Slatted bed system

Claim 1

A slatted bed system comprising: (a) support means; (b) an articulating frame carried by said support means, said frame having a head movable portion, a fixed portion, a thigh movable portion and a foot portion, said fixed portion including a pair of side members supported by said support means, said head portion including two side members and a head end member rigidly secured thereto at one end, each of said side members being pivotably secured at the other end thereof to the adjacent end of one of the side members of said fixed portion, said thigh portion including two side members and a cross member rigidly secured thereto adjacent the end thereof nearest to said foot portion, said side members being secured at the other end thereof to the adjacent ends of the side members of said fixed portion, said foot portion including two side members and a foot end member rigidly secured thereto at one end, each of said side members being pivotably secured at the other end thereof to the end of one of the side members of said knee portion; (c) a first L-shaped crank having the longest portion thereof approximately the length of the side members of said head portion, the longest portion thereof being rigidly secured at the free end thereof to said head member intermediate the ends thereof, and the junction of the longer portion and the shorter portion being pivotably secured to said support means with the free end thereof extending downwardly; (d) a first linear actuator carried at one end by said support means adjacent said head member and pivotably connected at the other end to the free end of the shorter portion of said first L-shaped crank whereby the contracting of said first linear actuator effects a raising of said head member and whereby the extending of said first linear actuator effects a lowering of said head member; (e) a second L-shaped crank having the longest portion thereof approximating the length of the side member of said knee portion, the longest portion thereof being rigidly secured at the free end thereof to said cross member intermediate the ends thereof, and the juncture of the longer portion and the shorter portion being pivotably secured to said support means with the free end thereof extending downwardly; (f) a second linear actuator carried at one end by said support means adjacent said foot member and pivotably connected at the other end to the free end of the shortest portion of said second L-shaped crank whereby the contracting of said second linear actuator effects a raising of the junction of said thigh portion and said foot portion and whereby the extending of said second linear actuator effects a lowering of the junction of said thigh portion and said foot portion; (g) a plurality of resilient supports; (h) a plurality of transverse slats carried at opposite ends by the side members of said head, fixed, thigh and foot portions, each of said slats being concave downwardly and selectively positionable along the length of the bed parallel to said foot, cross and head members; (i) means for removably securing the ends of said slats to one of said side members through one of said resilient supports; and (j) a mattress conforming in dimension to said articulating frame and adapted to overlie said slats, said mattress having a transverse groove on the underside thereof overlying each of the junctions of said head portion with said fixed position and said thigh portion with said fixed portion, said grooves extending upwardly over one-half the thickness of the mattress to thereby permit the bending of the mattress as said head portion and or said thigh portion is raised, said mattress having a transverse groove on the underside thereof overlying the junction of said thigh and foot portions, said groove extending upwardly over one-half the thickness of the mattress and having sufficient width to permit bending of the mattress as the junction of said thigh and foot portions is raised.