Patent Application
20110258779
The present invention relates in general to patient supports used in the healthcare industry. In particular, the invention relates to siderails for a patient supports.
Headboards, footboards, and siderails are typically added to hospital beds to reduce the likelihood of a patient falling off a bed. However, patients lying upon hospital beds are occasionally entrapped by a portion of a bed, or slip through a gap in the bed, or are pinched or otherwise caught by the bed. In an effort to reduce the likelihood that a medical patient will be injured or entrapped by a hospital bed, the Food and Drug Administration released a document of nonbinding recommendations entitled “Guidance for Industry and Staff—Hospital Bed System Dimensional and Assessment Guidance to Reduce Entrapment,” FDA document number 1537 (hereinafter “the FDA document”), which issued on Mar. 10, 2006. The FDA document lists recommended minimum and maximum gaps or spacing between various portions of a hospital bed to reduce the likelihood of injury.
Movable siderails are desirable for protecting a patient from inadvertent bed egress, for example, while providing one or more alternate configurations for improving a caregiver's access to the patient and/or facilitating the patient's ingress and egress from the bed. However, movable siderails may increase the likelihood of patient entrapment and/or other situations in which a patient may be caught or pinched because the gaps or spacings are changeable between various portions of a bed so equipped.
Additionally, it is an aim of healthcare equipment providers to offer patient support devices that are easy to manipulate and which minimize required exertion by the operator. For patient support surfaces, siderails are ideally adjusted, with a minimum of effort, between positions facilitating intentional patient ingress and egress and positions offering security against unintentional egress. Although some known siderail mechanisms have been adapted to facilitate ingress, egress, and security, typically these have been positionable between lowered positions, locked raised positions, and lockable intermediate positions, where locking the siderails in the intermediate positions requires first moving the siderails to their locked raised positions, or beyond their locked raised positions, before lowering them back to the intermediate positions. However, when a patient is positioned (e.g. sitting) at the edge of a bed between, for example a lowered foot end siderail and a lowered head end siderail, the patient may block the motion of the siderail to its raised position and thus inhibit a caregiver's ability to move the siderail to the intermediate locked position.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a patient support, such as a bed, stretcher, cot, chair or the like, with movable siderails that can be moved to a position to limit egress from the patient support and to another position to allow egress from the patient support while maintaining sufficient spacing between the siderails themselves and also with respect to the footboard and headboard of the patient support to minimize the risk of entrapment or pinching of the patient's limbs or body. Each siderail may be movable between a raised position and a lowered position, and releasably lockable in an intermediate position between the raised and lowered positions, using a single hand. In addition, the siderail may be selectively releasably lockable in the intermediate position without limiting the ability of an attendant or caregiver to move the siderail quickly from its lowered position to its raised position. Further, the siderail may also incorporate one or more assist devices that reduce the force needed to move the siderail body over one or more ranges of motion.
In one form of the invention, a siderail for a patient support includes a siderail body that is movable between a first position and a second position, and is releasably lockable in a third position between the first and second positions. One of the first position and the second position is a raised locked position, and the other of the first and second position is a lowered position. The siderail also includes a latching mechanism for releasably locking the siderail body in the third position but which bypasses the third locked position when the siderail body is moved in a first direction from the first position to the second position. The latching mechanism releasably locks the siderail body in the third position when the siderail is moved in a second direction toward the first position from the second position after the siderail moves past the third position but before reaching the second position.
For example, such bypassing may be achieved by providing two structures in the latching mechanism that engage to couple with one another to lock the siderail body, and providing a third structure to prevent such engagement when the siderail body is moved in one direction only, i.e. from the first position toward the second position.
In one aspect, the latching mechanism includes a cam, for example a cam disk, which may define a lowered stop configuration. In addition, the cam may further define a raised stop configuration.
Another aspect of the latching mechanism may also include a latch that cooperates with the cam disk to define the intermediate configuration. When the cam disk rotates to a position corresponding with the third position, the latch engages or couples with the cam disk to lock the siderail body in the third position. This may be accomplished by the latch having an engagement structure, such as one or more locking protrusions. For example, the cam disk may include a void, with the locking protrusion releasably meshing with the void, which is arranged on the cam disk to correspond with the third position. Such meshing causes the latch to prevent the cam disk from rotating about its rotational axis, thereby locking the siderail in the third position. The locking protrusion can be released from its meshed position, thereby allowing the siderail to move away from the third position, by a handle or other release mechanism as described herein.
For example, the cam disk may include a rotational axis, about which the cam disk rotates when the siderail body is moved between the first position and the second position, and a cam disk face, which lies in a plane generally perpendicular to the rotational axis. Further, the engagement structure may couple to the cam disk at the cam disk face, with the engagement structure being adapted to releasably couple with the cam disk face when the siderail body is moved to the third position to thereby releasably rotatably lock the cam disk and thereby lock the siderail body in the third position. For example, as noted above the latch may have a locking protrusion, and the cam disk may include a void in the cam disk face, with the locking protrusion engaging the cam disk face at the void.
According to yet further aspects, the latching mechanism includes a latch biasing element, which is adapted to urge the latch into engagement with the cam disk. For example, the latch biasing element may be adapted to urge the locking protrusion towards the void when the void is substantially aligned with the locking protrusion. For redundancy of the latch biasing function, two latch biasing elements may be used, so that failure of one latch biasing elements will leave one latch biasing element operational. Similarly, more than two latch biasing elements may be used.
Yet another aspect of the latching mechanism includes a bypass arm for restraining the latch from locking the siderail body in the third position when the siderail body is moved from the first position to the second position. Such restraint, for example, may be accomplished by preventing the locking protrusion from meshing or cooperating with the void in that range of rotation of the cam disk corresponding to the third position. By preventing such meshing, the cam disk may rotate past the third position without allowing the latch biasing element to urge the locking protrusion in to the void, thereby allowing the latching mechanism to bypass the intermediate locked configuration. For example, the bypass arm may include a stepped portion that is adapted to block the latch such that the latch is prevented from cooperating with the cam disk when the latch is blocked by the stepped portion. Further, the stepped portion may block the latch at that portion of rotation of the cam disk substantially corresponding to the third position when the siderail body is moved in a direction from the first position through the third position to the second position.
In another aspect, the bypass arm may form a cam follower for following the cam when the siderail body is moved from the second position through the third position to the first position. The cam follower may disengage from following the cam for that portion of movement substantially corresponding with the third position when the siderail body is moved in the direction from the first position through the third position to the second position. For example, the cam disk may include a profile at its perimeter, which is adapted to manipulate the follower as the cam disk rotates. The locking feature and follower may combine to control the operation of the latching mechanism to achieve desired operational characteristics.
One way to achieve such disengagement of the cam follower from the cam is to position a portion of the bypass arm between the latch and the cam disk face so as to prevent the latch protrusion from moving into the void in the cam face. For example, the bypass arm may include a stepped portion. When the siderail body is moved or second in direction from the first position to the second position, the stepped portion moves between the latch and the cam disk face so that the stepped portion prevents the latch from cooperating with the cam disk. In addition, the bypass arm is further configured to allow the stepped portion to move in between the latch and the cam disk face at that portion of rotation of the cam disk substantially corresponding to the third position of the siderail. To bypass the locking of the third position when the siderail is moved in a direction from the first position to the second position, such movement of the stepped portion is arranged to occur only when the siderail body is moved in the direction from the first position through the third position to the second position.
According to another aspect, the cam disk further includes a cam lobe for engagement by the latch. For example, the latch may be provided with another protrusion. This protrusion may engage the cam lobe at a position between the third position and the first position to situate the latch so that the stepped portion may move between the cam disk face and the latch. The protrusion may serve to ensure that the latch is rotated sufficiently far from the adjacent face of the cam disk to allow the stepped portion of the bypass arm to move between the latch and the cam disk face, as described above. Thus, if the latch is pulled sufficiently far away from the cam disk to allow the locking protrusion to vacate the void but not sufficiently far away to allow the stepped portion to move between the latch and the cam disk face, the protrusion may act to move the latch farther from the cam disk to ensure proper configuring of the bypass arm.
In another form of the invention, a siderail for a patient support may include a siderail body, which is movable between lowered and second positions, and one or more siderail arms, which include a first portion for pivotally connecting to a patient support and a second portion for pivotally connecting to the siderail body. Thus, the siderail arms pivotally connect the siderail body to the patient support. The siderail further includes a latching mechanism with a cam disk fixedly attached to the siderail arm, which is configured to releasably lock the siderail body in the third position.
In another aspect, the cam disk is optionally attached to the siderail arm at the pivotal connection between the siderail and the siderail arm.
Another aspect of the latching mechanism further includes a bypass arm for restraining the cam disk from locking the siderail body in the third position when the siderail body is moved from the first position to the second position. Such restraint, for example, may be accomplished by preventing the cam disk from locking the siderail body in the intermediate locked position.
In a further aspect, the bypass arm includes a cam follower for following the perimeter of the cam disk when the siderail body is moved from the first position through the third position to the second position. The cam follower may disengage from following the cam disk for that portion of movement substantially corresponding with the third position when the siderail body is moved from the second position through the third position to the first position.
In yet a further aspect, the latching mechanism also includes a latch that cooperates with the cam disk to define the intermediate configuration. When the cam disk rotates to a position corresponding with the intermediate configuration, the latch may engage or couple with the cam disk to lock the siderail body in the third position. This is accomplished by the latch having, for example, a locking protrusion, which may releasably couple to the cam disk, for example mesh with a void provided in the cam disk, which is configured to correspond with the third position. Such meshing causes the latch to prevent the cam disk from rotating about its rotational axis, thereby locking the siderail in the third position. The locking protrusion is released from its meshed position, thereby allowing the siderail to move away from the third position, for example by a handle or other release mechanism as described herein.
According to yet further aspects, the latching mechanism may further include a latch biasing element for urging the locking protrusion towards the void when the void is substantially aligned with the locking protrusion. Generally, the latch biasing element may urge the latch in the direction of the cam disk face, thereby urging the locking protrusion into the void when the void is aligned with the locking protrusion.
One way to achieve such disengagement of the cam follower from the cam disk is to configure a portion of the bypass arm between the latch and the cam disk face. For example, the bypass arm may include a stepped portion. The stepped portion blocks the latch from moving toward the cam disk thereby preventing the latch from cooperating with the cam disk. Accordingly, the bypass arm is configured to move the stepped portion between the latch and the cam disk at that portion of rotation of the cam disk substantially corresponding to the third position of the siderail. To bypass the locking of the third position when the siderail is moved from the first position to the second position, such movement of the bypass into the blocking position occurs when the siderail body is moved in a direction from the first position through the third position but not when lowered in a direction from the second position to the third position. Further, once the siderail is moved passed the third position, the bypass arm is released from the blocking position so that the siderail can be lowered and automatically locked in the third position once it has been moved past the third position.
In yet another form of the invention, a siderail for a patient support includes a siderail body movable between a first position, a second position, and a third position located between the lowered and second positions. The siderail also includes a latching mechanism with a locking configuration that is adapted to releasably lock the siderail body in the second position and in an intermediate locked position at the third position but which has a bypass configuration adapted to allow the siderail body to bypass the intermediate locked position when the siderail body is moved in a direction from the first position to the second position. Once passed the third position, the latching mechanism is reconfigured from its bypass configuration to its locking configuration. In addition, the latching mechanism is adapted to provide perceptible feedback when the siderail body is moved passed the third position and when the latch mechanism is reconfigured between its bypass configuration to its locked configuration. Such feedback may take the form of an audible noise, such as a “click,” or may be tactile feedback or visual feedback.
In still another form of the invention, a siderail for a patient support includes a siderail body movable between a first position, a second position, and a third position located between the lowered and second positions. The siderail also includes a latching mechanism configured to releasably lock the siderail body in the third position but which bypasses the intermediate locked position when the siderail body is moved in a direction from the first position to the second position. The siderail also includes a handle connected to the siderail body wherein the siderail body and the handle move together. The handle is adapted to release the latching mechanism from the locked configuration, thus allowing one-handed operation of the siderail body.
For example, the siderail body has an outer perimeter, with the handle located within the outer perimeter of the siderail body.
In a further form of the invention, a siderail for a patient support includes a siderail body movable between a first position, a second position, and a third position located between the lowered and second positions. The siderail also includes a latching mechanism for releasably locking the siderail body in the third position but which bypasses the intermediate locked position when the siderail body is moved in a direction from the first position to the second position. The latching mechanism is contained within the siderail body. Such containment of the latching mechanism keeps the latching mechanism protected from dirt and dust and other environmental conditions, which may adversely affect any moving parts while also protecting users of the siderail from the moving components of the latching mechanism.
In a still further form of the invention, a siderail for a patient support includes a siderail body movable between a first position, a second position, and a third position located between the lowered and second positions. The siderail also includes a latching mechanism configured to releasably lock the siderail body in the third position but which is configured to bypass the intermediate locked position when the siderail body is moved in a direction from the first position to the second position. The latching mechanism includes a first latch member and a second latch member. The first latch member is movable between a locking position wherein the siderail body is locked in position and an unlocked position wherein the siderail body is no longer locked in position. The second latch member is movable to form a physical barrier to the first latch member when the siderail body is moved in the direction from the first position to the third position to prevent the first latch member from moving to its locking position.
In another form of the invention, a siderail for a patient support includes a siderail body movable between a first position, a second position, and a third position located between the lowered and second positions. The siderail also includes a latching mechanism configured to releasably lock the siderail body in the third position but which has a bypass configuration wherein the siderail bypasses the intermediate locked position when the siderail body is moved in a direction from the first position to the second position. The latching mechanism includes a latch that defines the locked position, the first position, and the second position.
In yet another form of the invention, a siderail for a patient support may include a siderail body movable between a first position, a second position, and a third position located between the lowered and second positions. The siderail further includes a first biasing element that urges the siderail body in a first direction of movement of the siderail body and a second biasing element that urges the siderail body in a second direction of movement of the siderail body.
For example, the first biasing element may urge the siderail body from the second position toward the third position with a first biasing force, and the second biasing element may urge the siderail body from the first position toward the third position with a second biasing force. Thus, the biasing elements may reduce the required amount of operator-provided force to move the siderail body within its range of motion, thereby minimizing the physical impact of operating the siderail on the user.
Such first biasing element may include a proximal portion that is pivotally connectable to a patient support and a distal portion that is pivotally connected to the siderail body. Similarly, the second biasing element may also include a proximal portion pivotally connectable to a patient support and a distal portion pivotally connected to the siderail body.
In another aspect of the siderail, the first biasing element may be a gas spring, or an extension spring, or the like. Similarly, the second biasing element may be a gas spring, or a compression spring, or the like.
Another aspect of the siderail includes a pivot arm with a first pivot that is pivotally attached to the first biasing element and a second pivot that is fixedly attached to the siderail body. The pivot arm couples the biasing force of the first biasing element with the siderail body when the siderail body is between the second position and the third position, and decouples the biasing force of the first biasing element when the siderail body is between the first position and the third position.
In yet another aspect of the siderail, the pivot arm may perform such coupling/decoupling by including an arcuate slot located substantially about the second pivot. The arcuate slot may engage a protrusion configured to engage an end of the arcuate slot between the second position and the third position, and traverse the arcuate slot between the first position and the third position. When the protrusion is engaged with such end, it acts to rotate the pivot arm about the second pivot, extending the first biasing element as the first pivot (i.e. the connection between the pivot arm and the first biasing element) moves.
Thus, the pivot arm may decouple the biasing force of the first biasing element from the siderail body between the first position and the third position as the protrusion traverses the arcuate slot. This may allow the first biasing element to achieve a relaxed state at a position corresponding to a siderail position between the lowered and second positions, and to retain such relaxed state even though the siderail body continues to move through its range of motion.
In still another form of the invention, a siderail for a patient support includes a siderail body movable between a first position, a second position, and a third position located between the lowered and second positions. The siderail further includes a latching mechanism adapted to releasably lock the siderail body in one or more of the positions. The latching mechanism includes a latch pivotally about a latch pivot axis, which is adapted to lock the siderail body in one or more of the positions. The siderail body further includes a handle for disengaging the latch to thereby unlock the siderail body, which is pivotal about a handle pivot axis that is either substantially coaxial with or substantially parallel to the latch pivot axis, and wherein rotation of the handle about its pivot axis induces rotation of the latch about its pivot axis.
In one aspect, the handle may further include a feature that limits its rotational motion, providing a firm stop for the user and preventing rotation of the latch beyond a predetermined point. The handle may include a handle protrusion that engages a corresponding protrusion provided or formed on the latch to convert the rotational motion of the handle to rotational motion of the latch.
In a further aspect, the latching mechanism is configured to releasably lock the siderail body in the third position. In addition, the latching mechanism may be configured to releasably lock the siderail body in the third position when the siderail body is being moved from the second position to the first position but to bypass the third position when the siderail body is being moved from the first position to the second position.
Any of the foregoing forms of the siderail may include two siderail arms that are pivotally connected to a patient support and are pivotally connected to the siderail body, forming a four-bar linkage between a patient support and the siderail.
According to another aspect of the invention, any of the foregoing forms of the latching mechanism may be adapted to releasably lock the siderail body in the second position. Such locking may be accomplished using substantially the same or similar structures and methods that are used for locking the siderail body in the third position.
In any of the foregoing forms of the siderail, a cam disk may operate to delineate a raised stop position or a lowered stop position or both. The raised stop position is the position beyond which the siderail cannot travel when it is in the second position. Similarly, the lowered stop position is the position beyond which the siderail cannot travel in the first position. Accordingly, the raised and lowered stop positions may be operable to define the overall range of motion for the siderail.
The cam disk may define such stop positions by having a raised step and/or a lower step at the perimeter of the disk which may engage a pin or protrusion or other protuberance to arrest rotation of the cam disk at defined positions. For example, the raised step of the cam disk may correspond with the raised stop position of the latching mechanism, and the lower step of the cam disk may correspond with the lowered stop position of the latching mechanism.
In another aspect, the siderails may include more than one latching mechanism. For example, the siderail may have a latching mechanism associated with each siderail arm. Further, the latching mechanisms may be coupled by a timing link. The timing link may keep the latching mechanisms synchronized, thereby ensuring that a configuration of each latching mechanism corresponds with the configuration of the other latching mechanism for a given position of the siderail body.
In yet a further aspect, the timing link may be pivotally attached to siderail arms, which in turn are pivotally attached to the latching mechanisms as discussed above. In this configuration, the timing link may make the four-bar linkage formed by the siderail arm, a patient support, and the siderail arms in to a parallelogram by ensuring that each of the two siderail arms move in unison with the other.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a patient support siderail with a siderail body that is movable between a second position and a first position and further is releasably lockable in a third position between the raised and first positions. In addition, the siderail body is selectively releasably lockable in the third position but without limiting the ability of an attendant or caregiver to move the siderail body quickly from its first position to its second position. Further, the siderail may also be configured to reduce the force needed to move the siderail body.
In another form of the invention, a hospital bed includes a lying surface, a pair of siderails on at least one side of the bed, a headboard, and a footboard. The siderails are operable between a second position, a third position, and a first position. In the second position, the siderails form a barrier that limits a patient on the lying surface from exiting or egressing the bed. In the third position, the siderails define a gap therebetween through which a patient can ingress or egress the bed, while optionally using one or both siderails as handholds. In the first position, the siderails are below the patient lying surface to provide a caregiver with improved access to a patient on the lying surface. In addition, the siderails define a gap therebetween. Further, each siderail defines a gap either with the headboard or the footboard. Each of these gaps is either less than about 60 millimeters or greater than about 235 millimeters when the siderails are in the intermediate and second positions.
According to another form of the present invention, a hospital bed includes a patient lying surface, a headboard, a footboard, a head end siderail, and a foot end siderail. The headboard is coupled to the bed at a head end of the lying surface, and the footboard is coupled to the bed at a foot end of the lying surface. The head end siderail is movably coupled to the bed along a first side of the patient lying surface and disposed generally toward the head end of the lying surface. The foot end siderail is movably coupled to the bed along the first side of the patient lying surface and disposed generally toward the foot end of the lying surface. The head end siderail and the foot end siderail are movable from second positions to third positions. In the second positions, a first gap defined between the headboard and the head end siderail is greater than about 235 millimeters, a second gap defined between the siderails is less than about 60 millimeters, and a third gap defined between the footboard and the foot end siderail is greater than about 235 millimeters. In the third positions, the first gap is less than about 60 millimeters, the second gap is greater than about 235 millimeters, and the third gap is less than about 60 millimeters.
In one aspect, the head end siderail and the foot end siderail are movable from the third positions to first positions such that top portions of the siderails are approximately at or below a plane defined by a top surface of the patient lying surface. In another aspect, one or both of the head end siderail and the foot end siderail include hand-holds or grab-bars.
According to yet another form of the present invention, a hospital bed includes a patient lying surface, a head end siderail, and a foot end siderail. The head end siderail is movably coupled at the bed along a first side of the patient lying surface and disposed generally toward a head end of the lying surface. The foot end siderail is movably coupled at the bed along the first side of the patient lying surface and disposed generally toward a foot end of the lying surface. The head end siderail and the foot end siderail are releasably lockable in respective second positions and are movable away from one another and toward the head end and foot end, respectively, of the lying surface along generally arcuate paths to respective automatically-locked third positions. The head end siderail and the foot end siderail are also movable from the third positions along generally arcuate paths to respective first positions. Similarly, the head end siderail and the foot end siderail are movable from the first positions, through the third positions without automatically locking at the third positions, to the second positions.
According to still another form of the present invention, a hospital bed includes a patient lying surface, a left foot end siderail, a right foot end siderail, and a footboard. The patient lying surface is supported at the bed. The left foot end siderail is movably coupled at the bed along a left side of the patient lying surface and disposed generally toward a foot end of the lying surface. The right foot end siderail is movably coupled at the bed along a right side of the patient lying surface and disposed generally toward the foot end of the lying surface. The footboard is coupled at the bed at the foot end of the lying surface. The left foot end siderail and the right foot end siderail are movable toward the foot end of the lying surface to abut or substantially overlap with the footboard. The abutment and/or overlap creates a substantially continuous fence about the foot end of the lying surface from a head end of the left foot end siderail to a head end of the right foot end siderail and inclusive of the footboard.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a bed with a pair of movable siderails at either side, the siderails protecting a patient from inadvertently exiting the bed. The siderails provide intermediate and lowered configurations for improving a caregiver's access to the patient and/or facilitating the patient's ingress and egress from the bed or using the bed for therapy or exercise. In addition, the siderails reduce the likelihood of patient entrapment and/or pinching or the like by meeting or exceeding minimum and maximum thresholds for gap sizes when the siderails are their respective positions.
These and other objects, advantages, purposes, and features of the present invention will become apparent upon review of the following specification in conjunction with the drawings.
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The present invention is directed to a patient support apparatus, and more specifically, to a patient bed, such as a hospital bed. As will be more fully described below, the bed is provided with a pair of movable siderails at either side, which form a fence when in their raised positions to protect a patient from inadvertently exiting the bed. The siderails provide intermediate and lowered configurations for improving a caregiver's access to the patient and/or facilitating the patient's ingress and egress from the bed or using the bed for therapy or exercise. In addition, the siderails are configured to reduce the likelihood of patient entrapment and/or other situations.
Referring now specifically to the drawings and the illustrative embodiments depicted therein, a siderail 10 for a patient support, such as a bed, chair, stretcher, cot, or the like, includes a siderail body 12 that is movable between a first position (such as a lowered position) and a second position (such as a raised position), and is selectively lockable in a third position (such as an intermediate position) between the first and second positions. As will be more fully described below, siderail 10 includes a latching mechanism 14 for locking siderail body 12 in its raised and intermediate positions, and which is also configured to facilitate raising siderail body 12 quickly by bypassing the intermediate locked position when siderail body 12 is moved in a direction from the lowered position to the raised position, but allow the siderail to be locked in the intermediate position once the siderail has been moved just past the intermediate position. In addition, siderail 10 may incorporate one or more assist devices, such as biasing elements to reduce the force needed to move siderail body 12.
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As noted above, and as best seen in
Referring now to
Latch plate 20, which is also mounted to siderail body 12, is positioned to extend over cam disk 22 and further configured to engage and releasably couple to the cam disk to thereby stop the rotation of pivot shaft 36 about its rotational axis and thereby lock the position of siderail body 12. To couple latch plate 20 to cam disk 22 to limit and/or lock the movement of siderail body 12 relative to a patient support, each cam disk 22 and latch plate 20 includes a cooperating structure. The cooperating structures on cam disk 22 and latch plate 20 are operable to arrest rotation of cam disk 22, therefore halting movement of siderail body 12. Such structures engage each other at predetermined points corresponding with desired locking positions of siderail body 12, such as at the intermediate and raised positions. Further, as will be described below, handle 16 cooperates with latch plate 20 to release the cooperating structures to allow cam disk 22 to resume rotation. In addition, handle 16 is configured so that it may be maintained in such a released state to prevent any arresting of rotation of cam disk 22, thereby retaining such cooperating structures in a disengaged state and allowing siderail body 12 to move freely through its range of motion. Further, handle 16 is optionally located on siderail body 12 within the perimeter, sometimes referred to as “hoop”, of the siderail body so that an operator may use handle 16 to raise or lower the siderail body and also unlock the latching mechanism to provide one-handed operation of siderail 10.
In the illustrated embodiment, cam disk 22 is a generally circular member with a substantially flat cam disk face 40 (
Referring to
As best seen in
Referring now to
In the illustrated embodiment, latch plate 20 includes a pair of laterally extending protrusions 60, in the form of flanges, which are engage able with protrusions 58 of handle 16. In this manner, when handle 16 is pivoted about axis 52, latch plate 20 is similarly pivoted about its pivot axis 50 and thereby moves latch plate 20 away from cam disk 22 and in turn moves protrusion 44 out of void 42. Optionally, handle 16 may include a handle stop 62, located opposite user portion 56 with respect to pivot axis 52, which is adapted to limit the range of pivotal motion of handle 16. As user portion 56 is moved distally from siderail body 12, handle stop 62 moves towards siderail body 12 so that when handle stop 62 contacts post 62a of mounting plate 26, user portion 56 cannot be further rotated. Optionally, user portion 56 of handle 16 may be biased towards mounting plate 26 by a handle biasing element 68 acting on handle stop 62 (
As would be understood, therefore, pivot axis 52 of handle 16 is either substantially coaxial with or substantially parallel to latch pivot axis 50. When a user pulls on user portion 56, handle 16 pivots about pivot axis 52 and handle protrusion 58 moves distally or outwardly from siderail body 12 into contact with latch protrusion 60 to pivot latch plate 20 about latch pivot axis 50, thereby withdrawing or disengaging locking protrusion 44 from void 42 and thereby reconfiguring latch mechanism to a non-locking configuration. As noted, handle stop 62 may be provided to arrest further rotation of handle 16 after locking protrusion 44 is sufficiently clear of void 42.
In order to urge latch plate 20 into engagement with cam disk 22, latch plate 20 is biased toward cam disk face 40 by at least one latch biasing member 69 (
Referring now to
Referring now to
In order to prevent locking protrusion 44 from extending into void 70 when siderail body 12 is raised from its lowered position (as described in detail below), locking mechanism 14 employs bypass arm 24. In the illustrated embodiment, bypass arm 24 is configured to block latch plate 20 from engaging cam disk 22 over a predetermined range of motion, such as the range corresponding to the intermediate position of siderail body 12. Although the intermediate position is described as optionally providing user ingress and/or egress while also remaining above the patient support surface, it should be understood that the intermediate position as used herein may be any position between the lowered and raised positions. Such range is controlled by the interaction between bypass arm 24 and cam disk 22.
As best seen in
As best seen in
As best understood from
Referring now to
Referring now to
Second stop surface 80 and latch surface 92 are substantially planar surfaces, substantially parallel to the plane of cam disk face 40. As latch plate 20 pivots, latch plate 20 is guided by a projection 94, which rides on the surface of cam disk 22, so that when the plane of second surface 80 comes into alignment with the plane of second latch surface 92, bypass arm 24 is pivoted toward cam disk 22, and the two surfaces contact. Thus, in this configuration of latching mechanism 14, stepped portion 76 of bypass arm 24 once again blocks the movement of latch plate 20 and prevents locking protrusion 44 from meshing with void 70, even if locking protrusion 44 and void 70 are substantially aligned. Bypass arm 24 thus poses a physical barrier to movement of latch plate 20, securely preventing rotation of latch plate 20 towards cam disk face 40.
As noted above, latch plate 20 may further include a protrusion 94 operable to engage cam lobe 90 at a position between the intermediate and lowered positions to ensure the desired engagement of second surface 80 and second latch surface 92, thereby providing redundancy for ensuring proper engagement of bypass arm 24. For example, if latch plate 20 is sufficiently pivoted (via handle 16) about latch pivot axis 50 to disengage locking protrusion 44 from void 70, but latch plate 20 is not sufficiently pivoted to allow bypass arm 24 to pivot downwardly for engagement of second surface 80 of stepped portion 76 with second latch surface 92 (as described above), protrusion 94 engages cam lobe 90 as cam disk 22 is rotated away from the intermediate towards the lowered position, and cam lobe 90 pushes latch plate 20 via protrusion 94 to pivot latch plate 20 sufficiently far from cam disk face 40 to allow bypass arm 24 to pivot downwardly so that second surface 80 contacts and second latch surface 92. Further, in the illustrated embodiment protrusion 94 is positioned on latch plate 20 so that bypass arm 24 pivots downwardly soon after siderail body 12 is moved away from the intermediate position toward the lowered position, thereby activating the bypass feature of siderail 10 without fully lowering siderail body 12. As noted above, the bypass feature is disabled once the siderail body 12 is raised past its intermediate position.
Referring now to
Referring now to
Referring now to
Referring now to
In addition, when latch plate 20 is no longer blocked by bypass arm, biasing members 69 urge latch plate 20 toward cam disk 22 with sufficient force so that the impact of protrusions 44 on cam disk 22 results in audible feedback, such as a “click.” The audible feedback allows a user to confirm that latch mechanism 14 has been reset or reconfigured from its bypass configuration to its locking configuration. However, although the illustrated embodiment utilizes sound for such feedback, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that another method can be used to provide feedback perceptible to the human senses without departing from the principles of the invention. For example, such feedback may be a different sound, or tactile or visual feedback, or some combination thereof.
As siderail body 12 moves further into the raised position, void 42 and locking protrusion 44 substantially align and mesh, thereby coupling latch plate 20 and cam disk 22 and locking latching mechanism 14 in the raised position (as described above).
Cam disk 22 may further include a raised stop position operable in the raised position of the siderail arm (
Thus, in operation, when the siderail body 12 is in its lowered position an operator may lift the siderail using handle 16 or by using a hand-hold. If the operator would like to raise the siderail to the intermediate position and lock the siderail in the intermediate position, the operator need only raise the siderail just beyond the intermediate position and then lower the siderail body to the intermediate position where the latching mechanism automatically locks the siderail body in the intermediate position. If starting from the raised position, the operator will need to pull on handle 16 and cause it to pivot outwardly from siderail body 12 to release the latch mechanism (14) from its locked raised position. Once released, the operator may release their pulling force on the handle and, thereafter, just use the handle as a gripping member to hold the siderail and lower the siderail to either the intermediate position, where the latch mechanism will automatically lock the siderail. If the operator wishes to lower the siderail to the lowered position, the operator must once again pull on the handle, which again releases the latch mechanism so that the siderail can be lowered to its lowered position. Alternately, the operator may simply keep pulling on the handle while lowering the siderail.
If the siderail is allowed to automatically lock in the intermediate position, the operator will again have to pull on the handle and pivot it outwardly from the siderail body to disengage the latch mechanism from its intermediate locked configuration so that the siderail can be raised or lowered. One of the benefits that the handle and latch mechanism of the present invention provide is the ability of an operator to quickly move the siderail, using one hand, from the lowered position to the raised position while providing an intermediate locked position that can be passed by but then can be available just after passing the intermediate position.
Another aspect of siderail 10 includes biasing elements for minimizing the exertion required to raise or lower the siderail body and mitigating the physical impact of manipulating siderail body 12 on the user. In the illustrated embodiment, the weight of siderail body 12 urges siderail body 12 away from the intermediate position. Accordingly, biasing elements are provided to urge siderail body 12 from the raised and lowered positions toward the intermediate position. The biasing elements may also include damping to facilitate smooth, quiet and safe operation.
Referring now to
As best seen in
Biasing elements 102, 104 are positioned substantially under and behind siderail body 12 and away from the easy view or reach of a user of siderail 10. A first proximal portion 106 of first biasing element 102 is pivotally connectable to a patient support, to a portion of siderail arm 30, or to other framework. A first distal portion 108 of first biasing element 102 is pivotally connected to siderail body 12. Similarly, a second proximal portion 110 of second biasing element 104 is pivotally connectable to a patient support or to a portion of siderail arm 30 or other framework, and a second distal portion 112 of second biasing element 104 is pivotally connected to siderail body 12 or a second siderail arm 30. The mounting of biasing elements 102, 104 is discussed in more detail below.
The pivotal connection of first distal portion 108 to siderail body 12 may be through a pivot arm 114 (
Pivot arm 114 decouples first biasing element 102 from siderail body 12 using an arcuate slot 120 located substantially about second portion 118. Arcuate slot 120 cooperates with a protrusion or pintle or other protuberance 122 fixedly attached to shaft 148 (
Referring now to
As best seen in
As siderail body 12 moves in to the intermediate position, pivot arm 114 rotates into substantial alignment with first biasing element 102 (see
Referring to
When siderail body 12 is in the lowered position, second biasing element 104 is substantially fully compressed and exerts a maximum amount of force urging siderail body 12 back towards the intermediate and raised positions (see
Referring to
Four actual force profiles are shown: i) a no-springs profile 128; ii) a gas-spring profile 130; iii) an extension-spring profile 132; and iv) a both-springs profile 134. Of the four profiles, no-springs profile 128 deviates from baseline 126 most and is thus the worst choice from an ease-of-use standpoint. This is because, without springs urging siderail body 12 in any direction, a user of siderail 10 must bear the entire weight of siderail body 12 and its associated components when adjusting or manipulating the position of siderail body 12.
Gas-spring profile 130, representative of a siderail 10 including second biasing element 104 but not first biasing element 102, shows substantial improvement in the range of movement of siderail body 12 between the lowered and intermediate positions but little or no improvement in the range between the raised and intermediate positions. Second biasing element 104, as noted above, is adapted to urge siderail body 12 from the lowered position to the intermediate position and such urging is reflected in gas-spring profile 130. For most of the range between the intermediate position and the raised position, second biasing element 104 is actually slightly urging siderail body 12 away from the intermediate position, increasing the user force needed to manipulate siderail body 12. However, as is described below, this effort is mitigated by first biasing element 102.
Conversely, extension-spring profile 132 shows substantial improvement in the range of movement of siderail body 12 between the raised and intermediate positions but little or no improvement in the range between the lowered and intermediate positions. Because first biasing element is decoupled in the range between the intermediate and lowered positions (as discussed above), it has virtually no effect on the force needed to manipulate siderail body 12 in that range. In its intended range of operation (between the intermediate and raised positions), however, it has the desired effect of urging the siderail toward the intermediate position and lowering the force necessary for manipulation of siderail body 12.
Of the four force profiles shown, both-springs profile 134 of the illustrated embodiment traces baseline 126 most closely and is therefore preferable to the other three force profiles. This is because an operator of siderail 10 with the benefit of both biasing elements 102, 104 will be required to exert a lesser force to manipulate the position of siderail body 12 as compared with the other profiles discussed above. Specifically, the favorable effect of second biasing element 104 between the lowered and intermediate positions is not affected by a decoupled first biasing element. The unfavorable effect of second biasing element 104 in the range between the intermediate and raised positions is more than mitigated by first biasing element 102, which substantially retains its favorable force profile as compared with no-springs profile 128.
Referring now to
In the illustrated embodiment, biasing elements 102, 104 mount to siderail 10 via base 142. First biasing element 102 attaches to body 142 via a pair of pivot arms 114, one of which responds to a protrusion 122 of shaft 148 as detailed above. Each of pivot arms 114 is coupled with a respective shaft 148 (
In an alternative embodiment (
Timing link 212, according to the present embodiment, is an substantially rigid elongated member with a first pivot 214 and a second pivot 216 located at substantially opposed ends of timing link 212 (
In the illustrated embodiment, handle 16 includes two handle protrusions 58 to operate both latching mechanisms 14 simultaneously when user portion 56 of handle 16 is moved distally from siderail body 12. Thus, a single handle 16 may unlock siderail body 12 from a locked position by rotating each of two latch plates 20 away from each of two corresponding cam disks 22 in accordance with the disclosure herein. Moreover, when the two latching mechanisms 14 are joined by a timing link 212, they may operate in a substantially identical manner to their singular counterparts in siderail 10.
Siderails 10 or 210 may include a mechanism cover 136 and handle cover 138. Because latching mechanism(s) 14 are located within siderail body 12 (as described above), covers 136, 138 provide protection for users of siderails 10, 210, a barrier against dirt and dust, and aesthetic enhancement (
As best seen in
Referring to
Bed 310 has a longitudinal axis that is parallel to the left and right sides of the bed, and which is centered between the left and right sides of the bed. Bed 310 also includes a lateral axis that is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis and centered between the head and foot ends of the bed. “Left” and “right” are used with respect to a patient's perspective when lying face-up on the bed, and “head end” and “foot end” refer to locations near a patient's head and feet when the patient is lying on the bed.
Each siderail 314 is movably connected to bed 310 at a side of support frame 324 via siderail arms 326. Each siderail arm 326 includes a first pivot 328 connected at support frame 324, a link 332 for synchronizing pairs of siderail arms 326 together, and another pivot (not shown) connected at the respective siderail 314. Link 332, siderail 314, and siderail arms 326 cooperate to form a linkage to ensure that siderail 314 remains in a substantially fixed orientation as it translates, and to ensure that siderail arms 326 associated with a given siderail 314 are synchronized to pivot substantially identically and simultaneously. Further, an actuatable lock device (not shown in
When moved by a user, siderails 314 translate in vertically oriented planes at the respective right and left sides of bed 310. Head end siderails 316 remain generally between a vertical plane defined by headboard 320 and a vertical plane defined by the lateral axis of bed 10 throughout head end siderails' 316 range of motion. Foot end siderails 318 remain generally between a vertical plane defined by footboard 322 and the vertical plane defined by the lateral axis of bed 310 throughout foot end siderails' 318 range of motion.
A first gap A is defined as the approximate distance between head end siderail 16 and headboard 320 (
In the raised position (
In the intermediate position (
Optionally, such as when second gap B is about 508 mm or greater and siderails 316, 318 are in the intermediate position, both siderails 316, 318 may be used as hand-holds for exercise or physical therapy purposes, for example, stand-up and sit-down repetitions. To facilitate the use of siderails 316, 318 as hand-holds, head end siderail 316 and foot end siderail 18 may have gripping members 321, 323 with diameter or thickness of approximately one to two inches, for example, or more or less.
Optionally, in the intermediate position, first gap A and/or third gap C may be approximately 0 mm, i.e. there is no gap defined between head end siderail 316 and headboard 320, or between foot end siderail 318 and footboard 322. Head end siderail 316 may overlap headboard 320, as viewed from the side (
When foot end siderails 318 at left and right sides of bed 310 abut or overlap footboard 322 in their respective intermediate positions, a substantially contiguous or continuous fence is effected by virtue of the foot end siderails 318 and footboard 322 cooperating to fence or block or surround a substantial portion of the foot end of lying surface 312. Such a configuration would be achieved if both left and right side foot end siderails 318 were moved to their intermediate positions as in the right foot end siderail 318 of
In the lowered position (
Siderails 314 further incorporate a plurality of apertures 329 (
Accordingly, siderails 314 are movable along first arcuate paths D (
The third arcuate paths F generally retrace the second and first arcuate paths E, D, but in reverse direction and without siderails 314 pausing or stopping at their respective intermediate positions. As siderails 314 are moved from the lowered positions to the raised positions, a lower portion of the third arcuate path F generally retraces the second arcuate path E, and an upper portion of the third arcuate path F generally retraces the first arcuate path D. Because the paths of siderails 314 are constrained by siderail arms 326, which pivot about first pivot 328, the arcuate paths D, E, F of siderails 314 are of a constant radius of curvature, as in a portion of a circle. The raised position is such that the top portions 316a, 318a of siderails 314 are located below an apex 331 (
Optionally, the raised position of siderails 314 corresponds to the apex 331 of first arcuate path D or third arcuate path F. Alternatively, the raised position of siderails 314 corresponds to a position before or after (or left or right of, as viewed in
Thus, where the raised position corresponds to apex 331, a given siderail 314 will move longitudinally and downward when it is moved from the raised position (
For example, in the illustrated embodiment, the raised position (
In use, and as described in detail above, when a user desires to move siderail 314 from the raised position to the intermediate position, the user disengages the lock device with release handle 334 to allow siderail 314 to move along first arcuate path D and urges siderail 314 toward the intermediate position. When siderail 314 reaches the intermediate position, the lock device automatically engages to lock siderail 314 at the intermediate position. When the user desires to move siderail 314 from the intermediate position to the lowered position, the user once again disengages the lock device with release handle 334 to allow siderail 314 to move along second arcuate path E toward the lowered position. When siderail 314 reaches the lowered position, the lock device remains disengaged such that siderail 314 is free to be moved out of the lowered position without the use of release handle 334.
Optionally, siderail 314 may be moved from the raised position directly to the lowered position by disengaging the lock device with the release handle 334 and holding the release handle 334 such that the lock device remains disengaged as the siderail 314 is moved through and past the intermediate position from the raised position.
When the user desires to move siderail 314 from the lowered position to the raised position, the user urges siderail 314 along third arcuate path F, through the intermediate position, whereupon the lock device remains disengaged until siderail 314 reaches the raised position. In the raised position, the lock device automatically engages to fix siderail 314 in the raised position.
When the user desires to move siderail 314 from the lowered position to the intermediate position, the user urges siderail 314 along the lower portion of third arcuate path F until just past the intermediate position, then urges or allows siderail 314 to reverse course, whereupon the lock device automatically engages upon siderail 314 reaching the intermediate position.
When the user desires to move siderail 314 from the intermediate position to the raised position, the user disengages the lock device with release handle 334 and urges siderail 314 to move along the upper portion of third arcuate path F until reaching the raised position, whereupon the lock device automatically engages to fix siderail 314 in the raised position.
It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the motion and spacing of siderails described with reference to the illustrated embodiment of
Changes and modifications in the specifically described embodiments may be carried out without departing from the principals of the present invention, which is intended to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims, as interpreted according to the principles of patent law including the doctrine of equivalents.
The present application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/356,704, filed Jan. 21, 2009, which claims the benefit of U.S. provisional applications, Ser. No. 61/022,472, filed Jan. 21, 2008, and Ser. No. 61/046,704, filed Apr. 21, 2008, all of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61046704 | Apr 2008 | US | |
| 61022472 | Jan 2008 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 12356704 | Jan 2009 | US |
| Child | 13094391 | US |
