Patent Application
20060207670
It is never too early to begin teaching children healthy habits such as washing their hands and face and brushing their teeth. It is very important to teach them how to wash their hands and make sure they know to do so before and after they eat, after using the toilet, after playing outside, and any time their hands get dirty. It is also important to teach them the importance of brushing their teeth on a regular basis.
For children to complete these tasks, they need access to a sink with running water. Many parents use a portable step for their children to get closer to the bathroom sink; however, at a young age, it is still difficult to reach the faucet. Even with the assistance of a step, many children are not tall enough to reach their hands underneath the running water.
If parents can make it easier for their children to wash or brush, it is more likely to become a routine. It also helps children develop a sense of self assurance and pride if they are allowed to complete these tasks with minimal assistance.
It is not only children who might need assistance. Individuals with physical disabilities also have difficulties reaching the running water from a faucet.
Current products on the market provide solutions for extending the faucet; however none of these solutions offer a way to adapt an existing faucet.
U.S. Pat. Application No. 20040010848 describes a pull-out faucet which allows the spray head to be extended and retracted. This solution, however, would require the complete replacement of a fixture.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,758,690 and 6,370,713 also describe pull-out faucets which can be pulled closer using a flexible hose; however these are also part of a complete fixture.
This invention is a device which attaches to the end of a faucet and extends outward to allow a child, or any individual who might have difficulty reaching the faucet, to easily and safely reach the running water.
Most modern kitchen and bathroom faucets have standard size outlets with threads just inside the outlet for screwing in an aerator. An aerator is a threaded adapter which contains a screen or filter for regulating the flow of water and preventing sediments from passing.
This invention attaches to the faucet by removing the aerator and screwing the threaded end of the device into the outlet. When it is no longer needed, the device can be removed by unscrewing it from the outlet and screwing the aerator back into place.
There are many advantages of such a device:
(1) This device allows small children to use the sink to wash their hands and face or brush their teeth.
(2) This device can assist individuals with physical disabilities to reach the running water.
(3) This device can extend a standard faucet without having to replace the fixture. Because children may only need this device for a short time, the device can also be removed to return the sink to normal operation.
(4) This device helps teach healthy habits which have been proven to prevent sickness.
(5) This device helps develop a sense of self assurance and pride for children who no longer need assistance from their parents.
In order that the invention may be more fully understood, it will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
The invention is composed of the following components, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings:
