Height adjustable bed and automatic leg stabilizer system therefor

• US 20030172459A1
• Filed: 03/19/2003
• Published: 09/18/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Carroll Healthcare Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Carroll Healthcare Incorporated
• Inventors: Roussy, Richard Brian
• Granted Patent: US 6,920,656 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 5/611
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/012 raising or lowering of the whole mattress frame A61G7/005, A61G7/008 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/0528 Steering or braking devices for castor wheels

Abstract

A vertically adjustable mechanical bed consisting of a bed frame for support of a mattress and occupant attached to moveable leg means powered by a motor means. Operation of the motor means causes a bearing block attached to the leg means to move longitudinally along a guide rod means, thereby collapsing the leg means beneath the bed and moving the bed frame vertically. Collapsing the bed to its substantially lowermost position causes the bearing block to engage a spring, thereby compressing said spring between the bearing block and a transverse member of the bed frame. The energy stored by the compression of the spring is used to raise the bed from its substantially lowermost position. Pivotally attached to the leg means is a rolling means consisting of a caster and foot arrangement. During normal operation, the foot is firmly engaged with the floor surface. When the bed frame moves to its substantially uppermost position, a pin extending from the leg means and constrained in a slot on a flanged face of the rolling means engages one end of the slot, thereby causing the rolling means to pivot and the caster to engage the floor, rendering the bed horizontally mobile.

Claims

1. A bed, having a bed frame and a pair of motor powered leg means operable to vertically raise and lower said bed frame over a range of heights between a lowermost and uppermost position, said leg means including rolling means, said rolling means automatically operable to engage a floor surface in response to the operation of said leg means to raise said bed frame to substantially its uppermost position, to thereby render said bed horizontally mobile on said rolling means only at said substantially uppermost position.

2. The invention as claimed in claim 1, wherein said bed frame comprises a pair of spaced apart transverse frame elements inward of each end of the bed frame, having a pair of rod guide means therebetween rigidly connected at each end to said transverse frame elements, said guide means having a bearing element and a spring element circumferentially mounted thereon, said bearing element movable along the length of the guide means to engage as well as to compress the spring element at one end thereof against said transverse frame element and wherein said motor power consists of a linear actuator operatively attached to the bearing element.

3. The invention as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of said leg means comprises a substantially inverted U shaped leg frame member having a pair of downwardly extending legs, collapsibly attached to the underside of said bed frame by means of a first pinned connection at the top thereof between the leg frame and the bearing element and a second pinned linkage connection between one end of the bed frame and substantially the midpoint of the leg frame member.

4. The invention as claimed in claim 3, wherein said rolling means comprises a flange having a slot therethrough and opposite ends, said flange rotatably attached to the bottom of each said leg of the leg frame member and constrained to rotationally pivot with respect thereto by means of a pin member extending from the bottom of each said leg and passing through said slot, each said opposite end having attached thereto respectively a fixed leg member and a caster member.

5. The invention as claimed in claim 4, wherein said slot in said flange has a convex arcuate shape with reference to the floor surface.

6. The invention as claimed in claim 3, wherein each of said downwardly extending legs is rigidly connected at its bottom end by a transverse leg frame member and said rolling means is rotationally attached to said transverse leg frame member.

7. The invention as claimed in claim 5, wherein said rolling means comprises- a flange having a slot therethrough and opposite ends, said flange rotatably attached to either end of the transverse leg frame member and constrained to rotationally pivot with respect thereto by means of a pin member extending from said transverse leg frame member and passing through said slot, each said opposite end having attached thereto respectively a fixed leg member and a caster member.

8. The invention as claimed in claim 7, wherein said slot in said flange has a convex arcuate shape with reference to the floor surface.

10. The invention as claimed in claim 8, wherein each of said downwardly extending legs includes rolling caster means attached to the bottom thereof.

11. The invention as claimed in claim 10, wherein each of said downwardly extending legs is rigidly connected at its bottom end by a transverse leg frame member and wherein said rolling means is attached to the end of said transverse leg frame member.

12. The invention as claimed in claim 8, wherein said bearing element is made of a dry lubricant plastic material.

9. A bed, having a bed frame and a pair of motor powered leg means operable to vertically raise and lower said bed frame over a range of heights between a lowermost and uppermost position:

a) wherein said bed frame comprises a pair of spaced apart transverse frame elements inward of each end of the bed frame, having a pair of rod guide means therebetween rigidly connected at each end to said transverse frame elements, said guide means having a bearing element and a spring element circumferentially mounted thereon, said bearing element movable along the length of the guide means to engage as well as to compress the spring element at one end thereof against said transverse frame element;

b) wherein said motor power consists of a linear actuator operatively attached to the bearing element to thereby move said bearing element longitudinally along said guide means;

c) wherein each of said leg means comprises a substantially inverted U shaped leg frame member having a pair of downwardly extending legs, collapsibly attached to the underside of said bed frame by means of a first pinned connection at the top thereof between the leg frame and the bearing element and a second pinned linkage connection between one end of the bed frame and substantially the midpoint of the leg frame member.