Shower bath chair

Abstract

A chair made of a single-piece molded plastic laminate element specially designed for the safety and comfort of the person having a shower and the facilitation of personal cleanliness. It is provided with a spoon-shaped concave seat, with a lateral-back guarding flap and a front opening having three defined sectors for the optimum hygiene of men and women's private parts; similarly it has a feetrest which in combination with the frontal opening allows safe and easy cleanliness of feet and side handles which facilitate standing up from the seat, the seat projecting itself in a bending manner into the lower sector and turning into four reinforced equally-spaced legs with their respective cross-members.

Description

FIELD OF APPLICATION

[0001] It is related to the field of personal cleanliness at the time of having a shower and the safety devices contributing to it.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0002] It deals with a chair made of a single-piece molded plastic laminate element specially designed for the safety and comfort of the person having a shower and the facilitation of personal cleanliness. It is provided with a spoon-shaped concave seat, with a lateral-back guarding flap and a front opening having three defined sectors for the optimum hygiene of men and women's private parts; similarly it has a feetrest which in combination with the frontal opening allows safe and easy cleanliness of feet and side handles which facilitate standing up from the seat, the seat projecting itself in a bending manner into the lower sector and turning into four reinforced equally-spaced legs with their respective cross-members.

PRIOR ART AND CURRENT TECHNIQUE

[0003] No shower bath chair with the features of our invention is known in the market.

[0004] Even though the priority search for patent documents performed turned to be negative concerning priorities with the same features owned by our invention, for the sake of illustration, it is worthwhile quoting below some of the patents related to the subject matter and the differences with the present patent application. They are the following:

[0005] Argentine Utility Model Application M960104292: It relates to a CHAIR FOR HYGIENIC USE consisting of a tubular supporting structure formed by a pair of U-shaped folded elements parallelly arranged in an inverted manner with their divergent branches ending in arranged perpendicular portions which end respect the ground and are capped with small wheels containing an axially rotary assembly. The seat consists of two rectangular boards assembled in an angular manner which are spaced one from the other.

[0006] Our invention is different in that it is a chair made of a single-piece molded plastic laminate element specially designed for the safety and comfort of the person having a shower and the facilitation of personal cleanliness. It is provided with a spoon-shaped concave seat, with a lateral-back guarding flap and a front opening having three defined sectors for the optimum hygiene of men and women's private parts; similarly it has a feetrest which in combination with the frontal opening allows safe and easy cleanliness of feet and side handles which facilitate standing up from the seat. No rolling means is provided as they would become a risk factor since absolute immobility is necessary under the shower.

[0007] Argentine Utility Model Application M960104292. It relates to a MOVABLE GERIATRIC ARMCHAIR FOR FAMILY USE essentially consisting of an armchair with a back and armrests and a square seat with a round hole on its side sector, the seat ending in four wheeled legs. As indicated by its name, it is a geriatric armchair made of plastic to lower its cost and it is not a device for the comfort and safety under the shower, even though it is provided with a central hole, which is more apt to place urinals which allow the prostated patient to evacuate and urinate, than to allow the hygiene of the user's private parts. The back, the flat seat and the armrests which make hygiene more difficult do not contribute either, the same happens with the bearings which may cause instability under the shower.

[0008] Our invention is different in that it has been designed for the safety and comfort of the person having a shower and the facilitation of personal cleanliness, provided with a spoon-shaped concave seat, with a lateral-back guarding flap and a front opening having three defined sectors for the optimum hygiene of men and women's private parts; similarly it is provided with a feetrest which in combination with the frontal opening allows safe and easy cleanliness of feet and side handles which facilitate standing up from the seat. No rolling means is provided as they would become a risk factor since absolute immobility is necessary under the shower.

[0009] U.S. Patent of Invention N° 6.122.776. “BATHING SEAT”. It deals with a special chair consisting of a supporting inverted U-shaped base made of pipes, with an adjustable width and height, the parallel beams or cross-members having a big size in length in order to allow the displacement of the seat on them. The seat consists of a rigid holed plate, the same as the back. This chair allows to have a general shower with certain stability, but it becomes practically impossible to clean private parts.

[0010] PCT European Patent of Invention Application N° PCT/AU9100016. “BATH SEAT ASSEMBLY”. It consists of a tubular structure adjustable to a bathtub which supports a flat seat with armrests and back and an inflatable tongue underneath which allows to move the seat from its highest to its lowest position. Unlike our invention, this chair is not provided with an access to clean the user's private parts, making it more difficult due to the flatness of the seat and the armrests and back, which are anyway essential in this design for the user's stability.

[0011] U.S. Pat. No. 5,682,626. “INVALID BATH CHAIR WITH THERAPEUTIC WHIRPOOL”. The chair consists of a tubular structure on which a U-shaped seat is assembled with an opening towards the back side of the chair, it is also provided with an armrest and a back so that the user may keep stability. Under the seat and in relation to it, there is a sprinkler plate connected to an electric motocompressor which produces a pressure air source under the seat, which produces a hydraulic whirpool upwards when the shower water falls. In spite of the spectacular nature of the device, the user cannot perform the hygiene of his private parts on his own (the back opening of the seat, the armrest, and so on). From the aforementioned, it can be inferred that the present invention is meant to help with the cleanliness of an invalid person, as indicated by its title.

[0012] Our invention is different in that it is a chair made of a single-piece molded plastic laminate element specially designed for the safety and comfort of the person having a shower and the facilitation of personal cleanliness. It is provided with a spoon-shaped concave seat, with a lateral-back guarding flap and a front opening having three defined sectors for the optimum hygiene of men and women's private parts; similarly it has a feetrest which in combination with the frontal opening allows safe and easy cleanliness of feet and side handles which facilitate standing up from the seat.

[0013] The present invention provides a series of advantages and solves safety problems related to having a bath under the shower.

[0014] The anatomical design with a spoon-shaped concave seat and inclined towards the back sector is an advantage of the present invention because, due to it, the user remains held up within it, firmly tightened in spite of all the movements he may make to carry out his hygiene, the concave shape of the spoon-shaped seat will tend to center him into it; in summary, it avoids any accidental fall of the user that may result in severe consequences.

[0015] Another advantage of the present invention is the lateral-contouring flap which surrounds the seat by the sides and the back sector, considering that the seat is not provided with a back and an armrest, it prevents an accidental slipping out of the seat.

[0016] A significant advantage incorporated by this invention is the three sector front opening which allows a deep, comfortable and safe hygiene of the user's private parts.

[0017] The feetrest is a supplementary advantage provided by this invention, because in combination with the front opening allows a comfortable and safe hygiene of the feet, as well as the necessary cutting of the nails.

[0018] Similarly, specially for elderly people, the handles provided by the present invention represent an outstanding advantage at the moment of standing up and leaving the seat, since the person may help himself by means of his arms's strength.

[0019] In order to visualize the advantages briefly commented above, to which the users and those skilled in the art may add many more, below there is a description of a preferred embodiment schematically illustrated without a determined scale on the enclosed sheet where:

[0020] FIG. 1: shows a perspective view of the chair of the present invention.

[0021] FIG. 2: shows a plan view of the same chair of the present invention.

[0022] FIG. 3: shows a lateral view of the same chair of the present invention.

[0023] In order to relate the figures above mentioned with the description below, the equal parts or pieces shown in the different figures have been numbered with a common numerical reference.

[0024] The “SHOWER BATH CHAIR” of the present invention consists of a plastic laminate element molded into a single-piece with the shape of a chair 1, comprising a concave seat 2, spoon-shaped with a slope towards the back sector, and a lateral-back guarding flap 3 originated at the front sector and gradually and symmetrically ascending towards the back sector forming a curved surface without continuity with the seat 2.

[0025] Said seat 2 shows a three-sector front opening which enters symmetrically and transversely, a first sector 4 with a wide and curved opening originated adjacent to the sides and which closes in a bending manner on the center of the seat, where it continues through the middle sector 5, with a semicircular, slightly wider perimeter, where it continues through the third sector 6, longitudinal, slightly trapezoidal which finishes at a curved end adjacent to the contouring flap at the back sector.

[0026] On the sides of the contouring flap 3, two pairs of handles 7 originate symmetrically in the same continuity of the material.

[0027] The seat 2 projects towards the lower sector in curved edges, forming four equally-spaced legs 8, said legs 8 joined by respective cross-members.

[0028] On cross-member 9, at the front sector, there are two feetrests 10.

[0029] At the back sector of the chair 1, two curved entrances 11 of the contouring flap 3 are provided, related to the legs 8 which allow their stacking, so that if necessary, for the use of these chairs 1 by several people at the same time, such as in clubs, elderly people homes, etc., they can be piled to occupy less room.

USE

[0030] The chair is placed under the shower on the bathtub and the person can carry out his private cleanliness easily and safely; if he wishes to wash his feet or cut his feet fingernails, he will only have to place them on the feetrest and do the job with good vision, comfortably and safely.

[0031] The constructive and functional advantages which characterize the present invention can be derived from the descriptions and representations in the accompanying figures and represent an advantageous improvement in the art, therefore the invention falls within the scope of the provisions of the pertinent Law and protection is requested according to the claims below.

Claims

1) A “SHOWER BATH CHAIR” of the type made of a plastic laminate element molded into a single-piece with the shape of a chair characterized in that it comprises a concave spoon-shaped seat with a slope towards the back sector, and a lateral-back guarding flap originated at the front sector and gradually and symmetrically ascending towards the back sector forming a curved surface without continuity with the seat, said seat having a three-sector front opening which enters symmetrically and transversely, a first sector with a wide and curved opening originated adjacent to the sides and which penetrates in a bending manner on the center of the seat, where it continues through a middle sector, with a semicircular, slightly wider perimeter, where it continues through a third sector, longitudinal, slightly trapezoidal which finishes at a curved end adjacent to the contouring flap at the back sector.

2) A “SHOWER BATH CHAIR” as claimed in 1 characterized in that it comprises a pair of symmetrical handles on the sides of the contouring flap in the same continuity of the material.

3) A “SHOWER BATH CHAIR” as claimed in any of the prior claims characterized in that the seat projects towards the lower sector in curved edges, forming four equally-spaced legs joined by respective cross-members.

4) A “SHOWER BATH CHAIR” as claimed in any of the prior claims characterized in that the cross-member of the front sector has two feetrests.

5) A “SHOWER BATH CHAIR” as claimed in any of the prior claims characterized in that two curved entrances of the contouring flap are arranged at the back sector of the chair, related to the stackable insertion of the legs.