Patent Application
20060266582
1. Field of the Invention
The invention pertains generally to the field of handicapped assistance devices. More particularly, the invention pertains to poles that are used by elderly, bedridden, disabled, and other individuals in need of physical assistance to make transfers from, e.g., bed to wheel chair.
2. Description of Related Art
Poles for the assistance of handicapped individuals and others are well known in the art. Such poles come in easily installed home use versions and in more rugged and permanent institutional versions. Examples of typical locations for such poles include bedsides, in front of a chair, and in front of a toilet. The user can, after being moved or moving to one of these locations in a wheelchair, grip the pole and use it to rise. Then, holding onto the pole, the user can shuffle around the pole 180 degrees, and (once again) use the pole as a support while lowering himself or herself onto a bed, toilet, or chair. When rising, the operation is reversed. However, the present art is limited by the fact that patients lacking in strength and awareness may find the operation of moving around the pole very difficult. Conversely, it is very difficult for a caregiver to adequately assist in this operation. Thus, there is a need for a device that will facilitate this operation for such individuals.
In the instant invention, the primary innovation is the introduction of a rotating platform for the feet of the user. Thus, the user can (e.g., from a wheel chair) place his or her feet on this platform and, using the pole, rise from the sitting position. After this, the user (while standing on the platform) can rotate himself/herself or be rotated around the pole as necessary for alignment with the new seat, whether chair, bed, or toilet, and allowed to lower himself or herself into position. In the preferred embodiment, a pair of handles that rotate with the platform are also provided. These give the user something to hold onto in pulling upright as well as something to hold onto during the process of being rotated by another. Alternatively, handles or handgrips on the non-rotating portion of the pole can be provided. These give the user something to use in rotating himself or herself around the pole.
As will be observed from review of the drawing figures, the handicap assistance pole (denoted generally by arrow 1) of my invention includes—as is typical of prior art—a vertical support pole 2 having a base end 2A for location adjacent a floor 3. Pole 2 can have a telescoping upper section that can be pressed upward firmly against a ceiling (as is known and practiced in the art) so as to from a stable frictional fit and hold pole 2 in rigid position between floor 3 and a ceiling. Alternatively, it can be fastened to both floor 3 and ceiling using means typical in the art. Even more importantly and innovatively, it includes a rotating foot platform 4 located proximate the base end 2A, said platform 4 being capable of rotating around pole 2. As illustrated in the preferred embodiments shown, it can also advantageously include user handles 5 located on opposite sides of the pole 2 that rotate along with said platform 4. In the embodiments shown, this result is accomplished by an interconnecting sheath 6 that connects platform 4 and handles 5 and encloses the lower portion of pole 2. (In the discussions that follow it should be remembered that sheath 6 can also be used by the patient or user for the same purposes as and/or without the inclusion of handles 5 in the invention, i.e., to grip and hold for raising and lowering the body and for general stability while being rotated on platform 4.)
As is typical of the art, pole 2 has a support base 2B at its base end 2A adapted for placement adjacent to (and/or for connection to) floor 3. Support base 2B likewise supports the rotating platform 4 via means known in the mechanical arts. This can take the form of bearing rings 7 such as those illustrated in the turntable or “lazy Susan” type arrangement illustrated in
As should be clear from the drawing figures, handles 5 are placed at a distance from the rotating platform 5 that enables them to be reached by a seated user, so that said seated user can use handles 5 for pulling up as well as for support while lowering his or her body onto seating. Thus, the method of my invention involves (at the minimum), placement of a user's feet on the rotating platform (by the user or a caregiver), and rotation of the user while supported by platform 4 around pole 2. However, it will also usually involve placement of a user's hands on said handles 5, and the user using said handles 5 to rise to a standing position supported by platform 4 or sink to a seated position at an adjacent location such as a bed 8, a wheel chair 9 or a toilet 10.
This sequence is illustrated in
However, there are numerous changes that can be made in the foregoing described apparatus and method without exceeding the scope of the inventive concept. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the embodiments of the invention herein described are merely illustrative of the application of the principles of the invention. Reference herein to details of the illustrated embodiments is not intended to limit the scope of the claims, which themselves recite those features regarded as essential to the invention.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60685454 | May 2005 | US |
