Bed side rails

• US 6,182,310 B1
• Filed: 01/12/1998
• Issued: 02/06/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hill-Rom Services Incorporated (Baxter International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hill-Rom Incorporated (Baxter International Inc.)
• Inventors: Albersmeyer, David A., Palermo, Philip D., Dlugos, Daniel F. Jr., Kummer, Joseph A., Kramer, Kenneth L., Wukusick, Peter M., Brooke, Jason C., Weismiller, Matthew W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Melius, Terry Lee
• Assistant Examiner(s): CONLEY, FREDRICK C
• Application Number:
  US09/005,637
• Time in Patent Office: 1,121 Days
• Field of Search: 561/7, 561/3, 560/2, 561/1, 542/5, 543/0, 530/8, 540/0, 541/1, 542/4, 565/8
• US Class Current: 5/425
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/00 Beds specially adapted for nursing; Devices for lifting patients or disabled persons stretchers with facilities for picking up patients or disabled persons A61G1/003
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/0507 Side-rails
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/0508 characterised by a particular connection mechanism
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/0509 sliding or pivoting downwards
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/0514 mounted to individual mattress supporting frame sections
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/0524 characterised by integrated accessories, e.g. bed control means, nurse call or reading lights
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/053 Aids for getting into, or out of, bed, e.g. steps, chairs, cane-like supports
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/16 converting a lying surface into a chair

Abstract

A chair bed for supporting a person is provided, the chair bed having a head end, a foot end, and opposing sides. The chair bed includes a frame and a deck supported on the frame. The deck includes head, seat, and foot sections. A mattress is mounted on the deck and has an upwardly-facing patient surface. The mattress also has head, seat, and foot portions corresponding, respectively, to the head, seat, and foot sections of the deck. The head section of the deck and the mattress portion thereon is pivotable from a generally horizontal down position through various positions upwardly to a back-support position. A pair of side rails is mounted on each side of the chair bed. Each pair of side rails includes a body section side rail mounted to move with the deck seat section and extending laterally adjacent the deck head and seat sections and a head section side rail mounted to move with the deck head section relative to the body section side rail and extending adjacent only the deck head section.

Claims

1. A bed comprising

a frame assembly,

a deck supported with respect to the frame assembly, the deck including head, seat, and foot sections, the deck being moveable between a horizontal position having the head, seat, and foot sections arranged substantially horizontally and a chair position having the head section extending generally perpendicularly upwardly relative to the seat section and the foot section extending generally perpendicularly downwardly relative to the seat section,

a mattress supported by the deck,

a first siderail coupled to the head section to move therewith, and

a second siderail coupled to at least one of the frame and the seat section, the second siderail remaining stationary relative to at least one of the seat section and the frame assembly during movement of the deck between the horizontal and chair positions and the second siderail being configured to be gripped by a user while the user is entering and while the user is exiting the bed when the deck is in the chair position.

2. The bed of claim 1, wherein first siderail overlies a portion of the second siderail when the deck is in the chair position.

3. The bed of claim 1, wherein the first siderail and the second siderail are each independently moveable between a raised position extending upwardly relative to the mattress and a tucked position underneath at least a portion of the mattress.

4. The bed of claim 3, wherein the mattress is formed to include a step and upper portions of the first and second siderails are positioned to lie in the step when the first and second siderails are in the respective tucked positions.

5. The bed of claim 1, wherein the first siderail and the second siderail are each independently moveable between a raised position extending upwardly relative to the mattress and a tucked position underneath at least a portion of the deck.

6. The bed of claim 5, wherein the deck is formed to include a step and upper portions of the first and second siderails are positioned to lie in the step when the first and second siderails are in the respective tucked positions.

7. The bed of claim 1, wherein the first siderail is moveable between a raised position and a lowered position and further comprising a latching mechanism configured to lock the first siderail in the raised position, a release handle moveable to unlock the first siderail from the raised position, and a mechanical damper coupled to the first siderail and coupled to the head section, the mechanical damper controlling the rate at which the first siderail moves from the raised position to the lowered position after the release handle is moved to unlock the first siderail.

8. The bed of claim 1, wherein the second siderail is moveable between a raised position and a lowered position and further comprising a latching mechanism configured to lock the second siderail in the raised position, a release handle moveable to unlock the second siderail from the raised position, and a mechanical damper coupled to the first siderail and coupled to one of the seat section and the second frame, the mechanical damper controlling the rate at which the second siderail moves from the raised position to the lowered position after the release handle is moved to unlock the second siderail.

9. The bed of claim 1, wherein the foot section changes length as the deck moves between the horizontal position and the chair position.

10. The bed of claim 1, wherein the first siderail includes an angle indicator configured to provide a visual indication of the angle of inclination of the head section relative to horizontal.

11. The bed of claim 10, wherein the angle indicator includes an arcuate surface and a spherical member that rolls on the arcuate surface as the inclination of the head section changes.

12. The bed of claim 1, wherein the first siderail includes a first angle of indicator configured to provide a visual indication of the angle inclination of the head section relative to horizontal and the second siderail includes a second angle indicator configured to provide a visual indication of the angle of the second frame relative to horizontal.

13. The bed of claim 12, wherein the first angle indicator includes a first arcuate surface and a first spherical member that rolls on the first arcuate surface as the inclination of the head section changes and the second angle indicator include a second arcuate surface and a second spherical member that rolls on the second arcuate surface as the inclination of the second frame changes.

14. The bed of claim 1, wherein the second siderail includes an angle indicator configured to provide a visual indication of the angle of inclination of the second frame relative to horizontal.

15. The bed of claim 14, wherein the angle indicator includes an arcuate surface and a spherical member that rolls on the arcuate surface as the inclination of the second frame changes.

16. The bed of claim 1, wherein the deck is a step deck having an upper deck and a recess, and the mattress engages the upper deck and has a portion extending into the recess.

17. The bed of claim 1, further comprising a display screen coupled to one of the first siderail and the second siderail.

18. The bed of claim 17, wherein the siderail includes a side wall with a recess and the display screen is moveable between a first position in which the display screen is positioned to lie in the recess and a second position in which the display screen is positioned to lie outside the recess.

19. A bed comprising

a frame,

a deck supported by the frame,

a mattress supported by the deck,

a siderail coupled to one of the frame and the deck, the siderail including a side wall and an arm that couples the side wall to the one of the frame and the deck, each of the arm and side wall including a longitudinal axis and a longitudinal length alone the longitudinal axis, the longitudinal length of the side wall being greater than the longitudinal length of the arm, the side wall having a recess formed therein, and

a display screen, the display screen being coupled to the siderail and moveable between a first position in which the display screen is positioned to lie in the recess and a second position in which at least a majority of the display screen is positioned to lie outside the recess.

20. The bed of claim 19, wherein the display screen pivots about a pivot axis relative to the siderail as the display screen moves between the first and second positions.

21. The bed of claim 20, wherein the pivot axis is horizontal.

22. The bed of claim 20, wherein the pivot axis extends through the recess such that a portion of the siderail overhangs the pivot axis.

23. The bed of claim 19, wherein the display screen extends substantially vertically when in the first position and the display screen extends substantially horizontally when in the second position.

24. The bed of claim 22, wherein the display screen faces upwardly when the display screen is in the second position.

25. The bed of claim 19, wherein the display screen is part of a pad that includes a first end and a second end, a portion of the siderail overhangs the first end when the pad is in the first position and when the pad is in the second position.

26. A bed comprising:

a frame assembly including a first frame and a second frame supported above the first frame, the second frame being tiltable relative to the first frame a deck supported by the frame assembly and including a deck section that is tiltable relative to the frame assembly,

a mattress supported by the deck and

a side rail coupled to one of the deck section and the second frame to tilt therewith, the side rail including an angle indicator, coupled to one of the deck section and frame, the angle indicator having an arcuate surface and a spherical member that rolls along arcuate surface as the side rail tilts.

27. The bed of claim 26, wherein the angle indicator is located above the mattress.

28. The bed of claim 26, further comprising a siderail coupled to one of the deck and the frame.

29. The bed of claim 28, wherein the siderail includes a side wall and the arcuate surface is formed integrally with the side wall.

30. The bed of claim 28, wherein the siderail is formed to include an arcuate recess and a portion of the recess provides the arcuate surface.

31. The bed of claim 30, wherein the angle indicator includes a transparent element that traps the spherical member in the arcuate recess.

32. A bed comprising

a frame,

a deck supported by the frame,

a mattress supported by the deck,

a siderail coupled to one of the frame and the deck, the siderail including a side wall having a surface facing toward the mattress and a recess formed in the surface, and

a display screen, the display screen being coupled to the siderail and moveable between a first position in which the display screen is positioned to lie in the recess and a second position in which at least a majority of the display screen is positioned to lie outside the recess.