EP0793937B1 - Sanitary seat-bathtub - Google Patents

Abstract

Sanitary seat-bathtub comprised of a single part shaped like a seat for sanitary bowls, having a shape such that the centre of the seat has a cavity, tank or bathtub which may be filled with lukewarm water to have a hip-bath, and its rear perimeter is open so as to form an opening for empting the tank or bathtub, when tilting the apparatus, cuts being provided in the front part on the right side and on the left side of the edge so that it can be fitted to any type of existing bowl. <IMAGE>

Description

The improvements in this sanitary seat are such as to provide a novel and singular instrument which forms both a seat and a seat-bath, being exceptionally useful in facilitating defecation in patients with pathologies deriving in symptoms characteristically causing anal pains and discomfort associated to said action.

Thus, this improved sanitary seat is useful in the fields of pharmaceutical and medical and sanitary bath industries.

At present, medical authorities observe that seat-baths in lukewarm water, at say 37°C (the bath water temperature being similar to that of the patient's body), are useful in relieving the pain and other anal discomforts associated to specific ailments such as haemorrhoids, anal fissure, papillitis, haemorrhoidal thrombosis, etc., in patients about to be operated on or in postoperative condition, the seat-bath further facilitating the defecation of patients which normally suffer from constipation.

The scientific reason behind this behavior is the mechanism which is started-off when the patient takes a seat-bath under such circumstances, since it relaxes the anal sphincter and facilitates the act of defecating, thus avoiding serious pain and discomfort dependent on the patient's condition.

It must also be borne in mind that the tone of the sphincter increases during defecation - this applying the people in general -and this causes discomfort and pain in this type of patient, conditions which are considerably alleviated by the baths, as previously described.

In view of this, patients suffering from this nature of ailment or disease frequently resort to the solution of taking seat-baths during defecation, although this is hardly hygienic, since it involves using the bathtub or the bidet, said sanitary appliances being designed for operations other than these, and which furthermore gives rise to the problem of disposing of the faeces and then adequately cleaning and disinfecting the sanitary unit in question.

US 1,665,864 describes a bidet which may be easily attached to a toilet sea. This attachment takes place thanks to the fact that a perimeter flange of the basin is hooked-shaped and made of strechtable rubber. These two characteristic lead to the fact that the object of the prior art document taken into account must be performed in many different dimensions to adapt itself to the different existing types of toilet seats.

US 3,490,079 equally refers to a movable bidet which is to be placed on a toilet bowl. As a result of that, it has a perimeter flat flange allowing, thus, the object of the invention to adapt itself to almost every shape of toilet bowls, but it also allows a certain relative movement between the bidet and the bowl due to the fact that it is only retained by the hollow forming the central basin, what makes it very unconfortable for users.

On the contrary, the object of this patent remains fixed to the bowl by a cut in side right and anoteher in side left of the front part, so its immobility is secured independently from the longitudinal dimension of the toilet bowl on which it is placed.

Therefore, the present improved sanitary seat has been devised for allowing this type of patient to defecate while simultaneously taking a seat-bath, providing a novel and singular instrument which by virtue of its simplicity manages to solve the above problems, namely of the disposal and of the disinfection and overall cleaning of the sanitary appliance or instrument.

This improved sanitary seat comprises a seat coupled onto and supported by a sanitary bowl available in any home or hospital. The seat is characteristic in that it contains a closed tank which forms a bathtub which may be filled with suitably heated water. Thus, the patient can sit on the sanitary bowl, above this singular instrument, and take a seat-bath in the incorporated bathtub. Once the patient has defecated in the sanitary seat-bathtub, which incorporates an opening on the rear for emptying it, merely tilting the seat-bathtub will cause its contents of faeces and water to pour into the sanitary bowl. Subsequently - this novel and singular apparatus being of a small size, similar to that of a sanitary seat or cover - it can be suitably washed and disinfected elsewhere, such as in the bathroom's bathtub or under the shower.

Thus, in the manner described and by using this sanitary seat, patients suffering from this type of ailment may find relief when defecating in the sanitary bowl, transforming it into a seat-bath after placing this novel invention on the traditional and commonly used sanitary bowl.

Furthermore, this improved sanitary seat may be fabricated from light, readily cleanable material such as plastic, and disinfected under the bathroom shower.

The following is a detailed description of the improvements in the proposed improved seat-bathtub, reference being made to the accompanying drawing wherein is illustrated, merely as a non-limiting example, a preferred form of embodiment liable to any variations in its details provided no fundamental changes are imposed on the essential characteristics of said improvements.

Said drawing illustrates:

Figure 1: a side view of the improved sanitary seat-bath.

Figure 2: a plan view of the improved sanitary seat-bath.

According to the execution example shown, the sanitary seat improvements described in the present invention consist in creating a new apparatus formed by a seat (1), with edge cuts (1B) being provided at the left and right front part to facilitate fitting onto any type of existing sanitary bowl, with a rear opening (2) and attached to a bathtub (4).

Thus, this seat-bathtub may be placed over any available sanitary bowl, such as any standard bowl. The bathtub (4) is positioned inside the sanitary bowl, supported by the seat (1) sustained on the edge of the sanitary bowl, and may be filled with lukewarm water so that the ailing person or patient sitting on the seat is able to take a seat-bath while defecating, the faeces being collected in the bathtub (4) itself. On finishing the operation, this improved sanitary seat need only be tilted upwards, thereby raising the front end (5) of the seat, which will continue to be supported on the back ends (6), and the contents of the bathtub (4) will flow off from the ramp (3), through the rear opening (2) and into the sanitary bowl. The contents of faeces and water in the bathtub (4) are thus easily disposed of.

Furthermore, this sanitary seat-bathtub can be made of a light, strong material to facilitate its cleaning and disinfection, a task which may be performed by using the bathroom shower.

The shape, dimensions and material, and in general any accessory and secondary item, may be subject to variation provided the essential nature of the improvements described is not altered, changed or modified.

Claims (1)

1. Sanitary seat-bathtub comprised of a single part shaped like a seat for sanitary bowls the center of the seat (1) having a cavity, tank or bathtub (4) which may be filled with likewarm water, characterized in that its upper rear perimeter is open so as to form a rear opening (2) for emptying the liquid or solid contents of the bathtub (4) when tilting the apparatus so that the patient can defecate while simultaneously taking a seat-bath and in that it has edge cuts (1B) in the front part, on the right and left sides of the seat (1) so that it can be fitted to any type of bowl in the market.

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