Hospital bed-chair

May 28, 1963

B. R. F. MacDONALD

HOSPITAL BED-CHAIR

3,090,971

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May 28, 1963 b. r. f. mscdonald 3,090,971

HOSPITAL BED-CHAIR

Filed May 16, 1960 ² Sheets-Sheet 2

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3,090,971

Patented May 28, 1963

United States Patent Office ing made by the said drawing and description may be adopted within the scope of the invention as set forth in the claims.

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a hospital bed embodying 5 the improved convertible bed-chair spring frame attachment of the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view of the hospital bed of FIGURE 1 with portions broken away.

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken at line 3—3 of 10 FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 4 is a view similar to FIGURE 3 but with the spring frame attachment rotated to transverse position and assuming a full chair configuration.

FIGURE 4-A is an enlarged fragmentary sectional 15 view of the foot portion of the bed as shown in FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged broken-out perspective view illustrating the connection of the reliable side rail and safety web structure to the bed frame.

FIGURE 6 is a sectional view taken at line 6—6 of FIGURE 4.

Considering now the invention in some detail and referring to the illustrated form thereof in the drawing there is provided a hospital bed 10 of generally oonven25 tional construction but slightly modified for incorporation therein of a pivotal bed-chair spring frame attachment 11 in accordance with the present invention. The bed proper 10 includes a bedstead frame 12 consisting of a head frame 13, foot frame 14, and side frame members 30 16 and 17 secured together to form a rigid structure. Secured to the bedstead frame 12 is a conventional gatch spring frame 18 which is formed of a plurality of foldable sections 19, 21, and 22 arranged in end to end relation longitudinally of the bedstead. More specifically, 35 the head section 19 and central section 21 are hingedly connected at opposite ends of parallel upright side support plates 23 and 24 secured to the opposite side frames 16 and 17 of the bedstead. The end section 22 is directly hingedly connected to the end of central section 21. 40 As is usual, the gatch frame 18 further includes adjusting mechanism, as shown generally at 26, at the underside thereof. The mechanism 26 is arranged to facilitate selective rotation of the various sections of the gatch frame to a variety of desirable bed configura45 tions. This is accomplished by manual manipulation of hand cranks remotely connected to the mechanism at the ends of the bedstead as indicated generally at 27.

The bedstead frame 12 and gatch frame 18 with associated operating mechanism 26 would be wholly con09 ventional were springs secured to the members of the gatch frame sections. However, for the purposes of the present invention these springs are removed to facilitate employment of the spring frame bed chair attachment 11 in the conventional hospital bed. Since substantial por⁵⁵ tions of the conventional bed are retained when employed with attachment 11, the additional cost incurred in converting the bed to bed-chair service is but a small fraction of that of a complete bed-chair. Furthermore the attachment 11 will be seen to be simply, yet ruggedly ⁶⁰ constructed in the interests of initial as well as long term economy.

The convertible bed-chair spring frame attachment 11 comprises a foldable spring frame 28 of generally similar construction as gatch frame 18 and arranged for overly⁶⁵ ing freely movable support thereon and pivotal movement transversely thereof. More particularly, frame 28 includes a pair of vertically extending support plates 29 and 30 disposed at either side of the spring frame 28 in ₇₀ a plane substantially overlying the side support plates 23 and 24. Extending transversely between the plates 29 and 30 and secured to the lower portions thereof

3,090,971

HOSPITAL BED-CHAIR

Benjamin R. F. MacDonald, 2740 Telegraph, Berkeley, Calif.

Filed May 16, 1960, Ser. No. 29,378 5 Claims. (CI. 5—68)

The present invention relates to hospital beds that are convertible to a chair position, and is particularly directed to an improved foldable spring frame attachment which may be readily employed with existing hospital beds to provide adjustably foldable spring frame structure which in addition to being capable of accomplishing usual hospital bed manipulations, is selectively pivotal between positions parallel and transverse to the bed and readily convertible to several chair and semi-chair configurations.

This application is a continuation-in-part of my prior co-pending application Ser. No. 820,678, and now abandoned, relating to convertible hospital bed-chair structure, and pertains to an improved simplified construction of the basic bed-chair attachment disclosed therein. Although the benefits derived from adjustably convertible hospital bed-chairs as to patient comfort and efficiency nursing operations are manifold, the benefits can be significantly offset by the relatively large capital investment involved in equipping an entire sanitarium, hospital, or the like with such bed-chairs. It is accordingly advantageous that the convertible bed-chair structure be as economic as possible. A significant reduction in initial capital outlay accrues from the provision of a convertible bed-chair attachment of the general class described in my above-referenced co-pending application which may be employed with existing hospital beds such that the entire bed need not be replaced. Further reductions in expenditure also accrue where the attachment is as simple in construction as possible and yet is conducive to long life and minimal maintenance requirements.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved convertible bed-chair spring attachment for use with existing hospital beds.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of an improved convertible bed-chair spring attachment which is simple and economical in construction and yet conducive to long life without repair.

Yet another object of my invention is the provision of an articulated hospital bed spring frame for overall pivotal movement and longitudinal movement of the individual spring frame sections relative to a supporting gatch frame of a conventional hospital bed without the use of rollers or equivalent journalled translatory support devices.

It is still another object of the invention to provide a convertible bed-chair spring frame attachment of the class described which is arranged for continuous support of its individual sections upon a gatch frame of a conventional hospital bed during pivotal movement of the former between longitudinal and transverse positions relative to the latter.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a convertible hospital bed-chair of the class described wherein side rail and safety web structure is provided which is readily rollable to an unobstructing position to permit pivotal movement of the spring frame between longitudinal and transverse positions.

The invention possesses other objects and features of advantage, some of which, with the foregoing, will be set forth in the following description of the preferred form of the invention which is illustrated in the drawing accompanying and forming part of the specification. It is to be understood, however, that variations in the show3,090,971 is a channel member or base plate 31. Head and central spring frame sections 32 and 33 are hingedly attached to opposite ends of the support plates 29 and 30 so as to be coplanar with the top of the plate when the sections are in horizontal position. In addition a foot spring frame section 34 is hingedly attached to the end of central section 33 and has an upright foot plate 36 secured across its end, the foot plate preferably having a hand hole 37 therethrough for purposes subsequently described. The head, central, and foot sections 32 and 33 and 34 of the frame 23 are of comparable dimensions as the corresponding sections of gatch frame 18.

Mounting of the frame 28 in overlying pivotal relation to gatch frame 26 is preferably facilitated by the simple detachable rotary mounting arrangement best illustrated jg in FIGURE 3. The rotary mount is economically provided by a dependent bushing 38 centrally secured to the base plate 31. A similar bushing 39 is centrally secured in upright position to a transverse support plate 41 end secured to angle members 42 and 43 which are 20 drilled for detachable bolted connection to the side members 16 and 17 of the existing bedstead frame 12. The support plate and bushing secured thereto may hence be readily bolted to the bedstead substantially transversely between side support plates 23 and 24 of the 25 gatch frame 26. Rotary connection of the frame 28 is then simply accomplished by inserting an elongated shaft 44 in the bushing 39 and placing the bushing 38 depending from the base plate 31 of frame 28 upon the free end of the shaft. A rotary connection between the 30 gatch frame rigidly attached to the bedstead and the spring frame is thus provided which can readily be assembled or disassembled.

Full, freely slidable support of the individual sections of frame 28 upon the comparable sections of the gatch 35 frame 18 during rotation of the former through substantially 90° between extreme positions longitudinal and transverse of the bed is uniquely accomplished in the attachment 11 without necessity of rollers or equivalent journalled supports that are expensive and susceptible to 40 damage. Slidable support is facilitated by a plurality of foot members secured to the undersides of the individual spring frame sections as by means of depending legs 46 and resting upon the side members of the gatch frame. The various foot members employed are chosen to the end of providing structural integrity at as low a cost as possible. More particularly, foot members 47 and 48 .associated with the central and head sections 33 and 32 are provided as lengths of angle iron secured transversely between opposed pairs of the legs 46 near the foot ends of the sections. Lengths of channel iron may of course be alternatively employed for this purpose but at an increased cost because of the additional unnecessary material.

A foot member 49 associated with foot section 34 may be similarly provided as a length of angle iron transversely secured between pairs of the legs 46 at the foot end of the foot section. However inasmuch as attendants must frequently reach under the foot end of the bed in tucking sheets and blankets, the sharp edges presented at the end comers of an angle iron are somewhat hazardous. Therefore the foot member 49 is preferably provided as a length of channel iron secured to the legs 46 with its web side down. In addition, the ends of the channel member are upwardly turned so as to present smooth surfaces to an attendant reaching under the foot of the bed. The smoothly curved ends of the foot member 49 also prevent any catching or snagging of same upon the side members of the gatch frame 18 during rotation of the spring frame attachment 11 relative thereto. Were the ends of the foot member 49 faced square, catching of the member upon the gatch frame would be highly probable.

In addition to the foot members already described, a pair of short foot members 51 and 52 are secured to legs 75 secured to the opposite sides of the head section 32 at the head end thereof. More particularly the foot members 51 and 52 are provided as short lengths of angle iron or channel iron preferably no longer than the width 5 of the side members of the gatch frame upon which they rest. Channel iron upwardly bent to present a smooth outer surface is,, however, preferred to eliminate any sharp edges that might be encountered by an attendant in making the bed. It is particularly important to note that short individual foot members are employed at the opposite sides of the head end of the head section rather than a single member extending transversely therebetween. This reduction in material with an attendant reduction in cost of the attachment 11 is possible without detracting from the requisite strength thereof .since the head end of the head section does not support appreciable weight. Furthermore, unlike the foot section, continuous support of the head section upon the gatch frame during rotation of the attachment between longitudinal and transverse positions is not required since the head section is locked in an inclined position during rotation in a manner subsequently described.

It will be appreciated that with the spring frame 28 supported in longitudinal position upon the gatch frame 18 through the media of the foot members just described, the individual sections of the spring frame follow the movements of the comparable individual sections of the gatch frame as adjusted to desirable hospital bed configurations by manipulation of the adjusting mechanism 26. In order to prepare the spring frame 28 for rotation, however, the head section 32 is lockable in an inclined position, as depicted by the phantom lines in FIGURE 2 so as to clear the head frame 13 of the bedstead frame 12 during the rotation. To this end, a pair of locking arms 53 are respectively pivotally secured to the opposite sides of the central spring frame section at the head end thereof. The free ends of the arms are transversely slotted at 54 for engagement with pins 56 projecting laterally from the foot end of head section 32, for example; from the ends of the foot member 48. When the head section 32 is manipulated to inclined position through the gatch frame 18, the arms 53 need only be pivoted to engage the pins 56 in the slots 54 and thereby support and lock the head section in the inclined 45 position. The head section 19 of the gatch frame is then lowered to horizontal position to clear the attachment 11 for rotation.

The spring frame 28 may now be rotated to transverse position to assume a chair configuration. To rotate the 50 spring frame an_ attendant grasps and hand hold 37 in foot plate 36 and pivots the frame about, continuous support of the frame upon the gatch frame 18 being facilitated by the transversely extending foot members 47 and 49. With the frame 28 in transverse position 55 and the foot section 34 thereby extending laterally beyond the bedstead, the foot section is gently lowered until its foot end contacts the floor and is thereby supported. The spring frame 28 thus assumes the chair position depicted in FIGURE 4, the foot plate 36 defining the foot ₆₀ rest, the foot section 34 the leg rest, the central section 33 the seat, and the head section 32 the back of the chair.

Patient comfort is enhanced in the bed-chair spring frame attachment 11 by the provision of arm rest structure which may be selectively moved into a horizontal 65 ^a:n? supporting position when the head section 32 of the spring frame 2S is in its locked inclined position. Although a Variety of arm rests may be utilized in the attachment, in keeping with the overall economy of the attachment an extremely simple arm rest arrangement 70 such as depicted in the drawings is preferred. As best shown in FIGURES 4 and 6, each arm rest comprises a length of angle iron 57 pivotally secured to the side of head section 32 in the medial region thereof. More particularly, one leg of the angle iron 57 is pivotally secured flush against the side of the head section with the other

3,090,971 leg being at the top of the angle and projecting laterally outward when the angle is to the foot side of its pivot. A pad 58 is in turn secured to the exposed side of the projecting leg of the angle. Pivotal connection of each arm rest angle is simply facilitated by provision of a depending stub 59 of channel iron secured at its web to the inner face of each side member of the head section 32. A pivot pin 61 is extended through the flush leg of the angle iron 57 and web of the depending stub, a spacer washer 62 being interposed therebetween to fill the gap arising from the wall thickness of the head section side member. Support of the arm rests in operable position is facilitated by laterally projecting blocks 65 respectively secured to the opposite side members of the head section and spaced toward the foot end thereof from stubs 59 by such an amount that the pivoted legs of the angles 57 when horizontally disposed engage the blocks. Support of the arm rests in an inoperative unobstructing position as indicated by the phantom lines of FIGURE 4 is facilitated by positioning the foot members 51 and 52 at the head end of head section 32 such that they project slightly beyond the side members of the section. The arm rests may hence be pivoted towards the head of the bed with the pads 58 being then downwardly disposed and engaging the projecting portions of the foot members 51 and 52.

For patients having various disorders or illnesses it is desirable that a hospital bed have guard rail or equivalent structure at its sides to prevent the patient from accidentally falling out of bed in his sleep. Such protective structure in the case of a bed-chair such as that of the present invention would normally prevent pivotal movement of the spring frame attachment and thus render the attachment inoperable for bed-chair purposes. Accordingly, in a hospital bed embodying the attachment 11 of the present invention it is desirable that side rail guard structure be provided that is selectively retractable to an out-of-the-way location so as to permit unobstructed rotation of the attachment to the transverse chair position. To this end I have provided as an important adjunct to the invention a uniquely retractable webbed side guard structure 63 as illustrated in the drawings.

Side guard structure 63 includes a pair of longitudinally extending guard rails 64 which are adapted for securance to the bedstead frame 12 in such a manner as to be respectively vertically movable adjacent the opposite sides of the bed between elevated positions overlying the spring frame 28 (see FIGURE 2) and retracted positions underlying same (see FIGURE 4). More particularly each guard rail 64 is rigidly secured at its opposite ends to telescoping members 66 and 67 which are respectively rigidly secured at their base ends to the opposite ends of the respective bedstead side frames 16 and 17. With the telescoping members in collapsed condition, the guard rails are retracted beneath the upper plane of the gatch frame 18. With the telescoping members extended, the guard rails are elevated above the spring frame 28, and to facilitate locking of the rails in such elevated position suitable locking devices 68 are secured to the head and foot frames 13 and 14 opposite the ends of the rails.

As best shown in FIGURE 5, each locking device 68 preferably comprises a block 69 secured to, for example, the foot frame 14 and having a T-slot 71 in its upper end face. A latching disc 72 is then secured through a spring loaded telescoping member 73 or the like to the respective ends of the guard rails, such disc and telescoping member upon extension being engageable with the T-slot. Thus, the guard rails 64 may be selectively extended and locked in elevated position by means of the locking devices 68.

The side guard structure 63 further includes webbing 74 of fabric, plastic, or the like, which is secured to the respective guard rails 64 and depends therefrom when the rails are in elevated position so as to protectively enclose the sides of the bed. The webbing 74 is uniquely retractable in conjunction with retraction of the guard rails by means of spring loaded rollers 76 of the variety commonly used with window shades. More particularly, the webbing 74 is secured at its lower end to the roller 5 which is in turn journalled between the head and foot frames 13 and 14 at substantially their intersections with the side frame members 16 and 17. In order that the rollers 76 may be readily removed, the bedstead frame structure is transversely slotted as indicated at 77 to receive the 10 respective end mounting lugs 78 of the rollers. Thus when the guard rails 64 are retracted, the associated webbings 74 are rolled upon the rollers 76 by virtue of the spring loading of same. Conversely, when the guard rails are extended to their locked elevated positions, the webbings 15 are unrolled from the rollers to enclose the sides of the bed.

It is of course essential that the guard structure 63 be sufficiently rigid to withstand a patient rolling against the webbing or otherwise forcibly encountering the structure. 20 Therefore, the supporting telescoping members 66 and 67 are preferably transversely braced as by means of rods 79 and 81 attached to the base portions of the telescoping members of each transversely opposed pair and secured together as by means of a turnbuckle 82. In 25 addition, the upper ends of the transversely opposed pairs of telescoping members are preferably secured together by means of straps 83 or the like which are arranged for detachable connection to the telescoping members. The straps 83 may be, for example, provided with 30 snap fasteners to facilitate attachment by the formation of connecting loops about the telescoping members.

There is thus provided by the present invention a hospital bed-chair which is relatively economical in initial installation cost and economical overall by virtue of the 35 simple, yet rugged spring frame attachment 11 which is adapted for ready employment with existing hospital beds of conventional design to convert same to bed-chair service. The attachment may be readily installed in an existing bed by first removing the springs from the gatch 40 frame and then attaching the support plate 41 between the side frames of the bedstead frame. The shaft 44 is then inserted in the bushing 39 and the spring frame attachment placed upon the gatch frame with the bushing 38 encompassing the free end of the shaft to provide a piv45 otable mounting. Where protective side guard structure is required the retractable guard structure 63 is additionally installed upon the bedstead frame of the existing hospital bed.

The operation of the resulting hospital bed-chair in ac5θ cordance with the present invention for service as a bed is substantially identical to that of a conventional hospital bed. The gatch frame adjustment mechanism 26 under the control of the hand cranks 27 moves the individual sections of the gatch frame, and therefore individual sec55 tions of the spring frame 28 of attachment 11 supported thereon, into a variety of desirable hospital bed configurations. Where desired the side guard structure 63 is locked in its elevated position to provide protective side closures for preventing a bed patient from falling out of bed.

When it is desired to convert the bed-chair structure to chair service, the head section 34 of the spring frame 28 is first manipulated to inclined position by corresponding manipulation of the gatch frame head section 19 as indicated by the phantom lines of FIGURE 2. The lock65 ing arms 53 are then employed to lock the head section 32 in inclined position by engaging their slots 54 upon the pins 56. The head section of the gatch frame is now lowered to horizontal position.

The arm rest structure may now be placed in opera70 tive position by pivoting the arm angles 57 into engagement with the rest blocks 65. In the event the side guard structure 63 is still in elevated position, the straps 83 are removed and the guard rails 64 unlatched tfter which the overall structure is moved to its retracted position clear 75 of the spring frame 28.

3,090,971

An attendant now grasps the hand hole 37 in foot plate 36 and rotates the spring frame 28 to transverse position relative to the bedstead. When the spring frame is in its transverse position, the weight of the legs of a bed occupant is supported by the attendant in holding the foot plate. The attendant then allows the foot section 34 to gently pivot downwardly to a rest position in engagement with the floor whereupon the attachment 11 assumes a full chair position as depicted in FIGURE 4.

Preferably the upright foot plate 36 is hinged to the frame section 34 so that it may be folded upon the frame if desired. Also the foot plate is provided with an elongated slot 86 so as to permit the bed clothes 87 to be disposed over the plate and extended through the slot for tucking under the mattress 88 shown in FIGURE 4-A.