ITRM20040208U1 - ORGANIZATION SYSTEM OF LIVING AND / OR WORKING SPACES AND THEIR EQUIPMENT AND FURNISHING COMPONENTS SUITABLE FOR THE ADEQUATE FRUITION BY OLDER PEOPLE OR WITH REDUCED MOTOR OR SENSORY CAPACITIES. - Google Patents

Description

System of organization of living and / or working spaces and related equipment and furniture components suitable for easy use by elderly people or people with reduced motor or sensory skills

People with motor and sensory difficulties, and in particular those who have to use a wheelchair, often find it difficult to move around and carry out customary actions independently, such as providing personal hygiene, using a table. to eat or work, take a dress from a wardrobe, or a plate from a piece of furniture and so on; in addition of course to the “known” difficulties such as the inability of a wheelchair to pass through a door that is not wide enough or to overcome one or more steps.

These situations have created the conviction that, in order to allow a person who must use a wheelchair, to move within a built environment, large spaces are required, necessary for the various maneuvers, and that equipment and equipment must be used. "special" furniture.

Although, at times, a certain size is in some respects preferable to a limited space, it is not often possible to have the necessary financial resources for a large accommodation, nor is it possible for everyone to have ad hoc furnishing equipment created. An object of the present invention is the particular design and functional organization of the volumes and surfaces of the accommodation. different functions and methods of use that may be required and need depending on the various situations that arise over time.

A second object of the invention is the realization and identification of the furnishing equipment of the accommodation itself carried out by means of simple devices and structures, and / or with elements and objects normally available on the market. part of an "enlarged user" (elderly, motor disabilities, visually impaired, arthrosics, etc.) According to the present invention, one of the basic concepts is that for the person who has to move with the wheelchair, more space is needed to carry out the various maneuvers of approach and change of direction, at the height of the legs (i.e. up to about 70 cm. from the ground). if necessary, an easy approach to the various structures.

In fact, for some people suffering from serious disabling diseases, the wheelchair represents what the legs are for the healthy individual. So, if most people can freely approach a closet and lean inside to get a dress, the wheelchair-bound person to perform the same action, such as picking up a dress, can bring their legs closer together at the bottom. wardrobe and bring the cane with the dress to its height.

Following the same concept, the tables and horizontal supports have a sufficient height so that the wheelchair can partially enter under the shelves themselves; the kitchen burners must be at the right height for a seated person and housed on a surface that can be fixed at the desired height; in the same way, the kitchen sink and the bathroom sinks are arranged in such a way that they do not constitute an obstacle for the legs.

According to the present invention, the entire available useful surface of the accommodation is divided, avoiding the creation of corridors for distribution to the various environmental units; determined by the opening or closing of movable elements or sliding doors; this solution allows to have, depending on the case, sufficient space to circulate even with the use of the wheelchair, however eliminating spaces specifically dedicated to the functions of passage only.

What has been said up to now can be better understood from the following detailed description of a non-limiting embodied example of the above concepts, provided with reference to the attached drawings in which:

fig. 1 shows a plan view of the possible subdivision of a living space

The figs. 2 and 2a show the furniture and space organization of one of the bathrooms in a perspective sketch

Fig. 2b shows a plan view of fig. 2a

Fig. 3 shows a possible bathroom furniture in a perspective sketch

Fig. 4 shows a perspective sketch of a possible furnishing of the living room

Fig. 5 shows a plan showing the total usability of the space even by a person in a wheelchair

The figs. 6, 6a and 6b show a view of the plan with highlighted the bathroom area, the possibility of aggregation of adjacent spaces and some alternative distributions

Fig. 7 shows a perspective sketch of a bathroom

With reference to these figures, by way of example only, the organization of an accommodation of about 62 square meters is described, consisting of a rectangular plan of approx. 1000 cm by 630 cm; the available space is divided into 4 modules (1,2, 3, 4) almost equal of 400 cm in length by 315 cm in width, the elements are interspersed transversally by a flexible band for each side (5 and 6) intended to the toilets with closets and to the corridors for the passage from the living area to the sleeping area.

The central modules (5 and 6) provide for the placement of the hygienic devices on the external side and on the internal side of cabinets (7) divided longitudinally and accessible from both sides; the spaces of the wall cupboards (7) can be closed with sliding panels (8) so that they do not obstruct the passage of the wheelchair.

Along the external sides of the cabinets (7) there are the sliding doors of the main environmental units (9) which allow to close the passage space in front of the cabinets themselves. In this way, if it is necessary to have an additional surface to be temporarily used for the use of the toilets, it is sufficient to close the sliding doors (9), to transform the space in front of the bathroom (6), into a space for the use of the bathroom itself. The doors (10) of the module (6) that houses the micro-bathroom open like a book so that they can practically disappear and do not hinder the approach of the person in a wheelchair to the surface-seat that contains the toilet / bidet. Modules 1 and 2 to the left of the central modules (5 and 6) house two lockable rooms with the same sliding doors (9) that allow you to separate the central space.

In module (3) to the right of the central module (5) there is the kitchen (12) and dining room (13); the module (3) can be divided from the module (4) which houses the living room (14) with sliding doors (15); at the right end of the module (3) there are the two glazed entrance doors (16) of about 1m in size and the large sliding wall (17) of about 210cm which can isolate the living / study area from the entrance area / dining / kitchen.

As previously mentioned, the furniture that is made using components, normally on the market, arranged in such a way as to take into account the needs of the person with motor problems contributes to making the spaces described by a possible person obliged to use the wheelchair available. .

As can be seen from the example shown in figure (2), which schematically illustrates the organization of the space and the bathroom furniture made in module (6), the furniture consists of a plane (18) in which the washbasin and a shaped seat (19) is housed, placed near the washbasin so that a person sitting on the top (19) can easily use the washbasin; the seat is equipped with a toilet and a shower that acts as a bidet; in figs.

2a and 2b it is possible to see that the movements that the person in the wheelchair makes to sit on the seat (1) do not require help from outside people since the overhang (20) of the seat surface (18) constitutes the "bridge" which allows to connect the seat surface of the wheelchair with the seat (18);

The folding doors (10) open completely, do not hinder the maneuvers of the wheelchair and can easily be opened and closed as their movement takes place along a longitudinal axis that can be easily traveled even by the disabled person.

All the furniture components that must be used while remaining seated have the characteristic of being suspended at a suitable height and free from obstructions in the lower part so that the legs of the seated person have no obstacles.

Another example of this principle is the hob and the kitchen sink which are mounted on a surface, with no smaller footprints and can therefore be used without problems while remaining seated. The containers and drawer units are placed so that the opening of the drawers is facilitated and at least on one side there is sufficient space for the wheelchair so that the opening and removal of objects can be carried out easily, by sliding the drawer next to the wheelchair.

If the furniture is equipped with internal shelves, sliding shelves will be provided that perform a similar function to the drawers

As previously mentioned, the module (7) that houses the wardrobes is equipped with closing doors that allow the wheelchair to enter at least partially into the space below the wardrobe to allow you to take what you want from a clothes rail equipped with mechanisms that allow to translate it downwards with ease.

It is clear that all the moving parts of the accommodation in question can be motorized and equipped with the appropriate remote controls for their operation.

From what has been said up to now, it is evident that the solutions for organizing the spaces of the present invention make it possible to make the best use of the available surface, in particular with a better destination of spaces normally dedicated only to the transit from one environment to another in spaces. with several functions which are determined by the opening or closing of preferably sliding doors or panels.

In addition to this, the furnishing solutions and the use of components on the market make it possible to create environments that do not have architectural barriers of any kind, and therefore particularly suitable for use also by disabled people in wheelchairs.

Claims (8)

CLAIMS 1. Furnishing and organization system of living or working spaces particularly suitable for use by people with reduced mobility characterized by the fact that the space available for living and / or working purposes is divided in plan into modules connected to each other. equal number to the right and left of the longitudinal axis; between one module and the next, in the longitudinal direction, there is a service module, partly occupied by toilets or cabinets / containers and partly by a connecting space between the modules placed on the right and on the left, the accesses to said connection space, and therefore to the modules on the right and / or left, as they can be closed by sliding doors. 2. Furnishing and organization system of living or working spaces particularly suitable for use by people with reduced mobility according to the previous claim characterized by the fact that at least one of the service modules provides a space without a wall facing the central axis longitudinal plan and the presence of folding doors instead of the wall 3. Furnishing and organization system of living or working spaces particularly suitable for use by people with reduced mobility according to the preceding claims characterized by the fact that one of the modules has double entrance doors, one of such dimensions as to allow the passage of a wheelchair and another double size. 4. Furnishing and organization system of living or working spaces particularly suitable for use by persons with reduced mobility according to the preceding claims, characterized in that the sink, the kitchen burners and the sink are inserted in a worktop. can be fixed at the desired height, and free from obstructions in the lower part 5. System for furnishing and organizing living or working spaces particularly suitable for use by people with reduced mobility according to the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that at least one of the toilets is installed on a surface / seat equipped with a support handle and a perimeter portion that allows the person in a wheelchair to easily approach the seat itself, facilitating its translation. 6. Furnishing and organization system of living or working spaces particularly suitable for use by people with reduced mobility according to the previous claim characterized in that the bench is shaped and extends up to the shelf that supports the washbasin so as to allow the use while seated 7. System for furnishing and organizing living or working spaces particularly suitable for use by people with reduced mobility according to the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that at least one side of the drawers, beds and doors provides an approach space for a wheelchair, 8. System for furnishing and organizing living or working spaces particularly suitable for use by people with reduced mobility according to the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that the handling of all mobile elements such as windows, roller shutters, doors, clothes rods and anything else can be motorized and remotely controlled by means of a remote control.