The present invention relates to a system and method for patient repositioning and, more particularly, to a safe, efficient and user-friendly system and method for repositioning a patient by moving the patient toward a head end of a bed.
Since at least the 1950's, it has been recognized that a person supported on an articulating bed, such as a hospital bed or other type of conventional health care bed, tends to migrate from the head end of the bed toward the foot end of the bed when the head end of the bed is raised. Generally, this problem has been addressed by moving the patient back toward the head end of the bed, either by manually lifting and pulling the patient or by using a lifting device to move the patient.
The problems associated with manually pulling a patient are well-recognized, and include potential injury to the puller, i.e., the caregiver(s), often one or more nurses. And certain factors can further aggravate this problem, such as a shortage of nurses and/or an obese or uncooperative patient.
In addition to manual repositioning of a patient, a significant number of prior devices have been devised in an effort to solve this problem. For instance, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,827,642; 4,796,313; 4,799,273; 4,819,283; 5,020,171; 5,697,109; 5,737,781; 6,615,423; 6,722,456; 2005/0217,023; U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,003,819; 7,293,303; 7,487,558; 7,725,964; and 2012/0144581 show and describe some examples of such prior structures. Some of these devices use a hand crank to manually wind a bed sheet toward the head end of a bed, with the patient supported thereon. Some use the bed frame and/or the headboard of the bed. Some use pulleys and/or suspension devices. But despite the relatively high number of devices which purport to resolve the above-described problem, applicants are unaware of any commercially viable product on the U.S. market which adequately addresses this problem. In other words, despite the seemingly simple nature of this problem, and the multiple and well-documented prior efforts at solving this problem, this problem has not been adequately solved.
Prior U.S. Pat. No. 8,087,109, entitled “Patient Positioning Device,” which is expressly incorporated by reference herein, in its entirety, represents a significant step toward solving this problem. The '109 patent discloses, in general, a device which pulls a sheet and a patient supported thereon toward the head end of the bed, with the sheet guided on opposite sides by a pair of spaced tracks which hold opposite side edges of the sheet. The owner of this present application also owns the '109 patent.
The present application represents a further advance in this field, with a safe, practical, robust, yet user-friendly solution to the above-described problem. Generally, the present invention achieves the solution to this problem by the cooperative interaction of three main components, namely, a mattress, a sheet, and a sheet receiver for pulling the sheet toward a head end of the mattress. Generally, in the context of this specification, the sheet receiver encompasses a housing and a drive mechanism. The mattress has a movable head end piece, i.e., preferably foldable about a fold line, which moves to enable access to the housing and the drive mechanism contained therein. The housing includes an access door to enable a user to readily access a sheet chamber within the housing.
With this arrangement, by folding the head end piece of the mattress and by opening the access door to the housing, a user may readily access the sheet chamber without any accompanying need to articulate a deck on which the mattress and the housing reside. This structure greatly facilitates cleaning and maintenance of the components located within the housing. In the hospital environment, over the past few years infection control has become increasingly more important. By providing simple and easy access to these components, this system and method help the user to take steps to fight against instances of infection. But at the same time, the housing protects the components located therein, and does so within a volume that does not interfere with a standard bed deck, to which the housing is preferably secured.
This system and method also facilitate the simple and repeatable attachment of the sheet to be pulled with the pulling device, which is located in the housing. In fact, this system and method eliminate the need to raise the head end of the mattress, or to articulate the bed, in order to change the sheet, to disinfect the housing and the components located within the housing for infection control.
More specifically, the housing includes a slot through which at least one connector extends, to connect to a head end of the sheet, and thereby enable the sheet to be pulled into the housing when attached to the connector. The connector may include one or more straps. The slot is preferably defined in part by the access door of the housing, to facilitate routing of the connector to the sheet for attachment. The housing also includes one or more contoured surfaces located adjacent the slot, to facilitate movement of the sheet by reducing the friction on the sheet and compression of the mattress as the sheet moves toward and into the slot. Also, the top head end surface of the mattress, at the corner, may have reduced elasticity to facilitate slidability of the sheet thereover as it is pulled toward the slot.
The sheet has a length that is significantly longer than the mattress, to enable multiple repositioning operations with the same sheet. Also, the sheet has a width that is greater than that of the mattress, and has opposing beaded edges, with each beaded edge retained along one outer side of the mattress by a plurality of spaced retainers secured to the mattress. Each of the retainers has an open position to enable placement of the beaded edge of the sheet therein, and a closed position to retain the beaded edge therein. In the closed position, the retainers permit the sheet to be pulled toward the head end of the mattress. In this preferred embodiment, by locating the retainers on the outer sides of the mattress, the entire top surface of the mattress is available for use by the patient, without obstruction. In addition, with this embodiment there are no obstructions along the perimeter of the top surface of the mattress. The retainers also manage the sheet's longitudinal perimeter, by preventing the upper ticking from becoming exposed. This management also creates a stable surface for the patient during ingress, egress and transfer.
The sheet includes at least one reinforced slit, to which a T-shaped tab is removably attachable, the T-shaped tab located at an outer end of a connector. The T-shaped tab quickly and easily slides within the reinforced slit, to enable pulling of the connector toward the head end of the mattress to also pull the sheet toward the head end. The other end of the connector is secured inside the housing, for instance, to a roller mounted therein, whereby rotation of the roller pulls the connector and the sheet attached thereto into the housing via the slot. The connector and the sheet wrap around the roller within the housing. Each repositioning of the patient causes more of the sheet length to wrap around the roller located in the housing.
By collecting the used sheet within the housing, this system and method accommodates multiple repositionings of the patient, without any commensurate entanglement of that portion of the sheet that has already been used. At the same time, the location and the shape of the housing, relative to the top surface of the mattress, eliminate the need for the sheet to span between various bed structures, and thereby create the potential for interference between the sheet and surrounding bed structures.
According to one aspect of the invention, the attachment structure between the connector and the sheet, i.e., the T-shaped tab and the reinforced slit, is designed so as to have a very small profile. This small profile facilitates movement of the attachment structure into the slot of the housing, to enable the connector and a head end of the sheet to sufficiently wrap around the roller so that, upon further rotation of the roller, the sheet is pulled toward the head end of the bed with enough pulling force to also pull a patient supported on the sheet. For example, the structure that is shown and described herein, i.e., two pairs of reinforced slits oriented longitudinal to the length of the sheet, and each of two T-shaped tabs located at the outer ends of two straps which are secured to the roller, is capable of pulling a patient in excess of 500 pounds. According to this aspect of the invention, the initial attachment of the connector to the sheet and the initial pulling of the sheet into the housing essentially “loads” the system, for subsequent pulling of the sheet in a weighted condition, i.e., with a patient supported thereon.
Still further, in association with this aspect of the invention, the sheet includes “loaded” indicia, to indicate (for instance, to visibly indicate) to the user when the sheet has been sufficiently pulled into the housing to achieve adequate “loading.” The sheet loading indicia can be located on either side of the sheet, and preferably is discernable through the sheet, so that the sheet can be used with either side facing upwardly. In addition, the sheet loaded indicia can be arranged or located so as to match up with, or become aligned with, corresponding mattress indicia located on the mattress. The alignment of these two corresponding sheet and mattress indicia serves to indicate when the sheet has been loaded. The Figures of this application show visible indicia, for both the sheet loaded indicia and the mattress indicia. The sheet may also include additional sheet usage indicia, to indicate the amount of sheet remaining at the foot end of the bed, and when the excess length of sheet at the foot end has been exhausted, such that it is time to replace the existing sheet with a new sheet. The sheet usage indicia may be numerical, color coded, or symbolic, as examples.
Alternatively, the controller included with the drive mechanism may include a counter which counts the number of times the sheet has been repositioned, i.e., for instance, by the number of rotations of the roller, thereby to provide an indication when the sheet needs to be replaced after a predetermined number of rotations. Still further, the housing may include a sensor, operatively connected to the controller, which is adapted to sense and to convey to the controller one or more of: the sheet loaded indicia, the sheet usage indicia, or perhaps other indicia, such as indicia to assure that a properly sized sheet, i.e., a compatible sheet, has been attached.
The mattress includes two rows of spaced retainers, for holding opposite sides of the sheet as the sheet is moved toward the head end of the mattress to reposition the patient. The use of a plurality of spaced retainers provides a significant advantage in everyday use. More specifically, in a hospital setting, there are a significant and consistent number of situations wherein a sheet must be replaced while the patient remains on the mattress of the bed. Applicants are aware of studies which state that this occurs frequently. With the system and method described in this specification, a caregiver can secure one edge of the sheet to one side of the mattress via the retainers, then tuck the sheet underneath the patient for subsequent securement of the other edge of the sheet to the retainers on the opposite side of the mattress. When the sheet is secured in this manner, enough “slack” can be left at the head end of the sheet, as indicated by the sheet loading indicia, to enable the system to become loaded without having to pull any portion of the sheet which is supporting the patient. In other words, only the slack at the head end of the sheet is pulled. Thus, this system and method can readily accommodate the repositioning of a patient in those situations where a sheet must be replaced while the patient remains on the bed. In other words, with this system and method it is not necessary to connect both sides of the sheet at the foot end of the mattress, and to then simultaneously move both connected sides of the sheet toward the head end, along parallel continuous tracks.
According to another aspect of the invention, the retainers have a base piece secured to the mattress (or to a ticking which comprises the outer cover and surface for the mattress) and a movable piece which connects to the base piece and moves relative thereto. The movable piece moves between a closed position which defines a channel for retaining the beaded edge of the sheet, and an open position which opens the channel to allow the sheet to be released. In the closed position, the channel allows movement of the sheet toward the head end of the bed. According to yet another aspect of this invention, the pieces of the retainers have a detented position to identify when the movable piece is properly located in the closed position. The spaced retainers are located along the sides of the mattress, preferably in locations that are displaced from the rails of a conventional health care bed.
Although it is contemplated that various types of drive mechanisms would work with this system and method, one suitable drive mechanism includes a power supply, a controller, a drive train, and gears located entirely within the housing, and operable to cause the driven components, in this case a roller and two connector straps, to rotate so as to pull the sheet into the housing. The controller operatively connects to inputs mounted on the external surface of the housing, to enable a user to operate the system. Preferably, an arrestor, which could be a clutch, holds the roller in a fixed position, to thereby prevent the sheet from being pulled downwardly toward the foot end of the bed, i.e., to prevent unwinding of the sheet from the roller. With this structure, to reposition the patient the controller is enabled, as by depressing an enabling (or “start”) pushbutton, and then a reposition button is depressed to activate the drive mechanism to rotate the roller. Because of the need for a user to actively interface with two separate controls, this system and method provide a significant degree of safety in repositioning the patient. Further, to reposition the sheet towards the foot end of the mattress, or to remove the sheet, the arrestor is released which enables the roller to freewheel in a direction to allow the sheet to be pulled from the housing.
Nonetheless, other structures or components could be used, in the alternative, to supply the degree of safety needed. Still further, a safety stop device, such as a disabling sensor and/or switch, can be incorporated into the system to prevent inadvertent movement of the patient too close to the head end of the mattress, or to the headboard. It may also be desirable to incorporate a separate sensor into the system, to disable the drive mechanism unless the head end of the mattress is oriented horizontally, or at least below a predetermined angle relative to horizontal.
Regardless of the particular drive mechanism used, when movement of the sheet toward the head end stops, the system permits reversal of the drive mechanism to permit the sheet to pull back toward the foot end of the bed. This reversal releases the tension in the sheet and enhances patient comfort.
According to another aspect of the invention, it would be possible to reduce the overall cost of the system by reducing the number of components located within the housing itself, perhaps by locating only the passive driven components within the housing and perhaps one or more components which couple to the driven components. In this respect, a separate hand held unit could be used from outside the housing to interface with the passive components, i.e., a roller, or other pulling device or sheet take-up structure located inside the housing, thereby to drive the passive components located in the housing so as to reposition the sheet and the patient residing thereon. Thus, multiple products could be operated by a single hand held unit. And for a facility with a significant number of beds, this option would reduce overall costs by eliminating the need to locate some or all of the active drive components in each housing.
At the foot end of the mattress, a barrier may be used to support and isolate the unused and remaining part of the sheet. This barrier may be connected to the mattress, the bed frame, and/or the footboard. This barrier can also serve as a spacer between the foot end of the mattress and the bed frame, typically the footboard, to provide unobstructed movement of the sheet. Alternatively, the barrier and the spacer can be separate structures.
As shown and described herein, the sheet is wider than the mattress and also wider than the housing. Nevertheless, the drive mechanism pulls the extra sheet width, on both sides, around the corners of the mattress at the head end thereof and into the housing via the slot. The contours of the housing, at the head end and at the corners, facilitate movement of the sheet toward the slot. To achieve this contoured effect, the head end of the housing may include a curved extension that extends slightly beyond the head end of the mattress. This creates a “waterfall” effect to prevent against the entry of foreign objects into the slot. This extension can also serve as the head end boundary for the head end of the mattress, and also reduces compression of the head end of the mattress.
The transverse dimension of the slot needs to be able to accommodate some amount of sheet overlap, or doubling over of the sheet, near the outer ends. Moreover, within the housing itself, the roller may have a reduced diameter at its outer ends, thereby to provide additional internal clearance within the housing to accommodate this extra sheet width. Nonetheless, the width of the slot is still sufficiently small, i.e., preferably about 8 mm, to prevent the accidental ingress into the housing of a user's finger or medical tubes or wires. Additionally, a safety cut-off switch may be incorporated into the system, particularly to disable the drive mechanism, so as to discontinue rotation of the roller upon detection of a higher than normal resistance.
The mattress has a head end section of reduced thickness, and is complementary in shape with the housing, at least with respect to a central longitudinal vertical plane. The head end section may contain a foldable head end piece defined by a fold line, and foldable about the fold line to access the housing. Alternatively, the head end piece could be removably connected to the mattress along the “fold line.” The head end section of the mattress may be firmer than the rest of the mattress, to further protect a patient from the housing residing therebelow. An increased firmness of the head section may also increase the wear resistance of the head end section as the sheet is pulled over the edge of the mattress. To further protect against mattress head section wear, a portion of the housing is adjacent the head end of the mattress to limit the compressibility of the mattress as the sheet is advanced. In an alternative embodiment, the mattress head section does not have a reduced thickness. Instead, the housing is integrated into the head section of the bed deck. In this embodiment, the access door of the housing may be incorporated into the bed deck.
With this patient repositioning system, according to the preferred embodiments, the structure which pulls the sheet does not contact or interact with the bed frame or the headboard of the bed. Instead, because of the complementary shape of the mattress and the housing, the system primarily operates within the space envelope of the mattress. Preferably, the housing is removably mounted to the deck of the bed, thereby to assure its physical position relative to the mattress during articulation of the bed into various positions. Regardless of the position of the deck, the housing can be accessed by moving the head end piece of the mattress. Additionally, because the hinged access door partially defines the slot in this embodiment, this structure simplifies the proper routing and/or orienting of the connectors, namely the straps, prior to their releasable attachment to the sheet. Overall, this structure helps to assure a safe, simple, efficient, user-friendly, and repeatable attachment of the sheet to the drive mechanism. This structure also facilitates the user's ability to practice effective infection control.
The system and method disclosed herein are not limited to use with a conventional health care bed having a flat deck. Rather, this invention may be readily adaptable for use in combination with a type of hospital bed known as a “step-deck” bed, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,692,256, a birthing bed which is specifically adapted for use when a mother gives birth to an infant, or even with a bariatric bed. For these variations of the invention, the mattress and the housing are reoriented and/or reconfigured to accommodate the different bed shapes, and particularly the different shapes of the deck and/or the mattress. With these various bed designs, the patient repositioning system may be integrated at least partially into the bed deck.
Those skilled in the art will more readily understand the scope and content of this specification in view of the following drawings and the detailed description of those drawings.
With reference to
The sheet receiver 18, mattress 14, and sheet 16 are each positioned adjacent to the bed deck 22 as shown in
As indicated by arrow 40 in
A patient is shown in
An operator, such as a caregiver or an attendant, may desire to return the patient to the head end position. Frequently, moving the patient from the foot end position to the head end position may require manually gripping and pulling a sheet, on which the patient rests, toward the headboard 28. However, the patient repositioning system 10 automatically repositions the patient to the head end position under direction by the operator. According to the exemplary embodiment, the operator enables the patient repositioning device 10 by activating an enabling switch 210 operatively connected to the sheet receiver 18. Once enabled, the operator then activates a drive switch 212 operatively connected to the sheet receiver 18. With both the enabling switch 210 and drive switch 212 activating, the sheet receiver 18 pulls the sheet along the upper surface 110 toward the head board 28, as indicated by arrows 42. Because the patient is resting on the sheet 16 as it moves, the patient similarly moves away from the footboard 29 and toward the headboard 28, as indicated by arrow 42. The patient is moved toward the headboard 28 until reaching the desired head end position shown in
With respect to
Furthermore, at least a portion of the sheet receiver 18 is positioned within a volume envelope 128 (see
As best shown in
With respect to
The sheet receiver 18 has a slot 216, and also includes a connecting structure 222 for releasably attaching to the sheet 16 adjacent to the mattress head end 114. The connecting structure 222 is generally of a sufficiently small dimension so as to pass through the slot 216 and toward the sheet 16, which may also be referred to herein as a “low-profile” connecting structure 222. According to the exemplary embodiment of the invention, the connecting structure 222 is a pair of straps 224a, 224b. Each of the straps 224a, 224b includes a first end 226 secured within the housing 214 and a second end 228 for releasably attaching to the sheet 16. Accordingly, the operator extends the pair of straps 224a, 224b about the head end edge 140 and pulls the sheet 16 along the upper surface 110 of the mattress 14, as indicated by arrow 44. The sheet head end 516 and the second end 228 each move adjacent to the mattress head end 114 as shown in
As can be more clearly seen in
In the open position shown in
Furthermore, the base and movable pieces 410, 412 each cooperate together with a detented surface relationship to affirmatively indicate when the movable piece is in the closed position. More particularly, the base piece 410 includes a horizontally extending detent 430, and the movable piece 412 includes a horizontally extending groove 432 adapted to receive the detent 430. For example, the movable piece 412 rotates against the direction of the pull 56 to open the channel 414. The movable piece 412 may then be rotated back 54 along the direction of the pull 56, as seen in
Greater detail of the rotational mounting of the movable piece 412 to the base piece 410 is shown in
While the exemplary embodiment of the retainer 116 is configured for retaining the sheet 16 as described above, it will be appreciated that other retainers in accordance with the invention may also be used. For exemplary purposes, additional retainers 116 for retaining the sheet 16 are described below with respect to
After the unused sheet 16 has been exhausted, the sheet 16 may be removed from the retainers 116 and sheet receiver 18 for cleaning the patient repositioning system 10 as shown in
With respect to
In this respect, the sheet receiver 18 further includes a pulling device 242 operatively connected to the connecting structure 222 that operatively pulls the sheet 16 into the sheet chamber 240. More specifically, the pulling device 242 includes a roller 244 rotatably and removably supported within the sheet chamber 240 and generally parallel to the slot 216. The roller 244 includes a central portion 246 and opposing outer portions 248. Each first end 228 of the pair of straps 224a, 224b is secured to the central portion 246 of the roller 244 via at least one fastener 245. According to the exemplary embodiment of the invention, the fastener 245 is threaded and extends through the first end 228 and into the roller 244. Of course, it will be appreciated that any structure or method of securing the straps 224a, 224b to the roller 244 may be similarly used.
With respect to
While the sheet 16 may be pulled by and wrapped about the roller 244 shown in
In any case, a drive mechanism 252 operatively drives the pulling device 242 for pulling the sheet 16 along the upper surface 110 of the mattress 14.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention shown in
In the closed position of
With the access door 236 closed, the slot 216 has a transverse dimension large enough for receiving the pair of straps 224a, 224b and sheet 16, but small enough for inhibiting a human finger or other foreign object from extending therethrough. Particularly, the transverse dimension may be from about 4 millimeters to about 12 millimeters. More particularly, the transverse dimension may be less than about 8 millimeters. Furthermore, the extension 218 of the access door 236 preferably includes a “waterfall” lip 274 secured to the remaining portion of the access door 236.
Furthermore, the term “low-profile” with respect to the connecting structure 222 may be further defined as having the sufficiently small dimension generally less than the transverse dimension of the slot 216 to pass therethrough. Preferably, the “low-profile” connecting structure 222 has the sufficiently small dimension configured for also reducing the amount of sheet 16 deformation resulting from wrapping the sheet 16 over the connecting structure 222 on the roller 244. After all, localized deformation of the sheet 16 tends to create wear patterns that may prematurely tear portions of the sheet 16. However, the “low-profile” connecting structure 222, such as the straps 224a, 224b, serves to enhance and extend the useful life of the sheet 16.
With respect to
The drive chamber 292 generally includes the remaining portion of the drive mechanism 252. According to the exemplary embodiment, the drive mechanism 252 also includes a power source 294, a controller 294a, a sheet release sensor 296, a door sensor 298, and a motor 300. The motor 300 directly connects to the drive gear 254 for selectively rotating the drive gear 254. In addition, the pair of lateral support members 290a, 290b rotatably supports a sheet release rod 302 within the drive chamber 292. The motor 300 connects to the rotatable sheet release rod 302, which extends through the side panels 282a, 282b to each of the sheet releases 234. At the operator's discretion, movement of the sheet release 234 pivots the motor 300 about the sheet release rod 302. In turn, the drive gear 254 directly connected to the motor 300 pivots, as indicated by arrow 262 in
With respect to
According to the exemplary embodiment of the invention, the drive mechanism 252 is contained entirely within the housing 214 of the sheet receiver 18. However, in the alternative, portions of the drive mechanism 252 may be exterior of the housing 214. The portions of the drive mechanism 252 may be similar portions of the pulling device 242 that connect, directly or indirectly, to the portions of the drive mechanisms 252 for rotating the roller 244. An exemplary embodiment of a portion of the drive mechanism 252 exterior of the housing 214 will be described below in further detail.
The sheet 16 also includes the sheet loaded indicia 518 and a sheet usage indicia 522. In contrast to the sheet loaded indicia 518 described above, the sheet usage indicia 522 aligned with the alignment sheet indicia 144 of the mattress 14 (see
More particularly, the base piece 612 and movable piece 614 each include cooperating tracks 616. The track 616 of the movable piece 614 slides into the track 616 of the base piece 612 for connecting the base piece 612 and the movable piece 614 together. In addition, the movable piece slides along the track 616 of the base piece 614 to open and close the channel 414, as indicated by arrow 618. Because the movable piece 614 slides against the base piece 612, a stopper 620 protrudes from the movable piece 614 toward the base piece 612 to engage the detent 430 and inhibit movement of the movable piece. Of course, the operator may simply snap the stopper 620 beyond the detent 430 in either direction such that the detent 430 is received in either the track 616 of the movable piece 614 or the closed channel 414. However, it will be appreciated that any base piece 612 and movable piece 614 slidably attached may open and close the channel 414 as described above. Accordingly, the slide retainer 610 is not intended to be limited to the exemplary embodiment described herein.
More particularly, the base piece 632 and movable piece 634 include a pair of holes 636 and a pair of dowels 638 respectively. The holes of the base piece 632 receive the dowels 638 of the movable piece 634 such that the movable piece 634 pivots between open and closed positions, as indicated by arrow 640. In addition, the base piece 632 includes a tab portion 642 that extends toward a collar 644 defined by an opening 646 in the movable piece 634. As the movable piece 634 pivots to the closed position, the tab portion 642 snaps against the collar 644 for holding the movable piece closed. Thereby, the operator may simply snap the tab portion 642 into the opening 646 and out of the opening 646 to respectively open or close the channel 414. However, it will be appreciated that any base piece 632 and movable piece 634 pivotably attached may open and close the channel 414 as described above. Accordingly, the pivot retainer 630 is not intended to be limited to the exemplary embodiment described herein.
With respect to
According to an exemplary embodiment, the hand held external portion 672 inserts through a coupling 680 in the housing 214 for operatively connecting to the roller 244 shown in
Furthermore, the sheet receiver 18′ includes a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs) acting as a power indicator 352, a leveling indicator 354, and an open access door indicator 356. The power indicator 352 emits light to indicate that the sheet receiver 16 is enabled for operation. The leveling indicator 354 emits light to indicate that the sheet receiver 18′ is too unlevel for operation. The open access door indicator 356 emits light to indicate that the access door 236 is open and, as such, not ready for operation until the access door 236 is sufficiently closed.
The sheet receiver 18′ also includes a sheet release 234′ and a door release 358. The sheet release 234′ is operatively connected to the clutch 276 (see
With respect to
In any case, the controller 294 is operatively connected to a status indicator, such as the display 350 described above with respect to
Another option of an exemplary embodiment shows a sheet receiver 18 having a UV disinfection module 694 contained therein for selective operation. Specifically, the module 694 is connected to a UV control interface that also connects to the controller 294. As such, the operator may selectively operate the UV disinfection module 694, or the controller 294 may maintain the operation time 690 for periodic disinfection.
According to another exemplary embodiment, the patient repositioning device 10 may be used as substantially described above with respect to other types of beds. For example, the patient repositioning device 10 may be used with a birthing bed described within U.S. Pat. No. 6,757,924, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein. In this respect, the mattress is sized and shaped so as to accommodate the removal of the foot section of the birthing bed. By way of another example, the patient repositioning device 10 may also be used with a bed described within U.S. Pat. No. 5,692,256, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein. In this respect, the mattress has a non-uniform thickness with respect to a central lateral vertical plane. Of course, the patient repositioning device 10 may be configured to accommodate a conventional bed or any other bed for which repositioning the patient provides increased comfort and performance to both the operator and the patient.
In use, with a patient supported on the sheet 16 and the sheet 16 located on the mattress 14, this patient repositioning system 10 enables an attendant to cause the sheet 16 and the patient supported thereon to move toward the head end 30 of the mattress 14, as the sheet 16 is pulled into the slot 216 formed in the housing 214. Because the sheet 16 has a width that is greater than that of the mattress 14, and that additional width is retained along opposing longitudinal sides of the mattress 14, as the sheet 16 moves and the patient is repositioned the outer portions of the sheet 16, i.e. the sheet longitudinal sides 412a, 512b move from a substantially vertical orientation to a substantially horizontal orientation as the sheet 16 is pulled into the slot 216. For each sheet 16, a number of such patient repositionings may occur, until the system 10 indicates via the sheet usage indicia 522 that it is time to replace the sheet 16. Generally, the attendant causes the sheet 16 to move via operation of the inputs to the drive mechanism 252, as described above.
To initiate patient repositioning using this system, an attendant places a sheet 16 on the mattress 14, connects the sheet 16 to the mattress 14, and also operatively couples the sheet 16 to the drive mechanism 252. Typically, this connecting of the sheet 16 to the mattress 14 involves securing opposite sheet longitudinal sides 512a, 512b of the sheet 16 to oppositely located rows of retainers 116 spaced along the length of the mattress 14, and the sheet 16 has beaded edges 510, 510b along its longitudinal sides 512a, 512b which allow for longitudinal movement of the sheet 16 along the retainers 116. To operatively couple the sheet 16 to the drive mechanism 252, the attendant who may also be referred to as an operator, releasably attaches the sheet 16 to the drive mechanism 252, and the drive mechanism 252 is then used to pull the sheet 16 toward the head end 30 of the mattress 14, to “load” the sheet 16 in preparation for subsequent pulling of the sheet 16 toward the head end 30 of the mattress 14 with a patient residing thereon.
In some situations, it may be necessary to replace a sheet 16 on a mattress 14 while a patient remains thereon, perhaps due to soiling of the sheet 16, or other reasons. In this situation, after removal of the old sheet 16, the attendant retains a first beaded edge 510a of a first longitudinal side 512a of the new sheet 16 to the row of spaced retainers located on one side of the mattress 14. Thereafter, the patient and the sheet 16 are maneuvered so as to place the sheet 16 between the patient and the mattress 14, and then the attendant retains the second beaded edge 510a of the opposite, second longitudinal side 510b of the new sheet 16 to the second row of spaced retainers 116 located on the second side of the mattress 14. Once the sheet 16 has been retained on both sides of the mattress 14, the sheet 16 is then releasably attached to a drive mechanism 252 located adjacent the head end 30 of the mattress 14, and the sheet 16 is thereafter pulled toward the head end 30 of the mattress 14 to “load” the system. Typically, during this initial pulling, the head end of the sheet 16 is not weight bearing, i.e., the patient is not residing thereon. Stated alternatively, the new sheet 16 is retained on the mattress 14 with some amount of slack at the head end 30 thereof, as indicated by indicia on the new sheet 16, to facilitate unweighted pulling of the sheet 16 to the loaded position.
In addition to these methods as described above, this patient repositioning system 10 also facilitates infection control, or even retrieval of the sheet 16, by facilitating access to the housing 214 into which the sheet 16 is pulled. More particularly, to access the inside of the housing 214, the attendant merely needs to open the access door 236 to the housing 214. There is no need to raise any portion of the bed. Depending on the configuration of the patient repositioning system 10 and the structure of the bed, this opening of the access door 236 may occur after moving the head end piece 124 of the mattress 14, as by folding. Moreover, this opening the access door 236 may involve manipulation of the bottom of the mattress 14, or the top of the bed deck 22, depending on how the housing 214 is configured with respect to the mattress 14 and/or the bed deck 22.
This specification shows and describes several preferred embodiments of the invention. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the disclosed embodiments are susceptible to a reasonable amount of modification and/or permutation, without departing from the overall scope of the invention. For instance, the dimensions of the components shown and described, and/or the relationships of those dimensions to other components may vary, as needed, in order to apply the general principles of the present invention to the actual circumstances at hand.
Moreover, it is to be understood that the recitation of “objects of the invention” in this specification, or referenced problems recognized in the prior art, are not intended to be construed as an admission that others have also recognized the same problems or perceived the same limitations in the state of the art, as recognized by the present inventors. Moreover, any reference to objects of the invention is not intended to require each of the following claims to achieve all of the above-stated objects or advantage. Rather, the recitation of the objects of the invention in this specification is intended merely to help explain the story behind the present invention, and to explain why the present invention represents an advance in the state of the art over existing technology. Accordingly, the inventors intend that the scope of the appended claims is not to be limited by the specific details shown or described in this specification.
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/593,228 filed Oct. 4, 2019 (pending) which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/154,274 filed Oct. 8, 2018, (now U.S. Pat. No. 10,463,555) which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/942,380 filed Nov. 16, 2015, (now U.S. Pat. No. 10,137,045) which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/837,185 filed Mar. 15, 2013, (now U.S. Pat. No. 9,205,012), the disclosures of which are expressly incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
659755 | Moulton | Oct 1900 | A |
2761153 | Mew | Sep 1956 | A |
2826766 | Stoner | Mar 1958 | A |
2827642 | Huff | Mar 1958 | A |
3383717 | Underwood | May 1968 | A |
3466679 | Hess | Sep 1969 | A |
3597774 | Warren | Aug 1971 | A |
3641600 | Oats | Feb 1972 | A |
3757359 | Stellman | Sep 1973 | A |
3875623 | Johnston | Apr 1975 | A |
3962736 | Fedele | Jun 1976 | A |
4003704 | Zurolo et al. | Jan 1977 | A |
4025973 | Walbrecht | May 1977 | A |
4042985 | Raczkowski | Aug 1977 | A |
4181992 | Blake | Jan 1980 | A |
4747170 | Knouse | May 1988 | A |
4776047 | DiMatteo | Oct 1988 | A |
4796313 | DiMatteo et al. | Jan 1989 | A |
4799273 | Elze | Jan 1989 | A |
4819283 | DiMatteo et al. | Apr 1989 | A |
4821352 | DiMatteo et al. | Apr 1989 | A |
4837872 | DiMatteo et al. | Jun 1989 | A |
4837873 | DiMatteo et al. | Jun 1989 | A |
4843665 | Cockel et al. | Jul 1989 | A |
4926513 | Oats | May 1990 | A |
4939798 | Last | Jul 1990 | A |
4941220 | DiMatteo et al. | Jul 1990 | A |
5016306 | Grivna et al. | May 1991 | A |
5020171 | DiMatteo et al. | Jun 1991 | A |
5084927 | Parkevich | Feb 1992 | A |
5103512 | DiMatteo et al. | Apr 1992 | A |
5127113 | Di Matteo et al. | Jul 1992 | A |
5155874 | Kershaw | Oct 1992 | A |
5182827 | Carrier et al. | Feb 1993 | A |
5184112 | Gusakov | Feb 1993 | A |
5185894 | Basted et al. | Feb 1993 | A |
5239713 | Toivio et al. | Aug 1993 | A |
5280657 | Stagg | Jan 1994 | A |
5319813 | DiMatteo et al. | Jun 1994 | A |
5325554 | Lewis | Jul 1994 | A |
5377391 | Foster | Jan 1995 | A |
5469588 | DiMatteo et al. | Nov 1995 | A |
5499859 | Angell | Mar 1996 | A |
5608929 | Crane | Mar 1997 | A |
5692256 | Kramer et al. | Dec 1997 | A |
5692272 | Woods | Dec 1997 | A |
5697109 | Hodgetts | Dec 1997 | A |
5718009 | Lin | Feb 1998 | A |
5737781 | Votel | Apr 1998 | A |
D402434 | Votel | Dec 1998 | S |
5890238 | Votel | Apr 1999 | A |
5901388 | Cowan | May 1999 | A |
5996144 | Hodgetts | Dec 1999 | A |
6058533 | Nelson | May 2000 | A |
6282734 | Holberg | Sep 2001 | B1 |
6289533 | Hodgetts | Sep 2001 | B1 |
6341393 | Votel | Jan 2002 | B1 |
6357065 | Adams | Mar 2002 | B1 |
6363555 | LaRose | Apr 2002 | B1 |
6378148 | Votel | Apr 2002 | B1 |
6496991 | Votel | Dec 2002 | B1 |
6499156 | Dirst | Dec 2002 | B1 |
6594837 | Khait | Jul 2003 | B2 |
6611974 | Roit et al. | Sep 2003 | B2 |
6615423 | Sverdlik et al. | Sep 2003 | B2 |
6629323 | Sverdlik et al. | Oct 2003 | B2 |
6772456 | Votel | Aug 2004 | B2 |
7003819 | Weigand | Feb 2006 | B2 |
7111338 | Faux et al. | Sep 2006 | B2 |
7191479 | Cheng | Mar 2007 | B1 |
7225489 | Frickey et al. | Jun 2007 | B1 |
7293303 | Worrell | Nov 2007 | B2 |
7305725 | Burton | Dec 2007 | B2 |
7337478 | Lake | Mar 2008 | B1 |
7458113 | Milam | Dec 2008 | B2 |
7487558 | Risk, Jr. et al. | Feb 2009 | B2 |
7725964 | Minning et al. | Jun 2010 | B2 |
7805782 | Hakamiun et al. | Oct 2010 | B2 |
7992237 | Minning et al. | Aug 2011 | B2 |
8087109 | Hillenbrand, II | Jan 2012 | B2 |
8156582 | Rupar et al. | Apr 2012 | B2 |
8250686 | Minning et al. | Aug 2012 | B2 |
8453276 | Hillenbrand, II | Jun 2013 | B2 |
8584288 | Shaw | Nov 2013 | B2 |
9205012 | Hillenbrand, II et al. | Dec 2015 | B2 |
10137045 | Hillenbrand, II et al. | Nov 2018 | B2 |
20020029418 | Votel | Mar 2002 | A1 |
20020083521 | Sverdlik et al. | Jul 2002 | A1 |
20030110559 | Weigand | Jun 2003 | A1 |
20050138727 | Faux et al. | Jun 2005 | A1 |
20050217023 | Tally | Oct 2005 | A1 |
20050235415 | Pedersen | Oct 2005 | A1 |
20060273292 | Milam | Dec 2006 | A1 |
20090056012 | Brossart et al. | Mar 2009 | A1 |
20090255057 | Rupar et al. | Oct 2009 | A1 |
20100281613 | Hillenbrand, II | Nov 2010 | A1 |
20110072582 | Patterson | Mar 2011 | A1 |
20120139395 | Dietrich | Jun 2012 | A1 |
20120144581 | Roberg | Jun 2012 | A1 |
20120297544 | Griswold et al. | Nov 2012 | A1 |
20120299353 | Griswold et al. | Nov 2012 | A1 |
20130025048 | Pruett | Jan 2013 | A1 |
20130191990 | Minning et al. | Aug 2013 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
---|---|---|
201578366 | Sep 2010 | CN |
2198339 | Jun 1988 | GB |
S49-087409 | Jul 1974 | JP |
S49087409 | Aug 1974 | JP |
S55110966 | Aug 1980 | JP |
S56-141615 | Oct 1981 | JP |
S57110966 | Jul 1982 | JP |
S59-015806 | Jan 1984 | JP |
S63-153061 | Jun 1988 | JP |
S63153061 | Jun 1988 | JP |
2002509470 | Mar 2002 | JP |
2003199661 | Jul 2003 | JP |
A2003-199661 | Jul 2003 | JP |
2010005208 | Jan 2010 | JP |
A2010-005208 | Jan 2010 | JP |
9930662 | Jun 1999 | WO |
0023026 | Apr 2000 | WO |
Entry |
---|
International Searching Authority, Search Report and Written Opinion issued in corresponding International Application No. PCT/US2015/20489 dated Jun. 22, 2015, 7 pages. |
International Searching Authority, Search Report and Written Opinion issued in International Application No. PCT/US2015/043608 dated Oct. 23, 2015, 12 pages. |
International Searching Authority, Search Report and Written Opinion issued in International Application No. PCT/US2015/043618 dated Oct. 23, 2015, 11 pgs. |
International Searching Authority, Search Report and the Written Opinion issued in PCT Application No. PCT/US2014/055821, dated Dec. 22, 2014, 14 pgs. |
International Searching Authority, Search Report and Written Opinion issued in International Application No. PCT/US2014/018231 dated Jun. 18, 2014, 14 pgs. |
Japanese Patent Office, Office Action issued in Japanese Patent Application No. 2016-500376 dated Dec. 25, 2017, 19 pages. |
Japanese Patent Office Decision of Rejection issued in Japanese Application No. 2016-500376 dated on Sep. 3, 2018, 7 pages. |
European Patent Office, Supplementary Partial European Search Report, issued in corresponding EP Application No. 14767982.3, dated Oct. 14, 2016, 6 pgs. |
European Patent Office, Extended European Search Report, issued in corresponding EP Application No. 14767982.3, dated Dec. 6, 2016, 10 pgs. |
International Searching Authority, Search Report and Written Opinion issued in International Application No. PCT/US2015/043608 dated Oct. 23, 2015, 12 pgs. |
International Searching Authority, Search Report and Written Opinion issued in International Application No. PCT/US15/20489 dated Jun. 22, 2015, 7 pgs. |
International Search Authority/United States, Notification of Transmittal of the International Search Report and The Written Opinion of the International Searching Authority, or the Declaration, issued in PCT Application No. PCT/US2014/018231, dated Jun. 18, 2014. |
International Searching Authority, Search Report and Written Opinion issued in corresponding International Application No. PCT/US15/20489 dated Jun. 22, 2015, 7 pages. |
International Searching Authority/United States, Notification of Transmittal of the International Search Report and the Written Opinion of the International Searching Authority, or the Declaration, issued in PCT Application No. PCT/US2014/055821, dated Dec. 22, 2015. |
International Searching Authority, Search Report and Written Opinion issued in International Application No. PCT/US2015/043688 dated Oct. 23, 2015, 11 pages. |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20200206054 A1 | Jul 2020 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
Parent | 16593228 | Oct 2019 | US |
Child | 16815364 | US | |
Parent | 16154274 | Oct 2018 | US |
Child | 16593228 | US | |
Parent | 14942380 | Nov 2015 | US |
Child | 16154274 | US | |
Parent | 13837185 | Mar 2013 | US |
Child | 14942380 | US |