US456547A - Folding stretcher for ambulances - Google Patents

Description

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALEXANDER BREIV, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

FOLDING STRETCHER FOR AMBULANCES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 456,547, dated July 28, 1891.

Application filed December 6, 1890. Serial No. 373,846- (No model.)

To all whom, it may C0lbC-67'IL.

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER BREW, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of lllinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Folding Stretchers for Ambulance-Vehicles, of which the following is a description,reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, the same forming part of this specification.

My invention relates to a novel construction of a folding stretcher for the reception and conveyance of suffering individuals from the scene of an accident to a place of treatment, and is intended to be applied to ambulance-vehicles, relieving to a great measure the agony of such injured in the act of transporting the same.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 represents the stretcher in top view as constructed, the canvas or mattresses united. Fig. 2 is a bottom View of the foregoing figure, showing the mode of joining the ends of the canvas or mattresses. Fig. 3 relates to an end view of the apparatus in connection with such appliances for operating the same. Fig. 4: shows the canvas ormattresses of the stretcher parted, each part wound around on its respective side rails of the apparatus; and Fig. 5 is a side view of the stretcher in folded position to be stowed away in an ambulance-car when not in use.

The apparatus as constructed relates to a Wooden frame provided with stuffed canvas or mattresses in size to fit into an ambulancecar and capable of carrying a full-grown person, and consists of a pair of square side rails A B, with projecting round top and bottom ends a Z), in length to serve as handles for transporting the stretcher, and on which the head-board C and foot-board D are attached and securely fastened. Said boards are made of two parts 0 cl, Figs. 3 and 4., joined together in middle by hinges e e for the object to fold the frame together for storage, as shown in Fig. 5. The lower portion of the said ends a b,protrudingthrough the footboard D, are squared to admit a fitting-crank f, with a handle for turning the side rails.

The head and foot boards of the stretcher are provided at their under side with rollers g h for removing the same easily from the ambulance.

To the square side rails A B of the frame is securely fastened a stulfed canvas or mattress E, made of two equal parts 'i it, each part provided alongside the canvas with aseries of intersecting loops Z Z at equal distances r r, and when the same are matched in middle of the frame an iron rod m, with a handle on its end, is employed to run through the loops for uniting both parts of the mattress or canvas, the lower portion of the square side rails inside the foot-board hearing each a fitting ratchet-wheel n o, in con- 55 nection with pawls p p, fastened properly to the foot-board D to keep the side rails in firm position when it becomes necessary to stretch the canvas or mattress tightly over the surface of the frame. A projecting flap sis con- 7c nected to the "end lengthwise of one of the half parts of the canvas or mattress, overlapping the matched ends of the same evenly, to protect the rod m from being bent and preventinconvenience to a person while carried on the stretcher.

When the apparatus is called into requisition for serving a suffering person to be conveyed to a place of accommodation, the stretcher, with the individual, is placed at its destination on a bed, the rod 172 extracted from its hold a, which relieves the loops Z Z, and the crank 19 is applied to the projecting ends of the side rails A B, and, turning the same in opposite directions, the disunited partsilc of the canvas or mattress are parted gradually and without molestation underneath the suffering person and leave the same on the bed in the precise position as on the stretcher, while the apparatus is carefully o lifted and carried away for further use.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- 1. In an ambulance'stretcher, the side rails A 13, provided with head and foot boards 0 D, 5 the same having ratchet-wheelsn o and pawls p p, the latter connected tothe joining parts 0 (L of the foot-board D, which has bearingrollers g h, said side rails A B being connectedwith a canvas or mattress 01 k, snbstantially as shown, for the purpose described.

2. In an ambulance-stretcher, the canvas or mattress of the same, provided with a flap s and loops Z Z and a rod m, the samein connection with the frame of the stretcher, substantially as shown, all constructed, com-- C. W. CRARY, LEWIS J. CRARY.

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