Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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It is difficult for persons having physical disabilitieæ to thorough-
ly clean the surfaces of their backs when bathing. Although bathing brushes
are available for scrubbing a bather's back, these bathing brushes must be
used either with the hand holding the handle of the brush disposed behind the
small of the back or in back of the neck. As a result, many disabled persons
may not use back brushes inasmuch as they are unable to move their arms and
hands into positions which enable a back brush to be used. Still further,
some persons having little or no physical disablement of their hands or arms
tend to lose their balance when their arms and hands are positioned for use
of a back brush.
Accordingly, a need exists for an improved appliance which may be
used effectively by even severely disabled persons to perform a scrubbing
action on their backs when bathing.
Examples of back scrubbing devices, including some of the general
structural and operational features of the instant invention are disclosed in
U.S. patent Nos. 506,869, 1,345,026, l,820,256, 3,048,938, 3,114,671 and
3,638,270, as well as Canadian patent No. 504,234, French patent Nos. 650,148
and 1,228,894 and Great Britain patent Nos. 185 and 1,079,672.
The back scrubbing appliance of the instant invention comprises an
elongated flexible strip having at least one side thereof defining a rough
scrubbing surface and with that one side of the strip including a transversely
extending convexly rounded hump centrally intermediate its opposite ends.
The strip is constructed of a pair of thin opposite side panels of flexible
material and a central thicker panel of flexible resilient material sandwiched
between the opposite side panels. The thin opposite side panels include
registered side and end marginal edges which are sewn together to encase the
central thicker panel fully within the confines of the thin panels and the
side of the strip opposite the ~ide thereof defining the rough scrubbing
surface may also define a rough scrubbing surface.
The main object of this invention is to provide an appliance which
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will enable a bathing person to fully scrub his entire back surface, including
the central vertically extending depression registered with the spinal column.
Another object of this invention i~ to provide an appliance which
may be further utilized to massage, rub or scratch the entire back surface of
the user.
Yet another object of this invention i9 to provide an appliance
which may be utilized by even di~abled persons to accomplish the aforemen-
tioned functions.
A final object of this invention to be speciEically enumerated
herein i9 to provide an appliance in accordance with the preceding objects
and which will conform to conventional forms of manufacture, be of simple
construction and easy to use, so as to provide a device that will be econom-
ically feasible, long lasting and relatively trouble-free in operation.
Figure 1 is perspective view of the appliance;
Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the appliance on somewhat of
a reduced scale and with the opposite end portions of the appliance being
broken away;
Figure 3 i9 a perspective view of the appliance in use by a one-
armed person;
Figure 4 i9 a perspective view illustrating the manner in which a
two-armed person may use the appliance to scrub his upper back area;
Figure 5 i9 a perspective view illustra~ing the manner in which the
lower back portion of the user may be scrubbed by the appliance;
Figure 6 is an enlarged fragmentary longitudinal vertical sectional
view taken substantially upon the plane indicated by the section line 6--6 of
Fig. l;
Figure 7 i9 a transverse sectiona] view taken substantially upon
the plane indicated by the section line 7--7 of Fig. 6;
Figure 8 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially upon
the plane indicated by the section line 8--8 of Fig. 6;
Figure 9 is an exploded perspective view of the various components
comprising the appliance prior to the thin opposite side panels thereof being
sewn together; and
Figure 10 is a fragmentary perfipective view of the central portion
of the appliance illustrating additional cross-stitching in the area thereof
occupied by the central thicker panel of flexible and resilient material.
Referring now more specifically to the drawings, the numera] 10
generally designates the appliance of the instant invention. It may best be
seen from Fig. 1 of the drawings that the appliance 10 comprises an elongated
strip 12 and from Fig. 2 of the drawings that the strip 12 is defined by a
pair of thin opposite side panels 14 and 16 which may be constructed of
various materials such as soft cotton knit, terry cloth, Jacquards' weave,
polyurethane foam, foam rubber or a spongy absorbent and scratchy or rough
material. However, the thin opposite side panels 14 and 16 are preferably
construc ted of terry cloth or a similar material.
The thin opposite side panels 14 and 16 include registered opposite
side and longitudinal marginal portions which are sewn together as at 20 and
22, respectively. The panel 14 is longer than the panel 16 and the opposite
ends of the panel 16 extend only slightly beyond the opposite ends of the
panel 18.
The central portion of the strip 12 has a transversely extending
elongated body 24 of flexible and resilient material such as foam rubber
interposed between the longitudinal midportion of the panel 14 and the
opposing midportion of the panel 18. In addition, the panels 14 and 16 are
sewn together, through the panel 18 as at 26, along zones extending along
opposite sides of the body 24. In this manner, not only the pane] 18, but
also the body 24, is fully encased within the confines of the panels 14 and
]6. If it is desired, the longitudinal edges of the panels 14 and 16 may be
secured together by loop stitching. Further, conventional stitching 30 may
be used to secure the panel~ ]4 and 16 together through not only the panel 18
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but also the body 24, see Fig. 10, along diagonally crossed zones extending
between opposite longitudinal corners of the panel 18. Further, the panels
14 and 16 may be of the same length.
While the terry cloth of which the panels ]4 and 16 are preferably
fonned may have equal roughness on the remote sides of the panels 14 and 16,
the remote sides of the panels 14 and 16 may be rough and smooth, respectively.
Further, it will be noted from Fig. 6 of the drawings that the body 24
defines a first hump 32 extending transversely of the longitudinal midportion
of the strip 12 and that the hump 32 is transversely convexly arcuate. Also,
inasmuch as the body 24 also slightly outwardly deflects the panel 18 to the
opposite side of the strip as well as the portion of the panel 16 extending
over that side of the panel 18, a smaller hump 34 is defined on the side of
the strip defined by the panel 16.
With attention now invited more specifically to Fig. 3 of the
drawings, it may be seen that a one-armed user 38 may readily use the appli-
ance 10 to scrub her back and that the hump 32 will enable even the central
vertically extending depression in her back registered with her spinal column
to be scrubbed by the appliance 10.
With attention now invited to Fig. 4 of the drawings, it may be
seen that the appliance 10 may be used by a two-handed person 40 in a more
conventional manner, even though the two-handed person 40 may have minimal
usage of his arms.
With attention now invited to Fig. 5 of the drawings, it may be
seen that the appliance 10 may further be used even to scrub the lower
portion of the back of the user 42 either in the manner illustrated in Fig. 3
of the drawings by a one-handed user of the appliance 10 or in the manner
illustrated in Fig. 4 of the drawings by a two-handed user of the appliance
]O.
Fig. 2 of the drawings illustrates the manner in which a bar 44 of
soap initially may be used to apply soap to the appliance 10, after the latter
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has been dampened. Then, the side of the appliance 10 to which soap has been
applied is used to scrub the user's back in either o~ the manners illustrated
in Figs. 3, 4 and 5.
