Stryker Corporation

Dennis A Reed

Kurosh Nahavandi

Chad Conway Souke

Kurt Dykema

Michael W Steffler

Christopher B Way

Brent Bouws

Mark William Friedman

Craig Charles Mulder

Gary Morton

Joshua C Colvin

Keith Waters

Steve Nichols

Todd Gatto

Brian Bartley

Michael Mckee

An ambulance cot is disclosed and the ambulance cot having a base frame configured for support on a surface, a litter frame configured for supporting thereon a patient and an elevating mechanism interconnecting the base frame and the litter frame and configured to interconnect the litter frame and the base frame in order to facilitate movement of the base frame and the litter frame toward and away from each other. A control mechanism is provided on the cot which is configured to facilitate the movement of the base frame and the litter frame toward each other and at differing speeds predicated on at least one of whether the base frame is supported on the surface and the litter frame is supported by an external support separate from the elevating mechanism.

Ambulance cot and hydraulic elevating mechanism therefor

A powered wheeled carriage includes a patient support and a wheeled base. An auxiliary wheel mechanism includes an auxiliary wheel spring support for biasing an auxiliary wheel into contact with a floor. Operating a control apparatus moves the auxiliary wheel away from the floor. A drive handle pivots about a single axis to control a drive motor that powers the auxiliary wheel. The drive handle controls driving of the wheeled carriage in forward and rearward directions. A decision/drive circuit ramps the speed of the wheeled carriage for a few second after start-up to prevent a jerking motion. A display/control panel displays the condition of the carriage brake and the condition of the auxiliary wheel to assist an operator.

Method for driving a wheeled carriage

A power assisted wheeled carriage includes a patient support having a length, a wheeled base supporting the patient support, and an auxiliary wheel mechanism including an auxiliary wheel spring support for biasing an auxiliary wheel into contact with a floor. The carriage further includes a control apparatus for moving the auxiliary wheel away from the floor. The auxiliary wheel spring support can be a spring steel member having an opening and biased to move the auxiliary wheel into contact with the floor. The control apparatus can include a foot pedal for turning a rotatable shaft that enables a cam apparatus to apply an upward force to the auxiliary wheel. The wheeled carriage also includes a drive handle pivotable about a single axis to control a drive motor for the auxiliary wheel. The drive handle controls driving of the wheeled carriage in forward and rearward directions.

Power assisted wheeled carriage

Growing community of inventors

Portage, MI, United States of America

Dennis A Reed