The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Oct. 12, 1993
Filed:
Jan. 03, 1992
Christopher J Hopper, Oshtemo Township, Kalamazoo County, MI (US);
Louis A Haddock, Jr, Emmett Township, Calhoun County, MI (US);
John S Messner, Battle Creek, MI (US);
Larry W Gardner, Kalamazoo Township, Kalamazoo County, MI (US);
Stryker Corporation, Kalamazoo, MI (US);
Abstract
A hospital bed has an articulated patient support surface with four air outlet housings mounted thereon at spaced locations. An air supply arrangement supplies temperature-controlled air to an air outlet opening in each of the housings. Associated with each housing is an elongate tubular fabric diffusion member having an O-ring which encircles one end thereof and is removably received in a circumferential groove in the air outlet opening. Each diffusion member can be tucked completely into its housing when not in use. Each housing has a cap movable between open and closed positions with respect to the air outlet opening, and an arrangement yieldably urging the cap toward its closed position. A valve arrangement is provided below two of the housings in order to automatically discharge fluids which happen to enter the air supply system through the air outlet openings. In a variation, two of the elongate diffusion members can be replaced with an inflatable underlay or overlay having two inlet sleeves with O-rings which are each releasably coupled to a respective one of the air outlet devices.