The invention relates to a patient chair with a vertically movable seat according to the preamble to claim 1.
In nursing and home care, patient chairs are used, whose seat and, in many cases, back are movable as a unit between upper and lower positions. The movability is desirable and frequently a requirement made by carers in order to be able in a fairly comfortable way, without straining their back, to move the patient between the patient chair and, for instance, a bed or a toilet.
A large number of patient chairs which more or less satisfy this requirement are available on the market and described in the patent literature. Thus, patient chairs are known, which only allow said movement in a completely vertical direction. The drawback of these patient chairs is that it is difficult for the carer to take off/put on the patient's trousers, skirt, pants, napkin etc. or take sanitary measures as regards the patient's genitals if the patient is sitting on the patient chair. Other prior-art patient chairs allow backward inclination of the seat and back unit and, thus, of the patient, in the course of the movement from the lower to the upper position, which makes it easy to reach the patient's lower garments and genitals. The latter patient chair constructions, however, are complicated and thus expensive to manufacture, frequently comprising different hinge and link systems, different motors to perform a vertical movement of the seat and back unit as well as a tilting movement of this unit to provide a backward inclination of the patient in the upper position, relative to the position of the patient in the lower position, where the patient is sitting “normal” or “straight” on the patient chair.
An object of the invention is to provide a patient chair which is simple in terms of construction and thus can be manufactured at low cost, said patient chair allowing movement of its seat and possibly also its back between upper and lower positions, in which upper position the patient is inclined backwards.
The object of the invention is achieved by a patient chair having the features in claim 1. Advantageous embodiments are defined in the dependent claims.
According to the inventive idea as defined in the claims, the patient chair has but a simple chassis which allows movement of the seat between upper and lower positions, during which movement the seat—and thus the patient sitting on it—automatically is continuously gradually inclined; backwards in the movement to the upper position and forwards in the movement to the lower position. There is no noticeable change between the horizontal and the vertical movement. The movement can be made by manual power or by machinery.
Embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which
a illustrates particularly the principle of the invention with a first embodiment of the invention in a side view;
b illustrates the first embodiment in a perspective view;
a and 2b illustrate, in a side view, an embodiment which is essentially identical to the one in
In
As is evident from the Figures—and obvious to a person skilled in the art—the chassis 2 is designed for stability, so that the patient chair does not overturn with the patient sitting in it and being moved up and down. The convexity of the stand 4 is here directed forward, and the stand 4 is fixed to the rear portion of the frame 3.
It will also be obvious that said upper and lower positions HP, LP are not permanent but can be selected, for instance with regard to a comfortable working posture of the carer (tall or short carer) and/or with regard to the patient's comfort (the patient enduring a more or less pronounced backward/forward inclination) and with regard to the measure that is to be taken on the patient.
The roller bearing arrangement 8 is shown in more detail in
In
The chassis 1 preferably has wheels 10 on the frame 3, thus allowing the patient chair to be wheeled. Armrests are designated 11 and pivotable footrests are designated 30.
A person skilled in the art realises that the unit 5 can be moved on the stand 4 by many different driving devices. For instance, a winch may connect the unit 5 to the stand 4/the roller bearing 8 and is manually operated by a crank. Instead of a roller bearing, for instance a gear arrangement can be used. Of course, it is also possible to use an electric motor. A person skilled in the art is capable of applying any suitable arrangement, of which there are many, for relative movement of the unit 5 and the stand 4, by motor power or manually. In case of movement by motor power, (remote) control units can be used to stop, accelerate and retard the movement.
Nor is the shown upside-down U-shape of the stand 4 necessary. The stand 4 may consist of a single upright if the chassis 2 is designed with corresponding stability, to support the patient. Alternatively, the stand 4 may constitute the back 7 of the patient chair and only the seat 6 can be moved relative to this back.
The frame 2 is suitably designed so as to allow the patient chair 1 to be pushed under a bed, or round a toilet. For use with a toilet, the seat 6 may have an opening 12.
It goes without saying the patient chair can also be provided with various usual leg rests, armrests and headrests, which can be adjustable.
a and 2b show another patient chair 1 according to the invention, provided with an advantageous calf rest structure 20. The advantage resides in the fact that the calf rest structure takes up a small space in the inactive moved-away position (
Moreover,
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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0301293-7 | May 2003 | SE | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
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PCT/SE04/00675 | 5/4/2004 | WO | 11/4/2005 |