Patent Application
20160360932
The present disclosure relates to equipment installed within households for providing support to users and more particularly to a support device for installation within a shower for enabling a user to hold on to it while getting in and out of the shower.
It is very common for people to injure themselves in and around showers and bathtubs due to slippery surfaces and unusual movements such as, bending, twisting, and stepping over obstacles. Unfortunately, these types of injuries can be very dangerous and even lethal, particularly for aging, fragile and sick people.
Various devices are known in the art for use in and around showers for increased safety. Such devices include handrails to assist the person in and out of the shower and solid shower doors to prevent a falling person from landing outside the shower and striking, for example, a toilet. However, typical handrails are mounted on a wall and therefore provide unbalanced support insofar as they can be held using only one hand. Solid shower doors are typically glass and may break upon impact thereby possibly causing additional injury. In addition, installing a solid shower door is an expensive undertaking that may require professional assistance.
As can be seen, there is a need for a safety device that can be easily installed into an existing shower or bathtub. It is desirable that this device provides a handhold for a user who is positioned somewhere other than a shower wall. It is desirable that this device is capable of preventing, or at least impeding a fall. It is also desirable that this device is compatible with using a shower curtain in the regular manner.
An embodiment of the present disclosure comprises a user support device for installation within a shower wherein, the shower comprises a walled enclosure with an open side for providing user access there into. The support device, which is simple in construction, comprises an elongate vertical support member, an elongate horizontal top rod, a plurality of elongate horizontal support members, and a plurality of connectors about which, the vertical and the horizontal members and the top rod are secured to one another and within the shower.
The top rod, which comprises a rod of uniform circular cross-section, extends across the entire span of the open side. The top rod is secured to the shower wall or walls by means of appropriate connectors. The vertical member comprises a rod of uniform circular cross-section. The vertical member extends between the uppermost portion of the shower floor and the top rod. More particularly, the vertical member is disposed substantially midway of the open side of the shower and closer to or at the threshold thereof. The vertical member is secured to the top rod by means of appropriate connectors and fasteners.
Each horizontal member, similar to the vertical member, comprises a rod of uniform circular cross-section. Each horizontal member extends between the vertical member and the wall of the shower as connected by appropriate connectors and fasteners. The horizontal members are disposed parallel to one another. The horizontal members provide a ladder like structure that helps the user to get up or down. Each horizontal (and as well as a vertical) member serves as a support for the user to hold on to while getting in or out of the shower. The surfaces of the vertical and the plurality of horizontal members are coarse for providing grip to a user enabling him/her to enter or leave the shower.
Other features and advantages will become apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
Various embodiments of the disclosed system and method are described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this disclosure, wherein:
The various aspects of the present disclosure mentioned above are described in further detail with reference to the aforementioned figures and the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments.
In the following detailed description, a reference is made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and in which the specific embodiments that may be practiced is shown by way of illustration. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the embodiments and it is to be understood that the logical, mechanical and other changes may be made without departing from the scope of the embodiments. The following detailed description is therefore not to be taken in a limiting sense.
The present invention comprises a user support device for installation within a shower wherein, the shower comprises a walled enclosure with an open side for providing user access there into. More particularly, the walled enclosure may conventionally include three planar walls or a single curved wall, or any combination thereof, while the open sides is selectively opened or closed by the user by sliding a shower curtain over a curtain rod. Alternatively, the shower may comprise a corner portion of a bathroom including, in lieu of the three walls, two mutually-perpendicular planar walls or a single curved wall spanning the aforesaid corner.
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The foregoing description of the specific embodiments will so fully reveal the general nature of the embodiments herein that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. Therefore, while the embodiments herein have been described in terms of preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments herein can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.
Although the embodiments herein are described with various specific embodiments, it will be obvious for a person skilled in the art to practice the invention with modifications. For example, the protective case assembly can be adapted to accommodate a tablet PC by simply altering the dimensions thereof. However, all such modifications are deemed to be within the scope of the claims.
This application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/173,142 entitled “Shower Safety Device” filed Jun. 9, 2015, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein for all purposes.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62173142 | Jun 2015 | US |
