WO2012153088A1

WO2012153088A1 - A mobile toilet facility

Info

Publication number: WO2012153088A1
Application number: PCT/GB2012/000420
Authority: WO
Inventors: Cusack Arthur Gordon
Original assignee: Cusack Arthur Gordon
Priority date: 2011-05-10
Filing date: 2012-05-09
Publication date: 2012-11-15
Also published as: GB201107711D0; GB2490871A

Abstract

A self contained mobile toilet facility comprises a wheeled chassis having an upper body mounted thereon. A toilet bowl is provided on the upper body, and the upper body is vertically moveable relative to the wheeled chassis. Actuator means and guide means act between the upper body and the wheeled chassis, to raise and lower the upper body and to guide vertical movement, The toilet bowl has at least one inlet connectable via a pump to a cleansing liquid supply tank and a waste outlet connected to a waste tank, these tanks being mounted on the wheeled chassis. The toilet bowl may be provided with a removable cover slidably mounted on the upper body. A mattress for a bed, the mattress having a cut-out which opens to one side thereof in order to receive the upper body of the self contained mobile toilet facility.

Description

A MOBILE TOILET FACILITY

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a mobile toilet facility that can be brought into a convenient location relative to a bed so as to permit invalids or bed bound patients to attend to the elimination of body wastes.

Background of the Invention

Hospital beds with toilet facilities are known. These beds aim to dignify the process by which bed ridden patients attend to the normal bodily functions whilst remaining in their beds. US Patent No. 3,922,735 discloses a hospital bed with a flushing toilet bowl arranged underneath the bed. The bed is provided with a cleaning water supply tank and waste tank and air drying system. US Patent No. 4,631 ,762 describes a bed with a removable section of mattress which slides laterally to expose a waste receiver, or toilet bowl mounted underneath the bed. The bowl may be raised for use and is connected to a domestic sewer or holding tank and to a water supply from a tank or pressurized domestic supply. US Patent No. 4,677,700 also discloses a hospital bed with a built-in toilet facility in which a centre portion of a mattress is removed. The waste receiver is in the form of a specially shaped disposable diaper funnel which is connectable to a waste disposal tank, a water supply cleaning the user and an air supply for drying the user. US Patent No. 3,757,355 discloses a bed with a drain facility and mobile waste collection cart which is wheeled beneath the bed to collect waste piped from the drain.

The present invention advantageously provides a self contained mobile toilet facility which is separate from a bed and which is for use in co-operation with the bed, with minimum disturbance to a patient on the bed.

Summary of the Invention

According to a first aspect, there is provided a self contained mobile toilet facility comprising a wheeled chassis having an upper body mounted on the wheeled chassis, the upper body being vertically moveable relative to the wheeled chassis with slide means acting between the wheeled chassis and the upper body to guide vertical movement of the upper body relative to the wheeled chassis, and actuator means also acting between the wheeled chassis and the upper body for raising and lowering the upper body relative to the wheeled chassis; a toilet bowl being provided on the upper body and having at least one inlet connectable via a respective pump to a cleansing liquid supply tank and a waste outlet connected to a waste tank, the cleansing liquid supply tank and waste tank each being mounted on the wheeled chassis.

In an embodiment, the upper body is above the wheeled chassis and is substantially aligned with the wheeled chassis, the guide means and actuator means being located at one end of the wheeled chassis, so that the self contained mobile toilet facility is substantially in the form of a U on its side, the wheeled chassis in use passing under a bed and the upper body passing over the frame of the bed.

The distal end face of the upper body, away from said one end , may have sensors thereon to sense when the facility is in the correct location for use.

The toilet bowl may be provided with a removable cover. The removable cover may be slidably mounted on the upper body for movement along the upper body towards and away from said one end. The actuator means may comprise a screw threaded strut rotatably mounted on one of the wheeled chassis and the upper body and engaging a nut mounted on the other of the wheeled chassis and the upper body, the screw threaded strut being rotated by an electric motor. In an example, the electric motor is a DC motor supplied with power by batteries also mounted on the wheeled chassis. The guide means may comprise at least two telescopic tubes, one being slidable in the other, with one being mounted on the wheeled chassis and the other being mounted on the upper body. A separate bowl cleansing liquid supply tank may be connected to the inlet.

A source of air flow may also be connected to the bowl. The air flow may then be reversible so as to act as an odour extraction system to extract odour from the toilet bowl. The waste outlet may be connected to the waste tank via a macerator and respective pump.

The inflow of cleansing liquids to the toilet bowl and the outflow of waste from the toilet bowl may be controlled by a programmable control unit operated by a keypad. The key pad may be a remote key pad or may be a key pad mounted on the upper body. The keypad may supply direct command input signals to a programmable microprocessor which forms part of a control for operation of the self contained mobile toilet facility.

In an embodiment, the cleansing liquid supply tank and waste tank are arranged side by side on the wheeled chassis and are readily detachable from and connectable to conduits connected to the toilet bowl.

The cleansing liquid supply tank may be provided with a heater to heat the liquid to approximately body temperature, for user comfort. According to a second aspect, there is provided a mattress for a bed for a bed in which the mattress has a cut-out which opens to one side thereof in order to receive the upper body of a self contained mobile toilet facility according to the first aspect. The cut-out may be filled at least in part by an inflatable portion which is deflated to allow the upper body to be placed in the bed area. The inflated portion may be covered by a removable portion of the mattress. Brief Description of the Drawings

For a better understanding of the invention and to show how the same may be carried into effect, there will now be described by way of example only, specific embodiments, methods and processes according to the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 shows a self contained mobile toilet facility having an upper body and a toilet bowl provided on the upper body;

Fig. 2 shows the self contained mobile toilet facility of Fig. 7, with the toilet bowl of the upper body exposed;

Fig. 3 illustrates controls and a supply system for the self contained mobile toilet facility of Figs. 1 and 2;

Fig. 4 shows a first view of a mattress having a cut-out in order to receive the upper body of the self contained mobile toilet facility of Figs. 1 to 3,

Fig. 5 shows a second view of the mattress of Fig. 4;

Figs. 6-9 illustrate steps in a method of use of the self contained mobile toilet facility of Figs. 1 to 3 in co-operation with the mattress of Figs. 4 and 5; and Fig. 70 is a flow chart showing a series of operational steps in a control sequence for use of the self contained mobile toilet facility of Figs. 1 to 3.

Detailed Description

There will now be described by way of example a specific mode contemplated by the inventor. In the following description numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding. It will be apparent however, to one skilled in the art, that the present invention may be practiced without limitation to these specific details. In other instances, well known methods and structures have not been described in detail so as not to unnecessarily obscure the description. With reference to Figs. 1 and 2, there is shown a self contained mobile toilet facility 10 comprising a ground standing chassis 11 which is mounted on wheels or casters 12. An upper body 13 is mounted above the wheeled chassis 11 and substantially in alignment therewith. The upper body 13 is vertically moveable relative to the wheeled chassis 11 with slide means 14 acting between the chassis 11 and upper body 13 to guide said vertical movement. An actuator means 15 acts between the chassis 11 and upper body 13 for raising and lowering the upper body 13 relative to the chassis 11. The guide means 14 and actuator means 15 are located at one end of the chassis 1 1 so that the self contained mobile toilet facility 10 is in the form of a U shape on its side with the guide means 14 and actuator means 15 being located at one end of the chassis 11.

The guide means 14 is in the form of two telescopic tubes 16 and 17 which are slidable one over the other, one tube 16 being connected to the upper body 13 and the other tube 17 being connected to the chassis 1 1. In this case, the tubes 16, 17 are square section tubes, but any other section may be used as is desired. In this example, the upper tube 16 is slidable over the lower tube 17, but this arrangement could be reversed if desired.

The actuator means 15 comprises a screw threaded strut 18 rotatably mounted on one of the chassis 11 and the upper body 13, and engaging a nut mounted on the other of the chassis and the upper body 13, the screw threaded strut 18 being rotated by an electric motor 19. In this example, the screw threaded strut 18 is mounted on the chassis 11 and the nut is located on the upper body 13, but this arrangement could be reversed if desired.

The electric motor 19 may be an AC motor connectable to the mains. Alternatively, and preferably, the electric motor is a DC motor supplied with power by batteries 21 mounted on the chassis 11. A toilet bowl 22 is provided at the other end portion of the upper body 13 away from the guide means 14 and screw threaded strut 18. The toilet bowl 22 has at (east one inlet (see Fig. 3) connectable via a respective pump 36 to a cleansing liquid supply tank 24 and a waste outlet 31 connected to a waste tank 25, the two tanks 24, 25 being mounted on the chassis 11. The cleansing liquid tank 24 holds basically water to which disinfectant or other anti-bacterial agent may be added. The two tanks 24, 25 may be colour coded to reflect their contents. The toilet bowl 22 is provided with a removable cover 23 slidably mounted on the upper body 13 for movement along the upper body 13 towards and away from said one end. A handle 26 is provided at said one end of the upper body 13 adjacent the guide means 15 to facilitate manoeuvring the wheeled self contained mobile toilet facility 10. The distal end face 27 of the body, away from said one end thereof, has at least one sensor 28 thereon to sense when the self contained mobile toilet facility 10 is in the correct location for use as will be described later.

With reference also to Fig. 3, the toilet bowl 22 has a waste outlet 31 which is connected to the waste collection tank 25, via conduit 32, preferably but not necessarily via a macerator 33. The toilet bowl 22 is provides with a splash guard 29 to contain liquids within the toilet bowl 22. The rim of the toilet bowl 22 is surrounded by an externally projecting flanged area which provides a cleanable area around toilet bowl 22 and a support area. The tank 24 is connected to an inlet 34 on the toilet bowl 22 via conduit 35 and a respective pump 36. A plurality of inlets 36 may be spaced around the toilet bowl 22 if desired.

The tanks 24, 25 may each be provided with removable closures 38 for filling or emptying said tanks. The conduits 32 and 35 are connected to their respective tanks 25 & 24 by easily disconnectable couplings. An air dryer/extractor unit 37 is housed on the side of the upper body 13 adjacent the toilet bowl 22. The air dryer may be connected to a delivery inlet 38 to deliver drying air to the toilet bowl 22. The operation of the self contained mobile toilet facility is controlled by a control unit 41 also housed on the upper body 13. The control unit 41 includes a programmable microprocessor with memory and is operable directly via a keypad 40 or via a remote handset (not shown). The control unit 41 is connected to various sensors for example, a blockage sensor 45 for the toilet bowl 22 and an actuator movement limit sensor 43. Other sensors may include liquid level sensors in the tanks 24, 25, and temperature sensors 44 in the patient cleansing liquid conduit 35 and air supply 38. The control unit 41 is also connected to the air dryer unit 37. The air dryer unit 37 may be a dual purpose air blower and extractor and is operated by the control unit 41 for the supply of air to and removal of air from the toilet bowl 12. The control unit 41 also controls the pump 36, for the pumping of cleansing liquid to the toilet bowl 22 and the macerator 33 in the conduit to the waste tank 25. The control unit 41 may also be connected to a heater in the tank 24 for maintenance of the patient cleaning fluid at room temperature or body temperature. The control unit 41 is also connected to sensors 28 on the end face of the upper body 13.

The operation of a similar control system is disclosed in detail in International Patent Publication No. WO 2011/004142 A1 , the contents of which are hereby incorporated into the present application by reference. The micro processor of control unit 41 is pre-programmed with a series of operational steps, an example of which is illustrated in the flow chart shown in Fig. 10. The operation will be initiated by an "Initial" command 51 in-put via the keypad 40 or remote handset. After initiation, the keypad can input commands 51 or 52 to cause the actuator 15 to move the upper body 13 upwards or downwards respectively. If the actuator 15 reaches the limits of its movement the sensor 43 at steps 53, 54 causes the actuator to stop. Once the upper body 13 with toilet bowl 22 is at the correct height for use, the self contained mobile toilet facility 10 is manoeuvred into its correct position for use as will described later.

The sensors 28 sense the self contained mobile toilet facility 10 is docked in its position for use in step 61. The toilet is used by a patient and the cleansing liquid is pumped to the toilet bowl 22 at step 62. The air blower/extractor 37 is operated in step 63 to dry the patient and remove odours. The toilet is then flushed to waste in step 64. The operation of the system in response to other checks and sensors is fully described in International Patent Publication No. WO 2011/004142 A1.

Only when each step has been completed will the next operations be permitted. If the conditions for further use are not satisfied, a warning is given on the keypad 40 in a suitable manner e.g. flashing light, audible buzzing etc.

When the waste tank 25 is full and the cleansing fluid supply tank 24 requires filling, the self contained mobile toilet facility 10 may be placed in a docking station where it is connected to mains services. With reference now to Figs. 4 & 5, there is shown a mattress 100 for a bed which facilitates use of self contained mobile toilet facility 10 as described above. The mattress 100 comprises a conventional mattress portion 102 which has been modified to provide a cut-out 101 open to one side thereof. The cut-out 101 accommodates the upper body 13 of the self contained mobile toilet facility 10. The cut-out 101 is filled at least in part with an inflatable and deflatable portion 103. The inflatable portion 103 could entirely fill the cut-out. Alternatively, and as shown, the inflatable portion 103 may fill the lower half of the cut-out 101 and is covered by a padded, removable insert 104. With reference to Figs. 6 to 9, there is shown schematically the self contained mobile toilet facility 10 in use in co-operation with a bed having a mattress 100 as described above. The self contained mobile toilet facility 10 is moved in proximity to the bed until the upper body 13 of the self contained mobile toilet facility 10 is adjacent the cut-out 101. The patient P is raised as shown in Fig. 7 and then turned on their side as shown in Fig. 8. The inflatable portion 103 is deflated and the padded cover 104 removed. The self contained mobile toilet facility 10 is then docked in the cut-out 101 as shown in Fig. 9 and the Patient P is then rolled back into a position to use the self contained mobile toilet facility 10.

The sensors 28 then sense that the self contained mobile toilet facility 10is ready for use and the system then operates as previously described.

Claims

1. A self contained mobile toilet facility comprising a wheeled chassis having an upper body mounted on the wheeled chassis, the upper body being vertically moveable relative to the wheeled chassis with slide means acting between the wheeled chassis and the upper body to guide vertical movement of the upper body relative to the wheeled chassis, and actuator means also acting between the wheeled chassis and the upper body for raising and lowering the upper body relative to the wheeled chassis; a toilet bowl being provided on the upper body and having at least one inlet connectable via a respective pump to a cleansing liquid supply tank and a waste outlet connected to a waste tank, the cleansing liquid supply tank and waste tank each being mounted on the wheeled chassis. 2. A self contained mobile toilet facility as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the upper body is above the wheeled chassis and is substantially aligned with the wheeled chassis, the guide means and actuator means being located at one end of the wheeled chassis. 3. A self contained mobile toilet facility as claimed in claim 2, wherein the distal end face of the upper body, away from said one end thereof, has at least one sensor thereon to sense when the self contained mobile toilet facility is in the correct location for use. 4. A self contained mobile toilet facility as claimed in claim 2 or claim

3, wherein the toilet bowl is provided with a removable cover slidably mounted on the upper body for movement along the upper body towards and away from said one end. S. A self contained mobile toilet facility as claimed in any of claims 1 to

4, wherein the actuator means comprises a screw threaded strut rotatably mounted on the wheeled chassis and engaging a nut mounted on the upper body, the screw threaded strut being rotated by an electric motor.

6. A self contained mobile toilet facility as claimed in claim 5, wherein the electric motor is a DC motor supplied with power by batteries mounted on the wheeled chassis.

7. A self contained mobile toilet facility as claimed in any of claims 1 to

6, wherein the guide means comprises at least two telescopic tubes, one being slidable in the other, with one being mounted on the wheeled chassis and the other being mounted on the upper body.

8. A self contained mobile toilet facility as claimed in any of claims 1 to

7, having a separate bowl cleansing liquid supply tank connected to said inlet,

9. A self contained mobile toilet facility as claimed in any of claims 1 to

8, further comprising a source of air flow which is connected to the toilet bowl, the air flow being reversible so as to act as an odour extraction system to extract odour from the toilet bowl.

10. A self contained mobile toilet facility as claimed in any of claims 1 to

9, wherein the waste outlet is connected to the waste tank via a macerator and respective pump.

11. A self contained mobile toilet facility as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the inflow of cleansing liquids to the toilet bowl and the outflow of waste from the toilet bowl is controllable by a programmable control unit operated by a keypad.

12. A self contained mobile toilet facility as claimed in claim 1 1 , wherein the key pad is one of: a remote key pad, a key pad mounted on the upper body.

13. A self contained mobile toilet facility as claimed in claim 11 or claim 12 wherein the keypad supplies direct command input signals to a programmable microprocessor which forms part of a control for operation of the self contained mobile toilet facility.

14. A self contained mobile toilet facility as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 13, wherein the cleansing liquid supply tank and waste tank are arranged side by side on the wheeled chassis and are readily detachable from and connectable to conduits connected to the toilet bowl.

15. A self contained mobile toilet facility as claimed in any of claims 1 to 14, wherein the cleansing liquid supply tank is provided with a heater to heat the liquid to approximately body temperature, for user comfort. 16. A mattress for a bed in which the mattress has a cut-out which opens to one side thereof in order to receive the upper body of a self contained mobile toilet facility according to any of claims 1 to 15.

17. A mattress as claimed in claim 16, wherein the cut-out is filled at least in part by an inflatable portion which is deflatable to allow the upper body to be placed in the bed area.

18. A mattress as claimed in claim 16 or claim 17, wherein the inflatable portion is covered by a removable, padded portion of the mattress.

19. A self contained mobile toilet facility substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying Figures.

20. A mattress for a bed in which the mattress has a cut-out which opens to one side thereof, in order to receive the upper body of a self contained mobile toilet facility, substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying Figures.