GB2490871A

GB2490871A - A Mobile Toilet Facility

Info

Publication number: GB2490871A
Application number: GB1107711.2A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Cusack Arthur Gordon
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2011-05-10
Filing date: 2011-05-10
Publication date: 2012-11-21
Also published as: WO2012153088A1; GB201107711D0

Abstract

A self contained mobile toilet facility 10 comprises a wheeled chassis 11 having an upper body 13. A toilet bowl (22 figure 2) is provided on the upper body, and the upper body is vertically moveable relative to the wheeled chassis. An actuator means 15 and guide means 16 & 17 act between the upper body and the wheeled chassis, to raise and lower the upper body and to guide vertical movement. The toilet bowl has at least one inlet connectable via a pump (36 figure 3) to a cleansing liquid supply tank 24 and a waste outlet (31 figure 3) connected to a waste tank 25, these tanks being mounted on the wheeled chassis. The toilet bowl may be provided with a removable cover slidably mounted on the upper body. The toilet facility may be used with a mattress (100 figures 4-6) for a bed, the mattress having a cut-out (101 figure 4) which opens to one side thereof in order to receive the upper body of the self contained mobile toilet facility.

Description

A Mobile Toil Facility

Field

This invention provides for a mobile toilet facility that can be brought into a convenient location relative to a bed so as to permit invalids or bed bound patients to attend to the elimination of body wastes.

i_ackground of the Invention Hospital beds with toilet facilities are known. These beds aim to dignify the process by which bed ridden patients attend to the normal bodily functions whilst remaining in their beds. US 3922735 discloses a hospital bed with a flushing toilet bowl ananged underneath the bed. The bed is provided with a cleaning water supply tank and waste tank and air drying system. US patent 4631 762 describes a bed with a removable section of mattress which slides laterally to expose a waste receiver, or toilet bowl mounted underneath the bed. The bowl may be raised for use and is connected to a domestic sewer or holding tank and to a water supply from a tank or pressurized domestic supply. U54677700 also discloses a hospital bed with a built-in toilet facility in which a centre portion of a mattress is removed. The waste receiver is in the form of a specially shaped disposable diaper funnel which is connectable to a waste disposal tank, a water supply cleaning the user arid an air supply for drying the user. US 3757355 discloses a bed with a drain facility and mobile waste collection cart which is wheeled beneath the bed to collect waste piped from the drain.

The present invention provide a mobile toilet facility which is separate from a bed and which is for use in co-operation with the bed and with minimum disturbance to a patient on the bed.

Statements of Invention

According to a fisrt aspect of the Invention there is provided a self contained mobile toilet facilty comprising a wheeled chassis having an upper body mounted on the chassis, the body being vertically moveable relative to the chassis with slide means acting between the chassis and body to guide said vertical movement, and actuator means also acting between the chassis and body for raising and lowering the body relative to the chassis, a toilet bowl being provided on the upper body and having at least one inlet connectable via a respective pump to a cleansing liquid supply tank and a waste outlet connected to a waste tank, the tanks being mounted on the chassis.

Preferably the body is above the chassis and is substantially aligned with the chassis, the guide means and actuator being located at one end of the chassis so that facility is substantially in the form of a U on its side, the chassis is use passing under a bed and the body passing over the frame of the bed.

The actuator is preferably a screw threaded strut rotatably mounted on the chassis and engaging a nut mounted on the body, the strut being rotated by an electric motot, preferably a DC motor supplied with power by batteries also mounted on the chassis.

The guide means may comprise telescopic tube sections, one mounted on the chassis and the other on the body.

The distal end faces of the body, away from said one end, may have sensors thereon to sense when the facility is in the correct location for use.

The toilet bowl may be provided with a removable cover which may be slidable mounted on the body for movement along the body towards and away from said one end.

A separate bowl cleansing liquid supply tank may be provided and connected to said inlet and a source of air flow may also be connected to the bowl. The air flow may be reversed so as to act as a odour extraction system from the bowl. The waste outlet may be connected to the waste tank via a mascerator and respective pump, The inflow of cleansing liquids to the bowl and outflow of waste from the bowl may be controlled by a programmable control unit operated by a keypad which may be a remote key pad or a key pad mounted on the body. The keypad supplies direct command input signals to a programmable microprocessor which forms part of a control for operation of the facility.

The tanks are arranged side by side on the chassis and are readily detachable from and connectable to conduits connected to the bowl.

The cleansing liquid and air flow may be heated to approximately body temperature for user comfort.

A second aspect of the invention provides a mattress for a bed in which the mattress has a cut-out which opens to one side thereof in order to receive the body of the toilet facility according to the first aspect of the Invention. The cut out may be filled at least in part by an inflatable portion which is deflated to allow the body to be placed in the bed area. The inflated section may be covered by a removable portion of the mattress.

Description of the Drawings

The invention will be described by way of example and with reference to the following drawings in which: Fig, 1 is an isometric schematic drawing of a mobile toilet facility according top the present invention, Fig.2 is a view as shown in Fig. I with the toilet cover removed to expose the toilet bowl, Fig. 3 is a schematic of the controls and supply system for the facility, Fig. 4 is a plan view of a mattress according to a second aspect of the present invention, Fig. 5 is a side view of the mattress shown in Fig.5, and Fig.6-9 show the method of use of the mobile toilet facility of Figs I & 2 in co-operation with the mattress of Figs 4 & 5 and Fig.10 is a flow chart showing the control sequence for the facility in use.

Detailed Description of the Invention

With reference to Figures 1 and 2, there is shown a self contained mobile toilet facility 10 comprising a ground standing chassis 11 which is mounted on wheels or casters 12. An upper body 13 is mounted above the chassis above the chassis and substantially in alignment therewith. The body 13 is vertically moveable relative to the chassis 11 with slide means 14 acting between the chassis and body to guide said vertical movement. An actuator means 15 acts between the chassis 11 and body 13 for raising and lowering the body relative to the chassis ii. The guide means 14 and actuator means 15 are located at one end of the chassis so that the facility 10 is in the form of a U shape on its side with the guide means 14 and actuator means 15 being located at one end of the chassis 11.

The guide means 14 is in the form of two telescopic tubes 16 & 17 which are stidable one over the other, one part 16 being connected to the body and the other part 17 being connected to the chassis 11. In this case the tubes 16 & 17 are squarc section tubes but any section other section may be used as is desired. The upper tube 16 is slidable over the lower tube 17 but this arrangement could be reversed if desired.

Thee actuator means 15 comprises a screw threaded strut 18 rotatably mounted on one of the chassis 11 and body 13 and engaging a nut mounted on the other of the chassis and body, the strut 18 being rotated by an electric motor 19. The electric motor 19 may be an AC motor connectable to the mains or is preferably a DC motor supplied with power by batteries 21 mounted on the chassis.

A toilet bowl 22 is provided at the other end portion of the upper body 13 away from the guide means 14 and strut 15. The toilet bowl 22 has at least one inlet (see Fig.3) connectable via a respective pump 36 to a cleansing liquid supply tank 24 and a waste outlet 31 connected to a waste tank 25, the two tanks 24,25 being mounted on the chassis 1 1. The cleansing liquid tank 24 holds basically water to which disinfectant or other anti bacterial agent may be added. The two tanks 24 & may be colour coded to reflect their contents.

The toilet bowl 22 may be provided with a removable cover 23 slidabley mounted on the body 13 for movement along the body towards and away from said one end.

A handle 26 is provided at said one end of the body adjacent the guide means 15 to facilitate manoeuvring the wheeled facility 10. The distal end face 27 of the body, away from said one end thereof, has at least one sensor 28 thereon to sense when the facility is in the correct location for use as will be described later.

With reference also to Fig. 3, the bowl 22 has a waste outlet 31 which is connected to the waste collection tank 25 via conduit 32., preferably but not necessarily via a mascerator 33. The bowl 22 is provide with a splash guard 29 to contain liquids within the bowl. The rim of the bowl 12 is surrounded by an externally projecting flanged area which provides a cleanable area around bowl 22 and a support area. The tank 24 is connected to an inlet 34 on the bowl 22 via conduit 35 and a respective pump 36. A plurality of inlets 36 may be spaced around the bowl if desired.

The tanks 24 & 25 may each be provided with removable closures 38 for filling or emptying said tanks. The conduits 32 and 35 are connected to their respective tanks & 24 by easily dis-connectable couplings..

An air dryer/extractor unit 37 is housed on the side of the body 13 adjacent the bowl 22. The air dryer may be connected to a delivery inlet 38 to deliver drying air to the bowl 22.

The operation of the toilet facility is controlled by a control unit 41 also housed on the body 13. The control unit 41 includes a programmable microprocessor 42 with memory and is operable directly via a keypad 40 or via a remote handset (not shown). The control unit 41 is connected to various sensors for example, a blockage sensor 45 for the bowl 22 and an actuator movement limit sensor 43. Other sensors may include liquid level sensors in the tanks 24,25, and temperature sensor 44 in the patient cleansing liquid conduit 35 and air supply 38. The unit 41 is also connected to the air dryer unit 37. The air dryer unit 37 may be a dual purpose air blower and extractor and is operated by the control unit 41 for the supply of air to and removal of air from the bowl 12. The control unit 41 also controls the pump 36, for the pumping of cleansing liquid to the bowl 12 and the maserator 33 in the conduit to the waste tank 25. The control unit 41 may also be connected to a heater in the tank 24 for maintenance of the patient cleaning fluid at room temperature or body temperature.. The control unit 41 is also connected to sensors 28 on the end face of thebodyl3.

The operation of a similar control system is disclosed in detail in WO 2011/004142 the contents of which are hereby incorporated into the present application. The micro processor 42 of control unit 41 is pre-programmed with a series of operational steps an example of which is illustrated in the flow chart shown in Fig. 10. The operation will be initiated by a "Initial " command 51 in-put via the keypad 40 or remote handset. After initiation, the keypad can input commands 51 or 52 to cause the actuator 15 to move the body 13 upwards or downwards respectively. If the actuator reaches the limits of its movement the sensor 43 at steps 5 3,54 causes the actuator to stop. Once the body 13 with bowl 22 a is at the correct height for use, the mobile facility 10 is manoeuvred in to its correct position for use as will described later.

The sensors 28 sense the facility 10 is docked in its position for use in step 61.The toilet is used by a patient and the cleansing liquid is punped to the bowl at step 62 The air blower! extractor 37 is operated in step 63 to dry the patent and remove odours. The toilet is then flushed to waste in step 64. The operation of the system in response to other checks and sensors is fully described in WO 201 1!004142.

Only when these each step has been completed will the next operations be permitted.

If the conditions for further use are not satisfied a warning is given on the keypad 40 in a suitable manner e.g. flashing light, audible buzzing etc..

When the waste tank is full and the cleansing fluid tank requires filling, the facility may be placed in a docking station where it is connected to mains services.

With reference now to Figs. 4& 5, there is shown a mattress 100 for a bed which facilitates use of a toilet facility 10 according to the present invention. The mattress comprises a conventional mattress portion 102 which has been modified to provide a cut-out 101 open to one side thereof. The cut-out 102 accommodates the upper body 13 of the toilet facility 10. The cut out is filled at least in part with an inflatable and deflatable potion 103. The inflatable portion 103 could entirely fill the cut out. Alternatively and as shown the inflatable portion may file the lower half of the cut-out 103 and is covered by a padded removable insert 104.

With reference to Figs. 6 to 9, there is shown schematically the mobile toilet facility in use in co-operation with a bed having a mattress 100 as disclosed above. The facility 10 is moved in proximity to the bed until the upper body 13 of the facility is adjacent the cut out 101. The patient P is raised as shown in Fig.7 and then turned on their side as shown in Fig.8. The inflatable portion 103 is deflated and the padded cover 104 removed. The facility is then docked in the cut-out as shown in Fig.9 and the Patient is then rolled back into a position to use the facility.

The sensors 28 then sense that the facility is ready for use and the system then operates as previously described.

Claims

Claims 1. A self contained mobile toilet facilty comprising a wheeled chassis having an upper body mounted on the chassis, the body being vertically moveable relative to the chassis with slide means acting between the chassis and body to guide said vertical movement, and actuator means also acting between the chassis and body for raising and lowering the body relative to the chassis, a toilet bowl being provided on the upper body and having at least one inlet connectable via a respective pump to a cleansing liquid supply tank and a waste outlet connected to a waste tank, the tanks being mounted on the chassis.
2. A mobile toilet facility as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the body is directly above the chassis and is substantially aligned with the chassis, the guide means and actuator being located at one end of the chassis.
3. A mobile toilet facility as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2 wherein the actuator comprises a screw threaded strut rotatably mounted on one of the chassis and body and engaging a nut mounted on the other of the chassis and body, the strut being rotated by an electric motor.
4. A mobile toilet facility as claimed in claim 3, wherein the electric motor is a DC motor supplied with power by batteries mounted on the chassis.
5. A mobile toilet facility as claimed in any one of Claims I to 4, wherein the guide means comprises at least two telescopic tubes, one being slidable in the other, with one of the tubes being mounted on the chassis and the other on the body.
6. A mobile toilet facility as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein the distal end faces of the body, away from said one end thereof, has at least one sensor thereon to sense when the facility is in the correct location for use.
7. A mobile toilet facility wherein the toilet bowl may be provided with a removable cover slidabley mounted on the body for movement along the body towards and away from said one end.
8 A mobile toilet facility as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 7, having a separate bowl cleansing liquid supply tank connected to said inlet.
9. A mobile toilet facility as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 8 and further comprising a source of air flow which connected to the bowl, the air flow being reversible so as to act as a odour extraction system from the bowl.
10. A mobile toilet facility as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 9 wherein the waste outlet is connected to the waste tank via a mascerator arid respective pump,
11. A mobile toilet facility as claimed in any one of Claims I to 10 wherein the inflow of cleansing liquids to the bowl and outflow of waste from the bowl is controlled by a programmable control unit operated by a keypad which may be a remote key pad or a key pad mounted on the body.
12. A mobile toilet facility as claimed in Claim 11 wherein the keypad supplies direct command input signals to a programmable microprocessor which forms part of a control for operation of the facility.13 A mobile toilet facility as claimed in any one of Claims I to 12, wherein the tanks are arranged side by side on the chassis and are readily detachable from and connectable to conduits connected to the bowl.14. A mobile toilet facility ad claimed in Claim 13 in which the cleansing liquid tank is provided with a heater to the liquid to approximately body temperature for user comfort.I 5.A mattress for a bed in which the mattress has a cut-out which opens to one side thereof in order to receive the body of the toilet facility according to any one of Claims 1 to 14.16. A mattress as claimed in Claim 15 wherein the cut out may be filled at least in part by an inflatable portion which is deflated to allow the body to be placed in the bed area.17. A mattress as claimed in Claim 16 wherein the inflated portion may be covered by a removable padded portion of the mattress.