Portable lift
A personal assisting device that helps a person return to the standing position after they have been seated on a toilet. The assisting device is adapted for attachment to almost any toilet. The toilet's seat is removed, the assisting device is slid around the toilet's bowl, and the seat is re-attached to the device. A control switch is provided that allows the user to move the device's flexible chair frame from the seated position to the raised position. When the flexible chair frame is in the raised position, the user is assisted to the standing position. Two electric motors are used to move the device between the seated and raised positions, in the preferred embodiment.
The present invention relates generally to the field of personal assisting devices and more specifically to a lifting device for assisting a person off of a toilet and to a standing position.
Injuries and old age are two reasons why a person may need assistance in getting up from a seated position. Injuries to a person's foot, leg or hip can prevent the person from being able to stand on his own. Other reasons include the natural aging process. As people age, muscles are no longer able to lift the same weight they used to, and joints do not operate as smoothly as they once did. For any of these reasons, or for a combination of them, many people need help in the process of standing from a seated position.
Home therapy has come a long way in recent years. There are many assisting devices, such as walkers with wheels, and benches that can be placed in bathtubs. However, in regards to assisting devices used in the bathroom for helping a person to the standing position, the choices have thus far been limited to bars or rails on the wall, or the impromptu use of a cane or walker.
What is needed in the field is an automated device that can assist a person to a standing position from a seated position. The ideal device could be added to any standard toilet without impairing the main functions of the toilet.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONAn assisting device that is adapted for attachment to a toilet, wherein the device is able to assist a person seated on the toilet to a standing position. The assisting device comprises a stationary base, a flexible chair frame and a lifting mechanism. The stationary base has a top and a bottom, and the top of the base includes a front portion and a back portion. The flexible chair frame surrounds the bowl and is able to flex between a seated position and a raised position. The flexible chair frame comprises a leg section, a seat section, and a backrest section. The bottom of the leg section is attached the front portion of the base, and the top of the leg section is rotate-ably attached to the front of the seat section. The back of the seat section is rotate-ably attached to the bottom of the backrest section.
The lifting mechanism converts electrical energy into the mechanical power needed to move the flexible chair frame between the seated and raised positions. In the preferred embodiment, the lifting mechanism comprises two electric motors with each motor being mechanically connected to a nut/screw combination. The nuts are permanently attached to opposite sides of the backrest section of the flexible chair frame. The electric motors are attached to the back portion of the stationary base and the screws extend from the motors through their respective nuts on the flexible chair frame. A control switch that controls operation of the electric motors is located on the chair frame. At least one power cord is provided for supplying electrical power to the motors.
The flexible chair frame may also include an arm rest section that is rotatably attached to the flexible chair frame and the control switch can be located on the arm rest section. The control switch includes a first position that causes the flexible chair frame to move to the seated position and a second position that causes the flexible chair frame to move to the raised position. The person seated on the toilet is at least partially assisted to the standing position when the flexible chair frame is moved to the raised position.
The stationary base has a general “U” shape that allows the base to be slid around the bottom of the toilet, which allows the flexible chair frame to surround the bowl of the toilet. The stationary base optionally includes a foot rest that is attached to and extends from the front portion of the base. The stationary base preferably includes adjustable footings that allow the level of the base to be adjusted.
It is an object of the present invention to assist a person, from a seated position, to a standing position.
It is a further object to provide an automated assisting device that can be attached to most toilets.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSThe invention of the present application will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, given only by way of example, in which:
The foregoing description of the specific embodiments will so fully reveal the general nature of the invention that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept. Therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology of terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation.
Claims
1. An assisting device that is adapted for attachment to a toilet, wherein the device is able to assist a person seated on the toilet to a standing position, the assisting device comprising:
- a stationary base, the stationary base having a top and a bottom, and wherein the top of the base has a front portion and a back portion;
- a flexible chair frame that is able to flex between a seated position and a raised position, the flexible chair frame comprising a leg section, a seat section, and a backrest section, wherein a bottom of the leg section is attached the front portion of the base, a top of the leg section is rotate-ably attached to a front of the seat section, and a back of the seat section is rotate-ably attached to a bottom of the backrest section; and,
- a lifting mechanism that is able to move the chair frame between the seated and raised positions, the lifting mechanism comprising a nut, a screw, an electric motor capable of turning the screw, a control switch that controls operation of the electric motor and a power cord that is adapted for plugging into an electrical outlet, wherein the nut is permanently attached to the backrest section of the chair frame, the electric motor is attached to the back portion of the stationary base and the screw extends from the electric motor through the nut.
2. The device of claim 1, wherein the lifting mechanism includes a second electric motor, a second screw and a second nut, and wherein the second nut is permanently attached to the backrest section of the chair frame, the second electric motor is attached to the back portion of the stationary base and the second screw extends from the second electric motor through the second nut, and further wherein the control switch also controls operation of the second electric motor.
3. The device of claim 1, wherein the flexible chair frame further comprises an arm rest section that is rotate-ably attached to the flexible chair frame and wherein the control switch is located on the arm rest section.
4. The device of claim 1, wherein the control switch includes a first position that causes the flexible chair frame to move to the seated position and a second position that causes the flexible chair frame to move to the raised position, and wherein the person seated on the toilet is at least partially assisted to the standing position when the flexible chair frame is in the raised position.
5. The device of claim 1, wherein the stationary base has a general “U” shape that allows the base to be slid around a bottom of the toilet so that the flexible chair frame surrounds a bowl of the toilet.
6. The device of claim 1, wherein the stationary base includes a foot rest that is attached to and extends from the front portion of the base.
7. The device of claim 1, wherein the stationary base includes adjustable footings that allow a level of the base to be adjusted.
8. The device of claim 1, wherein the leg section includes two vertical support legs.
9. The device of claim 1, wherein the seat section includes three horizontal support bars.
10. The device of claim 1, wherein the backrest section includes an up-side-down “U” shaped support member and a backrest cushion.
Type: Application
Filed: Mar 13, 2006
Publication Date: Sep 13, 2007
Inventors: Bobby Boger (Salisbury, NC), Donald Boger (Salisbury, NC)
Application Number: 11/373,690
International Classification: A47K 13/10 (20060101);