Patent Application
20240368868
This invention is directed to a showerhead support system, in particular, to an adjustable showerhead support system.
A bath is one of life's simplest pleasures and a critical component of personal hygiene. Yet for some populations (e.g., the elderly or chronically ill) this is a major challenge. The purpose of a daily bath is not just cleanliness, but it also improves a person's self-image, emotional, and mental well-being, which has a direct impact on their physical well-being. Experts say that for the aging population, “losing the ability to bathe is associated with having falls, fracturing bones, and even being admitted to a nursing home.” In fact, nearly a quarter million people are injured in the bathroom each year, and 70% of them are injured while bathing.
Elderly individuals have difficulty with movement, specifically being able to stand for long periods of time and raise their arms over their head. This causes issues while bathing and makes it difficult for the elderly to wash their hair and back.
Similarly, temporarily limited people (those with broken bones, pregnant women, people recovering from surgery, etc.) are unable to stand in the shower or have limited range of motion due to their ‘ailment’.
For the above people, it is difficult to hold a showerhead for the duration of a shower due to weakened muscles. Showering can be messy if the flow of water is not properly contained, this is especially difficult when using a removable showerhead because there is no way to stabilize it. Moreover, some facilities don't allow people who would be otherwise independent to bathe themselves for fear of accidental strangulation with the shower hose.
To address these issues, there are currently two options on the market, (1) assisted or self-sponge bathing and (2) a stationary clip which holds the showerhead to the leg of a shower chair. Considering five categories for comparison: independence, flexibility, comfort, containment, and time saving, both current solutions are inadequate.
Sponge bathing does not offer independence, especially if it's assisted, then the person has no control over what is happening and if they do it themselves, it would be infeasible to reach their entire body. Similarly, this option does not offer flexibility as the person can only reach as much as their range of motion allows. In terms of comfort, during a sponge bath a person is exposed to the air whilst being washed, which leads to a very cold and uncomfortable experience. Additionally, sponge baths are often done in places outside of a shower, such as in a bed, which can be very messy because the water is not contained (i.e., poor containment). Lastly, bathing another person can be a time-consuming task and may require multiple people, depending upon how resistant a person is to being bathed.
A stationary clip does not enable full independence while bathing because the person is only able to reach the parts of their body which they can reach without assistance, which also means it lacks flexibility. Due to the limitations users may be facing, often times trying to wash their body, especially their back and hair, is uncomfortable and potentially painful. This also makes it difficult for the user to control the flow of water as there is nothing to stabilize the showerhead during the bathing process, which can lead to a mess. Thus, this solution does not provide containment. Lastly, the user will more than likely require assistance when using this, to get fully clean, which requires the time of multiple people.
Thus, it would be desirable to provide people with physical limitations a way to stabilize an adjustable showerhead that allows them the ability to bathe or take a shower independently.
Accordingly, it is the subject of this invention to provide a clip-on shower chair attachment with a two-lever system that moves a removable showerhead along a track, laterally, up/down and forwards/backwards, enabling independence and promoting comfort while bathing.
In one embodiment, the showerhead support system 10 helps facilitate showers for users that require a chair while showering. Showerhead support system 10 attaches to a chair 450 and provides an user with three degrees of freedom for the showerhead 130, 1) front to back, 2) telescoping or height (that is, the showerhead 130 can be moved up and down to adjust for different heights of the user), and 3) side to side or laterally. In this way, showerhead support system 10 can provide shower spray to most areas of the body.
As shown in
First cable 115a and second cable 115b travel upward from cable track 110 and through showerhead support track 120.
Showerhead support track 120 is embodied as two parallel pieces connected by showerhead hose support 135 and is configured horizontally. At the back ends of both sides of showerhead support track 120, there are openings to perpendicularly receive first showerhead support leg 160a and second showerhead support leg 160b. At the front of showerhead support 120, the two parallel pieces are connected perpendicularly by showerhead support 125.
Showerhead support 125 supports showerhead 130 having showerhead handle 145 (
As best illustrated in side views
Turning to
Also shown in
First and second showerhead support legs 160a, 160b, have a larger diameter than first and second telescoping legs 165a, 165b. Telescoping bracket 175 includes telescoping release lever 180, which impinges on first and second telescoping legs 165a, 165b, such that first and second showerhead support legs 160a, 160b, are prevented from sliding over first and second telescoping legs 165a, 165b. When pressure is applied to telescoping release lever 180, it disengages first and second telescoping legs 165a, 165b, thereby allowing first and second showerhead support legs 160a, 160b, to slide over first and second telescoping legs 165a, 165b. Once the desired height is reached, pressure can be released from telescoping release lever 180 so that is again impinges on first and second telescoping legs 165a, 165b, thereby preventing first and second showerhead support legs 160a, 160b, from moving.
Thus, telescoping bracket provides the second degree of freedom 2) telescoping or height. By adjusting the placement of first and second showerhead support legs 160a, 160b, with respect to first and second telescoping legs 165a, 165b, the showerhead 130 will be positioned to the desired height for any individual using the showerhead support system 10.
First and second telescoping legs 165a, 165b, are also connected to first and second support legs 225a, 225b by way of support bracket 190, which has openings at the top for receiving receiving first and second telescoping legs 165a, 165b openings at the bottom for receiving first and second support legs 225a, 225b.
Below support bracket 190, upper and lower support leg connectors 230, 235, both have openings at the top to receive first and second support legs 225a, 225b. Additionally, upper support leg connector 230 has openings at the bottom such that first and second support legs 225a, 225b, can be threaded through and then end at lower support leg connector 235.
In addition to providing support for first and second support legs 225a, 225b, upper and lower support leg connectors 230, 235, connect to upper and lower back tracks 210, 220, thereby forming back track assembly 200. Ultimately, back track assembly 200 provides the third degree of freedom, 3) side to side movement, which allows showerhead 30 to move side to side. Upper and lower back tracks 210, 220, are configured to allow upper and lower support leg connectors 230, 235, respectively to slide left to right. Upper and lower back tracks 210, 220, may be straight across or may be curved. On either the front or back side of upper and lower back tracks 210, 220, there are tracks or slots for upper and lower support leg connectors 230, 235, to engage or interlock with such that the showerhead support assembly 100 may be moved left or right. Upper Although the FIGS. all depict back track assembly 200 located in front of shower support assembly 100 with respect to chair 450, in other embodiments, back track assembly 200 may be located behind shower support assembly 100. As will be discussed below, the left to right location of showerhead support assembly 100 may be locked in place.
Counterbalance assembly 500 provides a counterbalance to showerhead support system 10 by lowering the center of gravity such that showerhead support system 10 does not cause chair 450 to fall over. Counterbalance assembly 500 is any combinations of weights that is suitable to offset the weight of showerhead support system 10.
As further described below, two-lever assembly 300 includes showerhead support track lever 305 and back track lever 350, which make it easier to control the motion of showerhead 130 and control of the flow of water. The levers are connected to pulleys that help control the motion of the system. The two-lever assembly 300 is connected to low force springs that will provide low resistance but still bring the motion systems back to their original positions. Although not depicted, two-lever assembly 200 may be placed on the left side of chair 450 to allow anyone to use the levers with the dominate arm and to accommodate different shower spaces.
As seen in
Showerhead support track lever 305 has an attached showerhead support track lever handle 310. In one embodiment, back track lever handle 310 is embodied as a handle with a ball on top for users with arthritis and joint discomfort so it will be easier for them to grip. Optionally, multiple back track lever handles may be designed to be interchanged dependent upon user need.
Showerhead support track lever 305 and showerhead support track lever handle 310 are connected to showerhead support track cable 170 as best seen in
In a preferred embodiment, showerhead support track lever 305 also has openings to lock in showerhead support track lever handle 310. Starting closest to the back of chair 450, showerhead support track lever 305 includes showerhead support track lever handle lock positions 1, 2, 3, 310a, 310b, and 310c, respectively. This will then adjust the showerhead in three main positions, in front of the user's head, above the user's head, and behind the user's head, respectively.
Also shown in
As described above, upper back track 210 and lower back track 220 are both configured with tension coils that extend along the upper and lower back tracks 210, 220 if back track lever handle 355 is moved forward. Alternatively, the tension coils wrap inside of upper and lower back tracks 210, 220, as back track lever handle 355 is moved backward. In this way, back track assembly 200 is able to move side to side.
In one embodiment, back track lever handle 355 may include a discrete locking mechanism, such as a back track lever handle locking button 325, which may be configured as push button locking mechanism (
In a preferred embodiment, the showerhead support system 10 clips to the seat of the shower chair, rather than to the back of the shower chair, thereby fitting a wider range of shower chairs. It is noted that all shower chairs have seats/benches, but not all shower chairs have backs.
In one embodiment, the back track assembly 200 is curved to allow a wider range of motion, i.e., to enable a user to reach the sides and front of their body, even their legs and feet. This also saves on space to allow the showerhead support system 10 to be used in smaller showers.
In another embodiment, there is a clip (not shown) that holds showerhead 130 in place to stabilize it during the bathing process, which reduces the mess and increases user control. The clip has multiple angles in which it can be set, adding another degree of freedom.
As described above, the two-lever assembly 300 makes it easier to control the motion of the showerhead and the flow of water. The levers are connected to pulleys that help control the motion of the system. These lever systems are connected to low force springs that will provide low resistance but still bring the motion systems back to their original positions. By locking the moving parts of the apparatus the user has greater control of water flow. By adding easy to use locking mechanisms, the user can position the showerhead where they want and not have to worry about additional physical strain of controlling the water flow.
In one embodiment feet may be attached to the bottom of the showerhead support system 10, thereby providing it with more stability when necessary.
In most embodiments, showerhead support system 10 will be constructed mainly out of plastic and metal, mostly aluminum. It is noted that any suitable material may be used to make the various components of showerhead support system 10.
The connectors will be mostly constructed from molded plastics except for the connectors that connect directly to the chair. Those connectors will be fabricated in aluminum to ensure a strong rigid mount while also keeping the overall system lightweight and corrosion resistant. The connectors themselves will be covered with a rubber insulation to both help with the grip onto the surface while also making it a more comfortable surface for the user when they sit on it.
Optionally a hose guard may be provided and will be originally molded out of polycarbonate plastic. It is noted that the optional hose guard may be made of sheet metal.
The back track assembly 200 will be initially manufactured out of aluminum but could be changed to plastic later if it is determined that the track can handle the forces. This would make the showerhead support system 10 more lightweight.
The showerhead clip will be prefabricated and be mostly created out of plastic except for the eyebolts that are used to connect the cabling from the pulleys to the showerhead clip.
The two-lever assembly 300 will be aluminum to ensure a strong, rigid connection to the cable and pulley system. They will be covered in a rubber over mold to make the surface softer and more user friendly.
The features of showerhead support system 10 provide its users with independence, flexibility, comfort, containment, while saving time. In terms of independence and flexibility, showerhead support system 10 has multiple degrees of freedom (flexibility) and a low resistance lever system which enables the user to shower without assistance, except potentially setting the chair and shower up. Showerhead support system 10 puts less strain on the individual and allows them to stay in the warm water for the duration of the bathing process, which provides a more comfortable and pleasurable bathing experience. The combination of showerhead holster and hose guard ensure that the flow of water is controlled and thus contained. Showerhead support system 10 promotes independence while bathing making it more pleasurable and eliminating the need for assistance, which ultimately saves time.
In an alternative embodiment, the levers can be placed on either the right or left side of the chair to allow anyone to use the levers with the dominate arm and to accommodate different shower spaces. Additionally, there is a locking mechanism for each lever, which holds the showerhead in a fixed position for comfort and ease of use.
In one alternative embodiment, the chair could come configured with showerhead support system 10 instead of making it a clip. This could also help eliminate a lot of potential issues with attaching the device to other chairs.
It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that while the showerhead support system 10 has been described in detail herein, the invention is not necessarily so limited and other examples, embodiments, uses, modifications, and departures from the embodiments, examples, uses, and modifications may be made without departing from the process and all such embodiments are intended to be within the scope and spirit of the appended claims.
This application is a Continuation of U.S. Nonprovisional application Ser. No. 17/980,657, filed on Nov. 4, 2022, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/276,544, filed Nov. 5, 2021, the disclosures of which is incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63276544 | Nov 2021 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 17980657 | Nov 2022 | US |
| Child | 18776532 | US |
