Hospital bed

• US 7,464,425 B2
• Filed: 03/07/2005
• Issued: 12/16/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hill-Rom Services Incorporated (Baxter International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hill-Rom Services Incorporated (Baxter International Inc.)
• Inventors: Chambers, Kenith W., Flessate, Dennis, Richards, Sandy
• Primary Examiner(s): Engle; Patricia
• Assistant Examiner(s): KELLEHER, WILLIAM J
• Application Number:
  US11/073,811
• Publication Number:
  US 20060026768A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,380 Days
• Field of Search: 571/0, 561/6, 571/3, 560/0
• US Class Current: 5/739
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 2200/16 bariatric, e.g. heavy or obese
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 2203/12 Remote controls
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 2203/34 for pressure
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 2203/40 for distance
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/002 having adjustable mattress frame
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/05776 with at least two groups of alternately inflated chambers

Abstract

A hospital bed including a mattress and a frame. The width of the frame of the hospital bed is adjustable and the width of the mattress is adjustable. The hospital bed may include a frame and mattress adapted to support a heavy or large patient, including a bariatric or obese patient.

Claims

1. A patient support comprising:

a support deck;

a mattress comprising one or more air bladders or one or more layers of foam and an identifying feature that identifies a mattress type of the mattress supported by the support deck as being an air mattress type if the mattress has one or more air bladders and identifies the mattress type as a foam mattress type if the mattress has one or more layers of foam; and

a control system, coupled to the mattress, the control system comprising a display to prompt a user to select the mattress type of the mattress, an input device that permits the user to select the mattress type of the mattress as being one of an air mattress type and a foam mattress type, a fluid supply to supply fluid to the mattress, and a controller to cause the fluid supply to supply fluid to the air bladders in response to selection of an air mattress type and cause the fluid supply not to supply fluid to the air bladders in response to selection of a foam mattress type.

2. The patient support of claim 1, wherein the mattress includes a first side, a second side, a first width adjustment bladder coupled to the first side and a second width adjustment bladder coupled to the second side.

3. The patient support of claim 1, wherein the mattress comprises an inner core having one or more air bladders,

the identifying feature of the mattress identifies the mattress type of the mattress as an air mattress type, and

the controller receives a mattress type selection indicative of a mattress type selected by the user via the input device and causes the fluid supply to supply fluid to the inner core of the mattress in response to the mattress type selection.

4. The patient support of claim 1, wherein the display comprises a prompt configured to enable the user to enter the patient height and patient weight if the mattress type selection is indicative of an air mattress type, and

the controller further controls fluid supplied by the fluid supply to the one or more air bladders based upon the patient height and the patient weight entered by the user.

5. The patient support of claim 1, wherein the mattress further comprises a topper, and the controller further controls fluid supplied by the fluid system to the topper of the mattress.

6. The patient support of claim 1, wherein

the support deck comprises a plurality of slideable panels that increase a width of the support deck when extended and that decrease the width of the support deck when retracted,

the support deck further comprises a plurality of sensors configured to sense position of the plurality of slideable panels,

the mattress comprises an inner core having a first side with a first width adjustment bladder and a second side with a second width adjustment bladder, and

the controller receives from the plurality of sensors an indication of whether the plurality of slideable panels have been extended and causes the fluid supply to inflate the first width adjustment bladder and the second width adjustment bladder if the plurality of sensors indicate the plurality of slideable panels have been extended.

7. The patient support of claim 1, wherein

the mattress further comprises a first width adjustment bladder and a second width adjustment bladder,

the display is configured to receive an indication of whether the user wants to deflate the first width adjustment bladder and the second width adjustment bladder, and

the controller causes the fluid supply to deflate the first width adjustment bladder and the second width adjustment bladder if the display receives an indication that the user wants to deflate the first width adjustment bladder and the second width adjustment bladder.

8. The patient support of claim 1, wherein

the mattress further comprises a first width adjustment bladder and a second width adjustment bladder,

the display is configured to receive an indication of whether the user wants to inflate the first width adjustment bladder and the second width adjustment bladder, and

the controller causes the fluid supply to inflate the first width adjustment bladder and the second width adjustment bladder if the display receives an indication that the user wants to deflate the first width adjustment bladder and the second width adjustment bladder.

9. The patient support of claim 1, wherein the mattress comprises an inner core having either one or more air bladders that define a head zone, a seat zone, and a foot zone or an inner core having one or more layers of foam,

the identifying feature of the mattress identifies the mattress type of the mattress as an air mattress type if the inner core of the mattress has one or more air bladders and identifies the mattress type of the mattress as a foam mattress type if the inner core of the mattress has one or more layers of foam, and

the controller adjusts pressure of the head zone, pressure of the seat zone and pressure of the foot zone based upon patient height and patient weight if the mattress type selection is indicative of an air mattress type and prevents the fluid supply from supplying fluid to the inner core of the mattress if the mattress type selection is indicative of a foam mattress type.

10. A patient support comprising:

A mattress, including an identifying feature that distinguishes a mattress type of the mattress from other mattress types as being either an air mattress type if the mattress has one or more air bladders and identifies the mattress type as a foam mattress type if the mattress has one or more layers of foam;

A support deck, to support the mattress; and

A control system coupled to the mattress, the control system including a fluid supply and an input device adjacent the mattress and coupled to a controller, the input device configured to receive user input indicative of a foam mattress type and generate, based upon the user input, a signal representative of the mattress type, the controller configured to receive the signal representative of the mattress type, the controller including at least one output to cause the fluid supply to supply fluid to the mattress in response to a signal representative of an air mattress type and cause the fluid supply not to supply fluid to the mattress in response to a signal representative of a foam mattress type.

11. The patient support of claim 10, wherein the identifying feature comprises a tag coupled to the mattress, and the input device generates the signal based upon the tag.

12. The patient support of claim 10, wherein the input device comprises a user accessible input device configured to enable a user to select the mattress type from a plurality of selectable mattress types including a foam mattress type and an air mattress type.

13. The patient support of claim 10, wherein the input device generates the signal such that the signal indicates a foam mattress in response to the identifying feature indicating the mattress comprises a foam mattress.

14. The patient support of claim 13, wherein the input device generates the signal such that the signal indicates an air mattress in response to the identifying feature indicating the mattress comprises an air mattress.

15. The patient support of claim 12, wherein the mattress includes a first side having a first width adjustment bladder coupled thereto and a second side having a second width adjustment bladder coupled thereto.

16. The patient support of claim 15, wherein the fluid supply comprises a first valve coupled to the first width adjustment bladder and the second width adjustment bladder, and

the controller controls the first value of the fluid supply based upon the signal representative of the mattress type to enable inflation of the first and second width adjustment bladders.

17. The patient support of claim 12, wherein the user accessible input device comprises a display configured to display a plurality of selectable mattress types including a foam mattress type, and a prompt configured to enable the user to select the mattress type from the plurality of displayed mattress types.

18. The patient support of claim 12, wherein the mattress includes a first side having a first width adjustment bladder coupled thereto.

19. The patient support of claim 18, wherein the fluid supply comprises a first valve coupled to the at least one output of the controller, and

the controller controls the first valve of the fluid supply based upon the signal representative of the mattress type to enable inflation of the first width adjustment bladder.

20. The patient support of claim 19, wherein the mattress includes a second side, having a second width adjustment bladder coupled thereto.

21. The patient support of claim 20, wherein

the fluid supply further comprises a second valve coupled to the at least one output of the controller, and

the controller controls the second valve of the fluid supply based upon the signal representative of the mattress type to enable inflation of the second width adjustment bladder.

22. The patient support of claim 18, wherein the fluid supply is coupled the first width adjustment bladder, and

the controller controls the fluid supply based upon the signal representative of the mattress type to inflate the first width adjustment bladder.

23. The patient support of claim 22, wherein the fluid supply comprises a first valve coupled to the first width adjustment bladder, and

the controller controls the first valve of the fluid supply based upon the signal representative of the mattress type to enable inflation of the first width adjustment bladder.

24. The patient support of claim 23, wherein the fluid supply comprises an air compressor.

25. The patient support of claim 24, wherein the air compressor comprises a reversible air compressor adapted to create a vacuum.

26. The patient support of claim 25, wherein the fluid supply comprises a second valve coupled to the first width adjustment bladder and to the air compressor, and

the controller controls the second valve of the fluid supply to enable the application of a vacuum to the first width adjustment bladder.