Head restraint for therapeutic bed

• US 20060162076A1
• Filed: 03/28/2006
• Published: 07/27/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huntleigh Technology, Inc.
• Original Assignee: KCI Licensing Incorporated (3M Company)
• Inventors: Samuelson, Stephan A., Bartlett, Alan L., Niederkrom, Christopher T., Krywiczanin, Wladyslaw H.
• Granted Patent: US 7,472,440 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 5/607
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 13/121 Head or neck
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 13/122 Upper body, e.g. chest
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 13/123 Lower body, e.g. pelvis, hip, buttocks
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 13/1235 Arms
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 13/1245 Knees, upper or lower legs
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 2200/325 prone
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 2203/42 for inclination
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 2210/50 for radiography
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/001 with means for turning-over the patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/0507 Side-rails
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/051 pivoting sideward
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/0513 covering particular sections of the bed, e.g. one or more partial side-rail sections along the bed
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/0519 stowable, e.g. underneath mattress
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/0522 Padding means to soften side-rail surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/0527 Weighing devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/072 for the head only

Abstract

A mechanism to support the head of a patient is provided for therapeutic beds, including prone positioning therapeutic beds. In one embodiment, a head restraint apparatus is provided comprising a casing having a closed bottom end, an open top end, and an open front end. The casing encloses a cavity for receiving a person'"'"'s head resting in a supine position and substantially encompasses the back and sides of a person'"'"'s head. A face piece removably attached to the open top end of the casing is configured to restrain at least a portion of the front of a person'"'"'s head. In another embodiment, a head restraint is slidably mounted on a transversely oriented rail of the patient support platform. A manually operable clamp is provided to fix the position of the head restraint with respect to the rail.

Claims

1. A therapeutic bed comprising:

a base frame;

a patient support frame having a support for supporting a patient in a prone position;

said patient support frame being rotationally mounted on the base frame, such that the patient support frame is capable of rotating with respect to the base frame for repositioning said patient between a supine position and a prone position;

a rotation limiter mounted to the base frame and operable to move between a first position restricting rotation in the clockwise direction and a second position allowing rotation in the clockwise direction; and

an actuator for actuating said rotation limiter when said patient support frame rotates excessively in the clockwise direction relative to the base frame.

2. The therapeutic bed of claim 1, wherein the rotation limiter permits the patient support frame to rotate up to about 360 degrees in the clockwise and counterclockwise directions from a supine, zero degree position intermediate the first and second positions.

3. The therapeutic bed of claim 1, wherein the rotation limiter prevents the patient support frame from rotating more than about 360 degrees in the clockwise and counterclockwise directions from a supine, zero degree position intermediate the first and second positions.

4. The therapeutic bed of claim 1, further comprising a pair of sensors mounted to the base frame, wherein the rotation limiter respectively activates one of the pair of sensors depending on the direction of rotation of the patient support frame, and wherein each one of the pair of sensors produces a signal representative of the direction of rotation of the patient support frame when respectively activated by the rotation limiter.

5. The therapeutic bed of claim 1, further comprising a stop pin mounted on the patient support frame operable to engage the rotation limiter during rotation of the patient support frame, so that rotation of the patient support frame in the clockwise direction causes the rotation limiter to pivot into the first position and rotation of the patient support frame in the counterclockwise direction causes the rotation limiter to pivot into the second position.

6. The therapeutic bed of claim 5, further comprising a stop member mounted on the base frame that engages the rotation limiter in its first and second positions, thereby preventing further rotation of the patient support frame in the corresponding direction.

7. The therapeutic bed of claim 6, further comprising a spring mounted in tension on one end to the stop member and on an opposite end to the rotation limiter, the spring operable to keep the rotation limiter in either of the first and second positions until the stop pin forces the rotation limiter to pivot in an opposite direction.

8. The therapeutic bed of claim 7, wherein the rotation limiter permits the patient support frame to rotate up to about 720 degrees between the first and second positions.

9. The therapeutic bed of claim 8, wherein the rotation limiter has first, second, third, and fourth contact portions for the stop pin, the stop pin being operable to engage the rotation limiter at its first contact portion when the patient support frame is in an extreme clockwise position, to engage the rotation limiter at its fourth contact portion when the patient support frame is in an extreme counterclockwise position, and to engage the rotation limiter at either its second or third contact portions when the patient support frame is traveling between extreme clockwise and counterclockwise positions, depending on the direction of travel.

10. The therapeutic bed of claim 1, wherein engagement of the stop pin with the second and third contact portions of the rotation limiter during a revolution of the patient support frame is not operable to stop said revolution of the patient support frame but is operable to reposition the rotation limiter to limit a successive, same direction revolution of the patient support frame.