US3013281A - Invalid bed - Google Patents

Description

J. E. STEINER Dec. 19, 1961 INVALID BED Filed April 25, 1959 INVENTOR.

BY Jessa E. STEINER vvawb United Sntes Patent 3,013,281 INVALID BED Jesse E. Steiner, Pandora Box 404, 705 S. Jefferson St., Pandora, Ohio Filed Apr. 23, 1959, Ser. No. 808,338 1 Claim. (Cl. 562) This invention relates to an improved invalid bed and more particularly to such a bed having a tiltable mattress support comprising three longitudinal planar sections, the outer two of which extend upwardly from the center one and at an angle thereto.

Tiltable invalid beds are well known in the art and have been made with both straight and arcuate mattress supports. Beds with straight mattress supports generally have been used to enable easy transfer of a patient from the bed to another one, or to turn the patient over. Beds with arcuate mattress supports have been used to enable easier transfer of a patient to another bed, to turn the patient over, or to provide the patient with a change in position on a different portion of the bed. However, when beds with arcuate mattress supports are used for the latter purpose, such beds are relatively unsatisfactory because the patient is constantly lying on a curved portion of the bed and, hence, is uncomfortable.

The present invention relates to an improved invalid bed having a mattress support of three planar sections, the outer two of which extend at an angle upwardly from the center one. A patient can lie on any of the three sections and be as comfortable as in a conventional bed. The patient can be transferred to another bed, or be turned or shifted to another part of the bed and to another part of his body as easily as with those beds having curved mattress supports as heretofore proposed. The danger of bed sores is practically eliminated with the new bed because the patient can be shifted from one planar mattress supporting section to another any number of times a day, so that bodily contact with the bed will be changed a sutficient amount to prevent such sores.

it is, therefore, a principal object of the invention to provide an improved invalid bed on which a patient can lie equally comfortably on any of three planar mattress supporting sections.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved invalid bed on which a patient can be shifted easily yet be as comfortable as on a conventional bed.

Other objects of the invention will be suggested from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof, reference being made to the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is an overall view in perspective of an invalid bed according to the invention, with a mattress thereon; and

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken on line 22 of FIG. 1 with the mattress shown in FIG. I removed.

An invalid bed according to the invention is indicated by the numeral it and includes a mattress support 12 and a base 14. A mattress 16 rests on the mattress support 12 which includes two outer planar sections 18 and 20, which extend upwardly from a substantially planar, central section 22 and at an angle of about 20-35 thereto. The outer sections 18 and 20 can be formed by sheets 24 of wood or metal with the central section 22 includes two outer slats 26 and 28, tilted upwardly and outwardly, and two center slats 3t) and 32, also tilted up- Patented Dec. 19, 1961 wardly and outwardly. The upper edges of all four slats protrude slightly from the general plane of the central section 22 to resist movement of the mattress. Thus, the upper edges of the slats 26 and 30 resist movement of the mattress toward the right and upper edges of the slats 28 and 32 resist movement toward the left. The outer edges of the sections 18 and 20 are provided with side boards 33 and 34 also to aid in maintaining the mattress 1-6 in position.

The sheets 24 and slats 26, 28, 30 and 32 are held in position by a plurality of cross braces 35 spaced at substantially equal distances along the length of the bed 10. The cross braces 35 are tiltable about a shaft 36 to which the braces are attached by means of clamps 37 which are keyed to the shaft 36 and are suitably aifixed to the braces 35. The shaft 36 is rotatably mounted in bearing blocks 38 which are mounted on end cross members 40 and 42 and an intermediate cross member 44 of the base 14. The cross members are connected to longitudinal members 46 and 48 which are supported by legs 50.

The mattress support 12 is tilted by rotation of the shaft 36 to which a worm wheel 52 is aifixed. The worm wheel 52 is driven by a worm 54 on a Worm shaft 56 which extends outwardly beyond the members 46 and 48 on both sides of the bed and is connected to cranks 58 and 60.

When either of the cranks 58 or 60 is turned, the worm 54 and the worm wheel 52 rotate the shaft 36 which tilts the support 12 through the clamps 37 and the cross braces 35. The support 12 can be tilted either way until either of the outer planar sections 18 and 20 is substantially horizontal with stops 62 contacting the longitudinal members 46 and 48.

It will be seen that when any of the sections 18, 20 and 22 is horizontal, the corresponding portion of the mattress 16 will also be horizontal and a patient thereon will be as comfortable as if on a conventional bed. However, the patient can be shifted from one portion of the mattress to another, lying on his side on the side sections and on his back on the center section, and the contact of his body with the mattress can also be easily changed simply by turning the crank 58 or 60 to rotate one of the other planar sections .18, 20 and 22 to a horizontal position.

Many modifications will be apparent from the above detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the invention, and such modifications can be incorporated without departing from the scope of the invention, if within the scope of the appended claim.

I claim:

In an invalid bed, a base, a mattress support comprising three longitudinally-extending, parallel sections, means for rigidly connecting said sections with the outer two extending upwardly from the center section at equal angles thereto of about 20-35 degrees, tilted slats extending longitudinally only on said center section for resisting movement of said mattress on said support, the edges of said slats toward the center of said center section being tilted downwardly and the edges of said slats away from the center of said center section being tilted upwardly, whereby the upwardly extending edges are adapted to engage the mattress and prevent it from sliding in either lateral direction when said support is tilted, means for rotating'said support about an axis parallel to the longitudinal extent of and below said center section, said axis being symmetrical with respect to said support, and means for limiting the rotation of said support in each direction to limit the movement of the outer sections to substantially horizontal positions.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 4 Pilates Sept. 13, 1932 Comper et a1. May 26, 1942 Blackman Sept. 12, 1950 Lang Mar. 11, 1952 Keyes Oct. 14, 1952 Wetzler Oct. 1, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain 1879 Australia Oct. 8, 1957

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