JP2001169969A - Selfsupporting tool - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a safe selfsupporting tool capable of easily reducing the burdens of a user without adding a part of a body weight to the arm and the elbow in concentration when an aged person or the like performs cooking work at a sink or the like and being easily mounted and detached. SOLUTION: This selfsupporting tool 1 is constituted of an almost circular arcuate armrest 2 for mounting the arm of a user, a supporting member 3 in an inverse L shape provided with a hole part 3A for supporting a ball 2B integrated in the armrest 2 and a stopper 4 in the inverse L shape for being combined with the supporting member 3 and fixed to a base on the outside. When the user mounts the arm on the armrest 2 and moves the arm, since the ball 2B of the armrest 2 and the hole part 3A of the supporting member 3 function as a free joint, the armrest 2 is freely moved corresponding to the movement of the arm no matter which position the arm is moved at and the burdens of the user are easily reduced without adding a part of the body weight of the user to the arm and the elbow in concentration.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to, for example, the elderly,
The present invention relates to a self-help device used when a disabled person or general people with weak legs perform cooking and face washing independently, or for use in armrests of wheelchairs.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, not only elderly and disabled people,
Even middle-aged people who have weak legs or use walking aids and who can walk (hereinafter collectively referred to as "users"), when cooking by themselves, will not be used in ordinary households. They wore their wrists with their arms and elbows placed directly on the upper frame of a sink installed in a welfare facility for the elderly.

[0003]

However, if the above-mentioned cooking operation is continued in the same posture with the user standing or slightly waisted, the area for supporting the arms and elbows in the upper frame of the sink is small. As a result, a part of the weight is concentrated on the arms and elbows, and there is a problem that the user who performs the cooking operation physically feels pain and cannot continue the operation easily. In addition, if the user performing the cooking work puts his / her arm and elbow directly on the upper frame of the sink and continues working for a long time, the skin of the arm and elbow may be swollen or injured, which may be dangerous. was there. There is also a means of cooking by laying a cushioning material such as a towel between the upper frame of the sink and the arm or elbow to prevent the burden on the user's arm or elbow. However, if such a means is used to frequently wash the sink with water, a large amount of water and other liquids scatter on the towel. If the towel contains moisture, not only does the towel lose its function as a cushion, but if the user feels uncomfortable, the towel needs to be replaced, and it takes time to install and remove the towel. was there. On the other hand, if the user continues working without replacing the towels, the arm of the user becomes slippery, which is similarly dangerous. The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and when the elderly and other people with weak legs cook on a sink or the like, a part of the weight of the user is put on the arms and elbows. An object of the present invention is to provide a safe self-help device that can easily reduce the burden on a user without being intensively weighted, and that can be easily attached and detached.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention according to claim 1 comprises an armrest on which a user's arm or elbow is placed, and an inverted L for supporting the armrest.
A support member in the shape of a letter, and an inverted L-shaped stopper for fixing the support member to an external base in combination with the support member. A post portion provided with a ball at the tip thereof, wherein the support member is provided on the upper part of a horizontally extending portion of the member so that the ball can move freely, and is substantially provided for supporting the ball. The stopper has a hemispherical hole and a concave portion provided below a horizontally extending portion of the member so that the horizontal portion of the stopper is fixed. According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the self-help device according to the first aspect, wherein one of the support member and the stopper is adjusted to adjust a stroke of the stopper along a horizontally extending portion of the member. And a female screw is provided on the other member, and a male screw is screwed from one member toward the other member to connect the support member and the stopper together. According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the self-help device according to the first or second aspect, the armrest includes:
At least an upper portion thereof is provided with a cushion member. According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the self-help device according to any one of the first to third aspects, the cushion member is subjected to a water-repellent treatment. According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the self-help device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects,
The armrest and the post portion are divided, and the height of the armrest is adjusted by screwing the post portion and the armrest.

[0005]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. [First Embodiment] FIGS. 1A and 1B show a self-help device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1A is a side view of the self-help device of FIG. (B) is a front view of the self-help tool of (a) viewed from the direction of arrow A, and (c) is a bottom view of the stopper of (a) viewed from the direction of arrow C. In the figure, 1 is a self-help tool, 2 is an armrest, 2A is a post, 2B is a ball, 2C is a cushion member, 3 is a support member, 3A is a hole, 3B is a recess, 3C is an insert member,
3D indicates a female screw, 4 indicates a stopper, 4A indicates a through hole, and 5 indicates a male screw. The self-help tool 1 basically includes an armrest 2 on which a user's arm or elbow is placed, a support member 3 for supporting the armrest 2, and a combination of the support member 3,
And a stopper 4 for fixing to an external sink (not shown) to be attached. Of these, the armrest 2 has a substantially arc shape in which the area for supporting the arm and elbow of the user is sufficiently large, and both the support member 3 and the stopper 4 have an inverted L-shape, that is, an L-shape. It has a shape that is upside down. In addition,
Each member constituting the self-help tool 1 is processed by, for example, blow molding. Of these, armrest 2
A cushion member 2C made of, for example, a soft resin is attached to the curved upper portion, and a gas such as air is sealed inside to make the feel good, and the lower surface side which is the bottom of the armrest 2 is provided. And a post part 2A having a ball 2B at the tip is provided and integrated. In this case, the cushion member 2C is subjected to a water-repellent treatment in consideration of waterproofness. The support member 3 is provided with a substantially hemispherical hole 3A for supporting the ball 2B above a horizontally extending portion of the member, and the ball 2B connected to the armrest 2 inside the hole 3A. Is freely movable, and a concave portion 3B is provided at a lower portion of a horizontally extending portion of the member, and a horizontal portion of the stopper 4 is inserted and fixed in the concave portion 3B. Stopper 4
Is provided with a through hole 4A along a portion extending in the horizontal direction, and an insert member 3C having a female screw 3D at a lower portion of the support member 3 so as to face the through hole 4A. After the stopper 4 is inserted into the recess 3B of the support member 3, the stopper 4 and the support member 3 are moved so as to adjust the stroke in the horizontal direction with the male screw 5 inserted into the through hole 4A of the stopper 4. At the same time, the position of the stopper 4 is determined so as to match the width of an external base (not shown) to be attached, and then the male screw 5 is screwed into the insert member 3C of the support member 3, and then the base (Not shown). Next, a state in which a user performs a cooking operation using such a self-help tool will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is an overall schematic diagram of a use state of the self-help device in the embodiment of the present invention. User M stands in front of sink 6,
The arm is placed on the armrest 2 of the self-help device 1 fixed on the upper frame 6A serving as the base of the sink 6, and in this state, the user M starts cooking but supports the ball 2B integrated with the armrest 2 with the ball 2B. Since the hole 3A of the member 3 functions as a universal joint, the armrest 2 freely moves in accordance with the movement of the arm no matter where the user M moves the arm. The arm can be reliably and stably supported. Therefore, the self-help device is designed to have a wide area to support the user's arm and elbow, and the armrest moves freely according to the arm movement, regardless of where the user moves the arm. When the user is cooking while standing on the sink, a part of the user's weight is not concentrated on the upper frame of the sink. It is dispersed and does not cause any pain or burden on the user. In addition, since the upper part of the armrest is made of a cushion member such as a soft resin, the burden on the user can be reduced, and the user can easily work in a comfortable posture even when cooking for a long time is continued. In addition, when installing the self-help tool on a sink, etc., a mechanism to adjust the stroke on the support member and the stopper is provided, so even elderly people can easily attach and detach with ease to all shapes and sizes of sinks by themselves. be able to. Furthermore, the cushion member that constitutes the armrest has a water-repellent finish on the surface, so that even when frequent washing with cooking is performed, the user's arm does not slip with water during work, You can work safely. In addition, since each member constituting the self-help tool is processed by blow molding and can be easily manufactured,
Manufacturing costs can be reduced. [Second Embodiment] Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the first embodiment, the self-help device 1 integrally fixes the armrest 2 and the support member 3, but in the second embodiment, the armrest 2 and the post 2A are divided and the post 2 A male screw (not shown) is provided on the side of the armrest 2A facing the armrest 2, and a female screw (not shown) is provided inside the armrest 2, so that the height of the armrest 2 is adjusted by screwing the post portion 2A and the armrest 2. In this way, even when living together in a welfare facility for the elderly, for example, when a plurality of people are cooking using one self-help tool, the armrest 2 is positioned in accordance with the position of the user's arm. The height can be adjusted, and the safety of the user can be ensured.
In addition, this self-help tool can be installed not only on the sink used for cooking work, but also on the washbasin used for face washing or the armrest of a wheelchair, etc., depending on the case, it can be used for people with physical disabilities or healthy people. If it helps to reduce the burden on the user without doing it, there is no problem in using it appropriately in various environments. Further, each member constituting the self-help tool is preferably blow-molded from the viewpoint of manufacturing cost, but is not particularly limited as long as there is another manufacturing method that can be inexpensive. In addition, among the members constituting the self-help tool, an example is shown in which the armrest has a substantially arc shape and the support member and the stopper have an inverted L-shape.
Any shape may be used as long as each member satisfies each function. In the structure of the support member and the stopper, an example of adjusting the stroke of the stopper and fixing the two members has been described. However, instead of the structure of the present embodiment, a mechanism that easily adjusts the stroke of the stopper may be used. The change is appropriately selected and is not particularly limited.

[0006]

As described above, the present invention has the following effects. (1) The self-help tool has a structure in which the area for supporting the arm and elbow of the user is widened, and the armrest freely moves in accordance with the movement of the arm, regardless of where the user moves the arm. Yes, for example, when the user is cooking while standing on the sink, a part of the user's weight is not concentrated on the upper frame of the sink, but on the arm or elbow on the armrest. The applied force is dispersed, so that no pain or burden is applied to the user. In addition, since the upper portion of the armrest is made of a cushion member such as a soft resin, even when cooking is continued for a long time, the burden on the user can be reduced and the user can easily work in a comfortable posture. (2) The attachment of the self-help tool to the sink, etc., is provided with a mechanism for adjusting the stroke of the support member and the stopper, so that even elderly people can easily attach and detach the sink to all shapes and sizes of sinks. It can be performed. (3) Since the surface of the cushion member constituting the armrest is water-repellent, even when frequent washing is performed during cooking or the like, the user's arm does not slip with water during the work. You can work safely. (4) The armrest and the post are divided, and the height of the armrest is freely adjusted. Therefore, even when multiple people are cooking using one self-help tool, the position of the user's arm is maintained. The height of the armrest can be adjusted in accordance with the distance, and the safety of the user can be further ensured. (5) If such self-help tools are used, elderly people and people with weak legs can be relieved of the pain of cooking work, etc., so that other people who have requested other people for cooking work in general. People are motivated to cook themselves, and self-help tools can be a great help in doing so.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a self-help tool according to an embodiment of the present invention,
(A) is a partially cutaway side view of the self-help tool of (b) when viewed from the direction of arrow B, and (b) is a view of the self-help tool of (a) with arrow A.
FIG. 4C is a front view as viewed from the direction, and FIG. 5C is a bottom view as viewed from the direction of arrow C when the stopper of FIG.

FIG. 2 is an overall schematic view of a use state of a self-help device in an embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1: Self-help tool 2: Armrest 2A: Post 2B: Ball 2C: Cushion member 3: Support member 3A: Hole 3B: Recess 3C: Insert member 3D: Female screw 4: Stopper 4A: Through hole 5: Male screw 6: Sink 6A : Upper frame (base) M: User

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. An armrest on which a user's arm or elbow is placed, an inverted L-shaped support member for supporting the armrest, and an inverted L-shape for fixing to an external base in combination with the support member. The armrest is formed in a substantially arc shape, and has a post portion provided with a ball at a tip on a lower surface side serving as a bottom of the armrest, and the support member extends in a horizontal direction of the member. The ball is provided at an upper portion of the member so as to freely move, and a substantially hemispherical hole portion for supporting the ball, and a horizontal portion of the stopper is fixed to a lower portion of a horizontally extending portion of the member. A self-help tool characterized by having a recess provided as described above. 2. A through hole for adjusting a stroke of the stopper is provided on one of the support member and the stopper along a horizontally extending portion of the member, and a female screw is provided on the other member. 2. The self-help tool according to claim 1, wherein the supporting member and the stopper are connected by screwing a male screw from one member toward the other member. 3. The self-help device according to claim 1, wherein the armrest is provided with a cushion member at least on an upper part thereof. 4. The self-help tool according to claim 1, wherein the cushion member is subjected to a water-repellent treatment. 5. The armrest according to claim 1, wherein the armrest and the post are divided, and the height of the armrest is adjusted by screwing the post and the armrest. Self-help tools.