| Ambulance cot with kickstand -> Monitor Keywords |
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Ambulance cot with kickstandRelated Patent Categories: Beds, Invalid Bed Or Surgical Support, Vertically Movable Support For Whole Body Of UserAmbulance cot with kickstand description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070163044, Ambulance cot with kickstand. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] This invention relates to ambulance cots and in particularly, to a multi-level roll-in ambulance cot having a kickstand. [0002] Ambulance cots typically comprise an essentially rectangular patient support frame with wheeled collapsible-leg assemblies enabling the stretcher to be stowed or loaded into the back of an ambulance. Examples of such prior art cots are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,097,941, 4,192,541, 4,767,148, 5,537,700, and 5,575,026. Although the prior art cots have been generally adequate for their intended purposes, they have not been satisfactory in all aspects. [0003] Patients transported on an ambulance cot often need to be weighed as part of a medical check upon admittance to a hospital or other health care facility. Due to the size of the wheelbase of a cot and the size of platform scales generally found in clinics, hospitals, nursing homes, or rehabilitation centers, patients typically must either stand on the platform scale or be placed in a wheelchair in order to be weighed. For many of these individuals, standing or being transferred from the ambulance cot to a wheelchair is difficult, or impossible, to accomplish. Consequently, forgoing the weighing of such patients has become commonplace, which can degrade the quality of medical care provided to them. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0004] It is against the above background that the present invention provides a kickstand to a cot construction. Cot constructions of the present invention include a cot frame supported by a stable wheeled undercarriage, which permits the cot frame to be raised and lowered to a plurality of positions of use. The kickstand is provided to the wheeled undercarriage, and may be situated in at least raised and lowered positions. The kickstand when placed in the lowered position lifts one of the two pairs of wheels provided to the wheeled undercarriage into the air. By lifting one of the two pairs of wheels, the kickstand reduces the footprint of the wheeled undercarriage upon a support surface such that a patient situated upon the cot may be conveniently weighed on a platform scale. [0005] In one embodiment of the present invention, an ambulance cot comprising a kickstand having a lowered position and a raised position is disclosed. [0006] In another embodiment of the present invention, an ambulance cot for transporting a patient is disclosed. The cot comprises a cot frame for support the patient thereon, a wheeled undercarriage supporting the cot frame, and a kickstand mounted to the undercarriage. [0007] In still another embodiment of the present invention, a method of weighing a patient on a platform scale is disclosed. The method comprises carrying the patient upon an ambulance cot having a kickstand and a pair of wheels, and supporting the ambulance cot on the platform scale with the pair of wheels and the kickstand. [0008] These and other features and advantages of the invention will be more fully understood from the following description of some embodiments of the invention taken together with the accompanying drawings. It is noted that the scope of the claims is defined by the recitations therein, and not by the specific discussion of features and advantages set forth in the present description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0009] The present invention is illustrated by way of example and not limitation in the accompanying figures, in which like references indicate similar elements, and in which: [0010] FIG. 1 is a side view of a cot structure embodiment of the invention having a kickstand situated in a raised position and also illustrating a conventional platform scale; [0011] FIG. 2 is a side view of a cot structure embodiment of the invention having a kickstand situated in a lowered position and also illustrating the cot situated upon the conventional platform scale of FIG. 1 according to the present invention; and [0012] FIGS. 3 and 3A are top sectioned view of a portion of the embodiment of FIG. 1 taken along section line 3-3, and showing the kickstand in a raised position. [0013] Skilled artisans appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of embodiment(s) of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION [0014] Referring to FIGS. 1, 2, 3, and 3A, illustrated is a cot structure embodiment, generally indicated by symbol 10, having a kickstand, generally indicated by symbol 12, according to the present invention. The cot 10 has a rectangular undercarriage 14 mounting pairs of swivel caster wheels 16 at its opposite ends. The undercarriage 14 includes opposing side frame members 18 and 20, which are interconnected by transverse frame members 22 and 24, which are best seen in FIG. 3. [0015] Extending upwardly from the undercarriage 14 are pairs of cross forming frame members 26a, 28a and 26b, 28b, which serve to interconnect the undercarriage 14 with a cot frame, generally indicated by symbol 30. Cot frame 30 includes opposing tubular side frame members 32 (same on side not shown) interconnected at the foot or trailing end by a transverse tubular end member 34. At their leading or forward ends, the side frames 32 each terminate at a respective hinge pivot 36 (same on side not shown). Supported by the pair of hinge pivots 36 is a drop frame 38 rotatably coupled thereto. [0016] The drop frame 38 is releasable engaged by the pair of hinge pivots 36, which also limits the range of motion of drop frame 38. In particular, the drop frame 38 is movable from the extended position, as seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, to a collapsed position placing the drop frame below the cot frame 30. The drop frame 38 is provided with a pair of loading wheels 40. [0017] It will be understood that the basic cot frame 30 may be provided with various adjustable features, such as folding side arms (not shown), a multiple-position backrest, indicated generally at 42, and an adjustable leg section for placing the patient in a shock position, indicated generally at 44, all of which are conventional features. Other conventional features also may be provided in other embodiments. [0018] The undercarriage 14 is configured to selectively secure the cot frame 30 in a number of elevational positions relative to the undercarriage 14. The lowermost ends of the cross-forming frame members 26a, 26b and 28a, 28b are pivotally connected to transverse frame member 22 and 24, respectively. At their uppermost ends, the cross-forming frame members 26a and 26b are pivotally connected to the cot frame 30, and the cross-forming frame members 28a and 28b are connected slidably and pivotably to the cot frame 30. The cot frame 30 is height adjusted by releasing a locking bar (not shown) thereby permitting the cross-forming frame members 28a and 28b to move within slots 46. At the same time, extensible sections 48 (same on side not shown) telescope within the lowermost ends of cross-forming members 26a and 26b. As the cot 10 is repositioned, the sets of cross-forming frame members 26a, 26b, and 28a, 28b will elevate or lower as desired the cot frame 30 relative to the undercarriage 14. [0019] As mentioned above in the background section of the invention, patients transported on an ambulance cot often need to be weighed as part of a medical check upon admittance to a hospital or other help care facility. A platform scale 100 generally found in clinics, hospitals, nursing homes, or rehabilitation centers, used to weigh patients either standing or situated in a wheelchair thereon is shown. [0020] The cot 10 at the undercarriage provides the kickstand 12 which may be moved between a raised position (FIG. 1) and a lowered position (FIG. 2). The kickstand 12 when placed in the lowered position lifts one of the two pairs of wheels 16 provided to the wheeled undercarriage 14 into the air as illustrated by FIG. 2. By lifting one of the two pairs of wheels 16, the kickstand 12 reduces the footprint of the wheeled undercarriage 14 upon a surface 50. In this manner, by reducing the footprint of the wheeled undercarriage 14 by lowering the kickstand 12, a patient situated upon the cot 10 may be conveniently weighed on the platform scale 100. It is to be appreciated that the distance between one of the pair of wheels 16 and the kickstand 12 (i.e., the footprint) is such that the total weight of the cot and patient may be placed upon the platform scale 100 for weighing, such as illustrated by FIG. 2. Accordingly, the patient conveniently does not have to be removed from the cot 10 in order to be weighed. Continue reading about Ambulance cot with kickstand... Full patent description for Ambulance cot with kickstand Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Ambulance cot with kickstand patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. 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