Adjustable Siderail and Lock Therefor

Abstract

A bed, includes a frame 11, a deck 12 connected to the frame and a siderail 16, 17, 18, 19 supported by either of the frame and the deck. The siderail includes a base 22, 162 and an extension 23, 163. The extension has a retracted position adjacent the base and at least one deployed position spaced further from the base. A lock 30, 200 resides in the base is selectively engageable with and disengageable from the extension for resisting or enabling movement of the extension relative to the base.

1 . A bed, comprising:
 a frame;   a deck connected to the frame;   a siderail supported by either of the frame and the deck, the siderail including a base and also including an extension having a retracted position adjacent the base and at least one deployed position spaced further from the base; and   a lock residing in the base and being selectively engagable with and disengagable from the extension for resisting or enabling movement of the extension relative to the base.   
   
   
       2 . The bed of  claim 1  wherein the extension is securable by the lock in multiple deployed positions. 
   
   
       3 . The bed of  claim 1  wherein the lock is a rotary lock. 
   
   
       4 . The bed of  claim 3  wherein the extension includes at least one leg translatably received in an aperture of the base and the lock is engagable with and disengagable from at least one extension leg for selectively resisting and enabling movement of the extension between the retracted and deployed positions. 
   
   
       5 . The bed of  claim 4  wherein the lock is engagable with and disengagable from exactly one extension leg. 
   
   
       6 . The bed of  claim 1 , wherein the lock includes a cam movable between a locking position that resists movement of the extension relative to the base and an unlocking position that enables movement of the extension relative to the base. 
   
   
       7 . The bed of  claim 6  wherein the cam is an oblong member. 
   
   
       8 . The bed of  claim 6  wherein the lock includes an oblong member having a periphery with teeth occupying at least a portion of the periphery. 
   
   
       9 . The bed of  claim 8  wherein the extension includes extension teeth engageable with the teeth of the oblong member. 
   
   
       10 . The bed of  claim 1 , wherein the lock includes an oblong member having a periphery with teeth occupying at least a portion of the periphery. 
   
   
       11 . The bed of  claim 10  wherein the extension includes extension teeth engageable with the teeth of the oblong member. 
   
   
       12 . The bed of  claim 1  wherein the extension includes teeth. 
   
   
       13 . The bed of  claim 1  wherein the lock has an engaged state in which the lock is engaged with the extension and a disengaged state in which the lock is disengaged from the extension and wherein the engaged state is a default state and the disengaged state is achieved through operator intervention. 
   
   
       14 . The bed of  claim 13  wherein a force biases the lock to the engaged state, and requires an operator action to overcome the force to achieve the disengaged state. 
   
   
       15 . The bed of  claim 14  wherein the force is a spring force 
   
   
       16 . The bed of  claim 1  wherein the extension includes at least one extension leg translatably received in an aperture of the base and the lock is engagable with and disengagable from at least one extension leg for selectively resisting and enabling movement of the extension between the retracted and deployed positions. 
   
   
       17 . The bed of  claim 16  wherein the lock is engagable with and disengagable from exactly one extension leg. 
   
   
       18 . The bed of  claim 1 , wherein movement between the retracted position and the deployed position is substantially vertical. 
   
   
       19 . The bed of  claim 1 , wherein movement between the retracted position and the deployed position is substantially horizontal. 
   
   
       20 . The bed of  claim 1  wherein the extension defines a plane and movement between the retracted position and the deployed position occurs substantially along the plane. 
   
   
       21 . The bed of  claim 1  wherein the lock is a linear lock. 
   
   
       22 . The bed of  claim 1 , wherein the lock comprises a pin. 
   
   
       23 . The bed of  claim 22 , wherein the extension includes at least one leg translatably received in an aperture of the base and the lock is engagable with and disengagable from at least one extension leg for selectively resisting and enabling movement of the extension between the retracted and deployed positions. 
   
   
       24 . The bed of  claim 23  wherein the lock is engageable with and disengageable from exactly one extension leg. 
   
   
       25 . The bed of  claim 23  wherein the extension includes notches engageable with the pin to resist movement of the extension relative to the base and disengageable from the notches to enable movement of the extension relative to the base. 
   
   
       26 . The patient support apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the extension includes at least one notch for receiving a mating element of the lock. 
   
   
       27 . The bed of  claim 26  wherein the notch is configured as a ratchet. 
   
   
       28 . The bed of  claim 1 , further comprising a mattress having a top surface, the extension being at a retracted elevation relative to the top surface when the extension is retracted and at a deployed elevation relative to the top surface when the extension is deployed, the deployed elevation being greater than the retracted elevation. 
   
   
       29 . The bed of  claim 1  wherein the siderail base includes a bore having an axis and an axially extending groove, the lock resides in the bore and includes, serially arranged along the axis, an end cap with a blind hole, an interior spacer, a cam, an indexed spacer having a lug extending radially therefrom and into the groove, a grip handle, a spring having a displaceable end received by a socket in the cam and also having a fixed end received by a socket in the indexed spacer, and a rod extending from the grip handle to the end cap, and connected to the cam. 
   
   
       30 . The bed of  claim 1  wherein the siderail base includes a bore having an axis, the lock resides in the bore and includes a cam rotatable with respect to the bore, a spring having a displaceable end connected to the cam and a mechanically grounded end, and wherein the spring biases the cam into a locked state. 
   
   
       31 . The bed of  claim 30  including an indexed spacer residing in the bore axially adjacent the cam, the spacer having a lug received in a groove of the bore to resist rotation of the spacer, the grounded end of the spring being received in a socket of the spacer. 
   
   
       32 . The bed of  claim 30  including means for rotating the cam from the locked state to an unlocked state. 
   
   
       33 . The bed of  claim 32  wherein the means for rotating includes a grip handle and a rod connecting the grip handle to the cam.