WO2000038563A1 - A personal hygiene appliance - Google Patents

Abstract

A personal hygiene appliance extension handle (11) for persons having limited hand reach or body mobility which has a grasping means for holding toilet tissue and functions as a hand extension to permit cleansing of the perineal area.

Description

TITLE OF THE INVENTION

A Personal Hygiene Appliance.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a personal hygiene appliance which

functions as a hand extension. More particularly, it relates to a hand-held

appliance for use when cleaning the perineal area. Still more particularly , the

present invention relates to a hand-held appliance formed for grasping a disposable

cleaning tissue, such as toilet paper, and facilitating extension of the tissue by the

appliance to the perineal area of the body.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

One of the indignities which a person can experience is the inability to

cleanse oneself in the perineal area as a result of an unanticipated or uncorrec table

condition such as arthritis, physical impairment, overweight, short arms, injury to the back, and other developments which prevent a person from effec tively

reaching the perineal area with either hand. When it is not possible to properly

cleanse oneself after defecating or urinating, personal hygiene suffers. Sometimes

a second person, such as a family member or a hired caregiver, is required to do

the cleaning. Either situation is unpleasant for the parties concerned, and is

humiliating for the person who requires assisted cleaning. An appliance is needed

to solve the problems involved which allows a person to reach and clean the

perineal area of the body after waste elimination.

The few devices available for the purpose of assisting a person in personal

cleansing at the toilet are difficult to manipulate and generally are not adapted to

the body contours in the perineal area. Known devices are essentially provided

for the purpose of grasping a wad of toilet paper. Uniformly, the handles of these

devices position the hand in an orientation that is incompatible with the hand

orientation normally required to clean the perineal area. The required positioning

of the hand to manipulate such a device is awkward, hard to learn or perform,

and does not benefit from the motor skills and habits developed during the earlier

years of one's learning experience. Generally, a clump of toilet paper is held by a device, but it is not optimal for personal cleaning of the perineal area of the

body. As a result, more time and effort and frustration must be expended by a

person in the cleaning process. In addition to the extra time spent on preparing the toilet paper for securement onto the device, it can be difficult and messy

removing soiled toilet paper from the device Usually, in order for the device to

operate effectively and be comfortable, more toilet paper is used than when u^ing

a hand. This increases cost and places additional demands on plumbing and on

the sewage treatment or septic tank environment due to the extra toilet paper

required.

A disadvantage of conventional toilet paper for some persons and

conditions is that it is not as efficient in those cases for cleaning the perineal area

as is a premoistened cloth or towelette. Premoisturized tissues or wipes, marketed

commercially as "Wash 'n Dri, Nice 'n Clean, Chubs, Softkins, Pop-Ups. Scott

Fresh, and Cottonelle Flushable Moist Wipes, are considered by some persoas to

be more efficient for cleaning the perineal area, and they could be used in

conjunction with the devices previously described. However, the wipes cannot be

held in a manner that is optimal for cleaning since they usually come in small

individual sheets. A long strip of toilet paper is normally wrapped around a tongs

or clamp to provide bulk and cushioning from the hard tip of either device , but

individual premoistened sheets cannot be used in this manner.

In order to solve these problems, a hand extension is required which is

universal and can grip and comfortably apply either a single sheet of premoisturized material or several sheets of conventional toilet paper to the perineal area for cleaning after elimination. The premoistened wipe or toilet

paper is temporarily secured by a cleaning head on a hand extension for the

purpose of cleaning the perineal area by people who have limited reach, hand

strength, or range of motion. The extension at one end accommodates the hand

in a natural position consistent with cleaning the perineal area, and at the opposite

end incorporates a cleaning head consisting of a formed flexible stπicnire that

grips a single sheet of premoistened material or several sheets of conventional

toilet paper and brings this material into comfortable and effective contact with the

area being cleaned and which permits simple and clean extraction of the soiled

tissue or wipe from the device without the possibility or need of contacting the

soiled portion of the tissue or wipe.

In summary, the present invention relates to a hand extension consisting of

a curved handle with a hand grip at one end and a flexible structure, or cleaning

head, at the opposite end for temporarily securing toilet paper or a premoisturized

sheet of disposable and preferably flushable material. The present invention will

aid people having limited range of motion or reach due to disability, back injury,

age, body size, and other conditions which hinder or prevent a person from reaching and cleaning the perineal area after defecation or urination. DESCRffTION OF THE PRIOR ART

As previously stated briefly in the description of the background ot the

invention of this specification, prior art devices for assisting in cleaning of the

perineal area of a person are not specifically designed for the purpose and are

generally based on clamp, tong, or hook configurations. The operative end of

these existing devices is not shaped to conform to the human body and is usually constructed of a rigid material such as metal or plastic. To use any of these

devices, generally an extended strip of toilet paper is secured to the operative end

of the device and then wrapped around the end to form a clump. Also, the toilet

paper may be folded and gripped within the jaws of tongs or a clamp. Generally,

devices currently on the market for cleaning the perineal area are found in stores

and catalogs that specialize in the needs of people who may be physically

challenged due to injury or illness.

The operative ends of the prior art devices which hold the cleaning material

are not contoured to fit the human body and are fabricated of rigid material which

could injure the body if used improperly. To offset the rigid and nonconfoπniπg

shapes of prior art devices, significant amounts of toilet paper must be used to

provide any cushioning. Thus, little of the toilet paper used in this mannei is available for actual cleaning of the person. The rigidity and shapes of prior art devices do not provide psychological comfort to people who have need for such

a device. Since they don't look comfortable to use, people who would otherwise

benefit from such a device avoid using them and become dependent on family

members or professional caregivers for perineal cleaning.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a personal hygiene appliance for persons having

limited hand reach or body mobility. The appliance functions as a hand extension

to permit persons to clean their perineal area with a firmly grasped tissue paper

at an extended position from the hand after defecation or urination. The appliance

is comprised of an extension handle having formed at a first end thereof a hand

grip which permits the appliance to be grasped firmly without undue effort to

prevent twisting. It also permits a natural hand position for accurately orienting

and positioning the tissue paper proximate the perineal area prior to contact

therewith. The extension handle has formed at the second end thereof a means

for grasping the tissue paper and supporting it during contact with the perineal area without hand squeezing or finger manipulation and in a manner which

prevents the paper from being pulled out of the appliance during the cleaning of

the perineal area in the event a portion of the human body surrounding the perineal area inadvertently experiences closure upon the tissue and tends to extract

the tissue from the appliance. The second end also is formed to support at least a single sheet of the tissue paper spread in a generally rounded configuration to

enhance full contact of the perineal area by said tissue paper during the cleaning

operation.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore an important object of the present invention to provide a

personal hygiene hand extension appliance for persons who have limited hand

reach or body mobility and cannot otherwise clean themselves and thus provide a

measure of dignity and independence not otherwise possible.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a personal hygiene

appliance in the form of a hand extension device for use in cleaning the perineal

area in which a minimum amount of toilet paper is required for personal cleaning

and which is suitable for use with single sheets of premoisturized wipes

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a personal hygiene

appliance in the form of a one-piece hand extension which can be held by one hand without hand squeezing or finger manipulation for the purpose of retaining

toilet paper or premoisturized wipes in the device during operation. It is still another object of the present invention to provide a personal

hygiene appliance with a contoured and flexible cleaning head which grasps single

sheets of cleansing tissue in a manner which prevents them from being pulled out

of the appliance in the event a person's body parts closes on the tissue and which achieves comfortable and effective cleaning of the perineal area after defecation

or urination from both a sitting position and while lying in bed.

And it is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a personal

hygiene appliance which permits a one-handed releasing of soiled material f rom the cleaning head.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent

when the apparatus of the present invention is considered in conjunction with the

accompanying drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows in perspective view a personal hygiene device without a sheet

of cleaning material inserted and grasped by the cleaning head;

FIG. 2 shows a side elevation in cross section of the personal hygiene device of FIG. 1 ; FIG. 3 shows a side elevation in cross section of the cleaning head with a

mechanism for ejecting cleaning tissue from the cleaning head; and

FIG. 4 shows FIG. 3 in cleaning material eject mode.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Reference is made to the drawings for a description of the preferred

embodiment of the present invention wherein like reference numbers represent like

elements on corresponding views.

The present invention combines existing premoisturized towelette

technology as well as conventional toilet paper with a novel extension handle

hygiene appliance as a means of assisting a person in reaching and cleaning the

perineal area. The term "tissue paper" as used hereinafter refers to either one or

more sheets of toilet paper, premoistened wipes, or any other flexible cleaning

material. The present invention will aid people who are unable to reach the

perineal area with their hand for purposes of cleaning themselves after elimination

due to having limited body mobility or range of motion caused by arthritis, old

age, being overweight, having short arms, having back problems, being confined

to a bed and using a bedpan, and other conditions. FIG. 1 shows in perspective view the personal hygiene appliance ot the

present invention without a sheet of cleaning material disposed on the cleaning

head. The personal hygiene appliance extension handle 1 1 is comprised of a rigid

curved structure which accommodates at a first end 13 the user's hand and at the

second or other end 15 a cleaning head having a grasping means for temporarily

securing the tissue paper thereto. The extension handle is in the form of a urved

structure of sufficient length to aid all size persons to reach the perineal area of

their bodies. The first end 13 of the extension handle, which is the hand grip area

17, is shaped to accommodate the grip of either the right or left human hand , and

it permits the appliance to be grasped firmly, without undue effort necessary to

prevent twisting, and with natural hand position for manipulating the handle to

clean the perineal area.

For people who have limited hand strength or range of motion, the basic

grip can be modified to provide a custom fit as is often done with other devices

designed for those who have special physical limitations. Thus, in normal use,

the hand is maintained in a familiar and comfortable position when employing the

hand extension to clean the perineal area. To accommodate different needs, the

hand extension may be produced in different lengths or have a means of length

adjustment within the handle such as telescoping segments or a slidable handgrip. The second or opposite end 15 of the extea ion handle includes a means for

grasping the tissue paper. The grasping means supports the paper during contact with the perineal area without hand squeezing or finger manipulation and in a

manner which prevents the tissue from being pulled out of the appliance during

cleaning of the perineal area in the event a portion of the human body surrounding

the area inadvertently experiences closure upon the tissue paper and tends to extract it from the appliance. The second end is also formed to support even a

single sheet of the tissue paper spread in a generally rounded configuration to

enhance full contact of the perineal area by the tissue paper during the cleaning

process. The configuration of the extension handle permits accurate orientation

and positioning of the tissue paper proximate the perineal area prior to contact

therewith.

The cleaning material is gripped or pinched by a plurality of flexible

fingers which together form an incurvate dome like structure. A sheet of

premoisturized material, or several sheets of toilet tissue layered together, are

temporarily secured thereto by pushing the center of the sheet, or sheets, into the

center of the dome-like structure defined by the plurality of flexible fingers. The

flexible fingers are spread slightly apart against a biased closed condition by the

material thus inserted and thereby grasp the material from the combined biased force of the fingers acting to come back together to the closed condition. The material not contained within the grip or pinch of the fingers is allowed to drape

over the outer surface of the fingers which together create the incurvate dome like

shape of the cleaning head. During use, the material-draped cleaning head is

brought into contact with the perineal area of the body for cleaning and

manipulated by movement of the hand grip.

The cleaning head is comprised of at least two, and preferably three,

flexible fingers 19 which together form the appropriately rounded surface for

bringing tissue into contact with the perineal are for cleaning purposes The

fingers are biased toward each other at their distal ends whereby the fingei s can

be separated by force to permit the insertion of a portion of a tissue paper

therebetween. When the fingers are released, they will return to the biased

position whereby the tissue is firmly grasped therebetween and retained therein to

resist extraction forces which can be imposed thereon by closure forces ol the

human body portions surrounding the perineal area.

The cleaiiing head is composed of a slightly flexible material such as a

silicone or other synthetic rubber, a natural rubber or other flexible material, and

consists of two parts. The first part is a base 21 within which the second end 15

of the extension handle is attached. Preferably, the head is molded in place

around the end of the handle to provide a permanent and unitary (one-piece)

assembly. Rising out of the base is the plurality of fingers 19, preferably diree in number, but any number is possible and considered within the scope of this invention.

The fingers 19 are internally defined by slits 23 which radiate outwards

from a hollow cavity 25 centered between the fingers and are made from the same

material as the base, but, because of their shape and size, provide the necessary

flexibility. The fingers are biased toward each other to form an incurvate (lome¬

like structure that extends out of the base. The fingers are biased by the inherent

resiliency of their composition, or each finger may also be fabricated from a metal

spring encapsulated in rubber or other soft material secured to the base.

The three fingers radiate out from a central cavity with a slight concave

depression at the apex of the incurvate dome-like structure to facilitate pushing the

tissue paper into the center cavity. The fingers combined may form other shapes

suitable for cleaning the perineal area, or can be shaped and sized to accommodate

other areas of the body such as between the toes.

Centered within and parallel with the fingers 19 is the cavity 25 within the

top of which the center of the sheet of tissue is inserted. Some tissue material

will also be wedged between adjacent fmgers. Thus, the combined bias force of

the resilient fmgers will hold the tissue in place during the act of cleaning the perineal area. Each slit stops near the bottom of the incurvate dome-like structure

and radiates out from the center cavity. The angles between slits are equal and in the case of the preferred three- fingered embodiment shown, the Figs, are 120

degrees apart. The cleaning head is permanently molded around the end of the

extension handle to provide a one-piece product.

The cleaning head of the hand extension is moved about the area to be

cleaned in similar fashion to using the hand directly, e.g., in a circular or linear

wiping motion. The fingers comprising the flexible dome-like structure may

deform slightly as they are brought against the body. This action generally tends

to increase the grip or pinch on the material held within the fingers comprising the

dome, thus preventing the material from being inadvertently released during the

act of cleaning. When the cleaning material is soiled, the user simply grasps hold

of one corner of the sheet, or sheets, and pulls it from the cleaning head.

Alternatively, if the appliance is inverted, the cleaning material will hang

downward enclosing the soiled surfaces of the tissue whereby the backsides of the

tissue can be grasped to pull it from the appliance. The cycle of wiping the body

area and then disposing of the soiled cleaning material can be repeated until the

body part is clean.

The cleaning head is attached to the hand extension in such a way to

accommodate all personal hygiene preferences, e.g. , people who clean themselves

from their left or right side, as well as people who prefer to clean themselves from the front or the back. FIG. 2 shows in cross section the extension handle with a thumb-activated

release system for ejecting soiled tissue which is manipulated from the hand

grip 17. The invention in the simplest form does not include the release system:

It is fully functional without it. A flexible pushrod 27 is disposed internally of the

handle and is reciprocated through a hollow core in the handle by sliding an

attached slide button 29 with the thumb. At the other end of the pushrod is a

piston-like structure 31 that is located internally of the fingers 19 in the center of

the base 21 and at the bottom of the center cavity 25. Actuation of the slide

button toward the cleaning head causes the pushrod to reciprocate the piston in the

center cavity to spread the fingers and thereby eject any cleaning material that is held between the fingers. When the button is released, a spring bias return 33

causes the piston to retract back into the base at the bottom of the center cavity

and the button to return to its normal or retracted position.

Thus, in summary, a new and novel apparatus for cleaning the permeal

area in cases where reach is limited due to physical conditions is provided, and it

will be obvious that the stated objects of the present invention are achieved A

flexible cleaning head, requiring a minimum amount of tissue provides effective,

economic, and comfortable personal hygiene benefits not realized by the prior art. The present invention eliminates the need to squeeze a pair of tongs or actuate a

clamp for the purpose of attaching cleaning material such as toilet paper. Less cleaning material is needed with the present invention and more of the cleaning

material is conveniently and properly positioned for cleaning the body.

It will be apparent from the foregoing description of the invention m its preferred form that it will fulfill all the objects and advantages attributable thereto.

While it is illustrated and described in considerable detail herein, the invention is

not to be limited to such details as have been set forth except as may be

necessitated by the appended claims.

Claims

WE CLAIM:

1. A personal hygiene appliance for persons having limited hand reach

or body mobility which functions as a hand extension to permit said persons to

clean their perineal area with a firmly grasped tissue paper at an extended position

from the hand after defecation or urination, said appliance comprising

an extension handle having formed at a first end thereof a hand grip which

permits said appliance to be grasped firmly without undue effort to prevent

twisting and with natural hand position for accurately orienting and positioning

said tissue paper proximate said perineal area prior to contact therewith,

said extension handle having formed at the second end thereof a means for

grasping said tissue paper and supporting said paper during contact with said

perineal area without hand squeezing or finger manipulation and in a manner

which prevents said paper from being pulled out of said appliance during said

cleaning of said perineal area in the event a portion of the human body

surrounding said perineal area inadvertently experiences closure upon said tissue

and tends to extract said tissue from said appliance, said second end also being

formed to support at least a single sheet of said tissue paper spread in a generally

rounded configuration to enhance full contact of said perineal area by said tissue paper during said cleaning operation.

2. The personal hygiene appliance of claim 1 wherein said grasping

means formed at the second end of said extension handle is formed by at least two

flexible fingers which are biased toward each other at their distal ends whereby

said fingers can be separated by force to permit the insertion of a portion of a

tissue paper therebetween and when said fingers are released to return to said

biased position whereby said tissue paper is firmly grasped therebetween and is

retained therein to resist extraction forces which can be imposed upon said tissue

paper by closure forces of the human body portions surrounding said perineal

area.

3. The personal hygiene appliance of claim 2 wherein said distal ends of said fingers are formed to combine into a rounded projection when disposeii in

said biased position.

4. The personal hygiene appliance of claim 1 including means for

mechanically separating said fingers by remote actuation from said hand grip

5. A personal hygiene appliance for persons having limited hand reach or body mobility which functions as a hand extension to permit said person to

clean their perineal area with a firmly grasped tissue paper at an extended position from the hand after defecation or urination, said appliance comprising an extension handle having formed at a first end thereof a hand grip which

permits said appliance to be grasped firmly without undue effort to prevent

twisting and with natural hand position for accurately orienting and positioning

said tissue paper proximate said perineal area prior to contact therewith,

said extension handle having formed at the second end thereof a means for

grasping said tissue paper and supporting said paper during contact with said

perineal area without hand squeezing or finger manipulation and in a manner

which prevents said paper from being pulled out of said appliance during said

cleaning of said perineal area in the event a portion of the human body surrounding said perineal area inadvertently experiences closure upon said tissue

and tends to extract said tissue from said appliance, said grasping means being

formed by at least two flexible fingers which are biased toward each other at their

distal ends whereby said fmgers can be separated by force to permit the insertion

of a portion of a tissue paper therebetween and when said fingers are released to

return to said biased position whereby said tissue paper is firmly grasped

therebetween, said distal ends of said fingers being formed to combine into a

rounded projection when disposed in said biased position, said fmgers also being

formed to support at least a single sheet of said tissue paper spread in a generally rounded configuration to enhance full contact of said perineal area by said tissue

paper during said cleaning operation, means for mechanically separating said fingers by remote actuation from

said hand grip including a flexible pushrod disposed internally of said exteasion

handle and attached to a slide button disposed in said hand grip formed to

reciprocate said pushrod in said handle and a piston secured to the opposite end

of said pushrod and disposed internally of said fingers in said second end whereby

actuation of said slide button reciprocates said piston to spread said fingers to eject

tissue paper secured therebetween.

6. The personal hygiene appliance of claim 5 wherein said pushrod and

piston are spring biased to the retracted position.