US20090139021A1

US20090139021A1 - Bathing chair with fixing clamp assembly

Info

Publication number: US20090139021A1
Application number: US11/998,245
Authority: US
Inventors: Yu-Wen Cheng
Original assignee: Eagle Health Supplies Inc
Current assignee: Eagle Health Supplies Inc
Priority date: 2007-11-29
Filing date: 2007-11-29
Publication date: 2009-06-04

Abstract

A bathing chair with a fixing clamp assembly comprises a front frame and a rear frame, having horizontal rods, a seat, several gliding blocks, a backrest, a handle, and a fixing clamp assembly. The fixing clamp assembly further comprises an upper plate, laid on an edge of a bathtub, an outer plate, attached to the upper plate and leaning against an outer side of a bathtub wall, a connecting tube, having an outer end, which is fastened to an upper side of the upper plate, a holding arm, shaped like the letter L and having a lateral end, which has an inner thread and is inserted into an inner end of the connecting tube, a holding plate, which is fastened to a lower end of the holding arm and leans against an inner side of the bathtub wall, and a threaded rod, passing through the connecting tube and engaging with the inner thread. By turning the threaded rod, the holding plate is fastened on the bathtub wall and released therefrom to be able to glide thereon.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a bathing chair with a fixing clamp assembly, particularly to a bathing chair with a turnable seat for convenient siting down and a fixing clamp assembly.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a bathing chair for assisting elderly and handicapped persons to enter and leave a bathtub has been disclosed in taiwan patent no. 152697 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,940,905 (bathing chair positioning system). The bathing chair taught therein comprises a front frame 21; a rear frame 22; a bearing assembly 3; a seat 4; a handle 5; and fixing devices 6, 6A. The front and rear frame rods 21, 22 are shaped like the inverted letter U, reaching across a bathtub 1 and have horizontal rods 211, 221 which pass over an edge 11 of the bathtub 1 at a distance. A right connecting rod 23A and a left connecting rod 23B connect the front and rear frames 21, 22. The seat 4 is a plate of roughly rectangular shape and is mounted on the horizontal rods 211, 221, being movable along the horizontal rods 211, 221. The bearing assembly 3 comprises several gliding blocks which are connected with the seat 4 on a lower side thereof and glide along the horizontal rods 211, 221. A backrest 41 is connected to the seat 4 by two L- shaped link rods 42A, 42B. The link rods 42A, 42B have horizontal extensions 421A, 421B, which are fastened to the gliding blocks of the bearing assembly 3. Thereby, the seat 4 is enabled to glide along the horizontal rods 211, 221. The handle 5 is a rod which is shaped like the inverted letter U and is fastened to the front and rear frame rods 21, 22 at left ends thereof, reaching higher than the seat 4 for providing a hold when the seat 4 is moved along the horizontal rods 211, 221. The fixing devices 6, 6A are made of plastics or another suitable soft material and are shaped like strips. The fixing devices 6, 6A have fixed ends 61, 61A and holding ends 66, 66A. The fixed ends 61, 61A are fastened to the link rods 42A, 42B of the seat 4, respectively. The holding ends 66, 66A are held on the right and left connecting rods 23A, as needed. At the holding ends 66, 66A, the fixing devices 6, 6A have endpieces 68, 68A from lower sides of which holding elements 67, 67A extend away, respectively. Fastening elements 63, 63A are attached to endpieces 62, 62A at the fixed ends 61, 61A and are in turn fastened to the link rods 42A, 42B to prevent shifting of the fixing devices 6, 6A. Before sitting down on the seat 4, a user pulls up the holding end 66, so that the holding element 67 is held on the right connecting rod 23A. For bathing, the user releases the holding element 67, which subsequently becomes detached from the right connecting rod 23A. The seat 4 is shifted leftward until a leftmost position over the bathtub 1, with the holding element 67A being held on the left connecting rod 23B.
A conventional bathing chair as just described assists elderly and handicapped people to enter and leave a bathtub safely and conveniently. However, completely bridging the bathtub 1, the front and rear frames 21, 22 have large sizes and hence are inconvenient to transport.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a bathing chair with a fixing clamp assembly which takes up a relatively small space.
It is another object of the invention to provide a bathing chair with a fixing clamp assembly which is easy to transport.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a bathing chair with a fixing clamp assembly which is easily and safely fastened to a bathtub.
For achieving above objects, the present invention comprises a front frame and a rear frame, having horizontal rods, a seat, several gliding blocks, a backrest, a handle, and a fixing clamp assembly. The fixing clamp assembly further comprises an upper plate, laid on an edge of a bathtub, an outer plate, attached to the upper plate and leaning against an outer side of a bathtub wall, a connecting tube, having an outer end, which is fastened to an upper side of the upper plate, a holding arm, shaped like the letter L and having a lateral end, which has an inner thread and is inserted into an inner end of the connecting tube, a holding plate, which is fastened to a lower end of the holding arm and leans against an inner side of the bathtub wall, and a threaded rod, passing through the connecting tube and engaging with the inner thread. By turning the threaded rod, the holding plate is fastened on the bathtub wall and released therefrom to be able to glide thereon.
Other aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, illustrating by way of example the principles of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the bathing chair with fixing clamp assembly of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the fixing clamp assembly of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the bathing chair with fixing clamp assembly of the present invention in the second embodiment.

FIG. 4 (prior art) is a perspective view of a conventional bathing chair.

FIG. 5 (prior art) is a perspective view from below of a conventional bathing chair.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the bathing chair with a fixing clamp assembly of the present invention has a structure which is about the same as the conventional bathing chair shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, with structural parts being denoted by the same numbers. The bathing chair with a fixing clamp assembly of the present invention has a front frame 21A, a rear frame 22A, and a fixing clamp assembly 70. The fixing clamp assembly 70 further comprises: an upper plate 71, laid on the edge 11 of the bathtub 1; an outer plate 72, attached to the upper plate 71 and leaning against an outer side 12 of a bathtub wall 14; a connecting tube 73, having an outer end, which is fastened to an upper side of the upper plate 71; a holding arm 75, shaped like the letter L and having a lateral end, which has an inner thread 76 and is inserted into an inner end of the connecting tube 73; a holding plate 77, which is fastened to a lower end of the holding arm 75 and leans against an inner side 13 of the bathtub wall 14; and a threaded rod 80, passing through said connecting tube 73 and engaging with said inner thread 76. By turning the threaded rod 80, the holding plate 77 is fastened on the bathtub wall 14 and released therefrom to be able to glide thereon. Thereby, relatively little space is needed and transport is convenient.
The front and rear frames 21A, 22A are each shaped like the letter L, having outer ends that are fastened to the fixing clamp assembly 70, thereby being held on the bathtub wall 14 as needed.
For avoiding slipping aside of the front and rear frames 21A, 22A and protecting the bathtub wall 14, inner walls of the upper plate 71, the outer plate 72 and the holding plate 77 each are covered by a sticking cover 82.
A lid 74 is set on the outer end of the connecting rod 73 and is passed through by the threaded rod 80. The threaded rod 80 has an outer end which carries a handle 81 and an inner end which engages with the inner thread 76 of the holding arm 75. By manual turning of the threaded rod 80, the holding arm 77 is loosened, allowing to shift the front and rear frames 21A, 22A back and forth.
The connecting rod 73 and the holding arm 75 preferably have cross-sections in the shape of squares, for preventing turning thereof against the bathtub wall 14. Alternatively, the connecting rod 73 and the holding arm 75 have circular cross-sections, with grooves and blocking elements being provided (not shown).
To adapt to an inclination of the inner side 13 of the bathtub wall 14, the holding plate 77 carries two mounting plates 78, which are fastened to the lower end of the holding arm 75 by a bolt 79 at an adjustable inclination angle.
Referring to FIG. 3, the present invention in a second embodiment is used in conjunction with a bathtub with two bathtub walls 14, having two fixing clamp assemblies 70 and front and rear frames 21B, 22B. The front and rear frames 21B, 22B are shaped like straight rods, having opposite ends which are respectively fastened to the fixing clamp assemblies 70.
While preferred embodiments of the invention have been set forth for the purpose of disclosure, modifications of the disclosed embodiments of the invention as well as other embodiments thereof may occur to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the appended claims are intended to cover all embodiments which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A bathing chair with a fixing clamp assembly, comprising:

a front frame and a rear frame, having horizontal rods;

a seat;

several gliding blocks;

a backrest;

a handle; and

a fixing clamp assembly, further comprising an upper plate, laid on an edge of a bathtub; an outer plate, attached to said upper plate and leaning against an outer side of a bathtub wall; a connecting tube, having an outer end, which is fastened to an upper side of said upper plate; a holding arm, shaped like said letter L and having a lateral end, which has an inner thread and is inserted into an inner end of said connecting tube; a holding plate, which is fastened to a lower end of said holding arm and leans against an inner side of said bathtub wall; and a threaded rod, passing through said connecting tube and engaging with said inner thread;

wherein, by turning said threaded rod, said holding plate is fastened on said bathtub wall and released therefrom to be able to glide thereon.

2. The bathing chair with a fixing clamp assembly of claim 1, wherein said upper plate, outer plate and holding plate each are covered with a sticking cover.

3. The bathing chair with a fixing clamp assembly of claim 1, wherein said holding plate carries two mounting plates, which are fastened to said lower end of said holding arm by a bolt.

4. The bathing chair with a fixing clamp assembly of claim 1, wherein said connecting tube on said outer end thereof carries a lid which is passed through by said threaded rod.

5. The bathing chair with a fixing clamp assembly of claim 1, wherein said front and rear frames are shaped like the letter L, having outer ends which are fastened to said fixing clamp assembly to be fixed on said bathtub wall.

6. The bathing chair with a fixing clamp assembly of claim 1, further comprising a second fixing clamp assembl, with said front and rear frames being shaped like straight rods, having opposite ends which are respectively fastened to said fixing clamp assembly and to said second fixing clamp assembly.