EP0382372A1

EP0382372A1 - Bath elevating mechanism

Info

Publication number: EP0382372A1
Application number: EP90300716A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Peter Allan Grant
Original assignee: BACKSAVER Ltd
Current assignee: BACKSAVER Ltd
Priority date: 1989-02-08
Filing date: 1990-01-23
Publication date: 1990-08-16
Also published as: GB8902754D0; GB2227934A

Abstract

A bath elevating mechanism (11) comprises a mounting frame (12) forming part of a bath-tub (10) or arranged to receive a bath-tub (10) thereon, two ground engageable supports (13) and (14) at or adjacent to opposite ends or sides of the frame (12), respectively, and means, e.g. hydraulic piston and cylinder units (15) and (16), for raising and lowering the frame (12) relative to the supports (13, 14). The elevating mechanism (11) is disposed entirely beneath the bath-tub (10) and is concealable at least for the most part behind bath panels when in a lowered position.

Description

This invention relates to an elevating mechanism for a bath and to a bath equipped with an elevating mechanism.
It is known to provide elevating mechanisms for baths. Such mechanisms are used to raise the bath so that an attendant can wash an invalid while the bath is in an elevated position and, therefore, without the discomfort of having to kneel or bend over. Baths equipped with these known mechanisms are usually found in nursing homes and hospitals where a number of invalids may have to be bathed on any one day.
The known elevating mechanisms comprise a power operated lifting device housed in a cabinet located at one end of the bath and cantilevered arms connected to the lifting device and extending beneath the bath. It will be readily appreciated that with this arrangement the arms have to be very strong in order to support the combined weight of a water filled bath and an invalid, not to mention the weight of an attendant leaning on the bath. Also, the cabinet requires a space at the end of the bath and this is not always available. The cabinet is also unsightly.
In seeking to mitigate these drawbacks, the invention in one aspect provides a bath elevating mechanism comprising a mounting frame forming part of a bath-tub or arranged to receive a bath-tub thereon, two ground engageable supports at or adjacent to opposite ends or sides of the frame, respectively, and means for raising and lowering the frame relative to the supports.
Preferably, the frame has parts slidable relative to the ground engageable supports to guide the frame as it is raised or lowered relative to the supports.
Advantageously, the lifting means comprises two power operated lifting devices mounted between the frame and the respective supports, the two lifting devices being arranged to operate in unison so as to keep the frame at a constant attitude to the ground as it is raised or lowered relative to the supports.
Conveniently, the ground engageable supports each include a hollow upstanding column and the lifting devices are at least in part accommodated in respective columns.
Conveniently, the lifting devices are hydraulically operated piston and cylinder units, in which case one of the units may be a master unit extendable by pressurised fluid supplied by a motor driven pump and the other unit may be a slave unit extendable by pressurised fluid supplied by the master unit.
Conveniently, each ground engageable support has adjustable feet for levelling the bath elevating mechanism.
Preferably, the elevating mechanism is arranged to occupy no greater floor area than the area bounded by the peripheral edge of a bath-tub for which it is designed.
In another aspect, the invention provides a bath equipped with an elevating mechanism according to said one aspect of the invention.
Preferably, the elevating mechanism is disposed entirely beneath a tub of the bath and is concealable at least for the most part behind bath panels when in a lowered position.
In yet another aspect, the invention provides an elevatable bath comprising a bath-tub, two ground engageable supports at or adjacent to opposite ends or sides of the bath-tub, respectively, and means for raising and lowering the bath-tub relative to the supports.
Preferably, the bath-tub has parts slidable relative to the ground engageable supports to guide the bath-tub as it is raised or lowered relative to the supports.
In a further aspect, the invention provides a bath equipped with an elevating mechanism, wherein the elevating mechanism is disposed entirely beneath a tub of the bath.
The invention will now be more particularly described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:-

Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of a bath equipped with one embodiment of an elevating mechanism according to said one aspect of the invention, and
Figure 2 is a side elevation of the bath shown in Figure 1 in a lowered position, and
Figure 3 is a diagram showing the hydraulic circuit of the elevating mechanism of Figure 1.

Figures 1 and 2 show a bath-tub 10 equipped with an elevating mechanism 11. The elevating mechanism 11 comprises a frame 12, two ground engageable supports 13 and 14, two hydraulic piston and cylinder units 15 and 16, and a motor driven pump 17.
The frame is of rectangular shape and has side members 12a, end members 12b, cross members 12c and a connecting member 12d between one of the cross members 12c and the adjacent end member 12b.
A slider block 18 is secured to or formed integrally with each end member 12b. Each slider block 18 has a vertically extending guide passage 19 of T-shaped cross-section and two upstanding posts 20a joined at their upper ends by a bridge piece 20b.
Each ground engageable support 13, 14 has an elongate base 21 of angled section, a hollow, upstanding column 22 of T-shaped cross-section, and two adjustable feet 23. The central limb 22a of each column 22 is hollow.
The slider blocks 18 are mounted on respective columns 22, so that the columns 22 extend through respective guide passages 19 and guide the slider blocks 18 in upward and downward movement.
The hydraulic units 15 and 16 are mounted in respective hollow limbs 22a of the upstanding columns 22, the lower ends of the piston rods of the units 15 and 16 being connected to the lower ends of respective columns 22 and the upper ends of the cylinders of the units 15 and 16 being connected to respective bridge pieces 20b.
Thus, by extending the piston and cylinder units 15 and 16, the frame 12 will be raised.
The bath-tub 10 is mounted on and secured to the frame 12 with the bridge pieces 20b lying just below the rim 24 of the bath-tub 10, and the motor driven pump 17 is secured to the upper face of connecting member 12d.
The frame 12 together with the slider blocks 18 has an overall length which is approximately the same as, but not greater than, the length of the bath-tub 10 and the width of the frame 12 is approximately equal to, but not greater than, the width of the bath-tub 10. The elevating mechanism 11 therefore occupies no greater floor area than the area bounded by the peripheral edge of the bath-tub and for the most part is concealable behind bath panels (not shown) when in a lowered position.
The piston and cylinder unit 15 is a master unit and the piston and cylinder unit 16 is a slave unit. As shown in Figure 3, the pump 17 communicates with the upper chamber of the cylinder of the unit 15. The lower chamber of the cylinder of the unit 15 communicates with the upper chamber of the cylinder of the unit 16 and the lower chamber of the cylinder of the unit 16 communicates with a reservoir 25. The internal cross-sectional area of the cylinder of the unit 16 is equal to the internal cross-sectional area of the cylinder of the unit 15 less the cross-sectional area of the piston rod of the unit 15. Thus as the pump 17 draws fluid from the reservoir 25 and supplies this to the upper chamber of the unit 15 to extend the unit 15, the fluid forced out of the lower chamber of the unit 15 will extend the unit 16 at an equal rate to maintain the frame 12 at a constant attitude. To lower the frame 12 from an elevated position, a valve 26 can be opened so that fluid in the upper chamber of the cylinder of the unit 15 is drained to the reservoir 25 whilst fluid is drawn from the reservoir into the lower chamber of the cylinder of the unit 16.
The bath-tub 10 may be fitted with taps (not shown) connected to hot and cold water supplies via flexible hoses. Alternatively, the bath-tub may be supplied with water from wall mounted taps. The bath-tub 10 has a drain hole connected to a drain pipe by a flexible hose.
As shown in Figure 1, the base 21 of the ground engageable support 14 is not as long as the base of the ground engageable support 13. This is to allow a chassis of a mobile invalid hoist to straddle the support 14.
The embodiment described above is given by way of example only and various modifications will be apparent to persons skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the slider blocks could be secured to or integral with the bath in which case a frame as such may not be necessary. The ground engageable supports could be provided at or adjacent to opposite sides, and not ends, of the frame or bathl. The ground engageable supports could be connected together. Any other appropriate lifting means could be provided between the ground engageable supports and the frame or bath.

Claims

1. A bath elevating mechanism comprising a mounting frame (12) forming part of a bath-tub (10) or arranged to receive a bath-tub (10) thereon, two ground engageable supports (13, 14) at or adjacent to opposite ends or sides of the frame, respectively, and means (15, 16, 17) for raising and lowering the frame relative to the supports.

2. A bath elevating mechanism as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the frame has parts (18) slidable relative to the ground engageable supports to guide the frame as it is raised or lowered relative to the supports.

3. A bath elevating mechanism as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein the raising/lowering means comprises two power operated lifting devices (15, 16) mounted between the frame and the respective supports, the two lifting devices being arranged to operate in unison so as to keep the frame at a constant attitude to the ground as it is raised or lowered relative to the supports.

4. A bath elevating mechanism as claimed in Claim 3, wherein the ground engageable supports each include a hollow upstanding column (22) and the lifting devices are at least in part accommodated in respective columns.

5. A bath elevating mechanism as claimed in Claim 3 or Claim 4, wherein the lifting devices are hydraulically operated piston and cylinder units (15, 16).

6. A bath elevating mechanism as claimed in Claim 5, wherein one of the piston and cylinder units is a master unit (15) extendable by pressurised fluid supplied by a motor driven pump (17) and the other piston and cylinder unit is a slave unit (16) extendable by pressurised fluid supplied by the master unit.

7. A bath elevating mechanism as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the elevating mechanism is arranged to occupy no greater floor area than the area bounded by the peripheral edge of a bath-tub (10) for which it is designed.

8. A bath equipped with an elevating mechanism (11) according to any one of the preceding claims.

9. A bath as claimed in Claim 8, wherein the elevating mechanism (11) is disposed entirely beneath a tub (10) of the bath and is concealable at least for the most part behind bath panels when in a lowered position.

10. An elevatable bath comprising a bath-tub (10), two ground engageable supports (13, 14) at or adjacent to opposite ends or sides of the bath-tub, respectively, and means (15, 16, 17) for raising and lowering the bath-tub relative to the supports.

11. A bath equipped with an elevating mechanism, wherein the elevating mechanism is disposed entirely beneath a tub of the bath.