Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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Dressing Aids
The invention refers to dressing aids according to one of
the preambles of the independent claims.
People who are unable to bend down, e.g. due to troubles
with their backs, have great difficulties putting on or
taking off pieces of clothing such as e.g. socks and
therefore need a dressing aid to assist them or possibly
actually allow them to dress independently.
A dressing aid for putting on a sock is described in U.S.
patent specification No. 4,756,453. The dressing aid
comprises two posts that are each provided with a loop and
connected to each other by means of a hinge. To put on a
sock, the latter is slipped on the two loops and
subsequently stretched by spreading apart the two posts such
that the foot may be slipped into the opening of the sock.
A drawback of this dressing aid is that the procedure
requires a substantial effort for spreading the two posts
and therefore donning a sock turns out to be difficult.
Another drawback is that when the sock has been put on, the
bows and the hinge are on the side of the fibula and
therefore the foot needs to step over the hinge to bring the
two rods to the front.
Based on this prior art, the object of the present invention
is to provide a dressing aid that eliminates these drawbacks
at least partly and that facilitates changing articles of
clothing.
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This object is attained by a dressing aid as indicated in
independent claim 1. Besides another dressing aid, the
remaining claims indicate preferred embodiments as well as a
set of dressing aids.
The dressing aid of the invention offers the advantage that
changing clothes is facilitated and in particular that the
effort required for taking off resp. putting on an article
of clothing is relatively small. Further advantages will be
apparent from the following description.
Exemplary embodiments of the invention will be explained in
more detail hereinafter with reference to the drawings,
where:
Fig. 1 shows a top view of a first embodiment of a
dressing aid for putting on articles of clothing
having at least one opening,
Fig. 2 shows a side view of the dressing aid of Fig. 1
while putting on a sock,
Fig. 3 shows a top view of a second embodiment of a
dressing aid for putting on articles of clothing
having one or two openings,
Fig. 4 shows a side view of a dressing aid for taking off
hosiery, and
Fig. 5 shows a front view of the dressing aid of Fig. 4.
1st Embodiment
Fig. 1 shows a first embodiment of a dressing aid in the
form of a donning aid 10 that is particularly suitable for
putting on hosiery such as e.g. socks.
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The donning aid comprises two legs lla and llb that are
hinged to each other by a connecting member 14. Connecting
member 14 is cuboidal and comprises a recess through which
the respective ends of legs lla and 11b are passed. The ends
of legs 11a and llb are provided with respective sleeves 12a
resp. 12b through which a screw extends which is fastened to
connecting member 14. This support of the two legs lla and
llb allows to open and close legs lla and llb, thereby
forming an expanding mechanism.
Connecting member 14 further comprises two angled plastic
parts 15a and 15b that are squeezed between the ends of legs
lla and llb and the interior of connecting member 14. In
this manner, the moving of legs lla and llb is cushioned
such that they cannot loosely move back and forth when
donning aid 10 is e.g. being carried about or stowed away.
Legs lla and llb comprise respective bows 17a and 17b having
a circular cross-section to minimize the risk of injuries
while putting on an article of clothing. Bows 17a and 17b
together form the mounting portion, on which the article of
clothing is slipped that is to be donned.
Legs 11a and llb are each provided with two recesses 18a,
19a and 18b, 19b, respectively, in each of which a
respective end of bows 17a, 17b is inserted. Bows 17a and
17b are removable, thereby facilitating storage of donning
aid 10. Also it is possible to insert bows of different
shapes and sizes, e.g. for a better adaptation to the shape
and size of a foot or of a garment that is to be donned.
Bows 17a and 17b are essentially U-shaped as seen laterally.
The height of bows 17a and 17b approximately corresponds to
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the ankle level. The respective front ends 20a and 20b of
bows 17a, 17b are bent at right angles approximately, so
that the two bow center portions 21a and 21b, as seen from
above, converge in the closed position of legs lla and llb
and are approximately parallel in the half-open position of
legs lla and llb.
As appears in Fig. 1, legs lla and llb have a slightly
angled shape so that leg center portions 13a and 13b, to
which bows 17a and 17b are attached, are approximately
parallel to each other in the closed position of legs lla
and llb.
By the selected shape of legs lla and llb and of bows 17a
and 17b it is achieved that mounting portion 17a, 17b
provides a uniform expansion of the openings both of
garments having small openings and large openings.
Connecting member 14 is provided with one or a plurality of
rectangular plates 24 each having a hole at their center and
serving as locking means. Through the holes extends a screw
having a rotatable wheel 25, the end of the screw engaging
in a thread of connecting member 14. Plates 24 are thus
rotatable about their holes and lockable in a given
orientation by means of locking screw 25, thereby allowing
to spread legs lla and llb accordingly. Thus, locked plates
24 prevent that legs lla and llb are folded together, when
the garment is slipped on bows 17a and 17b and subsequently
donned. Unfolding of legs lla and llb is prevented by the
attached garment itself as bows 17a and 17b are under load
due to its elasticity.
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Since the spreading angle of legs lla and llb is
continuously adjustable, donning aid 10 is optimally
adjustable to almost any foot and almost any ankle shape.
Although plates 24 prevent the folding of legs lla and llb,
they do not prevent their unfolding. Legs lla and llb are
therefore capable of being further expanded while putting on
a garment and may thus adapt to the size of the leg up to
and past the knee.
Also, instead of rectangular plates 24, a plate having an
oval shape may be used such that legs lla and llb are more
or less expanded depending on the position of the plate.
Instead of plates 24 and locking screw 25, it is also
possible to use a locking member that is displaceable on an
intermediate part (similar to intermediate part 66 and
locking member 79 in Fig. 3) to lock legs lla and llb in a
determined position.
It is also possible to use ratchets as locking means, the
ends of legs lla and llb being rigidly connected to a
respective ratchet such that legs lla and llb may not be
folded under load but only unfolded. As explained below,
Fig. 3 shows this variant of the locking means in the form
of ratchets 82a and 82b.
Further it is conceivable to lock legs lla and llb in a
given position by means of clamping locks.
Open ends 26a and 26b of legs lla and llb are rounded, e.g.
by means of plastic parts that are fitted on the leg ends.
The rounded ends 26a and 26b allow donning aid 10 to be
moved across a surface with little resistance, so that it is
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also possible e.g. for a person lying in bed to use the
donning aid for putting on the piece of clothing.
Optionally, a telescopic design of open ends 26a and 26b may
be provided such that legs lla and llb are extensible in
order to be able to put on garments of larger sizes as well.
As appears in Fig. 2, a handle 28 is provided for holding
and guiding donning aid l0. Handle 28 has a telescopic
configuration, thereby allowing its length to be adjusted to
the size of the user and locked by means of a conical
rotational lock (not shown). The end of handle 28 is
attachable to a connecting piece 31 that is connected to a
hinge 30 and lockable by means of a quick fastener 32. It is
thereby possible to remove handle 28 e.g. for stowing away
donning aid 10.
As appears in Fig. 2, the lateral parts of bows 17a and 17b
are arranged approximately orthogonally to legs lla and llb
so that no parts hinder the foot while slipping into the
sock.
Hinge 30 with connecting piece 31, which is connected to
connecting member 14, allows to adjust the angle of
inclination between handle 28 and legs lla and llb. A given
inclination can be fixed by means of a clamping lock 33
provided on hinge 30.
Hinge 30 is preferably so designed that handle 28 may be
swung down such that it will not interfere while a garment
is being slipped on bows 17a, 17b. It is e.g. conceivable to
use a fork joint for hinge 30 so that handle 28 is pivotable
beyond 180 degrees, e.g. up to 270 degrees.
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Optionally, donning aid 10 may further be provided with a
catch hook 36 fastened to the head of connecting member 14
by means of an articulation 37. Catch hook 36 serves for
picking up garments that are e.g. lying on the floor without
need for the user to bend down. To this end, the catch hook
is first flipped open, as shown by the chain dotted lines 38
in Fig. 2, moved toward the garment, and donning aid 10 is
pushed against the floor such that catch hook 36 snaps shut,
thereby clamping the garment.
Donning aid 10 is used for donning e.g. a sock 39 as
follows. According to the size of sock 39, the spreading
angle between the two legs lla and llb and thus between the
two bow center portions 21a and 21b is adjusted by rotating
plates 24 in such a manner that sock 39 may still be slipped
on bows 17a and 17b but is nevertheless slightly extended.
It will be noted that sock 39 is slipped on bows 17a and 17b
such that the inside of sock 39 is turned outside.
Sock 39 is then pushed down until at least the ankle portion
of the sock appears and essentially rests on bow center
portions 21a and 21b.
Handle 28 is adjusted in length and inclination and locked.
Then the user brings donning aid 10 to his foot and
introduces the latter into sock 39. To assist, donning aid
10 may simultaneously be moved toward the knee, thereby
unrolling sock 39 on the calf without wrinkles.
A user may apply donning aid 10 both standing up and sitting
or lying down, however requiring that both hands are
functioning.
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Among others, donning aid 10 offers the following
advantages:
Donning aid 10 may be used for putting on different kinds of
garments, e.g. garments having one opening such as socks,
skirts, etc., or more than one opening such as briefs,
pants, etc.
Since the garment may at least partly be slipped on mounting
portion 17a, 17b, it is prevented that the garment may fall
down while introducing the corresponding body part. Thus,
even if the foot should be a little moist, thereby making it
more difficult to put on a sock, it is ensured that the sock
is securely retained by mounting portion 17a, 17b while the
foot is introduced and is subsequently unrolled along the
leg with decreasing resistance.
The joint action of locking means 24, 25 and of expanding
mechanism lla, llb prevents that mounting portion 17a, 17b
folds together under load but does not prevent its
expansion. In this manner it is achieved that a garment that
is being donned is always well tensioned while mounting
portion 17a, 17b may adapt to the size of the corresponding
body part by its expansion.
Hinge 30 allows to swing handle 28 down so that it will not
hinder the user while attaching a garment that is to be
donned to mounting portion 17a, 17b. Thus, the user may e.g.
place donning aid 10 on his thighs while sitting down, swing
down handle 28 and squeeze it between his legs and slip the
garment on mounting portion 17a, 17b. Handle 28 is
subsequently swung back up for putting on the garment. This
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procedure is also particularly advantageous for corpulent
users.
Furthermore, with regard to expanding mechanism lla, llb, it
is also conceivable to use donning aid 10 to assist in
donning garments for the upper part of the body, such as
shirts or jackets. Optionally, donning aid 10 may further be
provided with additional retaining means such as clamps,
thereby allowing an additional retention of a garment
slipped on the mounting portion. In this case, donning aid
10 is e.g. fastened to a post so that it is positioned at a
suitable height and the user may slip on the garment without
bending down.
2nd embodiment
Fig. 3 shows a second embodiment of a dressing aid in the
form of a donning aid 40 that is suitable for putting on
pieces of clothing having one or two openings.
Similarly to the first embodiment, the donning aid according
to Fig. 3 comprises two legs 41a and 41b for forming an
expanding mechanism, one end of each leg being hinged to a
connecting member 44. Legs 41a and 41b are interconnected by
a spring 45 to prevent dangling. Legs 41a and 41b comprise
respective bows 47a and 47b whose ends are inserted in
circular recesses 48a, 49a and 48b, 49b of respective legs
41a, 41b. The open ends 56a and 56b of legs 41a and 41b are
provided with rounded plastic parts so that they easily
slide on a surface.
Undressing aid 40 further comprises a U-shaped intermediate
portion 66 that is fixed to connecting member 44.
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Intermediate portion 66 is provided with two bows 6?a and
67b that are inserted in round recesses 68a, 69a and 68b,
69b, respectively.
Bows 47a, 47b, 67a, and 67b have a circular cross-section
and are substantially U-shaped when viewed laterally.
Bows 47a and 47b on legs 41a and 41b are slightly offset
from bows 67a and 67b on intermediate portion 66, as shown
in Fig. 3 by chain dotted lines 46. In the case of a medium
spreading angle of the two legs 41a and 41b, according to
the solid lines in Fig. 3, the bow center portions 51a, 51b
and 71a, 71b are at the same height approximately. Thus it
is ensured that the openings e.g. of underpants mounted on
bows 51a, 51b, 71a, 71b do not form a slot but are extended
as evenly as possible.
Optionally, an extensible design of open ends 56a and 56b of
legs 41a and 41b may be provided. Thus, as shown by the
chain dotted lines 76 in Fig. 3, it is possible to lengthen
legs 41a and 41b while they are widely spread for putting on
garments of larger sizes. Legs 41a and 41b may further be
provided with retaining clamps 77 for fastening e.g. the
waistband of a pair of pants or a skirt.
Intermediate portion 66 comprises a locking member 79 which
is attached to and displaceable along intermediate portion
66 and lockable by means of a clamping lock 80. The two ends
of locking member 79 are provided with pins 81a and 81b on
which legs 41a and 41b are resting. Depending on the
position of locking member 79, legs 41a and 41b are more or
less spread apart. While locking member 79 prevents that the
pairs of bows 51a, 71a resp. 51b, 71b contract when a
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garment is slipped on, they may still unfold. Legs 41a and
41b may thus adapt to the size of the legs while dressing
aid 40 is moved up along the legs.
Fig. 3 also shows another variant of the locking means
according to which the ends of legs 41a and 41b are fixed to
respective ratchets 82a and 82b (toothed crown with a pawl),
thereby preventing that legs 41a and 41b are folded under
load. Ratchets 82a and 82b may be used in conjunction with
or instead of locking member 80.
Similarly as in the first embodiment, connecting member 44
comprises a hinge 30 with a connecting piece 31 and a
clamping lock 33, thereby allowing to attach a length
adjustable handle by means of a quick fastener.
Mounting portion 40 illustrated in Fig. 3 comprises two
pairs of bows 51a, 71a and 51b, 71b so that garments having
one or two openings may be slipped on. Donning aid 40
generally allows putting on all garments for the lower part
of the body, such as e.g. socks, knee-length socks,
stockings, underskirts, skirts, pants, panty hoses,
underpants, briefs, etc.
To put on socks, donning aid 40 is used similarly as donning
aid 10 according to the first embodiment. Thus, the user
slips the socks on the two pairs of bows 51a, 71a resp. 51b,
71b and steps into the opened socks with his feet.
For putting on a panty hose, for example, locking member 79
is locked in a corresponding position to spread legs 41a and
41b and the legs of the panty hose are slipped on the pairs
of bows 51a, 71a and 51b, 71b about evenly until their ankle
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portions are visible. Then the user introduces one leg after
another into the panty hose and moves donning aid 40 toward
his trunk past his knees. Since legs 41a and 41b are only
resting on pins 81a and 81b, they may spread further and
thereby adapt to the shape of the legs whose circumference
increases upwards.
Putting on e.g. a pair of pants is achieved by spreading
legs 41a and 41b according to the circumference of the pants
and by slipping each of the two legs of pants on a pair of
bows 51a, 71a resp. 51b, 71b. As the case may be, the leg
ends 56a and 56b are extended and the waistband is
additionally secured by retaining clamps 77. Then the user
introduces one leg after another into the legs of pants and
moves donning aid 40 upwards until he can seize the
waistband with his arms.
3rd embodiment
Figures 4 and 5 show another embodiment of a dressing aid
that serves for taking off e.g. a sock (undressing aid).
Undressing aid 90 comprises a curved center portion 91 whose
ends 92a and 92b are provided with plastic parts having a
rounded shape.
Attached to center portion 91 is a connecting piece 93
having a handle 94 for holding and guiding the undressing
aid screwed thereto. It is also possible to provide the
center portion with a quick fastener 32 as described above
such that one and the same handle 28 may be connected to
dressing aids 10, 40, 90 according to the three described
embodiments.
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Two holders 95a and 95b that are bent forward are screwed to
center portion 91. Holders 95a, 95b are connected to
respective elongate guide portions 96a and 96b having an
approximately mirror-symmetrical shape. Respective guide
portions 96a and 96b have a substantially circular contour
97a resp. 97b in the shape of a six whose surface is curved
similarly to a shoe horn. Guide portions 96a and 96b
together form a guide member having a central recess 98.
Also, guide portions 96a resp. 96b are mounted in a spread
configuration such that they converge but a space with no
material is left in the middle between the two guide
portions approximately.
For removing a stocking that is being worn, guide member
96a, 96b is inserted between the leg and the stocking such
that the opening of the stocking is enlarged by the spread
guide portions 96a and 96b. The latter are then pushed
toward the heel, recess 98 being moved along the Achilles
tendon approximately while the stocking is pulled off. Since
the respective lower parts of guide portions 96a and 96b are
a little larger than their upper parts, the removed stocking
will not fall down but remains caught on guide members 96a,
96b. Thus the stocking can be brought to the hand without
the need for the user to bend down.
Suitable materials for the manufacture of dressing aids 10,
40, 90 are synthetic materials and metals while light
materials are preferred to keep the mass of the dressing
aids as low as possible. Handle 28 resp. 94 as well as bows
17a, 17b, 47a, 47b, 67a, and 67b are removable so that
dressing aids 10, 40, 90 may be carried along (e.g. in a
plane) as a compact hand luggage.
