Bath lift

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6715164
  • Patent Number
    6,715,164
  • Date Filed
    Thursday, October 31, 2002
    22 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, April 6, 2004
    20 years ago
Abstract
A bath lift including an inflatable part 10 locatable in a bath to raise or lower a person sitting thereon. The part 10 comprises a seat section 12 and a support section 20. The sections 12, 20 are connected in series such that with a person sitting on the part 10 the section 12 will deflate first, and when the part 10 is being inflated with a person sitting thereon the section 20 will inflate prior to the section 12.
Description




This invention concerns improvements in or relating to bath lifts, and particularly but not exclusively inflatable bath lifts.




In inflatable bath lifts an inflatable member is located in a bath and inflated such that a person can be supported thereby. The inflatable member is then deflated lowering the person into the bath to permit bathing. When the person wishes to exit the bath the inflatable member is reinflated lifting the person off the bottom of the bath to an elevated position from which they can leave the bath.




Problems are often encountered with existing inflatable bath lifts. For example, difficulties can be encountered in securing the bath lift in a bath so that it doesn't float, and also such that the bath lift is comfortable to sit on when deflated. The inflatable member may not inflate or deflate uniformly, such that a person can be tipped forwards, backwards and/or to one side.




According to the present invention there is provided a bath lift, the bath lift comprising an inflatable member locatable in a bath such that a person can sit thereon and be raised as the member is inflated, and lowered as the member is deflated, the inflatable member comprising an inflatable seat section, upon which a person can sit, and an inflatable support section the support section being adjacent the seat section and arranged such that when the support section is inflated and the seat section is at least partially deflated, the support section can provide support for a person sitting on the seat section.




The support section preferably extends on two opposite sides of the seat section. Preferably the support section extends on three sides of the seat section.




The support section preferably extends along the rear of the seat section and also along each side thereof. The support section may have a portion of increased width at the free end of each side thereof, and the seat section may have a front part of decreased width to accommodate the increased width portions of the support section.




The support section may comprise two separate inflatable side portions, and desirably also a separate rear portion. The rear portion may, when inflated, diverge upwardly. The rear portion may, when inflated, extend above the side portions and seat section. The rear portion, when inflated, may be inclined rearwardly, to, in use, generally conform to the shape of the end of a bath.




The inflatable member is preferably arranged such that during inflation with a person sitting on the seat section, the support section inflates substantially before the seat section, and during deflation with a person sitting thereon the seat section deflates substantially before the support section.




An air inlet, which also functions as an outlet, is preferably provided on the exterior of the seat section. The interiors of the seat and support sections are preferably interconnected in series such that air entering the support section has already passed through the seat section, and air exiting the support section passes into the seat section.




The inflatable member preferably comprises an inflatable base section, which base section is preferably located in use beneath the seat and support sections. The base section is preferably interconnected in series between the seat and support sections such that during inflation air enters the base section from the seat section, and air entering the support section enter from the base section.




One or more holes may be provided respectively between the seat and base, and support and base sections.




In one embodiment an inflatable bracing section may be provided, which bracing section extends from at least the rear of the support section, and perhaps also the rear of the base section. The bracing section is preferably engageable in use with the end of a bath, and may increase in width upwardly to, in use, generally conform to the shape of the end of a bath.




The bracing section is preferably connected in series with the support section such that air entering the bracing section comes from the support section. Alternatively, the bracing section is connected in parallel to the support section such that air entering thereinto passes from the base section.




The bath lift preferably also comprises a mounting arrangement for selective mounting of the inflatable member in a bath. The mounting arrangement preferably comprises a first mounting member or strip fixable on a bath, and a second mounting member on the inflatable member which is selectively engageable with the first member. Two first and second mounting members, or strips, may be provided, one of each on respective sides of the bath and inflatable member. The first and second mounting members may comprise profiled strips alignable substantially horizontally in use. The first member may have a substantially n-shape cross-section, and the second member may have a substantially u-shaped cross-section.




Alternatively, the first member may define a horizontally open channel with an opening of reduced width, and the second member may have substantially T-shaped cross-section but turned through 90 degrees, with the stem of the “T” extendible through the channel opening and the head of the “T” restrainably located in the channel, or vice-versa.




Alternative mounting means may be used, such as suckers on the underside and perhaps also the side of the inflatable member. Alternatively magnetic mounting means may be provided, which may comprise complimentary members locatable respectively on the inflatable member and a bath, or magnetic members locatable on the inflatable member and engageable with a metal bath.




The bath lift preferably also comprises a pump for selectively blowing into or sucking air out of, the inflatable member. The pump may be battery operated.




The bath lift preferably also comprises a control unit for operating the pump, and the control unit is preferably hand-held and remote from the pump. The control unit may float in water.











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





FIG. 1

is a diagrammatic perspective view of part of a first bath lift according to the invention;





FIG. 2

is a diagrammatic plan view of the bath lift part of

FIG. 1

incorporating an extra part;





FIG. 3

is a diagrammatic front view of the bath lift parts of

FIG. 2

;





FIG. 4

is a diagrammatic side view of the extra part of

FIG. 2

;





FIG. 5

is a similar view to

FIG. 1

of part of a second bath lift according to the invention;





FIG. 6

is a similar view to

FIG. 2

of the bath lift part of

FIG. 5

;





FIG. 7

is a diagrammatic side view of the bath lift part of

FIG. 5

; and,





FIG. 8

is a similar view of

FIG. 4

but of an alternative extra part.












FIGS. 1

to


4


of the drawings show an inflatable part


10


of a first bath lift. The inflatable part


10


is locatable in a bath such that when fully inflated a person can sit thereon, the part


10


can then be deflated to lower the person into the bath to allow bathing. Once bathing is completed the part


10


is reinflated to raise the person in the bath to a position which they can readily get out of the bath.




The inflatable part


10


comprises a number of interconnected sections made from a flexible material. A first or seat section


12


defines an area upon which a person can sit. An inlet


14


is provided in the front of the section


12


to permit air to be blown thereinto or sucked therefrom. A second or base section


16


forms a base for the part


10


and extends underneath the seat section


12


and therebeyond in all directions, but only a small direction forwards. A central hole


18


provides for communication between the sections


12


and


16


.




A third or support section


20


extends upwardly from the base section


16


to define in plan view (

FIG. 2

) an n-shape. The support section


20


surrounds the rear and two sides of the seat section


12


, and when fully inflated reaches the same height. The free ends


22


of the sides of the section


20


are enlarged and extend inwardly towards the seat section


12


. Correspondingly located recesses


24


are provided in the front of the seat section


12


to maintain a substantially constant spacing between the seat and support sections


12


,


20


. Three holes


26


are provided in the bottom of each side of the support section


20


in communication with the second base section


16


.




A bracing section


27


extends rearwardly from the second and third sections


16


,


20


. The bracing section


27


is of a similar width to the seat section


12


and tapers inwardly from a flat upper portion


28


to a lower apex


30


. Three holes


31


are provided between a lower part of the section


27


and the second base section


16


.




A mounting arrangement


32


is provided (only shown in

FIGS. 2

to


4


) in the form of strips


34


on the sides of the base section


16


. The strips


34


have a generally u-shape cross-section and engage with identical strips


36


mounted on a bath


38


, but which strips


36


are inverted.




The bath lift also comprises (but not shown) a pump connected by a lead to the inlet


14


, which pump is powered by a rechargeable battery. A remote floating hand-held controller is also provided for the pump.




In use, the strips


36


are fixed to the bath


38


in appropriate positions as by magnets


35


, FIG.


4


. The inflatable part


10


, with the hose connected thereto, is located in the bath


38


and the strips


34


located in engagement with the strips


36


. As a supplement to, or an alternate to, the strips


34


,


36


, further magnets


39


may be provided near the bottom of the base section


16


, FIG.


3


. When it is required to take a bath, the pump is actuated to pump air through the inlet


14


. This causes all four sections


12


,


16


,


20


,


27


to inflate by virtue of the communication holes


18


,


26


,


31


. Once the inflatable part


10


is fully inflated and the bath full of water a person can sit on the seat section


12


.




The pump is then reversed to suck air through the inlet


14


. This initially causes the seat section


12


to deflate by virtue of the pressure applied thereto by a person sitting thereon. The person is therefore lowered into the bath whilst support and guidance is provided by the base section


16


, and overall support is provided by the bracing section


27


. Once the seat section


12


is fully deflated the base section


16


will deflate, again by virtue of the weight of the person pressing down thereon. Once the base section


16


has substantially fully deflated the support and bracing sections


20


,


27


will deflate, thereby enabling the person to have a bath in a normal manner.




The mounting arrangements


32


are to the side and therefore do not affect a bather, and particularly are not sat on by a user of the bath lift which can otherwise be uncomfortable. It is to be realised that when the inflatable part


10


is inflated this causes the strip


34


to tend to rise and therefore secure engagement with the strip


36


.




When a person has finished bathing the pump is reactivated to pump air through the inlet


14


. By virtue of the weight of a person on the inflatable part


10


, the first parts to substantially inflate will be the support and bracing sections


20


,


27


. This causes correct location of the inflatable part


10


and also the support section


20


to act as arms to support and guide the person. Once the sections


20


,


27


are fully inflated, the base section


16


will inflate and thereafter the seat section


12


, thereby raising the part


10


to the position shown in the drawings, at which position the person can get out of the bath


38


.




There is thus described an inflatable bath lift which provides for significant advantages and provides for a secure raising and lowering of a person thereon. The support section


20


acts as a guide and also arm rests as a person is raised or lowered, and prevents for instance a person falling sideways. The enlarged ends


22


of the third section


20


prevent the first section


12


from collapsing forwards during inflation or deflation. The bracing section


27


helps to locate and brace the bath lift within a bath. The mounting arrangement


32


provides for an easy to use yet unobtrusive arrangement which does not affect a user and particularly their comfort. Whilst providing significant advantages the arrangement is of relatively straightforward construction, and operates primarily by the use of different sections and different interconnecting holes. Accordingly the apparatus can be inexpensively and robustly manufactured for reliable operation.





FIGS. 5

to


7


of the drawings show an inflatable part


110


of a second bath lift. The part


110


is similar to the part


10


except as hereinafter described, and can be used in a similar manner. The part


110


again comprises a seat section


112


with an inlet


114


. A base section


116


is provided beneath the seat section


112


, and five holes


118


are provided therebetween.




The support section comprises two separate side sections


120


extending on either side of the seat section


112


and a rear section


122


. Three holes


124


are provided between each side section


120


and the base section


116


. Holes (not shown) are provided between the rear section


122


and base section


116


.




The rear section


122


diverges upwardly from its mounting to the base section


116


and is provided with a rounded top


126


. The rear section


122


is inclined rearwardly and also extends above the seat and side sections


112


,


120


to about double their height.




The inflatable part


110


is used in a similar manner to the part


10


as follows and a similar mounting arrangement


132


is provided. As air is pumped through the inlet


114


with a person sitting on the seat section


112


, air will pass from the section


112


into the section


116


and then into the sections


120


and


122


. Initially the side and rear sections


120


and


122


will inflate to provide side supports and arm rests to a user and also rear support, with the rear section


122


acting as a back rest. With the rear section


122


extending upwardly beyond the side sections


120


good rear support is provided for a user of this bath lift. The upward divergence and rearwards inclination causes the rear section


122


to substantially align with the end of a bath. Once the side and rear sections are fully inflated the base section


116


and then seat section


112


will inflate. The part


110


can deflate in a similar manner to the part


10


.




The shape of the rear section


122


raises a person to an upright sitting position during inflation of the part


110


thereby preparing them to exit the bath. During deflation of the part


110


the rear section


122


will gently deflate allowing the person to relax against the sloped end of a bath.





FIG. 8

shows an alternative mounting arrangement


140


. The arrangement


140


comprises two profiled strips


142


,


144


. The arrangement


140


comprises two profiled strips


142


,


144


. The first strip


142


defines a channel


146


with a relatively narrow opening


148


. The second strip


144


comprises a mounting band


150


from which extends a web


152


. A crosspiece


154


extends transversely from either side of the free end of the web


152


, such that the web


152


and crosspiece


154


define a T-shape cross-section turned through 90 degrees. The crosspiece


154


is restrainably locatable in the channel


146


, with the web


152


extending through the opening


148


.




Various other modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. For instance, the bracing section could communicate with the support section rather than the base section. The inflatable part may have a different shape. A different mounting arrangement could be used, and in some instances it would be possible to use mounting arrangements such as suckers. Alternatively, magnetic mounting arrangements could be used, which may comprise complimentary magnetic members on the inflatable part and a bath or magnetic members on the inflatable part which are engageable with a metal bath.




Whilst endeavouring in the foregoing specification to draw attention to those features of the invention believed to be of particular importance it should be understood that the Applicant claims protection in respect to any patenable feature or combination of features hereinbefore referred to and/or shown in the drawings whether or not particular emphasis has been placed thereon.



Claims
  • 1. A bath lift comprising:a) an inflatable arrangement locatable in a bathtub such that a user can sit thereon and be raised as the inflatable arrangement is inflated, and lowered as the arrangement is deflated; b) the inflatable arrangement including an inflatable seat section upon which a user can sit and an inflatable support section in fluid communication with the seat section; c) the support section including parts on opposite sides of the seat section for supporting user arms and a back part in fluid communication with the support parts; d) the seat section including an inlet port such that when a person is seated on the seat section and the sections are to be deflated from an inflated condition the seat section will deflate first and on reinflation the support section will inflate first; e) the inflatable arrangement including anchoring means on opposite sides of the arrangement and coactable with a bath tub for maintaining the arrangement in a located position on a bathtub; and, f) interiors of the seat and support sections being interconnected by a series of chambers such that inflation air entering the support section has already passed through the seat section via a single valve in the seat section, and air exiting the support section passes into the seat section and out the valve.
  • 2. The arrangement of claim 1 wherein when the support section is inflated and the seat section is at least partially deflated, the support section can provide support for a person sitting on the seat section.
  • 3. A bath lift according to claim 1 wherein the anchoring means are magnets and at least some of the magnets are carried by the support section.
  • 4. A bath lift according to claim 1, in which an inflatable bracing section is provided, which bracing section extends from at least the rear of the support section.
  • 5. The bath lift of claim 4 wherein the bracing section is in fluid communication with the seat section and upon inflation from a deflated condition with a person seated upon the seat section, the bracing section will be substantially completely inflated before the seat section is inflated.
  • 6. The lift of claim 1 wherein there is a support section positioned behind the seat section when the lift is in use.
  • 7. The lift of claim 1 wherein the anchoring means is a pair of elongate strips which are relatively moveable longitudinally to establish and disconnect an interlocking relationship between the strips one of the strips being connected to the sections and the other strip being connectable, when in use, to a tube to coact with the one strip to secure the lift in place when in use.
  • 8. The lift of claim 7 wherein a first of the strips defines a horizontally, when in use, open channel with an opening of reduced width and a second of the strips has a “T” shaped cross-section with a head extendible through the opening and a head disposable in the channel, when in use.
  • 9. The lift of claim 1 wherein the anchoring means is a set of magnets secured to the lift for magnetic engagement with a bathtub.
  • 10. A bath lift according to claim 1 wherein the anchoring means is a pair of elongate strips which are relatively moveable longitudinally to establish and disconnect an interlocking relationship between the strips one of the strips being connected to the sections and the other strip being connectable, when in use, to a bathtub to coact with the one strip to secure the lift in a place when in use.
  • 11. A bath lift according to claim 10 wherein a first of the strips defines a horizontally, when in use, open channel with an opening of reduced width and a second of the strips has a “T” shaped cross-section with a head extendible through the opening and a head disposable in the channel when in use.
  • 12. A bath lift according to claim 1 wherein each of the support section parts on opposite sides of the seat section has a portion of increased width at a free end of each side thereof.
  • 13. A bath lift according to claim 1 wherein the support section includes a separate rear portion.
  • 14. A bath lift according to claim 13 wherein the rear portion, when inflated, diverges upwardly.
  • 15. A bath lift according to claim 13 wherein the rear portion, when inflated, in inclined rearwardly to, in use, conform to the shape of an end of a bathtub.
  • 16. A bath lift according to claim 1 further including an inflatable base section positioned, in use, below the seat section.
  • 17. A bath lift according to claim 16 wherein the base section is interconnected in series between the seat and support sections such that during inflation air enters the base section from the seat section, and air entering the support section enters from the base section.
  • 18. A bath lift according to claim 1 wherein an inflatable bracing section extends from a rear of the support section.
  • 19. A bath lift according to claim 18 wherein the bracing section increases in width upwardly, in use, generally conform to the shape of an end of a bathtub.
Parent Case Info

This application is a continuation in part of application Ser. No. 10/142,019 filed May 9, 2002 which in turn was a CIP of Ser. No. 09/762,897 filed Feb. 12, 2001 (now abandoned) each entitled Bath Lift.

US Referenced Citations (10)
Number Name Date Kind
3311930 Bourke Apr 1967 A
3346885 Merriman Oct 1967 A
3835483 Emery et al. Sep 1974 A
4166294 McGowan Sep 1979 A
4495666 Herman, Jr. Jan 1985 A
5020168 Wood Jun 1991 A
5579544 Attler Dec 1996 A
5806110 Kunz et al. Sep 1998 A
5855028 Colbert Jan 1999 A
6353943 Stevens Mar 2002 B1
Foreign Referenced Citations (7)
Number Date Country
23 55 582 Nov 1973 DE
87 10 252.8 Jul 1987 DE
38 40213 Nov 1988 DE
3840213 May 1990 DE
2314765 Jan 1998 GB
2358797 Aug 2001 GB
WO 0009063 Feb 2000 WO
Non-Patent Literature Citations (2)
Entry
British Search Report Dated Mar. 13, 2002, p. 1.
English Abstract for DE2840213-D2.
Continuation in Parts (2)
Number Date Country
Parent 10/142019 May 2002 US
Child 10/284747 US
Parent 09/762897 Feb 2001 US
Child 10/142019 US