Untitled record

Application filed January 29,1895, Serial No. 536,546. (No model,) Patented in England December 3,1894, No. 23,418.

To dll whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Anna Marie Douglas, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at Dalkeith House, Leamington, in the 5 county of Warwick, England, have invented certain new and. useful Improvements in Bedsteads for Invalids and Appliances Connected Therewith, of which the following is a specification.

io The invention has been patented in Great Britain, No. 23,418, dated December 3, 1894.

My invention has for its object improvements in bedsteads for invalids and appliances connected therewith, by which great 15 convenience is afforded to nurses in moving patients and in making and changing their beds and other parts.

By my improvements the bed may be readily converted into an operating-table, thus ren20 dering removal of the patient from bed to operating-table and back again unnecessary.

In order that my invention may be clearly understood and more easily carried into practice, I have appended hereunto two sheets of 25 drawings, upon which I have fully illustrated the nature of my said invention, together with the mode of carrying the same into effect.

Figure 1 is a general view of one form of my bedstead. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section 30 through Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a similar section to Fig. 2, but showing a modified arrangement. Fig. 4 is an elevation of the foot of the bedstead with the drum and top roll or bar not shown. Fig. 5 is a sectional plan of Fig. 4. 35 Fig. 6 is a view of the ratchet-wheel and pawl for the drum. Fig. 7 is a view illustrating the connection between the back and front drum in cases where two drums are used. Fig. 8 is a view of a sheet for. covering the web40 bing. Fig. 9 is a view showing the application of my invention for use as an operatingtable.

In carrying my invention into effect the bedstead A is provided with the rollers or bars 45 R and R', which are mounted at each end at any convenient or suitable length above the mattress P. At one end of the bed the winding-drum B is provided and. has a suitable ratchet K and pawl W arrangement, the spin50 die of the drum having a square end to receive the handle E. The webbing C is attached to the bedstead at a² and passes over the friction-roller or bar R at the one end and is carried along the mattress around the rollers D and over the friction-roller.R' down to 55 the winding-drum B, to which it is secured, by which means the patient may be gradually raised by the winding of the webbing onto the drum sufficiently for the sheeting, mattress, or bed P to be changed or turned as 5o may be required and without disturbing the position of the occupant of the bed.

The attachment of the webbing C to the drum B and bedstead A is so arranged by studs and eyelets or other suitable means as to be 65 easily capable of being detached and attach ed, so that when not being used for the purpose of making the bed or other uses the ends can be released and tucked under the mattress, thus allowing the bedclothes or sheet to hang 70 down or be tucked, under at the foot and head in the usual way, and when required for elevating purposes the ends can be readily withdrawn and attached to the drum and bed, respectively. The friction-rollers D and D' may 75 be fixed at a certain height above the mattress, as shown at Fig. 3, by which an excessive bellying of the webbing is prevented, or they may be placed at the bottom, as shown at Fig. 2, in which case they are mounted to 80 slide up against the resistance of a spring or springs during the time the webbing is being wound around the drum, thus retaining the webbing in a taut and straight condition, as shown by dotted lines c². These rollers D 85 and D' are mounted on sliding bearings in grooves formed in the pillars and are forced normally downward by the coiled springs N within the pillar.

Drums may be mounted at each end of the 90 bedstead, as shown by dotted lines B', Fig. 2, and in such cases may be connected together by the web-band F, Fig. 7, which engages with projections &³, formed upon the drums, so that both drums would wind simultaneously and 95 thus retain the webbing centrally on the bed.

The webbing is slit at o' for the purpose when raised of convenient application of a bed-pan or any medical appliance to the patient which may be required. The webbing 100 is also slit at c³ at each end, so that it may be doubled under when loose and more readily removed without interfering with the occupant. I may make the covering-sheet H and

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EL' in two parts with straps 7i⁸ to retain them in position, by which means the two halves may be drawn away from each side, the invalid remaining in the center. The straps or 5 tapes h² would not be necessary in cases where the spring-rollers D are used, as such rollers would retain the sheeting in position.

The webbing may be Woven of a woolen base having a cotton or linen surface, which io would render a separate sheet unnecessary. I may dispense with the use of the frictionrollers D, although in most cases I find it preferable to use them.

In using the bedstead for operating pur15 poses I provide the table S, which is of any suitable material and which is mounted on any suitable supports s', having clamp s² for attachment to any convenient part of the bedstead, so that when the patient is raised the 20 bed can be withdrawn and replaced with the operating-board S, which after the operation is performed is removed and the bed replaced prior to the patient being again lowered onto the bed.