CA2357471A1 - Elevating bath system - Google Patents

Elevating bath system Download PDF

Info

Publication number
CA2357471A1
CA2357471A1 CA 2357471 CA2357471A CA2357471A1 CA 2357471 A1 CA2357471 A1 CA 2357471A1 CA 2357471 CA2357471 CA 2357471 CA 2357471 A CA2357471 A CA 2357471A CA 2357471 A1 CA2357471 A1 CA 2357471A1
Authority
CA
Canada
Prior art keywords
container
bath
sitting surface
support member
liquid
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Abandoned
Application number
CA 2357471
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Lauri Michaele Pearce
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES Inc
Original Assignee
ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES INC.
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES INC. filed Critical ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES INC.
Priority to CA 2357471 priority Critical patent/CA2357471A1/en
Publication of CA2357471A1 publication Critical patent/CA2357471A1/en
Abandoned legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • AHUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61GTRANSPORT, PERSONAL CONVEYANCES, OR ACCOMMODATION SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR PATIENTS OR DISABLED PERSONS; OPERATING TABLES OR CHAIRS; CHAIRS FOR DENTISTRY; FUNERAL DEVICES
    • A61G7/00Beds specially adapted for nursing; Devices for lifting patients or disabled persons
    • A61G7/10Devices for lifting patients or disabled persons, e.g. special adaptations of hoists thereto
    • A61G7/1001Devices for lifting patients or disabled persons, e.g. special adaptations of hoists thereto specially adapted for specific applications
    • A61G7/1003Devices for lifting patients or disabled persons, e.g. special adaptations of hoists thereto specially adapted for specific applications mounted on or in combination with a bath-tub
    • AHUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61GTRANSPORT, PERSONAL CONVEYANCES, OR ACCOMMODATION SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR PATIENTS OR DISABLED PERSONS; OPERATING TABLES OR CHAIRS; CHAIRS FOR DENTISTRY; FUNERAL DEVICES
    • A61G7/00Beds specially adapted for nursing; Devices for lifting patients or disabled persons
    • A61G7/10Devices for lifting patients or disabled persons, e.g. special adaptations of hoists thereto
    • A61G7/1013Lifting of patients by
    • A61G7/1019Vertical extending columns or mechanisms
    • AHUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61GTRANSPORT, PERSONAL CONVEYANCES, OR ACCOMMODATION SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR PATIENTS OR DISABLED PERSONS; OPERATING TABLES OR CHAIRS; CHAIRS FOR DENTISTRY; FUNERAL DEVICES
    • A61G2200/00Information related to the kind of patient or his position
    • A61G2200/30Specific positions of the patient
    • A61G2200/34Specific positions of the patient sitting

Abstract

A bath is provided which is particularly, but not exclusively, suitable for use by or with the elderly, infirm or alternatively abled. The bath includes a sitting surface supported by at least one support member at a convenient height above floor level for a user to sit on and a sealed, movable liquid container having a base and upstanding side walls dimensioned to be able to receive the sitting surface. The container may be sealably mounted on the at least one support member for movement between a lowered position in which the container is below the sitting surface and a raised position in which the container base is adjacent the sitting surface and the container side walls project above the sitting surface.

Description

ELEVATING BATH SYSTEM
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of Invention This invention relates to a bath which is particularly, but not exclusively, suitable for use by or with the elderly, infirm or alternatively abled.
2. Description of Related Art Use of a conventional bath by the elderly, infirm or alternatively abled is difficult without assistance especially in getting into and out of the bath over the raised side edge or rim and in sitting down and standing up in the bath itself. This difficulty can lead to dangerous accidents such as slipping and falling and in some cases can create a reluctance to use a bath with consequent personal hygiene problems.
Efforts have been made to solve the above problems by providing a collapsible or inflatable highly flexible structure which retains the bath water around the person. Generally, this structure is erected once the person has stepped into, or has been laid onto a mattress or other support surface.
Examples of earlier arrangements include:
U.K. Patent No. 792,406 U.K. Patent No. 1,189,785 U.S. Patent No. 4,068,326 U.K. Patent No. 1,506,419 U.S. Patent No. 4,312,084 These arrangements are mostly intended for hospital or nursing home use and normally require at least one nurse or other competent assistant.
Additionally, these arrangements do not resemble a normal domestic bath, but rather resemble baths used for camping; this feature tends to discourage users from using these baths.

An example of an earlier arrangement that can be used without the assistance of a nurse or other competent individual is Canadian Patent Application No.
2,007,720. This arrangement includes a sitting member fixedly supported so that a surface thereof is at a convenient height above floor level for a user to sit on and a raisable and lowerable substantially rigid side surround shaped to extend continuously around the periphery of the sitting surface. When the surround is in its raised position, it surrounds and projects above the sitting surface to define therewith a bath cavity for receiving liquid. Sealing means are attached to the sitting member and on or attached to the surround for engaging each other to seal the surround to the sitting member in the raised position. Although this arrangement solves the problems of earlier arrangements, this arrangement may suffer from leakage of the liquid from the bath cavity. Because the sealing means is attached to the entire surround, the sealing means must cover a greater area, increasing the chances of leakage.
What would be desirable therefore is a bath which is easier to use by the elderly, infirm or alternatively abled without the need for assistance from another individual, that better contains liquid within a bath cavity.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention addresses the above needs by providing a bath including a sitting surface supported by at least one support member at a convenient height above floor level for a user to sit on and a sealed, movable liquid container having a base and upstanding side walls dimensioned to be able to receive the sitting surface, the container being sealably mounted on the at least one support member for movement between a lowered position in which the container is below the sitting surface and a raised position in which the container base is adjacent the sitting surface and the container side walls project above the sitting surface. The container may be supported by a container frame.
The at least one support member may extend through an opening in the base of the container and the container may include a seal that moves along the at least one support member as the container is moved between the lowered and raised positions. The at least one support member may include four upstanding support members that extend through four sealed holes in the base of the container.
The bath may further include an elevating system to move the container between the raised and lowered positions. The elevating system may include a scissor arrangement, screw system or at least one piston member mounted between floor and the container. The at least one piston member may be extendable to move the container to the raised position and may be a hydraulic piston.
The container may support a liquid delivery system for filling the container with liquid. The liquid delivery system may include a faucet assembly connected to a flexible piping system to accommodate raising and lowering of the container.
The container may include a drain system to remove liquid from the container.
The drain system may include a sealable drain opening in the container connected to a flexible piping system to accommodate raising and lowering of the container.
The sitting surface may be detachably mounted to the at least one support member and may be formed with openings to facilitate passage of liquid past the surface when the container is being moved to the lowered or raised positions.
The bath may include a side skirt that substantially surrounds the sitting surface and the container. The side skirt may have upstanding side walls that substantially reach the height of the sitting surface and may include a plurality of telescoping side plates that move with the container as the container is moved by the elevating system.
Other aspects and features of the present invention will become apparent to those ordinarily skilled in the art upon review of the following description of specific embodiments of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying figures.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In drawings which illustrate embodiments of the invention, Figure 1 is an exploded view of a bath according to the preferred embodiment of the invention Figure 2 is a plan view of the bath as seen from the side Figure 3 is a plan view of a sitting surface as seen from above Figure 4 is a perspective view of the bath Figure 5 is a plan view of the container in isolation as seen from above Figure 6 is a plan view of support member through a sealed hole in the container Figure 7 is a plan view of the bath with a scissor arrangement elevating system Figure 8 is a plan view of the bath with a screw arrangement elevating system DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Referring to Figures 1 and 2, a bath according to a first embodiment of the invention is shown generally at 10. The bath includes a sitting surface 12 supported by at least one support member 14 at a convenient height above floor level 13 for a user to sit on. In a preferred embodiment, sitting surface 12 is supported by four support members at each corner of the surface.
Raised sitting surface 12 avoids the user having to step over a conventional bath side rim and down into the bath cavity, movements which may be very difficult for an elderly, infirm or alternatively abled person. With this arrangement, the user merely sits on the sitting surface 12 and maneuvers his or her body so that his or her legs slide onto the top of the sitting surface 12, which is conveniently elongated and preferably formed with openings to facilitate passage of liquid around it, as shown in Figures 1 and 3. The sitting surface 12 may be detachably mounted to the support members 14 as shown in Figure 4. Sitting surface 12 is mounted by hinges to one pair of support members to permit raising of the sitting surface for cleaning of the underside.
The bath also includes a sealed, movable liquid container 16 having a base 18 and upstanding side walls 20 dimensioned to be able to receive the sitting surface 12. Preferably, the four upstanding support members 14 extend through four sealed holes 22 in the base of the container. In addition, bath 10 further preferably includes a side skirt 11 that substantially surrounds the sitting surface and container, the side skirt having upstanding side walls that substantially reach the height of the sitting surface. The side skirts are formed in 2 parts: a lower portion that is mounted to the floor and an upper portion attached to and movable with the container 16. When container 16 is raised or lowered, the upper skirt portion moves past the stationary lower portion to hide the internal components of the bath system of the present invention. The sitting surface 12, container 16 and side skirt 11 may be made of any convenient material and are preferably made of reinforced plastics material.
The container 16 is sealably mounted on support members 14 for movement between a lowered position in which the container 16 is below the sitting surface 12 and a raised position in which the container base 18 is adjacent the sitting surface 12 and the container side walls 20 project above the sitting surface. As best shown in Figure 1, the container 16 may sit in a support frame 15 that rests on the floor in the lowered position. Support frame 15 carries the weight of container 16 and any liquid in the lowered position. The support frame may support the container 16 as the container 16 is moved between the lowered and raised positions.
As shown in Figure 5, the container 16 has spaced openings 22 in the container base 18 to enable the support members 14 to extend through the container base 18.
As illustrated in Figure 6, the container 16 includes a seal associated with each support member 14 that moves along the support member as the container is moved between the lowered and raised positions. Preferably, the seal will be an O-ring 23 such as a Wriason Seal, part no. 326-n20. It will be appreciated by one skilled in the art that other types of sealing means can be used.
The bath 10 includes an elevating system to move the container 16 between the raised and lowered positions. The elevating system can take any convenient form that is known in the art. For example, as illustrated in Figures 7 and 8, respectively, the elevating system may be a scissor arrangement 26 or screw system 28. As seen in Figures 1 and 2, the elevating system may also comprise at least one extendable piston member 30 mounted between the floor 13 and the container 16. Each piston member 30 is preferably a hydraulic piston mounted between the floor 13 and the container 16. In the illustrated embodiment, four piston members 30 are used to evenly distribute the load of the container when filled with liquid. As the elevating system moves the container 16 between its lowered and raised positions side plates of the upper and lower portions side skirt 11 telescope and retract to cover internal components of bath 10. This provides the user with an aesthetically pleasing bath further promoting its use.
The container 16 supports a liquid delivery system for filling the container with liquid. The liquid delivery system may simply be a hose. Preferably the liquid delivery system comprises a faucet assembly 32 connected to a flexible piping system 34 to accommodate raising and lowering of the container 16.
The liquid delivery system may be positioned at one end of the container, as shown in Figures 2, 7 and 8, however, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the liquid delivery system may be positioned at any convenient location on the bath 10.
As shown in Figure 5, the container 16 may also include a drain system to remove liquid from the container. The drain system may include a sealable drain opening 36 in the container 16 connected to a flexible piping system 38, as depicted in Figure 1, to accommodate raising and lowering of the container 16.
Although the bath of the invention has been illustrated as of a conventional elongated form it could be of any other desired form such as circular, oval, or sector shaped in plan.
Operation To operate the bath the user merely sits on the sitting surface 12 and maneuvers his or her body so that his or her legs slide onto the top of the sitting surface 12. By engaging the elevating system, the container 16 is then moved to its raised position. Because the container 16 is sealed and has both a base and upstanding sidewalls and the sitting surface is formed with openings to facilitate passage of liquid, at any time during bathing process, the user can begin filling the container 16 with liquid by employing the liquid delivery system. When the user wishes to leave the bath, he or she simply employs the elevating system to move the container 16 to its lowered position.
When the container is in its lowered position, the user simply maneuvers his or her body so that his or her legs slide off the top of the sitting surface 12.
Again, because the container 16 is sealed and has both a base and upstanding sidewalk and the sitting surface is formed with openings to facilitate passage of liquid, at any time during bathing process, the user can discharge the liquid in the container 16 by opening the drain opening.
While specific embodiments of the invention have been described and illustrated, such embodiments should be considered illustrative of the _$_ invention only and not as limiting the invention as construed in accordance with the accompanying claims.

Claims (18)

1. A bath comprising:
a sitting surface supported by at least one support member at a convenient height above floor level for a user to sit on;
a sealed, movable liquid container having a base and upstanding side walls dimensioned to be able to receive the sitting surface, the container being sealably mounted on the at least one support member for movement between a lowered position in which the container is below the sitting surface and a raised position in which the container base is adjacent the sitting surface and the container side walls project above the sitting surface.
2. The bath as claimed in claim 1 in which the at least one support member extends through an opening in the base of the container, the container including a seal that moves along the at least one support member as the container is moved between the lowered and raised positions.
3. The bath as claimed in claim 1 including an elevating system to move the container between the raised and lowered positions.
4. The bath as claimed in claim 3 in which the elevating system comprises at least one piston member mounted between floor and the container, the piston member being extendable to move the container to the raised position.
5. The bath as claimed in claim 4 in which the at least one piston member is a hydraulic piston.
6. The bath as claimed in claim 4 in which the at least one piston member comprises four piston members mounted between the floor and the container.
7. The bath as claimed in claim 3 in which the elevating system comprises a scissor link arrangement mounted between floor and the container.
8. The bath as claimed in claim 3 in which the elevating system comprises a screw arrangement mounted between floor and the container.
9. The bath as claimed in claim 1 in which the container supports a liquid delivery system for filling the container with liquid.
10. The bath as claimed in claim 9 in which the liquid delivery system comprises a faucet assembly connected to a flexible piping system to accommodate raising and lowering of the container.
11. The bath as claimed in claim 1 in which the container includes a drain system to remove liquid from the container.
12. The bath as claimed in claim 11 in which the drain system comprises a sealable drain opening in the container connected to a flexible piping system to accommodate raising and lowering of the container.
13. The bath as claimed in claim 1 in which the at least one support member comprises four upstanding support members that extend through four sealed holes in the base of the container.
14. The bath as claimed in claim 1 in which the sitting surface is detachably mounted to the at least one support member.
15. The bath as claimed in claim 1 in which the sitting surface is formed with openings to facilitate passage of liquid past the surface when the container is being moved to the lowered or raised positions.
16. The bath as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a side skirt that substantially surrounds the sitting surface and container, the side skirt having upstanding side walls that substantially reach the height of the sitting surface.
17. The bath as claimed in claim 16 wherein the side skirt is comprised of a plurality of telescoping side plates that move with the container as the container is moved by the elevating system.
18. The bath as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a container frame for supporting the container.
CA 2357471 2001-09-19 2001-09-19 Elevating bath system Abandoned CA2357471A1 (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CA 2357471 CA2357471A1 (en) 2001-09-19 2001-09-19 Elevating bath system

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CA 2357471 CA2357471A1 (en) 2001-09-19 2001-09-19 Elevating bath system

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
CA2357471A1 true CA2357471A1 (en) 2003-03-19

Family

ID=4170012

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
CA 2357471 Abandoned CA2357471A1 (en) 2001-09-19 2001-09-19 Elevating bath system

Country Status (1)

Country Link
CA (1) CA2357471A1 (en)

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