PORTABLE WEIGHING SCALE HAVING A PIVOTAL WEIGHING PLATFORM
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to weighing scales and, more particularly, to a weighing scale having a weighing platform that can be pivoted upwardly from a lowered operational position to a raised non-operational position to reduce the required floor space thereof so that the weighing scale can be conveniently moved to another location for use or storage, preferably the weighing scale is provided with a stabilizing member to prevent the tipping over of the weighing scale 15 when the weighing platform is being raised.
Weighing scales are well known in the art, where the weighing scale of the present invention is intended to weigh patients in hospitals and nursing homes, and residents in health care institutions and handicapped facilities, and par- 20 ticularly to permit the weighing of persons in wheelchairs and the like. Though weighing scales for weighing persons or patients confined to a bed, wheelchair and the like are also well known in the art, most of these prior art weighing scales require a large floor space during the use thereof in order to 25 function, and cannot be easily transported or stored because of their size.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,033,420 discloses a weighing scale for receiving a hospital bed containing a patient, the weighing scale being provided with a pair of retractable ramps for 30 rolling the bed onto the weighing rails.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,732,938 discloses a wheelchair weighing platform for supporting a wheelchair thereon, where a conventional weighing scale is attachable to the platform. 35
U.S. Pat. No. 3,961,675 discloses a pair of portable housings, each housing having a box-like shape for supporting the front and rear legs of a hospital bed. Weight responsive elements within each of the housings are electrically connected to a suitable read-out device for indicating 40 the weight of the patient disposed on the hospital bed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,006,789 discloses a scale for weighing hospital patients in their horizontal position, the scale including a horizontal base provided with a weighing plat- 45 form, and a read-out indicator mounted on an upright support post.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,013,135 discloses a device for weighing patients in a sitting position, the device including a chair secured to a horizontal platform, and a read-out indicator 50 mounted on a vertical post.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,539,570 discloses a folding portable scale in which an upstanding vertical tubing post folds down onto the platform of the scale.
Accordingly, there is presently a need for a weighing scale having a weighing platform that can be pivoted upwardly from a lowered operational position to a raised non-operational position to reduce the floor space required therefor so that the weighing scale can be conveniently moved to a new go location for use or storage thereof, a weighing scale that includes a stabilizing member which prevents the weighing scale from tipping over when the weighing platform is being raised, and a weighing scale that also includes ramps on opposite sides of the weighing platform for easy access 65 thereto which can be folded onto the weighing platform when the weighing scale is not in use.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is, accordingly, an object of the present invention to provide a weighing scale which avoids the problems of the prior art devices.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a weighing scale having a weighing platform that can be pivoted upwardly away from a lowered operational position to a raised non-operational position to reduce the required floor space therefor so that the weighing scale can be conveniently transported to another location for use or storage.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a weighing scale provided with a stabilizing member to prevent the weighing scale from tipping over when the weighing platform is being raised and lowered.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a weighing scale having fold-away ramps provided at opposite ends of the weighing platform.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a weighing scale provided with wheel means thereon for the transportation thereof.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide means for raising and lowering the weighing platform.
Another object of the present invention is to provide means for raising and lowering the stabilizing member.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a weighing scale that is convenient to operate, which includes safety means so that the pivoting movements of the weighing platform, the stabilizing member and the ramps are performed in a predetermined sequence.
Briefly, in accordance with the present invention, there is provided a weighing scale having a weighing platform, and means for permitting the weighing platform to be pivoted upwardly from a lowered operational position to a raised non-operational position to reduce the required floor space therefor so that the weighing scale can be conveniently transported to another location for use, where the weighing platform is lowered to the operational position, or for storage thereof. Preferably, the weighing scale is provided with a stabilizing member to prevent the weighing scale from tipping over when the weighing platform is being raised or lowered, where the stabilizing member can also be raised and lowered between an operational position and a nonoperational position. Preferably, fold-away ramps are provided on opposite sides of the weighing platform to provide easy access thereto. The pivotal movements of the weighing platform, the stabilizing member and the ramps are required to be performed in a predetermined sequence.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
With the above and additional objects and advantages in view, as will hereinafter appear, this invention comprises the devices, combinations and arrangements of the parts hereinafter described by way of example and illustrated in the accompanying drawings of a preferred embodiment in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a weighing scale in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a side perspective view showing the weighing platform of the weighing scale being pivoted to a raised position;
FIG. 3 is a fragmented bottom plan view showing the mechanism for raising and lowering the weighing platform;
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
FIG. 4 is a fragmented side elevational view, partly in cross section, showing the piston of FIG. 3 in an extended position to maintain the weighing platform in its lowered operational position;
FIG. 5 is a fragmented side elevational view, partly in 5 cross section, showing the piston of FIG. 3 in a retracted position to maintain the weighing platform in its raised non-operational position;
FIG. 6 is a fragmented side elevational view showing the lever mechanism in position for maintaining the weighing platform in the lowered operational position;
FIG. 7 is a fragmented side elevational view showing the lever mechanism in position for maintaining the weighing platform in the raised non-operational position;
FIG. 8 is a side elevational view showing the weighing platform in the raised non-operational position;
FIG. 9 is a side elevational view showing the stabilizing member in a raised non-operational position;
FIG. 10 is a fragmented top elevational view, partly in 20 cross section, showing the mechanism for raising and lowering the stabilizing member;
FIG. 11 is a side elevational view, partly in cross section, showing the piston of FIG. 10 in a retracted position for maintaining the stabilizing member in its lowered operational position;
FIG. 12 is a side elevational view, partly in cross section, showing the piston of FIG. 10 in an extended position for maintaining the stabilizing member in its raised non-opera- 3Q tional position;
FIG. 13 is a fragmented cross-sectional side elevational view showing the lever mechanism in position for maintaining the stabilizing member in the lowered operational position; 35
FIG. 14 is a fragmented cross-sectional side elevational view showing the lever mechanism in position for maintaining the stabilizing member in a raised non-operational position;
FIG. 15 is a rear elevational view of FIG. 9, showing the 40 weighing platform and the stabilizing member in the raised non-operational position;
FIG. 16 is a rear elevational view similar to FIG. 15, showing the ramps in a non-operational folded position;
FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional side elevational view showing one of the ramps in its outwardly extended position; and
FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional side elevational view showing the ramp of FIG. 17 in its folded position.
In the various figures of the drawings, like reference 50 characters designate like parts.
Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 shows a weighing scale 10 pursuant to the present invention, the weighing scale 10 being in a lowered operational position. The weighing scale 10 includes a support member 12 having a weighing platform 14 pivotally connected to an inner longitudinal 60 side thereof, as will be more fully discussed below. A stabilizing member 16 is also pivotally connected to the support member 12 on the same side as the weighing platform 14, as will also be discussed below. The stabilizing member 16 forms a frame around the outer perimeter of the 65 weighing platform 14 so that the weighing platform 14 sits within the frame of the stabilizing member 16 when the
weighing platform 14 and the stabilizing member 16 rest on the floor or ground, as shown in FIG. 1. Preferably, pivotable ramps 18, 20 are provided on opposite longitudinal ends of the weighing platform 14, where the ramps 18, 20 are disposed over the frame side portions 22, 24 of the stabilizing member 16, a further discussion of the ramps 18, 20 being set forth below.
A control housing 26 is mounted on the support member 12, preferably being supported by four vertical legs 27 disposed at each bottom corner thereof. The control housing 26 includes a top control panel 28 which is preferably inclined so that the operator can conveniently have access to the controls thereon. The control panel 28 includes weight indicating means 30, such as a conventional screen, for indicating the weight of the person, or patient disposed on the weighing platform 14. The weight indicating means 30 is electronically connected to the weighing platform 14 by suitable means well known in the art which extends through the control housing 26 to the weighing platform 14. It is understood, that the weight indicating means 30 can be adjusted to account for a patient disposed on the weighing platform 14 with a walker, crutches, cane, or sitting in a wheel chair, a Geri chair, a reclining chair and the like so that only the patient's weight is displayed on the weight indicating means 30.
Additionally, the control panel 28 includes a conventional key lock 32 which receives a proper key to activate the electronics of the weighing scale 10. A hand grip or joy stick 34 is also provided on the control panel 28 to independently pivot the weighing platform 14 and the stabilizing member 16 up and down as will be discussed below. Furthermore, two safety push-button switches 36,38 are also provided on the control panel 28, the function of which will be explained below.
Preferably, the support member 12 is provided with four wheels or rollers 40 on the bottom corner portions thereof so that, when the weighing platform 14 and stabilizing member 16 are in their raised non-operational positions, the weighing scale 10 becomes portable and can be easily moved to another location for either further use thereof or for storage.
To aid in the movement or to facilitate the transportation of the weighing scale 10 when in the portable position, a U-shaped support bar 42 is secured to the top wall 44 of the support member 12 adjacent to the front wall 46 of the support member 12. Preferably, the support bar 42 extends above the control panel 28 of the control housing 26. Additionally, two housings 48, 50 are disposed on the top wall 44 of the support member 12 on opposite sides of the control housing 26, being spaced between the legs of the support bar 42. The housings 48, 50 contain the mechanism means for raising and lowering the stabilizing member 16, as will be discussed below.
As shown in FIG. 2, the weighing platform 14, together with the ramps 18, 20, is being raised to a non-operational position, where the mechanism for raising same will be discussed below. Accordingly, the stabilizing member 16 is still disposed in its lowered operational position on the floor or ground to support the weight of the weighing platform 14, so that the weighing scale 10 does not tip over while the weighing platform 14 and the ramps 18,20 are being pivoted to the raised non-operational position. It is noted, that the weighing platform 14 in the fully raised non-operational position, as shown in FIG. 8, is vertically inclined passed the vertically perpendicular position relative to the top wall 44 of the support member 12, so that the weighing platform 14 is pivoted more than 90 degrees from the floor or ground
30
when fully raised. Thus, in this vertically inclined fully raised position, as shown in FIG. 8, the center of gravity of the weighing platform 14 is positioned above the support member 12 to maintain the stability thereof, and thus prevent the weighing platform 14 from tipping the weighing scale 10 5 over, so that the stabilizing member 16 is no longer required to prevent the tipping thereof.
FIG. 3 shows a partial view of the weighing platform 14 and the ramps 18, 20, and also shows a bottom view of the support member 12 with the bottom panel, on which the 10 wheels or rollers 40 are mounted, removed therefrom to show the relevant mechanism therein. The weighing platform 14 includes a commercially available scale 52 which is fixedly mounted by suitable means within a support frame 54 for movement therewith. A pair of side rails 56 are 15 securely fixed by conventional means to the opposite transverse sides of the support frame 54 for movement therewith. Lever means 58, disposed within partition walls 60, connects each side rail 56 to an associated one of a pair of cam members 62 which are fixedly secured to opposite ends of a 20 longitudinally extending bar 64 rotatably mounted within the support member 12 for rotation therein, as will be explained below. It is noted, that pins 66 pivotally secure the ends of each of the side rails 56 to associated ones of the partition walls 60, as will be explained below. 25
A conventional motor 68 is also mounted within the support member 12 for activating a conventional ball-screw mechanism 70 disposed between partition walls 72 of the support member 12. The ball-screw mechanism 70 includes a piston 74 which is connected between a pair of cam members 76 disposed on opposite sides thereof. The cam members 76 are fixedly connected to a central portion of the bar 64 for rotation therewith, as will be explained below.
Referring now to FIGS. 4-7, the mechanism for raising 35 the weighing platform 14 will now be explained. It is noted, that FIG. 4 shows the position of the ball-screw mechanism 70 relative to the cam members 76, and FIG. 6 shows one of the side rails 56 relative to its associated cam member 62, when the weighing platform 14 is in the lowered operational 4Q position, as shown in FIG. 1. Accordingly, a proper key is inserted into the key lock 32 and turned to turn on the electrical power to activate the weighing scale 10. Pushbutton switch 36 is now depressed and held in while the operator with the other hand operates the joy stick 34 by 45 moving the joy stick 34 forwardly towards the operator so that the motor 68 is activated. It is noted, that the electronic and electric means and connections are conventionally well known to those skilled in the art, and therefore are not described or shown in the drawings. 50
When the motor 68 is activated by the forward movement of the joy stick 34, the ball-screw mechanism 70 retracts the piston 74 therein, as long as the push-button switch 36 is depressed, to the final retracted position of the piston~74 showing in FIG. 5. Accordingly, the outer end of the piston 55 74 is fixedly connected between the ears 78 of the pair of cam members 76, so that the piston 74 causes the cam members 76 to rotate counterclockwise as viewed in FIG. 5. In turn, the cam members 76 cause the bar 64 to also rotate counterclockwise in the direction of arrow 79. 60
When the bar 64 rotates counterclockwise in the direction of arrow 79, the cam members 62 at the opposite ends thereof also rotate counterclockwise, as shown in FIG. 7. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, an ear 80 on each of the cam members 62 is connected to one end 82 of each rod 83 of the 65 lever means 58 so that the rod 83 is moved to the left as viewed in FIG. 7. The opposite end 84 of each of the rods
83 is connected to an arm portion 86 at the end of each of the side rails 56. Accordingly, the pin 66 extends through another arm portion 88, so that when the rod 83 moves to the left as viewed in FIG. 7, each of the side rails 56 is caused to rotate around its associated pin 66 in a clockwise direction as indicated by arrow 90.
Once the side rails 56, and the weighing platform 14 connected thereto, reach the final raised non-operational position, as shown in FIG. 8, an edge portion 92 of each of the side rails 56 engages and closes a conventional switch 94. Accordingly, the switch 94 deactivates the motor 68 so that the operator can release the push-button switch 36 and the joy stick 34. The operator can now proceed to raise the stabilizing member 16, in the manner set forth below.
As shown in FIG. 9, the stabilizing member 16 is in a raised non-operational position. It is noted, that frame side portions 22, 24 of the stabilizing member 16 are received in transverse recesses 95 provided in the ramps 18, 20, as best shown in FIG. 2, as will be discussed below. Furthermore, as indicated above, when the weighing platform 14 is in an inclined raised non-operational position, the distributed weight of the weighing platform 14 on the support member 12 is sufficient to maintain the support member 12 in a non-tiltable position when the stabilizing member 16 is being raised, in the direction of arrow 96, to the position shown in FIG. 9.
Referring again to FIG. 3, the mechanism for raising the stabilizing member 16 will now be discussed. The frame side portions 22, 24 extend into the support member 12 between the partition walls 60, and the above mentioned pins 66 pivotally secure the end ends of each of the frame side portions 22, 24 to associated ones of the partition walls 60, so that the pins 66 independently secure both the stabilizing member 16 and the weighing platform 14 to the support member 12. It is noted, that a longitudinally extending bar 97 connects the end portions of the frame side portions 22, 24 together to complete the frame construction of the stabilizing member 16, as will be further discussed below. Additionally, lever means 98 connect the end portions of each of the frame side members 22, 24 to associated cam members 100, as best shown in FIGS. 13 and 14 to which reference will now be made.
As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the end portions of each of the frame side portions 22, 24 of the stabilizing member 16 are provided with three arm portions 102,104 and 106. Each of the arm portions 102 receives an associated one of the pins 66, and the arm portions 104 are connected together by the bar 97, where each of the arm portions 106 is pivotally connected to the lever means 98. Preferably, each lever means 98 includes a first rod 108 pivotally connected to the arm portion 106 at one end thereof, with the other end thereof being pivotally connected to another rod 110. Each rod 110 is pivotally connected at the opposite end thereof between a pair of ears 112, one ear 112 being provided on each cam member 100. It is noted, that each of the cam members 100 is mounted on the top wall 44 of the support member 12, a pair of cam members 100 being disposed within an associated one of the housings 48, 50, as best shown in FIG. 10. It is also noted, that the top wall 44 of the support member 12 is provided with a pair of slots 114 therethrough, each slot 114 receiving an associated one of the rods 110 therethrough to permit the rods 110 to function in a back and forth motion, as set forth below.
As shown in FIG. 10, each of the housings 48,50 includes a pair of cam members 100 mounted on an axle 116, each axle 116 being pivotally supported by a pair of upstanding
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