Patent Application
20220232969
The present invention relates to over bed tables (“OBT”), and more specifically to bases for OBTs.
Over bed tables are in widespread use in hospitals and other patient care facilities where patients are treated in beds. OBTs provide a convenient work surface that can be removable situated over a patient's bed. Conventional OBTs include casters, wheels are other rolling components and are easily movable into position over the patient bed from the side with a base that extends under the patient bed. There is a consistent problem with hospital and other patient beds in use today and it involves the extremely low clearance of many manufacturers' beds. This low clearance is due to the overall form and function of these beds, but of particular concern is the use of OBTs with patient beds that have a “5th wheel” or “drive wheels”. In these types of patient beds, there is a “5th wheel” located either in the center or close to the center of the bed or two drive wheels somewhere in-between the four casters located on or about the four corners of the bed. In all of these configurations, the 5th wheel or drive wheels (collectively referred to as “under-bed wheels”) are intended for use during patient transport only to make the transport easier on the staff by using the wheels as a fulcrum when turning corners etc. As a result, under-bed wheels are typically configured to be raised and lowered. When a patient is being transported in the patient bed, the under-bed wheels are lowered for use. However, when a patient is in their room, the 5th wheel or drive wheels are disengaged and lifted off the floor so the four primary casters can sit evenly and level with the floor. Although under-bed wheel specifications vary from bed to bed, even when raised, under-bed wheels can have as little as 1″ of clearance from the bottom of the under-bed wheel to the floor.
As a result of the limited clearance, current OBT offerings do not work well with patient beds that incorporate under-bed wheels. As noted above, conventional OBT offerings include a base that is fitted under the patient bed when the OBT is moved into position for use over the patient bed. Current OBT base offerings run into the 5th wheel or the drive wheels even when raised. Further, the placement of these under-bed wheels make the use of OBTs almost impossible, and in many cases the OBTs purchased do not work at all. The reason for this is that the base of the OBT must be placed either fore or aft of the under-bed wheel(s), this creates the issue of the OBT top being either too close to the patient or too far away to be comfortably used. Conventional OBTs have a variety of different base configuration. For example, some bases are U-shaped, with the opening of the “U” facing toward the patient bed (See
As a result of the foregoing, there remains room for improvement in the field of OBTs, including a long-felt and unmet need for an OBT that is more suitable for use with patient beds that include retractable under-bed wheels, such as a 5th wheel or drive wheels.
The present invention provides an over bed table (“OBT”) with a base specially configured for use with patient beds having retractable under-bed wheels. The OBT includes a longitudinally-extended base, a column extending upwardly from one end of the base and a table top mounted atop the column and extending in a cantilevered manner over the base. The base includes a longitudinal central portion, a pair of inner wings that extend from opposite sides of the central portion adjacent the column and a pair of outer wings that extend from opposite sides of the central portion opposite the column. The central portion has a profile low enough to pass below the under-bed wheels and each of the wings has a caster portion of sufficient height to accommodate caster, wheels or other rolling elements there beneath.
In one embodiment, the outer wings extend from the central portion at an angle to the longitudinal extent of the central portion. For example, the outer wings may extend from the central portion at an angle of between about 95 and about 150. In one embodiment, the inner wings extend at an angle of about 90 degrees from the longitudinal extent of the central portion.
In one embodiment, each outer wing includes a low-profile extension portion that extends from the central portion and a transition portion that bridges between the low-profile extension portion and the raised-profile caster portion. The transition portion defines a surface that is disposed as an angle to the central portion, for example, at an angle of between about 15 and about 90.
In one embodiment, the central portion is of sufficient length that the raised-profile portions of the outer wings are laterally offset beyond the under-bed wheel when the OBT is in a fully-inserted position over the bed. In this position, the OBT can be moved fore and aft by the patient with the central portion passing under the raised under-bed wheel without interference.
In one embodiment, all of the surfaces of the outer wings that are of sufficient height to engage a raised under-bed wheel are arranged at an angle to the longitudinal extent of the central portion. As a result, the angled surfaces of the outer wings facilitate removal of the over bed table from beneath the bed in the lateral direction. This can be particularly helpful in emergency situations.
In one embodiment, the base includes a one-piece unitary structural fabricated from sheet or plate stock. The central portion, inner wings and outer wings may, for example, be laser cut from a single sheet or plate stock. After cutting, the inner and outer wings of the preform may be bent to form the extension portions, the transition portions and the caster portions.
In one embodiment, the outer wings include compound angles that facilitate rapid removal of the OBT in emergency situations. The transition portion of each outer wing may be oriented at an angle of about 5 degrees to about 60 degrees with respect to the longitudinal extent of the central portion. The outer edge of each outer wing caster portion may be oriented at an angle of about 5 degrees to about 60 degrees. The lateral edge of each outer wing caster portion may be oriented at an angle of about 95 degrees to about 150 degrees. The medial edge of each outer wing caster portion may be oriented at an angle of about 95 degrees to about 150 degrees.
The present invention provides a stable base for an OBT table that facilitates use with patient beds that include retractable under-bed wheels, such as 5th wheels or drive wheels. The low profile central portion of the base is configured to pass below a raised under-bed wheel. As a result, once the OBT has been pushed into place over the patient bed, the outer wings will be beyond the under-bed wheels and it will be possible to move the OBT fore and aft without interference from the under-bed wheels. The use of wings with a raised-profile allows the base to include casters, wheels or other rolling components of sufficient size to provide smooth and easy rolling movement of the OBT along the floor. By minimizing the wings, the portions of the base that are high enough to engage the raised under-bed wheel are minimized, thereby reducing the likelihood of interference between the base and the under-bed wheel. Further, the outer wings (i.e. the wings that extend under the bed) are configured with angled surfaces that facilitate insertion and removal of the OBT from beneath a patient bed. In the event that the outer wings do come into engagement with the under-bed wheel as the OBT is being moved in a lateral direction (e.g. roughly perpendicular to the length of the patient bed), the angled surfaces help to guide the base around the under-bed wheel. This can be particularly helpful in emergency situations when it is important to remove the OBT from beneath the patient bed as quickly as possible.
These and other objects, advantages, and features of the invention will be more fully understood and appreciated by reference to the description of the current embodiment and the drawings.
Before the embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the details of operation or to the details of construction and the arrangement of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention may be implemented in various other embodiments and of being practiced or being carried out in alternative ways not expressly disclosed herein. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of “including” and “comprising” and variations thereof is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items and equivalents thereof. Further, enumeration may be used in the description of various embodiments. Unless otherwise expressly stated, the use of enumeration should not be construed as limiting the invention to any specific order or number of components. Nor should the use of enumeration be construed as excluding from the scope of the invention any additional steps or components that might be combined with or into the enumerated steps or components.
Overview.
A current embodiment of an over bed table (“OBT”) having a base in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention is show in
Over Bed Table.
As noted above, the present invention provides base 12 for an over bed table 10 (“OBT”). The base 12 is specially configured for use with patient beds having retractable under-bed wheels. For purposes of disclosure, the base 12 is described in the context of an OBT 10 having a table top mounted to an adjustable-height column (See
Referring now to
Referring now to
The central portion 14 of the illustrated embodiment is of sufficient length that the outer wings 18a-b are beyond the under-bed wheel W when the OBT 10 is in a fully-inserted position over the patient bed B. In this position, the OBT 10 can be freely moved fore and aft relative to the bed B, for example, by the patient, with the low profile outer segment 42 of the central portion 14 passing under the raised under-bed wheel W without interference.
In the illustrated embodiment, the inner wings 16a-b extend at an angle of about 90 degrees to the longitudinal extent L of the central portion 14. However, the inner wings 16a-b may extend from the central portion 14 at other angles. The inner wings 16a-b are configured with sufficient height to accommodate caster, wheels or other rolling elements there beneath. In the illustrated embodiment, the inner wings 16a-b have an upper surface with a height of about 1.94 inches above the floor. The height may have, however, from application to application. Given that the inner wings 16a-b do not pass under the patient bed B, the height of the inner wings 16a-b can be selected without concern for engagement with an under-bed wheel. In this embodiment, the inner wings 16a-d are of essentially the same height as the inner segment 40 of the central portion 14. However, there may, in alternative embodiments, be variation between the height of the inner wings 16a-b and the height of the inner segment 40, if desired.
The outer wings 18a-d of the illustrated embodiment extend from the free end of the outer segment 42 of the central portion 14. As shown, the outer wings 18a-d extend at an angle to the longitudinal extent of the central portion 14. For example, the outer wings 18a-d may extend from the central portion 14 at an angle of between about 95 degrees and about 150 degrees from the longitudinal extent of the central portion 14. In this embodiment, each outer wing 18a-b includes a caster segment 50, an extension segment 54 and a transition segment 52. The caster segment 50 has a relatively high profile with a height selected to accommodate casters, wheels or other rolling elements there beneath. The extension segment 54 has a low-profile with a height that is essentially the same as the outer segment 42 of the central portion 14. The lengths of the extension segments 54 and selected so that an under-bed wheel is able to pass freely between opposite outer wings 18a-b. For example, as shown in
In the illustrated embodiment, all of the surfaces of the outer wings 18a-b that are of sufficient height to engage a raised under-bed wheel W are oriented at an angle to the longitudinal extent of the central portion 14 (See
As noted above, the column 20 is mounted to the base 12. In this embodiment, the lower section 30 of the column 20 is affixed to the base 12 by fasteners (not shown) that extend up through holes 34 in the base 12 into corresponding screw bosses integrated into the lower section 30 of the column 20 (See
Although not shown, table top 22 may be mounted to the column 20 using essentially any suitable mounting structure. For example, a mounting plate 23 may be affixed to the upper section 32 of the column 20, and the table top 22 can be affixed to the mounting plate 23 by fasteners. In one embodiment, the mounting plate may be joined to the upper section 32 by welding or by fasteners. It should be understood that the described table top mounting structure is merely exemplary and that the present invention may be incorporated into OBT that utilize any table top mounting structure.
The OBT 10 of the illustrated embodiment includes casters 70 mounted beneath the inner wings 16a-b and the outer wings 18a-b. In this embodiment, caster mounts 72 are secured to the undersurfaces of each of the inner wings 16a-b and the outer wings 18a-b. More specifically, in this embodiment, caster mounts 72 are affixed by welding to undersurface of the inner wings 16a-b and to the caster segments 50 of the outer wings 18a-b. The caster mounts 72 may, however, be secured to the wings using any suitable attachment, such as bolts, rivets and other fastener. In this embodiment, the base 12 includes four identical casters 70. In alternative embodiments, the casters 70 need not be identical. For example, the casters 70 mounted to the inner wings 16a-b may be different from the casters 70 mounted to the outer wings 18a-b. In the illustrated embodiment, the casters 70 are selected to support the base 12 with the outer segment of the central portion 14 positioned about ⅜″ above the floor. In this embodiment, the casters have a diameter of about 36 millimeters. The caster size can be varied from application to application as desired. When the caster size is varied, the transition segments 52 can be varied to maintain the outer segment of the central portion 14 at the same height relative to the floor, or the height of the central portion 14 relative to the floor can be varied, as desired. The illustrated casters 70 are merely exemplary, and the base 12 may be fitted with alternative casters, or with wheels, rollers or other rolling components. For purposes of this disclosure, the term “caster” is intended to encompass all types of rolling components, including without limitation casters, wheels, and rollers.
In the illustrated embodiment, the base 12 includes a one-piece unitary structural fabricated from sheet or plate stock. For example, in one embodiment, the central portion 14, inner wings 16a-b and outer wings 18ab may be cut as a single piece from sheet or plate stock by laser, plasma, waterjet, CNC mills/machine tools or any other manner of cutting or machining the parts or shape needed. A planar preform P cut from a single piece of plate stock is shown in
The angles and dimensions of the base 12, including the inner portion 14, inner wings 16a-b and outer wings 18a-b shown can vary, particularly as newly designed and released beds come to market. If bed wheel diameters increase or decrease the angles and dimensions of the base 12 may be changed. As disclosed, the lowest height and vast majority of the base 12 and the outer segment of the central portion 14 which sits under the bed is 0.75″ in height thereby leaving 0.25″ of clearance between the bottom of a retracted 5th or drive wheel and the top of the OBT base 12. This allows the OBT to be placed directly under the 5th when or a drive wheel of a hospital bed and be used comfortably by allowing the patient or care giver to position the OBT in the fore/aft direction so the patient can easily use the OBT.
The OBT base of the present invention also addresses safety in patient crash situations. The very low height of the base 12 running the entire length of the outer segment of the central portion 14 combined with the angles incorporated into the outer wings 18a-b (which are pushed under the bed when in use) help to reduce the issues associated conventional OBT bases. The very low height OBT base 12 has a central portion 14 with an upper surface at about 0.75″ running the length of the base 12 combined with the angled geometry allows the base to be very quickly pulled from under the bed B in a crash or emergency situation. As described above, the angled portions of the outer wings 18a-b and the geometry of the base 12 is designed, in part, to center a 5th or drive wheel into the very low height area of the OBT base 12. Either when inserting the OBT 10 under the bed or while performing the reverse having the OBT base 12 pulled from underneath the bed B, the geometry works similarly. This makes dealing with under-bed wheels (e.g. a 5th wheel or a drive wheel) much easier and there is a tactile feel too guiding the OBT 10 under the bed B easily without having to look for the 5th wheel or drive wheels. In an emergency, the enhanced angles that are in place for removal are designed to center around or guide away from the 5th or drive wheel much more easily than conventional OBT bases, thereby generally allowing the OBT 10 to be quickly and simply pulled from service without thought to the base 12 and the under-bed wheels W whatsoever.
As noted above, the dimensions, geometry and angles of the various parts of the base 12 may vary from application. For example, the configuration of the base 12 may vary to provide enhanced performance with different types, styles and models of patent beds, whether it be different beds that are available on the market now or new beds that may be introduced in the future. To illustrate this point,
Directional terms, such as “vertical,” “horizontal,” “top,” “bottom,” “upper,” “lower,” “inner,” “inwardly,” “outer” and “outwardly,” are used to assist in describing the invention based on the orientation of the embodiments shown in the illustrations. The use of directional terms should not be interpreted to limit the invention to any specific orientation(s).
In addition, when a component, part or layer is referred to as being “joined with,” “on,” “engaged with,” “adhered to,” “secured to,” or “coupled to” another component, part or layer, it may be directly joined with, on, engaged with, adhered to, secured to, or coupled to the other component, part or layer, or any number of intervening components, parts or layers may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly joined with,” “directly on,” “directly engaged with,” “directly adhered to,” “directly secured to,” or “directly coupled to” another element or layer, there may be no intervening elements or layers present. Other words used to describe the relationship between components, layers and parts should be interpreted in a like manner, such as “adjacent” versus “directly adjacent” and similar words. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.
The above description is that of current embodiments of the invention. Various alterations and changes can be made without departing from the spirit and broader aspects of the invention as defined in the appended claims, which are to be interpreted in accordance with the principles of patent law including the doctrine of equivalents. This disclosure is presented for illustrative purposes and should not be interpreted as an exhaustive description of all embodiments of the invention or to limit the scope of the claims to the specific elements illustrated or described in connection with these embodiments. For example, and without limitation, any individual element(s) of the described invention may be replaced by alternative elements that provide substantially similar functionality or otherwise provide adequate operation. This includes, for example, presently known alternative elements, such as those that might be currently known to one skilled in the art, and alternative elements that may be developed in the future, such as those that one skilled in the art might, upon development, recognize as an alternative. Further, the disclosed embodiments include a plurality of features that are described in concert and that might cooperatively provide a collection of benefits. The present invention is not limited to only those embodiments that include all of these features or that provide all of the stated benefits, except to the extent otherwise expressly set forth in the issued claims. Any reference to claim elements in the singular, for example, using the articles “a,” “an,” “the” or “said,” is not to be construed as limiting the element to the singular. Any reference to claim elements as “at least one of X, Y and Z” is meant to include any one of X, Y or Z individually, any combination of X, Y and Z, for example, X, Y, Z; X, Y; X, Z; Y, Z, and/or any other possible combination together or alone of those elements, noting that the same is open ended and can include other elements.
