Patient care equipment support system

Abstract

An apparatus includes a rail configured to be coupled to a support structure such as hospital bed, a carriage coupled to the rail for movement along the rail and a lock coupled to the carriage for selectively locking the carriage at one of a plurality of locations along the rail. The carriage is configured to support a patient care equipment rack such as an IV pole. The rail has a plurality of locking portions spaced therealong. The lock is movable between a locking position where a portion of the lock engages a selected one of the locking portions to block the carriage from moving along the rail and an unlocking position where the portion of the lock disengages from the selected one of the locking portions to allow the carriage to move along the rail.

1 . An apparatus for use with a patient care equipment rack, the apparatus comprising: 
 a rail configured to be coupled to a support structure, the rail having a plurality of locking portions spaced therealong,    a carriage coupled to the rail for movement along the rail, the carriage configured to support the patient care equipment rack, and    a lock coupled to the carriage and movable between a locking position where a portion of the lock engages a selected one of the locking portions to block the carriage from moving along the rail and an unlocking position where the portion of the lock disengages from the selected one of the locking portions to allow the carriage to move along the rail.    
   
   
       2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the support structure comprises one of a hospital bed, a stretcher, a surgery table, an ambulatory care chair, a stand, a service column, a cart, a wall in a hospital room and a headwall.  
   
   
       3 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the patient care equipment rack comprises one of an IV pole and a rack adapted to carry infusion equipment.  
   
   
       4 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the locking portions in the rail comprise lock-receiving spaces, and the lock comprises a pin configured for reception in a selected one of lock-receiving spaces in the rail.  
   
   
       5 . The apparatus of  claim 4 , wherein the pin is biased toward the locking position by a spring.  
   
   
       6 . The apparatus of  claim 5 , wherein the pin comprises a pull knob.  
   
   
       7 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the carriage comprises an upwardly opening socket, and the patient care equipment rack comprises a downwardly extending post configured for reception in the socket.  
   
   
       8 . The apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein the socket has a tapered inner surface that varies in width from wide to narrow in a downward direction, and the post has a complementary outer surface.  
   
   
       9 . The apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein the carriage comprises a roller rollably engaging the rail.  
   
   
       10 . The apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein the rail comprises a raised track portion for guiding the carriage along the rail.  
   
   
       11 . The apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein the raised track portion has an inverted v-shaped cross section.  
   
   
       12 . The apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein the carriage comprises a roller having a circumferential groove configured to rollably engage the raised track portion.  
   
   
       13 . A patient support for use with a patient care equipment rack, the patient support comprising: 
 a frame having four corners,    a rail coupled to the frame, the rail extending between two of the four corners, the rail having a plurality of locking portions spaced therealong,    a carriage coupled to the rail for movement along the rail between the two corners of the frame, the carriage configured to support the patient care equipment rack, and    a lock coupled to the carriage and movable between a locking position where a portion of the lock engages a selected one of the locking portions to block the carriage from moving along the rail and an unlocking position where the portion of the lock disengages from the selected one of the locking portions to allow the carriage to move along the rail.    
   
   
       14 . The patient support of  claim 13 , wherein the frame has a first end, a second end, a first side, a second side, and the rail extends substantially along one of the first end, the second end, the first side or the second side between the two corners.  
   
   
       15 . The patient support of  claim 13 , wherein the carriage comprises an upwardly opening socket, and the patient care equipment rack comprises a downwardly extending post configured for reception in the socket.  
   
   
       16 . The patient support of  claim 15 , wherein the socket has a tapered inner surface that varies in width from wide to narrow in a downward direction, and the post has a complementary outer surface.  
   
   
       17 . A patient support for use with a patient care equipment rack having a downwardly extending post, the patient support comprising: 
 a lower frame,    an upper frame supported above the lower frame and movable relative to the lower frame between a raised position and a lowered position, the upper frame having a first end, a second end, a first side, a second side and four corners,    a rail coupled to the upper frame, the rail extending substantially along one of the first end, the second end, the first side and the second side of the upper frame between two of the four corners, and    a carriage coupled to the rail for movement along the rail, the carriage having an upwardly opening socket for receiving the downwardly extending post of the patient care equipment rack so that the patient care equipment rack is transferred from a support structure carrying the patient care equipment rack to the patient support as the upper frame is raised or the support structure lowered while the downwardly extending post is generally aligned with the upwardly opening socket.    
   
   
       18 . The patient support of  claim 17 , wherein the patient care equipment rack is transferred from the patient support to a support structure as the upper frame is lowered or the support structure is raised.  
   
   
       19 . The patient support of  claim 18 , wherein the carriage is lockable at a selected one of a plurality of locations along the rail.  
   
   
       20 . The apparatus of  claim 17 , wherein the socket has a tapered inner surface that varies in width from wide to narrow in a downward direction, and the post has a complementary outer surface.  
   
   
       21 . The patient support of  claim 17 , comprising a deck supported above the upper frame, wherein the upper frame includes a frame member configured to extend horizontally beyond the periphery of deck between the two corners of the upper frame and the rail is coupled to the frame member.