Equipment support rail for hospital bed

• US 20060031989A1
• Filed: 07/20/2005
• Published: 02/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hill-Rom Services Incorporated (Baxter International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hill-Rom Services Incorporated (Baxter International Inc.)
• Inventors: Reinke, Christian H., Hamberg, Stephen R., Newkirk, David C., Turner, Jonathan D., Graham, Mark A., Holl, Stephen M.
• Granted Patent: US 7,624,463 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 5/610
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 2203/723 Impact absorbing means, e.g. bumpers or airbags
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/0503 Holders, support devices for receptacles, e.g. for drainage or urine bags hanging-up devices for infusion A61M5/1414
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/1415 Stands, brackets or the like for supporting infusion accessories

Abstract

A patient support includes a lower frame, an upper frame supported above the lower frame, an equipment carrier coupled to the upper frame, and an actuator operable to adjust the orientation of the equipment carrier to compensate for the upper frame changing its orientation between the Trendelenberg and reverse Trendelenberg positions.

Claims

1. A patient support apparatus comprising:

a lower frame,

an upper frame supported above the lower frame, the upper frame being configured to change its orientation relative to the lower frame,

an equipment carrier coupled to the upper frame, and

an actuator operable to adjust the orientation of the equipment carrier relative to the lower frame to compensate for the upper frame changing its orientation relative to the lower frame.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a rail coupled to the upper frame, wherein the equipment carrier is coupled to the rail.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the equipment carrier includes first and second portions movably coupled to each other, the first portion is coupled to the rail, and the second portion is coupled to the actuator.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the actuator is operable to change the orientation of the second portion relative to the first portion to maintain the orientation of the second portion relative to the lower frame as the upper frame changes its orientation relative to the lower frame.

5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the actuator comprises a manually operable knob to change the orientation of the second portion relative to the first portion.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the actuator further comprises a first threaded member having a first end coupled to the first portion and a second end coupled to the knob and a second threaded member coupled to the second portion and configured to threadably engage the first threaded member.

7. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising a socket coupled to the second portion, wherein the socket has an upwardly-extending bore configured to receive a downwardly-extending post of a patient care equipment support.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the patient care equipment support is an infusion management device.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the actuator is operable to maintain the vertical orientation of the socket as the angular orientation of the upper frame changes.

10. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the upper frame is configured to change its orientation between Trendelenberg and reverse Trendelenberg positions, and the actuator is operable to maintain the vertical orientation of the equipment carrier as the orientation of the upper frame changes.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, comprising an elevation adjustment mechanism to change the orientation of the upper frame between Trendelenberg and reverse Trendelenberg positions.

12. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the actuator is coupled to the rail and operable to maintain the orientation of the rail relative to the lower frame as the upper frame changes its orientation relative to the lower frame.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the rail has a first portion pivotally coupled to the upper frame and a second portion pivotally coupled to the actuator.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the actuator comprises an electrically powered linear actuator having a housing pivotally coupled to one of the upper frame and the second portion of the rail and a piston pivotally coupled to other of the upper frame and the second portion of the rail.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the piston is movable into and out of the housing to maintain the vertical orientation of the rail as the orientation of the upper frame changes.

16. A patient support apparatus comprising:

a frame,

a rail coupled to the frame, the rail having an upper track surface facing downwardly and a lower track surface facing upwardly, and

an equipment carrier coupled to the rail, the equipment carrier having at least one upper roller located below the upper track surface and riding on the upper track surface, and at least one lower roller located above the lower track surface and riding on the lower track surface.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the upper and lower track surfaces are convex, the upper and lower rollers have concave circumferences, and the receipt of the upper and lower convex track surfaces in the concave circumferences of the upper and lower rollers retains the equipment carrier on the rail.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the rail is extruded.

19. A method of attaching an equipment support rail to a hospital bed having a pair of roller bumpers at opposite ends thereof, the method comprising the steps of:

removing the roller bumpers from the bed, and

attaching the rail to the bed by mounting coupling portions of the rail in places vacated by the roller bumpers.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the bed has a bracket at each end of the bed to support an associated roller bumper, and the step of mounting the coupling portions of the rail in places vacated by the roller bumpers comprises the step of mounting the coupling portions to respective brackets.