US3072918A

US3072918A - Sitz bath pan

Info

Publication number: US3072918A
Application number: US133841A
Authority: US
Inventors: Oliver L Mccall; Jane L Mccall
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1961-08-25
Filing date: 1961-08-25
Publication date: 1963-01-15
Anticipated expiration: 1980-01-15

Description

Jan. 15, 1963 o. MQCALL ETAL SITZ BATH PAN Filed Aug. 25

INVENTORS.

United States Patent Ofiice 3,072,918 Patented Jan. 15, 1963 3,072,918 SITZ BATH PAN Oliver L. McCall and Jane L. McCall, both of OOEW-443-South, Lot 20, Kokomo, Ind. Filed Aug. 25, 1961, Ser. No. 133,841 2 Claims. (Cl. 4-6) The present invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in a sitz bath pan and has to do with a special adaptation which constitutes an advance in the art.

Persons conversant with the art to which the instant invention relates are aware that following surgery involving, for example, a hemorrhoidal operation, the patient is instructed, perhaps required, to sit in water as hot as he or she can tolerate for approximately twenty minutes three times a day and for 'a period ranging from six to eight weeks after leaving the hospital. A current method of achieving the desired end result is for the patient to disrobe, draw a small amount of hot water, say three inches or. so in depth, in his bathtub and sit in the water employing, as is usually the case, an inflated rubber ring for comfortand support. Where the patient is overweight and at the sametime elderly and is called upon vto follow this procedureshortly after surgery he is indeed confronted with a task getting in and out of the tub and taxing his strength and recovery reserves. Others working in this art have long since recognized and evaluated the problem and have attempted to solve it in one manner or another. It can be assumed that practical efforts in this direction have to do with a portable sitz bath pan or basin, one which may be associated with ones home toilet, that is cooperatively aligned with the hopper or bowl and the usual hinged seat ring. One such example would be the bidet of the Da Silva Patent 2,251,039, and the other one a composite or two-part adaptation offered in the Oliver patent, 2,450,607. The

last-named patent has to do with a basin arranged to assume a position within an opening, the usual opening, in a toilet seat in conjunction with a ring having an annular depending flange adapted to be seated within the opening and having spacedmeans for supporting the basin with therim thereof in annular spaced relation with the flange. The first-named Patent 2,251,039 has to do with apaper, rubber or'single-use metal adaptation capable of being conveniently packed and transported by the user or employed as a permanent fixture of a bathroom water closet and which is primarily intended to be rolled up or folded for transportation in a suitcase or the like. In both instances it will bevnoticed that the supporting flange rests atop the seat ring. In both arrangements a very shallow receptacle or pan is employed.

In the instant matter one improvement resides in the increased capacity in that provision is made for approximately eight quarts of hot water and with this arrangement it is possible for the user to maintain a more even and desired temperature of water during the application of the bath water.

In addition to being simple, practical, economical, rigid and of one-piece construction with no separate parts to break or get out of order the present adaptation is unique in that it has a supporting flange which is located under the seat, is rigid and foolproof. With the arrangement shown the patients body does not contact the supporting flange at any time while the pan is being used.

The present invention is also original in that it is characterized by a receptacle portion the bottom of which has a drain hole and a plug, this being an exclusive feature in that it enables the user to remove and store the empty pan after it has been used. Manifestly the weight of two gallons of water is a burdensome and sometimes dangerous load for a weakened patient to cope with. Then, too, with this adaptation there is little or no chance of spilling the water while trying to remove and empty the full pan as in prior art adaptations.

The fact that the supporting flange is interposed or sandwiched between the top of the bowls water circulating and distributing rim and the underneath side of the usual ring-type seat makes for comfort of the natural toilet seat for hospital or home use.

In prior art adaptations the receptacle or fluid container has its vertical wall situated inside the opening in the toilet seat which, of course, reduces the diameter and inside circumference of the seat and thus prevents the region of the patients body receiving the treatment from being effectually immersed in the bath water.

The present invention also features the adoption and use of circumferentially spaced overflow slots at the prerequisite level which work together to maintain a con stant water level in the pan during the initial immersion at the beginning of the treatment and continue to maintain it throughout the entire twenty minute treatment.

It will be further noted that the overflow outlets or slots are situated below the actual level of the fiat top surface of the bowls rim with the result that there could never be any spillage on the floor or moisture on the seat by reason of accidental water displacement particularly at the beginning of the treatment.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being bad to the accompanying drawing forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a view in section and elevation showing a conventional home toilet with bowl, tank, seat ring down, cover up and with the improved sitz bath pan installed and readied for use;

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view with the seat ring up and showing the supporting flange of the pan which view may be said to be approximately on the plane of the line 2-2 of FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken approximately on the central line 33 of FIGURE 2 looking in the direction of the arrows.

With reference first to FIGURE 1 the hopper or bowl ing rim 8 which usually has a flat or a substantially flat top side or surface 10. The flush tank is denoted at 12, the seat or seat ring at 14, cover at 16, hinge means at 18, and rubber spacing feet on the bottom of the seat at 20. Thus the description so far covers a conventional or standard type flush toilet.

The improved portable readily insertable and removable sitz bath pan or container is denoted as an entity by the numeral 22. It is made of suitable rigid shape-sustaining sheet material such as non-corrodible metal, an appropriate grade of commercial plastics or whatever the manufacturer finds most suitable for commercializing the invention. There is a bottom the major portion 24 of which is horizontal, a vertical wall 26, and a rearwardly and downwardly slanting or sloping forwardly disposed bottomvportion 28. The upper open end of the receptacle portion is provided with a horizontal endless imperforate supporting flat-faced flange 30 the major portion 32 of which is of ovate shape in plan to conform to and rest firmly on the bowl surface 10. The rear central portion 34 of the flange is suitably narrowed and cut straight across to avoid interference with the existing or customary hinge means 18 as perhaps satisfactorily shown in FIGURE 1. The aforementioned circumferentially spaced overflow slots are denoted at 36 and are not only in a plane below the flange means 30 but just below the plane of the surface 10. The rearwardly disposed eccentric drainage hole or opening 36 in the bottom wall is diametrically opposite to the sloping portion of the bottom and may be provided with an appropriate bushing or liner 38 held in place by a supporting flange 40 and thus providing a drain hole for the insertable and removablerdrain closing plug 42. This plug is mounted on a pull'chain 44 the upper accessible end of which is anchored on the central rearward portion of the flange as at 46.

It will be evident that the under-the-seat supporting flange 30 resting firmly on the surface provides adequate support for the overall hot water containing pan 22. The flange also serves to support the button-like feet 20 as illustrated in FIGURE 1 and, of course, the significant thing to note is that the seat ring 14 is the surface on which the patient sits in the manner illustrated in phantom lines in FIGURE 1. The sitz bath pan cons'truction revealed with its wide flat flange will fit any of the various sizes and shapes of modern stools or bowls whichare being used'today. Prior art adaptations are apparently practical only on toilet constructions which conform to the size and shape of the exact pan itself. This factor alone is a matter worthy of objective consideration. The construction which results from the shape is simplicity itself and provides smooth available s'ur faces which are easier to sterilize and maintain in a 'sani tary condition for both hospital and home use.

It is submitted that the invention which will serve the intended purposes not only of enthusiastic users but will complywith the demands of manufacturers, wholesalers' and retailers. Then, too, nurses and physicians will unquestionably be ready to endorse the invention from the standpoint of practicability and safe and reliable usefulness.

It is further believed that a further consideration of the specification in conjunction with the views of the drawing and the invention as claimed will enable the vmodifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed,

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. For use in conjunction with a conventional type toilet bowl provided with aflushing rim having a substantially flat top surface and a hingedly mounted seat the bottom side of which is opposed to and parallel with the top surface when the seat is in use; a sitz bath pan having a receptacle portion including a bottom, the rearward half-portion thereof being substantially flat and horizontal when in use, the forward half-portion being inclined and sloping rearwardly and downwardly toward and merging into said rearward half-portion, and an upstanding vertically disposable wall joined to and rising from said bottom, said upstanding wall being provided at the top thereof with a flat-faced laterally projecting endless pan-seating and supporting flange which is adapted to seat itself atop said top surface, said top portion of said upstanding wall being provided with a plurality of equidistant circumferentially spaced overflow slots, said slots ranging completely around the circumference of the Wall and being in close proximity to the under? ncath side of said flange, said slots functioning to mark the expected level of the water contained in said receptacle portion and also .providing for the overflow of water to the toilet bowl when'the pan is'being used, that portion of the Wall below'said slots being wholly imperforate,

the receptacle portion" of. said pan being of a capacity row and with'th'e' marginal edge cut straight across.

2. The structure defined in claim 1, and wherein'said bottom'wall'is provided with an eccentrically positioned drain hole, a manually insertable and removable closing plug fitting into said drain hole, and a pull chain connected at a lower end with said plug and having an upper end connected to the rearward portion of the flange adjacen't to sa'idrelatively narrow rearward portion, said drain hole' being positioned diametrically opposite said inclined portion wherebythe latter facilitates expeditious draining of water from the receptacle portion by way of said drain hole.

References Cited the file of 7 this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,251,039 Da Silva V V July 29, 1941 2,426,303 Graber Aug. 26, 1947 2,947,994 Saulson et a1. Aug. 9, 1960 FOREIGN PATENTS 165,303 Switzerland Feb, 1, 1934

Claims

1. FOR USE IN CONJUNCTION WITH A CONVENTIONAL TYPE TOILET BOWL PROVIDED WITH A FLUSHING RIM HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT TOP SURFACE AND A HINGEDLY MOUNTED SEAT THE BOTTOM SIDE OF WHICH IS OPPOSED TO AND PARALLEL WITH THE TOP SURFACE WHEN THE SEAT IS IN USE; A SITZ BATH PAN HAVING A RECEPTACLE PORTION INCLUDING A BOTTOM, THE REARWARD HALF-PORTION THEREOF BEING SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT AND HORIZONTAL WHEN IN USE, THE FORWARD HALF-PORTION BEING INCLINED AND SLOPING REARWARDLY AND DOWNWARDLY TOWARD AND MERGING INTO SAID REARWARD HALF-PORTION, AND AN UPSTANDING VERTICALLY DISPOSABLE WALL JOINED TO AND RISING FROM SAID BOTTOM, SAID UPSTANDING WALL BEING PROVIDED AT THE TOP THEREOF WITH A FLAT-FACED LATERALLY PROJECTING ENDLESS PAN-SEATING AND SUPPORTING FLANGE WHICH IS ADAPTED TO SEAT ITSELF ATOP SAID TOP SURFACE, SAID TOP PORTION OF SAID UPSTANDING WALL BEING PROVIDED WITH A PLURALITY OF EQUIDISTANT CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED OVERFLOW SLOTS, SAID SLOTS RANGING COMPLETELY AROUND THE CIRCUMFERENCE OF THE WALL AND BEING IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THE UNDERNEATH SIDE OF SAID FLANGE, SAID SLOTS FUNCTIONING TO MARK THE EXPECTED LEVEL OF THE WATER CONTAINED IN SAID RECEPTACLE PORTION AND ALSO PROVIDING FOR THE OVERFLOW OF WATER TO THE TOILET BOWL WHEN THE PAN IS BEING USED, THAT PORTION OF THE WALL BELOW SAID SLOTS BEING WHOLLY IMPERFORATE, THE RECEPTACLE PORTION OF SAID PAN BEING OF A CAPACITY CAPABLE OF ACCOMMODATING APPROXIMATELY EIGHT QUARTS OF HOT WATER, CAPABLE OF MAINTAINING A NECESSARY EVEN WATER TEMPERATURE FOR A PRESCRIBED 20-MINUTE SITZ BATH, SAID FLANGE BEING IMPERFORATE THROUGHOUT, THE REAR SEGMENTAL PORTION OF SAID FLANGE DIAMETRICALLY OPPOSITE TO THE AFOREMENTIONED INCLINED BOTTOM PORTION BEING RELATIVELY NARROW AND WITH THE MARGINAL EDGE CUT STRAIGHT ACROSS.