DK202200601A1

DK202200601A1 - Transportable toilet seat for mobility inhibited persons

Info

Publication number: DK202200601A1
Application number: DKPA202200601A
Authority: DK
Inventors: Worm Saust Loui; Degn Sørensen Michael; Olesen Tørring Philip; Andrzej Thøgersen Tais
Original assignee: Levara Aps
Priority date: 2022-06-22
Filing date: 2022-06-22
Publication date: 2023-11-15
Also published as: DK181427B1; WO2023247119A1

Abstract

A toilet seat comprising an exoskeleton which is designed for assisting motion inhibited persons e.g. elderly or infirm persons to stand up from an ordinary toilet seat. A top body comprising two sets each of a top plate and a link plate, and a base body comprising two base plates. A hinge connects a link plate and a top plate. Another hinge connects a link plate to a base plate. The two top plates are connected in the rear portion by a third hinge. Inflatable cushions are provided between the base plates and the two sets of link and top plates. A pump inflates the cushions so that a person may be lifted and thus assisted to stand up again.

Description

DK 2022 00601 A1 1

Transportable toilet seat for mobility inhibited persons

Description

The present invention relates to a transportable toilet seat.

More specifically the invention relates to a transportable toilet seat for mobility inhibited people such as e.g. elderly or infirm persons.

Mobility inhibited persons are unable to rise up after having sit on a traditionally toilet seat. It requires strong enough leg muscles to rise themselves from a traditionally toilet seat. Thus, e.g. elderly and infirm persons will upon travelling require assistance to rise themselves from a traditional toilet seat.

One disadvantage of the toilet seats of prior art are that they are, although designed for elderly or disabled persons, not foldable and not transportable.

A further problem to solve is that mobility inhibited persons e.g. the group of elderly or infirm people cannot obtain a balanced position before they are simply tilted off from toilet seats by the type which are designed to simply bring people into an inclined position by aid of an inflatable cushion between the toilet bowl and the toilet seat. Further, such solutions are not transportable.

The known examples on toilet seats which are transportable include

WO2021015394 A1. The toilet seat is transportable because the toilet seat has four plates which are connectable/detachable by special hinges. However, the toilet seat cannot assist in rising a person.

DK 2022 00601 A1 2

Thus, the objective problem is to provide a toilet seat which is transportable and for use by mobility inhibited persons e.g. elderly or disabled persons when they want to visit places outside from home. Thus, the toilet seat has to be transportable, foldable, and adapted to assist mobility inhibited persons to rise themselves from the toilet seat.

Summary of the invention.

The above problem has surprisingly been solved by providing a toilet seat of claim 1 comprising an exoskeleton comprising a top body and a base body, the base body comprising two base plates, the top body comprising two plate sets each plate set comprising a link plate and a top plate connected together by first connection means, each link plate connected to a base plate each connected together by second connection means connected in the front end, wherein the first connection means are limited, in that the angle between the link plate and the top plate is minimum 110 to 180 degrees, preferable 140 to 160 degrees, the toilet seat further comprising lifting means for lifting the top body up relative to the base body. Each set of top plates are connected together by third connection means, to make it even more stable when used on a toilet bowl and to make the toilet seat still foldable for transportation.

An anticipated embodiment of the invention has one or more of the connections means which are non-detachable or detachable hinges (claim 2).

An anticipated embodiment of the invention has one or more of the connections means as part of the terminus of a plate such as a base plate, a link plate or a top plate formed as one half of a hinge (claim 3). Then, the

DK 2022 00601 A1 3 opposing plate is formed with a matching half part of the named hinge.

A yet other anticipated embodiment has lifting means which comprises air tubes and one or more inflatable cushions if two at least one attached to a first top plate or a first link plate and to a first base plate or another inflatable cushion and at least one attached to a second top plate or a second link plate and to a second base plate or another inflatable cushion (claim 4).

An anticipated embodiment has inflatable cushions attached to a top plate or a base plate by means flexible along the longer side of a cushion such as e.g. a dovetail joints or boom-in a rail joints (claim 5).

An anticipated embodiment has a base plate which is formed with a downward arc, which fixes the base body to any toilet seat or bowl of oval shape (claim 6).

In claim 7 an embodiment of a toilet seat comprising further a washable cover is anticipated.

In claim 8 a toilet seat comprising further plates which are made from fibre reinforced polyethylene is anticipated.

In claim 9 a toilet seat bag is anticipated.

In order that the invention may be well understood, some non-limiting examples will now be described in which:

Fig. 1 shows a drawing of a toilet seat of the invention showing its exoskeleton without a cover but with inflated cushions, and tubes.

Fig. 2 shows a drawing of the exoskeleton of Fig. 1 without the inflatable

DK 2022 00601 A1 4 cushions and tubes in a non-collapsed state.

Fig. 3 shows a limited angle of the joint between the link plate and top plate of the exoskeleton of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 shows a drawing of the exoskeleton of Fig. 2 in the collapsed state.

Fig. 5 shows the toilet set without a cover that is the exoskeleton of Fig. 1 in the folded state.

Fig. 1 shows a toilet seat of the invention without a cover so that its exoskeleton (1), cushions (2) and air tubes (3) are visible. The shown tubes (3) are fixed to a first cushion (2), which is fixed to a second cushion (2).

The cushions may be built up in one or more chambers preferable wedge shaped and the individual chambers are filled with atmospheric air as an air source inflates the toilet seat. The air source may be a gas cartridge.

The exoskeleton (1) of the toilet seat is designed of plastic plates flexibly connected to be strong and easy to use.

Fig. 2 shows the exoskeleton of Fig. 1, without the inflatable cushions (2) and tubes (3), in a non-collapsed state.

The exoskeleton comprises a top body (4) and a base body (5), which both has a horse shoe form. The top body is divided into two halves (6, 6) which can be folded together at the hinge (7). The base body (5) comprises also two symmetric plates, but they are not connected.

The two halves of the top body (4) comprises each a link plate (8) and a top plate (9). The base body (5) comprises two base plates (10). Each link plate (8) is flexibly connected with a hinge (11) to the base body (5) at the front end of a base plate (10).

The link plate (8) and top plate (9) is flexibly connected at the hinge (12).

DK 2022 00601 A1

The figure illustrates the limited angle of the hinge (12) between the link plate (8) and top plate (9) of the exoskeleton of Fig. 1. The state here is where the cushions (2) have been inflated. The rear body of the toilet seat, the top plate (9), has been elevated together with the link plate (8) up to where the hinge 5 (12) is limited to deflect more so that a further inflation of the cushions (2) causes the top plate (9) to incline forward against the users” legs. This inclination is the aim only after the user have been risen sufficiently and is able to rise fully and stand up again. The elevation and following inclination allow an optimal assistance to the user. The toilet seat has been tested to assist properly persons weighting up to 125 kg.

The hinges allow the toilet seat to be foldable. The solution enables persons who are otherwise dependable on permanently installed rising / lowering toilets, to use ordinary toilets independently, provided that they have the aid with them. The aid can also be used to relieve staff in the care sector so that they no longer have to perform strenuous lifts when assisting people in getting up from the toilet.

Fig. 3 shows the exoskeleton (1) of Fig. 2 in the collapsed state. The link plates (8) and top plates (9) lie on top of the base plates (10). The top plates (9) are foldable about the hinge (13). The base plates (10) are folded simultaneously with the folding of the top plates because the base plates are each linked to a link plate (8) at the hinge (12) and the link plate is linked to a top plate (9).

Fig. 4 shows the angle of the hinge (12) between the link plate (8) and top plate (9) when the exoskeleton is in the maximally open position as in the collapsed state.

Fig. 5 shows the angle of the hinge (12) between the link plate (8) and top plate (9) when the exoskeleton is in the non-collapsed state. The angle is limited to

DK 2022 00601 A1 6 30 degrees less than in the maximally open position.

Fig. 6 shows the toilet seat of Fig. 1 without a cover showing the exoskeleton (1) in the collapsed and folded state. The compact state shows that the toilet seat is designed to be packed into a bag for transportation. The base plate (10) is formed with a downward arc (14), which fixes the base body (5) to any toilet seat which is fixed, or if attached by hinges in the rear end, which may or may not, preferably may not, be lifted up from the toilet bowl.

Fig. 7 and Fig. 8 show how each of the cushions (2) may be detachably attached on its other side facing a link/top plate with a sliding attachment device, which allows the surface of a cushions (2) when inflated more and more to slide along the underside of the top plate (9). It may be a boom-rail joint where the boom can be engaged into the rail and the boom thereby locked by the locking allowing only a free tangential movement on the underside of the top plate (9) in the rail, the rail is e.g. glued to the cushion (2) along a longer side of the top plate (9). Other cushions (2) or attachment solutions may also be possible, for example a dovetail joint or simple strips.

Fig. 7 shows the male part of a dovetail joint (15).

Fig. 8 shows the female part of the same dovetail joint as in Fig. 7 (16).

Claims

DK 2022 00601 A1 7 CLAIMS

1. A toilet seat for a toilet which has a hinged seat, a set of planar rims for sitting on, or no toilet seat, and a toilet bowl, comprising an exoskeleton (1) comprising a top body (4) and a base body (5) to be placed on the hinged seat, on the planar rims or on the toilet bowl, where the top body (4) and the base body (5) may have a horse shoe design or any other design which may allow a person to defecate characterised in the base body (5) comprising two base plates (10), the top body (4) comprising two plate sets each plate set comprising a link plate (8) and a top plate (9) connected together by first connection means (11), each link plate (8) connected to a base plate (10) each connected together by second connection means (12) each connected in the front end, where the top plates (9,9) are connected together by third connection means (7), wherein the first connection means (11) are limited to an angle interval of 110 to 180 degrees, preferably 140 to 160 degrees, the toilet seat further comprising lifting means for lifting the top body (4) up relative to the base body (5).

2. A toilet seat according to claim 1 wherein at least one of the connections means (7, 11, 12) are non-detachable or detachable hinges.

3. A toilet seat according to claim 1 or 2 wherein one or more of the connections means are each a set of two half parts made up of the terminus of two plates such as a base plate (10) and its opposite link plate (8) or a link plate and its opposite top plate (9) or a top plate (9) and its opposite top plate (9), where each of the half parts is formed as one half of a hinge.

4. A toilet seat according to any of the claims 1 to 3 wherein the lifting means comprises air tubes and one or more inflatable cushions (2), if at least two

DK 2022 00601 A1 8 at least one inflatable cushion (2) attached to a first top plate (9) or a first link plate (8) and to a first base plate (10) or another inflatable cushion (2), and at least one to a second top plate (9) or a second link plate (8) and to a second base plate (10) or another inflatable cushion (2).

5. A toilet seat according to any of the claims 1 to 4 wherein the inflatable cushions (2) are attached by means of dovetail joints or boom-in-rail joints or other means flexible along the longer side of a cushion (2) for allowing an attached cushion (2) to slide.

6. A toilet seat according to any of the claims 1 to 5 wherein the base plate (10) is formed with a downward arc, which fixes the base body (5) to any toilet seat or bowl of oval shape.

7. A toilet seat according to any of the claims 1 to 6, where the toilet seat has a washable cover to cover the exoskeleton (1) and the inflatable cushions

(2).

8. Atoilet seat according to any of the claims 1 to 7, where at least one of the base plates (10), link plates (8) or top plates (9), is made of fibre reinforced polyethylene.

9. A toilet bag comprising a toilet seat according to any of the claims 1 to 8 and a pump.