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A patient support apparatus includes a base having a first side, a second side, a head end, and a foot end, a head end caster and a foot end caster coupled to the base on the first side near the respective head and foot ends, and a head end link and a foot end link located on the first side and oper

A patient support apparatus includes a base having a first side, a second side, a head end, and a foot end, a head end caster and a foot end caster coupled to the base on the first side near the respective head and foot ends, and a head end link and a foot end link located on the first side and operably associated with the respective head and foot end casters on the first side. The head and foot end links on the first side move longitudinally in opposite directions to brake the respective head and foot end casters on the first side.

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The invention claimed is: 1. A patient support apparatus comprising: a base having a first side, a second side, a head end, and a foot end, a head end caster and a foot end caster coupled to the base on the first side near the respective head and foot ends, wherein one of the two casters is a brake

The invention claimed is: 1. A patient support apparatus comprising: a base having a first side, a second side, a head end, and a foot end, a head end caster and a foot end caster coupled to the base on the first side near the respective head and foot ends, wherein one of the two casters is a brake-steer caster having neutral, brake and steer modes and the other of the two casters is a brake caster having neutral and brake modes, a head end link and a foot end link located on the first side and operably associated with the respective head and foot end casters on the first side, the head and foot end links on the first side moving longitudinally in a first pair of opposite directions to brake the respective head and foot end casters on the first side, and the head and foot end links on the first side moving longitudinally a second pair of opposite directions to prevent swiveling of the steer caster, a shaft pivotably mounted to the base and carrying a pedal lever including brake and steer pedals, and a linkage coupling the shaft to the head and foot end links, the linkage comprising a cam mounted on the shaft for rotation therewith, a head end cam plate, and a foot end cam plate; the head and foot end cam plates configured to operatively engage the cam and the head and foot end cam plates coupled to the respective head and foot end links so that downward actuation of the brake pedal causes the cam to push the two cam plates in the first pair of opposite directions to brake the two casters and so that downward actuation of the steer pedal causes the cam to push the two cam plates in the second pair of opposite directions to prevent swiveling of the steer caster. 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the head end link moves toward the foot end of the base and the foot end link moves toward the head end of the base when the two cam plates are pushed in the first pair of opposite directions. 3. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising a pin secured to the shaft and a rotational stop secured to the base, wherein the pin engages the rotational stop to limit the rotation of the shaft in a braking direction in response to the downward actuation of the brake pedal. 4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the pedal lever has a generally horizontal position when the two casters are in their respective neutral modes. 5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the pedal lever brake and steer pedals are arranged on opposite sides of the shaft, the pedal lever has a generally horizontal position when the two casters are in their respective neutral modes. 6. The apparatus of claim 5, further comprising a pin secured to the shaft and first and second rotational stops secured to the base, wherein the pin engages the first rotational stop to limit the rotation of the shaft in a braking direction in response to the downward actuation of the brake pedal and the pin engages the second rotational stop to limit the rotation of the shaft in a steering direction in response to the downward actuation of the steer pedal. 7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the base has a first longitudinally-extending rail on the first side, a second longitudinally-extending rail on the second side and a cross beam interconnecting the two rails, the two links on the first side are located within an interior region of the first rail, and the shaft is located within an interior region of the cross beam. 8. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the first side comprises a first rail and the cam and the cam plates are located within the interior region of the first rail. 9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the linkage further comprises a head end rocker arm pivotally coupled to the first rail near the head end, a first end of the head end rocker arm is adapted to actuate the head end caster, a second end of the head end rocker arm is coupled to a first end of the head end link, and a second end of the head end link is coupled to the head end cam plate, and the linkage further comprises a foot end rocker arm pivotally coupled to the first rail near the foot end, a first end of the foot end rocker arm is adapted to actuate the foot end caster, a second end of the foot end rocker arm is coupled to a first end of the foot end link, and a second end of the foot end link is coupled to the foot end cam plate. 10. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the linkage further includes a detent mechanism operable to resist the rotation of the shaft when the shaft is in angular positions that correspond to the neutral, brake and steer modes of the brake-steer caster. 11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the detent mechanism comprises a block coupled to the base and having a bore to rotatably support the shaft, a plunger slidably mounted in the block and biased forward so as to project into the bore, and a plurality of recesses around the circumference of the shaft, each of the recesses corresponding to one of the neutral, brake and steer modes of the brake-steer caster. 12. A patient support apparatus comprising: an elongated base, a plurality of casters coupled to the base and including at least one caster having an upwardly-biased plunger which is actuable to provide a neutral mode and a brake mode, and a linkage coupled to the base and operable to actuate the upwardly-biased plunger to position the at least one caster in the neutral and brake modes, the linkage including a shaft mounted to the base for pivoting movement about a transverse axis, a cam mounted on the shaft for rotation therewith, and a cam plate configured to be bi-directionally pushed by the cam so that pivoting movement of the shaft in braking and steering directions causes longitudinal movement of the cam plate in respective braking and steering directions independently of the upwardly-biased plunger. 13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the shaft carries a brake pedal, and downward actuation of the brake pedal causes the shaft to rotate in the braking direction to position the at least one caster in the brake mode. 14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the linkage further comprises a pin secured to the shaft and a rotational stop secured to the base, wherein the pin engages the rotational stop to limit the rotation of the shaft in the braking direction in response to the downward actuation of the brake pedal. 15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the shaft carries a pedal lever, the at least one caster has a steer mode in addition to the neutral and brake modes, the pedal lever has brake and steer pedals on opposite sides of the shaft, the pedal lever has a generally horizontal position when the at least one caster is in the neutral mode, downward actuation of the brake pedal beyond the generally horizontal position causes the linkage to position the at least one caster in the brake mode, and downward actuation of the steer pedal beyond the generally horizontal position causes the linkage to position the at least one caster in the steer mode. 16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the linkage further comprises a pin secured to the shaft and first and second rotational stops secured to the base, wherein the pin engages the first rotational stop to limit the rotation of the shaft in the braking direction in response to the downward actuation of the brake pedal and the pin engages the second rotational stop to limit the rotation of the shaft in the steering direction in response to the downward actuation of the steer pedal. 17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the linkage further comprises a detent mechanism operable to resist the rotation of the shaft when the shaft is in angular positions corresponding to the neutral and brake modes of the at least one caster. 18. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the linkage further comprises a rocker arm operably associated with the at least one caster and a link associated with the rocker arm, the rocker arm is pivotally mounted to the base, a first end of the rocker arm is adapted to actuate the at least one caster, a second end of the rocker arm is coupled to a first end of the link, and a second end of the link is coupled to the cam plate. 19. A patient support apparatus comprising: a base having a first side, a second side, a head end, and a foot end, a head end caster and a foot end caster coupled to the base on the first side near the respective head and foot ends, head end and foot end cam plates located on the first side and operably associated with the respective head and foot end casters on the first side, the head and foot end cam plates on the first side moving longitudinally in opposite directions to brake the respective head and foot end casters on the first side, and a shaft pivotably mounted to the base and a cam configured to bi-directionally push the cam plates, wherein the cam is mounted on the shaft for rotation therewith. 20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein rotation of the shaft in a braking direction causes the head and foot end cam plates to move in opposite directions to brake the two casters. 21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the head and foot end cam plates move away from the respective head and foot end casters to brake the two casters. 22. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein rotation of the shaft in a steering direction causes the head and foot end cam plates to move in opposite directions to unbrake the two casters. 23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the head and foot end cam plates move toward the respective head and foot end casters to unbrake the two casters. 24. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the shaft carries a pedal lever, the pedal lever has brake and steer pedals on opposite sides of the shaft so that downward actuation of the brake pedal rotates the shaft in the braking direction to brake the two casters and downward actuation of the steer pedal rotates the cam in the steering direction to unbrake the two casters. 25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the pedal lever is mounted outboard of the cam. 26. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein one of the two casters is a brake-steer caster having neutral, brake and steer modes and the other of the two casters is a brake caster having neutral and brake modes, the pedal lever has brake and steer pedals on opposite sides of the shaft, the pedal lever has a generally horizontal position when the two casters are in their respective neutral modes, downward actuation of the brake pedal beyond the generally horizontal position causes the cam plates to position the two casters in their respective brake modes, and downward actuation of the steer pedal beyond the generally horizontal position causes the cam plates to position the brake-steer caster in the steer mode while allowing the brake caster to remain in the neutral mode. 27. The apparatus of claim 26, further comprising a pin secured to the shaft and first and second rotational stops secured to the base, wherein the pin engages the first rotational stop to limit the rotation of the shaft in a braking direction in response to the downward actuation of the brake pedal and the pin engages the second rotational stop to limit the rotation of the shaft in a steering direction in response to the downward actuation of the steer pedal.