SHOWER ASSIST SAFETY DEVICE

DISPOSITIF PERMETTANT AUX HANDICAPES DE PRENDRE UNE DOUCHE SANS AIDE

English Abstract

Abstract of the Disclosure

This invention relates to a lifting and swinging bathroom device that
enables the user to slide onto its seat portion when the seat is in a
locked lowered position outside the tub and, through a series of manual
operations, to raise and swing the user into the tub area enabling him
or her to have a shower unattended. The entire raising and lowering
linkage is mounted cantilever fashion on a rotatable column adjacent the
outside of the tub. The invention is of particular use to a person in a
wheelchair and has a broad use for the aged, the infirm and the obese.

Claims

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privi-
lege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A lifting and rotating device mounted, adjacent the outside of a
conventional bathtub comprising a rotatable support column, a linkage
system hingedly connected to the support column cantilever fashion and
hingedly connected at its free end to a seat frame, manually
controlled means to move the seat frame and thus its seat from a low
position outside the tub to a raised position clearing the edge of the
tub to a low position inside the tub, where the user can have a shower
unattended.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the movement between positions is in 30
degree increments.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein the linkage system has upper and lower
links and vertically spaced hinge points defining a parallelogram and
wherein the manually controlled means is a power assist between the
column and the upper link of the linkage system to provide a lift
range of twenty-six inches, from 16 inches above the floor to 42
inches above the floor.

4. The device of claim 3 wherein the angle between the longitudinal axis
of the seat frame and the plane of the parallelogram linkage is a
fixed angle of 90 degrees.

Description

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This invention relates to a lifting ai - ,athroom device that ena~les
the user to slide onto its seat portion when the seat is in a locked lowered
position outside the tub and through a series of manual operations to raise
and swing the user into the tub area, enabling him or her to have a show2r
unattended.

The entire raising and lowering device is mounted cantilever fashion on a
rotatable column adiacent to the outside of the tub by means of a
parallelogram linkage system. No modification is necessary to the shower/
tub area with the exception of a hand held shower head on a flexible hose.

The rotatable column extends from floor to ceiling for stability and has a
thrust bearing in its lower portion and a stationary base plate. The base
plate in cooperation with a retractable locking rod provides a lock-up
against rotation in any one of four positions.

The rotatable column is located two-thirds of the way back from the tap
end of the tub.

The seat frame has a 90 relationship with the plane of the parallelogram
linkage so that its final stage of lock-up rotation aligns it with the
longitudinal axis of the tub. The user can reach the taps and the flexible
hose shower head.
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; After the shower, the sequence of manual operations is reversed permitting
the user to slide off of the seat onto another support such as a wheelchair.

In further description of the invention reference is made to the accompanying
drawings wherein,
~igure 1 shows three operative positions of the lift device in plan and,
Figure 2 shows the same positions in elevation together with construc-
tion details of the rotatable column.

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hs shown in Figures 1 and 2, a rotatable column 1 is located adjacent the
out side of the tub and approximately two-thirds of the way bac~ from the
tap end of the tub. The column extends from floor to ceiling and is
adiustable for varying ceiling heights. Reference to Figure 2 is made for
- the construction of the column. A ceiling socket 2 provides for free
rotation of the column. In the lower portion of the column is a thrust
bearing 3 and a stationary base plate 4. hn annular flange 5 on the base
plate has a series of holes in a 90 sector that co-operate with a
retractable pin to provide four positions of lock-up. The pin, through a
rod extension, is manually raised and lowered by the user.



A parallelogram linkage system 6 has upper and lower links with vertically
spaced hinge points on the column and vertically spaced hinge points on a
seat frame back 7. The seat frame longitudinal axis is fi~ed at 90 to ~he
plane of the parallelogram linkage, as shown in Figure 1. The seat support
frame 8 is hinged transversely so that it can be folded up from thirty-
three inches extended to nine inches folded. A leg separator extension 9
combines with the seat support frame to provide a horizontal base for a
conventional open front toilet seat 10. A manually controlled power means
11 has an offset connection with the upper link and a column connection
adjacent the lower link. This provides a lifting range for the seat of
twenty-six inches.




The rotation sequence for the seat is shown in ~igure 1 and the raising
and lowering sequence in Figure 2. Position h in both figures is the
loading position, position B is the tub clearing position and position C
is the shower position.



~Jith further reference to the seat frame, the seat frame back is provided
with arm ~ësts 12 that can be folded up and down indepsndently. This makes

the device adaptable for a right hand tub or a left hand tub. A lap belt
13 extends on either side of the seat frame back in its lower portion. Leg
straps 14 depend from the leg separator extension and may be clipped to
eye-bolts in the free end of the arm rests.

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There are two ~old-up positions for the device. In one, the folded up
seat frame is parallel with the outer edge of the tub. This is a lock-
up position and permits full use of the shower/tub area by someone else.
In the second, the folded up seat frame is swung rearwardly inside the tub
area as far as it will go and is a non-lock position for the column.

It is thus seen that a convenient and safe apparatus is provided in this
invention which enables a handicapped user to take a shower unattended.