WO2007105003A1

WO2007105003A1 - Apparatus for assisting a person to dress himself or herself

Info

Publication number: WO2007105003A1
Application number: PCT/GB2007/000947
Authority: WO
Inventors: Cintra Jaggan-Vince
Original assignee: Cintra Jaggan-Vince
Priority date: 2006-03-16
Filing date: 2007-03-16
Publication date: 2007-09-20
Also published as: GB2448853B; GB2448853A; GB0816283D0; GB0605368D0

Abstract

Apparatus (2) for assisting a person (4) to dress himself or herself with an item of clothing (6) which hangs from the waist, which apparatus (2) comprises a first clip (8) for clipping to a right side of the item of clothing, a second clip (12) for clipping to a left side of the item of clothing (6) , and a pull member (16) , the first and second clips (8,12) each comprise a grip-increasing arrangement (3S) which causes their jaws (26,30) to grip the item of clothing (6) more tightly than when the jaws (26,30) are closed just by their spring biasing means (35) .

Description

APPARATUS FOR ASSISTING A PERSON TO DRESS HIMSELF OR HERSELF

This invention relates to apparatus for assisting a person to dress himself or herself and, more especially, this invention relates to apparatus for assisting a person to dress himself or herself with an item of clothing which hangs from the waist.

Elderly persons often have difficulty in dressing themselves. The elderly persons may have particular difficulty in dressing themselves with items of clothing intended for wear below waist level. Apparatus for enabling persons to put on their socks, stockings, shoes and slippers already exists. There is a need for apparatus for helping the persons with other items of clothing which are worn below waist level and, in particular, with items of clothing which hang from the person waist.

It is an aim of the present invention to provide the above mentioned required apparatus.

Accordingly, in one non-limiting embodiment of the present invention there is provided apparatus for assisting a person to dress himself or herself with an item of clothing which hangs from the waist, which apparatus comprises a first clip for clipping to a right side of the item of clothing, a second clip for clipping to a left side of the item of clothing, and a pull member, and the apparatus being such that the first and second clips are able to be clipped to the right and left sides of the item of clothing whilst holding the item of clothing at a position which is comfortable for the person, whereafter the item of clothing can be dropped to feet level whilst holding an end of the pull member farthest from the first and second clips, whereafter the person can step into the item of clothing and pull it up by pulling on the pull member, and whereafter the person can release the first and second clips from the item of clothing, characterised in that the first and second clips each comprise a pair of arms which are pivotally connected together by a first pivot, a pair of jaws, spring biasing means for biasing the jaws to a closed position in which the jaws grip the item of clothing, and a grip- increasing arrangement positioned between the first pivot and ends of the arms farthest from the jaws, the arms are such that they extend away from the first pivot in a direction away from the jaws for a distance which enables the person easily to squeeze the arms together to open the clip, and the grip-increasing arrangement being such that when it is pulled in a direction away from the jaws and towards the ends of the arms farthest from the jaws then the grip-increasing arrangement causes the jaws to grip the item of clothing more tightly than when the jaws are closed just by the spring biasing means.

The apparatus of the present invention can easily be used. The first and the second clips can be secured to the item of clothing, usually to a waist band of the item of clothing, whilst the person is in a comfortable position. Thus, for example, the person might be seated and have the item of clothing in his or her lap for the purpose of attaching the clips. Alternatively, for example, the person may prefer to stand and have the item of clothing resting on a table for the purpose of attaching the first and second clips. Thereafter, the item of clothing can be dropped to feet level, the person can step into the item of clothing, and then the item of clothing can be pulled up to waist height with minimum effort and inconvenience caused to the person. Thereafter, it is simply necessary to release the first and the second clips from the item of clothing. This is easily effected because the first and second clips will be at a convenient height, for example at or near waist height, and the first and second clips are constructed for easy operation. The apparatus is then ready for re-use at another time, or it can be used at the same time to assist the person in dressing himself or herself with another item of clothing. Thus, for example, the apparatus may be used twice in short succession, firstly to help a person pull on their underpants, and then secondly to help the person to pull on their trousers. When a person is taking off an item of clothing, the person may prefer to attach the first and the second clips to the item of clothing, for example to the waist band of the item of clothing, before taking off the item of clothing. The clips will thus already be attached to the item of clothing if it is to be worn again the next day.

The apparatus of the present invention is especially advantageous in that the arms extend rearwardly away from the first pivot for a distance which enables the person easily to squeeze the arms together to open their clip. Thus the first and the second clips are each able to be operated with a single simple gentle squeezing action. Such an action will be especially appreciated by elderly persons with fingers which are not as strong and agile as they were, for example due to arthritis. The apparatus of the present invention is also especially advantageous in that when the item of clothing is being pulled on, then pulling on the grip-increasing arrangement causes the jaws to grip the item of clothing more tightly than when the jaws are closed just by the spring-biasing means. Thus the jaws will not pull off the item of clothing due to a person using excessive pulling strength. Also, very advantageously, the spring-biasing means does not have to be such that it causes the jaws to grip with such a force that they are able to stay in position even with excessive pulling strength. If the spring-biasing means were to be such that it would always provide sufficient grip to resist even excessive pulling, then the spring-biasing means would need to be so strong that difficulty would be encountered in squeezing the pair of arms together to open the jaws. With the use of the grip-increasing arrangement, the spring- biasing means can be weaker than would be required without the grip- increasing arrangement, because the grip-increasing arrangement is able to operate only when required, that is when the item of clothing is being pulled on. Once the item of clothing is appropriately located in position, the pulling force on the grip-increasing arrangement ceases. The normal gripping force exerted by the spring-biasing means maintains its clip on the item of clothing. When it is desired to remove the clip from the item of clothing, the arms can simply be squeezed together and it is only necessary for the person doing the squeezing to overcome the force exerted by the spring- biasing means. Thus the clip is able to be released with a gentle squeezing action which is especially appreciated by persons whose grip is not as strong as it was. The apparatus can be constructed such that the first and the second clips are able to be released from the item of clothing with minimum pressure and strength, whilst achieving automatic closure due to the spring biasing means. The clips are able to be constructed as easy-to- open and automatic closure mechanisms, requiring little effort to open the jaws for clip removal. The grip-increasing arrangement ensures that the clips stay securely in position when pulling up items of clothing, irrespective of the force of the pull being employed.

The item of clothing may be any suitable and appropriate item of clothing including trousers, underpants, pyjama bottoms, waist slips, and shorts for outside use.

The apparatus may be one in which the grip-increasing arrangement comprises a second pivot on a first one of the arms, a first link member connected at a first end to the second pivot, a third pivot on a second one of the arms, a second link member connected at a first end to the third pivot, and a fourth pivot connecting together a second end of the first link member and a second end of the second link member, and the grip-increasing arrangement being such that pulling from the fourth pivot towards the free ends of the arms causes the jaws to grip the item of clothing more tightly.

The apparatus may be one in which the first clip is attached to a first end of a first attachment member, in which a second end of the first attachment member is attached to the pull member, in which the second clip is attached to a first end of a second attachment member, and in which a second end of the second attachment member is attached to the pull member.

The apparatus may be one in which the second ends of the first and second attachment members are directly attached to the pull member. This direct attaching may be effected by, for example, stitching. Alternatively, the apparatus may be one in which the second ends of the first and second attachment members are indirectly attached to the pull member via a D- hoop connecting member. The use of such a D-hoop connecting member enables the first and second attachment members to be pivotally attached to the pull member and this may be advantageous in enabling the first and second attachment members to extend at different angles as may be required for clipping on the right and left sides of different items of clothing. The D-hoop connecting member may be replaced by other attachment members giving the pivotal connection.

Usually, the apparatus will be one in which the first and second clips are the same as each other. If desired however the first and the second clips may be different from each other.

Advantageously, the pull member is constructed to be of such a length that when the end of the pull member is gripped by one hand of the person then the item of clothing is able to be pulled up to a height at which the person can grip the item of clothing simply by the person pulling with their said one hand on the end of the pull member and without their said one hand having to be raised above their head. Preferably, the first and the second pull members are straps. The flexibility of the straps enables them easily to be used as pull members and easily to be folded for storage. The straps may be made of webbing or any other suitable and appropriate material. Other types of first and second pull members may be employed including rigid pull members such for example as rods.

The clips may be made of metal, or they may be made of other materials such for example as plastics materials.

The apparatus may be one in which the pull member has a longitudinally extending pocket, and in which the apparatus includes a rigid elongate member which locates in the pocket and which is for use by the person in dressing himself or herself. The rigid elongate member may be used to locate the item of clothing at the person's feet in order to facilitate the person putting their feet into the item of clothing. Alternatively, the rigid elongate member may be used to guide the item of clothing as it is being pulled up the person's legs. The rigid elongate member may also be used with advantage for pushing down the item of clothing when the person is undressing.

The rigid elongate member preferably has a pronged end. The pronged end may be a forked end or a U-shaped end.

The rigid elongate member is preferably made of a plastics material but other materials may be employed. Thus, for example, if the rigid elongate member is made of a metal, then aluminium may be employed. The rigid elongate member may be solid or tubular. The end of the pull member farthest from the first and second clips may be in the form of a loop. The loop may be a fixed loop. Alternatively, the loop may be an adjustable loop. The loop may be made adjustable by the use of a buckle or other appropriate device. With an adjustable loop, the loop can be tightened around the person's wrist during use of the apparatus, in order to ensure that the apparatus does not fall off the person's wrist.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described solely by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a front view of first apparatus in use for assisting a person to dress himself or herself with an item of clothing which hangs from the waist;

Figure 2 is a side view showing in more detail one of the clips used in Figure 1 ;

Figure 3 is a front view of second apparatus in use for assisting a person to dress himself or herself with an item of clothing which hangs from the waist;

Figure 4 is a front view of third apparatus for assisting a person to dress himself or herself with an item of clothing which hangs from the waist;

Figure 5 shows the third apparatus of Figure 4 in use; and

Figure 6 shows an alternative elongate member to that shown in Figure 5.

Referring to Figures 1, 2 and 3 there is shown apparatus 2 for assisting a person 4 to dress himself or herself with an item of clothing 6 which hangs from the waist. The apparatus 2 comprises a first clip 8 for clipping to a right side 10 of the item of clothing, 6, a second clip 12 for clipping to a left side 14 of the item of clothing 6, and a pull member 16. As is shown in Figure 1 , the first and second clips 8, 12 clip to a waist part 18 of the item of clothing 6. As is also shown in Figure 1 , the item of clothing 6 is in the form of a pair short trousers.

The apparatus 2 is such that the first and second clips 8, 12 are able to be clipped to the right and left sides of the item of clothing 6 whilst holding the item of clothing 6 at a position which is comfortable for the person 4. The person 4 may, for example, be seated, with the item of clothing 6 being held on their lap.

When the first and second clips 8, 12 have been clipped to the waist part 18 of the item of clothing 6, then the item of clothing 6 can be dropped to feet level, whilst the person 4 holds an end 20 of the pull member 16. The end 20 is the end of the pull member 16 that is farthest from the first and second clips 8, 12. The person can then step into the item of clothing 6 and pull the item of clothing 6 up to waist height by pulling on the pull member 16. When the item of clothing 6 has been pulled to waist height and fastened if appropriate, then the person 4 can release the first and second clips 6, 12 from the item of clothing 6. The apparatus 2 is then ready to be used to help put on another item of clothing if required, for example a pair of long trousers (not shown) following a pair of underpants (not shown). Alternatively, the apparatus 2 is ready to be used on another occasion for . the same item of clothing 6, or for a different item of clothing. The pull member 16 is constructed to be of such a length that when the end 20 of the pull member 16 is gripped by one hand 22 of the person 4, then the item of clothing 6 is able to be pulled up to a height at which the person 4 can grip the item of clothing 6 simply by the person 4 pulling with their said one hand 22 on the end 20 of the pull member 16 and without their said one hand 22 having to be raised above their head 24. Thus the pull member 16 is constructed to be of a length which is convenient for use for the intended purpose of the apparatus 2, namely assisting the person 4 to dress himself or herself with the item of clothing 4 which hangs from the person's waist.

The first and the second clips 8, 12 are the same as each other. The pull member 16 is in the form of a strap. The strap is made of webbing.

The precise construction of the first clip 8 is shown in more detail in Figures 3. The second clip 12 has the same construction as the first clip 8. As can be seen from Figure 2, the clip 8 has a first jaw 26 which is integrally formed with an arm 28 and is fixed thereto. A second jaw 30 is pivotally connected by a first pivot 31 to an arm 33. The first and the second jaws 26, 30 may have studs 34 for clamping between them the item of clothing 4. The studs 34 may alternatively be teeth if desired. Figure 2 shows the first and the second jaws 26, 30 in a closed position caused by spring biasing means in the form of a spring 35. When the arms 28, 33 are squeezed, then the first and the second jaws 26, 30 move to an open position against pressure from the spring 35. When the arms 28, 33 are released, then the first and second jaws 26, 30 automatically return to their closed position, under the action of the spring 35.

As can be seen from Figure 2, the clip 8 has a grip-increasing arrangement 36 positioned between the first pivot 31 and ends 38, 40 of the arms 28, 33 farthest from the jaws 26, 30. The grip-increasing arrangement 36 is such that when it is pulled in a direction from the jaws 26, 30 towards the ends 38, 40 of the arms 28, 33 then the grip-increasing arrangement 36 causes the jaws to grip the item of clothing 4 more tightly than when the jaws 26, 30 are closed just by the spring 35.

The grip-increasing arrangement 36 comprises a second pivot 42 on the first arm 28, and a first link member 44 connected at a first end 46 to the second pivot 42. The grip-increasing arrangement 36 also comprises a third pivot 46 on the second arm 33. A second link member 48 is connected at a first end 50 to the third pivot 46. A fourth pivot 52 connects together a second end 54 of the first link member 44 and a second end 56 of the second link member 48.

As can be seen in Figure 2, the first clip 8 is attached to a first end 58 of a first attachment member 60. As can be appreciated from Figure 1 , the second clip 12 has a first end which is attached to a second attachment member 62. The attachment members 60, 62 form part of the pull member 16.

Referring to Figure 2, when the first attachment member 60 is pulled in the above mentioned direction from the jaws 26, 30 towards the ends 38, 40 of the arms 28, 33, then the fourth pivot 52 tries to move in the direction of the pulling. This causes the first and second link members 44, 48 to try and open, thereby forcing the ends 38, 40 of the arms 28, 33 apart. This in turn causes the jaws 26, 30 to try and pivot about the first pivot 31 and thereby grip more tightly the item of clothing 4. Thus pulling up the item of clothing 4 causes the jaws 26, 30 to grip the item of clothing 4 with a force which is increased due to the pulling, and which ensures that the item of clothing 4 will always be securely gripped irrespective of the strength of the pull. Thus, advantageously, the clip 8 will never normally be pulled off the item of clothing 4. Also, advantageously, because of the increased grip provided by the grip-increasing arrangement 36, the spring 35 does not have to be made of excessive strength. The spring 35 can be chosen to be of a strength which causes the first clip 8 to grip the item of clothing securely but not with such an excessive force that it would be difficult to overcome the pressure of the spring 35 when squeezing the ends 38, 40 of the arms 28, 33. The clip 8 is able to be operated such that the spring 35 is not required to exert excessive force and it therefore offers little resistance to the effort required to open the jaws 26, 30 by squeezing the ends 28, 40 together. Thus the clip 8 is able to operate with a simple and gentle squeezing action. The clip 8 is able to be opened easily, requiring minimum pressure and strength to open it. The spring 35 causes automatic closing. The harder the pull on the grip-increasing arrangement 36 via the first attachment member 60, the stronger the grip provided by the jaws 26, 30. Figure 1 shows how the end 20 of the pull member 16 is formed to have a loop 36. The loop 36 may be formed by stitching or other fixing means.

Figure 3 shows second apparatus 64 which is like the apparatus 2. Similar parts have been given the same reference numerals for ease of comparison and understanding. In Figure 3, the loop 36 is adjustable in size by means of a buckle 66. A D-hoop 68 may be used to connect the first and second attachment members 60, 62 to a main body part 70 of the pull member 16.

Figure 4 shows third apparatus 72 of the present invention. The apparatus 72 is like the apparatus 64 and similar parts have been given the same reference numerals for ease of comparison and understanding. In Figure 4, the body 70 has been provided with a pocket 74 having a mouth 76. The pocket 74 extends along the length of the body 70 and is able to receive part of a rigid elongate member 78. The rigid elongate member 78 is for use by the person 4 dressing himself or herself. The member 78 has a rod portion 80 which extends substantially the length of the pocket 74. When the rod portion 80 is in the pocket 74, the rod portion 80 makes the body 70 rigid so that the apparatus 72 can be held out in front of the person 4 and thereby reduce the need for the person 4 to bend at their neck. The rod portion 80 has a double hooked end 82 which is able to locate in the loop 36 of the apparatus 72. Thus the member 78 is able, to act as an extension member for picking up items of clothing and/or helping to avoid a person having to bend more than is desired. Figure 5 shows a person 84 using the member 78. As can be seen from Figure 5, the end of the rod portion 80 remote from the double hooked end 82 is provided with a loop 86 for fitting around a wrist 88 of the person 84. The apparatus 72 is shown in Figure 5 as being used for pulling on an item of clothing 6 in the form of a pair of pants.

Figure 6 shows a member 90 which is like the member 78 and similar parts have been given the same reference numerals for ease of comparison and understanding. The member 90 has a body portion 80 which comprises extension sections 92, 94, 96. These extension sections 92, 94, 96 may be telescopic, or they may be attached to each other by screwing, a push friction fit, a bayonet action, or any other suitable and appropriate fixing action.

As can be seen from the drawings giving various examples of the apparatus of the present invention, the apparatus of the present invention is able to be operated with a single hand. The apparatus of the invention will be especially useful for persons who may only have the functional use of only one arm, due to the effects of a stroke. The person is able to step into an appropriate item of clothing and pull it up, without having to bend. The user can sit and reach to pull up an item of clothing without bending. If desired, the person 4 may prefer to lie down when using the apparatus of the invention. The apparatus of the invention generally enables a user to pull on items of clothing which hang from the waist without the assistance of others. A user without a strong grip is able to pull on the items of clothing without fear that they will drop the apparatus because of the presence of the loop 36. The person can also remove the item of clothing with the use of one hand, with the clips operating easily and with minimum pressure.

The apparatus of the present invention may be of a special benefit to persons recovering from hip replacement surgery, because flexion of the thigh towards the chest is restricted. The apparatus of the present invention may also benefit individuals with back pain, persons with post-abdominal surgery, persons who may be unstable on their feet, and heavily pregnant women. The apparatus may reduce the risk of tripping up and falling during the act of pulling up items of clothing which hang from the waist.

The apparatus of the present invention may be produced to be lightweight and washable. The use of the member 62 is especially advantageous in helping to remove without bending items of clothing which hang from the waist. In removing an item of clothing, the person can stand, sit or lie as may be appropriate, all without having to bend. Removed items of clothing can easily be retrieved from feet level without bending.

It is to be appreciated that the embodiments of the invention described above with reference to the accompanying drawings have been given by way of example only and that modifications may be effected. Thus, for example, the item of clothing 4 may be other than the short trousers shown. The first and second clips 8, 12 and the pull member 16 may be of a different design to those shown. If desired, the apparatus of the present invention may be such that it has two ends remote from the clips, the two ends being for being held one in each hand of the person operating the apparatus. The two ends will usually be of the same shape but they may be of different shapes if desired.

Claims

1. Apparatus for assisting a person to dress himself or herself with an item of clothing which hangs from the waist, which apparatus comprises a first clip for clipping to a right side of the item of clothing, a second clip for clipping to a left side of the item of clothing, and a pull member, and the apparatus being such that the first and second clips are able to be clipped to the right and left sides of the item of clothing whilst holding the item of clothing at a position which is comfortable for the person, whereafter the item of clothing can be dropped to feet level whilst holding an end of the pull member farthest from the first and second clips, whereafter the person can step into the item of clothing and pull it up by pulling on the pull member, and whereafter the person can release the first and second clips from the item of clothing, characterised in that the first and second clips each comprise a pair of arms which are pivotally connected together by a first pivot, a pair of jaws, spring biasing means for biasing the jaws to a closed position in which the jaws grip the item of clothing, and a grip-increasing arrangement positioned between the first pivot and ends of the arms farthest from the jaws, the arms are such that they extend away from the first pivot in a direction away from the jaws for a distance which enables the person easily to squeeze the arms together to open the clip, and the grip-increasing arrangement being such that when it is pulled in a direction away from the jaws and towards the ends of the arms farthest from the jaws then the grip- increasing arrangement causes the jaws to grip the item of clothing more tightly than when the jaws are closed just by the spring biasing means.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which the grip-increasing arrangement comprises a second pivot on a first one of the arms, a first link member connected at a first end to the second pivot, a third pivot on a second one of the arms, a second link member connected at a first end to the third pivot, and a fourth pivot connecting together a second end of the first link member and a second end of the second link member, and the grip- increasing arrangement being such that pulling from the fourth pivot towards the free ends of the arms causes the jaws to grip the item of clothing more tightly.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2 in which the first clip is attached to a first end of a first attachment member, in which a second end of the first attachment member is attached to the pull member, in which the second clip is attached to a first end of a second attachment member, and in which a second end of the second attachment member is attached to the pull member.

4. Apparatus according to claim 3 in which the second ends of the first and second attachment members are directly attached to the pull member.

5. Apparatus according to claim 3 in which the second ends of the first and second attachment members are indirectly attached to the pull member via a D-hoop connecting member.

6. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims in which the first and second clips are the same as each other.

7. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims in which the pull member is of such a length that when the end of the pull member is gripped by one hand of the person then the item of clothing is able to be pulled up to a height at which the person can grip the item of clothing simply by the person pulling with their said one hand on the end of the pull member and without their said one hand having to be raised above their head.

8. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims in which the pull member is a strap.

9. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims in which the pull member has a longitudinally extending pocket, and in which the apparatus includes a rigid elongate member which located in the pocket and which is for use by the person in dressing himself or herself.

10. Apparatus according to claim 9 in which the rigid member has a pronged end.

11. Apparatus according to claim 10 in which the pronged end a forked end or a U-shaped end.

12. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims in which the end of the pull member farthest from the first and second clips is in the form of a loop.

13. Apparatus according to claim 12 in which the loop is a fixed loop.

14. Apparatus according to claim 12 in which the loop is an adjustable loop.