Patient transfer assembly

1. A patient transfer assembly comprising:

a sheet of corrugatable material, the sheet having a longitudinal dimension, a transverse dimension perpendicular to the longitudinal dimension of the sheet, and at least one longitudinal edge extending along the longitudinal dimension of the sheet;

at least one elongated stiffener disposed in relation to the sheet extending along the transverse dimension of the sheet to resist corrugation of the sheet in the transverse dimension of the sheet when the patient transfer assembly including the sheet corrugated in the longitudinal dimension of the sheet is inserted between the patient and a surface of a first resting device on which the patient rests;

wherein the sheet includes portions at which pulling in a direction along the longitudinal dimension of the sheet decorrugates the sheet between the patient and the surface along a longitudinal axis of the patient extending from the patient's head to the patient's feet; and

fasteners disposed at positions of the sheet such that pulling of at least one of the fasteners in a direction along the transverse dimension of the sheet slides the decorrugated sheet relative to the surface thereby transferring the patient along a transverse axis of the patient perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the patient;

wherein the patient transfer assembly is operable to at least two configurations including:

a corrugated configuration in which the sheet is corrugated along the longitudinal dimension of the sheet and in which the entire at least one longitudinal edge of the sheet converges such that the patient transfer assembly in the corrugated configuration is configured to be inserted along the transverse axis of the patient into a channel under the patient between the patient and the surface on which the patient rests, and

a decorrugated configuration in which the sheet is decorrugated under the patient and in which the at least one longitudinal edge of the sheet extends along the longitudinal axis of the patient,

wherein the patient transfer assembly is operable from the corrugated configuration to the decorrugated configuration while the sheet remains under the patient.

2. The patient transfer assembly of claim 1 comprising:

a bag in which the sheet corrugated in the second dimension is stored to form a sheet/bag combination, the at least one stiffener disposed in relation to the bag to resist corrugation of the sheet/bag combination in the first dimension when the patient transfer assembly is inserted between the patient and the surface on which the patient rests.

3. The patient transfer assembly of claim 1 comprising:

a bag in which the sheet corrugated in the second dimension is stored to form a sheet/bag combination, the at least one stiffener disposed in relation to the bag to resist corrugation of the sheet/bag combination in the first dimension when the patient transfer assembly is inserted between the patient and the surface on which the patient rests, wherein the at least one stiffener is at least one of:

attached to the bag,

attached to the sheet, or

inserted in the bag unattached to the bag or the sheet.

4. The patient transfer assembly of claim 1 comprising:

a bag in which the sheet corrugated in the second dimension is stored to form a sheet/bag combination, the bag having an opening at one end through which the sheet is inserted to form the sheet/bag combination and a handle at a second end opposite the first end, the at least one stiffener disposed in relation to the bag to resist corrugation of the sheet/bag combination in the first dimension when the patient transfer assembly is inserted between the patient and the surface on which the patient rests, the bag's opening and the bag's handle configured for, after the patient transfer assembly is inserted between the patient and the surface on which the patient rests, the handle to be pulled so that the bag is removed from between the patient and the surface on which the patient rests while the sheet exits the bag through the opening to remain between the patient and the surface on which the patient rests.

5. The patient transfer assembly of claim 1 , wherein the portions at which pulling in a direction along the second dimension decorrugates the sheet between the patient and the surface have handles attached thereon, and wherein pulling of at least some of the handles in the direction along the second dimension extends the sheet between the patient and the surface from under a middle portion of the patient's body to under the patient's head and feet.

6. The patient transfer assembly of claim 1 , wherein the portions at which pulling in a direction along the second dimension decorrugates the sheet between the patient and the surface have at least some handles attached thereon, wherein pulling of at least some of the handles in the one direction along the second dimension extends the sheet between the patient and the surface from under a middle portion of the patient's body to under the patient's head and feet and wherein handles, from the at least some of the handles, intended to be pulled towards the head are marked differently from handles, from the at least some of the handles, intended to be pulled towards the feet.

7. The patient transfer assembly of claim 1 , wherein the portions at which pulling in a direction along the second dimension decorrugates the sheet between the patient and the surface have at least some handles attached thereon, wherein pulling of the at least some of the handles in the at least one direction along the second dimension extends the sheet between the patient and the surface to a first direction along the second dimension and to a second direction along the second dimension and opposite the first direction, and wherein handles, from the at least some of the handles, intended to be pulled towards the first direction are marked differently from handles, from the at least some of the handles, intended to be pulled towards the second direction.