Patent Application
20220235556
This invention relates to transport platforms and more particularly a platform that provides a level surface over stairs for transporting medical patients and other items.
Stairs can present a major obstacle for anyone who desires to transport anything up them particularly anything on wheels, such as a wheeled gurney used to transport medical patients. When faced with such an obstacle, most often a patient has to be removed from a wheeled gurney and carried up the stairs by one or more persons, particularly if a patient is heavy. When doing so there is a risk that a patient can be dropped and injured or condition worsened by not being maintained in a horizontal position. Also, as medical transport vans are normally operated by a single worker, often another person must be called to assist to carry a person up stairs, thereby incurring additional labor and costs.
Therefore, a need exists for a transport platform that can be used to transport items on wheels over stairs that is adjustable to accommodate varying number of stairs and is collapsible for east storage and portability.
The primary object of the present invention is to provide a platform device for that allows persons and other items to be easily and safely transported over stairs.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such a device that is adjustable in height to accommodate a range of stair levels.
An additional object of the present invention is to provide a device that is collapsible for convenient handling and storage.
The present invention fulfills the above and other objects by providing a stair transport device having three major components—a planar platform having a top, bottom, two sides, a front end and a rear end; a leg attached to each side at the front end of the planar platform; and a cross support bar connecting the two legs, said cross bar having a T at each end which the legs pass through. Preferably, each leg has a top section and a bottom section, each section having a plurality of apertures, the bottom section having a cross section less than the cross section of the upper section such that the lower section can slide up or down into the top section. The T ends of cross support section each have at least one aperture with a pull pin for insertion into the at least one aperture in each T end and the top and bottom sections to adjust a height of the platform. The platform preferably has raised edges on the two sides thereof to guide wheeled transport devices on the platform. The stair platform device is collapsible as the legs are rotatably attached to the platform by a connection plate having an aperture into which a pin can be inserted to maintain the legs in a vertical and perpendicular position relative to the platform during use and to maintain the legs in a folded position when the platform is in a collapsed mode for handling and storage.
The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention should become even more readily apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the following detailed description in conjunction with the drawings wherein there is shown and described illustrative embodiments of the invention.
In the following detailed description, reference will be made to the attached drawings in which:
For purposes of describing the preferred embodiment, the terminology used in reference to the numbered components in the drawings is as follows:
With reference to the drawing figures,
As also illustrated in
Referring now to
It is to be understood that while a preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated, it is not to be limited to the specific form or arrangement of parts herein described and shown.
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention and the invention is not to be considered limited to what is shown and described in the specification and drawings.
