GB2117236A - Lifting devices for use with baths etc. - Google Patents

Abstract

A self-contained seat assembly is provided for enabling handicapped persons to be lowered into and lifted out of a bath and comprises a seat 1 slidably supported on a frame 2 which is attached to a base 7. Between the base 7 and the seat 1 is a bellows 6 which can be extended by operating a pump within the base 7 using water within the bath. Alternatively a valve can be operated to allow water in the bellows 6 to be exhausted back into the bath so that a person sitting on the seat is lowered gently into the bath. The control handle 3 is connected via a cable 5 to operating controls for the pump and the valve and these are supplied with power through coiled cables 10 from a self-contained battery pack received in the top wall of the seat. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvements relating to lifting devices This invention is concerned with devices for lifting loads and is particularly, though not exclusively, concerned with such apparatus suitable for use by invalids or otherwise handicapped persons.

One particular area where difficulty is experienced by a handicapped person is in getting into or out of a bath. It is therefore an aim of this invention to provide a device which will enable an invalid to be lowered safely into a bath or lifted to a position where he can readily get out of the bath.

From one aspect, the invention provides a lifting assembly comprising a pump connected or connectable to a liquid supply source, an enclosed chamber connected via a valve to the pump outlet, a passageway leading from the chamber to a bellows or diaphragm beneath a member to be lifted, and a valved outlet from the chamber, together with control means for selectively operating the pump with the valved outlet from the chamber closed, or for opening the valved outlet from the chamber with the pump inoperative to allow the bellows or diaphragm to exhaust.

Such a device can be used for a wide variety of purposes to provide an aid in lifting a heavy load but is particularly suited for use in assisting a handicapped person to enter and leave a bath.

Thus the member to be lifted may be a seat carried slidably on a frame above the bellows or diaphragm.

The valved outlet from the chamber and the pump inlet could be interconnected in a closed circuit with a reservoir so as to be entirely selfcontained. However this type of arrangement is more suited for use of the device outside a bath. If the device is to be used as a bath aid then preferably the valved outlet from the chamber and the pump inlet will open to the exterior of the device, so that the bath water itself may be used as the means for expanding the bellows or diaphragm.

According to a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a self-contained seat assembly which can be raised and lowered within a bath and comprising a base, a seat including a back rest and a support assembly carried by the base and supporting the seat between raised and lowered conditions, a bellows mounted between the base and the seat and connectable by valves either to the outlet of a pump which is positioned so as to draw water from the bath during operation to extend the bellows and raise the seat, or to exhaust to the exterior of the base, control means for operating the pump and the valves and a battery pack carried by the assembly for supply to the pump.

Ideally the seat will carry hinged side flaps which can overly the seat or extend out to the sides thereof. Then when the seat is in the raised position level with the top of a bath a flap can rest on the bath side and provide a region over which the invalid can slide his body until he is safely positioned on the seat. Ideally the base of the device will carry suckers enabling the device to be mounted securely in a desired position prior to operation. This is particularly advantageous if the device is to be used in a bath as it then ensures good stability of the device.

The control means may readily comprise means for moving a control member between a position wherein it closes a switch in an electrical circuit for the pump and an alternative position where it causes the valved outlet to be opened. Thus the control member could be a body slidable between the two positions. Advantageously the control member is moved by means of a Bowden cable or the like attached to a control handle. It is of particular advantage to provide that the control handle is biased into a further, neutral position wherein the pump is not operated and the valved outlet is not opened. This makes operation of the device fail-safe as the bellows or diaphragm will be maintained in a constant condition once the control handle moves to the neutral position.As an alternative, the control member could comprise air microswitches connected to operating members through pneumatic supply lines, for switching of the pump and valves. This is a more versatile arrangement which can be operated in a variety of ways by physically disabled persons.

Ideally the pump will be powered by a rechargeable battery pack removably fitted in part of the assembly, ideally slotted into the top of the back rest of the seat. In this instance the device could well include a checking circuit and warning device for determining whether the level of power in the battery is adequate.

The invention may be performed in various ways and a preferred embodiment thereof will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a bath seat constructed in accordance with the invention; Figure 2 is a plan view of the mounting base of the seat, with a cover plate removed; Figure 3 illustrates details of a valve used in the apparatus: Figure 4 shows the construction of a battery power pack for the seat; and Figure 5 is a top plan view of part of the seat showing the mounting position for the power pack.

The bath seat shown in Figure 1 comprises a seat 1 supported for sliding moving about a substantially vertical frame 2 which also serves as a carrying handle. The apparatus is provided with a control handle 3 incorporating a plunger 4 which operates a Bowden cable 5. When the plunger is pressed in halfway it causes operation of a pump (in a manner to be described subsequentiy) to cause water in a bath, in which the bath seat is situated, to be pumped into an extendable bellows 6 situated between the seat 1 and a base member 7, so that the seat 1 is caused to rise up the frame 2. When the plunger 4 is pushed fully home the pump switches off and the bellows is connected to exhaust so that the water then leaves the bellows and returns into the bath thus allowing the seat to go down.

As an alternative to the control handle 3 and the cable 5, pneumatic and electrical control of the pump and valve may be provided. Thus an operating member at the end of pneumatic supply lines can lead to microswitches controlling the pump and a valve opening device. The operating member could be hand, foot or even mouth controlled, so as to be operable by users suffering from various physical disabilities. The microswitches can be installed in the back of the seat 1 in power supply lines to the pump and valve, with the pneumatic supply lines connected to the microswitches by a quick release coupling.

The base 7 is secured within the bath by means of suckers 8 which project beyond the edges of the base 7 so as to prevent the base from touching the surface of the bath and thus possibly damaging it.

The pump, and other operating parts of the device, are illustrated in Figure 2. The pump 9 is set in a part of the base 7 and is connected by coiled power lines 10 to a battery pack which will be mounted in the head of the seat 2. The inlet to the pump is at one end through a series of holes 11 and the outlet 12 leads through a wail of an enclosed well 13 via a flap valve 14. As shown in Figure 3, the flap valve is formed by two sheets of flexible material 15, 1 6 secured together at one end. The sheet 15 is held against the wall of the well 13 by the enlarged head 1 7 of a tube 18 received within the pump outlet 12.The difference in pressure on either side of the sheet 1 6 determines whether that sheet opens or closes the outlet of the tube 1 8. A cover plate, which has been removed from Figure 2, encloses the well 13 so that water pumped into this well is caused to leave via a pair of pipes 19 which lead into the bellows 6 shown in Figure 1 , thus causing inflation of the bellows.

The Bowden cable 5 is connected to a slidable body 20 which has three basic positions and is shown in Figure 2 in the intermediate position, wherein a magnet 21 carried by the body 20 operates a reed switch 22 which closes the power supply circuit to the pump 9. When the plunger 4 is pushed home fully the Bowden cable 5 causes the body 20 to move to its outermost position whereupon the pump controlling switch 22 will move to "off" and two prongs 23 enter holes 24 in the wall of the well 13 and force away a resilient sheet 25 thus providing a liquid outlet from the well 13 to a further enclosed part of the base 7 which communicates with the exterior through exhaust holes 26.The plunger 4 of the control handle 2 is biased into its outermost position so that when released the body 20 will move back into its housing 27 so that the holes 24 are then closed by the flap 25 and the pump is in the "off" condition since the magnet 21 will have moved well past the reed switch 22.

Figure 2 also shows the mounting of the frame 2 to the base 7. Arm portions 28 of the frame 2 lie along the inside of the base 7 and incorporate holes 29 through which bolts may be passed to secure the cover plate over the well 1 3 and also the suckers 8 mounted below the base 7.

Figures 4 and 5 illustrate the power pack used to power the pump 9. This pack 30 incorporates a rechargeable battery and has a carrying handle 31. A connecting block 32 projects from one portion of the housing 30. This battery housing is received within a slot 33 in the top wall 34 of the seat. At the base of this slot 33 there are pins 35 which will locate within holes in the connecting block 32. A pair of control lights 36, 37 are provided. One of these is a green light for indicating that the battery power is adequate for operating the pump, whilst the light 37 is red to indicate reduced battery power requiring recharging of the battery pack. The pack 30 can be removed and connected to a separate charging unit connected to the main supply by means of the connecting block 32.Figure 5 also shows the provision of a back plate 38 for the seat which is secured in place to hold the seat onto the frame 2.

The user of the bath seat illustrated in the drawings will first lower the unit into the bath so that the suckers will attach themselves to the base of the bath. The bath is then filled with water to a suitable height. The seat 1 will of course be in its lowermost position with the bellows 6 in a collapsed condition. Also a pair of side flaps 39, hinged by webbing straps 40, will be folded down onto the upper surface of the seat. The plunger 4 is now moved to the intermediate position to cause the pump to operate, thus pumping water into the bellows 6 so that the seat 1 slides up the frame 2 until the seat is level with the upper surface of the bath wall. The flaps 39 can now be lowered to lie on the sides of the bath and the user can then slide himself across one of the flaps 39 onto the main seat 1.The plunger 4 is now pressed fully home so that the water within the bellows 6 can be exhausted back into the bath, whereupon the seat will sink into the bath. When the user wishes to leave the bath, the plunger 4 will be operated to switch on the pump to cause the seat 1 to rise up to the top of the bath, thus enabling the user to slide himself over the seat 1 and flap 39 and out of the bath.

The apparatus shown in the drawings has many advantages, the main ones of which are that the unit is completely portable, and self-contained due to the battery operation. Also the unit is operated by means of the handle 3 provided with a springloaded plunger 4 which ensures that if the handle is dropped, the apparatus moves to the "off" condition wherein the seat will remain in the attitude relative to the base 7 which it has then achieved. A similar advantage is achieved using pressure operated microswitches. The fact that the pump and bellows use the existing bath water ensures that there is no change in the temperature or displacement of the water within the bath.

Various changes or modification may be made to the construction of the apparatus as may occur to those skilled in the art. For example, the surfaces of the seat could be formed as non-slip surfaces. Also the webbed hinges 40 could be made adjustable by moving the webbing within slots formed in the walls of the seat 1, to suit particular conditions or bath shapes.

Another possibility is to provide a reservoir of operating liquid for the pump and bellows in a closed system. Such a pump and bellows arrangement together with a reservoir in a closed system could be used for operating other aids for the handicapped with the same basic control system. It would also be possible, for example, to operate the apparatus from a car battery via leads into the slot 33 through the top wall 34 of the seat.

Where operating members are connected through pneumatic supply lines to microswitches it will be appreciated that these microswitches can be either electrical switches which will, for example, connect the pump to the electrical supply, or pneumatically operated members which push a valve into an alternative condition.

Claims (14)

1. A self-contained seat assembly which can be raised and lowered within a bath and comprising a base, a seat including a back rest and a support assembly carried by the base and supporting the seat between raised and lowered conditions, a bellows mounted between the base and the seat and connectable by valves either to the outlet of a pump which is positioned so as to draw water from the bath during operation to extend the bellows and raise the seat, or to exhaust to the exterior of the base, control means for operating the pump and the valves and a battery pack carried by the assembly for supply to the pump.

2. A lifting assembly comprising a pump connected or connectable to a liquid supply source, an enclosed chamber connected via a valve to the pump outlet, a passageway leading from the chamber to a bellows or diaphragm beneath a member to be lifted, and a valved outlet from the chamber, together with control means for selectively operating the pump with the valved outlet from the chamber closed, or for opening the valved outlet from the chamber with the pump inoperative to allow the bellows or diaphragm to exhaust.

3. An assembly according to claim 2, wherein the valved outlet from the chamber and the pump inlet are interconnected in a closed circuit with a reservoir.

4. An assembly according to claim 3, wherein the valved outlet from the chamber and the pump inlet open to the exterior of the device.

5. An assembly according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the member to be lifted is a seat carried slidably on a frame above the bellows or diaphragm.

6. An assembly according to claim 1 or claim 5, wherein the seat carries hinged side flaps which can overly the seat or extend out to the sides thereof.

7. An assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the base of the assembly carries suckers enabling the assembly to be mounted securely in a desired position prior to operation.

8. An assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the control means comprises means for moving a control member between a position wherein it closes a switch in an electrical circuit for the pump and an alternative position where it causes the valved outlet to be opened.

9. An assembly according to claim 8, wherein the control member is a body slidable between the two positions.

10. An assembly according to claim 9, wherein the control member is moved by means of a Bowden cable or the like attached to a control handle.

11. An assembly according to claim 10, wherein the control handle is biased into a further neutral position wherein the pump is not operated and the valved outlet is not opened.

12. An assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the control means comprises air microswitches connected to operating members through pneumatic supply lines, for switching of the pump and valves.

13. An assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the pump is powered by a rechargeable battery pack removably fitted in the assembly.

14. An assembly according to claim 13, wherein the battery pack is slotted into the top of the back rest of the seat.

1 5. An assembly according to claim 13 or claim 14, including a checking circuit and warning device for determining whether the level of power in the battery is adequate.

1 6. A self-contained seat assembly, substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.