U.S. patent application number 12/385132 was filed with the patent office on 2009-11-26 for bathtub system.
Invention is credited to Matthew James Longman.
Application Number | 20090288248 12/385132 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 41341006 |
Filed Date | 2009-11-26 |
United States Patent
Application |
20090288248 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Longman; Matthew James |
November 26, 2009 |
Bathtub system
Abstract
A bathtub system includes a tub having a substantially
horizontal planar floor and contiguous endwalls and sidewalls
extending upwardly from the floor. At least one sidewall has a door
opening. A sliding door cooperates with the door opening. The
sliding door is operable in a direction which includes a horizontal
translation component between oppositely disposed open and closed
positions. The door is slid between those positions by a horizontal
force applied by a user sitting in the tub urging the sliding door
horizontally. The door opening has a sill having an elevation which
is both substantially equal to an elevation of the seat of a user's
wheelchair and substantially at the same elevation as the floor of
the tub so as to not interfere with the user of the tub
transferring laterally from the seat of the wheelchair, over the
sill, and onto the floor of the tub.
Inventors: |
Longman; Matthew James;
(Kelowna, CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Antony C. Edwards
P.O. Box 26020
Westbank
BC
V4T 2G3
CA
|
Family ID: |
41341006 |
Appl. No.: |
12/385132 |
Filed: |
March 31, 2009 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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61064858 |
Mar 31, 2008 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
4/556 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47K 3/006 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
4/556 |
International
Class: |
A47K 3/02 20060101
A47K003/02 |
Claims
1. A bathtub system comprising a tub having a substantially
horizontal planar floor and contiguous endwalls and sidewalls
extending upwardly from said floor so as to define tub enclosure
having a head-end of the tub at one of said endwalls and an
opposite foot-end at the other of said endwalls, wherein said
sidewalls are a longitudinally extending pair of sidewalls at least
one of which having a door opening and a sliding door cooperating
with said door opening, said sliding door being operable in a
direction including a horizontal translation component between
oppositely disposed open and closed positions by a horizontal force
applied by a user in said tub urging said sliding door between said
open and closed positions, wherein said door opening has a sill
having an elevation which is substantially at the same elevation of
said floor so as to not interfere with a user of said tub
transferring laterally from a seat of a wheelchair, over said sill,
and onto said floor of said tub, and wherein said elevation of said
floor is substantially equal to an elevation of the seat of the
wheelchair, and wherein said tub has an upper circumferential edge
around said sidewalls and said endwalls, and wherein a plurality of
handles are mounted adjacent said edge spaced along said sidewalls
whereby a user grasping said handles urges/biases the user from
said opening so as to slide over said floor towards said head-end
of said tub, and wherein a set of controls, including hot and cold
water valve controls and at least one drain control, are mounted
substantially on said upper edge of at least one of said sidewalls
and disposed substantially medially along said upper edge so as to
be within reach of a user in said tub while reclined in a reclined
position along said floor and head-end, and wherein a water inlet
spout is mounted on one of said sidewalls of said tub, and wherein
said spout is adapted to deflect an inflow of water flowing from
said spout into said tub downwardly substantially parallel to said
one of said sidewalls in close adjacency thereto so as to direct
the inflow to not substantially impact a user resting in said
reclined position.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional
Patent Application No. 61/064,858 filed Mar. 31, 2008 entitled
Bathtub System.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] This invention relates to the field of bathtubs for the
elderly or mobility impaired and in particular to an improved
system for such bathtubs.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] In the prior art, conventional cable drive drain controls
are integrated into the bath waste water overflow inlet. The
handles for such controls often require grasping and rotation of
the overflow inlet cover or lifting or sliding of a projecting knob
or handle attached to the overflow inlet cover. Further,
conventional bathtub drain control systems sometimes utilize drain
control actuators which are located in close proximity to the
drain. For example, drain control systems without trip levers are
conventionally operated by moving the plug itself. One drain
control system utilizes a foot lock such that, to operate the
drain, a user pushes down on the drain plug with the user's foot.
Another type of non-trip lever drain plug assembly is
conventionally equipped with a protruding knob which one grasps and
then pushes down on or pulls up, as the case may be, in order to
operate the drain. In another type of drain control system without
trip levers, the drain plug is equipped with a protruding knob. In
order to operate the drain, the drain plug is rotated in opposite
directions to either hold or release the bath water.
[0004] Another type of drain control system commonly used in
bathtubs is one which utilizes a trip lever as a drain actuator. A
trip lever actuator is conventionally located on the cover plate
for the drain overflow aperture. The drain overflow aperture is
conventionally located on the bathtub wall proximate to and above
the drain and drain plug. A trip lever may be connected to the
drain plug by means of a rigid, linked assembly situated within an
L-shaped drain which conventionally extends from the overflow drain
situated near the top of the inside of the bathtub down to the
bottom edge of the bathtub until it is situated directly below the
bathtub drain situated in the bottom of the bathtub. Raising or
lowering of the trip lever, in turn, causes the drain plug to raise
or lower thereby opening or closing the drain.
[0005] In an alternative version of trip lever drain assembly, the
actuator is connected to the drain stopper by means of a flexible
cable. The actuator is again commonly mounted to the cover plate
for the drain overflow inlet and is conventionally located on a
wall of the bathtub above the drain. The actuator is conventionally
a trip lever which may be rotated in opposite directions to operate
the drain plug. An example in the prior art is U.S. Pat. No.
4,546,506 to Houle et al which describes a console mounted drain
controller 115 which actuates a drain valve 25 via a Bowden cable
120.
[0006] As indicated above, conventional drain control actuators
require for example the lifting, pressing, or rotating of a
projecting knob, lever or handle attached to the drain plug or
waste overflow or alternatively, the grasping and rotation of the
overflow inlet cover to bias the drain plug between its open and
closed positions. For individuals without physical limitations, the
location of such controls in close proximity to the drain, often at
the end of the tub where the bather's feet rest, is not problematic
as the individual need only bend forward to operate the actuator.
In addition, such individuals will ordinarily possess the strength,
dexterity and muscle coordination necessary to operate such
controls.
[0007] In contradistinction, however, individuals who are elderly
or have restricted motor skills resulting from disorders such as,
without intending to be limiting, cerebral palsy, may lack the
muscle control and/or strength to operate conventional drain plug
actuators. By way of explanation, cerebral palsy is a neurological
disorder characterized by an inability to control motor function.
Depending upon the type of cerebral palsy, the affected
individual's movements may be stiff, spastic and often involuntary,
and, in addition, may be difficult for the individual to
coordinate. Muscle weakness is often associated with this disorder.
Hence, a seemingly simple task such as opening or closing a bathtub
drain may prove to be problematic or an insurmountable task for
someone suffering from a disorder such as cerebral palsy. Such
individuals may, for example, lack the fine motor skills required
to, firstly, grasp a lever or knob, and secondly, while maintaining
such grasp to contemporaneously apply sufficient pressure to the
lever or knob to cause it to move in an upward, downward or
circular direction. While it may be possible to move a lever in an
upwards or downwards direction without grasping the lever by
applying pressure to the top or bottom of said lever, it may be
difficult, if not impossible, for an individual with compromised
motor skills to, without grasping such a lever, maintain his/her
hand or hands resting in contact with or just above or below the
lever, and at the same time apply sufficient force against the
lever to cause it to move upwards or downwards. In addition, it may
be difficult, it not impossible, for such an individual to access a
conventionally located drain plug actuator that is, a drain plug
actuator which is located near the bather's feet.
[0008] Further, in bathtubs such as those including the present
invention, which are designed to accommodate the elderly or
immobile, or those having greatly restricted range of movement, it
is often the case that a direct flow of water such as from a
bathtub spigot directly impacting the bather may cause discomfort,
bruising or the like especially in those cases where the bather may
not be able to move their limbs from under the water flow. This is
especially true for those style of bathtubs including those in the
present invention having a seat for the bather and typically some
form of door, such bathtubs often require a significant volume of
water and thus either a high volumetric flow rate from the spigot
in order to fill the tub relatively quickly, or filling the bathtub
may take a significant period of time. In either event, the filling
may potentially cause discomfort for a bather having a limb
impacted by the water inflow.
[0009] It is thus a first object of the present invention to
provide a bathtub system which may be used by immobile persons
using motions often encountered by the persons, for example getting
into bed, by the use of a horizontal arrangement of controls and
handles within easy reach of the user and a completely horizontal
tub floor which extends from the tub's door sill to the head-end of
the tub and which is elevated at the height of the seat of a
wheelchair for ease of transition into and out of the tub by the
user.
[0010] It is thus another object of the present invention to
provide a novel water spout arrangement which minimizes the
likelihood of impact of the water inflow with the limb of a bather,
and which synergistically takes advantage of the drain actuator
system according to another aspect of the present invention.
[0011] It is a further object of the present invention to provide a
drain actuator system for usage by individuals with compromised
motor skills such as, without intending to be limiting, those
described above which will afford such individuals with greater
independence when bathing by enabling them to open and close a
conventional bathtub drain without assistance.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0012] In summary, the bathtub system according to one aspect of
the present invention may be characterized as including a tub
having a substantially horizontal planar floor and contiguous
endwalls and sidewalls extending upwardly from the floor so as to
define tub enclosure having a head-end of the tub at one of the
endwalls and an opposite foot-end at the other of the endwalls. The
sidewalls are a longitudinally extending pair of sidewalls at least
one of which having a door opening and a sliding door cooperating
with the door opening. The sliding door is operable in a direction
which includes a horizontal translation component between
oppositely disposed open and closed positions and is slid between
those positions by a horizontal force applied by a user in said tub
urging said sliding door horizontally.
[0013] Advantageously, the door opening has a sill having an
elevation which is both substantially equal to an elevation of the
seat of the user's wheelchair and substantially at the same
elevation as the floor so as to not interfere with a user of said
tub transferring laterally from a seat of a wheelchair, over said
sill, and onto the floor of the tub.
[0014] The tub has an upper circumferential edge around the
sidewalls and the endwalls. A plurality of handles are mounted
adjacent the upper circumferential edge spaced along the sidewalls
whereby the user may grasp the handles to urge or bias the user
from the opening so as to slide over the floor towards the head-end
of the tub.
[0015] A set of controls, including hot and cold water valve
controls and at least one drain control, are mounted substantially
on an upper edge of at least one of the sidewalls and disposed
substantially medially along the upper edge so as to be within
reach of a user in the tub while reclined. The user is in a
reclined position lying along the floor with the user's head
resting inclined up along the head-end of the tub.
[0016] A water inlet spout is mounted on one of the sidewalls of
the tub. The spout is adapted to deflect an inflow of water flowing
from the spout into the tub downwardly and substantially parallel
to the corresponding sidewall in close adjacency thereto, to direct
the inflow so as to not substantially impact the user resting in
the reclined position.
[0017] Advantageously the value controls and drain control are
actuated by horizontally actuating levers. That is, the user
actuates the values and drain control by merely pushing or pulling
horizontally on the corresponding levers. Like the sliding door
then, in order to operate the tub, including opening and closing
the sliding door, filling the tub with water at a desired
temperature, and drawing the tub, the user merely has to have the
dexterity and strength to push and pull horizontally. In one
embodiment the door latch is unlatched by raising slightly the
horizontal door handle bar at the end of the bar closest to the
user, that is the end closest to the head-end of the tub.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0018] In the drawings wherein similar characters of reference
denote corresponding parts in each view:
[0019] FIG. 1 is, in perspective view, a bathtub incorporating the
present invention.
[0020] FIG. 2 is the view of FIG. 1 partially cut away to expose
the drain, overflow, and drain plug actuator assemblies.
[0021] FIG. 2a is, in perspective view, the spill-mounted drain
plug actuator handle of the bathtub of FIG. 1.
[0022] FIG. 3a is, in plan view, the water spout of the bathtub of
FIG. 1.
[0023] FIG. 3b is, in side view, the spout of FIG. 3a.
[0024] FIG. 3c is, in perspective view, the spout of FIG. 3a.
[0025] FIGS. 4a-4e are perspective progressive views of a user
entering into the bathtub of FIG. 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION
[0026] Applicant realized that there were distinct advantages to a
tub according to the present invention where the user transfers to
the floor of the tub by a lateral movement without significant
vertical movement because the floor of the tub is at substantially
the same height elevation as the seat of a conventional wheelchair.
For immobile users, a prior art walls-in water closet style of
bathtub is difficult to use because the derriere of the user must
be transferred from the seat of the wheelchair to the seat of the
tub, that is, across the open space of the footwell where the
wheelchair cannot go, where a caregiver cannot typically go,
leaving only the user's own strength to hoist themselves into the
tub and onto the seat.
[0027] In the applicant's tub design a wheel chair may be
positioned directly alongside the opening into the tub as seen in
FIG. 4a so as to reduce strain and reduce lifting by a caregiver if
one is assisting. The user then transitions in what is a practiced
motion for those who are wheelchair bound, in a manner as if
transitioning onto a toilet or bed. The user thus uses handle 50a
by grasping the handle with the user's right hand. As seen in FIG.
4b the user's left hand holds onto the wheelchair (which has of
course been locked in position with its brakes on) as the user
moves through substantially a horizontal plane, that is, direction
G so as to sit on the edge of the tub door opening.
[0028] Once the user is sitting stably in the tub door opening the
user lets go of the wheelchair and transfers the user's left hand
to a second handle 50b adjacent the door opening, opposite to
handle 50a. The user then grasps handle 50c with the right hand and
pushes against handles 50c (and possibly also handle 50b) or
otherwise pushes backwardly to slide backwards in direction H over
the tub floor on the user's derriere as seen in FIG. 4c so as to
slide in the horizontal plane of the tub floor backwardly into the
head end 31 of the tub. The motion is similar to the user getting
into bed; that is a practiced and usual potion for the user. An
optional handle 50d may be provided in the corner of the tub
opposite handle 50a to assist the user sliding backwardly around
the corner from the door opening and backward into the head end of
the tub. The user's legs and feet then follow through the door
opening and onto the tub floor as seen in FIG. 4d. While still
grasping handle 50c with the right hand, the user grasps the door
handle 52a and slides door 52 in direction I so as to close the
door across the door opening and seal the tub closed.
[0029] The tub may then be filled with water, or the water let out
by the user operating the knobs and controls 26, etc. which are
within easy reach of the user along the back edge 30b of the tub.
Again, the spout directs water down along the sidewall so as to
minimize impact of the water with the user.
[0030] Once the bath is finished, and the water drained, the user
merely lifts up on the bar of handle 52a to release the door latch
and reverses the procedure followed to enter the tub and close the
tub door.
[0031] The drain control actuator of the present invention drives a
conventional cable drive drain assembly such as commercially
available from Oakville Stamping and Bending in Oakville, Ontario,
Canada, and may be used with a bathtub which has a conventional
overflow drain. The drain control actuator of the present invention
may be mounted anywhere on the bathtub shell above the water line
or adjacent to the bathtub as, for example without intending to be
limiting, on a sill outside of but adjacent to the bathtub. Hence,
the drain control actuator of the present invention can be mounted
within easy ergonomic reach of the bather rather than at the far
end of the bathtub near the drain and away from easy reach by the
bather.
[0032] The cable drive drain plug and actuator system combination
10 of the present invention is comprised of for example the
aforementioned conventional cable drive drain plug assembly 12.
Drain assembly 12 is comprised of a drain plug 14 mounted in a
drain plug base 16 with a drive cable 18 mounted at a first end 20
and in cooperation therewith so as to bias drain plug 14 between
raised and lowered positions in drain plug base 16. Water flowing
out of the tub through drain assembly 12 exhausts through pipe 17a.
Water flowing out of the tub through overflow aperture 34 exhausts
through pipe 17b. Pipes 17a and 17b exhaust through common pipe
17c.
[0033] A second end 22 of drive cable 18, opposite drive cable end
20, is mounted in actuator housing 28 so as to cooperate with
actuator 26. Actuator 26 is a knob and lever assembly rotatably
mounted in corresponding actuator housing 28. Actuator housing 28
is adapted to be mounted on the upper edge 30a of bathtub 30 or in
a sill 30b surrounding upper edge 30a. Drain drive cable 18 is
driven at first end 20 by rotation in direction A of actuator 26
resulting in drain plug 14 lifting or lowering in direction B.
[0034] Spout 32 is mounted for example to upper edge 30a, in
cooperation with overflow aperture 34 and provides for relatively
rapid filling of bathtub 30 while minimizing the risk of impact of
the inflow of water with limbs of a bather. In particular, with the
drain plug actuator 26 mounted for example onto sill 30b, or
otherwise positioned so as not to be mounted on overflow drain
cover 35, spout 32 may be mounted so as to cover overflow aperture
34 which would, with a conventional overflow cover and trip lever
drain plug actuator, not be possible. Thus the base 32a of spout 32
may be mounted so as to threadably engage a water supply pipe 36
protruding through upper edge 30a and into tub 30. A hollow neck
32b, in the shape of an inverted "L" or elbow, cooperates with base
32a so as to channel water supplied from pipe 36 in direction C
through a 90 degree turn in neck 32b. Water is exhausted from the
neck in direction D into divergent manifold 32c. Water leaving
manifold 32c diverges further in a fan as a sheet of water 38 in
directions E over divergent channel 40 so as to exit from inclined
lip 42 in direction F. Sheet of water 38 exiting from lip 42 in
direction F may advantageously exhibit a substantially laminar flow
in one preferred embodiment of the present invention along a
trajectory which smoothly merges with sidewall 30C. Thus sheet 38
moving in direction F flows smoothly downwardly along sidewall 30c
below overflow aperture 34 and into the tub so as to fill it. The
smooth flow exiting from divergent channel 40 over inclined lip 42
smoothly converges onto sidewall 30c so that sheet of water 38 fans
out smoothly down and along sidewall 30c to fill tub 30 relatively
rapidly without detrimentally impacting the bather. Advantageously,
sidewall 30c is gently inclined downwardly and inwardly into the
base of the bathtub so that sheet of water 38 as it fans once it
has left channel 40 converges smoothly and somewhat tangentially
onto the surface of sidewall 30c, advantageously at an acute angle
relative thereto, promoting a smooth entry of the sheet of water
onto the sidewall of the bathtub as it flows downwardly from spout
32.
[0035] As will be apparent to those skilled in the art in the light
of the foregoing disclosure, many alterations and modifications are
possible in the practice of this invention without departing from
the spirit or scope thereof. Accordingly, the scope of the
invention is to be construed in accordance with the substance
defined by the following claims.
* * * * *