Stretcher support arrangement especially for ambulances

Claim 2

A stretcher support arrangement, especially for ambulances, comprising support means adapted to be mounted in a fixed position in an ambulance; an elongated support frame adapted to support a stretcher thereon, said elongated support frame having opposite ends and being superimposed on said support means; means guiding said support frame movable in longitudinal direction between a substantially horizontal rest position coextensive with said support means and an extended position extending with one end thereof beyond said support means: support link means pivotally connected at one end to said support frame in the region of the other end of the latter; and guide rail means extending in the longitudinal direction of said support frame for guiding said support link movable with said support frame in the longitudinal direction of the guide rail means as said support frame moves from said rest to an intermediate position and for releasing said one end of said support link means from said guide rail means as said support frame moves from said intermediate to said extended position to thereby tilt said support link means about the other end thereof in upward direction with corresponding tilting of said support frame.

Claim 3

A stretcher support arrangement as defined in claim 1, and including abutment means in the region of that end of said guide rail means which faces said one end of said support frame, and other end of said guide link means abutting against said abutment means in said intermediate position of said support frame, said guide rail means and said abutment means being constructed and arranged so that a force acting in longitudinal direction of said support frame for moving the latter toward the extended position will first cause movement of said support frame in this direction while said support link means are guided in said guide rail means and after said other end of said support link means engages said abutment means upward tilting of said support link means and thereby corresponding tilting of said support frame.

Claim 4

A stretcher support arrangement as defined in claim 2, wherein said guide rail means has a downwardly inclined end portion facing said one portion of said support frame.

Claim 5

A stretcher support arrangement as defined in claim 1, whereIn said support link means comprise a pair of guide members respectively arranged on opposite ends of said support link means, and wherein said guide rail means has guide faces for guiding said guide members along said guide rail means, said guide faces including an upper guide face having an opening intermediate the opposite ends of said guide rail means permitting movement of the guide member at said one end of said support link means upwardly through said opening and upward tilting of said support link means about the other guide member.

Claim 6

A stretcher support arrangement as defined in claim 4, wherein said guide members are rollers.

Claim 7

A stretcher support arrangement, especially for ambulances, comprising support means adapted to be mounted in fixed position in an ambulance; an elongated support frame adapted to support a stretcher thereon and being superimposed on said support means; means guiding said support frame movable in longitudinal direction between a substantially horizontal rest position coextensive with said support means and an extended position extending with one end thereof beyond said support means; support link means pivotally connected at one end to said support frame in the region of the other end of the latter, said support link means comprising a pair of guide members respectively arranged at opposite ends of said support link means; and longitudinally extending guide rail means having guide faces for guiding said guide members along said guide rail means, said guide faces including an upper guide face having an opening intermediate the opposite ends of said guide rail means permitting movement of the guide member at one end of the support link means upwardly through said opening and upward tilting of said support link means about the other guide member with corresponding tilting of said support frame, said opening in said upper guide face being spaced from the end of said guide rail means which faces said one end of said support frame a distance which is substantially equal to the spacing between said pair of guide members from each other.

Claim 8

A stretcher support arrangement, especially for ambulances, comprising support means adapted to be mounted in fixed position in an ambulance; an elongated support frame adapted to support a stretcher thereon and being superimposed on said support means; means guiding said support frame movable in longitudinal direction between a substantially horizontal rest position coextensive with said support means and an extended position extending with one end thereof beyond said support means; support link means pivotally connected at one end to said support frame in the region of the other end of the latter, said support link means comprising a pair of guide members respectively arranged at opposite ends of said support link means; and longitudinally extending guide rail means having guide faces for guiding said guide members along said guide rail means, said guide faces including an upper guide face having an opening intermediate the opposite ends of said guide rail means permitting movement of the guide member at one end of the support link means upwardly through said opening and upward tilting of said support link means about the other guide member with corresponding tilting of said support frame, said opening in said upper guide face being spaced from the end of said guide rail means which faces said one end of said support frame a distance which is substantially equal to the spacing between said pair of guide members from each other.

Claim 9

A stretcher support arrangement, especially for ambulances, comprising support means adapted to be mounted in fixed position in an ambulance; an elongated support frame adapted to support a stretcher thereon and being superimposed on said support means; means guiding said support frame movable in longitudinal direction between a substantially horizontal rest position coextensive with said support means and an extended position extending with one end thereof beyond said support means; support link means pivotally connected at one end to said support frame in the region of the other end of the latter, said support link means comprising a pair of guide members respectively arranged at opposite ends of said support link means; and longitudinally extending guide rail means having guide faces for guiding said guide members along said guide rail means, said guide faces including an upper guide face having an opening intermediate the opposite ends of said guide rail means permitting movement of the guide member at said one end of said support link means upwardly through said opening and upward tilting of said support link means about the other guide member with corresponding tilting of said support frame, said guide rail means having an end portion facing said one end of said support frame and being downwardly inclined with respect to the remainder of said guide rail means, said opening being located at the region of the junction of said downwardly inclined end portion with the remainder of said guide rail means.

Claim 10

A stretcher support arrangement, especially for ambulances, comprising support means adapted to be mounted in fixed position in an ambulance; an elongated support frame adapted to support a stretcher thereon and being superimposed on said support means; means guiding said support frame movable in longitudinal direction between a substantially horizontal rest position coextensive with said support means and an extended position extending with one end thereof beyond said support means; support link means pivotally connected at one end to said support frame in the region of the other end of the latter, said support link means comprising a pair of guide members respectively arranged at opposite ends of said support link means; and longitudinally extending guide rail means having guide faces for guiding said guide members along said guide rail means, said guide faces including an upper guide face having an opening intermediate the opposite ends of said guide rail means permitting movement of the guide member at said one end of said support link means upwardly through said opening and upward tilting of said support link means about the other guide member with corresponding tilting of said support frame, said guide rail means having an end portion facing said one end of said support frame and being downwardly inclined with respect to the remainder of said guide rail means, said opening being located at the region of the junction of said downwardly inclined end portion with the remainder of said guide rail means.

Claim 11

A stretcher support arrangement as defined in claim 7, wherein said remainder of said guide rail means extends upwardly inclined to said junction.

Claim 12

A stretcher support arrangement, especially for ambulances, comprising support means adapted to be mounted in fixed position in an ambulance; an elongated support frame adapted to support a stretcher thereon and being superimposed on said support means; means guiding said support frame movable in longitudinal direction between a substantially horizontal rest position coextensive with said support means and an extended position extending with one end thereof beyond said support means; support link means pivotally connected at one end to said support frame in the region of the other end of the latter, said support link means comprising a pair of guide members respectively arranged at opposite ends of said support link means; and longitudinally extending guide rail means having guide faces for guiding said guide members along said guide rail means, said guide faces including an upper guide face having an opening intermediate the opposite ends of said guide rail means permitting movement of the guide member at said one end of the support link means upwardly through said opening and upward tilting of said support link means about the other guide member with corresponding tilting of said support frame, said guide rail means having a U-shaped cross-section in which said guide members are guided, said upper guide face with said opening being formed in the upper leg of said U-shaped cross-section.

Claim 13

A stretcher support arrangement, especially for ambulances, comprising support means adapted to be mounted in fixed position in an ambulance; an elongated support frame adapted to support a stretcher thereon and being superimposed on said support means; means guiding said support frame movable in longitudinal direction between a substantially horizontal rest position coextensive with said support means and an extended position extending with one end thereof beyond said support means; support link means pivotally connected at one end to said support frame in the region of the other end of the latter, said support link means comprising a pair of guide members respectively arranged at opposite ends of said support link means; and longitudinally extending guide rail means having guide faces for guiding said guide members along said guide rail means, said guide faces including an upper guide face having an opening intermediate the opposite ends of said guide rail means permitting movement of the guide member at said one end of the support link means upwardly through said opening and upward tilting of said support link means about the other guide member with corresponding tilting of said support frame, said guide rail means having a U-shaped cross-section in which said guide members are guided, said upper guide face with said opening being formed in the upper leg of said U-shaped cross-section.

Claim 14

A stretcher support arrangement, especially for ambulances, comprising support means adapted to be mounted in fixed position in an ambulance; an elongated support frame adapted to support a stretcher thereon and being superimposed on said support means; means guiding said support frame movable in longitudinal direction between a substantially horizontal rest position coextensive with said support means and an extended position extending with one end beyond said support means, said guide means including roller guide means mounted on said support means adjacent said one end of said support frame in the rest position of the latter, said roller guide means including a pair of rollers mounted on said support means turnable about a vertical axis and respectively engaging said support frame on opposite sides; support link means pivotally connected at one end to said support frame at a region of the other end of the latter; and longitudinally extending guide rail means for guiding said support link means and for releasing said one end thereof from said guide rail means when said support frame is in said extended position so that said support link means may be tilted about the other end thereof in upward direction to thereby tilt said support frame correspondingly.

Claim 15

A stretcher support arrangement, especially for ambulances, comprising support means adapted to be mounted in fixed position in an ambulance; an elongated support frame adapted to support a stretcher thereon and being superimposed on said support means; means guiding said support frame movable in longitudinal direction between a substantially horizontal rest position coextensive with said support means and an extended position extending with one end beyond said support means, said guide means including roller guide means mounted on said support means adjacent said one end of said support frame in the rest position of the latter, said roller guide means including a pair of rollers mounted on said support means turnable about a vertical axis and respectively engaging said support frame on opposite sides; support link means pivotally connected at one end to said support frame at a region of the other end of the latter; and longitudinally extending guide rail means for guiding said support link means and for releasing said one end thereof from said guide rail means when said support frame is in said extended position so that said support link means may be tilted about the other end thereof in upward direction to thereby tilt said support frame correspondingly.

Claim 16

A stretcher support arrangement as defined in claim 1, wherein said support means comprise a base frame adapted to be fixedly mounted in an ambulance and an intermediate frame adjustably mounted on said base frame above the latter, said guide rail means being fixedly connected to said intermediate frame.

Claim 17

A stretcher support arrangement as defined in claim 11, and including roller guide means mounted on that end of one of said frames constituting said support means which is adjacent said one end of said support frame in the rest position of the latter.

Claim 18

A stretcher support arrangement as defined in claim 1, and including a latch arrangement for securing said support frame in said rest and in the extended position.

Claim 19

A stretcher support arrangement, especially for ambulances, comprising support means adapted to be mounted in fixed position in an ambulance; an elongated support frame adapted to support a stretcher thereon and being superimposed on said support means; means guiding said support frame movable in longitudinal direction between a substantially horizontal rest position coextensive with said support means and an extended position extended with one end portion thereof beyond said support means; support link means pivotally connected at one end to said support frame at a region of an end of the latter which is opposite said end portion; longitudinally extending guide rail means for guiding said support link means and for releasing said one end thereof from said guide rail means when said support frame is in said exteNded position so that said support link means may be tilted about the other end thereof in upward direction to thereby tilt said support frame correspondingly; and a latch arrangement for securing said support frame in said rest and in said extended position, said latch arrangement comprising first latch means mounted on said support frame and second latch means on said support means, said first and said second latch means being movable relative to each other between a latching and an unlatching position, one of said latch means comprising two substantially identical latch members spaced in longitudinal direction of said support frame from each other and engageable with the other latch means in the rest, respectively in said extended position of said support frame.

Claim 20

A stretcher support arrangement, especially for ambulances, comprising support means adapted to be mounted in fixed position in an ambulance; an elongated support frame adapted to support a stretcher thereon and being superimposed on said support means; means guiding said support frame movable in longitudinal direction between a substantially horizontal rest position coextensive with said support means and an extended position extended with one end portion thereof beyond said support means; support link means pivotally connected at one end to said support frame at a region of an end of the latter which is opposite said end portion; longitudinally extending guide rail means for guiding said support link means and for releasing said one end thereof from said guide rail means when said support frame is in said exteNded position so that said support link means may be tilted about the other end thereof in upward direction to thereby tilt said support frame correspondingly; and a latch arrangement for securing said support frame in said rest and in said extended position, said latch arrangement comprising first latch means mounted on said support frame and second latch means on said support means, said first and said second latch means being movable relative to each other between a latching and an unlatching position, one of said latch means comprising two substantially identical latch members spaced in longitudinal direction of said support frame from each other and engageable with the other latch means in the rest, respectively in said extended position of said support frame.