having an open position and a closed position, the adjustable hook assembly comprising a ratchet system that locks the hook assembly between the open position and the closed position.
Claims33
A support arm assembly for a litter support system that is configured to support a patient in a horizontal elevated position, the support arm assembly comprising:
- an arm portion comprising a free end and an attachment end, wherein the attachment end is configured to secure the support arm assembly to an attachment structure for supporting the arm portion at a selected height and wherein the attachment end is configured to allow the support arm assembly to transition between a stored position and a support position when secured to a wall;
- an exterior hook disposed at the free end of the arm portion, the exterior hook being adjustable relative to the arm portion between open and closed positions to secure side shafts of various litters where the various litters have different widths and/or the side shafts of the various litters have different diameters;
- a mounting bracket connected to the attachment end of the support arm assembly, the mounting bracket providing the support arm assembly with a first pivot location allowing for pivoting of the support arm assembly relative to the mounting bracket about a vertical axis between the stored position and the support position, the mounting bracket providing the support arm assembly with a second pivot location allowing for pivoting of the support arm assembly relative to the mounting bracket about a horizontal axis between lowered and raised positions;
- and
- one or more locking projections sized and configured to be received by the mounting bracket to lock the support arm assembly in one or more of the stored, support, lowered and raised positions relative to the mounting bracket.
2 more elements
A support arm assembly for a litter support system that is configured to support a patient in a horizontal elevated position, the support arm assembly comprising:
- an arm portion comprising a free end and an attachment end, wherein the attachment end is configured to secure the support arm assembly to an attachment structure for supporting the arm portion at a selected height wherein the attachment end is configured to allow the support arm assembly to transition between a stored position and a support position when secured to a wall and wherein the attachment end comprises a paddle latch pivot bracket for locking the rotational movement of the support arm assembly relative the mounting bracket, wherein the paddle latch pivot bracket comprises one or more recesses configured to removably receive one or more locking pins, and wherein the locking pins releasably lock the support arm assembly in the stored position or in the support position when in the one or more recesses of the paddle latch pivot bracket;
- an exterior hook disposed at the free end of the arm portion, the exterior hook being adjustable relative to the arm portion between open and closed positions to secure side shafts of various litters where the various litters have different widths and/or the side shafts of the various litters have different diameters;
- and
- a mounting bracket connected to the attachment end of the support arm assembly, the mounting bracket providing the support arm assembly with a first pivot location allowing for pivoting of the support arm assembly relative to the mounting bracket about a vertical axis between the stored position and the support position, the mounting bracket providing the support arm assembly with a second pivot location allowing for pivoting of the support arm assembly relative to the mounting bracket about a horizontal axis between lowered and raised positions.
1 more element
A litter support system comprising:
- a first vertical track comprising a first plurality of incremental securement locations;
- a first mounting bracket configured to secure to any of the first plurality of incremental securement locations of the first vertical track;
- a first support arm assembly comprising a first arm portion comprising a first free end and a first attachment end, wherein the first attachment end is connected to the mounting bracket;
- a second vertical track comprising a second plurality of incremental securement locations, the second vertical track being substantially parallel with the first vertical track;
- a second mounting bracket configured to secure to any of the second plurality of incremental securement locations of the second vertical track;
- and
- a second support arm assembly comprising a second arm portion comprising a second free end and a second attachment end, wherein the second attachment end is connected to the second mounting bracket,
- wherein the first mounting bracket engages the first vertical track such that the first arm assembly can move from a first vertical position to a second vertical position along the first vertical track without having to disengage the first mounting bracket from the first vertical track, and
- wherein the second mounting bracket engages the second vertical track such that the second arm assembly can move from a first vertical position to a second vertical position along the second vertical track without having to disengage the second mounting bracket from the second vertical track and
- wherein the first support arm assembly comprises a first interior hook disposed along the first arm portion to receive a side shaft of a litter and a first exterior hook connected to the first free end and facing the first interior hook to receive an opposite side shaft of the litter;
- and
- the second support arm assembly comprises a second interior hook disposed along the second arm portion to receive the side shaft of the litter and a second exterior hook connected to the second free end and facing the second interior hook to receive the opposite side shaft of the litter.
9 more elements
A litter support system comprising:
- a first vertical track comprising a first plurality of incremental securement locations;
- a first mounting bracket configured to secure to any of the first plurality of incremental securement locations of the first vertical track;
- a first support arm assembly comprising a first arm portion comprising a first free end and a first attachment end, wherein the first attachment end is connected to the mounting bracket and wherein the connection between the first attachment end and the first mounting bracket is configured to allow the first support arm assembly to move between a first stored position and a first support position and the connection between the second attachment end and the second mounting bracket is configured to allow the second support arm assembly to transition between a second stored position and a second support position;
- a second vertical track comprising a second plurality of incremental securement locations, the second vertical track being substantially parallel with the first vertical track;
- a second mounting bracket configured to secure to any of the second plurality of incremental securement locations of the second vertical track;
- and
- a second support arm assembly comprising a second arm portion comprising a second free end and a second attachment end, wherein the second attachment end is connected to the second mounting bracket,
- wherein the first mounting bracket engages the first vertical track such that the first arm assembly can move from a first vertical position to a second vertical position along the first vertical track without having to disengage the first mounting bracket from the first vertical track, and
- wherein the second mounting bracket engages the second vertical track such that the second arm assembly can move from a first vertical position to a second vertical position along the second vertical track without having to disengage the second mounting bracket from the second vertical track
- and wherein the first support arm assembly comprises a first interior hook disposed along the first arm portion to receive a side shaft of a litter and a first exterior hook connected to the first free end and facing the first interior hook to receive an opposite side shaft of the litter;
- and the second support arm assembly comprises a second interior hook disposed along the second arm portion to receive the side shaft of the litter and a second exterior hook connected to the second free end and facing the second interior hook to receive the opposite side shaft of the litter.
8 more elements
A support arm assembly for a litter support system that is configured to support a patient in a horizontal elevated position, the support arm assembly comprising:
- an arm portion comprising a free end and an attachment end, wherein the attachment end is configured to secure the support arm assembly to an attachment structure for supporting the arm portion at a selected height, wherein the attachment end is configured to allow the support arm assembly to transition between a stored position and a support position when secured to a wall;
- an exterior hook disposed at the free end of the arm portion, the exterior hook being adjustable relative to the arm portion between open and closed positions to secure side shafts of various litters where the various litters have different widths and/or the side shafts of the various litters have different diameters;
- a mounting bracket connected to the attachment end, the mounting bracket providing the support arm assembly with a first pivot location allowing for pivoting of the support arm assembly relative to the mounting bracket about a vertical axis between the stored position and the support position, the mounting bracket providing the support arm assembly with a second pivot location allowing for pivoting of the support arm assembly relative to the mounting bracket about a horizontal axis between lowered and raised positions;
- and
- one or more pins sized to be received by the support arm, the mounting bracket, or both to lock the support arm assembly in one or more of the stored, support, lowered and raised positions relative to the mounting bracket.
2 more elements
A support arm assembly for a litter support system that is configured to support a patient in a horizontal elevated position, the support arm assembly comprising:
- an arm portion comprising a free end and an attachment end, wherein the attachment end is configured to secure the support arm assembly to an attachment structure for supporting the arm portion at a selected height, wherein the attachment end is configured to allow the support arm assembly to transition between a stored position and a support position when secured to a wall;
- an exterior hook disposed at the free end of the arm portion, the exterior hook being adjustable relative to the arm portion between open and closed positions to secure side shafts of various litters where the various litters have different widths and/or the side shafts of the various litters have different diameters;
- and
- a mounting bracket connected to the attachment end of the support arm assembly, the mounting bracket providing the support arm assembly with a first pivot location allowing for pivoting of the support arm assembly relative to the mounting bracket about a vertical axis between the stored position and the support position, the mounting bracket providing the support arm assembly with a second pivot location allowing for pivoting of the support arm assembly relative to the mounting bracket about a horizontal axis between lowered and raised positions, wherein:
- the attachment end of the arm portion comprises a paddle latch pivot bracket for locking the rotational movement of the support arm assembly relative the mounting bracket, the paddle latch pivot bracket comprises one or more recesses configured to removably receive one or more locking pins, and
- the locking pins releasably lock the support arm assembly in the stored position or in the support position when in the in one or more recesses of the paddle latch pivot bracket.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.