EP0067070A1
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Stretcher
Assignee: MFC Survival Ltd
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Filing: 1982-06-09
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2002-06-09
Abstract
Abstract A compact and portable stretcher has a rigid body board (40) long enough and wide enough to support a supine human body. It is overlaid with an inflatable mattress (11) and may be flanked by inflatable buoyancy tubes. The body board is preferably made up from a number of rigid portions (41 to 47) each the full width of the board and hingedly joined together (48) to fold up around the deflated flank tubes and mattress to form a back-pack in which the inflatable components are protected in transport by the body board portions. The body board is held flat by stiffener strings (64) along the long edges of the body board. These comprise elements (65, 67, 78, 69, 72) hingedly connected (66, 68, 70, 71) where the body board portions are joined (48), and movable between a relaxed disposition where they permit folding of the board and a standing disposition where they hold the board flat for use.
Inventors
- 👤 Brian David Powell
- 👤 David Bernard Jones
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-03 07:07
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61G; A61G1/00; B; B63; B63C; B63C9/00; B63C9/06; B63C9/02; B63C9/04; B63C2009/042
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 16
Claim 1
Independent Claim
58 words
A stretcher characterised in that it comprises means (40,64) for providing a rigid surface large enough to provide support to a supine human body over substantially the entire width and length of the body, and an inflatable body cushioning means (11) which is situated between the rigid surface and the prone human body in use of the stretcher.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
58 words
A stretcher characterised in that it comprises means (40,64) for providing a rigid surface large enough to provide support to a supine human body over substantially the entire width and length of the body, and an inflatable body cushioning means (11) which is situated between the rigid surface and the prone human body in use of the stretcher.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
95 words
A stretcher as claimed in claim 1 characterised in that the means for providing a rigid surface comprises a body board made up from at least three rigid, body support board portions (41,42,43,44,45,46 and 47) which extend in a transverse direction across the full width of the body board and in a longitudinal direction along a portion of the length of the board, and means (48,64) for limiting movement of the board portions relative to one another to movement between a compact, transport disposition of the stretcher and a flat, useful disposition of the stretcher.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
34 words
A stretcher as claimed in claim 2 characterised in that, in the compact transport disposition, the stretcher takes the form of a pack to be carried on the back of a single human bearer.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
37 words
A stretcher as claimed in claim 3 characterised in that the board portions are circumjacent the body cushioning means (11) when the stretcher is in said compact transport disposition thereby affording some protection to the cushioning means.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
81 words
A stretcher as claimed in any one of claims 2, 3 and 4 characterised in that the means for limiting movement of the board portions comprises a hinge (48) between each portion and the adjacent portion or portions along the length of the board, and stiffening means (12, 13 and 64) for resisting downward movement of the or each board portion separating end portions of the board, when the stretcher is in use and supported at its ends above the ground.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
43 words
A stretcher as claimed in claim 5 characterised in that the stiffening means comprises a pair of stiffening strings (64), each of which strings is located along an opposed longitudinal edge of the board board when the stretcher is in said useful disposition.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
149 words
A stretcher as claimed in claim 6 characterised in that each of the stiffening strings comprises a line of rigid string elements (65,67,78,69,72), each of which elements is connected to one of the board portions for movement of the element relative to the portion between a standing disposition and a relaxed disposition, the said string elements being hingedly connected to one another with the pivotal axis of the hinges lying perpendicular to the plane of the body board when the string elements are in said standing disposition, and in a plane lying parallel to the plane of the body board when the string elements are in said relaxed disposition, whereby the strings provide a stiffening function only when they are in said standing disposition, offering no resistance to movement of the body board portions from the useful disposition to the transport disposition when they are in said relaxed disposition.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
62 words
A stretcher as claimed in claim 7 characterised in that the strings are disposed along the longitudinal edges of the cushioning means, and on an upper face of the body board, and overlie the deflated cushioning means in the relaxed disposition, so that inflation of the cushioning means (11) urges the strings to move from the relaxed disposition to the standing disposition.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
55 words
A stretcher as claimed in any one of the preceding claims characterised in that the body cushioning means comprises a trunk cushion (11) and a head cushion (14), and in that means (23,24 and 39) are provided for establishing a chosen degree of inflation of the head cushion different from that of the trunk cushion.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
30 words
A stretcher as claimed in any one of the preceding claims characterised in that it includes inflatable flank tubes (12 and 13), one on each side of the body board.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
33 words
A stretcher as claimed in claim 10 or 11 characterised in that the flank tubes are nipped in (81) at a waist area, thereby to restrict the overall width of the inflated stretcher.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
42 words
A stretcher as claimed in any one of claims 10 to 13 as dependent upon claim 8 characterised in that each of the strings (64) is held in the standing disposition sandwiched between the cushioning means and one of the flank tubes.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
29 words
A stretcher as claimed in any one of the preceding claims characterised in that it includes body binding straps (29-37) and a waterproof, heat insulating flexible body cover (15).
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
83 words
A stretcher characterised in that it comprises a body board (40) made up from at least three rigid body support board portions (41-47) which extend in a transverse direction across the full width of the body board and in a longitudinal drection along a portion of the length of the board, and means (48,64) for limiting movement of the board portions relative to one another to movement between a compact transport disposition of the stretcher and a flat useful disposition of the stretcher.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
83 words
A stretcher characterised in that it comprises a body board (40) made up from at least three rigid body support board portions (41-47) which extend in a transverse direction across the full width of the body board and in a longitudinal drection along a portion of the length of the board, and means (48,64) for limiting movement of the board portions relative to one another to movement between a compact transport disposition of the stretcher and a flat useful disposition of the stretcher.
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Cited
GB1536191A
Cited
GB2016932A
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