Portable support and weigher for a bed patient

Claim 2

A portable support which is movable relative to a bed and which can be moved into position immediately adjacent said bed to weigh a bed patient lying on a pad on said bed without requiring said bed patient to get out of said bed and which comprises a carrier that is held at the approximate level of said bed on which said bed patient is lying, a supporting surface overlying but being vertically movable relative to said carrier, a pressure transducer intermediate said carrier and said supporting surface which responds to the application of a weight to said supporting surface and to the resulting tendency of said supporting surface to move downwardly relative to said carrier to develop a signal, and a readout which responds to said signal from said pressure transducer to indicate the value of said weight applied to said supporting surface, said pad having means to define a recess that is dimensioned to accommodate said carrier and said supporting surface, said carrier and said supporting surface being movable horizontally relative to said bed and said pad to move into position within said recess and thus into position beneath said bed patient but above said bed, thereby enabling the weight of said bed patient and of said pad but not the weight of said bed to be applied to said supporting surface and thus to said pressure transducer, means on said portable support holding said carrier as an end-supported load-supporting cantilever for said supporting surface and for said pad and for said bed patient whenever said carrier is positioned within said recess in said pad and said pad is resting on said supporting surface, said carrier and said supporting surface being able to support said pad and saiD bed patient without having to support said bed, thereby enabling said pressure transducer to sense and respond to the combined weights of said supporting surface and pad and bed patient but not to the weight of said bed.

Claim 3

A portable support as claimed in claim 1 wherein said pad is an inflatable pad that is interposed between said bed and said bed patient, wherein said inflatable pad is inflatable to raise said bed patient relative to said bed, wherein said inflatable pad defines said recess whenever it is inflated, and wherein said carrier and said supporting surface support said inflatable pad to support and weigh said bed patient.

Claim 4

A portable support as claimed in claim 1 wherein means on said portable support can be actuated to cause said carrier and said supporting surface to move vertically relative to said bed to raise and lower said bed patient relative to said bed, and wherein said pressure transducer will respond to the raising of said bed patient by said carrier and said supporting surface to develop said signal.

Claim 5

A portable support as claimed in claim 1 wherein said means on said portable support permit said carrier and said supporting surface to move in the horizontal direction, relative to other portions of said portable support, from a position displaced laterally from said bed patient to said position within said recess beneath said bed patient.

Claim 6

A portable support as claimed in claim 1 wherein said portable support includes a wheel-equipped chassis, wherein said carrier and said supporting surface normally overlie and are in register with said wheel-equipped chassis, and wherein said means on said portable support permit said carrier and said supporting surface to move in the horizontal direction, relative to other portions of said portable support, to said position within said recess beneath said bed patient.

Claim 7

A portable support as claimed in claim 1 wherein said supporting surface has means thereon to carry objects connected to said bed patient by hoses, and wherein carrying means is bodily movable with said supporting surface.

Claim 8

A portable support as claimed in claim 1 wherein lifting means can raise and lower said carrier relative to said bed and can thereby raise and lower said supporting surface and said bed patient relative to said bed.

Claim 9

A portable support as claimed in claim 1 wherein lifting means can raise and lower said carrier relative to said bed and can thereby raise and lower said supporting surface and said bed patient relative to said bed, and wherein stabilizing legs are movable into engagement with the floor to stabilize said portable support.

Claim 10

A portable support as claimed in claim 1 wherein lifting means can raise and lower said carrier relative to said bed and can thereby raise and lower said supporting surface and said bed patient relative to said bed, wherein stabilizing legs are movable into engagement with the floor to stabilize said portable support, and wherein further means move said stabilizing legs into engagement with said floor before said lifting means raises said carrier.

Claim 11

A portable support as claimed in claim 1 wherein lifting means can raise and lower said carrier relative to said bed and can thereby raise and lower said supporting surface and said bed patient relative to said bed, wherein stabilizing legs are movable into engagement with the floor to stabilize said portable support, wherein further means move said stabilizing legs into engagement with said floor before said lifting means raises said carrier, and wherein said further means includes a scissors jack and a lost-motion connection associated with said scissors jack.

Claim 12

A portable support as claimed in claim 1 wherein said pressure transducer has a movable element that has a range of movement in the order of a fraction of an inch, whereby said portable support can be used to weigh a bed patient having a limb in the traction frame.

Claim 13

A portable support as claimed in claim 1 wherein lifTing means can raise and lower said carrier relative to said bed and can thereby raise and lower said supporting surface and said bed patient relative to said bed, wherein stabilizing legs are movable into engagement with the floor to stabilize said portable support, and wherein further means move said stabilizing legs into fully-extended position before said lifting means can begin to raise said carrier.

Claim 14

A portable support which is movable relative to a bed and which can be moved into position immediately adjacent said bed to weigh a bed patient lying on a pad on said bed without requiring said bed patient to get out of said bed and which comprises a carrier that is held at the approximate level of said bed on which said bed patient is lying, a supporting surface overlying but being vertically movable relative to said carrier, a pressure transducer intermediate said carrier and said supporting surface which responds to the application of a weight to said supporting surface and to the resulting tendency of said supporting surface to move downwardly relative to said carrier to develop a signal, a readout which responds to said signal from said pressure transducer to indicate the value of said weight applied to said supporting surface, said pad having means to define a recess that is dimensioned to accommodate said carrier and said supporting surface, and links pivotally securing said supporting surface to said carrier, said links and said carrier and said supporting surface coacting to constitute a four-bar linkage mechanism, said carrier and said supporting surface being movable horizontally relative to said bed and said pad to move into position within said recess and thus into position beneath said bed patient but above said bed, thereby enabling the weight of said bed patient and of said pad but not the weight of said bed to be applied to said supporting surface and thus to said pressure transducer, means on said portable support holding said carrier as an end-supported load-supporting cantilever for said supporting surface and for said pad and for said bed patient whenever said carrier is positioned within said recess in said pad and said pad is resting on said supporting surface, said carrier and said supporting surface being able to support said pad and said bed patient without having to support said bed, thereby enabling said pressure transducer to sense and respond to the combined weights of said supporting surface and pad and bed patient but not to the weight of said bed.

Claim 15

A portable support which is movable relative to a bed and which can be moved into position immediately adjacent said bed to weigh a bed patient lying on a pad on said bed without requiring said bed patient to get out of said bed and which comprises a carrier that is held at the approximate level of said bed on which said bed patient is lying, a supporting surface overlying but being vertically movable relative to said carrier, a pressure transducer intermediate said carrier and said supporting surface which responds to the application of a weight to said supporting surface and to the resulting tendency of said supporting surface to move downwardly relative to said carrier to develop a signal, a readout which responds to said signal from said pressure transducer to indicate the value of said weight applied to said supporting surface, said pad having means to define a recess that is dimensioned to accommodate said carrier and said supporting surface, and links pivotally securing said supporting surface to said carrier, said links and said carrier and said supporting surface coacting to constitute a four-bar linkage mechanism, said carrier and said supporting surface being movable horizontally relative to said bed and said pad to move into position within said recess and thus into position beneath said bed patient but above said bed, thereby enabling the weight of said bed patient and of said pad but not the weight of said bed to be applied to said supporting surface and thus to said pressure transducer, means on said portable support holding said carrier as an end-supported load-supporting cantilever for said supporting surface and for said pad and for said bed patient whenever said carrier is positioned within said recess in said pad and said pad is resting on said supporting surface, said carrier and said supporting surface being able to support said pad and said bed patient without having to support said bed, thereby enabling said pressure transducer to sense and respond to the combined weights of said supporting surface and pad and bed patient but not to the weight of said bed.