Appeal No. 2005-1471 Page 6
Application No. 10/028,833
of side rail controls, they are frequently mounted in locations which are not
convenient or conducive to their use.
Another disadvantage of side-rail controls and pendant speaker systems
is that they are generally accessible to the patient only when the patient is in the
hospital bed. After surgery or other treatment, it is generally desirable to
ambulate the patient as soon as is medically practicable. Studies show that
ambulating patients as quickly as possible after surgical procedures decreases
the patient's recovery time and also the overnight stays required. Patients are
therefore encouraged to sit upright in a bedside chair in the patient's hospital
room rather than remain confined in the hospital bed. Current pendant systems
and side rail controllers are frequently inaccessible to the patient once the patient
is out of the hospital bed.
Current side rail control systems are also inaccessible to the visiting family
member who might be staying with the patient during recovery. The existing T.V.
controls and other environmental controls are not accessible to the visitor when
they are fixed to the bed side rail.
In the SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION section of the patent, Williams teaches
that:
The bedside control system of the present invention is designed to provide
all of the control functions of the patient environment in a convenient location
which is readily accessible to a patient confined to a hospital bed. A control panel
is mounted on an articulating arm that allows freedom of movement in all planes.
The articulating arm structure provides an overhead support which makes it
easier for the challenged or impaired patient to locate and use the control panel.
The articulating arm structure also allows the use of the bedside control by the
patient even when the patient is seated in a bedside chair. The articulating arm
structure mounts to either the right or left side of the bed frame. A connector
interfaces with the existing control system of the bed.
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