JPH10127511A - Simple foldable bathtub and foldable bathing chair - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a simple foldable bathtub and a foldable bathing chair which is suitable for handicapped and aged people to carry, to store and to use easily. SOLUTION: This simple foldable bathtub is composed of a foldable chair and a foldable bathtub 10 made of a soft material. An arm 18, which supports an upper part of the bathtub 10, is fixed to a chair part 12. The arm 18 is made be possible to turn up and down, and also to turn around a long axis or to turn left and right. Further, the bathtub part 10 is opened and closed at the front. The arm 18 to support a user is installed in the folding chair. And the arm 18 is bow-shaped or L-shaped and a back rest 16 is installed as is possible to turn up and down or to turn around the long axis or to turn left and right.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a foldable simple bathtub and a foldable bath chair, and more particularly, to a foldable simple bathtub having a large open front surface for easy access.
The present invention relates to a stable foldable bath chair provided with an arm for supporting a user's upper body.

[0002]

Conventionally, when a person with a physical disability, such as a handicapped person or an elderly person, takes a bath, family members carry the baby in the bathroom or carry it in a wheelchair. I went in the bathroom like a healthy person. For this reason, in an aging society, those who take care of the elderly also become older, and these bathing operations are a great burden.

In order to reduce the burden on such caregivers,
Machines such as lifts for transporting disabled people have been developed and used. However, due to the high cost of machines such as lifts and the fact that conventional Japanese house structures are not suitable for the use of such machines, it is thought that considerable time will be required before they can be widely used. .

[0004] On the other hand, equipment to be put in a bathtub while lying in a bed, a bathtub that can be bathed beside the bed, improvement of a wheelchair and a lift related to movement from the bed to the bathroom, improvement of a handrail and a bathtub or a chair in the bathroom, and the like. Various proposals have been made and some are commercially available, but few are satisfactory.

By the way, the applicant of the present invention conducted a prior art search prior to the filing of the present application, and found out Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 4-96951. This publication proposes a movable box-type assembled bathtub. Although this is an excellent idea, it is a dual use of a wheelchair and a bathtub, but little consideration has been given to the workability of a caregiver when moving from a bed, a method of supporting the body when taking a bath, and the like. Moreover, further improvements have been desired, such as requiring a large space for storage.

In view of the above-mentioned problems in the prior art, the present inventor has proposed a relatively foldable type that can be easily used by the handicapped and the elderly to reduce the need for nursing care and requires almost no storage space. As a result of intensive studies on a bathtub and a bath chair that are small and that are convenient for assembling and storing, the present invention has been reached.

[0007]

The present invention takes the following means to solve the above-mentioned problems. That is, the gist of the foldable simple bathtub according to the present invention is that a backrest portion, a chair portion having a seat portion and a leg portion, and a foldable bathtub portion made of a flexible and watertight material are detachably attached. An arm for supporting the upper part of the bathtub part is rotatably attached to the chair part, and the bathtub part is opened at the upper part and can be placed on the seat part and the floor surface of the chair part. A step-shaped bag-like body, a support for attaching and supporting the arm around the periphery of the upper opening of the bag-like body, and a watertight fastener capable of opening and closing the bag-like body from the upper opening to the floor side. And to have

[0008] Further, in such a folding simple tub, the bath tub portion is formed by stacking two bag-like bodies so as to be doubled and detachable from each other.

Further, in such a simple folding tub, a tipping prevention member for contacting with the floor surface to prevent the tub from tipping over is provided so as to be retractable as required.

The gist of the foldable bath chair according to the present invention comprises at least a backrest, a seat, a leg, and an arm for supporting a user's upper body. The arm is of an arcuate or L-shape, is rotatable up and down about its mounting part, and is rotatable with respect to the longitudinal axis of the arm, or turns left and right about its mounting part. Movably attached to the backrest.

Further, in such a folding bath chair, a notch portion which is opened and closed by a fastener is provided in a seat portion.

[0012]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Next, an embodiment of a simple folding tub and a folding bath chair according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows an example of a simple folding tub according to the present invention, which comprises a bag-like bathtub 10 and a folding chair 12. A pair of cylindrical portions 14 provided on the periphery of the upper opening of the bathtub portion 10 has a pair of arms 1 attached to a backrest portion 16 of the chair portion 12.
8 are respectively inserted, and the bathtub 10 is configured to be fixed to the chair 12 and to be free standing. At the time of bathing, a user enters the bathtub section 10 and is filled with hot water.

FIG. 2 shows an example of the chair section 12 used in this embodiment. The chair portion 12 includes a leg portion 20, a seat portion 22, a backrest portion 16, an armrest portion 24, an arm 18, and a footrest plate 2.
6 so that the whole can be folded into a small size. The seat 22 and the backrest 16 are covered with mesh-like cloth, and together with the armrest 24, function to support the bathtub 10. The mesh-like cloth is not limited to a mesh, because it improves drainage and makes it easier to dry when hot water is applied.

The two arms 18 bent into an L-shape
It is fixed to the frame 34 of the backrest portion 16 and is configured to be rotatable up and down in the direction of arrow A about the fixed portion, and left and right around the fixed portion in the direction of arrow B, Alternatively, it is configured to be rotatable with respect to the longitudinal axis of the arm 18. Therefore, the arm 18 is firmly fixed to the backrest portion 16 and is supported so as to withstand a sufficient load in a state where the arm 18 protrudes in a substantially horizontal direction. By rotating the arm 18 about the longitudinal axis or rotating the arm 18 around the longitudinal axis, the distance between the tips of the two arms 18 can be increased.

The arm 18 is connected to the frame 3 of the backrest 16.
FIG. 3 shows an example of rotatably mounting the display unit 4. That is, by removing the arm 18 fixed by fitting with the concave-convex guide in the concave-convex fixing portion 30 from the concave-convex fixing portion 30, the arm 18 can freely rotate while being supported by the pipe-shaped fixing portion 32, In addition, the pivot 28 can be turned up and down about the pivot 28. further,
With respect to the frame 34 of the backrest portion 16, the uneven fixing portion 30
The arm 1 can be slid freely.
The height of 8 can be adjusted, and the height can be adjusted to an optimum height according to the height of the user, which is very convenient.

The foot rest plate 26 is provided for the purpose of improving the tactile sensation and preventing falling, so that the foot does not directly touch the frame of the leg portion 20. The foot plate 26 is not always necessary, but is preferably provided from the viewpoint of preventing the fall. Preferably, the foot rest 26 is freely rotatable about the frame of the leg 20 so that the leg 20 is folded at the same time as the leg 20 is folded. .

It is desirable to use a light material having excellent corrosion resistance for the arm, frame, seat, plate-like object, rivet, and other fixtures constituting the chair portion 12. Preferred materials include, but are not limited to, aluminum and its alloys, pipes such as stainless steel, and sheets and plates of various plastics.

FIG. 4 shows an example of a bathtub section 10 that can be used in this embodiment. It is closed in a bag shape and used as a bathtub as shown in FIG. 7A, but when a user enters and exits, the front part is opened as shown in FIG. That is, the bag-like body constituting the bathtub section 10 is provided with a watertight fastener 36 from the upper opening to the floor side, and the front part is opened and closed by the watertight fastener 36, and the watertight fastener 36 is closed. Even if it is filled with hot water, it is formed so as not to leak from that location.
To fix the bathtub section 10 to the chair section 12, a pair of arms 18 attached to the chair section 12 are inserted into a pair of cylindrical sections 14 provided on the periphery of the upper opening of the bathtub section 10. This is done by:

The bathtub 10 according to the present invention is made of a flexible material, is lightweight and easy to handle, and can be folded into a small size, which is convenient for storage. Sponge jersey or the like which is excellent in elasticity and shape stability is a preferable material, but is not limited thereto. Various fabrics subjected to waterproof processing can be used.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the shape of the bathtub 10 is such that it is placed on the floor and is placed in two steps so as to be placed on the seat 22 of the chair 12. It is formed so that the bathtub section 10 can be stably placed on the chair section 12. However, the shape of the bathtub section 10 is not particularly limited. The shape may be made more square according to the shape of the chair portion 12, or the back portion may be made higher to prevent hot water from scattering. One thing to consider is the bathtub 10
Is the internal volume of Usually, 150 liters or more of hot water is required for bathing an adult, and the bathtub of the present invention can sufficiently satisfy this condition.

FIG. 5 shows a state in which the front part of the bathtub 10 is opened as a comparison with FIG. As described above, the user enters and exits with the front part opened as shown. Watertight fastener 36 provided on the front of bathtub 10
And open the arm 18 to loosen the
Is pivoted downward, and at the same time, is rotated so that its tip is opened, so that the front part of the bathtub 10 can be widened to the foot. As a result, it is possible to easily move from a wheelchair or the like. In addition, since there are no obstacles on both sides, it is very easy to perform nursing work that helps to move.
Lifts can also be used for severely disabled people.

A drain port is provided at the bottom of the bathtub 10. After bathing is completed, the valve is opened and the hot water in the bathtub 10 is discharged. When used in places other than well-equipped drainage facilities such as bathrooms, connect a hose to the drainage port and extend to an appropriate place for drainage. If the distance is long, a drain pump or the like may be used. It is also possible to provide a hot water supply and / or water supply port at the bottom of the bathtub section 10, and it is preferable to supply hot water adjusted to an appropriate temperature in advance. In addition, it is preferable to provide an overflow drain port above the bathtub 10.

Although the embodiment of the simple folding tub according to the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment.

For example, for the purpose of preventing water leakage, improving the sanitary environment, and improving the heat retention, the bathtub section 10 may have a double structure. That is, as schematically shown in FIG. 6, the bag-like bodies 10a and 10b made of a flexible material are overlapped twice, and the upper end 38 is detachably joined. The joining can be performed by, for example, a magic fastener. Two bag-like bodies 10a, 10b
Is preferably waterproofed, especially
The outer bag-like body 10a is water-tightly waterproofed.

According to the simple folding tub according to the present embodiment,
There is no water leakage because it is double-layered with a waterproof sheet. Further, since the air layer between the two sheets functions as a heat insulating layer, the heat retention is significantly improved. Furthermore, by frequently replacing the inner bag body and performing washing and sterilization, contamination and infection of various pathogenic bacteria can be prevented. If an antibacterial material is used for the inner bag, the effect of further preventing contamination and infection can be expected.

Next, since the simple folding tub of the present invention is intended for the handicapped and the elderly and the physically handicapped, if the tub falls down by mistake during bathing, a serious accident may occur. It could be. To prevent falling, it is effective to increase the floor area of the bathtub, but if the bathtub is made large, the handling operation becomes inconvenient. Therefore, it is preferable to take measures to increase the substantial floor area only during bathing.

That is, a member which is normally stored in a part of the foldable bathtub and is drawn out only at the time of bathing is provided to increase a substantial floor area. FIG. 7 shows an example. The fall prevention member 40 shown in the figure is normally stored in the footrest 26, but can be pulled out in the horizontal direction when taking a bath to perform a fall prevention function equivalent to increasing the floor area. The embodiment of the overturn prevention member 40 is not limited to this example. For example, it is also possible to integrate a member functioning as a piercing rod with each frame of the chair unit 12 and to pull out and use only when taking a bath.

Here, the procedure for bathing in the above-mentioned simple folding tub is summarized as follows. First, the stored folding simple tub is assembled in a bathroom or a floor-waterproof room, and the bather is moved to a position near the bathtub by a wheelchair or other methods. Fall prevention member 40
If equipped, pull it out and set it correctly.
Next, the watertight fastener 36 of the bathtub unit 10 is opened, and the arm 18 is rotated, so that the front surface of the bathtub unit 10 is largely opened. After placing the bather in the bathtub section 10, returning the arm 18 to a predetermined position, closing the watertight fastener 36,
Add hot water from a shower etc. When there is a hot water supply facility, it is preferable to supply hot water adjusted to an appropriate temperature from a hot water supply port. After adding hot water to warm the bather's body, wash the body with a detergent to clean it. At this time, if the bather can wash himself, the body is washed while moving his / her body in the bathtub section 10.
Put your hands through the top opening and wash.

After bathing, the procedure is reversed. That is, by opening the drain port or the watertight fastener 36, the bathtub part 1 is opened.
Drain the hot water in 0. At this time, it is preferable that the hot water is once discharged, and then the hot water is supplied by a shower or the like. Then
The bathtub part 1 is operated by operating the fastener 36 and the arm 18.
The front of 0 is wide open, and the bather is moved to a wheelchair or the like.

When a plurality of people take a bath successively, use the bathtub unit 10 having a double structure, and replace the inner bag-like body 10b every time one bathing is completed, thereby causing hygiene troubles such as infection. To prevent When all the bathing is completed, the chair section 12 and the bathtub section 10 are separated, dried, compacted and stored.

The bathtub section 10 according to the present invention may be provided with a foam generator and other various facilities for enhancing the bathing effect as long as the features of foldability and light weight are not impaired.

Next, it is possible to configure the chair of the chair part as a folding bath chair, which is mainly used when a shower is used. Generally speaking, disabled people often have impaired functions not only in the disabled part but also in the whole body. Therefore, when sitting in a chair and taking a shower, it is necessary to grab something and support the upper body, but the armrest is too low to be useful. In other words, the folding bath chair is characterized by providing an arm at a position most suitable for supporting the upper body.

As an example of the folding bath chair of the present invention, the chair shown in FIG. 2 can be mentioned. That is, the foldable bath chair shown in FIG. 2 has a backrest portion 16, a seat portion 22, a leg portion 20, an arm 18, and an armrest portion 24.
The arm 18 is mounted on the backrest 16 so as to be rotatable up and down around the mounting portion and rotatable about its longitudinal axis.

Since the two arms 18 are bent in an L-shape and the gaps between the tips are narrowed, the user cannot sit on the chair without widening the gaps between the tips. The arm 18 is rotated and rotated to expand the gap between its ends, sit on a chair, return the arm 18 to its original position, take a shower while holding on to the arm 18, and open the arm 18 after showering to get out of the chair.

The position of the arm 18 suitable for supporting the upper body of the user must be a position in front of the user and smaller than the shoulder width. In addition, the height is usually under the armpit 10c
m to 20 cm. In order to place the arm 18 attached to the backrest 16 at a position forward of the user and smaller than the shoulder width, the arm 18 must be bent in an arc shape or an L shape. Here, the bow shape means a shape in which a linear body is bent in one direction with an appropriate curvature, and the L-shape means a shape in which a linear body is bent at 90 ° with an appropriate curvature. FIG.
An example is shown below. In order to change the height of the arm 18 according to the height of the user, the arm 18 may be slidably attached to the frame 34 of the backrest 16.

Next, the crotch portion can be easily cleaned, and the seat portion can be provided with a cutout portion which is opened and closed by a fastener. A chair mainly made of plastic is already on the market, with a cutout in the seat for the handicapped, but it is difficult for a healthy person to use the seat because of the unevenness of the seat. The folding bath chair of the present invention can provide an easy-to-use chair for both physically and physically handicapped persons.

That is, as shown in FIG. 9, a V-shaped or U-shaped cut is made in the seat 42 of the seat,
It connects with the fastener 36. When the handicapped is used in a bathroom or the like, as shown in FIG. 10, the fastener 36 is opened and used so that the crotch can be easily washed. Then, when the fastener 36 is closed, the chair can be used without any uncomfortable feeling for a healthy person.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described with reference to the drawings, the present invention is not limited to the shape and material of the chair and bathtub within the scope of the spirit of the present invention. It is needless to say that the present invention can be carried out in a form in which various improvements, corrections and modifications are made based on the above, and the present invention is not limited to the above examples.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below.

First Embodiment A foldable simple bath similar to that shown in FIG. 1 was manufactured. The chair part 12 is the same as that shown in FIG. 2, and a 20 mm diameter pipe made of corrosion-resistant high-strength stainless steel or aluminum alloy is used for the frame and arm 18 of each part. In addition, a nylon mesh sheet was used for the seating surface and the backrest surface, and a slip stopper made of a soft elastomer was provided in a portion of the leg portion 20 that contacts the floor.

The width of the chair 12 was about 50 cm, and the distance between the legs 20 in the front-rear direction on the floor surface was about 70 cm. The height of the seat surface and the height of the arm 18 were 35 cm and 83 cm from the floor surface, respectively. The footrest 26 made of polypropylene has a thickness of 24 mm, 40 cm × 47 cm.
It is a hollow plate of the size of, thickness 10mm, width 10cm,
A fall prevention member 40 having a length of 20 cm is stored so as to be able to be pulled out. The entire chair section 12 has a thickness of about 10 c.
Because it can be folded to the m-th place, it was convenient for storage.

The arm 18 is similar to that shown in FIG. 8 (b), is bent at a radius of curvature of 18 cm, and has an L-shape having a chair length of 51 cm in the front-rear direction and a length of 21 cm in the width direction. Was. Also, to the frame 34 of the backrest 16,
It is mounted as shown in FIG.

The bathtub section 10 was the same as that shown in FIG. 4, and was formed by sewing and bonding mainly using sponge jersey and tarpaulin cloth. Height is about 90cm
And the internal volume was about 160 liters. The bottom is provided with a drain port that can be opened and closed by a valve.

The arm 1 is attached to the cylindrical portion 14 provided in the bathtub portion 10.
By inserting the bathtub 8, the bathtub 10 was fixed to the chair 12, and when the bathing of the handicapped was attempted by the above-mentioned bathing procedure, it was confirmed that the bathing could be performed simply and safely. In addition, it was easy to clean up after bathing, and it could be folded and stored compactly.

Second Embodiment A folding bath chair similar to that shown in FIG. 10 was manufactured. FIG. 10 shows a 47 cm × 47 cm seat made of a nylon mesh sheet.
A V-shaped depth of 30 cm and a V-shaped width of 37 cm were cut in the direction shown in FIG. Regarding the folding bath chair of this example, when a disabled person opened the zipper and used it, it was very convenient for cleaning the crotch. In addition, in the case of a healthy person, when the zipper was closed and used, the user was able to use without any particular discomfort.

[0047]

According to the folding simple tub of the present invention,
Since the front surface of the bathtub is greatly opened, it is easy for bathers to enter and exit, and the burden on the caregiver is reduced. In addition, since the volume of the bathtub can be increased, a satisfactory bathing result can be obtained. Furthermore, since the whole can be folded small, it is convenient to carry and store, and is suitable for home care. Furthermore, since the bathtub section has a double structure, washing and sterilization can be carried out easily, so that contamination and infection of various germs can be prevented. Further, by providing the overturn preventing member, overturning of the bathtub can be prevented.

Alternatively, according to the folding bath chair of the present invention, since the arm for supporting the upper body of the user is provided at an appropriate position, the shower or the like can be used in a stable posture with less fatigue. Further, if a notch that can be freely opened and closed by the fastener is provided on the seat surface, the body can be easily washed by a disabled person, and can be used by a healthy person without a sense of incongruity.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a simple folding tub according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of a chair unit according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing an example of an arm attachment portion according to the present invention.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are explanatory diagrams schematically illustrating an example of a bathtub section according to the present invention, wherein FIG. 4A shows a state in which the fastener is closed, and FIG. 4B shows a state in which the fastener is opened.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view corresponding to FIG. 1 and showing the bathtub in an opened state;

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a double tub section according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing an example of a fall prevention member according to the present invention.

FIGS. 8A and 8B are explanatory diagrams showing an example of the shape of an arm according to the present invention. FIG. 8A is an arc shape, and FIG. 8B is an L shape.

FIGS. 9A and 9B show an example of a cut-out shape of a seating surface according to the present invention, wherein FIG. 9A is a V-shape and FIG. 9B is a U-shape.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing an example of a folding bath chair according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10: Bathtub part 12: Chair part 14: Tubular part 16: Backrest part 18: Arm 20: Leg part 22: Seat part 24: Armrest part 26: Footrest plate 28: Pippot 30: Concavo-convex fixing part 32: Pipe-shaped fixing Part 34: Frame 36: Watertight fastener 38: Upper end 40: Fall prevention member 42: Seat

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A chair having a backrest, a seat, and a leg, and a foldable bathtub made of a flexible and watertight material are detachably configured, and the upper part of the bathtub is attached to the chair. An arm for supporting is rotatably mounted, the bathtub portion has an open top, and a stepped bag-shaped body that can be placed on a seat portion and a floor surface of the chair portion; A folding simple bath tub comprising: a supporting portion for attaching and supporting the arm to the periphery of an upper opening of the body; and a watertight fastener capable of opening and closing the bag-like body from the upper opening to the floor. . 2. The foldable simple bathtub according to claim 1, wherein the bathtub portion is configured so that two bag-like bodies are stacked and doubled and detachable from each other. 3. A foldable simple type according to claim 1, wherein a fall prevention member for contacting with the floor surface to prevent the bathtub from falling is provided so as to be retractable as required. Bathtub. 4. At least a backrest portion, a seat portion, a leg portion, and an arm for supporting a user's upper body, wherein the arm has an arcuate or L-shape, and its mounting portion is centered. Characterized by being mounted on the backrest so as to be rotatable up and down and rotatable about the longitudinal axis of the arm, or rotatable left and right about the mounting portion. Foldable bath chair. 5. A foldable bath chair, wherein a notch portion which is opened and closed by a fastener is provided in a seat portion.