US 6,396,224 · Granted 2002-05-28
The Remote Control That Turned Hospital Beds Into Smart Furniture
Imagine a TV remote, but instead of changing channels, it controls your entire bed—raising the head, lowering the foot, adjusting firmness. This patent covers the wireless handheld remote and its display screen that lets patients adjust their bed from anywhere without getting up or calling for help.
The plain-English version
What it protects
The claim covers a handheld wireless remote control device designed specifically for adjustable bed and mattress systems. What's protected here is the combination of a portable controller with a graphical display that communicates with an adjustable bed apparatus—allowing users to control multiple bed functions (like height, incline, and firmness) from a single intuitive interface. The patent covers both the hardware design and the way functions are displayed and selected on the controller.
Why it matters
Hospital and care facility beds needed better user controls for patient independence and comfort. Before standardized remote controls with visual feedback, patients had to use mechanical levers or call staff for adjustments. Hill-Rom's patent on an integrated handheld controller with a display made it possible to give patients control over their own positioning without specialized training, improving comfort and reducing caregiver workload. This became standard across the medical furniture industry.
Real-world use
Every time a patient in a hospital bed adjusts their position by pressing buttons on a wireless remote to raise their head or lower their feet, they're using technology covered by this patent.
Original USPTO abstract
A hand-held controller is used to control an apparatus that supports a person. The hand-held controller includes a display that displays graphical images pertaining to functions of the apparatus. An illustrative apparatus comprises a frame and a mattress supported by the frame.
Patent details
- Publication number
- US 6,396,224
- Filing date
- 1999-11-12
- Grant date
- 2002-05-28
- Assignee
- Hill-Rom Services, Inc.
- Inventor(s)
- LUFF LAWRENCE E., REEDER RYAN A.
- CPC class
- A47C20/048
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