Description:
Background of the Invention
The present invention relates to a portable apparatus for lifting a handicapped or invalid person into and out of a bathtub or therapy pool.
Prior apparatus for performing this function have typically employed hydraulic jacks mounted permanently or semipermanently to a wall, floor or to a custom made frame. Examples of such lifts are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,664,142 to Scheurman et al., 3,091,778 to Gross, 2,604,636 to Nielsen, 3,078,473 to Daniels and 3,714,672 to Condon.
As indicated, most of the prior art devices are not portable and require either permanent installation to a supporting wall or floor or special supporting framework within or on the tub, with such framework adapted to fit only one size and shape of tub. Such prior devices are not easily disassembled and could not be used, for example, by an invalid while traveling since they are too heavy and cumbersome to be transported and/or assembled by one person. Also they can not be easily moved out of the way so others can use the tub.
Still another prior bath lift, shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,289,217, is clamped directly to the tub and employs a screw jack. However, the jack mechanism is submerged in the bath water, thus taking up room in the tub and subjecting the mechanism to fouling through water contact.
A common disadvantage of most such prior art devices is the lack of safety means to prevent inadvertent swinging movement of the seat during loading and unloading of the person. Also such prior lifts usually do not provide means for supporting the invalid's legs which makes it necessary for an attendant to lift and carry the invalid's legs as he is placed into the tub. Often this requires as much effort and danger of mishap as simply having the attendant manually lift the invalid into the tub.
Objects of the Invention
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a portable bath lift.
Another object of the invention is to provide a portable hydraulic bath lift which does not require any permanent mounting to a floor or wall so as to be usuable by a handicapped person when away from home or otherwise whenever permanent installation would not be permitted or convenient.
A further object of the invention is to provide a bath lift which is readily adjustable to fit bathtubs of various sizes and shapes.
A still further object is to provide a bath lift which may be quickly, easily and completely disassembled for transport in compact form and reassembled for use.
Another object is to provide a bath lift which does not require any special cumbersome supporting framework or installation.
A further object is to provide an improved bath lift with means operable to hold the lift seat in a loading position to minimize any danger of injury to the invalid person.
Another object is to provide means to support the invalid's legs after loading so that they will clear the rim of the bathtub.
Further objects of the present invention will be apparent from the remainder of this specification.
Summary of the Invention
The bathtub lift of the present invention is portable, lightweight and readily disassembled for compact carrying, for example, in the trunk of an automobile. The lifting component of the apparatus is a columnar hydraulic jack which can be operated either by the invalid or by an assistant. The jack is rotatably supported on a separate non-slip base positioned alongside the bathtub. An adjustable clamp means clamps the jack to the side of the tub and is slidably and rotatably mounted concentrically on the jack cylinder.
A removable seat suspension means cantilevered from the jack suspends a seat means from an extensible portion of the jack. Operation of the hydraulic jack raises and lowers the seat relative to the tub.
Attached to the seat means is a combination leg support-seat stop adapted to move between two fixed positions, one to hold the seat in loading position and the other to to support the invalid's legs after loading.
By selective use of the jack a seated invalid can be easily placed in and removed from a tub. When not required, the lift may be rotated to a position out of the way so noninvalids may use the tub. The lift employs tubualr construction to render it light weight and easily transportable. When it is desired to remove the lift, its complete disassembly can be accomplished in a matter of minutes.
Brief Description of the Drawings
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the bath lift of the present invention shown in an operative position in conjunction with a bathtub;
FIG. 2 is a top view of the seat portion of the lift of FIG. 1 with portions broken away for clarity and with a rim portion of the tub shown in phanton lines;
FIG. 3 is a fragmentary side view of a lower portion of the lift of FIG. 1 showing a portion of the tub in phantom and a base portion of the lift in section;
FIG. 4 is a partial sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of FIG. 2; and
FIG. 5 is a partial sectional view taken along the line 5-5 of FIG. 2.
Detailed Description
Referring to FIG. 1 the bath lift of the present invention is illustrated in conjunction with a typical bathbub. The lift includes a conventional columnar hydraulic jack 10 having an extensible portion 12 which is raised and lowered by hydraulic means 14 relative to a stationary shaft portion 16. The hydraulic means 14 includes a hydraulic pump consisting of a reservoir 18, pump handle 20, piston 22 and release valve 24. A columnar jack suitable for use in the present invention is Type 77715 manufatured by Norco Design Products. It is suggested that the jack have a capacity of at least one and one half tons to prevent bending strains in its present application from affecting operation.
In operation, valve 24 is closed and pump handle 20 reciprocated to cause extensible jack portion 12 to move upwardly relative to shaft portion 16. The process is reversed, as desired, by opening valve 24 to lower extensible portion 12 on shaft portion 16.
Stationary shaft portion 16 is circular in cross section and extends slightly below the cylindrical extensible portion 12 when the jack is in its fully retracted position. As shown best in FIG. 3, a floor-engaging base 30 for supporting the jack has an upwardly opening receptacle 32 which slidably receives the stationary shaft portion 16 of the jack therein. Affixed to the underside of base 30 is a layer 36 of resilient high friction material to restrain the base from sliding on the floor. When shaft portion 16 is inserted in receptacle 32, base 30 not only supports the jack assembly on the floor next to the tub 34, but also permits rotation of the jack in the receptacle, the importance of which will become apparent shortly.
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 3, a clamp means 40 secures the jack to a rim 42 of tub 34. The clamp means comprises a U-shaped bracket 44 and a sleeve 46 fastened to one leg of the U-shaped bracket. The sleeve surrounds and is slidable relative to the extensible jack portion 12 over a wear resistant jacket 47. Thus, the clamp means is adjustable for different tub heights but remains stationary relative to tub rim 42 during movement of extensible portion 12. U-shaped bracket 44 is composed of two overlapping leg sections 43, 45 which are attached together by bolts 49 extending through adjusting slots 48. In this manner, the U-shaped bracket may be narrowed or widened as necessary to adapt to the rim width of a particular tub.
As best seen in FIG. 3, the inside surfaces of U-shaped bracket 44 are lined with a layer of resilient high friction material 50. Once the jack has been placed in the base 30 and secured by clamp means 40 to tub rim 42, the base and the clamp act together against the floor and tub rim, respectively, to resist lateral displacement of the jack assembly from its present vertical position.
A collar 60 (FIG. 1) fixed to extensible jack portion 12 supports one end of an L-shaped seat suspension means 62. A pair of ears 66 on collar 60 have aligned openings therethrough to receive a pin 68 which releasably secures the suspension means to the extensible jack portion 12. The jack-confronting end of suspension means 62 has a corresponding pin opening for the same purpose. The suspension means may be made of high strength metal or plastic stock of T-shaped cross section to provide a high strength-to-weight ratio. The upper lag portion of suspension means 62 is maintained horizontal due to the action of securing pin 68 and the T-shaped end pressing against collar 60.
The vertically positioned leg of suspension means 62 supports a seat means 80. As seen in FIG. 2, the seat means 80 comprises a tubular seat ring 82 having a connecting bracket 84 at one side thereof pinned to the supension means 62 by pin 85. An abutment portion of bracket 84 rides flush against a lower end of suspension means 62 to maintain the seat ring horizontal. The bottom of bracket 84 is surfaced with a resilient high friction pad 88 for engaging the tub rim 42 when the seat is in its loading position of FIG. 1. Seat ring 82 supports an open centered, contour seat 86 which is secured thereto by screws (not shown). In the loading position of FIG. 1, seat ring 82 rests on tub rim 42, primarily on friction pad 88. This reduces the tendency of the seat to swing during seating of an invalid person.
A curved back support railing 90 of lightweight tubular construction is removably attached to suspension member 62 and to seat ring 82. For this purpose the opposite ends of the railing are provided with angular extensions 90a, 90b of reduced diameter as shown in FIGS. 1 and 5 which hook into holes 91, 93 provided at the angle of suspension member 62 and through a tab portion 82a of seat ring 82, respecitvely to securely attach the railing without the use of fasteners.
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, and open ended pivot tube 94 is pivoted to a pair of flanges 92 on seat ring 82 by a pin 93 for horizontal swinging movement. Pivot tube 94 receives a leg 96 of a generally rectangular combination leg support-seat stop 98 of open frame construction. A spring pin 100 passes through upper and lower slots cut through the pivot tube and rides in an annular recess (not shown) of leg 96 to hold the leg in the pivot tube while enabling rotation of the leg in such tube. With leg 96 in pivot tube 94, leg support-stop 98 can be swung about the axis of pin 95 and rotated in the pivot tube as indicated by arrows 97 and 99.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, resilient spring clips 102 and 104 are attached to seat ring 82. These clips serve to hold leg support-stop 98 selectively in either of two positions. In a first position, shown in solid lines in FIG. 1 and phantom lines in FIG. 2, clip 102 engages leg 96 and the leg support-stop 98 in contacting and substantially parallel to tub 34. This arrangement restrains the seat means making it safer for an invalid person attempting to sit down. Further, in this first position the leg support-stop 98 is out of the way during loading.
In a second position shown in solid lines in FIG. 2, the leg support-stop is substantially parallel to the floor. In this second position an invalid's legs can be supported on the open tubular frame. Corner 110 of the leg support-stop is received in clip 104 to secure the support-stop in this position. The support-stop is moved between the first and the second positions by rotating the leg support-stop about pin 95 and the axis of leg 96.
Operation
To utilize the lift, the seat is first moved to a loading position resting on tub rim 42. The leg supportstop 98 is positioned as shown in solid lines in FIG. 1. The invalid is then seated on contour seat 86 and the leg support-stop is moved to its leg supporting position shown in phantom in FIG. 1.
When the invalid's legs are resting on the support, jack 10 is operated with valve 24 in its closed position. Extensible portion 12 of the jack moves vertically upward relative to the floor thereby raising the seat means 80 off the tub rim. When the seat and leg support-stop are clear of the tub rim, the suspension means 62 is utilized by an attendant to rotate the seat with the jack about the base 30 until it overlies the tub. The valve 24 is then partially opened to cause gradual lowering of the seat into the water.
To remove the invalid person from the tub, the above described steps are reversed to again position the seat on tub rim 42 for unloading.
In the event that the person using the lift does not require assistance with his legs, the leg support-stop 98 can be removed, simply by pulling the spring pin 100 and pulling leg 96 from the pivot tube. Alternately, the present lift can be easily adapted for use by an amputee by permanently removing the leg support-stop and employing a second clamp on the tub rim capable of restraining the seat in the loading position. This additional clamp is similar in construction to clamp 40 except that it has no sleeve attached to either leg. The adjusting bolts of this second clamp engage the seat ring to restrain the seat in the loading position until is is lifted clear of the tub rim.
If a non-invalid desires to use the tub, the seat means may be rotated out of the way without any necessity for disassembling the lift or removing the clamp means 40. When it is desired to disassemble the lift, this may be accomplished in a matter of a few minutes. The pins 68 and 85 are removed from the suspension means separating it from the seat and from the jack. Back rail 90 is lifted free of the seat ring and out of holes 91 and 93 and jack 10 is lifted out of the base 30 clear of sleeve 46. Finally clamp means 40 is removed from the tub rim by loosing bolts 49. Due to the tubular construction employed, the lift is lightweight and may be easily transported.
While I have shown and described a preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many changes and modifications may be made without departing from my invention in its broader aspects as defined by the following claims.