Retractable Hospital Bed Step for Stable Patient Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Medical professionals, especially those of shorter stature, face difficulties accessing elevated hospital beds during procedures, and using traditional step stools can be hazardous and time-consuming, potentially impacting the timely delivery of lifesaving care.
Innovation Solution
A step device with a rectangular step component and spring-loaded legs that folds up under the bed, extending from either side for easy access, allowing healthcare workers to quickly elevate themselves to perform procedures without needing separate stools.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a traditional step stool is used, then healthcare workers can access elevated hospital beds, but the step stool may fall over and cause safety hazards
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the step stool function with the hospital bed frame by integrating a retractable step platform into the bed structure. The step platform is mechanically coupled to the bed frame, allowing it to extend and retract as needed, thereby eliminating the need for separate, potentially unstable step stools while providing stable, integrated access.
Solution Approach 2:
The step platform is designed to be dynamically adjustable, extending only when needed for patient access and retracting when not in use. This dynamic configuration allows the step platform to transition between extended and retracted positions, providing stability during use while maintaining safety when stored.
2Ease of operation
If a step stool is retrieved and set up, then healthcare workers can access the patient, but this process takes valuable time during emergency procedures
Solution Approach 1:
The step platform is pre-integrated into the hospital bed frame structure, eliminating the need to retrieve and set up a separate step stool. The platform is positioned and ready for use in advance, allowing healthcare workers to access the patient immediately when needed, thereby reducing the time loss associated with deploying traditional step stools.
Solution Approach 2:
By merging the step function with the bed frame, the system eliminates the separate step stool retrieval and setup process. The integrated step platform is already in position and requires only simple extension or activation, dramatically reducing the time required to gain patient access during emergency procedures.
3Reliability
If a step device is integrated into the hospital bed, then access is quick and stable, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The step mechanism utilizes dynamic components that can extend and retract smoothly, providing stable access when needed while maintaining a compact profile when stored. The dynamic design allows the step platform to transition between states, ensuring safety and stability during use without requiring overly complex fixed structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The step mechanism is divided into segmented components that can move independently, allowing the step platform to extend and retract along tracks or rails integrated into the bed frame. This segmentation enables the complex function of integrated step access to be achieved through simpler, modular mechanical elements.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The device ensures rapid, safe, and stable access to patients, accommodating various weights and eliminating the need for additional step stools, enabling quick and secure elevation for medical professionals.
Implementation Method 1
Typically, the step component, legs, and the support members are spring-loaded, such that when the step component is extended down to the floor, it is in an un-loaded position. In a spring-loaded position, the step component and legs are folded up under the hospital bed and locked in position
Data Source
AI summary
A step device is disclosed that assists healthcare workers regardless of size or weight in providing procedures within a hospital or other medical facility. The step device comprises a step component that is configured in a rectangular shape and is sized to retain two feet of a user with ease. A leg is secured with a hinge to each of the four corners of the step component. The four legs act to fold up into the underside of the step component when not in use. A support member is secured to the opposing right and left sides of the step component. Both support members then secure to an underside of the hospital bed with a hinge, allowing the support members to fold the step component up under the bed when not in use and extending the step component down to the floor for use.