Off-set flat-bed rail support for use with adjustable beds

Abstract

The off-set flat-bed rail support for use with adjustable beds has a sheet base with an attachment plate for handrails. A support 3A used with a recessed mattress has a portion of a base edge curved d

Description

Field of the Invention The present invention relates to devices which are used to attach bedside hand rails to adjustable beds. Background Manufactured side rails for beds have been in use for many years on a global basis but the traditional design has been designed exclusively for and only works effectively with conventional non-profiling or adjustable beds. Profiling or adjustable beds are provided as a care aid for users who require the beds upper half to be raised upward, this helps them during meals times and to become more comfortable, as well, in some cases, to assist the person to become able to exit the bed more easily, aided by the more upright bodily position. The common side rails which only perform with non-adjusting beds are established with a design approach which has been to offer a vertical rail which is attached to a board or tubes or similar arrangement fixed at 90° perpendicular to the rail ‘board support’, with the intention that the board support is inserted between a bed base and a mattress on top. There are often no fixings necessary for use of such a device, although a webbing strap is sometimes provided to fasten around the bed base to keep the rail more or less in place. The principle essentially works on the basis that the compressive weight of the user on the mattress above keeps the rail in place as it is being used. The fundamental problem with all of these devices which precludes effective use with adjustable beds, is that with these devices the position of the rail is aligned with the horizontal board support area, the part which is inserted underneath a mattress. When such a device is inserted under the mattress on an adjustable bed, it is found that the horizontal board support area interferes with the profiling and rising sections of the bed, as the position where the rail is required for use on the bed means the rail support area conflicts with the essential moving parts of the bed mechanism. The solution is therefore to provide or replace the board support and its function without interfering with the moving parts of an adjustable bed. A bedside assist handrail GB1805822.2 is an inverted U-shaped ‘grab rail’ designed for adjustable beds, held in place by means of a clamp-plate tightened against the rail uprights, this was initially conceived as relying on bolt-fixings through the bed side. The requirement to drill through the bed side to attach this example can be an obstacle and potentially off-putting for some prospective users and purchasers. In addition to this problem, changes to common bed component designs have more recently emerged which have resulted in new unexpected difficulties for the ‘drill-through’ concept. These circumstances have led to a need to develop alternative fixing solutions which allow said bedside assist handrail and similar handrails to be fitted to and used with an adjustable bed without any drilling. The prior art therefore shows that there is a need for a more effective replacement for a board support which does not require any drilling of the bed side for installation of the bedside assist handrail or other hand rails. The present invention aims to provide an improved replacement for the known board support using a new off-set flat-bed rail support formed of a shaped and folded metal flat sheet material, shaped to accurately suit each of the two types of adjustable bed structure. Summary of the Invention According to the present invention there is provided an off-set flat-bed rail support for use with bedside assist handrails, for example: GB1805822.2 (WOOD) or other handrails. The off-set flat-bed rail support is for use with adjustable beds of two distinct common types of bed and mattress construction, the off-set flatbed rail support being preferably made of a shaped metal flat sheet bed material, shaped to accurately suit each of the two types of adjustable bed structure and offering up a fixture and attachment plate onto which bedside handrails can be installed on both the right and left side of the bed, the accompanying Figures show a right hand side fitting to a bed, therefore, a left hand side fitting to a bed would be the mirror image of what is shown. The two types of bed for which this flat-bed rail support is used are recessed mattress adjustable beds, where the bottom surface of the mattress is lower than the top edge of the bed side base surround also known as a ‘sunken mattress’ and for use with non-recessed mattress adjustable beds where the top surface of the profiling bed mechanism is level with the base surround of the bed and the mattress sits on top and is not recessed into the bed surround. This is derived as a flat planar sheet bed of material, for one example only of many possible materials; a metal sheet. This metal sheet bed is preferably rectangular in form and preferably has rounded points and rolled edges to all of its right angles and edges, for safety of use. The flat sheet bed is sized to seat horizontally onto the static support slats which are found underneath the mattress on an adjustable bed. To aid the fitting of the sheet bed onto said bed slats, a portion of one edge of the flat sheet bed is curved downward concavely forming a slat locator fold, or SLF. This curved edge length of the slat locator fold seats onto the outer facing edge of the support slat length onto which the flat sheet bed is laid, this support slat 30 being in line with the edge of the flat sheet bed 3, with the slat locator fold 2 seated over said support slat 30, as shown in Figure 1. Further static support slats of the bed are underneath the flat sheet bed in parallel to each other as shown, with a least two or more support slats seated underneath the flat sheet bed. When in use with a recessed mattress bed, the off-set flat-bed rail support sheet bed is upturned at ninety degrees at the end which abuts the inner face of the bed side base surround in a flush fitting. This upturned section 5 extends in an off-set way from the sheet bed in the form of a short flat vertical section which is horizontally elongated and extends beyond the width of the sheet bed, providing means to raise the height of a fitting plate above the top edge of the bed side surround. A metal strengthening rod 29 can be provided and secured in place in the ninety-degree curve of this upturn to provide added strengthening to the structure for heavier users. This upturned flat section is elongated and is twice the width of the sheet bed from which it initially extends, half of the top edge of the upturned section further curves again slightly forward at ninety degrees, along the off-set portion of the upturned section, from the sheet bed. This short ninety-degree forward curve 6 forms a short section which seats on top of the top edge of the bed side base surround 11, as shown in Figure 1. Further to this, the ninety-degree forward curve again upturns in a flat vertical at ninety degrees forming a planar fixture plate 7. The fixture plate is therefore provided with clearance of the height of the base offering a planar vertical plate onto which the bedside assist handrail or other handrails can be fitted using bolts, with threaded fittings or any other suitable fixing methods, including clamping and slotting methods. The vertical upward and downward curves and folds of the sheet bed locate between the inside surface of the upholstered bed side base surround and the outer rail of the profiling mechanism which raises and lowers the bed. In the Tecessed-mattress’ a rod can be welded, as aforementioned, along the ninety-degree curve line of the upturned section for the purpose of strengthening the offset flat-bed rail support, located along the lower mattress edge where the mattress under-surface meets the mattress vertical sidewall; the soft mattress sits on top of the rod, if present and deforms around it. Skewing of the device (lateral rotation parallel to the floor) as it is pushed and pulled is prevented both by the upward and downward fold arrangement to the upholstered bed base surround and also the downward slat locator fold, which locates between a pair of wooden support slats, as aforementioned. The off-set flat-bed rail support 1F is positioned as shown in Figure 7 on the static bed slats, to allow the unobstructed movement of the rising and lowering sections of the bed slat arrangement 24F, the off-set flat-bed rail support remains in place as it is shaped with the fitting plate off-set from the ‘metal’ bed sheet and attached in a non-obstructive way to the bed and is held in place by the mattress 28I on top of the plate bed 3I as shown in Figure 10. In addition to the user’s body pressure on the mattress covering the flat bed rail support, the sheet bed is also held in place and prevented from skewing as it is pulled and pushed by user by way of said slat locator fold which assists in performing the function of preventing horizontal swivel I rotational movement of the sheet bed parallel to the floor and by way of said vertical upward and / or downward sections, curves or folds, or equivalents, at 90° right angle to the sheet bed, either inserted between the upholstered base surround of the adjustable bed and profiling mechanism parts of the adjustable bed, or positioned flush against the inside surface of the upholstered base surround of the adjustable bed, which exist to perform or assist in performing the function of preventing horizontal swivel I rotational movement of the device parallel to the floor or by any combination of these features. Should the off-set flat-bed rail support be installed on a bed where the rising and lowering bed mechanism is level with the upper edge of the base surround of the bed and the mattress sits on top and is not recessed into the bed surround, a downward ninety-degree curve and section is positioned on the outside of the upholstered bed base surround as opposed to the upward ninety-degree curve and sections, as aforementioned. The sheet bed is provided in the same form with the slat locator fold fitting over the edge of the bed support slat and seats onto the bed slats in the exacting way. Because the rising and lowering bed mechanism is level with the upper edge of the base surround of the bed and the mattress sits on top and is not recessed into the bed surround there is no requirement for any curves and vertical sections higher than the sheet bed. A downward curve 23 from the sheet bed 3E and the fitting section 22 forms a ninety-degree fixture plate 7E which is vertical and flush to the bed side. A fitting section passes over the top edge of the bed side surround and forms a ninety-degree fixture plate located below the horizontal level of the sheet bed, which is vertical to the outer bed side surround. The fitting space 14E is provided to enable the top edge of the bed side base surround (not shown) to fit underneath the right angle of the downturned section 5E, as shown in Figure 6. The off-set flat-bed rail support for adjustable beds is preferably of at least 4mm thickness of shaped metal plate. This is not the only material that could be used to execute the same or a similar design, these include, plastic and wood materials as alternative substitutes. The SLF slat locator fold in particular can be reproduced in other ways I other materials, for example; in a version where the sheet bed might be wooden and the function of the SLF is performed by a narrow wooden, plastic or rubber batten being an underhanging straight piece which locates between the parallel slats of the bed mechanism in order to prevent horizontal swivel / rotational movement parallel to the floor. In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The invention can be realised in left or right handed versions and whilst the figures show the device in right handed versions it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the right handed details of construction and to the right handed arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings, but includes left handed versions for which the figures would be reversed in mirror image. As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the Patent Office and the public generally, and especially the scientists, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application. The abstract is neither intended to define the invention of the application, which is measured by the claims, nor is it intended to be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved off-set flat-bed rail support which has ail the advantages of the prior art bed rail supports and none of the disadvantages. It is another object of the present invention to provide a new off-set flat-bed rail support which may be easily and efficiently manufactured and marketed. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new and improved offset flat-bed rail support which is of durable and reliable construction. An even further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved off-set flat-bed rail support which is susceptible of a low cost of manufacture with regard to both materials and labour, and which accordingly is then susceptible of low prices of sale to the consuming public, thereby making such a product available to the buying public. Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved off-set flat-bed rail support which provides in the apparatuses and methods of the prior art some of the advantages thereof, while simultaneously overcoming some of the disadvantages normally associated therewith. These together with other objects of the invention, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and detailed descriptive matter in which there is illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention. Brief description of figures All Figures show right hand versions. Figures are deemed to include left hand versions which would be represented in reversed mirror images of the Figures as shown. Figure 1 shows a dimensional view of the off-set flat-bed rail support with a handrail attached fitted to an adjustable bed. Figure 2 shows a dimensional view of the off-set flat-bed rail support for use with a recessed mattress adjustable bed. Figure 3 shows a plan view of the off-set flat-bed rail support for use with a recessed mattress adjustable bed. Figure 4 shows a frontal view of the off-set flat-bed rail support for use with a recessed mattress adjustable bed. Figure 5 shows a side view of the off-set flat-bed rail support for use with a recessed mattress adjustable bed. Figure 6 shows a dimensional view of the off-set flat-bed rail support for use with a non-recessed adjustable bed. Figure 7 shows a dimensional view of the off-set flat-bed rail support with a handrail attached fitted to a raised adjustable bed. Figure 8 shows a plan view of the off-set flat-bed rail support for use with a nonrecessed adjustable bed. Figure 9 shows a side sectional view of the off-set flat-bed rail support for use with a non-recessed adjustable bed. Figure 10 shows a side sectional view of the off-set flat-bed rail support for use with a recessed mattress adjustable bed. Detailed description of figures A typical embodiment of the off-set flat-bed rail support is shown in Figure 1. It comprises the off-set flat-bed rail support 1, which derived as a flat planar sheet bed of material forming a sheet bed 3, preferably rectangular in form and preferably has rounded points and rolled edges to all of its right angles and edges for safety of use. The flat sheet bed 3 is sized to seat horizontally onto the support slats 30 and 18 which are found underneath the mattress as part of the bed slat arrangement 24 on an adjustable bed. To aid the fitting of the sheet bed 3 onto said bed slats 30 and 18, a portion of one edge of the flat sheet bed is curved downward concavely forming a slat-locator fold 2, or SLF. This curved edge length of the slat locator fold seats onto the outer facing edge of the support slat 30 length as shown, onto which the flat sheet bed is laid, this support slat 30 being in line with the edge of the flat sheet bed 3. The further support slats of the bed slat arrangement 24 are in parallel to each other as shown, with at least two or more support slats seated underneath the flat sheet bed. This would depend on the width of the support slats, therefore; should the slats be more narrowed, then more support slats would pass underneath the sheet bed 3. When in use with a recessed mattress bed, the off-set flat-bed rail support sheet bed 3 is upturned at ninety degrees at the end which abuts the inner face of the bedside base surround 10 in a flush fitting. This upturned section 5 extends in an off-set way from the sheet bed 3 in the form of a short flat vertical section which is horizontally elongated, providing means to raise the height of a fitting plate 7 above the top edge 11 of the bed side surround 10. This upturned flat section 5 has an upper edge 4 and is elongated and is twice the width of the sheet bed 3 from which it initially extends, half of the top edge of the upturned section 5 further curves again slightly forward at a ninety-degree forward curve 6, along the off-set portion of the upturned section 5, from the sheet bed 3. This short ninety-degree forward curve 6 forms a short section which seats on top of the top edge of the bed side base surround 11, as shown in Figure 1. Further to this, the ninety-degree forward curve 6 again upturns in a flat vertical at ninety degrees forming the planar fixture plate 7. The fixture plate 7 is therefore provided with clearance of the height of the bed side base 10 and 11 offering a planar vertical plate onto which the bedside assist handrail 26 or other handrails (Not shown) can be fitted on the right or left hand side of a bed. These to be fitted using a handrail fixture plate 12 onto fitting points 8 and 9 using bolts, with threaded fittings or any other suitable fixing methods, including clamping or slotting methods (not shown). The off-set flat-bed rail support 1A for use with a recessed adjustable bed is shown in Figure 2 with the sheet bed 3A and its underside surface 17 which seats onto the bed slats, aided by the slat locator fold 2A to its edge. The fitting space 14 is wide and allows for clearance over the slat fittings into which the slats are inserted or held, found at the ends of each slat on both sides of the bed. A metal strengthening bar 29 can be provided and secured in place in the ninety-degree curve of the upturned section 5A to provide added strengthening to the structure. If included, the metal strengthening bar 29 is fixed, preferably using a form of weld, to the inner surface of the upturned section 16 and the corner surface of the sheet bed 3A, as shown. The ninety-degree forward curve 6A extends forward slightly forming a narrowed underside 15, along the off-set portion of the upturned section 5A and is shown further upturning to form the fixture plate 7A with fitting points 8A and 9A and its inner face 13. Figure 3 shows a plan view of the off-set flat-bed rail support 1B with the sheet plate 3B seated onto the support slats 18B and 30B which are inserted into slat fittings 19 and 20, having a space 21B in between them. The short ninety-degree forward curve 6B is shown forming the short section which seats on top of the top edge of the bed side base surround 11B. The fixture plate 7B and its fitting points 8B and 9B extends with its narrowed underside 15B, forward from 6B. A frontal view of the off-set flat-bed rail support 1C with sheet bed 3C is shown in Figure 4 with the fixture plate 7C and its fitting points 8C and 9C extending forward from the ninety-degree forward curve 6C further formed from the ninetydegree curve of the upturned section 5C and are strengthened by metal strengthening bar 29C. This frontal view also shows the sheet plate 3C seated onto the support slats 18C and 30C stability and fitting of the off-set flat-bed rail support aided by slat-locator fold 2C, the slats having a space 21C in between them. The side view shows the off-set flat-bed rail support 1D with sheet bed 3D and its downward slat-locator fold 2D to seat on the edge of the support slat (not shown). Fitting space 14D, which is part of sheet bed 3D has upturned section 5D which contacts flush with the inner side of the bed side surround and its inner surface 16D which contacts with the exterior outer side face of the mattress (not shown here) is supported and strengthened by strengthening bar 29D. The ninety-degree forward curve 6D extends forward to form the vertical fixture plate 7D and its fitting point 9D, as shown from this side view in Figure 5. On installation of the off-set flat-bed rail support 1E on either the right or left side of a bed where the rising and lowering bed mechanism is level with the upper edge of the base surround of the bed and the mattress sits on top and is not recessed into the bed surround, a downward ninety-degree curve 23 and fitting section 22 is positioned on the outside of the bed base surround, as opposed to the upward ninety-degree curve and sections, as aforementioned. The sheet bed 3E and 17E is provided in the same form with the slat locator fold 2E fitting over the bed support slat and seats onto the bed slats in the exacting way. Because the rising and lowering bed mechanism is variably level with the upper edge of the base surround of the bed and the mattress sits on top and is not recessed into the bed surround there is no requirement for any curves and sections higher than the sheet bed 3E. A downward curve 23 from the sheet bed 3E and the fitting section 22 forms a ninety-degree fixture plate 7E which is off-set from the sheet bed 3E and locates vertically to the bed side with a flush fitting, having fitting points 8E and 9E. The Fitting space 14E is provided to enable the top edge of the bed side base surround 11 to fit underneath the right angle of the downturned section 5E, as shown in Figure 6. The off-set flat-bed rail support 1F is positioned as shown in Figure 7 to allow the rising sections of the bed slat arrangement 24F to move upward and downward using hinged sections of the mechanism on both sides 25 without obstruction by the off-set flat-bed rail support 1F. The off-set flat-bed rail support 1F remains in place as it is shaped and attached in a non-obstructive way to the bed and is held in place by the mattress on top of the plate bed 3F (Not Shown) and the aforementioned features, including the slat locator fold 2F along with the seating onto the top edge of the bed side surround 11F thereto and by way of said vertical upward and / or downward sections or folds, or equivalents, at 90° right angle to the sheet bed, either inserted between the upholstered base surround of the adjustable bed and profiling mechanism parts of the adjustable bed, or positioned flush against the outside or inside of the base surround of the adjustable bed, which exist to perform or assist in performing the function of preventing horizontal swivel I rotational movement of the device parallel to the floor or by any combination of these features. The bedside assist handrail 26F is shown and is attached in this single example, by means of a handrail fixture plate 12F with holes 27 to engage with the fittings on the fixture plate 7F. Other handrails may use different fixture methods than those shown and these will be provided on fixture plate 7F, as shown in Figure 7. Figure 8 shows the off-set flat-bed rail support 1G for use with a non-recessed adjustable bed, with the sheet plate 3G seated adjacent to the rising and lowering section of the bed slat arrangement 24G and not obstructing the movement of the bed slat arrangement 24G, seated on the support slats 18G and 30G, having a space 21G in between them. The sheet plate 3G is seated on the top edge of the bed side base surround 11G, with the said fitting space 14G fitted over the top edge of the bed side base surround 11G passing underneath the fitting space.

Claims

1) An off-set flat-bed rail support for use with adjustable beds in either right hand or left hand version comprising; a shaped flat sheet bed with an attachment plate for handrails, which is shaped to fit onto the static bed slats on an adjustable bed with either a recessed mattress or a non-recessed mattress on either the right or left side of the bed, which allows unobstructed rising and lowering of the bed, having a portion of one edge of the flat sheet bed curved downward concavely forming a slat-locator fold with a fitting space adjacent to it, and an upturned section with a ninety degree curve at the end of the flat sheet bed abutted to the inner bed side surround, further to this, half of the top edge of the upturned section further curves again slightly forward at ninety degrees, along the off-set portion of the upturned section, from the sheet bed, this short ninety degree forward curve forms a short section which seats on the top edge of the bed side base surround, providing means to raise the height of a vertical fitting plate above the top edge of the bed side surround, for use with recessed beds, and a downward curve section from the sheet bed and a fitting section passes over the top edge of the bed side surround and forms a ninety degree fixture plate located below the horizontal level of the sheet bed, which is vertical to the outer bed side surround, when installed on a non-recessed mattress bed; the fixing plate having means to attach handrails.2) An off-set flat-bed rail support for use with adjustable beds as claimed in claim 1 wherein the sheet bed is rectangular in form and has rounded points and curved or rolled edges to its right angles, comers, and edges.3) An off-set flat-bed rail support for use with adjustable beds as claimed in claim 2 wherein the flat sheet bed is sized to seat horizontally onto the static support bed slats which are found underneath the mattress on adjustable beds, aided by the slat locator fold.4) An off-set flat-bed rail support for use with adjustable beds as claimed in claim 3 wherein the curved edge length of the slat locator fold seats onto the outer facing edge of the support slats length, onto which the flat sheet bed is laid, this support slat and others being in parallel with the long edge of the flat sheet bed.5) An off-set flat-bed rail support for use with adjustable beds as claimed in claim 4 wherein the off-set flat-bed rail support is positioned on the static bed slats to allow the moving sections of the bed slat arrangement to rise upward and lower downward while the off-set flat-bed rail support remains in place, as it is shaped and attached in a non-obstructive way to the bed, on the static slat sections, with the curves, vertical upturned sections, and downward curves of the sheet bed located between the inside surface of the bed side base surround and the outer rail of the profiling mechanism which raises and lowers the bed, or against the outside of the bed side base surround.6) An off-set flat-bed rail support for use with adjustable beds as claimed in claim 5 wherein the off-set flat-bed rail support for adjustable beds can be made of a thickness of metal, aluminium, alloy, wooden, plastic or rubber shaped bed plate.7) An off-set flat-bed rail support for use with adjustable beds as claimed in claim 6 wherein the slat locator fold can be a narrow wooden, plastic or rubber batten being an underhanging straight piece which locates between the parallel slats of the bed mechanism in order to prevent horizontal swivel / rotational movement of the sheet bed of the off-set flat-bed rail support, parallel to the floor.8) An off-set flat-bed rail support for use with adjustable beds as claimed in claim 7 wherein the sheet beds upturned or downturned sections are horizontally elongated and extend beyond the width of the sheet bed.9) An off-set flat-bed rail support for use with adjustable beds as claimed in claim 8 wherein, in use, skewing of the sheet bed and therefore the off-set flat-bed bed rail support, lateral rotation parallel to the floor, is prevented by the weight of the mattress and person on top and by upturned and downturned sections and upward and downward curves and fitting section located onto the bed base surround and also the said slat locator fold, between a pair of wooden support slats, as aforementioned.10) An off-set flat-bed rail support for use with adjustable beds as claimed in claim 9 wherein a fitting space is provided to enable the sheet bed to fit over slat fittings into which bed slats are inserted.11) An off-set flat-bed rail support for use with adjustable beds as claimed in claim 9 wherein, as aforementioned, the ninety-degree forward curve is upturned forming the fixture plate, with clearance of the height of the recessed mattress bed side base.12) An off-set flat-bed rail support for use with adjustable beds as claimed in claim 11 wherein the ninety-degree curve of the upturned section is strengthened by a horizontally disposed strengthening bar fitted along the curve and the upturned section corner.13) An off-set flat-bed rail support for use with adjustable beds as claimed in claim 9 wherein, in use, when installed onto a non-recessed bed the downward ninety-degree curve and fitting section is positioned on the outside and over the top edge of the bed base surround.14) An off-set flat-bed rail support for use with adjustable beds as claimed in claim 13 wherein the downward ninety-degree curve from the sheet bed and the fitting section forms the fixture plate which is vertical and flush to the bed side.15) An off-set flat-bed rail support for use with adjustable beds as claimed in claim 14 wherein a fitting space is provided to enable the top edge of the bed side base surround to fit underneath the right angle of the fitting and downturned section.

Images