US3056975A - Guard rails for beds - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 9, 1962 c. E. MURco-rT GUARD RAILS FOR BEDS Filed Feb. l0, 1960 INVENToR. HH/m55 E. MUR coTr BY HTT'ORNEY United States Patent Oiitice 3,056,975 Patented Oct. 9, 1962 3,056,975 GUARD RAILS FR BEDS Charles E. Murcott, 134 Cabot Road, Massapequa, N.Y. Filed Feb. 10, 1960, Ser. No. 7,839 6 claims. (ci. 5 331) This invention relates to what are generally referred to as guard rails or fences used in conjunction with beds to prevent accidental displacement of an occupant from sides of the bed. More particularly, the invention deals with a device of the character described employing a substantially rectangular supporting frame having means for adjustment thereof to adapt the same for mounting on bed rails having varied spacing, as well as means for adjustably clamping the frame to the rails.

Still more particularly, the invention `deals, with a device of the character described employing rail or fence units, including means for swingably supporting the same on sides of said frame outwardly of the bed rails for movement into raised operative positions and lowered inoperative positions, each unit including means for retaining the same in raised position.

The novel features of the invention will be best understood from the following description, when taken together with the accompanying drawing, in which certain embodiments of the invention are disclosed and, in which, the separate parts are designated by suitable reference characters in each of the views and, in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic View of one side of a device made according to my invention, showing the same in raised operative position in full lines and diagrammatically illustrating the same in lowered position in dotted lines.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged section on the line 2 2 of FIG. l, with parts of the construction broken away and parts shown in elevation.

FIG. 3 is a section on the broken line 3 3 of FIG. 2, parts of the construction being shown in elevation.

FIG. 4 is a section on the line 4 4 of FIG. 2 and illustrating part of a companion side member of the supe porting frame which I employ and parts of the construction being broken away; and

FIG. 5 is an enlarged section substantially on the line 5 5 of FIG. 1, parts of the construction being shown in elevation.

In order to generally portray my guard rail as applied to the side rails of a bedstead, I have diagrammatically illustrated in FIG. l of the drawing one side of a device made according to lmy invention, generally outlining the parts, with no thought of accuracy and detail showing of the parts by virtue of the small size of the illustration. However, in said ligure, represents one of the side rails of a bedstead, the latter being shown in enlarged cross-section in FIG. 2 of the drawing and in plan in FIG. 3. As each side of the device is of the same construction, the brief description of the one side illustrated in FIG. 1 of the drawing is deemed to be sufficient.

At 11 I have illustrated a substantially rectangular supporting frame, consisting of side tubular rails 12 and, in FIG. 4, part of the companion rail is indicated at 12. These two rails are joined adjacent end portions thereof in transverse tubular frame members 13, one of which is shown in section in FIG. 4 of the drawing. Each of these tubes have fixed in end portions thereof nuts 14 adapted to receive, at one end, a short screw 15 and, at the other end, a long screw 16. The end portions 17 of the tubular frames 13 are fashioned to conform with the contour of the frame 12, as indicated, in part, in FIG. 2 of the drawing in securely clamping said end to the frame 12; whereas, a nut 18 is adjustable on the long screw 16 to clamp the other side frame 12 between the same and the head 16' of the screw, as clearly illustrated in FIG. 4 of the drawing. This long screw construction enables the frame to be rigidly coupled with bed rails 10 that vary in their transverse spacing. Considering FIG. 1 of the drawing for the moment, the screw 15 is indicated at the right of said figure and the corresponding screw at the other end of the rail 12 is indicated at 15 in said figure.

The rails 12, 12 project at their ends beyond the transverse frame members 13 and mounted therein are pivot bolts 19. Welded or otherwise secured to said rails are upwardly extending U-shaped brackets 20 having a short outer side 21 and a long inner side 22, note FIG. 2 of the drawing.

Welded or otherwise secured to the side 22 and the rails 12, 12 is a supplemental plate 23, to the upper end portion of which is welded a bed rail engaging crossbar 24, the ends of which protrude beyond the sides of the plate 23, as will clearly appear from a consideration of FIG. 3 of the drawing. No representation of welding is noted in the drawing. It will be understood, however, that engaged or adjacent surfaces of the respective parts will be welded together, in manners commonly known in the art. This welding definitely fixes the position of the brackets 20 and plates 23 on the rails 12, 12', as well as 23 on the side 22 of the bracket and the crossbar 24 on the plate 23. Further, in addition to controlling spacing of the brackets, the fixed mounting maintains the brackets at right angles to the rails 12, 12.

The side 22 of the bracket 20, as well as the plate 23 and crossbar 24 are apertured to receive a long shank nut 25 for actuating a rail engaging hook 26' in definitely clamping the frame 11 to the rails of the bedstead. The head of the nut 25 has grooves 27 on the surface thereof for receiving a suitable wrench in adjustably securing the hood 26 in position, this operation being performed when tubular links 28 of a rail or fence unit 29 are in their dotted line position, as noted in FIG. 1 of the drawing. The links 28 are pivoted at their lower ends on the bolt 19, as clearly seen in FIG. 2 of the drawing, and the upper end portions of each of these rods have hinge blocks 30 suitably fixed therein and thereto, as indicated at the left of FIG. 5 of the drawing.

The unit 29 includes what may be termed a fence portion 31, defined by side tubular rods 32, a top crosshead 33 and two parallel brace rods 34 and 35. In FIG. 5 of the drawing, part of one of the side tubular rods 32 is shown and a` block 36, similar to the blocks 30 is suitably fixed in the lower end portion of each of the rods 32, the blocks 30, 36 having reduced recessed portions 30', 36' apertured to receive a coupling bolt 37 forming a pivotal coupling between the links 28 and the rods 32, the bolts 37 being diagrammatically illustrated in FIG. 1 of the drawing.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that, as the unit 29 moves from the raised operative position shown in full lines in FIG. 1 to the lowered or inoperative position indicated in dotted lines in said figure, the links 28 swing on the pivots 19 and the rods 32 swing on the pivots 37, this swinging operation taking place outside of the Ibed rail 10.

At this time, it will be well to mention that each rail or fence unit at the opposed sides of the bed are independently operable. In other words, there is no positive mechanical connection between the separate side units, but the structure of each unit will be the same.

The bracket 20, shown at the right of FIG. l of the drawing, or the side 22 thereof, has fixed to the outer side edge thereof, as well as to the edge of the plate 23 by welding or otherwise, one plate 38 of an L-shaped spring coupling 39, the other plate 40 having a flared end 41 and an aperture 42.

In FIG. 3 of the drawing, I have diagrammatically i1- lustrated at 43 a conventional, well known in the art, spring actuated button, which is mounted in the righthand link 28 of the unit 29 and normally engages the aperture 42 in support of the unit 29 in the raised operative position. However, by pressing inwardly by the iinger of a hand upon the button 43, to a degree where the bevelled end 44 of the button is in alinement with the inner surface 45 of the plate 40, then the unit 29 may be manually swung from the raised to the lowered position. On the other hand, in moving the unit from the lowered position to the raised position, the bevelled end 44 of the button 43 will automatically ride over the rounded end 41 of the plate 40, until such time as the lbutton is in alinement with the aperture 42; whereupon, the button 43 will spring outwardly and securely retain the unit in its raised position. In referring to the coupling 39 as a spring coupling, it will be apparent that the plate 40 is capable of yielding to a slight extent in the movement of the unit into coupled position. Here, it is also to be noted that the link 28 either bears upon or is arranged in close proximity to the plate 38 of the coupling 39, note FIG. 3, in maintaining the unit 29 in upright position. In this respect, it will be apparent that the plate 38 actually forms a stop, checking upward swinging movement of the unit 29.

It will be understood that by providing the fixed supporting frame, a denite positioning of each of the units 29 at sides of the bedstead is made possible without any adjustments. In other words, the spacing between the end brackets 20 is definite and consistent with the spacing of the side rods 32 and the links 28 which extend in alinement therewith when the unit 29 is in the raised operative position. It is also pointed out, at this time, that, when the fence portion 31 is in the lowered or dotted position, the lower rod 35 of the fence portion rests upon the pivot end portion of the lefthand link 28, thus maintaining the substantial parallel relationship of the fence portion, as diagrammatically illustrated in FIG. 1.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A guard rail for beds comprising a substantially rectangular supporting frame, comprising side tubular rails and transverse tubular frame members arranged inwardly of and tixed to ends of said side rails, means at said ends of the side rails for adjustably iixing said frame to spaced side rails of a bedstead, said means comprising brackets, guard rail units each comprising a U-shaped frame deiined by side rods and a crosshead forming a fence portion, links pivoted to said side rods, said links 'being pivotally supported in connection with the brackets at each side of said frame, an L-shaped spring coupling on one of the brackets at each side of the frame operatively engaging one of said links of each unit in support of said unit in raised operative position, and a spring actuated button mounted in each of said one link and operatively engaging said coupling in retaining said units in raised operative position.

2. A guard rail as deiined in claim l, wherein said transverse tubular frame members include means adjustably clamping said frame members with said side tubular rails.

3. A guard rail as defined in claim 1, wherein the side rods of said units and adjacent ends of said links include pivot blocks forming the pivotal coupling of the units with said links.

4. A guard rail as dened in claim 1, wherein the rst named means comprises an adjustable bed rail engaging member on each of said brackets.

5. A guard rail as dened in claim 4, wherein each bracket includes a crossbar greater in length than the width of the bracket engaging the bed rails in support of the frame on said rails.

6. A guard rail as defined in claim 1, wherein part of said spring couplings form a stop checking movement of said unit into raised operative position.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 354,880 Amon Dec. 28, 1886 2,467,800 Backlin, et al Apr. 19, 1949 2,587,291 Des Rochers Feb. 26, 1952 2,594,926 Hoffman Apr. 29, 1952 2,817,855 Pratt Dec. 31, 1957 3,021,534 Hausted Feb. 20, 1962

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