Patient Supporting Table

The present invention is directed to a patient supporting table having a table top which is detachably connected in a cantilever fashion to an upper part of a height-adjustable pedestal.

A patient supporting table is known wherein a thin table top composed of a carbon fiber material is mounted on a pedestal in a cantilevered fashion, and this pedestal is suspended as a column from a ceiling of the examination room. Good access to the patient is thus possible. However, the connection of the table top to the ceiling of the examination room via a column means a great cost for a supporting structure. In addition, the ceilings are not always suitable for the suspension of the patient supporting table.

The object of the present invention is to provide a patient supporting table having a table top detachably mounted at one side or end in a cantilevered fashion on an upper part of a height-adjustable pedestal which is mounted on the floor and the construction of the pedestal and table is such to provide easy access to parts inside of the pedestal.

These objects are achieved in an improvement of a patient supporting table having a table top detachably connected at one side or end in a cantilevered fashion to an upper part of a height-adjustable pedestal. The improvements are that the height-adjustable pedestal has an upper telescopic column member, and means for connecting the upper part to the telescopic column member adjacent one edge for pivotable movement around a horizontal shaft adjacent said one edge.

The mechanism for the height adjustment, therefore, lies on the inside of the telescopic column member and is easily accessible for maintenance purposes by tilting the upper part around the connecting means.

The other advantages and features of the invention will be readily apparent from the detailed description, drawings and claims.

FIG. 1 is a side view with portions broken away for purposes of illustration of a supporting table in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the pedestal and upper part with the upper part in an opened position.

The principals of the present invention are particularly useful in a patient support table illustrated in FIG. 1, which includes a pedestal 1 on which a table top 2 is held at one end in a cantilevered fashion. The pedestal 1 comprises a telescoping column having an upper telescoping column member or part 3. The telescoping column can be raised and lowered by a conventional known mechanism, such as a motor-driven chain hoist which is schematically illustrated in FIG. 1. The table top 2 is connected to the pedestal by means of an upper part 4 which is secured on the upper column member 3. The table top 2 can be detached from the upper part to allow servicing and also for replacement.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the table top 2 has been removed and the upper part 4 is moved to an opened position. The upper part 4 is connected to the telescoping upper column member 3 by a connection means which enables pivoting around a horizontal shaft 5 which extends close to a foot end of the patient support table. For servicing purposes, accordingly, the table top 2 can be removed and the upper part 4 can be pivoted into the position shown in FIG. 2 so that the inside of the telescoping column is easily accessible. Thus, maintenance jobs on the inside of the telescoping column, for example on the height-adjustment mechanism of the support table, are possible in a simple way without involving the removal of any facing members.

Although various minor modifications may be suggested by those versed in the art, it should be understood that we wish to employ within the scope of the patent granted hereon, all such modifications as reasonably and properly come within the scope of our contribution to the art.