Adjustable Siderail and Lock Therefor
A bed, includes a frame 11, a deck 12 connected to the frame and a siderail 16, 17, 18, 19 supported by either of the frame and the deck. The siderail includes a base 22, 162 and an extension 23, 163. The extension has a retracted position adjacent the base and at least one deployed position spaced further from the base. A lock 30, 200 resides in the base is selectively engageable with and disengageable from the extension for resisting or enabling movement of the extension relative to the base.
The subject matter of the present application relates to siderails for a patient support apparatus, such as a bed, and more particularly to lockable, adjustable height and length siderails for a hospital bed.
Many patient support apparatuses, such as hospital beds, include a frame, a deck, and a support surface, such as a mattress, supported by the deck. Such beds may also include siderails. The siderails can be lowered to facilitate patient movement into and out of the bed. The siderails can also be raised to safeguard the patient. When the siderails are raised, they typically extend higher than the support surface of the bed by an amount Δh.
From time to time an overlay may be placed on top of the support surface, or a thicker than normal mattress may be substituted for a mattress of customary thickness. Either way, it is desirable for the siderail to be adjustable to maintain the same Δh as with a standard mattress. Moreover, it is desirable to be able to easily adjust the siderail to any desired height and to be able to easily lock the siderail in a desired position and unlock it for further adjustment.
SUMMARYA bed includes a frame, a deck connected to the frame, a siderail supported by the frame or the deck, a siderail extension having retracted and deployed positions and a lock residing in the base. The lock is selectively engageable with and disengagable from the extension for resisting or enabling movement of the extension relative to the base.
Referring to
Referring additionally to
The lock also includes a D-rod 64 having a laterally outer end 83 and a laterally inner end 84. When the lock is fully assembled, the inner end 84 is captured in blind hole 100 of the end cap (
The lock is selectively engageable with and disengageable from the extension for resisting or enabling movement of the extension relative to the base. The lock has an engaged state in which the lock is engaged with the siderail extension 23 (
When the extension 24 is in its retracted position, it is at a retracted elevation relative to the top surface of the mattress 13. When the extension is at any of its deployed positions, it is at a deployed elevation relative to the top surface of the mattress 13. The deployed elevation is greater than the retracted elevation.
The illustrated lock also shows the use of teeth 82 to facilitate engagement of the cam with the extension leg. Alternatively, a friction enhancing treatment such as a friction tape or a coating could be applied to the periphery of the cam. In addition, the periphery of the cam could be left in a smooth state provided the coefficient of friction between a smooth cam and the extension leg is sufficient to secure the extension in the desired position.
The variant of the lock and siderail extension illustrated in
The above described configuration employs a spring to continuously urge the cam into contact with the extension leg. However a latch that holds the lock in the disengaged state may be used in conjunction with the spring or substituted for the spring. If a latch is used in conjunction with the spring, partial rotation of the handle would suffice to disengage the lock from the extension leg, and additional rotation of the handle in the same direction would engage the latch. Once latched, the operator may release his or her grip on the handle without the spring force urging the cam back into contact with the extension leg.
The principles disclosed above in the context of a siderail with a vertically deployable extension are also applicable to a siderail with a horizontally deployable extension. Referring first to
A latch that holds the linear lock in the disengaged state may be substituted for or used in conjunction with the spring or other device. If a latch is used in conjunction with the spring loaded pull pin, partial translation of the plunger would suffice to disengage the lock from the extension leg, and additional movement of the handle would engage the latch. Once latched, the operator may release his or her grip on the handle without the spring force urging the cam back into contact with the extension leg.
In view of the preceding descriptions, additional aspects of the extendable siderail can now be appreciated.
Although the illustrated variants have two or three extension legs, more or fewer extension legs could be used. Further, as shown in
Although the illustrated locks disclose the use of a spring to urge the cam or plunger into engagement with the extension leg 24, forces resulting from the use of alternative devices, for example electromagnetic devices, could also be employed.
In the illustrated arrangements, the lock is situated so that it engages exactly one of the extension legs, specifically extension leg 24 or 164. However it could also be situated to engage one of the other extension legs. Alternatively, locks could be associated with two or more of the extension legs. Such multiple locks could be interconnected so the operation of any of the locks concurrently operates the other locks.
It will further be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that patient support apparatus 10 may include a bed or patient support apparatus suitable for use in any care facility, including homes, hospitals, medical clinics or centers, rehabilitation centers, healthcare or medical facilities, nursing homes, surgical centers, or other patient care provider facilities.
Claims
1. A bed, comprising:
- a frame;
- a deck connected to the frame;
- a siderail supported by either of the frame and the deck, the siderail including a base and also including an extension having a retracted position adjacent the base and at least one deployed position spaced further from the base; and
- a lock residing in the base and being selectively engagable with and disengagable from the extension for resisting or enabling movement of the extension relative to the base.
2. The bed of claim 1 wherein the extension is securable by the lock in multiple deployed positions.
3. The bed of claim 1 wherein the lock is a rotary lock.
4. The bed of claim 3 wherein the extension includes at least one leg translatably received in an aperture of the base and the lock is engagable with and disengagable from at least one extension leg for selectively resisting and enabling movement of the extension between the retracted and deployed positions.
5. The bed of claim 4 wherein the lock is engagable with and disengagable from exactly one extension leg.
6. The bed of claim 1, wherein the lock includes a cam movable between a locking position that resists movement of the extension relative to the base and an unlocking position that enables movement of the extension relative to the base.
7. The bed of claim 6 wherein the cam is an oblong member.
8. The bed of claim 6 wherein the lock includes an oblong member having a periphery with teeth occupying at least a portion of the periphery.
9. The bed of claim 8 wherein the extension includes extension teeth engageable with the teeth of the oblong member.
10. The bed of claim 1, wherein the lock includes an oblong member having a periphery with teeth occupying at least a portion of the periphery.
11. The bed of claim 10 wherein the extension includes extension teeth engageable with the teeth of the oblong member.
12. The bed of claim 1 wherein the extension includes teeth.
13. The bed of claim 1 wherein the lock has an engaged state in which the lock is engaged with the extension and a disengaged state in which the lock is disengaged from the extension and wherein the engaged state is a default state and the disengaged state is achieved through operator intervention.
14. The bed of claim 13 wherein a force biases the lock to the engaged state, and requires an operator action to overcome the force to achieve the disengaged state.
15. The bed of claim 14 wherein the force is a spring force
16. The bed of claim 1 wherein the extension includes at least one extension leg translatably received in an aperture of the base and the lock is engagable with and disengagable from at least one extension leg for selectively resisting and enabling movement of the extension between the retracted and deployed positions.
17. The bed of claim 16 wherein the lock is engagable with and disengagable from exactly one extension leg.
18. The bed of claim 1, wherein movement between the retracted position and the deployed position is substantially vertical.
19. The bed of claim 1, wherein movement between the retracted position and the deployed position is substantially horizontal.
20. The bed of claim 1 wherein the extension defines a plane and movement between the retracted position and the deployed position occurs substantially along the plane.
21. The bed of claim 1 wherein the lock is a linear lock.
22. The bed of claim 1, wherein the lock comprises a pin.
23. The bed of claim 22, wherein the extension includes at least one leg translatably received in an aperture of the base and the lock is engagable with and disengagable from at least one extension leg for selectively resisting and enabling movement of the extension between the retracted and deployed positions.
24. The bed of claim 23 wherein the lock is engageable with and disengageable from exactly one extension leg.
25. The bed of claim 23 wherein the extension includes notches engageable with the pin to resist movement of the extension relative to the base and disengageable from the notches to enable movement of the extension relative to the base.
26. The patient support apparatus of claim 1, wherein the extension includes at least one notch for receiving a mating element of the lock.
27. The bed of claim 26 wherein the notch is configured as a ratchet.
28. The bed of claim 1, further comprising a mattress having a top surface, the extension being at a retracted elevation relative to the top surface when the extension is retracted and at a deployed elevation relative to the top surface when the extension is deployed, the deployed elevation being greater than the retracted elevation.
29. The bed of claim 1 wherein the siderail base includes a bore having an axis and an axially extending groove, the lock resides in the bore and includes, serially arranged along the axis, an end cap with a blind hole, an interior spacer, a cam, an indexed spacer having a lug extending radially therefrom and into the groove, a grip handle, a spring having a displaceable end received by a socket in the cam and also having a fixed end received by a socket in the indexed spacer, and a rod extending from the grip handle to the end cap, and connected to the cam.
30. The bed of claim 1 wherein the siderail base includes a bore having an axis, the lock resides in the bore and includes a cam rotatable with respect to the bore, a spring having a displaceable end connected to the cam and a mechanically grounded end, and wherein the spring biases the cam into a locked state.
31. The bed of claim 30 including an indexed spacer residing in the bore axially adjacent the cam, the spacer having a lug received in a groove of the bore to resist rotation of the spacer, the grounded end of the spring being received in a socket of the spacer.
32. The bed of claim 30 including means for rotating the cam from the locked state to an unlocked state.
33. The bed of claim 32 wherein the means for rotating includes a grip handle and a rod connecting the grip handle to the cam.
Type: Application
Filed: Mar 12, 2008
Publication Date: Sep 17, 2009
Inventors: Richard H. Heimbrock (Cincinnati, OH), David W. Hornbach (Brookville, IN), Craig McNeely (Columbus, OH), David C. Newkirk (Lawrenceburg, IN), Michael Z. Sleva (Atlanta, GA), Keith A. Huster (Sunman, IN)
Application Number: 12/046,666