SUPPORT FOR A BED

The invention relates to a support for a bed, which support comprises:

- a base frame which can be disposed on a surface;

- an upper frame which is at least height- adjustable and arranged parallel to the base frame; and

- two arms which are each arranged pivotally on the base frame and the upper frame and which form a substantially parallelogram construction together with the upper frame and the lower frame. It is known that making and cleaning of or under existing beds in care or commercial establishments is hard and time-consuming for staff. In conventional beds mattresses are lifted in a bending-down position in order to be able to change the bed-linen and tuck it in smoothly again. It is also generally known that the cost price of making of, or cleaning under, such beds consists for the most part of hourly rates of staff and medical costs due to the absence of staff as a result of overwork. In short: the making of, and cleaning under, such existing beds is financially problematic, labourious and requires a physical effort which all too often results in too much stress on staff. Solutions are known in practice and from patent literature, which however require a complicated or even dangerous construction. Such beds then have a support which can only be adjusted in accordance with determined needs or constellation, and wherein the surface beneath the bed can only be cleaned with difficultly because the lower part of the support rests on the floor.

Users, i.e. individuals who use these beds in a private context for rest or sleep etc., perceive making of or cleaning under such beds, and thereby the use thereof, as irksome. The present invention for a support for a bed has for its object to improve the convenience of use for staff and for users, and also a clearly more simple, more comfortable, more attractive and safer construction than the prior art.

This object is achieved according to the invention with a support according to the preamble, characterized in that a lever part is arranged on at least one arm, which lever part is at an angle to the arm and wherein spring means are arranged between the lever part and either the upper frame or the base frame. The upper frame can hereby be brought into a low position in which the bed can be used in conventional manner, and into a high position so that the bed can be made easily while standing straight (comfortable working height) and cleaning is possible under the bed or support. The spring means here further provide a balancing so that the weight of, among other parts, the mattress and upper frame does not have to be lifted by the user.

In an embodiment of the invention a lever part is arranged on both arms, wherein the free ends of both arms are coupled pivotally to each other via a connecting element.

Owing to the coupling of the lever parts by a connecting element a uniform movement is obtained, particularly when the spring means exert a spring force on the parallelogram construction. In a preferred embodiment of the invention the base frame is substantially H-shaped. The base frame, although placed on the floor, hereby causes hardly any obstruction when the floor is for instance being vacuumed.

In another preferred embodiment the length of a lever part is adjustable. The balancing of the support can hereby be adjusted to the specific mass of, among other parts, the bed base and the mattress. The moment on the parallelogram construction can be adjusted by lengthening or shortening the lever.

The upper frame and the base frame preferably lie against each other in the lowest position of the upper frame. Locking means can herein be arranged for locking the base frame and the upper frame to each other in the lowest position. The advantage hereof is that the balancing by means of the spring means can be adjusted to be to some extent positive, so that the upper frame rises automatically when unlocked. In another embodiment a number of legs are arranged under the base frame such that the base frame is held a distance above the floor. The access to the floor is hereby improved further. In yet another preferred embodiment the lever part and the associated arm form an L-shaped arm, and the short leg of the L-shaped arm is arranged pivotally on the upper frame. The spring means and the lever parts hereby co-displace upward when the upper frame moves upward, which also enhances accessibility.

The spring means are here preferably arranged between the free end of the short leg and the upper frame.

The invention further comprises a bed comprising a support according to the invention and a mattress arranged on the upper frame of the support.

The invention thus provides an improved device and system enabling efficient and effective adjustment of, cleaning under, making and using of a bed. The bed herein has a stable (low) position A for normal use and another stable (higher) position B for adjusting of, making of and cleaning under the bed, wherein the bed can be moved safely

and easily from the low position A to the higher position B and, vice versa, can be moved easily and safely from the higher position B back to the lower position A, and wherein an upper bed part (the bed upper part) and a lower bed part (the bed support) can move relative to each other as according to two (lying) parallel sides of a parallelogram as described further hereinbelow.

Following hereinbelow are the important functional features of the bed. A. Adjusting the height difference between the low stable position A and the high stable position B takes place in continuous manner.

B. The dimensioning of the bed support and the dimensioning of the bed upper part may differ relative to each other. The bed support can in fact be smaller than the bed upper part, and the difference in dimensioning is variable. It is hereby possible to use larger (longer or wider) bed upper parts on bed supports of other dimensions. This has the result that a commercial or care establishment can in practice combine various combinations, in accordance with the (functional) wishes of the user, the space available or the budget available.

C. The permissible weight of the bed upper part is variable due to the presence of the adjusting mechanism. This adjusting mechanism operates with an arm and an angle. It is hereby possible to use lighter or heavier mattresses, pillows, linen on/with the upper parts because the bed can be continuously adjusted thereto. This in turn has the same practical advantage for a commercial or care establishment as under point B.

D. Known beds with the desired functionality have a supporting structure on the floor. The bed according to the invention only has (four) legs on the floor, and the floor below the bed can therefore be cleaned easily. In

contrast to the known beds with this functionality, the overall height of the bed can moreover be varied in that the legs are height-adjustable or can be replaced by lower or higher legs. E. The height of the bed in (high) stable position

B relative to the low position A is variable by means of varying the angle of elevation of the parallel frame.

F. From the low stable position A the bed can be easily operated and unlocked or locked using a displaceable foot pedal in combination with a pressure device such as a gas spring, oil spring or pulling means such as a draw spring, or an electric or other type of drive.

G. Displacing of the bed from the high stable position B to the low stable position A is easy for staff. Due to the positioning of the exertion point only a small, mainly vertical and variably exerted force is required for this purpose.

H. The invention can be applied in an individual single bed, in integrated double beds or twin beds, and also in two single beds next to each other. These variants are further elaborated hereinbelow.

I. Owing to an optimal distribution of forces the locking in stable positions A and B is realized without great forces on the construction. The locking is therefore safe in normal use.

The French publication FR2674415 (from 1991, lapsed) describes a bed which is driven by a system of springs, drive rods and electric motor and has height- adjustment in a bi-stable position. Application of this complex system is possible in various types of bed, and thus makes cleaning or making of the bed easier for care staff. The publication describes a parallelogram movement by a complex motorized drive. The motor and drive are fixed (page 2, line 28) to the floor. The object of the publication is

to enable a bed to be made without back pain, and also as an aid in getting dressed. This is convenient for older people for the purpose of getting out of a higher bed independently (page 2, line 12 ff.). The advantages according to the publication: it is stable in any position, it has a powerful motor and is thus safe, it can be adapted to beds of a different size (page 2, line 18 ff . ) . (Via a jack and nut construction and via pulleys the motor drives the bed up and downward via a drive of complicated form) . In the Netherlands publication NL9401725 (from

1994; lapsed) the problems of making hotel beds are described and an improved construction is proposed so that operation in bi-stable positions becomes easier. The bed has a number of drawbacks: it requires a bed support which is fixed to the floor or rests on the floor. This makes cleaning and cleaning under the bed labourious. The bed also comprises a non-adjustable gas spring and fixed exertion points on the bed construction, whereby the bed is primarily suitable for beds with a fixed dimensioning and in determined weight classes. Replacement by a bed upper part with another dimensioning or weight class is found to be difficult: this is because it requires the use of different springs and (wider or narrower) supports corresponding in each case. Known from the French publication FR 2798053 of

1999 is a bed support, fixed to and resting on the floor, for an adjustable bed provided with a gas spring. When the bed support of the bed is adjusted in horizontal and vertical direction, the bed support follows a parallel movement as a result of the adjustable parallelogram form. However, since the bed support rests on the floor and is mounted fixedly thereon, the bed is not displaceable and the space under the bed can only with difficulty be wholly accessed or cleaned. Adjustment of a bi-stable position is

difficult if not impossible, and operation of gas spring 20 is found in practice to still require considerable pressure force from staff to move the construction over a dead centre. The operation takes place by means of a pedal 26-27 for the purpose of starting the conversion from a low stable position to a high stable position. Finally, the bed support can only cope with a limited number of weights due to the non-continuous adjusting mechanism 24-25 as shown in Figure 5 of this French publication, and due to the (non- adjustable) strength of gas spring 20. The search report of this French publication cites the above mentioned NL9401725.

Known from the International application WO

9420405 (from 1994) and EP-A-0511151 (from 1991) are scissor constructions which can be used under beds, although these do not bring about parallelogram movement, nor do they have a simple and safe construction. This scissor construction only has a vertical operation, and no horizontal displacement. The advantage of freedom of movement around the bed, in order enable making of or cleaning under the bed, is hereby absent from these two patent publications.

Known from International publication WO 95/21598 (from 1995) is a device for vertical and accurate movement of bed and patient. The lifting movement takes place with a motor, wherein the construction is incorporated in a pedestal base on the floor under the bed.

Finally, a system is known from French publication FR 2831405 (from 2001) which per se combines a number of properties from the above described prior art to create advantages. The problem of the Netherlands publication NL9401725 is however not solved. The multitude of said patent publications with partial solutions to the problem of effectively and safely adjusting, making, cleaning under and using beds in care and commercial establishments underlines the importance of the new and inventive improvements of the

present invention. The device, method, system or the technical advantage of the present invention is not known from any of these publications. Preferred embodiments, described on the basis of FIG 1 to FIG 9, follow hereinbelow. Thus:

FIG 1 shows a perspective view of the bed in high stable position B.

FIG 2 shows a perspective view of the bed in low stable position A. FIG 3 shows two detail views of the operation of the locking device.

FIG 4 shows a side view and details of the operation of the adjusting device.

FIG 5 shows a detail view of the operation of the adjusting device.

FIG 6 shows a perspective view of a variant with pressure spring.

FIG 7 shows variants of different bed upper parts and bed supports. FIG 8 shows a perspective view of a second embodiment of a support according to the invention.

FIG 9A and 9B show two side views of the embodiment of figure 8 in respectively a high and lowest position. FIG 1 shows a perspective view of the bed in the high stable position B, with bed support I comprising longitudinal bars 26 and transverse bars 12, and bed upper part II comprising longitudinal bars 7 and 20, on which a divan (box spring, not shown) and mattress are mounted or laid in normal use. Longitudinal bars 7 and 20 are pivotally connected via pivot points 2, 24 to longitudinal lifting arms 8, wherein these longitudinal lifting arms 8 are connected rigidly (i.e. non-movably) to transverse lifting

arms 10, these transverse lifting arms 10 being in turn connected pivotally to longitudinal bars 26.

The bed of FIG 2 shows a perspective view of the bed in low stable position A, wherein longitudinal lifting arms 8 lie horizontally against longitudinal bars 7 and 20 of bed upper part II and longitudinal bars 26 of bed support I. It can be seen that the bed according to the invention needs overall height H in the low stable position A. It will be apparent to the person skilled in the art that the overall height of the bed is adjustable by making use of legs 16 of a different length, or by making use of legs with a variable length.

FIG 1 also shows in non-tensioned position the draw spring assembly (consisting of components 13, 25, 23, 4, 11, 28, 15, 1, 31, 3 and 5) with adjustable tensile force. In FIG 1 the draw spring assembly is constructed from an adjusting pull rod 13 (a so-called tensioner) positioned substantially in the same plane and mounted for limited movement on a transverse bar 12, a draw spring 25 and a mounting plate 23, wherein mounting plate 23 is attached rotatably and at an angle via pivot point 4 to stop inner housing 11 of an adjustable stop 1, of which the stop outer housing 28 is connected rigidly to transverse lifting arm 10. Using a shoulder piece 15 arranged thereon this first transverse lifting arm 10 is rotatably mounted via a stabilizing rod 31 and via pivot point 3 to a further transverse lifting arm via shoulder piece 5. Stabilizing rod 31 has the purpose of eliminating the springing in the bed construction and of bringing about parallel movement of the longitudinal lifting arms 8 and transverse lifting arms 10 so as to thus cause accurate movement of the bed support relative to the bed upper part, so that the locking device further described below functions properly.

FIG 2 also shows the draw spring assembly with the adjustable tensile force in the tensioned situation. By operating the locking device (as also shown in detail in FIG 3a and FIG 3b) from the low stable position A with tensioned draw spring 25, the bed upper part II is moved upward by torque engagement of draw spring 25 via first and further transverse lifting arms 10, which are rigidly mounted on the first and further longitudinal lifting arms 8 and pivot points 2. By exerting a predominantly vertical and variable pressure force on the bed, i.e. via the divan (box spring) and mattress on bed upper part II and transmitted via longitudinal lifting arms 8 and transverse lifting arms 10, the draw spring 25 in the draw spring assembly is brought under tension from this position, whereupon the bed is held locked in the low stable position A via the locking device. This locking device is further described below with reference to FIG 3a and FIG 3b.

It will be apparent to the person skilled in the art that the same functional operation can be obtained by not making use of a draw spring with adjustable tensile force but, conversely, of a gas or hydraulic pressure spring with adjustable pushing force. This variant is shown in FIG 6 and is further described below.

FIG 3a and FIG 3b show detail views of the locking device, which can for instance be operated by foot pedal 19 and bowden cable 21 as is shown in the above described FIG 1, FIG 2 or FIG 6.

The locking device is shown here unlocked for the high stable position B as shown in FIG 1 or FIG 6. The locking device of FIG 3 comprises a fork 14 positioned on transverse lifting arm 10 and having a point of rotation 32 and point of engagement 18 for a spring 17 to which bowden cable 21 leads. When the locking device is operated by pressing foot pedal 19, fork 14 on the side of spring 17 is

pulled by bowden cable 21 from the locked position counter to the pressure of this spring 17, and the fork moves away from locking pin 30, which is mounted on longitudinal bar 7 of bed upper part II, on the other side of point of rotation 32. Bed upper part II is hereby unlocked relative to bed support I. It will be apparent to the person skilled in the art that other embodiments of the locking device can be envisaged, wherein the device is for instance mounted on bed upper part II or on a longitudinal lifting arm 8, or is mounted on longitudinal bar 7 and engages on a locking pin 30 which can then be arranged on bed support I. It is also possible to envisage variants wherein the locking device consists for instance of a pin which is operated counter to a spring force by means of bowden cable 21 and engages between a part of the bed upper part and another part of the bed support. Magneto-electric or other locks can also be envisaged, optionally in combination with foot pedals or other operating mechanisms.

FIG 4a and 4b and FIG 5 show side views in which the adjusting device can be seen more clearly. The function of this adjusting device is to adjust the pushing or tensile force of gas spring 27 of FIG 6 (designated here as pressure spring) or the pushing or tensile force of draw spring 25 of FIG 1 in relation to the weight of divans, mattresses, pillows or linen (not shown), or bed upper part II. The adjusting device of FIG 4a, 4b has different variants apparent to the person skilled in the art. FIG 4a and FIG 4b show a jack-worm embodiment with a stop inner housing 11 and an outer housing stop 28, wherein the stops can be adjusted relative to each other in controlled manner using an adjustable stop 1 embodied as a hexagonal-head bolt or socket-head screw, which is connected in screwable manner to a threaded hole (not shown) which is mounted on stop inner housing 11. Tightening or loosening of the threaded means 1

causes the stop inner housing 11 to move in adjustable manner in the same plane as the outer housing stop, which results in a greater or smaller force or tension of draw spring 25 or pressure spring 27. This adjusting action on the springs is two-fold, on the one hand this brings about a better connection of longitudinal bars 7 and 20 of bed upper part II to longitudinal bars 26 of bed support I, on the other hand the adjustment of the force brings about a damped movement of divan, mattress and bed upper part during unlocking by the unlocking device as described above and shown in detail in FIG 3a and FIG 3b. It is also possible to envisage other continuous mechanical or non-mechanical variants. FIG 1-5 show an embodiment with a draw spring; in the variant with pressure spring of FIG 6 the stop inner housing 11 is mounted 180 degrees opposite on transverse lifting arm 10 (mirror-image) and the spring acts in parallel and also on the same arms as stabilizing rod 31. This variant has the advantage, among others, that the overall height of legs 16 can take a lower form because the adjusting mechanism requires less working height below the plane of longitudinal bars 26. This spring can optionally be embodied as a damper or a second gas or hydraulic spring can be arranged as a damper in order to bring about a slow and controlled, and therefore safe, movement from the stable high position B to the low stable position A in the case of an unintended load.

FIG 7a, FIG 7b and FIG 7c show different variants in which the support and upper part of mutually adjacent beds are operated simultaneously. The invention can after all be applied in a single bed as described above, but equally well in different variants of double beds. A double bed as shown in FIG 7a consists of two separate supports (for instance both with a single-size box spring) and two separate upper parts (for

instance both with a single-size mattress) . Use is made for this purpose of two separate bed constructions which can be operated synchronously as well as each individually. FIG 7a shows an operation with a single foot pedal 19, wherein the two bed upper parts can be moved upward simultaneously and pressed down again individually. It is also possible to envisage an embodiment with two foot pedals (not shown) .

A double bed as shown in FIG 7b consists of two individually embodied supports (for instance both with a single-size box spring) and an upper part (for instance a mattress with double or king-size dimensioning) .

In this variant the upper part is embodied such that it in fact replaces two bed upper parts, wherein use is made of two separate bed supports. The bed supports can again be operated synchronously (as shown in FIG 7b) or be provided with two operating pedals. The bed supports of FIG 7a or FIG 7b are optionally connected to each other by means of carriers or connecting means in order to prevent displacement of bed supports relative to each other. A double bed as shown in FIG 7c consists of a single bed support (for instance with a double-size box spring) and a bed upper part (for instance embodied with a king-size or double size mattress) . Use is made for this purpose of a bed support and bed upper part of a heavier form with a single pair of longitudinal lifting arms 8 and transverse arms 10.

In addition, an embodiment (not shown) can be envisaged in which a bed upper part of an adjacent single bed is operated easily and synchronously, or optionally sequentially, from one of the stable positions A or B. Carriers or other aids can be arranged for this purpose between the bed upper parts so that the leading bed upper part co-displaces the following bed upper part from the low to the high position, and vice versa. Under the following

bed upper part can be arranged a simple supporting structure (frame with 4 legs) on which the following bed upper part rests in the low position A.

Figure 8 shows a second embodiment 100 of a support according to the invention. This support 100 has an H-shaped base frame 101 and an upper frame 102 which is likewise H-shaped. A mattress 103 and pillow 104 are shown on this upper frame 102 with broken lines.

Base frame 101 is placed on a number of legs 105, whereby it is at a distance from the floor. Arms 106 are arranged pivotally between base frame 101 and upper frame 102. Together with upper frame 102 and base frame 101, these arms 106 form a parallelogram construction. This parallelogram construction can be seen clearly in figure 9a. Arms 106 are provided with a lever part 107 which lies at an angle to said arm 106. The free outer ends of lever parts 107 are connected pivotally to each other by means of a connecting rod 108.

Further arranged on lever part 107, shown on the right-hand side in figure 9a, is a spiral spring 109 which extends between upper frame 102 and this lever part 107. The spring force generated by spiral spring 109 is transmitted to the parallelogram construction and enables a balancing so that the weight of mattress 103, pillow 104 and possible bed base (not shown) is equalized.

Figure 9b shows support 100 in the lowest position, wherein upper frame 102 and base frame 101 lie against each other. Spiral spring 109 is tensioned and exerts a considerable force on right-hand lever part 107 and, via connecting rod 108, also on left-hand lever part 107. The spring force can be adjusted via an adjusting device 110 and thus be adjusted to the mass of mattress 103, pillow 104 and a possible bed base.

Further provided is a lock 111 which holds lower frame 101 and upper frame 102 together so that the balancing with spring 109 can be to some extent positive. The advantage is that mattress 103 and pillow 104 move upward 5 automatically when lock 111 is released.

When support 100 is in the high position as shown in figures 8 and 9a, there is sufficient space available under mattress 103 to enable cleaning. The H-shaped base frame 101 contributes here to the accessibility of the floor 10 in that the longitudinal bars of the base frame are displaced toward the centre, so that the longitudinal bars do not form an obstacle during vacuuming of the floor.

Two like constructions according to the invention can optionally be coupled so that, when operated, both 15 mattresses can be lifted simultaneously.

It will be apparent to the person skilled in the art that the invention is not limited to the embodiments as shown in figures 1-9, but has diverse variants in accordance with the wishes of the client and the technical embodiments. 2.0 It is thus possible for instance:

1. to further integrate a bed support with a bed upper part, wherein arms 7 and 20 are for instance formed by existing bars of a box spring construction, or conversely

2. to not integrate a box spring on a bed upper 25 part with a bed upper part, but to mount it releasably thereon, or

3. to combine an adjusting device with a mechanical, pneumatic, hydraulic, electrical or other setting device, wherein a mattress can also be set in a

30 determined form.

The essence of the invention lies in making commercially available beds embodied in simple manner, wherein: 1. staff (finally) get the opportunity to actually make or clean beds more safely, effectively and efficiently

with less physical exertion and in a shorter period of time, 2. it is possible to use different embodiment variants and to adjust the bed thereto in simple manner, and 3. the bed has a simple construction with a low and variable overall height, and the bed rests with only legs on the floor so as to simplify cleaning under the bed (no additional obstacles on the floor) .