Patent Application
20200113752
The present application relates and claims priority to Australian Patent Application No. 2018903841, filed Oct. 11, 2018, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
The present invention relates to patient conveyance apparatus such as stretchers and transport chairs.
In hospitals and other medical facilities it is frequently necessary to move patients around the facility. In many situations, it is difficult to move the patient even to a conveyance apparatus, such as from a bed to a wheelchair. In such situations, it is desirable to have a patient conveyance apparatus such as a stretcher or a transport chair in which the patient can be readily moved around the facility and in which they can stay for other purposes, such as for a medical examination or procedure.
It is further desirable to have such a wheeled patient conveyance apparatus which is readily adjustable for a patient, for instance between an upright or seated position and a reclined position.
It is also desirable for the wheeled patient conveyance apparatus to have handles which can be used to guide and to propel the patient conveyance. It is preferred that these handles are located behind the patient, as is typical in a wheelchair. This presents a problem, in that such handles are typically mounted to a backrest. If the backrest can be reclined, the handles would then be unusable. Locating and positioning handles which allow for the adjustment of the apparatus between an upright and a reclined position is difficult.
The provision of handles on a patient conveyance apparatus raises further difficulties. When the handles are mounted to the backrest, any pushing and pulling forces applied to the handles are transmitted via the backrest to the patient, potentially causing discomfort. Handles must be able to be easily used by medical staff of different heights and builds, meaning that they should preferably be adjustable. Handles must be readily available for use, but also should not prevent an impediment to a medical practitioner conducting an examination or procedure.
The present invention has been created in light of these problems and desiderata. Further advantages will be apparent from the following description.
According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a patient conveyance apparatus having a frame, the patient conveyance apparatus having an elongate direction and a transverse direction;
It is preferred that each arm mounting includes a locking mechanism arranged to move between a locked configuration whereby the arm is fixed in a desired operative position and an unlocked configuration whereby the arm is free to move.
It is also preferred that movement of each arm is restricted by friction within the respective arm mounting.
It is preferred that each arm is located outside the backrest when in its operative position, whereby the backrest can be moved between its upright position and its lowered position while the arms are in their operative position.
Each arm mounting preferably includes a housing which defines a substantially cylindrical bearing having an axis oriented in the transverse direction, and an internal arm support arranged to rotate within the housing.
The housing may include a first internal projection, with the internal arm support having a catch arranged to engage with the internal projection when the arm is in its operative position. In a preferred embodiment, the catch includes a release arm which extends, in use, outside the housing.
The housing may include a second internal projection, with the internal arm support having an arcuate slot arranged to locate about the second internal projection, the second internal projection arranged to limit rotation of the internal arm support relative to the housing.
In a preferred embodiment, the arcuate slot extends through about 45°.
The internal arm support may include an outer projection to which an arm is mounted. The outer projection is preferably located on an internal shaft, arranged to rotate relative to the internal arm support about an axis perpendicular to the axis of the housing.
The patient conveyance apparatus may be a transport chair. Alternatively, the patient conveyance may be a stretcher.
It will be convenient to further describe the invention with reference to preferred embodiments of the present invention. Other embodiments are possible, and consequently the particularity of the following discussion is not to be understood as superseding the generality of the preceding description of the invention. In the drawings:
Referring to the Figures, there is shown a patient transport chair 10 having a wheeled undercarriage 12, a supporting frame 14, and a patient carrying portion having a seat 16, a leg rest 18 and a backrest 20.
In this embodiment, the supporting frame 14 is connected to the wheeled undercarriage 12 by a supporting column 22. In another embodiment (not shown), the supporting frame 14 is connected to the wheeled undercarriage by two supporting columns.
The supporting frame 14 has a first side rail 24 and a second side rail 26. The side rails 24, 26 extend in an elongate direction from a forward position at a front end of the seat 16 to a rear position beneath the backrest 20.
The supporting frame 14 has a first arm mounting 30 mounted to the rear of the first side rail 24, and a second arm mounting 32 mounted to the rear of the second side rail 26.
A first arm 34 extends from the first arm mounting 30, and a second arm 36 extends from the second arm mounting 32.
Each of the first and second arms 34, 36 has three portions: an inner portion 38 which extends from the respective arm mounting 30, 32; an extension portion 40 which extends away from the inner portion 38 at a 90° angle, and a handle 42 which extends away from an outer end of the extension portion 40 at a 90° angle. The handle 42 is perpendicular to the inner portion 38.
The first arm mounting 30 will now be described with reference to
The first arm mounting 30 has an outer housing 50. The outer housing 50 has a connection portion 52 which is arranged to mount to the first side rail 24, and a main portion 54 which defines a substantially cylindrical bearing 56 covered at both axial ends by caps 58. The main portion 54 is arranged such that the bearing 56 has an axis oriented in a transverse direction relative to the first arm 34; that is, oriented towards the second arm mounting 32.
A generally cylindrical body portion 60 is located within the outer housing 50, arranged to rotate within the cylindrical bearing 56. The body portion 60 constitutes an internal arm support for the first arm 34.
The body portion 60 includes a diametrically aligned bore 62 arranged to support a rotating shaft 64. The rotating shaft 64 extends through a side wall of the outer housing 50 to form an outer projection 66. The arrangement is such that the inner portion 38 of the first arm 34 can be fixed to, and be aligned with, the outer projection 66. The rotating shaft 64 fits snugly within the bore 62, with friction restricting but not preventing rotation of the shaft 64.
The rotating shaft 64 includes an axially aligned cavity 68 extending inwardly from the outer protection 66, the axially aligned cavity being arranged to allow electrical control wiring 70 to pass internally of the housing 50.
The outer housing 50 has a first internal projection 72 extending between the caps 58. The first internal projection 72 is located near the side wall of the outer housing 50, remote from the connection portion 52. The first internal projection 72 is cylindrical, with its axis parallel to the axis of the bearing 56. It is located at about 45° above a midline of the bearing 56.
The body portion 60 includes a catch 74. The catch 74 is generally parallel to the bore 62, and is located on a side of the bore 62 away from the connection portion 52. The catch 74 has an internal end having a hook 76 and an external end being a release arm 78 which extends through the side wall of the outer housing 50.
The arrangement is such that the body portion 60 is able to rotate through about 45° within the bearing 56 from a lowered position shown in
The outer housing 50 has a second internal projection 82 extending between the caps 58. The second internal projection 82 is located about two thirds of the way from the central axis of the bearing 56 to the side wall of the outer housing 50, approximately opposite the first internal projection 72. The second internal projection 82 is cylindrical, with its axis parallel to the axis of the bearing 56.
The body portion 60 includes an arcuate slot 84 which extends through about 45°, and is arranged to locate about the second internal projection 82. The arrangement is such that when the body portion 60 is in the lowered position the second internal projection 82 abuts one end of the acuate slot 84, and when the body portion 60 is in the raised position the second internal projection 82 abuts the other end of the arcuate slot 84.
Operation of the patient transport chair 10 will now be described.
In this position the body portions 60 of the arm mountings 30, 32 are each locked in their raised positions, with the rotating shafts 64 rotated within their bores 62 so as to orient the extension portions 40 in the desired position.
It will be appreciated that in this position the handles 42 are located well to the rear of the patient transport chair 10. In particular, the backrest 20 can be moved between an upright position and a reclined position, even to a fully reclined position, without interference from the arms 34, 36. Any force applied to the handles 42, for instance by an orderly, is transferred through the arm mountings 30, 32 to the side rails 24, 26 and thence to the frame 14, column 22 and wheeled undercarriage 12. No part of this force passes through the patient carrying portion.
As in the position of
It will be apparent that no matter what the position of the backrest 20 each arm 34, 36 can be independently moved between its first and second operative positions and its stowed position without affecting a patient. Similarly, it will be apparent that no matter what the position of the arms 34, 36, the backrest 20 can be raised and lowered as desired without interference.
Modifications and variations as would be apparent to a skilled addressee are deemed to be within the scope of the present invention.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018903841 | Oct 2018 | AU | national |
