Controls for a bed

• US 6,185,767 B1
• Filed: 03/05/1999
• Issued: 02/13/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hill-Rom Services Incorporated (Baxter International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hill-Rom Incorporated (Baxter International Inc.)
• Inventors: Hakamiun, Reza, Brooke, Jason C., Shows, Kendall O., Larisey, William S. Jr., Mutka, Michael J., Thomas, James F.
• Primary Examiner(s): TRETTEL, MICHAEL
• Application Number:
  US09/263,511
• Time in Patent Office: 711 Days
• Field of Search: 560/0, 542/5, 542/7, 542/8, 542/9, 543/0, 566/3, 565/8
• US Class Current: 5/600
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 2203/723 Impact absorbing means, e.g. bumpers or airbags
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/012 raising or lowering of the whole mattress frame A61G7/005, A61G7/008 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/015 divided into different adjustable sections, e.g. for Gatch position
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/018 Control or drive mechanisms
• 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 7/0518 quickly removable
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/0522 Padding means to soften side-rail surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/0524 characterised by integrated accessories, e.g. bed control means, nurse call or reading lights
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/0528 Steering or braking devices for castor wheels
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/053 Aids for getting into, or out of, bed, e.g. steps, chairs, cane-like supports

Abstract

A bed includes a base frame, a bed deck above the base frame, and an intermediate frame carrying the bed deck. The intermediate frame is mounted to the base frame for movement relative to the base frame between a raised position spaced apart above the base frame and a lowered position below the raised position. The bed also includes a side rail mounted to the intermediate frame and extending generally upwardly therefrom to a top of the side rail, a drive assembly coupling the intermediate frame to the base frame, and control buttons mounted on the side rail and coupled to the drive assembly so that activation of the control buttons activates the drive assembly. The drive assembly moves the intermediate frame between the raised position and the lowered position when the drive assembly is activated. The control buttons include resident control buttons facing toward the bed deck and caregiver control buttons facing away from the bed deck. The resident control buttons are spaced apart from the top by a first distance and the caregiver control buttons being spaced apart from the top by a second distance that is greater than the first distance.

Claims

1. A bed comprising:

a base frame,

a bed deck located above the base frame,

an intermediate frame carrying the bed deck, the intermediate frame being mounted to the base frame for movement relative to the base frame between a raised position spaced apart above the base frame and a lowered position below the raised position,

a side rail mounted to the intermediate frame and extending generally upwardly therefrom, the side rail including a top portion having a first width and an undercut portion spaced apart from the top portion, the undercut portion having a second width that is less than the first width,

a drive assembly coupling the intermediate frame to the base frame, the drive assembly moving the intermediate frame between the raised position and the lowered position when the drive assembly is activated, and

control buttons mounted on the side rail and coupled to the drive assembly so that activation of the control buttons activates the drive assembly, the control buttons including resident control buttons facing toward the bed deck and caregiver control buttons facing away from the bed deck, the resident control buttons being spaced apart from the top portion by a first distance and the caregiver control buttons being spaced apart from the top portion by a second distance that is greater than the first distance, the resident control buttons being located adjacent the undercut portion, the undercut portion cooperating with the top portion to define a grasping point adjacent to the resident control buttons that can be grasped by the resident when operating the resident control buttons.

2. The bed of claim 1, wherein the bed deck is an articulated deck having longitudinally spaced-apart head, seat, and leg sections, at least one of the head, seat, and leg sections being a movable section pivotally coupled to the intermediate frame for movement between a generally horizontal lowered position and an upward raised position, and further comprising a second drive assembly coupling the movable section to the intermediate frame, the second drive assembly moving the movable section between the raised and lowered positions when the second drive assembly is activated, the control buttons further including second resident control buttons coupled to the second drive assembly, mounted to the side rail, and facing toward the bed deck and second caregiver control buttons coupled to the second drive assembly, mounted to the side rail, and facing away from the bed deck, the second resident control buttons being spaced apart from the top by a third distance and the second caregiver control buttons being spaced apart from the top by a fourth distance that is greater than the third distance.

3. The bed of claim 2, wherein the third distance is generally equal to the first distance and the fourth distance is generally equal to the second distance so that the first and second resident control buttons are generally horizontally aligned and the first and second caregiver control buttons are generally horizontally aligned.

4. The bed of claim 1, wherein the caregiver control buttons are associated with an indicia indicating a purpose of the caregiver control buttons, the indicia being located above the caregiver control buttons.

5. The bed of claim 1, wherein the resident control buttons are associated with an indicia indicating a purpose of the resident control buttons, the indicia being located below each resident control button.

6. The bed of claim 1, wherein at least one of the control buttons is marked with a Braille symbol.

7. A bed comprising:

a base frame,

a bed deck located above the base frame,

an intermediate frame carrying the bed deck, the intermediate frame being mounted to the base frame for movement relative to the base frame between a raised position spaced apart above the base frame and a lowered position below the raised position,

a side rail mounted to the intermediate frame and extending generally upwardly therefrom, the side rail including a top portion having a first width and an undercut portion spaced apart from the top portion, the undercut portion having a second width that is less than the first width,

a drive assembly coupling the intermediate frame to the base frame, the drive assembly moving the intermediate frame between the raised position and the lowered position when the drive assembly is activated, and

a plurality of control buttons mounted on the side rail, the control buttons including resident control buttons facing toward the bed deck and caregiver control buttons facing away from the bed deck, at least one of the plurality of control buttons being coupled to the drive assembly so that activation of at least one control button activates the drive assembly, the resident control buttons being spaced apart from the top portion by a first distance and the caregiver control buttons being spaced apart from the top portion by a second distance that is greater than the first distance, the resident control buttons being located adjacent the undercut portion, the undercut portion cooperating with the top portion to define a grasping point adjacent to the resident control buttons that can be grasped by the resident when operating the resident control buttons.

8. The bed of claim 7, wherein the bed deck is an articulated deck having longitudinally spaced-apart head, seat, and leg sections, at least one of the head, seat, and leg sections being a movable deck section pivotally coupled to the intermediate frame for movement between a generally horizontal lowered position and an upward raised position, and further comprising a second drive assembly coupling the movable deck section to the intermediate frame, the second drive assembly moving the movable deck section between the raised and lowered positions when the second drive assembly is activated, and wherein at least one of the plurality of control buttons is coupled to the second drive assembly so that activation of at least one of the plurality of control buttons activates the second drive assembly.

9. The bed of claim 8, wherein the plurality of control buttons include second resident control buttons coupled to the second drive assembly, mounted to the side rail, and facing toward the bed deck and second caregiver control buttons coupled to the second drive assembly, mounted to the side rail, and facing away from the bed deck, the second resident control buttons being spaced apart from the top by a third distance and the second caregiver control buttons being spaced apart from the top by a fourth distance that is greater than the third distance.

10. The bed of claim 9, wherein the third distance is generally equal to the first distance and the fourth distance is generally equal to the second distance so that the first and second resident control buttons are generally horizontally aligned and the first and second caregiver control buttons are generally horizontally aligned.

11. The bed of claim 7, wherein the caregiver control buttons are associated with an indicia indicating a purpose of the caregiver control buttons, the indicia being located above the caregiver control buttons.

12. The bed of claim 7, wherein the resident control buttons are associated with an indicia indicating a purpose of the resident control buttons, the indicia being located below each resident control button.

13. The bed of claim 7, wherein at least one of the control buttons is marked with a Braille symbol.

14. A bed comprising:

a base frame,

an articulated bed deck located above the base frame, the articulated bed deck having longitudinally spaced-apart head, seat, and leg deck sections,

an intermediate frame carrying the articulated bed deck, the intermediate frame being coupled to the base frame, and at least one of the head, seat, and leg deck sections being a movable deck section pivotally coupled to the intermediate frame for movement between a generally horizontal lowered position and an upward raised position,

a side rail mounted to the intermediate frame and extending generally upwardly therefrom, the side rail including a top portion having a first width and an undercut portion spaced apart from the top portion, the undercut portion having a second width that is less than the first width,

a drive assembly coupling the movable section to the intermediate frame, the drive assembly moving the movable deck section between the raised and lowered positions when the drive assembly is activated, and

a plurality of control buttons mounted on the side rail, the control buttons including resident control buttons facing toward the bed deck and caregiver control buttons facing away from the bed deck, at least one of the plurality of control buttons being coupled to the drive assembly so that activation of the at least one control button activates the drive assembly, the resident control buttons being spaced apart from the top portion by a first distance and the caregiver control buttons being spaced apart from the top portion by a second distance that is greater than the first distance, the resident control buttons being located adjacent the undercut portion, the undercut portion cooperating with the top portion to define a grasping point adjacent to the resident control buttons that can be grasped by the resident when operating the resident control buttons.

15. The bed of claim 14, wherein the intermediate frame is coupled to the base frame for movement relative to the base frame between a raised position spaced apart above the base frame and a lowered position below the raised position, and further comprising a second drive assembly coupling the intermediate frame to the base frame, the second drive assembly moving the intermediate frame between the raised position and the lowered position when the drive assembly is activated, and wherein at least one of the plurality of control buttons being coupled to the second drive assembly so that activation of at least one control button activates the second drive assembly.

16. The bed of claim 14, wherein the caregiver control buttons are associated with an indicia indicating a purpose of the caregiver control buttons, the indicia being located above the caregiver control buttons.

17. The bed of claim 14, wherein the resident control buttons are associated with an indicia indicating a purpose of the resident control buttons, the indicia being located below each resident control button.

18. The bed of claim 14, wherein at least one of the control buttons is marked with a Braille symbol.