WO2002069772A1

WO2002069772A1 - Safety devices

Info

Publication number: WO2002069772A1
Application number: PCT/GB2002/001020
Authority: WO
Inventors: Anne Pauline Bater; Clive Bernard Waring Samuelson
Original assignee: Anne Pauline Bater; Clive Bernard Waring Samuelson
Priority date: 2001-03-07
Filing date: 2002-03-07
Publication date: 2002-09-12
Also published as: GB2390129A; GB2390129B; GB0323402D0

Abstract

A safety device for use with bath taps having a cushioned portion (4) which in use in positioned over the taps, and spacer portion (1) which in use spaces the cushioned portion from the bath by at least the height of the bath taps when the device is placed over the taps.

Description

SAFETY DEVICES

This invention concerns safety devices for use with baths and in particular with bath taps.

Apart from the discomfort associated with their shape, resulting in users of baths tending to position themselves facing the taps rather than their backs towards them, bath taps present a safety hazard to such users due to their irregular shape and being made of metal.

Various devices for use in the bath have been proposed hitherto with the object of improving the comfort of the user of the bath, such devices often being made of a resilient material with the object of providing a cushioning effect between the user's body and various parts of the bath. Examples of such devices include inflatable or foam filled cushions which attach to the surface of the bath, for example using suction pads which attach them to the surface of the bath.

Despite these previous proposals, the problem remains with the taps as there can be reasons why users wish to use the bath facing away from the taps, for example when bathing two children in the same bath, the taps being a particular hazard with young children.

The present invention seeks to mitigate these problems by providing a cushion device for bath taps which also acts as a head rest.

According to the present invention there is provided a safety device for use with bath taps comprising a cushioned portion which in use is positioned over the taps, and spacer portion which in use spaces the cushioned portion from the bath by at least the height of the bath taps when the device is placed over the taps.

Safety devices in accordance with the present invention can not only serve to protect users of baths from injury from banging into the taps, they can also act as a head and/or neck rest, thereby improving the comfort of the user of baths having such devices. They can also be used as a foot rest by users of the bath facing the taps, and the angle of the users legs can be particularly beneficial in relieving pressure and tension in the legs .

Safety devices according to the invention can be in flat pack form, for example consisting of hingedly connected panels which facilitate construction of the device in a form to be used by suitably bending it along hinge lines. The panels, which are preferably formed from high impact polyurethane foam, are preferably hingedly connected by a flexible polymeric cover, for example polyvinyl chloride sheeting.

Embodiment of safety device in accordance with the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings in which :-

Fig. 1 shows the two parts of a first embodiment of safety device in accordance with the present invention separated from each other; Fig. 2 shows the device of Fig. 1 when in use;

Fig. 3 shows a second embodiment in flattened form; and

Fig. 4 shows the embodiment of Fig. 3 in assembled form.

The safety device shown in Figs. 1 and 2, which also functions as a head and/or foot rest, consists of a lower, tap-engaging spacer 1 consisting of a relatively thick sheet of a plastics foam material having two slots 2 which enable the spacer to be slid around the taps (not shown) . The spacer 1 could have holes instead of slots 2, and it would then have to be placed over the taps .

The thickness of the spacer 1 should in general be selected to be at least the height of the taps.

The illustrated device also has an tap-head covering cushion 4 which in use is placed in contact with and over the tap-engaging spacer 1, thereby covering the heads of the taps. The tap-head covering cushion 4 will in general be made of a resilient material to provide support for the user's head or neck. A recess 5 in the tap-head covering cushion 4 is provided to give additional support the user's head, neck or feet.

The tap-head covering cushion 4 and the tap-engaging spacer 1 have means (not shown) for securing them together so that they do not slide relative to each other when the device is in use. This can consist of a loop and hook securing device (e.g. Velcro - Trade Mark), or other means, for example projections on the tap-engaging spacer 1 or the tap-head covering cushion 4 which engage complementary recesses on the other of these portions.

It will be appreciated that whilst the tap-engaging spacer 1 is shown as a single component, it could be made as two or more separate pieces, two of these being used individually to engage one of the bath taps. It will also be appreciated that the tap-engaging spacer 1 can be made not only from a resilient or compressible material, but also from essentially rigid materials, it generally being preferred that if it is made of a resilient or compressible material, the tap-engaging spacer 1 should not compress in use so much that discomfort for the user results from the tap heads pushing into the tap-head covering cushion 4. It is for a similar reason that the spacer 1 should in general have a thickness which is at least the height of the taps with which it is to be used.

The tap-engaging spacer 1 and/or the tap-head covering cushion 4 are preferably covered in a plastics material which prevents the ingress of water. This also has the advantage that various decorative effects can be applied to the outer surfaces of the head rest.

The illustrated embodiment consists of two portions, the tap-head covering cushion 4 being removable from the tap-engaging spacer 1. However, these two portions could be made integral with each other, the head rest then consisting of a single unit which overall will look similar to cushion 4 in Fig. 1 but thicker to include the spacer 1.

Although a single unit has the advantage that it avoids the risk of losing one of the components during storage when it is not in use, having an tap-head covering cushion 4 which can be removed from the tap-engaging spacer 1 facilitates access to the taps whilst the device is in position on the bath. In addition, although a single unit could be made with the tap-engaging spacer being of a different resilience from that of the tap-head covering cushion, for example using a foam plastics material having a density which decreases from the tap-engaging spacer 1 to the tap-head covering cushion 4, this is likely to present problems in manufacture and/or increase the cost of the devices. The use of separate tap-engaging spacers and tap-covering cushions also enables the devices to be assembled using spacers of different heights to accommodate bath taps of different heights .

The embodiment shown in Figs 3 and 4 consists of a series of resilient panels, for example made of a high impact polyurethane foam, covered in a flexible polymeric cover 11, for example of polyvinyl chloride, the latter serving to form hinges between the various panels.

Referring to Figs. 3 and 4 in more detail, a rectangular back panel 12 is hingedly connected along its shorter sides to two side panels 13, 13' by the cover 11. Three further rectangular panels 14, 15 and 16 are hingedly connected to each other along their respective longer sides, panel 14 also being hingedly connected to one of the longer sides of the rectangular back panel 12.

This embodiment of safety device shown in Fig. 4 can be formed from the flat pack form shown in Fig. 3 by folding it along the various hinge lines. The three dimensional form shown in Fig. 3 can be held in place using adhesive tape, or more preferably hook and loop tape (e.g. Velcro) applied to the upper edges 17 of the side panels 13, 13' and/or underneath edge portions 18, 19 and 20 of the panels 14, 15 and 16 respectively. If desired, such tape can be applied to the under surfaces of the panels 14, 15 and 16 to enable the side panels 13 and 13' to be positioned other than underneath the edge portion of the panel 14, for example to enable taps to be covered by the device to be more fully engaged by it.

Optionally, a centre support member (not shown) can be provided under the panel 14. This support member is preferably rectangular with dimensions to provide support for the panel 14 and furthermore so that it can be located in position by the back panel 12. Location of this support member is preferably using hook and loop tape, for example applied along a centre line of the panel 12 and to the corresponding edge of the support member. The support member is preferably made of the same material as the panels 12, 13, 13' , 14, 15 and 16.

Safety devices in accordance with the present invention can be constructed so that they can be fitted around mixer taps, but this tends to be more difficult than around conventional bath taps due to the differences in configuration of the mixing arrangements and possible shower heads/hoses. However, the device shown in Figs . 3 and 4 can be fitted to a mixer tap by providing a suitable aperture in the back panel 12 for the shower hose.

Safety devices in accordance with the present invention should cover the tap heads of the taps with which they are used, and they preferably also cover the tap outlets whilst not preventing water from flowing should the need arise.

If it is necessary to prevent safety devices in accordance with the invention from slipping or sliding off the taps when the devices are in use, they can be provided with means for the purpose, for example suction pads or hook and loop adhesive tapes .

Claims

1. A safety device for use with bath taps comprising a cushioned portion which in use is positioned over the taps, and spacer portion which in use spaces the cushioned portion from the bath by at least the height of the bath taps when the device is placed over the taps.

2. A safety device according to claim 1, wherein the spacer portion and the cushioned portion are separate.

3. A safety device according to claim 1, wherein the spacer portion and the cushioned portion are integral.

4. A safety device according to claim 2, wherein the spacer portion comprises at least two sections, one of said sections in use engaging one of the conventional two bath taps.

5. A safety device according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the spacer portion is substantially rigid.

6. A safety device according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the spacer portion is covered in a plastics material.

7. A safety device according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the cushioned portion is covered in a plastics material.

8. A safety device according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the cushioned portion includes a profiled portion for receiving the head or neck of a user.

9. A safety device according to any of the proceeding claims, in the form of a head and/or foot rest.

10. A safety device according to claim 1, in flat pack form.

11. A safety device according to claim 10, comprising hingedly connected panels which facilitate construction of the device in a form to be used by suitably bending it along hinge lines.

12. A safety device according to claim 11, wherein the panels are formed from high impact polyurethane foam.

13. A safety device according to claim 11 or claim 12, wherein the panels are hingedly connected by a flexible polymeric cover.

14. A safety device according to claim 13, wherein the flexible polymeric cover comprises polyvinyl chloride sheeting.

15. A safety device substantially as herein described with reference to Figs 1 and 2 or Figs . 3 and 4 of the accompanying drawings .