A bed assembly includes a base, a frame supported by the base, a deck supported by the frame, and a unit received in an opening formed in an upwardly-facing top surface of the deck so that the unit is accessible from the top side of the deck.
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16. A vibrating bed assembly comprising:
a base, a frame supported by the base, a deck supported by the frame, the deck having a generally upwardly-facing top surface formed to include an opening, a mattress pad directly supported on the deck, and a unit received by the opening in the deck so that the unit is readily accessible from the top surface of the deck when the mattress pad is removed.
15. A vibrating bed assembly comprising
a base, a deck supported above the base, the deck having a generally upwardly-facing top surface formed to include an opening, a pad carried by the deck, the pad being formed to include an opening that is coextensive with at least a portion of the opening formed in the top surface of the deck, and a unit received by the opening so that the unit is readily accessible from the top surface of the deck when a mattress lying directly on the pad is removed.
1. A vibrating bed assembly comprising:
a) a base, b) a frame supported by the base, c) a deck supported by the frame, the deck having a generally upwardly-facing top surface formed to include an opening, and d) a unit received by the opening so that the unit is accessible from the top surface of the deck, further comprising a mattress pad defining an opening, at least a portion of the opening of the mattress pad being coextensive with at least a portion of the opening of the deck so that the unit is accessible through the mattress pad and the deck.
17. A vibrating bed assembly comprising:
i) a base, j) a frame supported by the base, k) a rigid deck supported above the frame, the deck having a generally upwardly-facing top surface formed to include an opening, and l) a unit received by the opening so that the unit is accessible from the top surface of the deck through the opening; and wherein the deck includes at least an upper body frame section and a seat frame section, the upper body and seat frame section being longitudinally spaced apart and transversely extending with the upper body frame section being movable relative to the seat frame section to provide articulating movement thereof with respect to the seat frame section.
6. A bed comprising
a base, an articulating deck carried by the base, the articulating deck comprising at least a first panel section, and a second panel section longitudinally spaced apart from the first panel section, the second panel section being movable relative to the first panel section, a drive operable to move the second panel section relative to the first panel section, and an electronic circuit coupled to the drive and configured to control the operation of the drive, wherein the first panel section is formed to include an opening and the electronic circuit is positioned to lie below a plane defined by the first panel section and is accessible from above the first panel section.
18. A vibrating bed assembly comprising:
a) a base, b) a rigid deck supported above the base, the deck having a generally upwardly-facing top surface formed to include an opening, and c) a unit received by the opening so that the unit is accessible from the top surface of the deck, the unit being positioned to lie below the top surface of the deck; and wherein the deck includes at least an upper body frame section and a seat frame section, the upper body and seat frame section being longitudinally spaced apart and transversely extending with the upper body frame section being movable relative to the seat frame section to provide articulating movement thereof with respect to the seat frame section.
2. A vibrating bed assembly comprising:
a) a base, b) a frame supported by the base, c) a rigid deck supported by and contacted by the frame, the deck having a generally upwardly-facing top surface formed to include an opening, and d) a unit received by the opening so that the unit is accessible from the top surface of the deck through the opening; and wherein the deck includes at least an upper body frame section and a seat frame section, the upper body and seat frame section being longitudinally spaced apart and transversely extending with the upper body frame section being movable relative to the seat frame section to provide articulating movement thereof with respect to the seat frame section.
9. A vibrating bed assembly comprising
a) a base, b) a rigid deck supported above and contacted by the base, the deck having a generally upwardly-facing top surface formed to include an opening, and c) a unit received by the opening so that the unit is accessible from the top surface of the deck, the unit being positioned to lie below the top surface of the deck; and wherein the deck includes at least an upper body frame section and a seat frame section, the upper body and seat frame section being longitudinally spaced apart and transversely extending with the upper body frame section being movable relative to the seat frame section to provide articulating movement thereof with respect to the seat frame section.
5. A bed assembly comprising:
a) a base, b) a frame supported by the base, c) a deck supported by the frame, the deck having a generally upwardly-facing top surface formed to include an opening, and d) a unit received by the opening so that the unit is accessible from the top surface of the deck, wherein the deck includes at least an upper body frame section and a seat frame section, the upper body and seat frame sections being longitudinally spaced apart and transversely extending with the upper body frame section being movable relative to the seat frame section to provide articulating movement thereof with respect to the seat frame section,
further comprising a drive operable to move the upper body frame section relative to the seat frame section, and wherein the unit is an electronic circuit coupled to the drive and configured to control the operation of the drive, and wherein the unit is positioned to lie below the top surface of the deck.
7. A bed comprising
a base, an articulating deck carried by the base, the articulating deck comprising an upper body panel section, a seat panel section, a thigh panel section, and a lower leg panel section, each of the upper body panel section, the thigh panel section and the lower leg panel section being movable relative to the seat panel section, a drive operable to move at least one of the upper body panel section, the thigh panel section and the lower leg panel section relative to the seat panel section, an electronic circuit coupled to the drive and configured to control the operation of the drive, and a foam pad engaging the articulating deck, wherein the lower leg panel section is formed to include an opening, wherein the foam pad is formed to include an opening that is coextensive with at least a portion of the opening of the lower leg panel section, and wherein the electronic circuit is positioned to lie so that it is below a plane defined by the lower leg panel section and is accessible from above the foam pad.
4. A bed assembly, comprising:
a) a base, b) a frame supported by the base, c) a deck supported by the frame, the deck having a generally upwardly-facing top surface formed to include an opening, and d) a unit received by the opening so that the unit is accessible from the top surface of the deck, wherein the deck includes at least an upper body frame section and a seat frame section, the upper body and seat frame sections being longitudinally spaced apart and transversely extending with the upper body frame section being movable relative to the seat frame section to provide articulating movement thereof with respect to the seat frame section,
further comprising a drive operable to move the upper body frame section relative to the seat frame section, and wherein the unit is an electronic circuit coupled to the drive and configured to control the operation of the drive, and further comprising a foam pad carried by the deck, the foam pad being formed to include an opening that is coextensive with at least a portion of the opening formed in the top surface of the deck.
13. A vibrating bed assembly comprising
a) a base, b) a rigid deck supported above and contacted by the base, the deck having a generally upwardly-facing top surface formed to include an opening, and c) a unit received by the opening so that the unit is accessible from the top surface of the deck, the unit being positioned to lie below the top surface of the deck; wherein the deck includes a lower leg panel section and the opening is formed in the lower leg panel section;
wherein the unit is a vibration massage unit comprising a vibrator and a transmission board coupled to the vibrator, the transmission board engaging the lower leg panel section; and wherein the deck further includes an upper body panel section formed to include a second opening, and further comprising a second vibration massage unit positioned to lie below a plane defined by the upper body panel section and being accessible from above the upper body panel section through the second opening, the second vibration massage unit comprising a second vibrator and a second transmission board coupled to the second vibrator, the second transmission board engaging the upper body panel section.
8. A bed comprising
a base, an articulating deck carried by the base, the articulating deck comprising an upper body panel section, a seat panel section, a thigh panel section, and a lower leg panel section, each of the upper body panel section, the thigh panel section and the lower leg panel section being movable relative to the seat panel section, a first vibration massage unit comprising a vibrator coupled to a transmission board, and a second vibration massage unit comprising a vibrator coupled to a transmission board, wherein the upper body panel section is formed to include a first opening in the upper surface thereof, the lower leg panel section is formed to include a second opening in the upper surface thereof, the first vibration massage unit is received by the first opening so that the first vibration massage unit is accessible from above the upper body panel section through the first opening, the transmission board of the first vibration massage unit engaging the upper body panel section, and the second vibration massage unit is received by the second opening so that the second vibration massage unit is accessible from above the lower leg panel section through the second opening, the transmission board of the second vibration massage unit engaging the lower leg panel section. 12. A vibrating bed assembly comprising
a) a base, b) a rigid deck supported above and contacted by the base, the deck having a generally upwardly-facing top surface formed to include an opening, and c) a unit received by the opening so that the unit is accessible from the top surface of the deck, the unit being positioned to lie below the top surface of the deck; wherein the deck includes an upper body panel section and the opening is formed in the upper body panel section;
wherein the unit is a vibration massage unit comprising a vibrator and a transmission board coupled to the vibrator, the transmission board engaging the upper body panel section; and wherein the deck further includes a lower leg panel section formed to include a second opening, the upper body panel section being movable relative to the lower leg panel section, and further comprising a drive operable to move at least one of the upper body panel section and the lower leg panel section relative to the other of the upper body panel section and the lower leg panel section, and an electronic circuit coupled to the drive and configured to control the operation of the drive, the electronic circuit being positioned to lie below a plane defined by the lower leg panel section and being accessible from above the lower leg panel section through the second opening.
3. The bed assembly of
10. The vibrating bed assembly of
11. The vibrating bed assembly of
14. The vibrating bed assembly of
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This is a divisional application of a U.S. application Ser. No. 09/396,033, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,209,157, filed on Sep. 15, 1999, and entitled "Articulating Bed Frame", which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/064,292, now a U.S. Pat. No. 6,006,379, filed on Apr. 22, 1998. Both of these applications are hereby incorporated by reference.
The present invention relates to articulating bed frames and more particularly to the provision of articulating bed frames which will move rectilinearly toward the wall or the stationary headboard when the upper body portion of the bed is tilted upwardly, move rectilinearly toward the foot of the bed when the upper body portion is tilted downwardly, and which can also be moved into a purchaser's home by one delivery person and assembled by that delivery person.
Articulating bed frames are known and are often referred to as "hospital bed" frames in that the frames provide relatively movable upper body portions, seat portions, thigh portions and lower leg portions. Such beds are described in pending application Ser. No. 08/565,409 filed Nov. 30, 1995, now U.S. Pat No. 5,815,865. In such beds, the head and upper back of the person reclining on the bed may be tilted upwardly from the transversely extending seat panel to a selected position. Generally the transversely extending seat panel remains stationary and flat. The thigh section tilts upwardly from the seat panel to raise the patient's knees and thighs. The lower leg panel then tilts downwardly from the thigh panel in conventional fashion.
It is desirable to have such an articulating frame which is shipped in semi-knocked down (SKD) condition for ease of handling, transportation and assembly in the field. Only one delivery person is required to take such a SKD articulating frame to a customer's home to be installed. It is also desirable to have such an articulating frame which will move rectilinearly toward the head of the bed when the head portion is raised and toward the foot of the bed when the head portion is lowered. This will permit the bed to be placed against a wall or a stationary headboard. It will also permit the person on the bed to stay close to the adjacent night stand when the head portion is tilted upwardly. It is desirable to equip the articulating frame with a massage unit for the back and/or legs of the person resting on the bed.
In accordance with the present invention, a bed frame assembly includes a base, a frame supported by the base, a deck supported by the frame, and a unit, such as a massage unit, received in an opening formed in an upwardly-facing top surface of the deck so as to provide access to the unit from the top side of the deck.
Additional features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the invention as presently perceived.
The detailed description particularly refers to the accompanying figures in which:
The frame assembly 10 shown in
An articulating upper frame 40 is mounted on the carriage 30. This articulating frame 40 comprises an upper body frame section 42, a seat frame section 44, a thigh frame section 46 and a lower leg frame section 48. As shown in
The base frame 12, the carriage 30 and the articulating upper frame 40 are all made from suitable high strength, lightweight, rigid materials, such as aluminum, steel, high strength plastic or a composite.
In accordance with the present invention, each of these frames sections 42-48 carries a pop-out panel or deck which is received within the upwardly and inwardly opening channels of the frame section. These pop-out panels are shown in
The seat frame section 44 is supported by and bolted to the carriage 30 by a set of bolts as shown. The seat frame section 44 may preferably carry the electrical controls for the first and second drive systems 50, 52 that move the upper body frame section 42, the thigh frame section 46 and the lower leg frame section 48 in the manner described below. Alternately, as diagrammatically shown in
In a conventional fashion, the first drive system 50 is provided for lifting and lowering the upper body frame section 42, and the second drive system 52 is provided for lifting and lowering the thigh frame section 36. These two drive systems 50, 52 may conventionally comprise electrical motors and lead screws such as are conventionally used to drive articulating frame sections. A suitable electrical motor for use with the drive systems 50, 52 is a linear actuator motor, model no. LA 31.1, made by Linak Company of Denmark. It will be appreciated, however, that any number of different type of drive mechanisms may be used in accordance with the present invention. Such systems may include hydraulic systems as well as pneumatic drives. In preferred systems, the person lying on the bed manipulates electrical controls on the hand unit 54 to make the bed move to a more comfortable position.
As shown in
The upper body frame section 42 is connected by links 60 to the head ends of the side rails 14, 16 by pins 60', 60". When the carriage 30 moves along the channels 14, 16 toward the headboard, the links 60 cause the upper body frame section 42 to tilt upwardly from its horizontal position. The linkage assembly 60 causes the upper body frame section 42 to move back toward its horizontal position when the carriage 30 moves toward the footboard. A pair of support members 62 are welded to the head ends of the side rails 14, 16 for supporting the upper body frame section 42 when the articulating bed frame 40 is flat or horizontal.
A pair of links 70, 72 are provided for controlling the movement of the lower leg frame section 48 relative to the base frame 12. The first and second ends 70', 70" of the links 70 are pivotally connected to the carriage 30 and the lower leg frame section 48 respectively. A pair of support brackets 72 carrying the rollers 74 are secured to the underside of the lower leg frame section 48. The rollers 74 rest on the side rails 14, 16 when the lower leg frame section 48 is flat. When the thigh frame section 46 is raised by the drive system 52, the links 70 cause the lower leg frame section 48 to pivot downwardly as shown in FIG. 5.
A second embodiment of the present invention will now be described in conjunction with
The height adjustment mechanism is best seen in the perspective view of FIG. 7. Each leg 126 comprises an outer sleeve 180 rigidly attached to the floor engaging base frame 112 and a telescoping inner sleeve 182 which will move selectively downwardly to raise the elevation of the upper portion of the floor engaging base frame 112. Illustratively, the inner sleeve 182 may be provided with a series of vertically spaced openings 184. A selector pin 186 may be carried on a stiff leaf spring 188 to extend through an opening 180' in the outer sleeve 180 into one of the selected openings 184 in the inner sleeve 182. The lower end of the inner sleeve 182 may carry an isolation pad assembly 190.
The isolation pad assembly 190 isolates the floor engaging base frame 112 from the floor in case the user of the articulating frame energizes a vibrator mode on the mattress disposed on the frame. As illustrated in
Once the floor engaging base frame 112 of the frame assembly 110 is carried into the residence of a purchaser, a carriage 130 and an articulating upper frame 140 (such as that shown and described in conjunction with
A third embodiment of the present invention is shown in
The floor engaging base frame 212 of the third embodiment, like the floor engaging base frame 112 of the second embodiment, comprises a pair of longitudinally extending sides 214, 216, a pair of longitudinally spaced and transversely extending strut members 218, 220 and four vertically-adjustable corner posts 226. The ends of the strut members 218, 220 are supported by the upwardly and inwardly opening side rails 206 of the conventional bed frame 200. The reception of the strut members 218, 220 in the side rails 206 of the bed frame 200 serves to stabilize the floor engaging base frame 212. In particular, it prevents the rotation and side-to-side motion of the floor engaging base frame 212 relative to the bed frame 200.
Typically, the beds in the consumer homes are of varying heights and of varying structural integrity. It is, therefore, desirable to equip the corner posts 226 with great flexibility for the height adjustment. To this end, as shown in
The rollers 232 mounted to the carriage 230 are received in the inwardly-opening channels of the side rails 214, 216 for supporting the rectilinear motion of the carriage. First and second drives 250, 252 are mounted on the carriage 230 for lifting and lowering the upper body section and the thigh section, respectively, of the articulating upper deck 240.
As shown in
The upper body panel section 242 has an opening 242' for receiving a vibration massage unit 300 for the upper back portion of the body. The lower leg panel section 248, on the other hand, has two openings 248', 248"--one for receiving a leg massage unit 302 and the other for receiving an electrical control box 304, respectively. The massage units 300, 302 transmit vibrations to the person lying on the bed through the respective transmission boards 300', 302'. Any suitable mechanism, such as speaker coils, may be used for driving the massage units 300, 302. The electrical control box 304 houses the electronic circuits for controlling the operation of various electrical systems. A mattress pad 306, made from a resilient foam material, is disposed on the top of the panel sections 242-248 to cushion the feel of the deck. The vibrations from the massage units 300, 302 are transmitted to the person lying on the bed through the foam pad 306. The foam pad 306 additionally serves to reduce the effects of the vibrations on the bed frame.
The foam pad 306 has an opening 306' for providing access to the electrical control box 304 for inspection or repairs. The convenient location of the control box 304 on the lower leg panel section 248 provides easy access to the electronic circuits without having to turn the bed upside down when the repairs are needed.
A decorative padded shroud or skirt 308, also made from a resilient foam material, is glued around the perimeter of the panel sections 242-248. The foam shroud 308 serves to give the upper deck 240 a familiar box-spring like look. It also serves to conceal the mechanisms and electrical circuits disposed on the underside of the upper deck 240 and to reduce the risk of accident or injury. A plurality of slits 308' may be provided in the foam shroud 308 to allow it to bend easily when the upper body panel section 242 and the thigh panel section 246 are articulated.
First and second ends of the first drive 250 are pivotally secured to the carriage 230 and to the strut member 220, respectively. Similarly, the first and second ends of the second drive 252 are respectively secured to the carriage 230 and a lift arm bracket 256 pivotally mounted on the carriage.
As shown in
When the second drive 252 is activated, it pivots the lift arm bracket 256 about its axis as shown in FIG. 11. When the lift arm bracket 256 is pivoted, a pair of rollers 258 secured to the arms of the lift arm bracket engage the underside of the thigh panel section 246 to tilt it upwardly. The lower leg panel section 246 is connected by links 270 to the carriage 230. One end of each of the links 270 is pivotally connected to a bracket 270' fixedly mounted to the lower leg panel section 248. The other end of each of the links 270 is pivotally secured to the carriage by pins 270". The links 270 are pivotally connected at their ends such that, when the thigh panel section 246 is raised, the lower leg panel section 248 is tilted downwardly, and such that, when the thigh panel section 246 is lowered, the lower leg panel section 248 is returned to its normal horizontal position.
Another feature of the present invention will now be described in conjunction with
It will be seen, therefore, that the articulating frame assembly (10, 110 or 210) of the present invention comprises a base frame (12, 112 or 212) onto which a carriage (30, 130 or 230), carrying the drive systems (50 & 52, 150 & 152 or 250 & 252), is mounted. The carriage (30, 130 or 230) is slid into the channels (14 & 16, 114 & 116 or 214 & 216) in the assembly process. The articulating upper frame (40, 140 or 240) is then mounted on the carriage (30, 130 or 230) by bolting the seat frame section (44, 144 or 244) to the carriage. The drive systems (50 & 52, 150 & 152 or 250 & 252) and the links (60 & 70, 160 & 170 or 260 & 270) are then hooked to the base frame (12, 112 or 212) and the articulating upper frame (40, 140 or 240). The pop-out panels (42a, 44a, 46a & 48a or 142a, 144a, 146a & 148a) are then dropped into the corresponding frame sections (42, 44, 46 & 48 or 142, 144, 146 & 148) in the first two embodiments. In the third embodiment, the frame sections (42, 44, 46 & 48 or 142, 144, 146 & 148) are eliminated and, instead, the panel sections (242, 244, 246 & 248) are hinged together to form the articulating upper deck (240).
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Executed on | Assignor | Assignee | Conveyance | Frame | Reel | Doc |
Dec 29 2000 | Hill-Rom Services, Inc. | (assignment on the face of the patent) | / |
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