Patents by Inventor Shelley L. Alford

Shelley L. Alford has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Person support apparatuses having exercise therapy features
    Patent number: 9687401
    Abstract: Person support apparatuses having exercise features are disclosed herein. In various embodiments, a person support apparatus includes a support surface, a footboard, a sensor, and a passive resistance mechanism. The support surface has a foot end and a head end, and the footboard is located near the foot end of the support surface, extending above the support surface. The footboard may include a pressure surface positioned to receive a pressing force. The footboard is freely slidable from an extended position to a retracted position with respect to the foot end of the support surface. The sensor provides a signal indicative of a magnitude of the pressing force incident on the pressure surface of the footboard. The passive resistance mechanism is coupled to the footboard, and resists a motion of the footboard to the extended position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2017
    Assignee: Hill-Rom Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Shelley L. Alford, John V. Harmeyer, David W. Hornbach, John Sparkman, Robert M. Zerhusen, Michael P. Bish, Nabil Mehdi, Andreas Schabbach