Hospital room computer mounting arm

DETAILED DESCRIPTION It is among the principal objects of this invention to provide a mounting arm for rigidly and permanently mounting a computer within a patient care facility, for example, a hospital room, a nursing home room, or other patient care area, which allows electronic information to be accessed within a patient care zone spaced from the wall allowing the nurse or attending physician to access the computer while still keeping close contact with the patient.
Still further, when not in use, the mounting arm may be retracted to a position lodging the computer close to the wall out of the way of patient cabinets and mobile equipment in the room.
To this end, the computer mounting arm of the present invention is an extendable and retractable arm which mounts the computer to the wall of a patient treatment room allowing, in the retracted position, the computer to be stored out of the way close to the wall; and, in the extended position, the computer to be accessed at a point within a patient care zone spaced from the wall, e.
g.
, up to 30 inches from the wall.
The extended position allows the nurse or attending physician to access the computer while still keeping close contact with the patient and also puts the bar code reader conveniently close to the patient's wristband for inputting and accessing electronic data from the computer.
In accordance with a presently preferred embodiment of the invention, the computer mounting arm includes a computer mounting bracket, a wall bracket for mounting the computer mounting bracket with respect to the patient treatment room wall, and a pair of support arms extending between and pivotally attached to the computer mounting bracket and the wall bracket.
A computer including a keyboard and video display screen is mounted on the computer mounting bracket.
The support arms permit the computer mounting bracket and in turn the computer to be articulated between a retracted position wherein the computer mounting bracket and computer are in an upright position close to the wall and an extended position wherein the computer bracket and computer extend into a point of patient care, for example, up to 30 inches from the wall adjacent the patient bed