US 2,014,333,440 · Filed 2014-05-12
The Hospital Bed That Knows When You're About to Fall
Imagine a hospital bed that automatically moves itself to a safer position the moment it detects a patient trying to get out of bed without help nearby. If a nurse steps out of the room, the bed lowers itself and triggers an alert so someone can rush back before the patient takes a dangerous tumble.
The plain-English version
What it protects
The claim covers a bed system that combines an adjustable mattress platform with patient monitoring sensors. What's protected here is the automatic triggering mechanism: when sensors detect either that a care provider has left the room OR that a patient is attempting to exit the bed, the system activates. The bed then moves to a preset safe position (typically lowered), and simultaneously sends alerts to staff or sounds an audible alarm. The specific combination of auto-adjustment plus real-time monitoring and alert logic is what the patent locks down.
Why it matters
Patient falls are one of the leading causes of injury in hospitals and care facilities, leading to extended stays, legal liability, and long-term harm. By automating the response to fall risk—rather than relying solely on staff vigilance—this system removes human error from a critical safety moment. Masimo, a company known for patient monitoring innovation, is extending its reach into the physical environment of care, turning passive furniture into an active safety tool that responds faster than any person could.
Real-world use
A patient in a rehabilitation ward reaches for the call button but starts to swing their legs out of bed while their nurse is documenting in the next room; the bed's sensors detect movement and automatically lower the mattress while paging the nurse to return immediately.
Original USPTO abstract
A patient safety system including an adjustable bed and a patient monitoring system is disclosed herein. The adjustable bed can automatically adjust to a safe default configuration when the safety system detects that a care provider has left the patient's room or when the safety system detects that the patient is trying to leave the bed. The patient monitoring system can send an alert to the care provider and/or sound an alarm if the patient tries to leave the bed and a care provider is not present with the patient.
Patent details
- Publication number
- US 2,014,333,440
- Filing date
- 2014-05-12
- Grant date
- Application — not yet granted
- Assignee
- Masimo Corporation
- Inventor(s)
- KIANI MASSI JOE E.
- CPC class
- A61B5/1115
Want to file your own patent?
If you're designing a smarter piece of medical furniture or safety equipment, search our patent database to see what safeguards others have already locked down in this space.
Free patentability scan