Ambulatory assist arm for a bed

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6397416
  • Patent Number
    6,397,416
  • Date Filed
    Tuesday, June 5, 2001
    23 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, June 4, 2002
    22 years ago
Abstract
A bed is provided including a frame, an accessory mount coupled to the frame, a siderail, and an ambulatory assist arm assembly. The accessory mount is configured to removably couple the siderail to the frame so that the siderail can be removed and replaced with the ambulatory assist arm assembly.
Description




BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




The present invention relates to a bed including a removable siderail.




According to the present invention, a bed is provided including a frame, first and second spaced-apart mounting tubes coupled to the frame, a siderail, and an ambulatory assist arm. The siderail includes a rail member and first and second mounting bars. The first and second mounting tubes are configured to receive the first and second mounting bars to couple the siderail to the frame. The ambulatory assist arm assembly includes an ambulatory assist arm and first and second mounting bars. The first and second mounting tubes are configured to receive the first and second mounting bars of the ambulatory assist arm to couple the ambulatory assist arm assembly to the frame.




According to another aspect of the invention, another bed is provided. The bed includes a frame, an accessory mount coupled to the frame, a siderail, and an ambulatory assist arm assembly. The siderail is configured to block egress of a patient from the bed. The accessory mount is configured to coupled the siderail to the frame. The ambulatory assist arm assembly includes an ambulatory assist arm having a grip adapted to be gripped by a patient to assist the patient's egress from the bed. The accessory mount is configured to couple the ambulatory assist arm to the frame.




According to another aspect of the invention, a bed is provided including a frame, an accessory mount coupled to the frame, a siderail, and an accessory member substantially different than the siderail. The siderail is configured to block egress of a patient from a patient rest surface. The accessory mount is configured to removably couple the siderail to the frame. The accessory mount is configured to couple the accessory member to the frame with the siderail removed.




According to another aspect of the invention, a bed is providing including a frame, a headboard coupled to the frame, a footboard coupled to the frame, an accessory mount coupled to the frame between the headboard and footboard, and first and second substantially different accessory members. The accessory mount is configured to removably couple the first accessory to the frame. The accessory mount is configured to couple the second accessory member to the frame when the first accessory member is removed.




According to another aspect of the invention, a method of adjusting the configuration of a bed is provided. The method includes the steps of providing a bed. The bed has a frame, an accessory mount coupled to the frame, a siderail coupled to the frame by the accessory mount, and an accessory member substantially different than the siderail. The method further includes the steps of removing the siderail from the frame and coupling the accessory member to the frame with the accessory mount.




Additional features of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of illustrated embodiments exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the invention as presently perceived.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS




The detailed description particularly refers to the accompanying figures in which:





FIG. 1

is an exploded perspective view of a long term care bed in accordance with the present invention showing a base frame engaging the floor, an intermediate frame coupled to the base frame for upward and downward movement relative to the base frame and to the floor, and a bed deck carried by the intermediate frame, the deck being configured to support a mattress (not shown) for carrying a long term care resident;





FIG. 2



a


is a side elevation view of the bed of

FIG. 1

with portions broken away showing the deck carrying a mattress and the intermediate frame moved to a raised position spaced-apart above the base frame;





FIG. 2



b


is a view similar to

FIG. 2



a


showing the intermediate frame moved to a lowered position resting on the base frame so that the distance between a generally upwardly-facing sleeping surface of the mattress and the floor is minimized;





FIG. 3



a


is a perspective view of an ambulatory assist arm of

FIG. 1

showing a bracket for connecting the ambulatory assist arm to the bed, a handle positioned to lie above the bracket, and a knob beneath the bracket and movable to an adjusting position allowing the handle to rotate relative to the bracket in order to adjust the side-to-side position of the handle relative to the bracket;





FIG. 3



b


is a diagrammatic side elevation view with portions broken away of the ambulatory assist arm connected to the bed;





FIG. 4

is a view similar to

FIG. 2



b


showing first and second siderails, the first siderail including a first embodiment of a siderail extension member coupled to a top bar of the first siderail to extend the vertical coverage provided to the resident (not shown) to minimize the inadvertent movement of the resident past the side of the sleeping surface;





FIG. 5

is a side view of a bed frame according to another embodiment of the present invention;





FIG. 6

is a side view of the bed frame of

FIG. 5

, showing the intermediate frame elevated relative to the base frame;





FIGS. 7-9

are side views of the bed frame of

FIG. 5

, showing the articulated support deck in progressively increasing non-planar positions with portions cut away to show the frame linkage assembly for movement of the intermediate frame relative to the base frame and a deck linkage assembly for articulated movement of the foot, seat, and head deck portions;





FIG. 10

is a perspective view of an ambulatory assist arm according to another embodiment of the present invention;





FIG. 11

is a side elevation view with portions broken away illustrating a pull pin assembly for selectively locking the ambulatory assist arm at different orientations relative to the frame of the bed;





FIG. 12

is a side elevation view of the bed with the ambulatory assist arm of

FIG. 10

attached to a head end of the bed;





FIG. 13

is an exploded perspective view of the head end of the bed and the ambulatory assist arm of

FIG. 10

; and





FIG. 14

is a perspective view of the head end of the bed with the ambulatory assist arm of

FIG. 10

partially attached.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS




A long term care bed


10


includes a base frame


12


and an intermediate frame


14


coupled to base frame


12


by a drive assembly


16


as shown in FIG.


1


. Drive assembly


16


moves intermediate frame


14


between a raised position spaced apart from base frame


12


and spaced apart from the floor


18


beneath base frame


12


, as shown best in

FIG. 2



a


, and a lowered position resting on base frame


12


, as shown best in

FIG. 2



b


. A bed deck


20


is connected to intermediate frame


14


and carries a mattress


22


having a generally upwardly-facing sleeping surface


24


. Thus, as drive assembly


16


moves intermediate frame


14


between the raised position and the lowered position, sleeping surface


24


and a long term care resident (not shown) resting on sleeping surface


24


move relative to base frame


12


and floor


18


.




Deck


20


is an articulating deck including longitudinally spaced-apart head, seat, thigh, and leg sections


26


,


28


,


30


,


32


as shown in FIG.


1


. Head section


26


, thigh section


30


, and leg section


32


are each individually movable relative to one another, relative to seat section


28


, and relative to intermediate frame


14


, and seat section


28


is fixed to intermediate frame


14


by a bar


34


. While deck


20


is an articulating deck having a plurality of movable deck sections


26


,


30


,


32


, it is within the scope of the invention as presently perceived for deck


20


to be a unitary deck having no movable sections, for deck


20


to have only one movable deck section, and for deck


20


to have any desired number of movable deck sections. Thus, any desired type of bed deck can be carried by intermediate frame


14


without exceeding the scope of the invention as presently perceived.




Bed


10


includes a head end


40


, a foot end


42


, a first side


44


, and a second side


46


as shown in

FIG. 1. A

head frame


48


is attached to head end


40


of intermediate frame


14


as shown in

FIGS. 1-3

and a head board


50


is attached to head frame


48


. A bumper


38


is connected to base frame


12


to protect head board


50


and to ensure that head end


40


of bed


10


is always spaced apart from adjacent walls


164


a sufficient distance to allow for the movement of intermediate frame


14


relative to base frame


12


without head board


50


or intermediate frame


14


touching walls


164


near bed


10


. In addition, a foot frame


52


is attached to foot end


42


of intermediate frame


14


and a foot board


54


is attached to foot frame


52


.




Drive assembly


16


includes a driver


56


having a motor


58


attached to head frame


48


and a linear actuator


60


having a length


62


that extends and retracts in response to the operation of motor


58


as shown in

FIGS. 2



a


and


2




b


. It is well known in the hospital bed art that electric drive motors with various types of transmission elements including lead screw drives and various types of mechanical linkages may be used to cause relative movement of portions of hospital beds and stretchers. As a result, the term “driver” and “driver


56


” when used relative to drive assembly


16


in the specification and in the claims is intended to cover all types of mechanical, electromechanical, hydraulic, and pneumatic drivers that can extend and retract to raise and lower intermediate frame


14


relative to base frame


12


, including manual cranking mechanisms of all types, and including combinations thereof such as hydraulic cylinders in combination with electromechanical pumps for pressurizing fluid received by the hydraulic cylinders.




Motor


58


of driver


56


is attached to head frame


48


thereby fixing motor


58


relative to intermediate frame


14


and actuator


60


is coupled to motor


58


and to a flange


64


of drive assembly


16


so that as motor


58


causes actuator


60


to extend, flange


64


is pushed away from head frame


48


, and as motor


58


causes actuator


60


to retract, flange


64


is pulled toward head frame


48


. Flange


64


is movable relative to base frame


12


and relative to intermediate frame


14


and drive assembly


16


is configured so that as flange


64


moves relative to head frame


48


, and intermediate frame


14


moves relative to base frame


12


between the raised and lowered positions.




Drive assembly


16


further includes spaced-apart, generally parallel, and longitudinally-extending first and second bars


68


,


70


as shown best in

FIG. 1

Bars


68


,


70


are connected to one another by a first brace


72


and a second brace


74


. Flange


64


is fixed to second brace


74


. Thus, as flange


64


is pushed away from or pulled toward head frame


48


, second brace


74


and bars


68


,


70


also move away from or toward head frame


48


as shown in

FIGS. 2



a


and


2




b.






First bar


68


has a first end


76


and a second end


78


as shown in FIG.


1


. First end


76


is connected to a head end shaft


80


by a link


82


fixed to shaft


80


and extending radially outwardly therefrom. Second end


78


is connected to a foot end shaft


84


by a link


86


fixed to shaft


84


and extending radially outwardly therefrom.




Likewise, second bar


70


has first and second ends


88


,


90


. First end


88


is connected to shaft


80


by a link


92


fixed to shaft


80


and extending radially outwardly therefrom and second end


90


is connected to shaft


84


by a link


94


fixed to shaft


84


and extending radially outwardly therefrom.




Base frame


12


includes a head end transverse member


110


extending generally transversely between two head end casters


114


,


116


and a foot end transverse member


112


extending generally transversely between two foot end casters


118


,


120


as shown in FIG.


1


. Transversely spaced-apart first and second head end brackets


122


,


124


are fixed to member


110


and extend generally upwardly therefrom and transversely spaced-apart first and second foot end brackets


126


,


128


are fixed to member


112


and extend generally upwardly therefrom.




Drive assembly


16


includes fours sets


130


,


132


,


134


,


136


of parallel links, each set


130


,


132


,


134


,


136


being associated with one of brackets


122


,


124


,


126


,


128


, respectively, as shown in FIG.


1


. Each set


130


,


132


,


134


,


136


includes a first link


138


having a first end


140


pivotally coupled to its respective bracket


122


,


124


,


126


,


128


and a second link


142


having a first end


144


vertically spaced apart beneath first end


140


of first link


138


and pivotally coupled to its respective bracket


122


,


124


,


126


,


128


. A second end


146


of each second link


142


is fixed to its respective shaft


80


,


84


so that shaft


80


,


84


is restrained against rotation relative to link


142


. Thus, as flange


64


is pushed away from head frame


48


, bars


68


,


70


move toward foot end


42


of bed


10


and links


82


,


86


,


92


,


94


move toward foot end


42


of bed


10


and are pushed upwardly by second links


142


as second links


142


are rotated about their respective first ends


144


.




Intermediate frame


14


includes four generally downwardly extending flanges


150


,


152


,


154


,


156


. Second end


146


of each second link


142


is pivotally coupled to its respective flange


150


,


152


,


154


,


156


as shown in FIG.


1


. In addition, a second end


158


of each first link


138


is pivotally coupled to its respective flange


150


,


152


,


154


,


156


and is spaced apart from and positioned to lie above second end


146


of its respective second link


142


. Thus, each set


130


,


132


,


134


,


136


of links defines a parallelogram mechanism connecting intermediate frame


14


to base frame


12


so that as flange


64


of drive assembly


16


moves relative to head frame


48


, flanges


150


,


152


,


154


,


156


of intermediate frame


14


move upwardly and downwardly relative to base frame


12


and floor


18


. Sets


130


,


132


,


134


,


136


of links will be referred to hereinafter as parallelogram mechanisms


130


,


132


,


134


,


136


.




When actuator


60


is extended, maximizing length


62


as shown in

FIG. 2



a


, intermediate frame


14


is in the raised position spaced apart from base frame


12


. Moving actuator


60


to the extended position maximizes the distance between flange


64


of drive assembly


16


and head frame


48


pushing bars


68


,


70


toward foot end


42


of base frame


12


and away from head end


40


of base frame


12


. Pushing bars


68


,


70


toward foot end


42


of base frame


12


pushes links


82


,


86


,


92


,


94


toward foot end


42


, links


82


,


86


and links


92


,


94


pull shafts


80


,


84


, respectively, toward foot end


42


, and the movement of shafts


80


,


84


rotates first and second links


138


,


142


of each parallelogram mechanism


130


,


132


,


134


,


136


upwardly, moving flanges


150


,


152


,


154


,


156


and intermediate frame


14


upwardly.




Moving actuator


60


to the retracted position minimizes the distance between flange


64


of drive assembly


16


and head frame


48


pulling bars


68


,


70


toward head end


40


of base frame


12


and away from foot end


40


of base frame


12


as shown in

FIG. 2



b


. Pulling bars


68


,


70


toward head end


40


of base frame


12


pulls links


82


,


86


,


92


,


94


toward head end


40


, links


82


,


86


and links


92


,


94


push shafts


80


,


84


, respectively, toward head end


40


, and the movement of shafts


80


,


84


rotates first and second links


138


,


142


of each parallelogram mechanism


130


,


132


,


134


,


136


downwardly, moving flanges


150


,


152


,


154


,


156


and intermediate frame


14


downwardly.




When actuator


60


is retracted, minimizing length


62


as shown in

FIG. 2



b


, intermediate frame


14


is in the lowered position having side members


160


,


162


of intermediate frame


14


resting on transverse members


110


,


112


of base frame


12


. It also can be seen that when intermediate frame


14


is in the lowered position, flanges


150


,


152


,


154


,


156


extend downwardly from intermediate frame


14


and past transverse members


110


,


112


of base frame


12


so that second end


158


of first link


138


of each parallelogram mechanism


130


,


132


,


134


,


136


is closer to floor


18


than first end


144


of second link


142


of each parallelogram mechanism


130


,


132


,


134


,


136


.




As described above, bumper


38


is fixed to head end


40


of base frame


12


as shown in

FIGS. 1

,


2




a


, and


2




b


. As intermediate frame


14


moves from the raised position, shown in

FIG. 2



a


, to the lowered position, shown in

FIG. 2



b


, intermediate frame also translates toward head end


40


of bed


10


. Bumper


38


is positioned to lie so that bumper


38


extends farther in the direction of head end


40


of bed


10


than intermediate frame


14


extends at any point during movement of intermediate frame


14


between the raised position and the lowered position. Thus, as shown best in

FIG. 2



b


, bumper


38


operates to space bed


10


a sufficient distance away from a wall


164


adjacent to head end


40


of bed


10


so that intermediate frame


14


can move relative to base frame


12


between the raised position and the lowered position without touching wall


164


.




An ambulatory assist arm


170


is attached to intermediate frame


14


of bed


10


as shown in

FIGS. 1

,


2




a


,


3




a


, and


3




b


. Arm


170


includes a first end


172


coupled to intermediate frame


14


and arm


170


extends generally upwardly therefrom terminating at a grip


174


spaced apart from first end


172


and positioned to lie above sleeping surface


24


of mattress


22


and above siderail


250


as shown in

FIGS. 2



a


and


2




b


. Because first end


172


is coupled to intermediate frame


14


, movement of intermediate frame


14


relative to base frame


12


does not affect the position of grip


174


relative to sleeping surface


24


. However, ambulatory assist arm


170


is rotatable relative to intermediate frame


14


so that the orientation of grip


174


relative to sleeping surface


24


can be adjusted side-to-side as shown, for example, in FIG.


1


.




Grip


174


of ambulatory assist arm


170


provides a secure structure for the resident to hold during ingress to and egress from sleeping surface


24


of bed


10


. Grip


174


is coupled to intermediate frame


14


and moves with intermediate frame


14


and mattress


22


during movement of intermediate frame


14


between the raised and lowered positions so that the resident will have a consistent and reliable support to grasp when entering or exiting bed


10


.




Ambulatory assist arm


170


is mounted to bed


10


by a bracket


310


shown in

FIGS. 3



a


and


3




b


. Bracket


310


includes an upper flange


312


, a body portion


314


extending downwardly from upper flange


312


, and spaced-apart first and second lower flanges


316


,


318


extending inwardly from body portion


314


toward intermediate frame


14


, each flange


316


,


318


terminating in a hook


320


,


322


, respectively. A bar


324


extends outwardly from body portion


314


and a socket


326


is attached to the outward end of bar


324


. First end


172


of ambulatory assist arm


170


is mounted in socket


326


and a set screw


328


can be moved to a locking position fixing ambulatory assist arm


170


relative to bracket


310


, intermediate frame


14


, and sleeping surface


24


. Set screw


328


can be loosened and moved to a releasing position allowing ambulatory assist arm


170


to rotate in socket


326


.




Although the locking mechanism for locking ambulatory assist arm


170


relative to bar


324


and thus to bracket


310


, intermediate frame


14


, and sleeping surface


24


is set screw


328


and socket


326


, the locking mechanism can include a clamp, a spring loaded lock, a locking pin, or any suitable device for fixing ambulatory assist arm


170


relative to bracket


310


and allowing for the adjustment of the position of ambulatory assist arm


170


relative to bracket


310


while bracket


310


is coupled to intermediate frame


14


. Thus, ambulatory assist arm


170


has first end


172


coupled to intermediate frame


14


and grip


174


spaced apart from first end


172


and positioned to lie above sleeping surface


24


. Arm


170


, and thus grip


174


, is fixed relative to intermediate frame


14


when the locking mechanism is in the locking position and is rotatable relative to intermediate frame


14


when the locking mechanism is in the releasing position so that the orientation of grip


174


relative to sleeping surface


24


can be adjusted, even when bracket


310


is mounted to bed


10


.




Seat section


28


includes a plurality of apertures


330


extending generally downwardly as shown in

FIGS. 1 and 3



b


. Pins


332


are mounted to upper flange


312


and extend downwardly therefrom so that when bracket


310


is mounted to bed


10


, pins


332


are received by apertures


330


. In addition, lower flanges


316


,


318


straddle bar


34


connecting intermediate frame


14


to seat section


28


and hooks


320


,


322


hook around intermediate frame


14


as shown best in

FIG. 3



b


. Thus, hooks


320


,


322


engage intermediate frame


14


and cooperate with pins


332


to mount bracket


310


, and ambulatory assist arm


170


, to bed


10


. Although pins


332


extend through apertures


330


to connect bracket


310


to seat section


38


, it is within the scope of the invention as presently perceived to employ hooks that hook over seat section


38


in a manner similar to hooks


320


,


322


over intermediate frame


14


or similar attaching mechanisms to connect bracket


310


to seat section


38


. However, use of pins


332


in apertures


330


provides additional support in the longitudinal direction so that bracket


310


and ambulatory assist arm


170


do not move toward head end


40


or foot end


42


during use.




Bracket


310


is locked to bed


10


using a locking mechanism having a plunger


334


slidably mounted to body portion


314


for movement between an inward locking position engaging bar


34


when bracket


310


is mounted to bed


10


as shown in

FIG. 3



b


and an outward position spaced apart from bar


34


. A cam


336


has a first end engaging plunger


334


and a second end engaging body portion


314


. Cam


336


cooperates with plunger


334


and bracket


310


to hold bracket


310


and, thus, ambulatory assist arm


170


snugly against bed


10


. When plunger


334


is in the locking position, bracket


310


is fixed to bed


10


.




A lever mechanism


338


is coupled to plunger


334


and body portion


314


as shown in

FIGS. 3



a


and


3




b


. Lever mechanism


338


includes a lever


340


movable between a locking position shown in

FIG. 3



b


moving cam


336


and moving plunger


334


against body portion


314


and a releasing position withdrawing plunger


334


outwardly to a position spaced apart from bar


34


of bed


10


. Bracket


310


, and thus ambulatory assist arm


170


, is only loosely connected to bed


10


when plunger


334


is in the releasing position with pins


332


being loosely received in apertures


330


and hooks


320


,


322


loosely engaging intermediate frame


14


so that arm


170


can be easily removed from bed


10


when plunger


334


is in the releasing position.




Ambulatory assist arm


170


is thus easily mounted to bed


10


using bracket


310


as shown in

FIG. 3



b


. When bracket


310


and arm


170


are mounted to bed


10


, set screw


328


can be moved from the locking position to the releasing position allowing arm


170


to be rotated to adjust the orientation of arm


170


relative to sleeping surface


24


as shown in FIG.


1


. If desired, arm


170


and bracket


310


can be easily removed from bed


10


without using tools. To do so, the caregiver simply moves lever


340


of lever mechanism


338


from the locking position to the releasing position withdrawing plunger


334


away from bar


34


so that bracket


310


can be lifted to disengage hooks


322


,


324


from intermediate frame


14


and pins


332


from apertures


330


and then moved outwardly away from bed


10


.




Bed


10


additionally includes siderails or first accessory members


250


, as shown in

FIGS. 2



a


,


2




b


, and


10


, pivotally coupled to intermediate frame


14


for movement between a lowered position as shown (in phantom) in

FIG. 4 and a

raised position as shown in

FIGS. 2



a


,


2




b


, and


10


. Siderails


250


are positioned to lie adjacent to sides


252


,


254


of sleeping surface


24


to minimize the inadvertent movement of the resident past the sides


252


,


254


and off of sleeping surface


24


.




Each siderail


250


includes a top rail member having top bar


256


positioned to lie along one of sides


252


,


254


and above sleeping surface


24


when siderail


250


is in the raised position as shown in FIG.


4


. Siderails


250


are coupled to intermediate frame


14


so that top bar


256


is a fixed distance


258


above deck


20


when siderail


250


is in the raised position. Siderails


250


include mounting bars


251


which are inserted into mounting tubes coupled to intermediate frame


14


.




Siderails


250


of bed


10


provide less vertical coverage than typically found as described above. Instead, top bar


256


is spaced apart from deck


20


by distance


258


which provides insufficient coverage above sleeping surface


24


when thick mattresses are installed on deck


20


. As a result, when thinner mattresses are installed on deck


20


, the resident on sleeping surface


24


has a more open and comfortable environment that is more like the environment that the resident experiences at home.




When a thicker mattress is installed on deck


20


, additional vertical coverage is provided by installing a siderail extension member


260


,


344


onto each siderail


250


as shown for one of siderails


250


in FIG.


4


. When one of siderail extension members


260


,


344


is attached to siderail


250


, siderail


250


and siderail extension member


260


,


344


cooperate to provide vertical coverage above sleeping surface


24


. Siderail extension member


260


, for example, has a top bar


262


spaced apart from deck


20


by a distance


264


shown in

FIG. 4

when siderail


250


is in the raised position so that use of siderail extension member


260


provides additional vertical coverage equivalent to a distance


266


.




Bed


10


includes features suited for regular daily use by the general resident population of a long-term care facility. In particular, bed


10


is easy to operate both by the geriatric population and the nursing aide staff. Bed


10


will permit safe and easy positioning and egress, thereby enhancing the independence of residents. In addition, bed


10


reduces the amount of manual lifting done by the staff through easy egress and operation of the bed while they assist residents with their activities of daily living. Resident egress is assisted through the lower height of the sleeping surface


24


achieved at the lowered position than is found on conventional beds, through siderails


250


, and through ambulatory assist arm


170


.





FIG. 5

is a side view of a bed frame according to another embodiment of the present invention. The bed frame


510


includes a base frame


512


, an intermediate frame


514


, and an articulated support deck


516


. As depicted, bed frame


510


can include a headboard


536


and a footboard


538


coupled to intermediate frame


514


, and siderails


600


coupled to opposite sides of the articulated support deck


516


. Bed frame


510


can also include casters


526


coupled to base frame


512


. Bed frame


510


is suitable for long term care. In this regard, articulated support deck


516


can be configured in a variety of positions. Moreover, intermediate frame


514


allows the height of articulated support deck


16


to be readily adjustable relative to the ground. As discussed in detail below, bed frame


510


, which can be economically manufactured from standard rectangular and tubular steel components, and can include an auto-contour subassembly that is selectable and easily disableable.




Base frame


512


is illustratively formed generally as a rectangle with two longitudinally extending siderails


518


and two laterally extending end rails


519


adjacent a head end


520


and foot end


522


of bed frame


510


. Base frame


512


further includes downwardly depending legs


524


at its four corners, and casters


526


coupled to legs


524


which enable bed frame


510


to roll along a support surface, e.g., ground


18


. Rails


518


and


519


and legs


524


are illustratively formed from standard rectangular or tubular steel members that can welded, bolted or otherwise coupled together to form base frame


512


.




A wall stop or bumper


521


is formed from a generally U-shaped rod and can be coupled to base frame


512


adjacent head end


520


by pins or bolts (not shown).




Illustratively, opposite ends of U-shaped bumper


521


extend through spaced apart apertures in end rails


519


. Bumper


521


keeps bed frame


510


away from wall surfaces so that movement of base frame


512


, intermediate frame


514


, and/or articulated support deck


516


cannot contact and damage the surface of an adjacent wall. Bumper


521


can be coupled to main frame


512


relatively low to ground


18


so that it will contact wall surfaces where they tend to be the strongest and often have protective molding. Furthermore, bumper


521


can be formed from cost-effective, readily available, standard components and can be installed at the final destination of bed frame


510


.




Intermediate frame


514


is also illustratively formed with a generally rectangular shape, with two longitudinally extending siderails


530


and two laterally extending end rails (not shown) adjacent head end


520


and foot end


522


. Intermediate frame


514


further includes upwardly extending head posts


532


, adjacent head end


520


, and upwardly extending foot posts


534


adjacent foot end


522


. Intermediate frame


514


further includes two downwardly extending front support posts


533


and two downwardly extending rear support posts


535


. Siderails


530


, end rails (not shown), upwardly extending posts


532


,


534


, and downwardly extending posts


533


and


535


are illustratively formed from standard rectangular or tubular steel members that can be welded, bolted or otherwise coupled together to form intermediate frame


514


. A headboard


536


can be coupled to posts


532


and a foot board


538


can be coupled to posts


534


by any conventional means such as pins or bolts (not shown).




Articulated support deck


516


includes a head deck portion


540


, a seat deck portion


542


, and a foot deck portion


544


that are coupled together by a head-seat pivot


546


and a seat-foot pivot


548


. Deck portions


540


,


542


and


544


have radiused corners


550


and


552


(see

FIGS. 13 and 14

) adjacent pivots


546


and


548


which serve to reduce the possibility of pinching during articulation of articulated support deck


516


. Wedge comers


552


allow for access to end posts


532


and


534


which, when they are formed from tubes, can serve as sockets for an i.v. stand or other equipment (not shown). Wedge corners


552


illustratively allow the use of mattresses with different lengths on the deck.





FIG. 6

is a side view of the bed frame of

FIG. 5

, showing the intermediate frame elevated relative to the base frame. Intermediate frame


514


is coupled to base frame


512


by a frame linkage assembly


554


as best shown in FIG.


6


. Frame linkage assembly


554


provides for raising and lowering of intermediate frame


514


with respect to base frame


512


, and includes a parallelogram linkage having rotating support arms


556


and


557


pivotally coupled between base frame siderails


518


and the downwardly extending posts


533


and


535


, respectively, coupled to intermediate frame siderails


530


. Linkage assembly


554


further includes drive arms


558


and


559


that are rotatably coupled to support arms


556


and


557


respectively, and are coupled together by a parallel link arm


560


. Drive arm


559


is coupled to a drive rod


562


which is in turn coupled to either a vertical adjustment drive screw


564


or optionally to a drive motor (not shown).




Drive screw


564


is coupled to a vertical bed adjustment handle


566


that is located adjacent foot end


522


and provides for a convenient mechanism for raising or lowering intermediate frame


514


relative to base frame


512


. When either drive screw


564


or a drive motor (not shown) moves drive rod


562


generally horizontally, it causes drive arms


558


and


559


to rotate support arms


556


and


557


and move intermediate frame


514


in a generally vertical direction relative to base frame


512


. This causes articulated support deck


516


to raise from a lowered position


568


as shown in

FIG. 5

to a higher position


570


as shown in FIG.


6


.





FIGS. 7-9

are side views of the bed frame of

FIG. 5

, showing the articulated support deck in progressively increasing non-planar positions with portions cut away to show a frame linkage assembly for movement of the intermediate frame relative to the base frame, and a deck linkage assembly for articulated movement of the foot, seat, and head deck portions.




Articulated support deck


516


is coupled to intermediate frame


514


by a deck linkage assembly


572


as shown

FIGS. 7-9

. Deck linkage assembly


572


includes three spaced apart head drive arms


574


having first ends coupled to head deck portion


540


adjacent head end


520


. Three additional deck drive arms


575


are coupled to head deck portion


540


adjacent pivot


546


. Opposite end of arms


575


are coupled to arms


574


at an acute angle as shown. Drive arms


574


and


575


are rigidly coupled both together and to head deck portion


540


. Deck linkage assembly


572


also includes a drive arm


576


having a first end pivotally coupled to seat deck portion


542


and a second end which is pivotally coupled to drive arm


577


. An opposite end of drive arm


577


is pivotally coupled to the intermediate frame


514


. The common pivot connection of arms


576


and


577


is also coupled to a drive rod sleeve


81


of auto-contour engagement subassembly


78


. Foot deck portion


44


is pivotally coupled to support arms


73


located adjacent opposite sides of foot deck portion


44


. Opposite ends of arms


73


are pivotally coupled to siderails


30


of intermediate frame


14


.




The progressive views of

FIGS. 7-9

depict how the drive arms


576


and


577


pivot about their common pivotal point to raise seat-foot pivot


548


(and the adjacent ends of the seat deck portion


542


and foot deck portion


544


), as the head deck portion


540


is inclined upward. When main drive arm


599


is moved in the direction of head end


520


, it pushes against a central pair of drive arms


574


and


575


and thereby causes head deck portion


540


to pivot upward about head-seat pivot


546


. As drive arms


575


rotate in an off-set manner about head-seat pivot


546


, auto-contour engagement subassembly


578


pulls the pivotally connected ends of drive arms


576


and


577


so that they become substantially linearly aligned as shown in FIG.


9


. In practice, it may be preferred to limit the drive arms


576


and


577


from being linearly aligned, since doing so may require an initial force to overcome forces which may tend to stabilize linear alignment. That is, when the drive arms


576


and


577


are not completely linearly aligned, the weight of the seat deck portion


542


and foot deck portion


544


will be sufficient to cause the drive arms


576


and


577


to pivot about their connected ends without any force applied by or through the auto-contour subassembly


578


.




When main drive arm


599


is moved in the direction of foot end


522


, the weight of the head deck portion


40


causes head deck portion


540


to pivot downward about head-seat pivot


546


. As drive arms


575


rotate in an off-set manner about head-seat pivot


546


, the weight of the seat deck portion


542


and the foot deck portion


544


causes drive arms


576


and


577


to pivot about their connected ends.




The ambulatory assist arm assembly or second accessory member


700


for the bed shown in

FIGS. 5-9

is illustrated in

FIGS. 10-14

. The assist arm


702


includes a generally straight mounting end portion


704


and a generally U-shaped handle portion


706


. Assist arm assembly


700


also includes a mounting plate


708


having inwardly extending mounting rods


710


.




The mounting rods


710


are configured to be inserted into the same mounting tubes or accessory mount


592


that are used to mount siderails


250


when siderails


250


are removed from mounting tubes


592


. (See

FIGS. 13 and 14

.) Illustratively, washers


712


are placed over the ends of mounting bars


710


and retaining pins


714


are inserted through apertures


416


formed in the mounting bars


710


to secure the ambulatory assist assembly


700


to mounting tubes


592


. Mounting plate


708


is formed to include threaded apertures


718


,


720


and


722


. Stop pins


724


and


726


are coupled to apertures


718


and


722


, respectively.




Ambulatory assist arm


702


includes a mounting portion


728


having a top aperture


730


and a bottom aperture


732


. A pivot pin


734


extends through aperture


730


and is threadably coupled to threaded aperture


720


in mounting plate


708


. Pin


734


includes an outer flange


735


so that pivot pin


734


pivotably couples the arm


702


to plate


708


.




A pull pin locking assembly


736


includes a threaded body portion


738


and a pull knob


740


. Pull pin assembly


736


is best illustrated in

FIG. 11. A

movable pin


742


is located within an interior region


744


of body portion


738


. A spring


746


biases the pin


742


to an extended position shown in FIG.


11


. When handle


740


is pulled outwardly in the direction of arrow


748


, pin


742


also moves in the direction of arrow


748


.




Pin


742


is configured to lock the ambulatory assist arm


702


at different locations relative to the plate


708


. Plate


708


is formed to include a plurality of apertures


750


configured to receive the locking pin


742


to lock the assist arm


702


in a different orientation. Illustratively, five apertures


750


are shown. However, a fewer or a greater number of apertures


750


may be used in accordance with the present invention.




Illustratively, the arm


702


may be locked in a vertical orientation, at a 12.5 degree angle, or at a 25 degree angle in either direction relative to the vertical alignment. Since pin


742


is spring loaded to an extended position, the assist arm


702


is automatically locked in the next aperture


750


when the knob


740


is released.




As shown in

FIG. 12

, arm


702


is lockable at different orientations relative to the bed


510


. Stop pins


724


and


726


are configured to hold the arm in a generally horizontal orientation. Therefore, the assist arm


702


can not pivot past a horizontal orientation in the illustrated embodiment.




An exploded perspective view of head portion


540


of bed


510


and ambulatory assist arm


700


is shown in FIG.


13


. Illustratively, rails


250


as shown in





FIGS. 5-9

can be removed and replaced with assist arm


706


using same mounting tubes


592


. It is appreciated that arm


706


can be placed on either or both sides of head portion


540


as desired.




A perspective view of head portion


540


with extending mounting rods


710


partially extended though mounting tubes


592


, is shown in FIG.


14


. Illustratively, rods


710


are extended through tubes


592


to the point where retaining pins


714


engage corresponding receptors (not shown) formed in tubes


592


. This ensures arm


700


is attached securely to bed


500


.




Although the invention has been described in detail with reference to certain illustrated embodiments, variations and modifications exist within the scope and spirit of the invention as described and defined in the following claims.



Claims
  • 1. A bed comprisinga frame, first and second spaced-apart mounting tubes coupled to the frame, a siderail including a rail member and first and second mounting bars, the first and second mounting tubes being configured to receive the first and second mounting bars to couple the siderail to the frame, and an ambulatory assist arm assembly including an ambulatory assist arm and first and second mounting bars, the first and second mounting tubes being configured to receive the first and second mounting bars of the ambulatory assist arm to couple the ambulatory assist arm assembly to the frame.
  • 2. The bed of claim 1, wherein the rail member is configured to move between a raised position blocking egress of the patient from the bed and a lowered position permitting egress of the patient from the bed.
  • 3. The bed of claim 2, wherein the rail member includes a top bar positioned above a rest surface of the bed when the rail member is in the raised position.
  • 4. The bed of claim 1, wherein in the ambulatory assist arm includes a first end coupled to the mount and a grip spaced apart from the first end and positioned to be grasped by a patient exiting the bed.
  • 5. The bed of claim 4, wherein the ambulatory assist arm further includes an elongated portion positioned between the grip and the first end.
  • 6. The bed of claim 4, wherein the ambulatory assist arm is configured to move between a use position with the grip positioned above a patient rest surface and a storage position with the grip positioned below the patient rest surface.
  • 7. A bed comprisinga frame, an accessory mount coupled to the frame, a siderail configured to block egress of a patient from the bed, the accessory mount being configured to couple the siderail to the frame, and an ambulatory assist arm assembly including an ambulatory assist arm having a grip adapted to be gripped by a patient to assist the patient's egress from the bed, the accessory mount being configured to couple the ambulatory assist arm to the frame.
  • 8. The bed of claim 7, wherein the accessory mount includes a pair of tubes coupled to the frame and the siderail and ambulatory assist arm assembly include a pair of bars sized to fit in the tubes.
  • 9. The bed of claim 7, wherein the siderail is movable between a raised position blocking egress of a patient from the bed and a lowered position permitting egress of a patient from the bed.
  • 10. The bed of claim 7, wherein the ambulatory assist arm includes an elongated portion having a distal end and a proximal end coupled to the accessory mount and the grip is coupled to the distal end.
  • 11. The bed of claim 7, wherein the ambulatory assist arm assembly is configured to permit movement of the grip between a use position positioned above a patient rest surface and a storage position positioned below the patient rest surface.
  • 12. A bed comprisinga frame, an accessory mount coupled to the frame, a siderail configured to block egress of a patient from a patient rest surface, the accessory mount being configured to removably couple the siderail to the frame, and an accessory member substantially different from the siderail, the accessory mount being configured to couple the accessory member to the frame with the siderail removed.
  • 13. The bed of claim 12, wherein the siderail includes a rail member positioned to block egress of the patient from the rest surface.
  • 14. The bed of claim 12, wherein the accessory member includes a grip positioned above the patient rest surface to assist a patient's egress from the patient rest surface.
  • 15. The bed of claim 14, wherein the accessory member includes a vertically extending portion supporting the grip.
  • 16. The bed of claim 12, wherein the accessory member is spaced apart from the accessory mount when the siderail is coupled to the accessory mount.
  • 17. The bed of claim 16, wherein the siderail is spaced apart from the accessory mount when the accessory member is coupled to the accessory mount.
  • 18. A bed comprisinga frame, a headboard coupled to the frame, a footboard coupled to the frame, an accessory mount coupled to the frame between the headboard and footboard, a first accessory member, the accessory mount being configured to removably couple the first accessory to the frame, and a second accessory member substantially different from the first accessory member, the accessory mount being configured to couple the second accessory member to the frame when the first accessory member is removed.
  • 19. The bed of claim 18, wherein the first accessory member includes a rail member positioned above a patient rest surface to block egress of a patient from the patient rest surface.
  • 20. The bed of claim 19, wherein the second accessory member includes a grip positioned above the patient rest surface to assist a patient's egress from the patient rest surface when the first accessory member is removed.
  • 21. The bed of claim 18, wherein the accessory mount includes a pair of tubes and the first and second accessory members includes a pair of bars sized to fit within the tubes of the accessory mount.
  • 22. A method of adjusting the configuration of a bed, the method comprising the steps ofproviding a bed having a frame, an accessory mount coupled to the frame, a siderail coupled to the frame by the accessory mount, and an accessory member substantially different than the siderail, removing the siderail from the frame, and coupling the accessory member to the frame with the accessory mount.
  • 23. The method of claim 22, wherein accessory mount includes a pair of tubes and the siderail and accessory member includes a pair of bars sized to fit in the tubes, the removing step includes sliding the bars of the siderail out of the tubes, and the coupling step includes sliding the bars of the accessory member into the tubes.
  • 24. The method of claim 22, wherein the accessory member includes a grip positioned to assist egress of a patient from the bed.
  • 25. The method of claim 24, further comprising the steps of moving the grip to a storage position below a patient rest surface and moving the grip to a use position above the patient rest surface.
  • 26. A bed comprisinga frame, a siderail configured to block egress of a patient from a patient rest surface, an accessory member, and means for removably coupling the siderail to the frame, the coupling means configured to removably couple the accessory member to the frame with the siderail removed.
  • 27. The bed of claim 26, wherein the accessory member is an ambulatory assist arm having a grip adapted to be gripped by the patient to assist the patient's egress from the bed.
  • 28. The bed of claim 27, wherein the ambulatory assist arm includes an elongated portion having a distal end and a proximal end coupled to the coupling means and the grip is coupled to the distal end.
  • 29. The bed of claim 26, wherein the siderail is movable between a raised position blocking egress of the patient from the bed and a lowered position permitting egress of the patient from the bed.
  • 30. The bed of claim 26, wherein the coupling means includes a pair of tubes and the accessory member includes a pair of bars sized to fit within the tubes of the coupling means.
  • 31. A bed comprisinga frame, a siderail, an accessory member, and means for coupling the siderail to the frame, the means configured to allow removal of the siderail from the frame and coupling of the accessory member to the frame.
  • 32. The bed of claim 31, wherein the accessory member is an ambulatory assist arm having a grip adapted to be gripped by the patient to assist the patient's egress from the bed.
  • 33. The bed of claim 31, wherein the accessory member includes a vertically extending portion supporting a grip.
  • 34. The bed of claim 31, wherein the coupling means includes a pair of tubes and the accessory member includes a pair of bars sized to fit within the tubes of the coupling means.
Parent Case Info

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/437,001, filed Nov. 9, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,240,583, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/373,116, filed on Aug. 12, 1999, now abandoned the disclosures of which are expressly incorporated by reference herein.

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Continuations (1)
Number Date Country
Parent 09/437001 Nov 1999 US
Child 09/874681 US
Continuation in Parts (1)
Number Date Country
Parent 09/373116 Aug 1999 US
Child 09/437001 US