Appeal No. 2005-1471 Page 5
Application No. 10/028,833
including a generally horizontally disposed top rail 24, a generally horizontally disposed
bottom rail 26 spaced from the top rail, and a pair of end rails 28, 30 spaced from each
other and interconnecting the top and bottom rails. The connector elements 18 extend
between the bottom rail and the bed frame. Bed rail 14 includes two housings 32, 34 for
accommodating equipment such as controls for adjusting the configuration of the bed or
communications apparatus such as a telephone or intercom. Covers 40 and 42 are
provided over the bed rails to afford protection for the patient by preventing he or she
from engaging the hard surfaces of the bed rail which in some circumstances can cause
injury.
Williams' invention relates generally to hospital bed controls, and more
particularly to a bedside control module for hospital beds mounted on an articulating
support. In the BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION section of the patent, Williams
teaches that:
Bedside control systems are commonly used in the health care industry to
make various control functions accessible to patients. Bedside controllers are
typically used for bed adjustment, nurse calls, and for control of appliances such
as radio, television, telephone and lights. Examples of such controllers are
pendant speaker systems and side rail controls. One example of a side rail
control is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,680,790 to Packard et al.
One inherent problem with current side rail controls or pendant speaker
systems is that confused or challenged patients have a great deal of difficulty
locating and manipulating the controls. For example, pendant speaker systems
are not mounted in a fixed location and can be lost in the bed clothes. In the case
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