HOSPITAL BED

• US 20090188042A1
• Filed: 01/21/2009
• Published: 07/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Stryker Corporation
• Original Assignee: Stryker Corporation
• Inventors: Siler, Christopher J., Derenne, Richard A., Herbst, Cory P., Palmatier, Stanley T.
• Granted Patent: US 8,104,118 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 5/430
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/0507 Side-rails
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/0509 sliding or pivoting downwards
• 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 7/0516 with height adjustability
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/0521 Anti-pinching means to avoid injuries to body parts when moving side-rails or mattress supports, e.g. gap and grid covers, side-rail parts with special shape or electronic means for warning
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/0524 characterised by integrated accessories, e.g. bed control means, nurse call or reading lights

Abstract

A patient support incorporates a lying surface and at least one siderail on at least one side of the support. The siderails are operable between a raised position, an intermediate position, and a lowered position. When unlocked and urged from the raised position to the intermediate position, a latching mechanism automatically locks the siderails in the intermediate position. When urged from the lowered position to the raised position, the locking mechanism permits the siderails to pass through the intermediate position without locking, and to subsequently lock at the raised position. In the intermediate position, the siderails may define a gap through which a patient can ingress or egress the bed. In the raised and intermediate positions, the siderails may define gaps between each other and/or between the siderails and a headboard and footboard, that are sufficiently small to prevent accidental egress, and sufficiently large to prevent pinching and entrapment.

Claims

1. A siderail for a patient support, said siderail comprising:

a siderail body being movable between a first position, a second position, and a third position between said first position and said second position, one of said first position and said second position comprising a raised locked position and the other of said first and second positions comprising a lowered position; and

a latching mechanism configured to allow said siderail body to bypass said third position when said siderail body is moved in a first direction from said first position toward said second position and reconfigured to releasably lock said siderail body at said third position when said siderail body is moved in a second direction from said second position toward said first position after said siderail body is moved past said third position but before reaching the second position.

2. The siderail of claim 1, wherein said latch mechanism comprises a cam.

3. The siderail of claim 2, further comprising a latch, said latch selectively engaging said cam to lock said siderail body at said third position.

4. The siderail of claim 3, wherein said cam comprises a cam disk, said cam disk having a rotational axis about which said cam disk rotates and a cam disk face lying in a plane generally perpendicular to said rotational axis, said latch defining an engagement structure for coupling to said cam disk at said cam disk face, and said engagement structure being adapted to releasably couple with said cam disk face when said siderail body is moved to said third position from said second direction after said siderail body has moved past said intermediate position to thereby releasably rotatably lock said cam disk and thereby lock said siderail body in said third position.

5. The siderail of claim 4, wherein said engagement structure comprises a locking protrusion, and said cam disk includes a void, said locking protrusion selectively engaging said cam disk face at said void.

6. The siderail of claim 5, further comprising a latch biasing element, said latch biasing element being adapted to urge said locking protrusion towards said void when said void is substantially aligned with said locking protrusion.

7. The siderail of claim 3 further comprising a bypass arm, said bypass arm being configured to restrain said latch from engaging said cam in said third position when said siderail body is moved in said first direction from said first position to said second position, and said bypass arm being configured to release said restraint of said latch mechanism after said siderail body is moved past said third position but before reaching said second position and when said siderail body is moved in said second direction from said second position toward said first position.

8. The siderail of claim 7, said bypass arm further including a stepped portion, said stepped portion being configured to restrain said latch from engaging said cam at said third position when said siderail body is moved in said first direction.

9. The siderail of claim 7, wherein said bypass arm further includes a cam follower, said cam follower being adapted to follow said cam when said siderail body is moved in said second direction from said second position to said first position, and said stepped portion being adapted to disengage said cam follower from following said cam for that portion of rotation substantially corresponding with said third position when said siderail body is moved in said second direction from said second position to said first position.

10. The siderail of claim 9, wherein said bypass arm is adapted to engage said latch with said stepped portion at that portion of rotation of said cam disk substantially corresponding to said third position when said siderail body is moved in said first direction from said first position to said second position to thereby prevent said latch from coupling with said cam.

11. The siderail of claim 1, wherein said first position corresponds to a lowered position, said second position corresponds to a raised position, and said third position corresponds to said intermediate locked position between said raised position and said lowered position.

12. The siderail of claim 1, further comprising a handle adapted to unlock said latching mechanism.

13. The siderail of claim 1, further in combination with a patient support.

14. A siderail for a patient support, said siderail comprising:

a siderail body being movable between a first position, a second position, and a third position between said first position and said second position; and

a latching mechanism having a bypass configuration adapted to allow said siderail body to bypass said third position when said siderail body moves in a first direction from said first position toward said second position and having a locking configuration configured to releasably lock said siderail body in said second position, and said latching mechanism being configured to selectively lock said siderail body at said third position when said siderail body moves in a second direction from said second position toward said first position, and said latching mechanism being reconfigured between said bypass configuration and said locking configuration just after passing said third position and before said siderail reaches said second position.

15. The siderail of claim 14, said latching mechanism being adapted to provide a perceptible feedback when said latching mechanism is reconfigured between said bypass configuration and said locking configuration.

16. The siderail of claim 14, said siderail further comprising:

a siderail arm having a first portion and a second portion, said first portion for pivotally connecting to a patient support, and said second portion being pivotally connected to said siderail body; and

said latching mechanism including a cam disk fixedly attached to said siderail arm, said cam disk being configured to releasably lock said siderail body in said second position and said third position.

17. The siderail of claim 16, further comprising a bypass arm, said bypass arm being adapted to restrain said cam disk from locking said siderail body in said third position when said siderail body is moved from said first position to said second position.

18. The siderail of claim 17, wherein said bypass arm includes a cam follower, said cam follower following said cam disk when said siderail body is moved from said first position through said third position to said second position, and said bypass arm configured to disengage said cam follower from following said cam disk for that portion of rotation substantially corresponding with said third position when said siderail body is moved in said second direction from said second position to said third position.

19. The siderail of claim 17, further comprising a latch member for engaging said cam disk, and said bypass arm being configured to stop said latch member from engaging said cam disk at said third position when said siderail body is moved in said first direction from said first position to said second position.

20. The siderail of claim 19, said bypass arm being movable between a non-blocking position and a blocking position between said latch member and said cam disk to thereby prevent said latch member from engaging said cam disk, and said bypass arm being urged toward said blocking position by a biasing member.

21. The siderail of claim 14, wherein said first position corresponds to a lowered position, said second position corresponds to a raised position, and said third position corresponds to said intermediate position between said raised position and said lowered position.

22. A siderail for a patient support, said siderail comprising:

a siderail body being movable between a first position, a second position, and a third position between said first position and said second position;

a first biasing element adapted to urge said siderail body in a first direction through a first range of motion; and

a second biasing element adapted to urge said siderail body in a second direction through a second range of motion.

23. The siderail of claim 22, further comprising a pivot arm, said pivot arm defining a first portion being pivotally attached to said first biasing element, and a second portion being fixedly attached to said siderail body, said pivot arm being adapted to couple a biasing force of said first biasing element with said siderail body when said siderail body is between said second position and said third position, and decouple the biasing force of said first biasing element when said siderail body is between said first position and said third position.

24. The siderail of claim 23, comprising a shaft with a protrusion, said pivot arm being pivotally coupled with said shaft, and said pivot arm further defining an arcuate slot being adapted to cooperate with said protrusion and being positioned substantially about said second portion, wherein said protrusion is configured to engage an end of said arcuate slot between said second position and said third position and wherein said protrusion is further configured to traverse said arcuate slot between said first position and said third position, whereby said arcuate slot is operable to decouple the biasing force of said first biasing element from said siderail body between said first position and said third position.

25. A hospital bed comprising:

a patient lying surface, said patient lying surface having a head end, a foot end, a first side, and a second side;

a headboard coupled at said bed at said head end of said lying surface;

a footboard coupled at said bed at said foot end of said lying surface;

a head end siderail movably coupled at said bed along said first side of said patient lying surface and disposed generally toward said head end of said lying surface;

a foot end siderail movably coupled at said bed along said first side of said patient lying surface and disposed generally toward said foot end of said lying surface; and

wherein said head end siderail and said foot end siderail are movable from raised positions in which a first gap defined between said siderails is less than about 60 millimeters, a second gap defined between said headboard and said head end siderail is greater than about 235 millimeters, and a third gap defined between said footboard and said foot end siderail is greater than about 235 millimeters, to intermediate positions in which said first gap is greater than about 235 millimeters, said second gap is less than about 60 millimeters, and said third gap is less than about 60 millimeters.

26. The hospital bed of claim 25, wherein said siderails have top portion, said head end siderail and said foot end siderail being movable from said intermediate positions to lowered positions wherein said top portions of said siderails are approximately at or below a plane defined by a top surface of said patient lying surface.

27. The hospital bed of claim 25, further comprising:

a left foot end siderail movably coupled at said bed along a left side of said patient lying surface and disposed generally toward a foot end of said lying surface;

a right foot end siderail movably coupled at said bed along a right side of said patient lying surface and disposed generally toward said foot end of said lying surface; and

wherein said left foot end siderail and said right foot end siderail are movable toward said foot end of said lying surface to abut or substantially overlap said footboard to thereby create a substantially continuous fence about said foot end of said lying surface from a head end of said left foot end siderail to a head end of said right foot end siderail and inclusive of said footboard.

28. A hospital bed comprising:

a patient lying surface;

a head end siderail movably coupled at said bed along a first side of said patient lying surface and disposed generally toward a head end of said lying surface;

a foot end siderail movably coupled at said bed along said first side of said patient lying surface and disposed generally toward a foot end of said lying surface; and

wherein said head end siderail and said foot end siderail are releasably lockable in respective raised positions, movable away from one another and toward said head end and foot end, respectively, of said lying surface along generally arcuate paths to respective automatically-locked intermediate positions, movable from said intermediate positions along generally arcuate paths to respective lowered positions, and movable from said lowered positions to said raised positions, by moving through said intermediate positions without automatically locking at said intermediate positions.

29. The hospital bed of claim 28, further comprising:

a headboard coupled at said bed at said head end of said lying surface;

a footboard coupled at said bed at said foot end of said lying surface; and

wherein said head end siderail and said foot end siderail are movable from raised positions in which a first gap defined between said siderails is less than about 60 millimeters, a second gap defined between said headboard and said head end siderail is greater than about 235 millimeters, and a third gap defined between said footboard and said foot end siderail is greater than about 235 millimeters, to intermediate positions in which said first gap is greater than about 235 millimeters, said second gap is less than about 60 millimeters, and said third gap is less than about 60 millimeters.