Hospital bed

Claim 2

A hospital bed comprising: a bed frame; a mattress support coupled to the bed frame and including a head section rotatable about a horizontal axis between a horizontal position and a raised position in which the head section is inclined upwardly from said axis; a head gatch mechanism comprising: first and second elements coupled together for axial telescopic movement relative to one another; a bracket attached to the head section and pivotally connected at a distal end thereof to an end of the second element remote from the first element; spring means coupled at its ends to said first and second element and adapted to bias the first element axially away from the second element; a double-acting locking mechanism coupled to the first and second elements and adapted to prevent relative movement between the first and second elements when a substantial force is applied to move one of said elements axially with respect to the other of the elements; control means coupled to the locking mechanism and operable to unlock the mechanism when said substantial force is removed; and actuactor means coupling the first element to the bed frame and adapted to move the first element axially relative to the bed frame, whereby when the bed is in use, the head gatch mechanism can be adjusted to the weight of a patient on the bed by first operating the control means to release the locking mechanism to permit relative movement between the first and second elements, and then moving the said first element axially using the actuactor means, so as to vary the biassing effect to the spring means until the said effect is balanced by the weight of the patient.

Claim 3

A hospital bed as claimed in claim 1 in which the second element includes a shaft and the first element includes means locating the shaft for longitudinal movement as the elements telescope relative to one another, and in which the locking mechanism comprises a pair of locking elements engaged about the shaft and movable between a released position in which the locking elements are generally perpendicular to the shaft and a locked position in which the locking elements are inclined with respect to the shaft for frictionally engaging the shaft; location means coupled to the first element and adapted to locate the locking elements relative to the first element such that the locking elements can pivot about said location means between said released and locked positions; and means biassing the locking elements towards said locked positions; the said control means being adapted to permit the locking elements to be moved from the locking positions into the released positions upon removal of said substantial force.

Claim 4

A hospital bed comprising: a bed frame; a mattress support coupled to the bed frame and including a head section, a seat section, and a leg section, the seat section being pivotally coupled to the leg section for movement about an axis between a horizontal position and an inclined position in which the seat section slopes downwardly from the leg section, and the head section being pivotally connected to the seat section for movement about another axis parallel to said first mentioned axis between a lowered position in planar alignment with the seat section when the seat section is in the horizontal position and a raised position in which the head section is inclined upwardly from said another axis with the seat section being in the inclined position; link means coupling the head section to the bed frame to at least partly support the head section as this section moves between the lowered and raised positions; a head gatch mechanism comprising: first and second elements coupled together for axial telescopic movement relative to one another; a bracket attached to the head section and pivotally connected at a distal end thereof to an end of the second element remote from the first elements; spring means coupled at its ends to said first and second elements and adapted to biass the first element axially away from the second element; a double-acting locking mechanism coupled to the first and second elements and adapted to prevent relative movement between the first and second elements when a substantial force is applied to move one of said elements axially with respect to the other of the elements; control means coupled to the locking mechanism and operable to unlock the mechanism when said substantial force is removed; and actuactor means coupling the first element to the bed frame and adapted to move the first element axially relative to the bed frame, whereby when the bed is in use, the head gatch mechanism can be adjusted to the weight of a patient on the bed by first operating the control means to release the locking mechanism to permit relative movement between the first and second elements, and then moving the said first element axially using the actuactor means, so as to vary the biassing effect of the spring means until the said effect is balanced by the weight of the patient.

Claim 5

A hospital bed comprising: a bed frame; a mattress support coupled to the bed frame and including a head section, a seat section, and a leg section, the seat section being pivotally coupled to the leg section for movement about an axis between a horizontal position and an inclined position in which the seat section slopes downwardly from the leg section, and the head section being pivotally connected to the seat section for movement about another axis parallel to said first mentioned axis between a lowered position in planar alignment with the seat section when the seat section is in the horizontal position and a raised position in which the head section is inclined upwardly from said another axis with the seat section being in the inclined position; link means coupling the head section to the bed frame to at least partly support the head section as this section moves between the lowered and raised positions; a head gatch mechanism comprising: first and second elements coupled together for axial telescopic movement relative to one another; a bracket attached to the head section and pivotally connected at a distal end thereof to an end of the second element remote from the first elements; spring means coupled at its ends to said first and second elements and adapted to biass the first element axially away from the second element; a double-acting locking mechanism coupled to the first and second elements and adapted to prevent relative movement between the first and second elements when a substantial force is applied to move one of said elements axially with respect to the other of the elements; control means coupled to the locking mechanism and operable to unlock the mechanism when said substantial force is removed; and actuactor means coupling the first element to the bed frame and adapted to move the first element axially relative to the bed frame, whereby when the bed is in use, the head gatch mechanism can be adjusted to the weight of a patient on the bed by first operating the control means to release the locking mechanism to permit relative movement between the first and second elements, and then moving the said first element axially using the actuactor means, so as to vary the biassing effect of the spring means until the said effect is balanced by the weight of the patient.

Claim 6

In a hospital bed of the type having a bed frame, a mattress supported above the frame and coupled to the bed frame, and a head gatch mechanism coupled to the bed frame and to a head section of the mattress support for moving the head section between a horizontal position and an inclined position, the improvement in which the head gatch mechanism comprises: first and second elements telescopically interconnected for axial movement relative to one another; spring means coupled at its ends to said first and second elements, said spring means. biasing the elements away from one another; means coupling the second element to the head section; a double acting locking mechanism coupled to the first and second elements and adapted to prevent movement between the first and second elements when a substantial force is applied to move one of said elements; and actuactor means coupled to the first element and to the bed frame and adapted to move the first element axially relative to the bed frame, whereby when the bed is in use, the head gatch mechanism can be adjusted to the weight of a patient on the bed by first releasing the locking mechanism to permit relative movement between the first and second elements, and then by moving the said first element axially using the actuactor means so as to vary the biassing effect of the spring means until the said effect is balanced by the weight of the patient.

Claim 7

In a hospital bed of the type having a bed frame, a mattress supported above the frame and coupled to the bed frame, and a head gatch mechanism coupled to the bed frame and to a head section of the mattress support for moving the head section between a horizontal position and an inclined position, the improvement in which the head gatch mechanism comprises: first and second elements telescopically interconnected for axial movement relative to one another; spring means coupled at its ends to said first and second elements, said spring means. biasing the elements away from one another; means coupling the second element to the head section; a double acting locking mechanism coupled to the first and second elements and adapted to prevent movement between the first and second elements when a substantial force is applied to move one of said elements; and actuactor means coupled to the first element and to the bed frame and adapted to move the first element axially relative to the bed frame, whereby when the bed is in use, the head gatch mechanism can be adjusted to the weight of a patient on the bed by first releasing the locking mechanism to permit relative movement between the first and second elements, and then by moving the said first element axially using the actuactor means so as to vary the biassing effect of the spring means until the said effect is balanced by the weight of the patient.

Claim 8

Apparatus as claimed in claim 4 in which the second element includes a shaft and the first element includes means locating the shaft for longitudinal movement as the elements telescope relative to one another, and in which the locking mechanism comprises a pair of locking elements engaged about the shaft and movable between a released position in which the locking elements are generally perpendicular to the shaft and a locked position in which the locking elements are inclined with respect to the shaft for frictionally engaging the shaft; location means coupled to the first element and adapted to locate the locking elements relative to the first element such that the locking elements can pivot about said location means between said released and locked positions; means biassing the locking elements towards said locked positions; and control means adapted permit the locking elements to be moved from the locking positions into the released positions upon removal of said substantial forces.