WO2003075818A2

WO2003075818A2 - Bath lift

Info

Publication number: WO2003075818A2
Application number: PCT/ZA2003/000038
Authority: WO
Inventors: Gordon Basil Nel
Original assignee: Gordon Basil Nel
Priority date: 2002-03-13
Filing date: 2003-03-13
Publication date: 2003-09-18
Also published as: AU2003252822A8; AU2003252822A1; WO2003075818A3

Abstract

This invention provides a bath lift (10) for use inside a bath (12) which has a base (18) which is insertable into the bath and engageable with a floor (14) and opposing inner sidewalls (16A,B) of the bath, parallel linkage (38, 40) which is pivotally attached to the base, a seat (28) which is pivotally connected to the linkage, and a hydraulic cylinder (58, 60) which is pivotally connected to both the base and the seat, which acts between the base and the seat, and which is positioned between the base and the seat.

Description

A LIFTING DEVICE

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a lifting device for use in a bath in order to lower an individual into the bath and to lift the individual out of the bath.

The word "bath" is used herein with reference to any vessel or container used for bathing including a bath tub, a hot tub, a whirlpool bath, Jacuzzi, pool and shower.

It is often difficult for elderly or disabled individuals to lower themselves into and lift themselves out of a bath as they might be too frail to do this or lack the necessary strength. There is also an added fear of slipping and falling. Even with assistance the task of getting into and out of a bath might remain a difficult and dangerous one.

The applicant is aware of various devices available to assist an individual in being lowered into and lifted out of a bath. Although some of these devices might function with success there are various problems associated with these devices.

Available space in a bath and bathroom is at a premium and most of these devices are bulky and take up substantial space either in the bathroom or in the bath itself. These devices are often of a multipart construction with various moveable parts and are often attach to the floor, roof or walls of the bathroom structure or the bath itself. This may cause permanent damage to the building structure or bath. Several of these devices require apertures to be made in the sidewalls or floor of the bath that could result in leakage from the bath. For some devices the whole bath needs to be replaced with a bath that conforms to the device. These factors render these devices and the installation thereof difficult and expensive.

Easy and effective removal of the devices from the bathroom and bath is limited and damage to the bathroom structure or bath is often left. The environment in a bath and bathroom is corrosive and the ideal lifting device should be of robust construction and able to withstand this environment.

As a result of the moist and wet conditions in a bathroom and bath the use of any form of electricity and electric circuits for the operation of a lifting device should be avoided.

International Publication No. WO 01/78570 A1 and equivalent US Patent No. 6,397,409 B1 disclose a bath lift system with a seat which is raised and lowered inside a bath which is custom made for this system. The system requires permanent modifications to an existing bathroom and bath. Holes are made in the sidewalls of the bath through which bars extend, brackets are fixed to the bath and a number of the parts and components of the system are situated outside the bath. This is an example of a lifting device which is bulky, of multipart construction, of permanent nature, requires structural changes to the bathroom and bath and requires apertures through the sidewalls of the bath.

The aim of this invention is to provide an alternative lifting device which might alleviate at least some of the problems associated with prior art lifting devices.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

The invention provides a lifting device for use in a bath which includes a base formation which is insertable into the bath, at least one anchoring formation on the base formation for anchoring the base formation to an inner side of the bath, a linkage arrangement which is pivotally connected to the base formation, a seat member which is pivotally connected to the linkage arrangement and displacement means which acts between the base formation and the seat member for displacing the seat member relatively to the base formation. The base formation may include a horizontal formation which is engageable with a floor of the bath and an upright formation with an upper end and a lower end from which lower end the horizontal formation extends. The horizontal formation and the upright formation may be at an angle of between 100° and 140° relatively to one another. Preferably the angle is 120°.

The anchoring formation may be releasably lockable to the base formation and may be adjustable.

The linkage arrangement guides the movement of the seat member relatively to the base formation and may be connected to the upright formation. The linkage arrangement may include at least one elongate, upper linkage arm and at least one elongate, lower linkage arm which linkage arms are parallel to one another. Preferably the linkage arrangement has a pair of opposing upper linkage arms and a pair of opposing lower linkage arms.

The seat member may include a support frame and a seat attached to the support frame. The support frame and the seat may be integrally formed.

The support frame may include an upright section with a top portion and a bottom portion, and a horizontal section which extends from the bottom portion. The upright section and the horizontal section may be at an angle of between 100° and 140° relatively to one another and preferably are at an angle of 120°.

The linkage arrangement may be pivotally attached to the upright section.

Preferably the base formation and the support frame are complementary shaped.

The seat may include a cover for protection and comfort. The seat may be moveable or rotatable relatively to the support frame. The displacement means is preferably hydraulically operated and may include an elongated sleeve and a piston which is at least partially located inside the sleeve and which is moveable relatively to the sleeve. The sleeve may be pivotally attached to the base formation and the piston may be pivotally attached to the support frame.

A valve member may be connected to the displacement means and to a fluid supply. The valve member may have an inlet position wherein fluid flow from the fluid supply to the displacement means is permitted and an outlet position wherein fluid flow from the displacement means into the bath is permitted. Preferably the valve member is fixed to the seat member.

The invention also extends to a lifting device for use within a bath which includes a base formation which is insertable into the bath and engageable with at least a floor of the bath, a linkage arrangement which is pivotally connected to the base formation, a seat member which is pivotally connected to the linkage arrangement, and hydraulic cylinder means which is connected to both the base formation and the seat member, which acts between the base formation and the seat member and which is positioned between the base formation and the seat member.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention is further described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the lifting device of the invention in a lowered position in a bath;

Figure 2 is a side view from the front of the lifting device of Figure 1 ;

Figure 3 is a side view of the lifting device of Figure 1 on the line 3-3 in Figure 1 ; Figure 4 is a similar side view to the one in Figure 3 except that the lifting device is in a raised position; and

Figure 5 is a view from behind of the lifting device of Figure 4.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Figures 1 to 5 illustrate a lifting device or bath lift 10 which is used in a bath 12 which is shown in dotted outlines.

Only a section of the bath 12 is shown and the bath 12 is of known construction with a floor 14, opposing inner sidewalls 16A, B and inner rear wall 16C.

The bath lift 10 fits into the bath 12 at its shallow end and has a base 18 with a horizontal formation 20 which is engaged with the floor 14 and an upright formation 22 which extents from the horizontal formation 20, a linkage 24 which is pivotally connected to the upright formation 22, a frame 26 which supports a seat or chair 28 and which is also pivotally connected to the linkage 24, and a hydraulic actuator or cylinder 30 which is positioned and operates between the base 18 and the frame 26 in order to move the seat 28 between the lowered position shown in the Figures 1 , 2 and 3 to the raised position shown in Figures 4 and 5.

The horizontal formation 20 has a number of known suction cups 31 , or alternatively rubber pads, to anchor the base 18 to the floor 14 and to prevent damage to the floor 14.

The upright formation 22 has an upper end 32 and a lower end 34 to which the horizontal formation 20 is attached. The upright formation 22 and the horizontal formation 20 are at an angle 36 relatively to one another. The angle 36 may vary between 100° and 140° depending on requirements. In this example the angle 36 is 120° which is the preferred angle 36 established through experimentation. The linkage 24 consists of a set of upper linkage arms 38 and a set of lower linkage arms 40. Each of the upper linkage arms 38 and the lower linkage arms 40 is located at opposite sides of the hydraulic cylinder 30. Only the upper linkage arm 38 and lower linkage arms 40 visible in Figures 3 and 4 are described, the opposing linkage arms 38, 40 being mirror images.

Both linkages arms 38, 40 are elongate, are parallel to one another and are of similar construction. Respective first ends 41 A, B of the respective linkage arms 38, 40 are pivotally connected to the upright formation 22 and respective second ends 42A, B of the linkage arms 38, 40 are pivotally connected to an upright section 44 of the frame 26.

The upright section 44 has a top end 46 and a bottom end 48. A horizontal section 50 extends from the bottom end 48. The upright section 44 and the horizontal section 50 are at an angle 52 relatively to one another. The angle 52 is complementary to the angle 36 and may also vary between 100° and 140° and in this example is 120°.

The first end 41 A of each upper linkage arm 38 is attached to the upright formation 22 at its upper end 32 and the second end 42A of each upper linkage arm 38 is attached to the upright section 44 at a first position 54 which is between the top end 46 and the bottom end 48. The first end 41 B of each lower linkage arm 40 is attached to the upright formation 22 at a second position 56 which is between the upper end 32 and lower end 34 and the second end 42B of each lower linkage arm 40 is attached to the upright section 44 at the bottom end 48.

The seat 28 is of known construction and is attached to the horizontal section 50 by way of a rotation coupling 57 which allows rotation of the seat 28 relatively to the frame 26. Alternatively the seat 28 is fixed in any appropriate manner to the frame 26. The seat 28 has a cover 56 to protect the seat 28 and improve comfort thereof.

The hydraulic cylinder 30 has an elongate sleeve 58 one end of which is pivotally attached to the base 18. A push rod 60 is moveably located inside the sleeve 58 and extends from its second end. The push rod 60 acts as a piston and is pivotally attached to the top end 46 of the upright section 44. The hydraulic cylinder 30 is in other respects of known construction and is not further described herein.

A valve 62 is in fluid communication with the hydraulic cylinder 30 by means of a fluid line 64. The valve 62 has an inlet 66 and outlet 68 and a connection point 70 to which the fluid line 64 is fixed. The inlet 66 is connected to a fluid supply 71 such as the existing plumbing or a tap supplying the bath 12 with water. Alternatively the fluid supply 71 is in the form of compressed air in a compressed air canister or a reservoir. The outlet 68 drains directly into the bath 12. The valve 62 is attached to the frame 26, or alternatively to the seat 28, in order to be within easy reach of a user (not shown) seated on the seat 28, whether the seat 28 is in the raised or lowered position.

The valve 62 is adjustable between a first position wherein fluid 73 supplied to the inlet 66 flows to the hydraulic cylinder 30 via the fluid line 64, a second position wherein the valve 62 is closed and no flow of fluid 73 takes place and a third position wherein fluid 73 within the hydraulic cylinder 30 is dispelled there from through the outlet 68 into the bath 12. The valve 62 is in other respect of know construction.

An elongate cross member 72 is fixed to the upright formation 22. From each end 74 of the cross member 72 a shaft 76 extends telescopically. A rubber end stop 78 is attached to a leading end 80 of each shaft 76. At each respective end 74 the cross o member 72 has a fastener 82 in the form of a nut and bolt combination to lock the shaft 76 relatively to the cross member 72.

The base 18, frame 26, linkage 24, hydraulic cylinder 30, cross member 72 and valve 62 are made from rustproof materials such as stainless steel or hardened plastics materials. The seat 28 is made from any appropriate plastics material or fibreglass. The cover 56 is made from foam rubber alternatively from any appropriate waterproof woven material. The fluid line 64 is made from any appropriate flexible tubing which can withstand the relevant fluid pressures.

In order to fit the bath lift 10 to the bath 12 the bath lift 10 is placed inside the bath 12 at any appropriate location. In this example the bath lift 10 is placed at the shallow end of the bath 12 so that the horizontal formation 20 rests on the floor 14 and is anchored to the floor 14 by means of the suction caps 31. The length which each respective shaft 76 extends from the cross member 74 is adjusted and each respective end stop 78 is brought into contact with the respective opposing inner side walls 16A, B and locked in position by means of the fasteners 82. As it is standard for the sidewalls 16A, B to taper downwardly and towards the rear wall 16C, the base 18 is in this manner anchored to the inner side of the bath 12, without the need of any structural changes to the bath 12 or bathroom structure, so that movement of the base 18 relatively to the bath 12 is restricted. The inlet 66 is connected to a cold water tap (not shown) which forms part of the existing plumbing to the bath 12.

In order to raise the seat 28 to the raised position the valve 62 is moved to its first position. The fluid 73 and pressure from the fluid supply 71 is sufficient to actuate the hydraulic cylinder 30 and the push rod 60 is expelled, in a known manner, from the sleeve 58. This movement causes the frame 26 and seat 28 to be displaced from the lowered position to the raised position. The linkage 24 keeps the seat 28 level and ensures relative vertical movement of the seat 28 relatively to the base 18. As the frame 26 and seat 28 are raised the hydraulic cylinder 30 and linkage 24 move relatively to both the base 18 and frame 26. This relative movement as well as the angles 36, 52 result in a cam action between the base 18 and frame 26. A relatively small amount of fluid pressure is therefore required to retain the seat 28 in the raised position. The valve 62 is now moved to the second closed position to maintain pressure in the hydraulic cylinder 30.

Depending on requirements the relative height between the lowered position and the raised position can be varied by varying the length of the upright formation 22, the linkage 24 and the hydraulic cylinder 30. In the raised position the seat 28 is either level or slightly higher than an upper edge 90 of the bath 12.

A user is positioned on the seat 28 in this raised position and the user's legs are swung into the bath 12. While remaining in this seated position the valve 62 is moved to the third position. As a result of downward force exerted on the push rod 60, fluid 73 in the sleeve 58 is expelled from the sleeve 58 and into the bath 12 through the outlet 68. By manipulating the valve 62 the rate of descent of the seat 28 is controlled. As a safety precaution the outlet 68 has a restrictor 92 to restrict the flow rate of the fluid 73 through the outlet 68. In this manner the user is lowered into the bath and once the seat 28 is in the lowered position the user can bath or be bathed.

In order to lift the user out of the bath 12 the valve 62 is moved to the first position and the seat 28 is moved from the lowered position to the raised position in the manner described. Once in the raised position the user's legs are swung out of the bath 12 and the user can move from the seat 28. The rotation of the seat 28 on the rotation coupling 54 makes it easier for a user to be seated on and disembark from the seat 28. Depending on requirements the seat 28 and frame 26 can be integrally formed.

The bath lift 10 can be retrofitted to any existing bath 12 and bathroom structure (not shown) with relative ease. The complementary shape of the base 18 and frame 26 results in space saving and the space requirement for the linkage 24 and hydraulic cylinder 30 is relatively small.

The positioning of the linkage 24 on the upright formation 22 and upright section 44 as well as the positioning of the hydraulic cylinder 30 on the base 18 and to the upper end 46 are important as these allow for relatively large displacement of the seat 28 relatively to the base 18 at a relatively small hydraulic pressure. The cam action as a result of the linkage 24 and hydraulic cylinder 30 also assists in the displacement of the seat 28 with relatively small hydraulic pressure requirements.

The specification of the hydraulic cylinder 30 is varied in a known manner depending on requirements such as the displacement height, displacement weight and, available fluid pressure.

The bath lift 10 is easy to remove from the bath 12 and permanent damage to the bathroom structure and bath is reduced. The bath lift 10 is also compact and can easily be stored, transported, reused and used at different locations.

If the fluid supply 71 is in the form of a compressed air canister the bath lift 10 can function as a self contained unit.

Claims

1. A lifting device (10) for use in a bath (12) which includes a base formation (18) which is insertable into the bath, at least one anchoring formation (14, 72,76,78) on the base formation for anchoring the base formation to an inner side (14, 16A, B) of the bath, a linkage arrangement (24) which is pivotally connected to the base formation, a seat member (26, 28) which is pivotally connected to the linkage arrangement and displacement means (30) which acts between the base formation and the seat member for displacing the seat member relatively to the base formation.

2. A device according to claim 1 characterised therein that the base formation includes a horizontal formation (20) which is engageable with a floor (14) of the bath.

3. A device according to claim 2 characterised therein that the base formation includes an upright formation (22) with an upper end (32) and a lower end (34) from which lower end the horizontal formation extends.

4. A device according to claim 3 characterised therein that the horizontal formation and the upright formation are at an angle (36) of between 100° and 140° relatively to one another.

5. A device according to claim 4 characterised therein that the angle is 120°.

6. A device according to claim 3, 4 or 5 characterised therein that the linkage arrangement is connected to the upright formation.

7. A device according to any one of claims 1 to 6 characterised therein that the anchoring formation (72, 76, 78) is releasably lockable to the base formation.

8. A device according to any one of claims 1 to 7 characterised therein that the anchoring formation (72, 76, 78) is adjustable.

9. A device according to any one of claims 1 to 8 characterised therein that the linkage arrangement includes at least one elongate, upper linkage arm (38) and at least one elongate, lower linkage arm (40) which linkage arms are parallel to one another.

10. A device according to any one of claims 1 to 9 characterised therein that the seat member includes a support frame (26) and a seat (28) attached to the support frame.

11. A device according to claim 10 characterised therein that the support frame includes an upright section (44) with a top portion (46) and a bottom portion (48), and a horizontal section (50) which extends from the bottom portion.

12. A device according to claim 11 characterised therein that the upright section and the horizontal section are at an angle (52) of between 100° and 140° relatively to one another.

13. A device according to claim 12 characterised therein that angle is 120°.

14. A device according to any one of claims 11 to 13 characterised therein that the linkage arrangement is pivotally attached to the upright section.

15. A device according to any one of claims 10 to 14 characterised therein that the base formation and the support frame are complementary in shape to each other.

16. A device according to any one of claims 10 to 15 characterised therein that the seat includes a cover (56).

17. A device according to any one of the claims 10 to 16 characterised therein that the seat is moveable relatively to the support frame.

18. A device according to claim 17 characterised therein that the seat is rotatable relatively to the support frame.

19. A device according to any one of claims 1 to 18 characterised therein that the displacement means is hydraulically operated.

20. A device according to any one of claims 1 to 19 characterised therein that the displacement means includes an elongated sleeve (58) and a piston (60) which is at least partially located inside the sleeve and which is moveable relatively to the sleeve.

21. A device according to claim 20 characterised therein that the sleeve is pivotally attached to the base formation and the piston is pivotally attached to the support frame.

22. A device according to any one of claims 1 to 21 characterised in a valve member (62) which is connected to the displacement means and to a fluid supply (71).

23. A device according to claim 22 characterised therein that the valve member has an inlet position wherein fluid flow from the fluid supply to the displacement means is permitted and an outlet position wherein fluid flow from the displacement means into the bath is permitted.

24. A device according to claim 22 characterised therein that the valve member is fixed to the seat member.

5. A bath lift (10) for use within a bath (12) which includes a base formation (18) which is insertable into the bath and engageable with at least a floor (14) of the bath, a linkage arrangement (24) which is pivotally connected to the base formation, a seat member (26, 28) which is pivotally connected to the linkage arrangement, and hydraulic cylinder means (30) which is connected to both the base formation and the seat member and which acts between the base formation and the seat member, characterised therein that the hydraulic cylinder means is positioned between the base formation and the seat member.