Patent Application
20170367540
The present invention relates to an assistive device which features relative rotation between a seat and a base body so that a user can move easily into a bathtub by sitting on or grabbing the seat.
The elderly or those with a mobility disability may have problem getting into and out of a bathtub when taking a bath or shower; without a helping hand, they are likely to fall and be injured as a result. Even when assisted, they may still find it difficult to enter a tub.
In light of the above, the applicant of the present invention developed a “TUB GRAB BAR STRUCTURE” and was granted therefor Taiwan Utility Model Patent No. 454497 on Sep. 11, 2001 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,332,230 on Dec. 25, 2001. This patented invention discloses a clamping base including a fixed board vertically formed on a lateral side of the horizontal base body of the clamping base. A threaded rod is transversely and threadedly provided on the fixed board, includes a knob at the outer end, and is connected with a connecting rod at the inner end, wherein the connecting rod is vertically attached to a clip board. A rotary horizontal baseboard is pivotally provided on the horizontal base body while a grab bar is vertically coupled to the baseboard. A tenon pipe is provided on the baseboard and is radially spaced from the central pivot axis. A plurality of annularly arranged and equally spaced insert holes are provided in the horizontal base body of the clamping base and correspond to the tenon pipe. An elastic bolt is provided in the tenon pipe and can selectively engage with any of the insert holes. Thus, the direction of the grab bar can be adjusted by rotating the baseboard with respect to the clamping base, and the grab bar is locked once the desired direction is obtained. The grab bar structure can therefore adapt to various tubs. An elderly user or a user with a mobility disability can hold the grab bar and turn in order to get into a tub.
While the invention described above can effectively help an elderly user or a user with a mobility disability to enter a tub, this is true only if the user's legs can support, even partially, his or her body weight. Those who are unable to stand due to weakness in legs still need help when using the grab bar, or the difficulty of entering a tub remains. In short, the foregoing invention is not satisfactory in terms of use.
To overcome the aforesaid drawbacks of the existing assistive devices designed for bathing and/or showering, the present invention provides a rotary bathtub grab-bar chair which includes a base body, a rotary base, and a seat. The base body is provided with a fixed board, the fixed board is threadedly provided with a threaded rod, the threaded rod is threadedly connected with a moving block, and the moving block is connected with a clip board such that the clip board and the fixed board can be moved toward each other by rotating the threaded rod. The base body is further provided with a position-limiting member. The position-limiting member is fixed to a limiting base by a plurality of first threaded connection elements, and the limiting base is fixed on the base body and is provided with a plurality of bolt holes. The rotary base is coupled to the base body and is limited in movement with respect to the base body. The position-limiting member is mounted around the rotary base and is located at the periphery of the rotary base such that the rotary base, which is rotatable with respect to the base body, is limited in movement with respect to the limiting base. The rotary base is provided with a bolt tube which can correspond to any of the bolt holes. The bolt tube is provided therein with a bolt. The bolt can move in the bolt tube, be movably engaged in any of the bolt holes, and is mounted with a spring and a lever. The lever is pivotally connected to the bolt by a pin in order to move the bolt vertically and elastically in the bolt tube. The rotary base is further provided with a supporting portion. The seat is coupled to the rotary base and is provided with a supporting block. The supporting block is fixedly coupled to the supporting portion by a plurality of second threaded connection elements. The seat is further provided with at least one opening.
Preferably, the threaded rod is provided with a rotating handle.
Preferably, the seat is further provided with a backrest.
The foregoing technical features have the following advantages:
1. One whose legs cannot provide sufficient support can sit on the seat and then move easily into a bathtub. In other words, the present invention can help a user get into a bathtub on his or her own.
2. The present invention also functions as a bathtub grab bar. An elderly user or a user with a mobility disability can hold the outer edge of the opening in the seat, allowing the seat to support part of his or her body weight and thus make it easier to enter a bathtub.
3. The backrest additionally provided on the seat can be leaned on by the user. This enhances the safety of one who has problem keeping his or her upper body upright while taking a bath or shower.
Referring to
The base body 1 has a lateral side on which a fixed board 11 is vertically provided. The fixed board 11 is transversely and threadedly provided with a threaded rod 12. The threaded rod 12 is provided with a rotating handle 13. An L-shaped moving block 14 is threadedly connected to the threaded rod 12, is located on the inner side of the base body 1 with respect to the fixed board 11, and is connected with a clip board 15. By rotating the rotating handle 13, the clip board 15 and the fixed board 11 can be moved toward each other and eventually clamped onto, for example, an edge of a bathtub. The base body 1 is also provided with a position-limiting member 17, which is fixed to a limiting base 18 by a plurality of first threaded connection elements 16. The limiting base 18 is fixed on the base body 1 and is circumferentially provided with a plurality of bolt holes 181, which are annularly arranged with an equal spacing between each two adjacent ones of the bolt holes 181.
As shown in
The seat 3 has a bottom portion provided with a supporting block 31. The supporting block 31 is fixedly coupled to the supporting portion 26 by a plurality of second threaded connection elements 32 such that the seat 3 can rotate along with the rotary base 2 with respect to the base body 1. The seat 3 is provided with at least one opening 33, whose outer edge can be grabbed by the user.
To use, referring to
Referring to
The present invention may also serve as a bathtub grab bar. Referring to
The embodiments described above are only two preferred ones of the present invention and are not intended to be restrictive of the scope of the invention. All simple, equivalent changes and substitutions based on the appended claims and the disclosure of this specification should fall within the scope of the invention.
