Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
~25344~
Th~ present invention relates to a liftin~/transportin~
apparatus for patients or disabled persons.
. _
With the aid of this apparatus, a disabled or handicapped
person can be raised from or lowered into a sitting position.
The lifting bars of the apparatus are placed beneath the arm-
pits of the person, and the bars are then raised or lowered
10 by means of an actuator which causes a telescopic pipe to
move vertically up or down. With the bars in the raised
position, the person can utilize devices such as a walker
chair with maximum support of the upper body. The lifting
bars can also be lowered to a lower elevation so that the
15 person can support himself on the bars with his hands.
In conjunction with suitably formed lifting straps, the
apparatus can also be used for raising and lowering a person
to and from a bed, and for moving the person to a bathtub or
20 toilet, for example.
A lifting and transporting apparatus of the above type is
described in Swedish Patent P~b. 365,711. However, the prior
art lifting and transporting apparatuses for disabled persons
25 have certain drawbacks because the lifting bars are not
sufficiently adjustable in the vertical direction. With the
above-cited prior art apparatus, for example, it is not
possible to lower the bars sufficiently to enable them to be
placed beneath the armpits of a person sitting on the floor,
30 for lifting the person up from the floor into a sitting
position on a chair or into a standing position, and vice-
versa. Neither is it possible, using conventional lifting
straps, to lift a person lying on the floor, perhaps after a
fall from a bed or chair, into a horizontal position for
35 placement in a bed.
In the prior art lifting and transporting apparatus wherein
~ S
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the lifting bars are in a fixed position in relation to the
mobile l U-shaped apparatus frame, difficulties can arise
when the apparatus is to be positioned vis-a-vis a chair for
lifting a person up from the chair or for lowering the person
into the chair. The chair legs may obstruct the access of
the V-shaped frame so that it is necessary to position the
lifting apparatus at an angle, and in that case the lifting
bars will not be in direct alignment with the chair, so that
the person has to be set down at an angle on the chair or
the person has to turn sideways to permit the lifting bars
to be placed correctly beneath his armpits. The same situa-
tion arises when the person needs to be lifted using lifting
straps connected to the lifting bars. In addition, the
lifting bars on the prior art apparatus are spaced a fixed
distance apart, which may cause problems when a person is
being lifted into or out of an automobile, because the back
of the car seat, the edge of the door frame, or the car's
steering wheel may obstruct one of the lifting bars.
The ob~ect of the present inventlon is to provide a lifting
and transporting apparatus for patients/disabled persons in
which the above drawbacks are eliminated. With these draw-
backs eliminated, the apparatus has a very wide area of
application, and it can be used to lift severely disabled
25 persons to and from a toilet, up and down from a bed or
bathtub, and in and out of automobiles without undue physical
exertion on the part of the assisting or nursing personnel.
Thus by one aspect of this invention there is provided a
30 lifting and transporting apparatus for patients/disabled
persons, comprising a mobile U-shaped frame having two
substantially horizontal and parallel legs and a transverse
member; a vertical column mounted on the transverse member
together with a concentric, telescopic pipe that with the aid
of an actuator can be raised and lowered; and mounted on the
pipe, a crossbar that supports two lifting bars which
extend substantially parallel with and in the same direction
"- i~253447
2(a)
as the legs of the frame wherein the crossbar, at the
middle section thereof, is provided with a securing means
arranged to be vertically movable on but non-rotatable
about the telescopic pipe, and that the lifting bars at
S one end of each respective bar are provided with
individually adjustable securing means that are longitudin-
ally movable on but non-rotatable about the crossbar.
An exemplary embodiment of the invention, together with a
10 description of its various functions and possibilities, will
be discussed in greater detail in the following with refer-
ence to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
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Figure 1 shows the lifting and transporting apparatus seen in
side view,
Figure 2 shows the apparatus as seen from above, and
Figure 3 shows the lifting bars of the apparatus in perspective,
with a lifting seat suspended from the bars for lifting a person
into and out of an automobile,
Figure 4 is a partial oblique view of the upper portion of the
lifting and transporting apparatus illustrated in Figures 1 and 2,
Figure 5 is an oblique partial view of the cross bar mounting means.
The lifting and transporting apparatus consists of a mobile U-
shaped frame 1, composed of a framework of welded tubing compri-
sing two substantially horizontal and parallel legs la, lb and
a transverse member lc at the base of the U. At the corners
where the legs la,lb meet the transverse member lc and at the
ends of said legs, pivotable and lockable wheels 6 are mounted.
In connection with the wheels 6, horizontal bumper wheels 9 are
also provided, which project beyond the outer edge of the frame
1 to protect walls, door openings, etc. which the U-shaped
frame 1 might encounter when the apparatus is being moved.
Mounted on the transverse member lc of the U-frame 1 are a fixed
vertical column 2 and a concentric, vertically telescopic pipe
3. The telescopic pipe 3 is raised and lowered by means of an
actuator 3a, which may comprise a battery and an electric motor
mounted on the transverse member lc of the U-frame 1. Said
motor operates a lifting mechanism of any known type, for example
a hydraulic pump which delivers pressure medium to a pressure
cylinder connected to the vertical column 2 and the telescopic
pipe 3, or a screw shaft arranged in the vertical column 2 for
moving the telescopic pipe 3.
The lifting mechanism can be manoevered from a control panel
connected to the actuator 3a for the lifting mechanism by a
special cord, and the control panel may optionally be detach-
able from the lifting and transporting apparatus. The
telescopic pipe 3 carries a crossbar 4', and there is a
A
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securing means 4 mounted at the center section of the crossbar
4', said securing means 4 being vertically movable on but not
rotatable about the telescopic pipe 3.
On each half of the crossbar 4', lifting bars 5a,5b are
provided. At one end of each bar 5a,5b there is a securing
means 8 attached to the crossbar 4', said securing means being
individually movable in the longitudinal direction of the
crossbar but non-rotatable about the crossbar. These securing
means 8 comprise non-round sleeves, corresponding to the cross
section of the crossbar 4'. With this arrangement, each of
the lifting bars 5a,5b can be individually moved to and fro
on the crossbar 4', permitting the lifting bars to be
positioned asymetrically in relation to the vertical column 2
15 and the frame l.
In addition, the crossbar 4' can also be moved vertically up
and down the telescopic pipe 3 by means of its securing means
4, which comprises a known per se, self-locking, sleeve-like
member 4 which surrounds the telescopic pipe 3 and which owing
to the lever action applied to the lifting bars 5a,5b in the
vertical plane is brought into locking engagement with the
telescopic pipe 3.
25 To ensure that the sleeve-like member 4 cannot accidentally
slide down the telescopic pipe 3, this oipe is provided with
projections or notches 3b arranged in alignment with each
other and spaced an equal distance apart along the length of
the telescopic pipe 3, for cooperation with complementary
30 locking means on the sleeve-like member 4. The locking means
on the sleeve constitutes the lower edge of the sleeve-like
member 4, which engages with the projections or notches 3b
on the telescopic pipe 3. The cross sectional dimension of
the sleeve-like member 4 in a direction parallel with the
35 lifting bars 5a,5b is lar~er than the cross sectional
dimension of the telescopic nipe 3 in the same direction, so
that by pushin~ upwardly on the liftin~ bars 5a,5b, the
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~ sleeve-like member 4 becomes tilted and is released from the
locking position on the telescopic pipe 3 (its engagement with
the projections or notches 3b), whereby the sleeve 4 can be
moved vertically up or down, after which the lifting bars Sa,
5b are again lowered and the member 4 is once again brought
into fixed engagement with the telescopic pipe 3. In a
preferred embodiment, five projections 3b are provided so that
the crossbar 4' and thereby the lifting bars 5a,5b can be
adjusted at five different heights on the telescopic pipe 3.
0 In addition to this hei~ht regulation, the telescopic pipe 3
can also be raised and lowered by the lifting mechanism via
the actuator 3a.
Each of the two lifting bars 5a,5b consists of an elongated
15 pipe of rectangular or oval cross section. A soft armpit
~: pad ~ is arranged on each lifting bar, and the pads can be
moved longitudinally on the bar or optionally be removed.
As mentioned above, the bars 5a,5b can be adjusted asymmetri-
cally in relation to the frame l and the vertical column 2,
20 thereby permitting the lifting bars of the apparatus to be
positioned directly op~osite the person for lifting and
lowering the person without difficulty in situations where
it is not possible to orient the motorized ~-shaped frame l
symmetrically facing a chair or wheelchair, owing to the
25 interference of the chair legs or wheels of the wheelchair.
To lift a handicapped person from a wheelchair or some other
article of furniture to a toilet, the lifting bars 5a~5b are
lowered to a height about lO cm below the person's armpits,
30 and the bars 5a,Sb are inserted beneath the armpits. The
lifting bars 5a,5b are then adjusted sideways on the cross-
bar 4' so that the pads ~ e close up against the person's
body. A broad supporting strap with a self-locking buckle
(not illustrated) can then be inserted beneath the person's
thighs and suspended from the lifting bars 5a,5b. If the
person is severely disabled, additional broad straps or
belts can also be used for supportin~ the person's upper
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body in relation to the lifting bars 5a,5b. After arranging
the person's clothing, the person is then moved over to the
toilet and lowered to the desired height. The person does not
have to be released from the lifting equipment, but can
benefit from the support this provides while sitting on the
toilet. With the aid of the control panel mentioned previous-
ly, the patient himself can raise or lower his body into a
convenient sitting position. The use of this lifting method
and apparatus prevents undue physical exertion on the part of
the nursing personnel, while at the same time the operation
is simpler, easier and more comfortable for the disabled
person. With the use of this apparatus and lifting method,
washing and attending to the patient after toilet use are
made substantially easier.
In the same manner as described above, disabled persons can
be lifted and transported to and from beds, to and from all
types of chairs, and to and from the bathtub or shower.
The lifting and transporting apparatus can also be used as
a walker chair, and the user himself can help himself up
from a prone or sitting position. The apparatus can also be
used for lifting a person who has fallen down on the floor,
utilizing a lifting strap that is placed around the chest
25 and under the arms of the person. The strap is hung on the
lifting bars 5a,5b of the apparatus, which in this case will
have been lowered into the lowest possible position by moving
the bars down on the telescopic pipe 3 and by lowering the
telescopic pipe 3 into its lowest position. The person can
30 then be lifted up to a chair or the like.
The lifting and transporting apparatus is extremely well
suited for lifting and transporting persons to and from an
automobile, using the lifting seat shown in Figure 3. This
35 seat is placed under the person, and the lifting bars 5a,5b
are adjusted to the desired height and are oriented trans-
versely of the person, i.e., with one bar behind the person's
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back and the other in front of his chest, while at the same
time the bars 5a,Sb are inserted through loops lO at the
corners of the lifting seat. Then, by raising the lifting
bars 5a,5b, the person can be lifted from a chair and moved
into the car and lowered into position, or vice-versa. The
lifting bars 5a,5b are then withdrawn from the seat loops lO,
and the person can remain sitting on the lifting seat inside
the car, so that the seat is ready for use when removing the
person from the automobile.
The lifting equipment on the apparatus can be disassembled
without the use of tools, and the telescopic pipe 3, cross-
bar 4' and lifting bars 5a,5b can be lifted off the vertical
column 2. In this way, the apparatus is substantially easier
15 to transport and carry.
