Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
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EVA~UATION OR RESCUE DEVICE FOR A NON AM~ULATO~Y PERSON
BACKGRO~-ND OF' THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to rescue
andjor evacuation devices for non-ambulatory or hed-
ridden persons, More particularly, the invention
relates to such a device in which a patient may be
rapidly and securely enclosed before transfer or
evacuation. This invention is related to a Canadian
application filed on August 281 1990 under Patent File
Number 2jO24,126-8 and incorporated by reference herein.
This application is not a second application of the type
permitted by the Patent Office under Section 27 o~ the
Act. The filing of this application does not involve
lS abandonment of the earlier application.
2. Prior Art of the Invention
An Evacuation Mattress is disclosed in
International Application Number PCT/NL 86/00015
published December 18, 1986 under No. WO 86/07253 based
on a Netherlands application filed June 12. 1985, The
mattress is characterized by belts or ropes to be put
around the patient, which are permanently fastened to
the mattress.
Other prior art devices for evacuating non-
ambulatory persons have also included boards or mats to
support a patient. For example, U.S. patent 4,793,008
iss~led D~cember 27, 1988 to Johansson discloses rigid
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yet flexible mats for placing under the patient with a
strap each for securing the patient across the chest and
thighs. A relatively complicated Rescue Transportation
Device is disclosed in U.S. patent 4,736,474 issued
April 12t 1988 to Moran et al, wherein an inflatable
support member and crossed straps are used to secure the
person being transported.
A Child Restraint Device With Removable Semi-Rigid
Support is disclosed in U.S. patent 4,627,428 issued
December 9, 1986 to Brooks. It includes a semi-rigid
base and a cover attachable to the base so as to secure
the child between the base and the cover. A restraining
harness on top of the cover secures the entire
arrangement to a transporting device.
There are nurnerous other patents and patent
applications employing rigid or semi-rigid supports and
belts or straps to secure the person transported to the
support. One apparent disadvantage to the use of straps
or belts is that they could exert undue or excessive
pressure on the bodies of some evacuees t such as in the
case of recent surgery patients. Another disadvantage
that is not obvious is that the use of straps or the
like harnesses delays the process of readying the
patient for rescue and evacuation such as in the case of
a hospital fire.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention endeavors to provide a
rescue/evacuation device that is rapidly deployable and
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that does not adversely affec-t the patient's body once
deployed, and permits evacua-tion thereof by one person
if necessary.
Accordingly, the present invention provides an
evacuation device for a non-ambulatory personr The
device comprises sheet means for enclosing the person
between a mattress and the sheet means and securement
means for forcing the sheet means agains-t the mattress.
In another aspect of the device comprises covering
means of use in covering said person and, attached to
said covering means, means of use in supporting and
moving said person on a surface.
In still another aspect the device comprises
covering means of use in covering said person, enclosing
means attached to said covering means and securernent
means, engaging said enclosing means, tc secureLy
enclose said person between said covering means and said
securement means.
In one aspect the invention provides such a device
wherein said sheet means comprises at least one sheet of
flexible material and said securement means comprises at
least one first securement member, at least one second
securement member and at least one third securement
member, said first member securing said sheet means to
said~mattress such that said sheet means is deployable
so as to cover a substantial portion of said person and
o~ the upper surface of said mattress, said second
member being secured to said mattress~ and said third
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rnember being engageable with said second ~ember to
enclose said person between said mattress and said sheet
means.
In ano-ther and preferred ernbodiment the invention
S provides such a device for transporting a bed-ridden
person, and adapted to remain under a bed mattress until
needed, comprising;
A central sheet portion having approximately the
size of a mattress and adapted to underlie the mattress,
a panel portion at each of the foot and head of the
central sheet, adapted to remain folded under the
mattress while not in use, and to unfold when needed to
overlie the person by covering the head and foot ends of
~ the mattress, and meet at a central part of the
rnattress, with a means for fixing ~he meeting portions
: removably in place, whereby to form a retaining panel
over the person,
said head end portion presenting an aperture for
the head of the person,
strand operated means adapted to draw the retaining
panel downwardly towards the central underlying sheet to
tighten the retaining sheet against the mattress and
retain the person securely within,
said s~rand operated means comprising on each side
of the device a: strand attached to a first anchorage
point on the edge of the foot end panel intermediate the
forward moving edge and the~ central sheet portion edge
of the foot end panel, and passing through a guide
attached to the central sheet, and terminating at a
second anchorage point on the foot end panel adjacent to
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the forward moving edge thereof;
whereby when the foot end panel is deployed by
pulling it up over the person and affixing it -to the
meeting portion of the head end panel the strand on each
S side is pulled longitudinally along the mattress, and
the first and second anchorage points are drawn further
apart, whereby the side edge of the central sheet is
drawn :towards the adjacent side edge of the retaining
sheet formed by the foot and head end sheets, whereby to
retain the person firrnly in place against the mattress.
Suitably, the guide cornprises a slotted runner adapted
to mbve along a bead forming an edge of the central
sheet, and the guide includes a passage for the strand
to permit~movement of the strand thr:ough the guide
lS during deployment, and facilitate tightening of the
strand.
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A:n improvement of the device of the present
invention provides an evacuation or rescue device for a
non-ambulatory person, cornprising: :
20~at least one sheet for covering substantially all
of said person;
at least one cord for enclosing said person between
said at least one sheet and a support for said person;
and
25at least one cleat, attached to a respective first
area of ~aid at least one sheet and for deployment along
the upper surface of said support.
A further improvement on the above invention
provides an evacuation device for a non-ambulatory
person adapted to cooperate with, and be secured to, a
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mattre~s~ stretcher, or like horizontal r~st rneans,
comprising
at least two sheets of use in covering said person;
at least two pairs of cords, each pair fixedly
attached to a respective sheet of said at least two
sheets and slidably attached to respective handles
attached to respective sheets of said at least two
sheets;
and securement means engaging said cords, to
securely enclose said person between said sheets and
said securement means;
said securement means comprising for each pair of
cords at least two cleats, each of which is fixed to a
respective edge of one of said at least two sheets and
having an opening for travel of a respective one of said
at least four cords,
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Certain embodimen~s of the invention will now be
described in detail with reference to the annexed
drawlngs, in which:
Figures 1, 2, and 3 are sequential perspective
views showing deployment of an evacuation device
according to the present invention;
Figure 4 is a perspective view of a variation of
the evacuation device shown in Figure 3, fully deployed
and in use;
Figure 5 is an exploded perspective vlew o~ the
evacuation device shown in Figure 4;
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Figure 6 is a plan view of the evacuation device
shown in Figure 1, with the mattress ornitted;
Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view along the line
A-A in Fi~ure 6;
S Figure 8 is a plan view of a detail of the device
sllowing the lower left-hand corner of Figure 6;
Figures 9, 10, and ll are sequential, partial
perspective views illustrating the securement of a sheet
to a mattress;
Figures 12 and 13 are, respectively, plan and side
views of a sled useful for rolling the embodiment shown
in Figures I to 3;
:
Figure 14 is a plan view of a detail of the sled
depicted in Figures 12 and 13;
Figure 15 is a cross-sectional view along the line
B-B in Figure 14;
Flgure 16 is a plan view of a detail of an
alternative arrangement to that shown in Figure 8;
Fi~ures 17 and 18 are seqllential perspective partly
broken away views of the device depicted in part in
Figure 16,:in use;
~ Figure lg is an exploded perspective view of the
devlce shown in Figures 16, 17 and 18;
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Figure 20 is a side detail view of part of the
device shown in Figures 17 and 18;
Figure 21 is a cross-sectional view along the line
C C in Figure 20;
Figure 22 is a plan detail view partly broken away
of a segment of a sled for use in the present invention;
Figure 23 is a partial plan view of an alternative
arrangement to that shown in Figure 16;
Figure 24 is a cross-sectional view along the line
lD D-D in Figure 23;
Figure 25 is a detailed plan view of the cleat
shown in Figures 23 and 24;
Figure 26 is a side view of an alternative cleat to
that s:hown in Fi~ure 25;
.
Figures 27, 28, 29 and 30 are sequential
perspective views illustrating the securement of a sheet
to a mattress;
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Figures 31, 32 and 33 are sequential side views
illustrating the securement of a sheet to a mattress;
Figures 34, 35 and 36 are sequential perspective
views showing deployment of an evacuation device
according to an improvement on the invention shown in
the previous figures;
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Figure 37 is a partially broken away plan view of
the evacuation device shown in Figures 34, 35 and 36
with pouch cover and mattress omitted;
Figure 3~ is a cross-sectional side view along the
5 line E-E' shown in Figure 37~ with the pouch cover in
place;
Figure 39 is a side view of a detail of the portion
F of the device shown in Figure 38;
Figure 40 is a side view of a handle that is part
of the device shown in Figures 34 to 39;
Figure 41 is a plan view of the handle shown in
Figure 40;
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Figure 42 ~.s an end view of the handle:shown in
Figure 40;
Figure 43 is a cross-sectional end view along~the
line G-G' in Figure 37
Figures 44 and 45 show a means of attachin~ an
element to the fabric; :
Figures 46, 47 and 48 show a preferred embodlment
of the device; and
Figures 4:9 and 50 show some variations of a means
f~or removably anchoring ~he device to a bed.
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSED EMBODIMENTS
Referring to Figure 1 of the drawings, i~ shows a
person 103 lying on a mattress 109 on a bed frame 125.
Visible at the foot end of the bed frame 125 is a handle
108 attached to the evacuation device, which is disposed
under the mattress ready for d~ployment. A handle
similar to the handle 108 extends beyond the head end of
the mattress 109.
Figure 2 shows that by pulling the handle 108 of an
evacuation device shown generally at 100, a top cover
101 is drawn out from its place of storage beneath the
foot end of the mattress 109. Along with such a top
cover 101 a further handle lU5, which is preferably a
cord, is drawn out, releasably held against the top
lS cover 101 by a loop 118. The "cords" and "strands"
referred to herein are pre~erably pre-stretched sailing
rope 3/16 of an inch in diameter. Each end o~ the cord
105 is fastened to an edge of the top cover 101 by
stitching at an edge point (as well as on the other,
20 unseen, side) 106 and runs through loops 114 along the
edges of the top cover 101. (The routing of the cord
105 between the head and foot ends of the mattress 109
and the longitudinal lower edges thereof, below the edge
point~ 106, will be described in detail below in
~5 conjunction with Figures 5 through 15.) One end of the
loop 118 is sewn to the top cover lOl and the other end
is releasably fastenable by Velcro (trade mark) to
enclose and re~ain the cord 105 when the cord 105 is
drawn out with the ~op cover 101.
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By pulling the top co~er 101 over the person 103
and the foot of the mattress 109, towards the opposite
(head~ end of the mattress 109, the cord 105 and top
cover 101 are disposed to faeilitate securely enclosing
the person 103 between the top cover 101 and the
mattress 109.
Referring to Figures 3 and 4, the top cover sheet
101' at the head end of the mattress 109 includes an
opening 123 for the head of the person 103. The top
10 covers 101 and 101' preferably are made of Staph Check
20 (trade mark~, sold by Herculi~e Produc~s Inc. of New
York, New York. A flexible high tensile strength shee-t
material~ preferably including a heat reflective
material such as metallic coated MYLAR (TM), may be used
as an alternative.
It is also preferred that each top cover 101 and
lOl'~be longer than half the length of the mattress 109.
In use, the top covers 101 and 101' are extended toward
the head and foot ends of the mattress 109 respectively,
and they ~overlap. They are then fastened to one
another, suitably by Velcro strips 104. By pulling on
the cords 105, the long edges of the top covers lOl and
101' are drawn ~down towards the lower edge of the
mattre~s 109, securely enclosing the person 103 between
25 the top covers 101 aDd 101' and the mattress 109.
; Referring to the ernbodiment shown in Figure 4, each
top cover 101 and 101' includes handles 107 on its upper
surface. Such further handles 107 are of use in lifting
the device and person 103 from a bed to a floor.
Thereafter, the device and person 103 may be pulled
along the floor using either cord 105.
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With reference now to Figure 5, when the top covers
lOl and 101' are drawn together they secure the person
103 tn a sled 110, to a sheet lll, or to a sled-sheet
assembly described in detail below with reference to
Figures 5 through 15.
Enclosure of the person 103 by the top cover sheets
lOl and 101' secures the person 103 onto the mattress
109 .
Referring to Figure 5, a device shown generally at
lO0 includes a sheet 111, between the mattress lO9 and
the rest of the device 100. The sheet lll includes, a-t
each end, a flap 121 for covering the respec~ive top
covers lOl and lOl' when they have been stored in
pockets 102. The pockets referred to herein are not
essential to the invention but are preferred, to keep
the top covers lOl and lOl' out of the way of bed
clothes. The sheet 111 is attached to the rest of the
device lO0 by Velcro strips 122 on the corners of the
lower face of the sheet 111 which engage matching Velcro
strips 124 on the top of coverings 113. The coverings
113 cover grooves through which the cord 105 is
originally placed.
In Figure 6, the sheet 111 has been omitted in the
device 100, for the purposes of clarity, At each end of
the device 100 a cord 105 extends from the loop 118
through the back of the pouch 102, into grooves 115 near
the corners of the sled 110. Exiting from the grooves
lI5, the cord 105 extends back toward the pouches 102 on
each side of the cover 101. The cords 105 ex-tend along
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grooves 112 under the covers 113 and then pass in-to the
pouches 102~ under the pouch lids 121. In the pouches
102 the cords 105 are folded up along the lateral edges
of the top covers lOl and 101', The cords 105 are kept
in place therealong by the loops 114 and by being
attached to the top covers 101 and 101' at points 106.
Referring to Figure 7, top cover 101 is stored in
an accordion-folded manner under the foot end of the
mattress 109. For the purposes of clarity, the cord 105
has not been included in the Fi~ure,
Before use, each folded top cover 101 and 101' is
stored in a respective pouch 102. Such pouches 102 are
connected to the sled 110 and/or the sheet 111 which is
preferably of a low friction material such as cloth
c o a t e d w i t h T e f 1 o n ( t r a d e m a r k f o r
polytetrafluoroethylene). The device 100 then forms a
single unit, the lower surface of which is attached to
the upper surface of a bed frame 125. AlternativelY,
the upper surface of the device 100 is attached to the
lower surface of the mattress 109. In either event,
Velcro may be used to affix the device 100. Also in
either event, as shown in Figure 8, a pair of guide
grooves 112 adjacent to each pouch 102 receives the cord
105 to facilitate the cord 105 moving past corners of
the mattress 109 when the cord 105 is pulled.
Top cover 101 is attached to pouch 102 by stitching
at 119. A suitable closing means is provided at 120 to
keep the lid 121 closed until the device is to be used.
A sheet plastic closing means such as the closure known
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by the trade mark Zip-Loc may be used. Any other means
which is satisfactory for hospi~al use, such as Velcro,
may also be used.
Referring to Figure 8, the grooves 112 are parallel
to the direction in which the cord 105 is pulled and are
covered by flexible coverings 113. Preferably. a
leading edge and a trailing edge of the covering 113 of
each groove 112 is angled to aid in the cord 105
clearing the corner of the mattress 109.
The first guide grooves 112 are below the mattress
109 corners and configured such that upon the cord 105
being pulled, the cord 105 passes out of the coverings
113 and guide grooves 112 without catching on the
corners or the mattress 109, For each guide groove 112
lS an openable loop 114 is attached to the top cover 101
through which the cord 105 passes when the cord 105 is
pulled. If, along the edge of each top cover lOl and
101' parallel to where the grooves 112 would bè, a
plurality~of such loops 114 are attached then they
suffice to cause the cord 105 to clear the corresponding
corner of the mattress 102, and the grooves 112 are not
needed.
Once the top covers lOl and 101' are extended over
the person 103 and joined to one another by ~he Velcro
~S 10;4 the attachments 106 are approximately opposite
transverse openings at the ends of the second grooves
115. ~By pulling the cords 1057 away from the device 100
at each end of the device 100, each cord 105 passes
along the grooves 115, drawing its associated cover
30 sheet 101 or 101' down toward the sled 110 and sheet
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111. That process will now be described in further
detail with reference to Figures 9 to 11.
Referring to Figure 9, before the cord 105 is
pulled, a portion 105' of it is in the groove 112, under
cover 113, below the mattress 109. Another portion
105 " is along the side of the mattress 109 between the
end of the mattress 109 (and groove 112) and the
attachment 106. The remainder, 105 " ', is between the
other end of the groove 112 and the sled 110 (not shown)
and also extends into and through the sled 110. When
the cord 105 is initially pulled the portion 105'''
moves, in the plane of the sled 110 (not show~), in the
direction shown by the arrow in the Fi~ure.
Referring to Fi~ure 10, as the cord 105 is pulled,
15 the cord 105 passes out of the groove 112, covering 113
and loop 114 and rnoves toward the opposite end of the
mattress 109 and towards a position generally below the
attachment 106. The force of pulling on the cord 105
detaches the "Velcro" end of the loop 114 from the sheet
20 101,
Referring to Figure 11, in the final stage of
securing the top cover 101 over the mattress 109 the
cord 105 extends from attachment 106 on top cover 101,
passes under the mattress 109 and through the sled 110
25 (along guide grooves 115 in the sled 110) and exits from
beneath the end of~the mattress 109.
Referring to Figures 12 and 13. the sled 110 is
preferably made of a rigid material such as injection
: molded plastic. Such a sled 110 preferably has in its
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lower surface, runners or bumps for ease o~ moving the
device lO0 along a surface, such as a bed ~rame or
floor. In the embodiment sho~n in Fig. 12, a w~eel-axle
assembly is mounted in openings 132 in the lower surface
of such a sheet llO~ such that a wheel l2g in such an
assernbly will roll on the surface below the device lO0.
The sled llO is segmented at 128 to facilitate its
conforming to the shape of the mattress 109.
A wheel-axle assembly comprises a whe~l 129 having
cylindrical cross sectio~ and a rota~ional axis parall~l
to the lower surface of the sled llO. Each wheel-axle
assembly also comprises an axle 131 attached to the
wheel 129 and mounted in the opening 132. Preferably,
the wheels l29 are constructed of nylon.
15~ In many cases it will be desirable to include an
area of high friction material on the lower surface of
the sled llO.~to slow the device 100 in its travels e.g.
down stairways.
R~ferring to the embodiments of Figures 14 and l5~
the sled llO further comprises a cleat or ratchet 116
engageable with the cord 105 to retain the tautness of
the top co~er; lQl against the mattress 109 and person
103. The cleat or ratchet 116 is engageable with the
cord 105 by plugs or knots 117, extending from the cord
105. The plugs or knots 117 inhibit movement of the
cord 105 into the guide ~rooves l15. The cord 105 can
be~partly withdrawn from the sled llO while the cleat or
ratchet ll6 is disengaged from the cord 105. Such
disengagement is achieved by pressing release pin 130
against ratchet 116 such that ratchet 116 pivots about
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post 125, subject to restraint Erom spring 127, so ~hat
cleat 11~ rotates away frorn cord 105. The cord 105 can
then be pulled back along the groove 115 while cleat 116
is disengaged from the cord 105.
S In an alternative to the abo-ve-described preferred
embodiment, a further embodiment r.eed not include the
sled 110 and will now be discussed with reference to
Figures 16 through 22, which also disclose other
features differing from the previous embodiments.
Referring to Fi~ure 16, an upper cord 105A and
lower cord 105B pass through a slidable guide 133. The
slidable guide 133 is slidable along the cords lOSA and
10~5B and is attached to a pre-stretched cord 105C at
143. The cord lOSC is preferably made of a rubberized
elastic material and is attached to the guide 133 by an
end of the cord lOSC being inserted through a hole in
the guide 133 and then heati~ng and flattening that end
so that its lateral di~ensions exceed the size of that
hole. The pouch lid or flap 121, fastened as in the
previous embodiment, helps to keep the g~lide l33 and
sheet 101 in place inside the pouch 102 and the cord
lOSC in its pre-stretched condition. A post 144 inside
pocket 102 projects upwardly from the base thereof near
the corner of the pocket 102. Covering 113, and groove
112 thereunder, together with post 144 also help to keep
the guide 133 and cord lOSC in their original positions.
Referring to Figure 17, the Figure shows the device
after the guide 133 has cleared the post 144 and left
the pocket 102 but before the guide 133 has cleared the
end of the mattress 109, drawn the cord 105B out of the
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&roove 112 under the cover 113 and shuttled along the
cords 105A and lOSB. The pre-stretched cord 105C is
fi~edly attached to the slidable guide 133 at 143, and
to the sheet 111 by stitching at 134, and extends along
the lower edg~ of the mattress 109. The upper cord 105A
is fixedly attached to the top cover 101 by stitching at
136 and at 106A and extends between 106A and 136 through
the slidable guide 133. The stitching 136 is preferably
mid-way between the top and base of the mattress 109 at
an area along the edge of the top cover 101 where the:
top cover 101 ultimately covers the end face of the
mattress 109. The lower cord 105B is fixedly attached
to the sheet 111 at 106B, extends through guide grDove
112 (under cover 113) and through slidable guide 133 and
is fixedly attached to top cover lOI by stitching at
136. Once the handle 108 has been grasped and pulled a
sufficient distance, the slid:able guide 133, and most of
the top cover 101, are drawn out of the pocket 102.
When that occurs, the guide 133 rotates about the post
144, The guide 133 is then substantially free to draw
together cords 105A and lOSB, in a zipper-like fashion,
using the energy stored ln the cord lOSC,
Figure 18 shows the mattres~ 109 finally secured
between the top cover 101 and sheet 111 by th:e
advancement, under the energy stored in the cord 105C,
of the guide 133 and cords 105A and lOSB, The cord lOSC
has~ as a result of such advancement, correspondingly
shortened but preferably still applies force to the
guide 133 to secure the top cover:101, Guide 133 may be
a self-locking type to hold the cords lOSA and B
securely in place,
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The device and mattress 10~ can then be slid to the
floor by pulling on the handles 107, Once on the floor,
the device and mattress 109 can be moved by pulling the
handle 135. The handle 135 is attached to -the top cover
lOl or sheet 111 near the ba~e of the end of the
mattress 109 by stitching 137.
Referring to Figure 19, it is preferred that the
areas of attachment 106B of the lower cords lO5B from
one end of the device 100' are also the areas of
attachment for the cords 105C from the opposite end of
the de~ice 100'. The Figure also shows that, unlike the
embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 15, in this alterna-tive
embodiment not only is a sled 110 not necessary in
tightening the covers 101 and 101' but unlike cords 105
the cords 105A, 105B and 105C do not run through a sled
110. The pockets 102 are attached to the sheet 111 as
in the previous embodiment. To keep the cords 105B and
105C out of the way of bed clothes, such as sheets and
blankets, the cords 105B and 105C may run under the
sheet 111 in a reinforced lip adjacent to, and under the
edge of, the sheet 111~ For the sake of clarity that
lip is not shown in the drawings.
If a sled is to be included in the embodiment shown
in Figure 19 such a sled can be a sled 110' fastened to
the lower face of sheet 111. Such a sled 110' can be
the sled 110 described above but need not include guide
groo:ves ~li5 or the cleat assernbly shown in Figures 12
and 13.
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Referring to Figures 20 and 21, the guide 133
3D comprlses a base 138 to which the cord 105C is attached
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at one end at 143. A cover 139 extends over most of the
remainder of the base 138. Within the cover 139 are
channel walls 140 running along the length of the guide
133. The cords 105A and 105B enter the guide 133, near
S the attachment 143, via the gap between the channel
walls 140. The cords lOSA and 105B tend not to tangle
but rather to stay next to the channel walls 140 as a
result of (i) small clearance hetween the bottom of the
cover 139 and the top of the cords 105A and 105B, (ii)
the preferred converging arcuate perimeters of the
channel walls 140 and (iii) a wedge shaped cleat 141.
The cleat 141 narrows in the direction of travel of the
guide 133 i.eO in the direction the guide 133 travels
along the edge of the mattress 109 as the cover 101 is
being secured. The cleat 141 preferably has teeth 149
to bite the cords 105A and 105B if force is applied to
the guide 133 that would tend to direct the guide 133
back along cords 105A and 105B to the starting position
of the guide 133. However, it is also preferred~that
the cleat 141 is positionable in an opening 150 in the
cover 139. Preferably, the opening 150 is near -the
trailing end of the guide 133. A pin 142 extends from
the cleat 141 through the opening 150. By grasping the
pin 142 and pulling the cleat 141 in the direction
opposite to the ordinary direction of travel of the
guide 133 the teeth 149 can be sufficiently distanced
from the cords 105A and 105B to allow the guide 133 to
be drawn back along the cords 105A and 105B, re-
stretching the cord 105C, and allowing for the evacuee
to exit the device and for the device to be reused.
In a still further embodiment, the pre-stretched
cord of the first alternative embodiment runs through a
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sled. In this further embodiment it is preferred that
the pre-stretched cord not run the length of the sled.
~ith transverse segmentations (such as 128 in Figures 14
and 15) the cord would tend to force the sled to curve
5 upwardly at it~ ends. Rather, as shown in Fi~ure 22 it
is preferred that the elastic cord 105C' be s-tretched
within a sin~le segment of the sled 110''. In this
embodiment, the cord 105C' is fixedly attach~d to the
sled llO " at anchorage 148 and extends along groove
151. From attachment 148 the cord lOSC' extends to and
bears first on pulley 147. then extends to and bears on
pulley 146 and finally e~tends to and bears on pulley
145 before exiting from the sled 110'' at 152. The cord
105C' then extends to attachment 106A on top cover 101.
lS The cord 105C' is kept stretched, preferably~by being
secured by a latch (not shown), which is opened by
drawing the top cover 101 out of the pocket 102.
:`
A further embodiment, in which a sled is not
r~equired, will now be described with reference to
Fi~ures 23 to 30.
As in the embodiments described above, such as Fi~.
1~, the t~p covers 101 and 101' are drawn out of
respective pouches 102 by pulling on handles 108 and
108' attached to the respective top covers 101 and 101',
2S The configuration of the device before that occurs will
now be described, with reference to Figure 23.
Referring to Figure 23, there is shown a sheet lll'
including pouches 102 having lids 121, grooves 112 and
groove coverings 113, for use on a bed frame 125 as
described above. The sheet 111' further comprises a lip
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154 spannin~ a substantial length of each long edge of
the sheet 111', beginning at the backs of the pockets
102. A cleat 153 slidably engages the lip 154 which
preferably has a thickened portion 167 at each end to
stop the cleat 153 from sliding off either end of the
lip 154. A looped cord 105D extends through the cleat
153. The looped cord 105D passes through the cleat 153
and extènds along the grooves 112, under the covers 113
and is respectively attached to the cover sheet 101 at
connection points 106 and 155 inside the pockets 102.
Referring to Figure 24, lip 154 is formed by a cord
170 tightly enclosed in a hem of the edge of the sheet
111' by stitching 169. The lip 154 is parallel, and
adjacent, to each ~long edge of the sheet 1111. Near the
side edges of the back o~ each pocket 102 the lip 154
and the edge nf the sheet 111' are covered by a flap 168
to keep the cleat 153 and lip 154 out of the way of bed
clothes such as sheets and blankets. One ed~e of the
flap 168 is secured to the sheet 111' by stitching 166
and the other edge has a hem 171.
Referring also to Figure 25, the cleat 153 is
tubular and has a C-shaped transverse cross-section.
Along the full length of its base an opening 158
extends. The opening 158 communicates along its length
with a passa~e 159 which also runs the full length of
the cleat 153. The passage 159 is substantially the
same shape as, but larger than, the lip 154.
The cleat 153 and lip 154 are made of material that
is sufficiently flexible to allow the lip 154 to be
pushed through the opening 158 into the passage 159.
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Above the passage 159 and also extending the full
length of the cleat 153 is a passage 160. The passage
160 has a large enough cross-section to allow the cord
lO5D to travel through it.
At one end of the passage 160 a notch 157 extends
from that end of the passage 160 towards the top of the
middle of ~he cleat 153, as best shown in Figures 25 and
~6. Referring to Figure 26, the notch 157 narrows
toward the middle of the top of the cleat 153. That
narrowing provides a way to secure the cleat 153 to the
cord 105D. By pulling upwardly on the portion of the
cord 105D extending out of the wide end of the notch
157, the cord 105D is wedged in the notch 157.
Gare should be taken to balance the flexibility of
the lip 154, cleat 153 and cord 105D to ensure that the
notch 157 can bite and hold the cord 105D withoùt the
cleat 153 popping off the lip 154.
Referring to Figure 26, the upper portion of a
variant cleat 153' is not as long as the lower portion
of the variant cleat 153'. As a result, the passage
160' in the cleat 153' is relatively shorter than the
passage 160 in the cleat 153. As well, the distance
between the narrow end of the notch 157 and the opposite
end of the upper portion of the cleat 153' is shorter
than the corresponding distance on the cleat 153. With
the cleat 153' a lar~er force F can be applied to the
cord 105D to make the notch 157 bite and hold the cord
105D with less likelihood of the cleat popping off the
Iip 154.
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In Figures 27 to 30 the flap 168 is omitted for the
purposes of clarity. Referring to Figure 27, the handle
108 in this embodimen-t is not attached to the loose end
of the top cover lOl but rather is attached to the
underside of it by sewing approximately 30 cm from that
end. Approximately 30 cm of the top cover 101 doubles
back from the handle 108 over top of the rest of the top
cover 101. The cord 105D is attached, by sewing, to the
top cover 101 at points 106 and 155, 106 being
approximately 60 cm from the loose end of the top cover
101 and 155 being near that end. The portion of the
cord lO5D attached at 155 extends out of the notched end
of the passage 160 and then doubles back to attach at
155. The portion of the cord lOSD attached at 106
lS extends out of the other end of the passage 160,
directly to attachment 106,
Referring to Figure 28, as the sheet 101 is drawn
out still further by pulling on handle 108 the cleat
153' move~ toward the middle of the lower edge of the
20 mattress 109, along the lip 154.
Referring to Figure 29, once the top cover 101 is
fully drawn out of the pocket 102 the cleat 153' has
travelled a substantial distance along the lip 154. The
portion of the top cover 101 folded over the remainder
of the top cover 101 is unfolded, by grasping the
corners of the loose end of the top cover 101, and the
last 30 cm or so of the top cover 101 are advanced in
the direction of the arrows towards the opposite end of
the mattress 109.
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Referring to Figure 30, the steps depicted in
Figures 27, 28 and especially 29, have resulted in the
cleat 153' advancing substantially the full length of
the lip 154. In so doing the portion of the cord 105D
between the attachment 155 and the cleat 153' has
lengthened at the expense of the portion between the
cleat 153' and the attachment 106, which has shortened.
The top cover 101 has been drawn towards the mat~ress
109 and sheet 111'.
A further aspect of the invention combines aspects
of the embodiment depicted in Figures 28 to 30 with
aspects of the embodiment depicted in Figures 17 to 21.
This further aspect of the invention will now be
described with reference to Figures 31 to 33.
lS Re erring to Figure 31, the Figure shows the device
once the top cover 101 has begun to be drawn out from
under the mattress 109. The handle 108 on the top cover
101 is attached to the underside of the top cover 101,
by sewing, approximately 30 cm from the free end of the
top cover 101. Approximately 30 cm of the top cover 101
doubles back from the handle 108 over top of the rest of
the top cover 101. A cord 105F is attached to the edges
of the top cover 101, by sewing, at points 106 and 173,
173 being along the edge ~of the top cover 101
approximately 60 cm from the free end of the top cover
101 and 106 being approximately 30 cm from that end. A
cord 105G is attached to the edge of a sheet 111 by
stitching 172 appruximately 30 cm from the end of the
mattress 10~. The cord 105G is also attached to the top
3~ cover 101 by stitching 173. The cords 105F and 105G run
through a guide 133 in a manner similar to the cords
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105A and 105B depicted in Figures 20 and 21. A cord
105E is attached to the edge of the free end of the top
cover 101 by stitching 155 and to the leading end of the
cleat 133 by clip 174.
S Referring to Figure 32, as the top cover 101 is
drawn out still further by pulling on handle 108 the
guide 133 moves in the same direction along the cords
105F and 105G.
Referring to Figure 33~ once the top cover 101 is
fully drawn out, the folded portion of it is unfolded to
fully ti~hten the cords lOS~, 105F and lOSG and the
guid~e 133 has travelled a substantial distance along the
cord6 105F and 105G.
In an alternative to the above-described
lS embodiments~ the person 103 is covered by a single~top
cover sheet 101 made of flexible material. The~single
sheet is drawn out from side to side across the mattress
109 or sled 110 or from one end of the mattress 109 or
sled llO towards the other end of the mattress 109 or
sled 110.
` To force such a sheet 101, or a plurality of sheets
101, against the mattress 109 or sled 110 at least one
first cl:asp, at least one second clasp and at least one
thi`rd clasp may be used. The first clasp secures the
sheet 101 to the:mattress 109 or sled 110 ar a sheet
I11,~with the result that the sheet 101 is dispensable
to cover~a substantial portion of the person 103 and of
the upper surface of the mattress 109 or sled 110 or
sheet 11~1. The second clasp is accordingly secured to
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the mattress 109 or to the at sled 110 or sheet 111,
depending on whether the first clasp is secured to the
mattress 109 or to the sled 110 or sheet 111. The third
clasp is engageable with the second clasp to enclose the
person 103 between the cover sheet 101 and, as the case
may be~ the mattress 109 or the sled 110 or sheet 111.
In either event, the first clasp may be replaced by
stitching and the second clasp may be a clip attached to
the mattress 109 and specially adapted to engage the
third clasp.
A further embodiment of the present invention will
now be described in detail with reference to Figures 34
to 43.
Referring to Figure 34, the improved device 200 is
1~ initially placed under the mattress 109 which supports
the person 103 on the bed 125 as shown in Figure 1. A
portion of a flexible sheet 201 is accordion folded
under a corresponding end of the mattress 109.~ For
brevity and clarity this detailed description largely
refers to one side and one end of the bed, i.e. single
sheets. single cords, single cleats and single handles.
It should be understood, however, that the device 200
will normally be substantially symmetric on either side
of the mattress 109. It will also be understood that
except for a hole in the sheet for the person's head,
the device 200 will normally be symmetric at the foot-
and head-ends of the mattress 109, i.e. that it
comprises either one sheet under the mattress emerging
at the foot- and head-ends or two sheets similar to the
sheet 201 which are joined tdgether below the lower ~ace
of the mattress 109 and which in use fasten to one
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another above the upper face of the mattress 10~.
Similarly. it should be understood that there are
preferably two handles 206 and 207 on each long edge of
the device. The device 200 further consists of two
cords 202 and 203, two cleats 204 (not shown) and 205
and two slotted handles 206 (not shown) and 207.
In use, by grasping the handle 208 the accordion
folded portion of the sheet 201 is pulled towards, and
then up and over the closest end of the mattress 109,
such that the sheet 201 can then be pulled over the
mattress lO9 and over the person laying on that mattress
109. An aspect of the folding of the sheet 201 is that
a last fold remains once the sheet 201 has been pulled
over the person on -the ma~tress 109 ~Figure 35). By
then grasping the free end of the sheet 201 and pulling
it towards; the far end of the mattress 109 much of the
len~th of each cord 202 and 203 passes through its
respective clèat 204 and 205; the lower end of each~ cord
202 and 203 is movably~ secured to a respective handle
209 (not shown~ and 210; and,~ as a result, the person is
securely enclosed between the sheet 201 and the mattress
109 (Figure 36). The handles 206 (not shown) and 207
can then be grasped to remove the mattress 109, with the
person 103 secured to it, from the bed 125.
The sheet 201 is preferably made of vinyl
reinforced with polyester. "Staph Check 20" (trade
mark) is such a material . The sheet 201 is
approximately the size of the lower face of the mattress
109 w`ith which it is to be used. (Of course, if a
single sheet is used, rather than two joined sheets,
then its length should be approximately twice that of
.
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the mattress.~ sefore being used the sheet 201 si1:s
below approximately half of the lower face of the
mattress 109. The part o~ the sheet 201 that is below
an end of that mattress 109 is arraneed in an accordion
folded manner.
Pulling on the handle ?.08 tends to pull the edges
of the sheet 201 away from the edges of the mattress
109. A batten 209 is attached to the cleats 204 and
205. The batten 209 is preferably a semi-rigid plastic
10 strip approximately 1/8 of an inch thick and 1 1l
inches wide. The batten 209 helps Iseep the sheet 201 at
fu11 width while the handle 208 is pulled.
Referring to Figures 37 and 41, the slotted handle
207 is generally C-shaped, preferably made of injection
lS molded plastic, approximately 7 inches long and includes
hand grips 210. It is attached and parallel to a
respective lower side of the sheet 201, such that ~hen
the device 200 is positioned for use the handle 207 will
be approximately 20 inches from the end of the mattress
20 109. A bore 211 in the slotted handle 207 is parallel
to its longitudinal axis. The bore 211 extends
completely to one end of the slotted handle 207 and the
diameter of the bore 211 is ~reater than the diameter of
the respective cord 202 with which it is to be used. An
25 opening 212 extends from the base of the handle 2û7 to
the bore 211. The width of the opening 212 is greater
than the diameter of the cord 202 and less than the
diameter of the bore 211.
It is preferred that the handle 207 be attached to
30 the sheet 201 a few inches from its edge so that,
towards the end of pulling action of the cord 202, the
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handle 207 is pulled out from under the mattress 109 and
the lower portion of the sheet 20l, Attaching the
handle 207 at that location keeps the handle under the
sheet 201 and out of the way of bedding and of the bed
125 until the device 200 is being deployed. Setting the
handle 207 back from the edge of the sheet 201 also
facilitates the cord 202 clearing the corner of the
mattress 109 as the sheet 201 is drawn out of the pouch
213.
The cleat 205 is an injection molded plastic tube
fixed to a respective side edge of the sheet 201
approximately 60 inches closer to the end of the sheet
201 than is the corresponding slotted handle 207 as
measured along the sheet 201. A longitudinal opening in
each cleat 205 runs the length thereof and is lar~e
enough for the cord 202, with which it is to be used, to
move through the opening. The cleat may be of the sarne
general shape as the cleat depicted in Figure 25. Other
suitable cleats may, of course, be used.
.
The cord 202 is preferably 1/8 of an inch in
diameter and made of high tensile strength material. An
upper end of the cord 202 is stitched to a corresponding
corner of the sheet 201, The other end of the cord 202
is then run through the longitudinal opening of the
25 corresponding cleat 205, inserted into the opening 212
of the corresponding slotted handle 207 and run along
and out the end of the bore 211 and secured against
withdrawal from the opening 212 and bore 211. Suitably,
withdrawal may be prevented by heating the inserted end
30 until it is malleable, and then, while it is still
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malleable, thickening and flattening it so that its
diameter is greater than the width of the slot 212 of
that slotted handle 207 but not larger than the bore
211. Alternatively a nut can be secured to ~he inserted
5 end of the cord 202 to prevent withdrawal. hs a result
of the above described structure the lower ends of the
cords 202 and 203 are movably ixed in the bores 215 and
211 of respective slotted handles 206 and 207 near the
bottom outside edges of the sheet 201 and mattress 109.
10Referring to Figure 38, before use the sheet 201 is
folded into a tray-like pouch 213. Preferably, the
pouch 213 is, from top to bottom, approximately 1j2 inch
thick and is made of injection molded plastic. Alon~ an
upper face 217, of the pouch 213, farthest from the end
15of the mattress 109, the sheet 201 passes between the
top of the pouch 213 and the bottom face of a pouch
cover 218. In that region the pouch cover 218 is sewn
to the top face of the sheet 201.
Near the face 217 a groovê 219 in the pouch 213
runs substantially the length of the face 217. An edge
220 of a strip 221 of "Staph Check 20" (trade mark) is
sewn to:the bottom face of the sheet 201 parallel to`the
groove 219. The strip 221 is then puckered to form a
ridge of material that will snap into the groove 219.
The other edge 222 of the strip 221 is then also sewn to
the bottom face of the sheet 201, taking care to
preserve the required pucker of the strip 221. As an
alternative to the strip 221 a cord made of squeezable
material may be used to form the ridge of material that
will snap into the groove 219.
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Referring to Figure 39, the front face 223 of the
pouch 213 includes a groove 224 running for
substantially the length of the face 223. The cover 218
extends over the accordion folded portion of the sheet
201 and over the face 223. The cover 218 overlaps
enough of the front face 223 that a 3/16 inch diameter
rip cord 225 can be laid against the portinn of the
cover 218 that extends over the groove 224 and, together
with that portion of the cover 218, snapped into the
groove 224. The grGove 224 extends around the sides of
the pocket 213. Snapping the puckered strip 221 into
the groove 217, together with snapping the rip cord 225
and cover 218 into the groove 224, keeps the accordion
folded portion of the sheet 201 largely sealed away from
dirt and out of the way of bed clothes such as blankets
and mattress covers.
The pouch 213 should be positioned close enough to
the end of the mattress 109 that the rip cord 225 can
readily be grasped and pulled. The sheet 201 should be
so folded in the pouch 213 that by pulling the rip cord
225 a looped cord handle 208 attached one fold back from
the end of the sheet 201 will be exposed so that it can
be grasped to pull the sheet 201 out of the pocket 213
and over the person who is on the mattress 109. The
pouch 213 can then be snapped off of the puckered strip
221. Stability of the device 200 before use, and
removal of the pouch 213 from the device 200 during use,
~are facilitated by the pouch 213 having been attached to
the bed 125, suitably by means of Velcro (trade mark).
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The manner of attaching the handle 207 to the sheet
201 and stowing the att~ched handle 207 will now be
described with reference to Figures 40 through 43. In
the region of handle 207 the width of the sheet 201 is
sufficient to allow the handle 207 to lay on the bed 125
and for the sheet 201 t~ overlap and cover the handle
207. (See Figure 43~) About an inch of the edge of the
sheet 201 is folded to produce a hem-like feature (not
shown.) The hem-like feature is then inserted into the
slot-like openings 228 and 229 in the handle 201, The
slots 22~, 229 are widened over part of their extent, as
at 230 and 231, to allow a dowel 232 to be inserted into
the widened portion 231, between the closed end of the
hem-like feature and the open end of the hem-like
lS feature. To~ether with screws (not shown) screwed into
holes 233 in the handle 207, the dowel 232 serves to
secure the handle 207 to the sheet 201.
It should be understood that variations on the
above-described improvement are possible. For example,
the sheet 201 may be attached to the mattress 109, as
may the handles 207, particularly if the device 200 does
not include pouch 213.
As shown in Figs. 44 and 45, the plastic molded
components includin~ the handles, tow cord fasteners,
sled sections, and the like, may conveniently be
attached to the main Staphchek fabric utilizing a
technique known as hot air cold staking. In this
process the plastic component 250 is provided with a
stub (male) piece 251 and a matching opening portion 252
(female). The fabric 253 is sandwiched between the stub
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and the opening, with the stub 251 passin~ through the
fabric and projecting through the opening 252, as shown
in Figures 44 and 45, and hot air is blown onto the stub
251 until it is soft. normally about five seconds. Then
a "cold stake" flattens the stub lnto the openin~
portion, where it hardens and permanently retains the
fabric in place.
Continuous seam sonic welding may conveniently be
used to form the seams in the fabric and to weld sheet
plastic components (such as the Z,iploc closures) to the
fabric. By such techniques the enclosures for the panel
may be hermetically sealed so that spilled liquids and
dirt and the like are prevented from entering into the
enclosures when the device is dormant, in place under a
lS mattress.
Figure 47 shows a partially schematic perspective
view of a corner of the device of Figure 46, showing the
sheet 201 in its folded position, with the cord 202
loosely held in the same pocket.
Figure 48 is a partly schematic perspective view of
an embodiment of the present invention, embodying
features of the device shown in Figure 34. The figure
shows the device in a deployed configuration (with the
mattress and patient omitted for clarity).
A "tear-strip" 305 is provided around the edge of
the units cooperating with Ziploc closures 306, 307 to
seal the complete unit cover 308 against entry of dirt,
liquid spills, and the like. The cover 308 also serves
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- 35
to retain the handles 206 and 207 in a safe place, where
they will not interfere with normal hospital bed
routines.
Figure 46 shows a partly schematic perspective view
of the device, in i~s fully folded and dormant position.
This unit would normally underlie the mattress and be
placed on top of the bed.
Normally it will be desirable to attach the unit of
Figure 46 to the bed in an easily removable manner,
which will however permit thorough cleaning of the space
under the foot and head of the bed without disassembly,
or any undue diffiCultY or troubles
A convenient way to do this is by the provision of
a cradle unit which can be attached to the bed by
lS adhesive, screws, or any conventional suitable means, as
shown in Figs. 49 and 50. This can suitably be effected
by means of a cradle 320 and snap-in pin device as shown
in Figures 49 and S0 in a partial side elevation and a
plan view. The spring loaded bevelled pin 300 which is
mounted on:the bottom of a sled segment 110, towards the
pelvis area of the bed, engages slidably with the double
tapered slot 302.
The embodiments shown in Figures 49 and 50 provide
a connector pin 303 cooperating with double tapered slot
304, with detent or stop means provided by slotted
protrusions 305. The adjacent cylindrical sled wheel
306 also slides into a slat 307. Typically the cradle
portion 320 which is to be affixed to the bed will be
- 36 -
approximately six millimetres thick and thus will not
interfere with normal use and operation of the bed,
whether the sled unit of the present invention is
deployed on the bed or not.
,
