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An air pallet type patient mover, formed principally by top, intermediate and bottom thin flexible sheets sealed together about their edges and defining a plenum chamber between the intermediate and bottom sheets and a backing member cavity between the top sheet and the intermediate sheet with a sem

An air pallet type patient mover, formed principally by top, intermediate and bottom thin flexible sheets sealed together about their edges and defining a plenum chamber between the intermediate and bottom sheets and a backing member cavity between the top sheet and the intermediate sheet with a semi-rigid backing member within the cavity, supports a patient. Low pressure air within the plenum chamber jacks the load and is discharged through pin hole type perforations within the bottom sheet to create a thin air film. Foam strips within the plenum chamber and extending over a substantial lengthwise extent of the plenum chamber insures air distribution through the plenum chamber. Further, foam strips may be positioned within one of the plenum chamber and the backing member cavity along the sides thereof and outside of the semi-rigid sheet to effect padding and eliminate sharp edges which may interfere with X-ray radiation. The pattern of pin hole type perforations may extend only over the head end of the patient mover bottom thin flexible sheet, with a sealed loop area at the center of the foot end about which air flows to jack the patient\s legs to the same level as the patient\ s torso. Wedge-shaped pillow and foot sections may carry hook and loop type fastener strips end. U-shaped pull straps may be fixed to respective sides of the patient mover.

대표청구항 ▼

An air pallet type patient mover for frictionless movement of a patient over a relatively fixed support surface, said patient mover comprising: top, intermediate and bottom thin flexible sheets, means for sealing given sheets together linearly to define a plenum chamber between said intermediate and

An air pallet type patient mover for frictionless movement of a patient over a relatively fixed support surface, said patient mover comprising: top, intermediate and bottom thin flexible sheets, means for sealing given sheets together linearly to define a plenum chamber between said intermediate and bottom sheets and a backing member cavity between the top sheet and said intermediate sheet, said bottom thin flexible sheet including a portion defined by the footprint of the load having a plurality of closely spaced small diameter pin hole type perforations opening directly into the plenum chamber and directly onto said support surface, air inlet means communicating with said plenum chamber at one end thereof for permitting low pressure air pressurization of the plenum chamber for initially jacking of the load and for subsequent discharge through the perforations to create a thin air film between the bottom thin flexible sheet and the support surface, a semi-rigid backing member within said backing member cavity supporting said load and extending generally the length of said patient mover, means for dispersion of air throughout said plenum chamber when the air pallet is under load during air pressurization of said plenum chamber, the improvement wherein said air dispersion means comprises a pair of parallel foam strips within one of said plenum chamber and said backing chamber cavity, laterally spaced and extending over a substantial longitudinal extent of said plenum chamber so as to insure air distribution through said plenum chamber under conditions where the patient is wider over at least a portion of his body than the generally rigid backing member and the plenum chamber, and wherein under load, the patient tends to compress the foam strips, causing the generally rigid backing member to flex about the patient to cradle said patient at least prior to full pressurization of said plenum chamber and creation of the air bearing.