AU2004240203A1 - Apparatus for assisting elderly or disabled people - Google Patents

Description

APPARATUS FOR ASSISTING ELDERLY o OR DISABLED PEOPLE.

This invention relates to aids for the elderly or disabled.

INC More particularly, although not exclusively it discloses apparatus for 0 assisting a person to rise from a sitting position on a chair, couch or the like.

0 Once they get on in years people inevitably suffer from stiff joints and/or weak muscles. Also some young people, either from injury or disease, have o similar problems. For such people even the simple action of rising from a 0 sifting position on a chair requires such a substantial effort that it adversely affects their independence and quality of life.

While there are a number of chairs or recliners on the market which incorporate seat tilting mechanisms to assist a user to rise or sit down these employ mechanically operated leverage systems and tend to be expensive and heavy. Also, their usefulness is limited to the one piece of furniture into which they are built.

It is therefore an object of this invention to ameliorate the aforementioned disadvantages and accordingly apparatus is disclosed for assisting the mobility of an elderly or otherwise disabled person, said apparatus including an inflatable gas cell shaped for positioning on a seat of a chair, couch or the like and operatively associated with a source of pressurised gas and exhaust outlet whereby upon operation of a control the configuration of said cell can be varied between a flattened position and a distended elevated position to assist said person to rise from said chair, couch or the like.

Preferably the gas cell is adapted for removable positioning on the seat whereby said apparatus can be fitted to different furniture in accordance with the users requirements.

2 It is further preferred that said gas cell is operatively associated with the air pumpby mansof aflexbletube.

IND It is fuirther preferred that said gas is air and the source of pressurised gas is an electrically powered air pump, (N It is further preferred that the exhaust outlet comprises a solenoid operated 0 valve venting to atmosphere.

0 It is fther preferred that said air pump operates on a reduced voltage from a mains supply.

The current preferred form of this invention will now be described with reference to the attached drawings in which: Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of an apparatus according to this concept for use with a chair and Figure 2 is a cross sectional view along the lines A A of figure 1.

Referring first to figure I the gas cell may be in the form of an inflatable generally rectangular air cushion 1 of flexible plastic or rubber material which is shaped for positioning on the seat of a conventional chair (not shown).

The cushion is connected to an air pump box 2, by a flexible tube 3, of any suitable length and diameter. As best shown in figure 2, the pump box 2, houses an electric motor 4, geared to a pump housing 5, a step down transformner 6, a circuit rectifier 7 and power supply 8 for a remote control 9. There is also a cable and plug 10 for a mains power supply to the transformer 6. The walls 11I of the box are preferably insulated for sound reduction. There is an inlet port 5 a for the pump and adjacent this the outlet port 5b protrudes through the upper wall 2a of the box and connects to the tube 3 via a solenoid operated exhaust valve 12 an overpressure relief valve 14 and silencer 13 fitted to the top of the box.

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Preferably for safety the pump motor operates on a reduced potential of say o 12 volts as provided by the step down transformer 6. an additional power (N supply of similar reduced dc voltage is also provided to operate the remote control.

IN In use of the apparatus the cushion is positioned on the seat of a chair wit the pump box 2 located near by. The control is also at a convenient position for the user and the cable 10 is plugged into a mains outlet. Wit o this embodiment the control preferably comprises an on off switch for the air pump and is fturther adapted to simultaneously open the exhaust valve 12 to atmosphere as the pump is turned off but to close said valve when the pump is operating. Initially therefore when the pump is off the cushion is o vented to atmosphere through the valve 12 either by force of gravity on the 0 said cushion or the weight of the user. In order to rise from the chair the user via the handhield control activates the air pump motor 4 and simultaneously closes the exhaust valve 12. Air from the pump is therefore forced through the silencer 13 and tube 3 into the cushion to inflate it to a raised configuration. In doing so the users buttocks are lifted upward off the chair seat and said user is assisted to a standing position. After the pump is subsequently switched off at the control the exhaust valve again opens to atmosphere and the cushion deflates or contracts under gravity to a substantially flat or lowered configuration.

The described embodiment may also be used as an aid when sitting down by first inflating the cushion to the raised configuration on an empty chair and then, after sitting, gradually deflating it down flat onto the seat.

Although the invention is not limited to any particular pump capacity or cushion volume it is preferable that the apparatus has an inflation/ deflation time of approximately 5 seconds.

It will thus be appreciated that this invention at least in the form of the embodiment described provides a novel and useful apparatus for improving the mobility and quality of life of elderly or disabled persons.

Clearly however the example disclosed is only the currently preferred form of the invention and a wide variety of modifications may be made which would be apparent to a person skilled in the art. For example the size and shape of the cushion as well as the design and capacity of the pump may be varied accordingly to installation requirements. Also as an alternative to the modular kit design shown, the pump assembly and housing may be built into the furniture frame.