GB2380667A

GB2380667A - Invalid bath having locking and/or counterweight means for door

Info

Publication number: GB2380667A
Application number: GB0229628A
Authority: GB
Inventors: David Eric Appleford; Brian William Lane
Original assignee: ACER PROD Ltd
Current assignee: ACER PROD Ltd
Priority date: 1999-02-02
Filing date: 1999-02-02
Publication date: 2003-04-16
Anticipated expiration: 2019-02-02
Also published as: GB9902324D0; GB2380667B; GB0229628D0; GB2347856B; GB2347856A

Abstract

An invalid bath includes a door (8) with an inwardly facing substantially U-shaped channel (16) on its inner face for sealingly engaging a lip surrounding an access aperture in a side of a bath body. The bath body and the door (8) are supported by a structure comprising end frames (24) interconnected by horizontal rails (26a-c). Each end of the door (8) is connected to a respective end of a counter-weight (56) by a cable which passes over front and rear pulleys (42,48) journalled for rotation at upper ends of one of the end frames (24). The two rear pulleys (48) are keyed to a horizontal axle (46) and thereby constrained to rotate together. Raising and lowering of the counterweight (56) and thus the door (8) is effected by rotation of a manually operable lever connected to the counterweight by an over centre lockable linkage including two pivotably interconnected link arms (60,62). The bath includes a locking device (70) which restrains link arm movement when water is present in the bath.

Description

BATH FOR INVALID The present invention relates to a bath particularly for an invalid, the bath having a side opening closed by a door which is openable to enable a person to enter or leave the bath.

Such a bath is described in patent EP-A-0710080 which utilizes an actuator to rotate two pivotably interconnected V-shaped members relative to each other, each of which supports a roller engaging a channel on the bath's door, to cause the door to slide up to a closed position or down to an open position. Since the actuator needs to lift the door, it has to exert considerable force. As the door closes, a sealing strip in an inwardly facing channel projecting from an inner surface of the door is urged sealingly into engagement with an outwardly projecting lip positioned around the side opening. Accordingly, when the door is closed, the actuator not only needs to support the weight of the door but also hold the sealing strip firmly in engagement with the lip.

Accidental opening of the door when any water is present in the bath would be undesirable.

Thus according to the invention there is provided a bath particularly for use by an elderly or disabled person the bath having a body with a side shaped so as to form an opening, a movable door arranged to selectively close the opening, guide means for guiding the door between open and shut positions and door actuating means for moving the door

between the open and shut positions, the bath further including locking means for preventing inadvertent opening of the door.

Preferably the locking means includes a lock actuating device which actuates the lock automatically when water is present in the bath so that the problem of a user forgetting to apply the lock once the door has been closed can be avoided.

Conveniently the lock actuating device includes a movable member such as a flexible diaphragm and fluid communicating means which enables pressure of water in the bath to cause the member to move and actuate the lock.

The door actuating means may include counter-weight means connected to the door so as to counter-balance the weight of the door as it is moved between its open and shut positions.

The counterbalancing of the weight of the door will substantially reduce the amount of energy required to move the door between its open and shut positions thereby enabling a lower power actuator to be used than on prior art baths or even permit a user to effect closing and opening of the door unassisted.

Preferably the counterweight means is connected to the door by a flexible load carrying means such as one or more belts or chains since these can be routed via small gaps to a location remote from the door such as at the back of the bath, thus contributing to the compactness of the design. The flexible load carrying means preferably passes round one or more pulley wheels.

In order to avoid complication in the design of the guiding means and the interconnection between the counterweight means and the door, the guide means preferably constrains the door to move substantially within its own plane as it moves from the open to the shut position and as sealing between the door and the opening in the bath body occurs.

Sealing means for sealing between the body opening and door preferably comprises either a lip or a channel extending around the bath body opening which is sealingly engageable with the other of the lip or channel projecting from an inner surface of the door. A sealing strip may be interposed between the channel and the lip. With such an arrangement, sealing round the opening can be simply and effectively achieved using a straightforward movement of the door in one direction only.

In order to obviate the need for guidance means which is specially adapted to prevent jamming of the door, resulting from one of its ends rising above the opposite end, preferably the counterbalance means comprises an elongate counterweight connected at or adjacent to its ends to locations at or adjacent ends of the door.

So as to permit a user to open and close the door unassisted, preferably the door actuating means includes manual actuating means which enables a user to manually move the door between its open and shut positions. Such an arrangement will obviate the need for a fluid actuator, electric motor etc for

opening and closing the door. Such items are costly and require periodic maintenance.

Conveniently the door actuating means includes a linkage, operatively connected to the counterweight means, which linkage is reconfigurable between first and second configurations to respectively open and close the door and simultaneously move the counterweight means between raised and lowered positions. Such a linkage can be designed to provide the required mechanical advantage and effect rapid opening and closing of the door.

A linkage which will effect very rapid opening and closing of the door and can be"locked out"into an over centre configuration firmly holding the door in its closed position is one including first and second link arms interconnected by a first pivot, and a second pivot interconnecting a portion of the first link arm distal from the first pivot to the counterweight means.

To effect the above mentioned locking, preferably in its second configuration, corresponding to the door being closed, the first and second link arms are substantially aligned with each other.

Conveniently a third pivot interconnects a portion of the second link arm distal from the first pivot to an anchor point fixed relative to the bath body.

Preferably the manual actuating means comprises a hand lever operatively connected to the linkage to move the linkage

between its first and second configurations. Such an arrangement will be quick and simple to actuate, can easily be designed to give considerable mechanical advantage and can be cheaply and easily produced.

The invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a bath according to the invention including its cladding panels (which panels are omitted in the other Figures); Figure 2 is a side elevation of the bath with the door and actuating mechanism omitted for clarity; Figure 3 is perspective view of a support frame, door and door actuating mechanism of the bath with the bath body itself omitted for clarity; Figure 4 is an end elevation of the arrangement shown in Figure 3 from the direction A ; Figure 5 is a side elevation of the arrangement shown in Figure 3 from the direction B ; Figure 6 is a plan view from above of the arrangement shown in Figure 3; Figure 7 is a part sectional view of a locking device for locking the door of the bath in its closed position in its unlocked state ; Figure 8 is a view similar to Figure 7 showing the locking device in its locked state; Figure 9 is a perspective view of the locking device shown in Figures 7 and 8; Figure 10 is cross-section on the line C-C of the door shown in Figure 3.

A perspective view of a bath 2 according to the invention is shown in Figure 1 and includes a body 4 for accommodating water, one side of which includes an opening 6 which is selectively closable by a door 8 upon rotation of a handle 10. Cladding panels 12 enclose the sides of the bath and are omitted from the other Figures for the purpose of clarity.

The manner in which the door 8 sealingly closes the opening 6 will be described with particular reference to Figures 2, 3 and 10.

The opening 6 has upwardly diverging sides and a lip 14 projecting outwardly around the sides and bottom of the opening. A complementarily configured channel 16 is connected to and projects from an inner surface 9 of the door 8 and contains a sealing strip 18 which is forced into sealing engagement with the lip 14 as the door 8 is moved up into the closed position shown in Figure 1. Alternatively, the channel could be arranged around the edge of the opening and the lip 14 provided on the door. The sealing strip 18 could be connected to the lip 14 or the channel 16.

Beneath the cladding panels 12 the bath includes a frame 20, shown in Figure 3, supported on four adjustable feet 22. The frame 20 includes quadrilateral end frames 24 interconnected by four longitudinal rails 26a, 26b, 26c and 26d. Each end frame front post 28 is slidingly engaged by a carriage 30 connected to the inner surface 9 of the door 8 adjacent to one of its ends. The carriages 30 permit the door to slide upwardly into its closed position as described above and

downwardly to open. Transverse beam members 32 interconnect the rails 26a-d and the two upper beam members support the water accommodated body 4 of the bath. The two rails 26a and 26b at the rear of the frame 20 support a vertical column 34 which projects upwardly above the upper rear rail 26a and is provided at its upper end with a bearing housing 36 which rotatably supports a horizontal shaft portion 38 of the handle 10. A guide slot 40 is provided in a rear surface of the lowermost half of the column 34.

A horizontal spindle 42 projects outwardly from an outer surface of each end frame 24 at the top of each end frame front posts 28 on which a pulley 44 is rotatably mounted. A horizontal axle 46 extends the length of the frame 20, passes through aligned holes in the end frame rear posts 29 and the column 34 and projects outwardly from the end frames 24 to rotatably support pulleys 48 which are keyed to the axle 46 and thereby constrained to rotate together.

Closely adjacent each end of the door 8 and on its inner surface 9 an anchor bracket 50 is mounted to which one end of a cable 52 is connected via a first length adjuster 54. Each cable 52 extends upwardly from its associated anchor bracket 50, round the pulleys 44 and 48 respectively at the upper ends of the associated front post 28 and rear post 29 and downwards to one end of a horizontal counterweight beam 56 to which it is connected by a second length adjuster 58. The mass of the counterweight beam 56 is substantially the same as the total mass of the door 8 including all items (carriages 30, anchor brackets 50, etc...) which move up and down together.

A linkage comprising an upper link arm 60 and a lower link 62, the ends of which are pivotably interconnected by a central pivot pin 64, connects the shaft portion 38 of the handle 10 and a lower pivot pin 66 journalled for rotation at the middle of the counterweight beam 56. The shaft portion 38 of the handle 10 is keyed to the upper link arm 60 by a pin 68 so that rotation of the handle 10 will be accompanied by a corresponding rotation of the upper link arm 60. The bottom of the lower link arm 62 is accommodated in an elongate slot 70 in an upper surface of the counterweight beam 56 which allows the lower link 62 to rotate relative to the counterweight beam 56.

The lower pivot pin 66 projects from a front face of the counterweight beam 56 and is constrained to slide within the guide slot 40 in the rear face of the column 34 to restrain the counterweight beam 56 against lateral displacement.

The central pivot pin 64 has a stub portion 72 which projects forwardly from the upper and lower link arms 60 and 62 which stub portion 72 engages a stop 74 projecting from the rear face of the column 34 when the counterweight beam 56 is in its lowermost position as shown in Figures 3 and 4 at which point the upper and lower link arms 60 and 62 are substantially aligned with each other.

The bath includes a locking device 76 which acts to automatically lock the arms 60 and 62 in the position shown in Figures 3 and 4 when the door is closed and water is present in the bath to prevent inadvertent opening of the

door and accidental spillage of water therefrom. The locking device 76 will be described with particular reference to Figures 7 to 9.

The locking device includes a vessel 78 connected by a port 80 and conduit (not shown) to a location at the bottom of the bath body 4. Conveniently, the conduit opens into an upper surface of the bath's plug. A flexible diaphragm 82 is clamped to an upper surface of a flange 84 which projects outwardly from an upper edge of the vessel 78 by a clamping ring 86 and bolts 88. A central limb 92 of a rotatable arm 90, in the form of a T, is pivotably connected by a pin 94 to the column 34. A first side limb 96 of the T-arm has a ball 98 at one end and an oppositely directed second side limb 100 of the T-arm projects through a hole 102 in the front face of the column 34. The weight of the ball 98 biases the T-arm 90 in an anticlockwise direction as shown in Figure 7 so that the ball 98 rests on an upper surface of the diaphragm 82. When the vessel 78 becomes pressurized, as a consequence of water collecting in the bath body, the diaphragm 82 bulges upwardly as shown in Figure 8 thus raising the ball 98 and rotating the T-arm clockwise about the pin 94. This causes a distal end 104 of the second side limb 100 to project through a further hole 106 in the rear face of the column and prevent the stub portion 72 of the central pivot pin 64 from moving away from the stop 74. The counterweight beam 56 is thus locked in its lowermost position and the door 8 locked in its uppermost or closed position as shown in Figures 1 and 3.

A complete operating sequence of the bath will now be described.

Initially the bath body 4 is empty and the door 8 is in its lowermost position (not shown). The counterweight 56', upper and lower link arms 60'and 62'and the handle 10'will be in the positions shown by broken lines in Figure 5. The user then enters the bath body 4 through the side opening 6 and rotates the handle 10 through 900 into the position shown in Figures 1 and 3 for example. During this operation the upper link arm 60 is rotated anticlockwise, as shown in Figure 5, to the position shown in unbroken lines. As this occurs, the upper and lower link arms 60 and 62 become aligned with each other, the counterweight beam 56 is lowered and the cables 52 accordingly draw the door 8 upwards to the position shown in Figure 3. During the final part of this closing operation, the stub portion 72 of the central pivot pin 64 goes slightly past a line connecting the shaft portion 38 of the handle 10 and the lower pivot pin 66 and comes into engagement with the stop 74. The sealing lip 18 in the channel 16 is also urged sealingly against the lip 14. The user then starts to fill the bath with water. As this occurs, water enters the conduit connected to the port 80 of the locking device 76 thus pressurizing the interior of the vessel 78. This causes the diaphragm 82 to bulge upwardly, as shown in Figure 8, forcing the T-arm 90 to rotate clockwise, as shown in Figure 8, to the position shown in that Figure in which its second side limb 100 projects through the further hole 106 in the rear face of the column 34 and prevents the stub portion 72 moving away from the stop

74. This locks the door 8 in the closed position as described above.

When bathing has finished, the user drains the water from the bath. This depressurizes the vessel 78 and, since the vessel is positioned above the bath's outlet, permits any water in the vessel 78 to drain away. The T-arm 90 returns to the position shown in Figure 7 under the action of gravity.

Finally, the handle 10 is returned to the position shown in broken lines in Figure 5 which causes the counterweight beam 56 to be raised and the door 8 lowered to its open position.

As a consequence of the counterweight beam 56 counterbalancing the total mass of the door and its associated attachments, the force which needs to be applied to the handle 10 to effect a door opening or door closing operation will be advantageously low.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A bath particularly for use by an elderly or disabled person the bath having a body with a side shaped so as to form an opening, a movable door arranged to selectively close the opening, guide means for guiding the door between open and shut positions and door actuating means for moving the door between the open and shut positions, the bath further including locking means for preventing inadvertent opening of the door.

2. A bath according to claim 1 wherein the locking means includes a lock actuating device which actuates the lock automatically when water is present in the bath.

3. A bath according to claim 1 or 2 wherein the lock actuating device includes a movable member and fluid communicating means which enables pressure of water in the bath to cause the member to move and actuate the lock.

4. A bath according to claim 3 wherein the movable member comprises a flexible diaphragm.

5. A bath according to any preceding claim wherein the guide means constrains the door to move substantially within its own plane as it moves from the open to the shut position and as sealing between the door and the opening in the bath body occurs.

6. A bath according to any preceding claim including sealing means for sealing between the body opening and the

door comprising either a lip or a channel extending around the body opening which is sealingly engageable with the other of the lip or channel projecting from an inner surface of the door.

7. A bath according to any preceding claim wherein the door actuating means includes manual actuating means which enables a user to manually move the door between its open and shut positions.

8. A bath according to any preceding claims wherein the door actuating means includes counter-weight means connected to the door so as to counter-balance the weight of the door as it is moved between its open and shut positions.

9. A bath according to claim 8 wherein the counterweight means is connected to the door by flexible load carrying means.

10. A bath according to claim 9 wherein the flexible load carrying means comprises a belt or chain.

11. A bath according to claim 9 or 10 wherein the flexible load carrying means passes around one or more pulley wheels.

12. A bath according to any one of claims 8 to 11 wherein the counter-weight means comprises an elongate counter-weight connected at or adjacent to its ends to locations at or adjacent to corresponding ends of the door.

13. A bath according to any one of claims 8 to 12 wherein the door actuating means includes a linkage operatively connected to the counter-weight means which linkage is reconfigurable between first and second configurations to respectively open and close the door and simultaneously move the counter-weight means between raised and lowered positions.

14. A bath according to claim 13 wherein the linkage includes first and second link arms interconnected by a first pivot and a second pivot interconnecting a portion of the first link arm distal from the first pivot to the counter-weight means.

15. A bath according to claims 13 and 14 wherein in its second configuration, corresponding to the door being closed, the first and second linkage arms are substantially aligned with each other.

16. A bath according to claim 14 or 15 wherein a third pivot interconnects a portion of the second link arm distal from the first pivot to an anchor point fixed relative to the bath body.

17. A bath according to claim 7 and any one of claims 13 to 16 wherein the manual actuating means comprises a hand lever operatively connected to the linkage to move the linkage between its first and second configurations.

18. A bath including a locking means substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.