Convertible pack board and stretcher construction

Claim 1

A STRETCHER ASSEMBLY FOR REMOVING INJURED PERSONNEL FROM A SITE OF A CASUALTY-PRODUCING ACCIDENT, WHICH COMPRISES, IN COMBINATION, A PLURALITY OF RIGIDLY BUT DEMOUNTABLY INTERCONNECTED SECTIONS, EACH SECTION WHEN DISCONNECTED FROM CONTIGUOUS SECTIONS BEING ADAPTED FOR SERVICE AS A PACK BOARD ADAPTED TO BE CARRIED BY AN INDIVIDUAL MEMBER OF A RESCUE CREW FOR TRANSPORTING EQUIPMENT TO A SITE OF AN ACCIDENT, AND COMPRISING A RIGID FRAME INCLUDING RIGID, PARALLEL, LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING BOTTOM SIDE RAILS SPACED APART AT A DISTANCE SUITABLE FOR SERVICE AN A STRETCHER, A CONTINUOUS AND RIGID BOTTOM PLATE FIXEDLY SECURED TO THE BOTTOM RAIL OF EACH SECTION AND COEXTENSIVE IN LENGTH AND WIDTH CORRESPONDING TO CORRESPONDING DIMENSIONS DEFINED BY THE BOTTOM RAILS, MEANS EFFECTING RIGID ATTACHMENT OF THE BOTTOM PLATE TO THE BOTTOM RAILS, SPACED APART RIGID UPRIGHT MEMBERS RIGIDLY SECURED TO THE BOTTOM SIDE RAILS AND BEING OF SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL LENGTH, SPACED APART SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL, LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING UPPER SIDE BARS CARRIED BY THE UPRIGHT MEMBERS, EACH OF THE UPPER SIDE BARS BEING MOUNTED ON THE RIGID UPRIGHT MEMBERS AND POSITIONED SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICALLY AND PARALLEL ABOVE A CORRESPONDING BOTTOM SIDE RAIL AT A HEIGHT CORRESPONDING TO THE LENGTH OF THE RIGID UPRIGHT MEMBERS, A FLEXIBLE COVER SECURED TO AND OVERLYING THE UPPER SIDE BARS OF EACH SECTION AND SUBSTANTIALLY CONTINUOUSLY INTERCONNECTING THE UPPER SIDE BARS, ADJUSTABLE MEANS ATTACHING THE FLEXIBLE COVER TO THE UPPER SIDE BARS OF EACH SECTION AT SPACED DISTANCES AND AT A SELECTED LATERAL TAUTNESS OF THE COVER FOR ACCOMMODATION OF A CASUALTY PLACED ON THE COVER, HARNESS STRAP MEMBERS ON THE COVER ADJUSTABLY POSITIONED WITH RESPECT TO THE COVER AND SECURED TO THE UPRIGHT MEMBERS FOR SECURING THE CASUALTY ON THE COVER AGAINST SLIPPAGE DURING TRANSPORT, A PLURALITY OF OPPOSED LATCH LOCKING MEANS FOR INTERCHANGEABLY INTERCONNECTING ADJACENT CORNERS OF THE BOTTOM PLATES OF ADJACENT SECTIONS, AND ADDITIONAL TELESCOPING AND SPRING BIASED DOUBLE DETENT LOCKING MEANS AT DIAGONALLY OPPOSITE INTERTELESCOPING AND COMATING ENDS OF THE UPPER SIDE BARS OF EACH SECTION, ALL OF THE AFORESAID LOCKING MEANS COOPERATING FOR RIGIDLY BUT DEMOUNTABLY INTERLOCKING BOTH BOTTOM AND TOP PORTIONS OF THE SECTION WITH SUBSTANTIALLY IDENTICAL SECTIONS FOR FORMING A COMPLETE STRETCHER.