| 摘要 |
<p>On 25 July 2000, I was granted a patent pending on a Wheelchair Guirney Patient Transfer Unit (Canadian Patent Number CA2314596). The purpose of the unit was to transfer a patient to or from a bed. The patent lapsed on 25 July 2003. From 2009 to 2012, with help from the Faculty of Engineering at Memorial University of Newfoundland, I made new and innovative improvements to the unit. The original unit used a hydraulic sliding mechanism to extend the top of a stretcher in over a bed. The patient was rolled onto this and the mechanism was then retracted. When the top was fully extended and holding a patient, the unit was easy to turn over. The use of hydraulics also made the unit heavy and hard to maneuver. During the winter of 2011, a much simpler concept was envisioned. This is a stretcher with a unique open frame structure that can move directly in over a bed. The top of the stretcher has adjustable back and leg plates that allows it to be converted into a wheelchair. A schematic of it is shown on the next page. Because of its unique structure, it is lightweight and easy to maneuver, and it is also difficult to turn over. Besides moving a patient to or from a bed, the new unit can also function as a toilet and as a shower. A motorized unit with a controller could be used for patient therapy. The new unit has features that are way beyond those of the old unit.</p> |
