The present invention relates generally to medical equipment and emergency supplies. More specifically, the present invention provides a foldable survival stretcher that can be deployed by a user in various emergency situations to transport an injured person without assistance from another person.
In general, stretchers are devices used for safely transporting an injured person to a location where the injured person can receive medical care. Traditional stretchers are rigid to fully support the injured and require multiple people to carry the injured. In addition, foldable stretchers have been made available to be used in various situations where stretchers need to be compactly stored for easy transportation and to be deployed at any moment, such as in combat situations. These foldable stretchers, while practical, still require at least two people to carry the injured on the stretcher. This limitation of currently available stretchers results in many disadvantages. For example, most stretchers can be difficult to use in irregular or elevated terrain, such as going down a flight of stairs. In addition, the traditional design of stretchers can leave the people carrying the injured vulnerable, especially in combat situations. There have been improvements to traditional stretchers that facilitate the transportation of injured people during emergency situations. For example, modern stretchers can be designed to be mounted onto a wheeled base to enable the quick transportation of injured people. Similarly, foldable stretchers have been equipped with several handles that enable several people to hold onto the stretcher in more comfortable ways when transporting the injured person. However, these improvements do not fix the inconveniences and inefficiencies of currently available stretchers when used in various emergency situations.
An object of the present invention is to provide a foldable survival stretcher that facilitates the user to single-handedly carry an injured person on any type of terrain during emergency situations. The present invention is designed to enable a person to comfortably carry an injured person without assistance from another person during emergencies. Another objective of the present invention is to provide a foldable survival stretcher that can be used in various emergency situations without hindering the movement of the user. The present invention is designed to enable the user to comfortably carry the injured person without impeding the movement of the user that may result in harm to the user, such as carrying the injured person down a flight of stairs. Another object of this invention is to provide a foldable survival stretcher that can be easily stored and deployed by the user during an emergency. The present invention can be stored on a portable storage structure, such as a storage bag, or stored at an accessible location for emergencies, such as next to a fire escape, so that the user can quickly retrieve the foldable survival stretcher and deploy the foldable survival stretcher to transport the injured person. Additional features and benefits of the present invention are further discussed in the sections below.
The present invention provides a foldable survival stretcher that enables a person to carry an injured person without assistance from another person. The present invention is designed to be used in different emergency situations including, but not limited to, a fire in a building, the bombing of a structure, during a combat situation, etc. Further, the main structure of the foldable survival stretcher is preferably made from ballistic nylon, the fabric with the strongest tensile strength available today. The term “ballistic nylon” originates in the fabric's intended function, protecting the wearer from flying debris and fragmentation caused by bullets and artillery shell impacts. Although ballistic nylon was originally created and used in flak jackets, its durability and cutting resistance have made the fabric useful for non-combat applications, such as being used in chainsaw protective chaps. Further, the fabric is 1680 denier so that the present invention can resist punctures/tears/scrapes while being dragged across rough terrain. Further, the threading of the foldable survival stretcher is treated with a fire-retardant material prior to the construction of the fabric. Further, the foldable survival stretcher is equipped with several straps and bands that hold the injured person against the foldable survival stretcher. These straps and bands can be preferably made from regular nylon for comfort to the injured person and can be secured using commercial-grade hook and loop fasteners. Further, the foldable survival stretcher preferably includes a pocket to safely retain the injured person's feet against the stretcher.
Furthermore, the present invention can be compactly folded into a lightweight storage bag so that the foldable survival stretcher is always readily available and functional at any location. Alternatively, the present invention can be stored in any compact storage device adjacent to an emergency location to be used in case of emergencies. To deploy the present invention, the user just removes the foldable survival stretcher from the sack, lays the foldable survival stretcher flat, unfastens the straps and bands, lays the injured person on the stretcher, tightly secures the injured person's body using the straps and bands, and then hoists the foldable survival stretcher up onto the user's back using the appropriate straps. This can be done in less than a minute so that the user can transport the injured person right away. Further, the user can walk freely to safety without obstruction of the injured person. The present invention also eliminates the use of both arms to balance the injured person on the user's back. This is extremely useful in various situations, such as in combat situations where the user's arms can be left free to hold supplies or a gun if in a danger zone. In alternate embodiments, the foldable survival stretcher can be provided as an inflatable structure that can be easily deployed using appropriate inflating mechanisms to provide additional comfort to the injured person being carried on the user's back.
All illustrations of the drawings are for the purpose of describing selected versions of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.
The present invention is a foldable survival stretcher that enables the user to carry an injured person who needs medical assistance without help from another person. The foldable survival stretcher is a practical stretcher that can be easily and quickly deployed so that the user can transport the injured person to safety in various emergency situations. As can be seen in
The general configuration of the aforementioned components enables a user to individually carry a person in need of medical attention without obstructing the movement of the user nor limiting the use of the user's hands. As can be seen in
The present invention is preferably structured as follows. As can be seen in
In the preferred embodiment, the stretcher canvas 1 is made of a laminated ballistic nylon fabric that protects the injured person as well as the user carrying the injured person. In addition, the laminated ballistic nylon fabric adds resilience to the stretcher canvas 1 to prevent ruptures or tears on the stretcher canvas 1 as the user carries the injured person across rough terrain. Furthermore, the stretcher canvas 1 color can be a standard dark color such as jet black. In other embodiments, different materials, patterns, and designs can be utilized for the stretcher canvas 1. Further, the present invention can be easily stored as follows. As can be seen in
In addition to enabling the user to carry the injured person from the user's back using the pair of pulling straps 8, the present invention can provide other means for the user or other people to support the injured person being carried on the stretcher canvas 1. As can be seen in
As can be seen in
As previously discussed, the pair of pulling straps 8 enables the user to hang the injured person on the stretcher canvas 1 from the back of the user so that the user is free to move without having to hold onto the injured person. As can be seen in
While the user is transporting the injured patient using the present invention, the present invention ensures that the injured person does not fall off the stretcher canvas 1 due to the head-restraining band 11, the chest-restraining band 12, and the pelvis-restraining band 13. To secure the injured person to stretcher canvas 1, the head-restraining band 11, the chest-restraining band 12, and the pelvis-restraining band 13 are designed to be selectively fastened around the injured person's body without harming the injured person. As can be seen in
As can be seen in
In some embodiments, the attachment mechanism 19 can include two intercoupling pieces that can be coupled to each other to form a secure connection. As can be seen in
In addition to the head-restraining band 11, the chest-restraining band 12, and the pelvis-restraining band 13, the feet-restraining pocket 22 further helps maintain the injured person's body on the stretcher canvas 1 while being transported by the user. To safely retain the injured person's feet, the feet-restraining pocket 22 is designed with a structure large enough to receive the feet without unnecessarily restraining the feet. Further, the feet-restraining pocket 22 is designed to match the design of the stretcher canvas 1. As can be seen in
The present invention can be applied to different emergency situations. For example, the present invention can be made mandatory to be placed adjacent to fire escapes and emergency exits of a building such as an apartment complex or hospitals. Many physically challenged individuals are now enjoying a larger part of their community as most public buildings now offer ramps for easy accessibility. However, once a fire, bombing, or threat has been made to a publicly accessed building, the elevators are shut down. Wheelchairs are no longer a viable solution for escape, but the present invention would enable physically challenged individuals to be evacuated. Furthermore, the present invention can be greatly beneficial in combat situations. When a fellow soldier is injured in combat to the point of incapacity, the present invention can greatly increase the soldier's chance of survival. The present invention can facilitate the fellow soldier's extraction and allows the soldier performing the extraction to defend themselves by freeing the soldier's arms to carry a weapon for self-defense. In addition, the present invention can be carried along with in dangerous activities such as adventure hikes that take people into deep forests, over rocky streams, up large hills etc. Terrain that can easily cause a sprained ankle or a fall that would incur injuries that limit ambulation in remote areas.
Furthermore, in alternate embodiments, the present invention can be provided as an inflatable structure that can be deployed to comfortably carry the injured person. In this embodiment, the stretcher canvas 1 can be an inflatable canvas that includes several inflatable chambers that are fastened together to form an inflatable rectangular structure. The stretcher canvas 1 may also include at least one valve that can be used to inflate the inflatable stretcher canvas 1. Further, the present invention may provide means to quickly inflate the stretcher canvas 1. For example, the present invention may provide at least one canister of pressurized fluid, such as compressed air, that is in fluid communication with the stretcher canvas 1 by the at least one valve. The at least one canister may be carried along with the present invention in the storage bag 31 or provided in the same storage space as the present invention. This way, the user can easily deploy the present invention by engaging the at least one valve so that the stored fluid within the at least one canister quickly flows into the inflatable chambers of the stretcher canvas 1. Thus, the stretcher canvas 1 is quickly inflated and ready to use. In other embodiments, the stretcher canvas 1 may include different structural designs that increase the comfort and protect the injure person being carried by the user.
Although the invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
The current application claims a priority to the U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 63/367,431 filed on Jun. 30, 2022.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20240000639 A1 | Jan 2024 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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63367431 | Jun 2022 | US |