EP1958556A2 - Shower seat - Google Patents
Shower seat Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP1958556A2 EP1958556A2 EP20080002359 EP08002359A EP1958556A2 EP 1958556 A2 EP1958556 A2 EP 1958556A2 EP 20080002359 EP20080002359 EP 20080002359 EP 08002359 A EP08002359 A EP 08002359A EP 1958556 A2 EP1958556 A2 EP 1958556A2
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- seat
- shower
- heater
- controller
- supply
- 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.)
- Withdrawn
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Classifications
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
- A47K—SANITARY EQUIPMENT NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; TOILET ACCESSORIES
- A47K3/00—Baths; Douches; Appurtenances therefor
- A47K3/28—Showers or bathing douches
- A47K3/281—Accessories for showers or bathing douches, e.g. cleaning devices for walls or floors of showers
- A47K3/282—Seats specially adapted for showers
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a shower seat for use by an individual such as an elderly or disabled person when showering.
- the seats must be made from waterproof material.
- a shower seat a seat heater and a controller for the seat heater, the controller being operable to receive a signal indicating supply of water to the shower and to control the supply of power to the seat heater such that the heater is turned off when water is supplied to the shower.
- the shower seat is moveable between a seating position in which a person may sit on the seat and a storage position, and the seat heater is activated to heat the seat when the shower seat is moved from the storage position to the seating position.
- the present invention also provides a shower seat installation kit for installing such a system and a shower seat for use in such a system.
- a shower seat 2 is connected to the wall 4 of a shower room beneath a shower 6.
- the shower seat 2 is formed from a waterproof material and has a heating element 8 therein.
- a 12 volt power supply 10 is provided to supply power to the heating element 8.
- a switch 12 is mounted within the seat 2 to detect whether the seat is in the seating position (as shown in Figure 1 ) or the storage position (as shown in Figure 2 ).
- the switch 12 has the form of a tube with two electrical contacts at one end and a ball bearing that is free to move within the tube.
- the switch 12 is mounted such that, in the seating position, the ball bearing travels to one end of the tube creating a connection between the electrical contacts.
- the ball bearing travels to the other end of the tube, so that the connection between the electrical contacts is broken.
- a flow sensor 14 is provided to detect the supply of water to the shower 6.
- the power supply 10, switch 12 and flow sensor 14 are connected to a controller 16.
- the controller 16 receives a signal from the flow sensor 14 indicating that water is being supplied to the shower 16.
- the electrical contact state of the switch 12 enables the controller 16 to determine whether the seat 2 is in the seating position or the storage position.
- the connection between the controller 16 and the power supply 10 enables the controller 16 to turn the power supply 10 on and off in dependence upon whether water is being supplied to the shower 6 and also in dependence whether the seat 2 is in the seating position or the storage position.
- the controller 16 is arranged to turn the power supply 10 on and off as follows:
- the seat 2 is moveable between a storage position and a seating position, and the heating element 8 is turned on when the seat is in the seating position.
- the seat 2 may be fixed in the seating position and the power supply 10 may be activated to supply power to heat the heating element 8 in response to the actuation of a switch on a wall, etc by a user.
- switch 12 may be omitted and power supply 10 may be controlled with a user-actuable switch mounted for example on a wall outside the shower room. In both cases, however, controller 16 would still be arranged to prevent the supply of power to the heating element 8 when water is supplied to the shower 6.
- controller 16 controls power supply 10 to turn off the power for the heating element 8 when the seat 2 is in the storage position.
- controller 16 may include a timer and may be arranged to control power supply 10 to turn the power to the heating element off when a user-set time has elapsed after the heating element was turned on.
- connection between the flow sensor 14 and controller 16 comprises a wire.
- the connection may be via a wireless link.
- switch 12 is provided to detect whether the seat 2 is in the seating position or the storage position.
- switch 12 may be provided to detect when the seat is in the seating position and when it is in the storage position.
- heating element 8 is provided within seat 2.
- heating element 8 may be provided on the underside of seat 2 for example in a recess, and holes may be provided through seat 2 to facilitate the transfer of heat from the heating element 8 to a person sitting on the seat 2.
- a heating element may also be provided in the back rest 18 of the shower seat.
Abstract
A shower seat (2) includes a heating element (8) for warming the seat. A power supply (10) for the heating element is connected to a controller (16). In addition, a flow sensor (14) for detecting the supply of water to the shower (6) is connected to the controller (16) and a switch (12) for detecting whether the seat (2) is in a seating position or a storage position is also connected to controller (16). Controller (16) controls power supply (10) to turn the heating element (8) on when the seat is moved from the storage position to the seating position, and to turn the heating element off when water is supplied to the shower (6).
Description
- The present invention relates to a shower seat for use by an individual such as an elderly or disabled person when showering.
- Shower seats are widely provided in showers for disabled or elderly people to sit on when showering.
- The seats must be made from waterproof material.
- However, a problem occurs with the comfort of seats made from such a material.
- The present invention has therefore been made with this in mind.
- According to the present invention, there is provided a shower seat, a seat heater and a controller for the seat heater, the controller being operable to receive a signal indicating supply of water to the shower and to control the supply of power to the seat heater such that the heater is turned off when water is supplied to the shower.
- These features enable the shower seat to be heated safely.
- Preferably, the shower seat is moveable between a seating position in which a person may sit on the seat and a storage position, and the seat heater is activated to heat the seat when the shower seat is moved from the storage position to the seating position.
- The present invention also provides a shower seat installation kit for installing such a system and a shower seat for use in such a system.
- Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
-
Figure 1 shows a view with a shower seat in a seating position; and -
Figure 2 shows a view with the shower seat in a storage position. - Referring to the figures, a
shower seat 2 is connected to thewall 4 of a shower room beneath a shower 6. - The
shower seat 2 is formed from a waterproof material and has aheating element 8 therein. - A 12
volt power supply 10 is provided to supply power to theheating element 8. - In addition, a
switch 12 is mounted within theseat 2 to detect whether the seat is in the seating position (as shown inFigure 1 ) or the storage position (as shown inFigure 2 ). In this embodiment, theswitch 12 has the form of a tube with two electrical contacts at one end and a ball bearing that is free to move within the tube. Theswitch 12 is mounted such that, in the seating position, the ball bearing travels to one end of the tube creating a connection between the electrical contacts. When the seat is in the storage position, the ball bearing travels to the other end of the tube, so that the connection between the electrical contacts is broken. - A
flow sensor 14 is provided to detect the supply of water to the shower 6. - The
power supply 10,switch 12 andflow sensor 14 are connected to acontroller 16. - More particularly, the
controller 16 receives a signal from theflow sensor 14 indicating that water is being supplied to theshower 16. In addition, the electrical contact state of theswitch 12 enables thecontroller 16 to determine whether theseat 2 is in the seating position or the storage position. The connection between thecontroller 16 and thepower supply 10 enables thecontroller 16 to turn thepower supply 10 on and off in dependence upon whether water is being supplied to the shower 6 and also in dependence whether theseat 2 is in the seating position or the storage position. - In this embodiment, the
controller 16 is arranged to turn thepower supply 10 on and off as follows: - The
controller 16 turns thepower supply 10 on to heat theheating element 8 when theseat 2 is in the seating position (Figure 1 ) and no water is being supplied to the shower 6. In this way, theheating element 8 is activated by movement of theseat 2 from the storage position to the seating position. - The
controller 16 turns thepower supply 10 off so that no power is supplied to theheating element 8 when water is being supplied to the shower 6, irrespective of whether theseat 2 is in the seating position or the storage position. In this way, theheating element 8 can be operated safely because no water and power are present at the same time. - The
controller 16 turns thepower supply 10 off when theseat 2 is in the storage position. In this way,controller 16 deactivates theheating element 8 in the event that theheating element 8 is activated (for example by movement of theseat 2 for cleaning, etc.) and theseat 2 is returned to its storage position without water being supplied to the shower 6. - Many modifications and changes can be made to the embodiment described above.
- For example, in the embodiment above, the
seat 2 is moveable between a storage position and a seating position, and theheating element 8 is turned on when the seat is in the seating position. However, instead, theseat 2 may be fixed in the seating position and thepower supply 10 may be activated to supply power to heat theheating element 8 in response to the actuation of a switch on a wall, etc by a user. Similarly, even ifseat 2 can move between a storage position and a seating position,switch 12 may be omitted andpower supply 10 may be controlled with a user-actuable switch mounted for example on a wall outside the shower room. In both cases, however,controller 16 would still be arranged to prevent the supply of power to theheating element 8 when water is supplied to the shower 6. - In the embodiment above,
controller 16 controlspower supply 10 to turn off the power for theheating element 8 when theseat 2 is in the storage position. Instead, or in addition,controller 16 may include a timer and may be arranged to controlpower supply 10 to turn the power to the heating element off when a user-set time has elapsed after the heating element was turned on. - In the embodiment described above, the connection between the
flow sensor 14 andcontroller 16 comprises a wire. However, instead, the connection may be via a wireless link. - In the embodiment described above,
switch 12 is provided to detect whether theseat 2 is in the seating position or the storage position. However, other types of switch or other types of sensor may be provided to detect when the seat is in the seating position and when it is in the storage position. - In the embodiment described above,
heating element 8 is provided withinseat 2. However, instead,heating element 8 may be provided on the underside ofseat 2 for example in a recess, and holes may be provided throughseat 2 to facilitate the transfer of heat from theheating element 8 to a person sitting on theseat 2. - A heating element may also be provided in the
back rest 18 of the shower seat. - Other modifications and changes could, of course, be made.
Claims (10)
- A shower installation, comprising:a shower (6);means (14) for sensing the supply of water to the shower;a shower seat (2) having a heater (8) for warming the seat;a power supply (10) for the heater; anda controller (16) arranged to control the supply of power to the heater such that the heater is turned off when water is supplied to the shower.
- A shower installation according to Claim 1, wherein:the shower seat (2) is moveable between a seating position in which a person may sit thereon and a storage position;the shower installation further comprises means (12) for determining whether the seat is in the seating position or the storage position; andthe controller (16) is further arranged to control the supply of power to the heater (8) such that the heater is turned on when the seat (2) is determined to be in the seating position and no water is being supplied to the shower (6).
- A shower installation according to Claim 2, wherein the controller (16) is further arranged to control the supply of power to the heater (8) such that the heater is turned off when the seat (2) is determined to be in the storage position.
- A shower installation according to any preceding claim, wherein the controller (16) is further arranged to control the supply of power to the heater (8) to turn the heater off after a predetermined time.
- A shower seat installation kit, comprising:a shower seat (2) having a heater (8) for warming the seat;a power supply (10) for the heater; anda controller (16) operable to receive a signal from a detector (14) indicating the supply of water to a shower, and operable to control the supply of power to the heater (8) such that the heater is turned off when the signal from the detector (14) indicates that water is being supplied to the shower (6).
- A shower seat installation kit according to Claim 5, wherein:the shower seat (2) is moveable between a seating position in which a person may sit thereon and a storage position;the kit further comprises position determining means (12) for determining whether the seat (2) is in the seating position or the storage position; andthe controller (16) is further operable to receive a signal from the position determining means (12) indicating the position of the shower seat (2), and is operable to control the supply of the power to the heater (8) such that the heater is turned on when the signal from the position determining means (12) indicates that the seat (2) is in the seating position and the signal from the detector (14) indicates that no water is being supplied to the shower (16).
- A shower seat installation kit according to Claim 6, wherein the controller (16) is further operable to control the supply of power to the heater (8) such that the heater is turned off when the signal from the position determining means (12) indicates that the seat (2) is in the storage position.
- A shower seat installation kit according to any of Claims 5 to 7, wherein the controller (16) is further operable to control the supply of power to the heater to turn off the heater (8) after a user-set time.
- A shower seat, comprising a waterproof seat (2) having an electrical heater (8) for warming the seat.
- A shower seat according to Claim 9, wherein the electrical heater (8) comprises an electrical heating element within the seat or on the underside of the seat.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
GB0702766A GB2446574B (en) | 2007-02-13 | 2007-02-13 | Shower seat |
GB0715755A GB2446675B (en) | 2007-02-13 | 2007-08-13 | Shower seat |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
EP1958556A2 true EP1958556A2 (en) | 2008-08-20 |
Family
ID=39318671
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP20080002359 Withdrawn EP1958556A2 (en) | 2007-02-13 | 2008-02-08 | Shower seat |
Country Status (2)
Country | Link |
---|---|
EP (1) | EP1958556A2 (en) |
GB (1) | GB2446675B (en) |
Cited By (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
CN106667327A (en) * | 2017-03-06 | 2017-05-17 | 中山市崇德电器实业有限公司 | Multifunctional anti-falling water heater applied to bath of the aged |
Family Cites Families (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
DE4125237C1 (en) * | 1991-07-29 | 1992-05-27 | Manuela Dipl.-Oec.Troph. 8046 Garching De Huber | Heated shower seat with shell or frame structure - uses hot water heating with coils in seat structure |
DE4134721C2 (en) * | 1991-10-21 | 1994-08-11 | Manuela Huber | Shower seat or bench with additional furniture |
-
2007
- 2007-08-13 GB GB0715755A patent/GB2446675B/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
-
2008
- 2008-02-08 EP EP20080002359 patent/EP1958556A2/en not_active Withdrawn
Cited By (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
CN106667327A (en) * | 2017-03-06 | 2017-05-17 | 中山市崇德电器实业有限公司 | Multifunctional anti-falling water heater applied to bath of the aged |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
GB2446675A (en) | 2008-08-20 |
GB0715755D0 (en) | 2007-09-19 |
GB2446675B (en) | 2009-01-28 |
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AX | Request for extension of the european patent |
Extension state: AL BA MK RS |
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STAA | Information on the status of an ep patent application or granted ep patent |
Free format text: STATUS: THE APPLICATION IS DEEMED TO BE WITHDRAWN |
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18D | Application deemed to be withdrawn |
Effective date: 20120901 |