Holding device adapted to be attached to a building wall for holding objects or to be gripped by a person

Abstract

A holding device is designed to be attached to a building wall, and in particular in a bathroom, using a suction means having at least one suction head with a sucker disk and an actuating means for the sucker disk so that the suction means may be attached to and detached from the building wall manually on operation of the actuating means. The suction means bears a bearing unit able to be pivoted about a pivot axis parallel to the building wall. The bearing unit bears a support bar extending perpendicularly to the pivot axis for holding objects or to be grasped by persons

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a holding device adapted to be attached to a building wall and in particular in a bathroom, comprising an attachment means able to be attached to the building wall and a support bar for holding objects or to be gripped by persons, and which, when the attachment means is attached to the building wall extends in a position of use into the space delimited by the building wall.

THE PRIOR ART

Such holding device are for example employed to hold a curtain, when a seated person is to be given a shower and washed by another person. The curtain is located generally at hip level between the two persons and is intended to keep the clothing of the one person from being splashed. Furthermore the seated elderly or disabled person may grasp the support bar to stand up.

The known holding devices are permanently secured to the building wall. The result of this is that after use the support bar may be disadvantageously placed having regard to on local features or the height of the persons. Moreover, the support bar extending into the room may be an obstruction when not in use. The support bar itself might even be in the way if it is able to be pivoted to the side. In bathrooms and the like space is normally at a premium so that folding the bar to the side is frequently not possible.

SHORT SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One object of the invention is accordingly to devise a holding device of the type initially mentioned which is adaptable to different functions and when not in use is not an obstruction.

In order to achieve these and/or other objects appearing from the present specification, claims and drawings, in,the present invention the attachment means comprises a suction means with at least one suction head with a sucker disk and an actuating means for the sucker disk so that the sucker disk and with it the associated suction head may be manually caused to suck firmly on the building wall and be released from it, and the suction means carries a bearing unit able to be pivoted about a pivot axis parallel to the building wall, such bearing unit holding the support bar extending perpendicularly to the pivot axis.

A precondition for the attachment of the holding device in accordance with the invention is a flat wall. This condition will be fulfilled in a bathroom which is normally tiled and the suction means may be mounted on the tiles at any desired position for adaptation to different uses, different spatial circumstances and persons of different height. The position of the holding device may be reset whenever required without any difficulty. It is merely necessary to operate the actuating means by hand.

Since the support bar may be pivoted at the bearing unit the grip or support bar may be shifted toward the wall into a non-use position out of the way. In this respect the lack of space may be taken into account by moving the holding device out of the way against the wall.

Furthermore the pivot axis does not need to be vertically aligned. The suction means may be in fact positioned at any angle on the building wall so that the pivot axis may also be set horizontally or at any desired angular position betwixt horizontal and vertical.

It will be clear that the support bar may also be employed to hold any other desired objects, which are to be pivoted toward or away from a person when standing, seated or prone. In this case as well the holding device can be set at the respectively most convenient position on the building wall.

The multiplicity of possible applications furthermore includes the possibility of designing the support bar to be grasped by a person and providing it with a handle means. For instance, the suction means may be so positioned on the wall that the support bar extends toward a seated person, who may then grasp the handle means of the support bar and pull himself or herself upward to stand up.

Further useful developments of the invention are defined in the claims.

Further advantageous developments and convenient forms of the invention will be understood from the following detailed descriptive disclosure of embodiments thereof in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

LIST OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 shows a person standing in a room with beside a holding device in accordance with the invention held on the wall, the support bar thereof supporting a curtain which is omitted to render the drawing more straightforward, and being pivoted upward into a non-use position against the wall.

FIG. 2 shows the arrangement of FIG. 1 with the support bar pivoted into its position of use projecting away from the wall.

FIG. 3 shows an arrangement differing from that of FIG. 1 in that the holding device has assumed a position pivoted through 90 degree so that the pivot axis extends vertically and the support bar is pivoted to the side against the wall.

FIG. 4 shows the same arrangement as in FIG. 3, the support bar being pivoted toward a seated person.

FIG. 5 shows a different use in which the suction means is secured beside a person seated on a toilet bowl for example the support bar being provided with a handle means and being swung toward the person who may use the support bar to stand up, the bar being inserted in the other of two sockets in the bearing unit to that illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 4.

FIG. 6 shows an arrangement similar to that of FIG. 5 in which however the holding device is secured to a wall opposite to a person.

FIG. 7 shows the holding device used in FIGS. 1 through 6 in an oblique view, the partially cut away support bar being inserted into the same socket as in FIGS. 1 through 4.

FIG. 8 shows the arrangement of FIG. 7 in plan looking in the direction as indicated by the arrow VIII of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 shows the arrangement of FIG. 8 from the side as indicated by the arrow IX.

FIG. 10 shows the end, provided with an adjustable wall abutment element in a separate view.

FIG. 11 shows the arrangement of FIG. 7 as seen obliquely from below in an exploded showing.

FIG. 12 shows the arrangement of FIG. 11 in a plan view corresponding to FIG. 8, the bearing unit and the support bar being illustrated pivoted slightly upward.

FIG. 13 shows the arrangement of FIG. 12 in a side view looking in the direction as indicated by the arrow XIII.

FIG. 14 shows the holding device as employed in accordance with FIGS. 1 through 6, the partly cut away support bar being plugged into the same socket as in FIGS. 5 and 6.

FIG. 15 shows the bearing unit in accordance with the invention in a separate elevation looking in an oblique direction.

FIG. 16 shows the bearing unit of FIG. 15 from the side looking in the direction as indicated by the arrow XVI.

FIG. 17 shows the same bearing unit in a side view arrangement XVII at a right angle to the line of viewing in FIG. 16.

FIG. 18 shows the same bearing unit in plan view looking in the direction as indicated by the arrow XVIII.

DETAILED ACCOUNT OF WORKING EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

The holding device 1 appearing in the drawings is illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 6 in each case attached to a wall of a bathroom as a room in a building in different positions and at different angles.

In this context the holding device 1 possesses an attachment means which is constituted by a suction means 2. The suction means 2 comprises two suction heads 2 and 4, which respectively include a sucker disk 5 and a manually operated actuating means 6. The two suction heads 3 and 4 are identical in design so that the said reference numerals only appear in the case of the sucker disk 3. The respective sucker disk comprises a rubber-like flexible material and is arranged on the bottom side of the respective suction head 3 and 4. The sucker disk 5 projects past the suction head housing 7 right the way around it, the housing 7 having a cavity into which the middle portion of the sucker disk 5 may be drawn upward. When pulled upward the outer portion of the sucker disk 5 bears against the bottom side of the suction head housing 7.

The actuating means 6 is assigned to the respective sucker disk 5 and can be shifted between an inactive and an active position. In the inactive position the sucker disk 5 rests loosely on the suction head housing 7 and is not urged toward the suction head housing 7. In the active position of the actuating means 6 the sucker disk 5 is on the other hand drawn up toward the suction head housing 7.

The actuating means 6 comprises an actuating lever 8 able to be tilted between the active position and the inactive one. In the drawing the actuating lever 8 is illustrated in its active position in which the sucker disk 5 is pulled upward. The pivoting movement of the actuating lever 8 is converted by way of an eccentric means into the upward movement of the sucker disk 5.

For the attachment of the suction means 2 and accordingly of the holding device 1 on the respective building wall the suction heads 3 and 4 are put on the wall with the actuating 8 lever in the inactive position. When the sucker disks 5 are on the building wall the actuating lever 8 is pivoted into its active position so that the sucker disk 5 (whose outer portion is still thrust against the building wall by the suction head housing 7) has its middle portion drawn away from the building wall. Accordingly vacuum is produced between the building wall and the sucker disk 5 so that the respective suction head 3 and 4 is held fast on the building-wall. For releasing the respective suction head 3 and 4 from the building wall the actuating lever 8 is pivoted back into the inactive position so that the sucker disk 5 is relieved and the respective suction head can be shifted clear of the building wall. In this respect it may be necessary to lift the edge of the sucker disk 5 at some point briefly so-that air from the surroundings may find its way underneath the sucker disk.

Such suction means are known and are f.i. described in the European patent publication EP 1 183 981 A2 so that a more detailed description is not required.

The building wall must be sufficiently even at the attachment point for the suction means 2. This is the case with tiled walls if the suction heads 3 and 4 are not put on joints between the tiles.

It is to be pointed even at this stage that the suction means may instead of having two suction heads in principle may also have only a single suction head or more than two suction heads.

The holding device 1 furthermore has a bearing unit 9 which is borne by the suction means 2. The bearing unit 9 is pivotally connected with the suction means 2 for pivoting about pivot axis parallel to the attachment plane defined by the sucker disks 5 (see FIG. 8). The bearing unit 9 serves for holding a support bar 11 extending perpendicularly to the pivot axis 10 away from the bearing unit 9.

The support bar 11, as indicated in FIGS. 1 through 4, may be in the form of a curtain rod. In this respect in the FIGS. 1 through 4 the curtain has been omitted to make the drawing more straightforward. The curtain's rings, which slide along the support bar 11, are however illustrated. The holding device 1 has been installed in FIGS. 1 through 4 generally at hip level adjacent to a seat for the person on the respective building wall. Dependent on the angle set for the position of the suction means 2 on the building wall, the pivot axis 10 is horizontal (FIGS. 1 and 2) or vertical (FIGS. 3 and 4). Accordingly the support bar 11 may be pivoted between a position out of use folded back against the wall upward (FIGS. 1 and 2) or, respectively, to the side (FIGS. 3 and 4) and a position of use projecting from the building wall into the room. As shown in FIG. 2 the support bar 11 is pivoted approximately 90 degrees downward. In FIG. 4 the support bar 11 is pivoted out of its lateral position out of use into the interior of the room, it still assuming a slanting position and accordingly not being completely turned through 90 degrees into its position of use. The dependent curtain on the support bar 11 separates the person illustrated, who is to be washed, from the person doing the washing.

In the working embodiment there are two possibilities of attachment for the support bar 11 on the bearing unit 9, as will be later explained in detail. In the case of the FIGS. 1 through 4 a possibility of mounting has been selected in which the support bar 11 can not be pivoted past the position of use perpendicular to the building wall. The support bar 1 is as it were in FIG. 2 held up at the desired level of its own accord.

In the case of FIGS. 5 and 6 the support bar 11 serves as a hold for a seated person. In this case the support bar 11 is provided with a handle means 12 so that the person can help himself when getting up by grasping the handle means 12 on the support bar. For this application of the holding device 1 in accordance with the invention other attachment possibilities were selected for the mounting of the support bar 11 on the bearing unit 9. The support bar 11 may in this case be pivoted through about 180 degrees around the pivot axis 10.

The pivot axis 10 is defined by a pivot axle element 13. The pivot axle element 13 possesses a circularly round cross section and may be constituted by a piece of tubing or may be solid. The two suction heads 3 and 4 are connected with each other by way of the pivot axle element 13. The bearing unit 9 is arranged between the two suction heads 3 and 4 and is therefore supported in a pivotal fashion on the pivot axle element 13. For this purpose the bearing unit 9 has a through bearing recess 14 through which the pivot axle element 13 extends.

The pivot axle element 13 is detachably connected with the two suction heads 3 and 4 so that there is a modular design. In this respect the pivot axle element 13 is plugged to the suction heads 3 and 4 detachably. Furthermore the pivot axle element 13 may be connected detachably with the suction heads 3 and 4 by detent means.

In the case of each suction head 3 and 4 the suction head housing 7 exhibits a plug receiving recess 15 and respectively, 16, aligned with the direction of the pivot axis 10, into which the pivot axle element 13 is plugged after the bearing unit 9 has been attached by plugging. For the detachable detent connection of the pivot axle element 13 in the plug receiving recesses 15 and 16 the pivot axle element 13 may have a spring loaded detent or catch element 17 and, respectively, 18 at its two end portions fitting into the plug recesses, such detent element protruding from the outer periphery and being adapted for cooperation with a detent hole 19 in the wall of the plug recess 15 and, respectively, 16. In the drawing, FIGS. 11 and 13, only hole 19 of the suction head 4 is visible. The detent hole provided on the other suction head 3 is turned away from the reader. As regards the FIGS. 11 and 13 it is furthermore to be noted that the pivot axle element 13 firstly must be turned out of its illustrated angular position till the detent elements 17 and 18 are lined up with the detent holes 19. For plugging the pivot axle element 13 into the plug recesses 15 and 16 the detent elements 17 and 18 must be thrust against the force of the spring inward. When the detent or catch elements get as far as the detent holes 19 they will snap home into the detent holes 19 owing to the action of the spring. In order to undo the connection the detent elements 17 and 18 can be thrust inward from the outside through the detent holes 19.

In principle the two suction heads 3 and 4 could be omitted. As regards strength however two suction heads 3 and 4 with a bearing unit 9 arranged between the suction heads are advantageous.

The rotary bearing recess 14 is stepped at both end so that it has end portions 20 and 21 with an increased diameter. During fitting together the circular part of the suction head housing 7, which surrounds the respective plug receiving recess 15 and 16, is plugged into the end portion 20, respectively, 21 of the rotary bearing recess 14.

To secure the bearing unit 9 in the axial direction each suction head 3 and 4 constitutes a terminal abutment 22 and 23 (see FIG. 13), which comes into engagement on the bearing unit 9.

The bearing unit 3 and the support bar 11 together with it should be able to be secured in the respective position of pivoting the pivot axle element 13 or, respectively, come to a halt in the desired pivotal setting. For this purpose there is a securing means effective between the bearing unit 9 and the pivot axle element 13 to hold the bearing unit 9 in various different angular position on the pivot axle element 13.

This could in principle be ensured if there is a set screw screwed through the bearing unit 9, such screw being able to be turned from the outside to act on the pivot axle element 13. But this possibility would however entail detachment and tightening of the set screw at every time the pivot axle element's angle is reset.

A more convenient arrangement would therefore be one in which the rotary bearing recess 14 has a friction pad 24 so that although the bearing unit 9 may be turned on the pivot axle element 13, it is automatically held in the respective position of pivoting owing to the friction. The friction pad could also be provided on the pivot axle element. It would furthermore be possible for both the rotary bearing recess and also the pivot axle element to have a friction pad.

In addition to the friction pad 24 or in lieu of the friction pad the holding means could also be constituted by a releasable rotary/detent connection means. This means that in certain angular positions of the bearing unit 9 a detent engagement with the pivot axle element 13 is produced, the detent connection being overcome by the user's exerting a sufficiently large pivoting force so that the bearing unit 9 can be swung into the next predetermined pivot position.

In the working embodiment illustrated the rotary/detent connection is constituted by peripherally distributed detent recesses 25 in the wall of the rotary bearing recess 14, such recesses being provided with a resiliently supported detent member 26 (see FIGS. 11 and 12) on the pivot axle element 13. The detent member 26 is urged by the spring force radially outward so that it projects on the periphery of the pivot axle element 13. In the pivot positions set by the detent recesses 25 the detent means 26 fits into the respective detent recess 25. On applying a sufficient pivoting force to the support bar 11 the detent member 26 is thrust inward radially by the wall of the rotary bearing recess 14. When during pivoting the next detent recess 25 gets as far as the detent member 26, same will snap into this detent recess. The end face of the detent member 26 facing the wall of the rotary bearing recess 14 may be convex or spherical in configuration. The end face of the detent member 26 could also be at a slant and wedge-like so that the detent engagement could only be overcome in one pivoting direction of the support bar 11, whereas in the opposite direction of pivoting a firm locking effect would be produced. It will be clear that the detent recesses 25 would have to be suitably adapted as regards the configuration of their cross section.

In the working embodiment illustrated the end face of the detent member 26 is convex in form. Accordingly the detent recesses 25 have a cross section in the form of a circular arc as is depicted in FIG. 16 in particular.

The detent recesses 25 could be constituted by detent grooves 27 which are continuous in the axial direction. This is more particularly advantageous as regards manufacturing technology.

In principle the arrangement could also be contrived with a mechanical reversal of parts with the detent member arranged in the wall of the rotary bearing recess and the detent recesses in the pivot axle element.

The bearing unit 9 possesses two plug sockets 28 and 29 which are normal to the pivot axis 10 and hence normal to the pivot axle element 13,and are provided for the facing end of the support bar 11 so that the support bar can be plugged into the one or the other of the plug sockets 28 and 29 and secured there. In principle it would be possible as well to secure two support bars 11 in one of the two plug sockets 28 and 29.

Moreover, as a modification of the illustrated working embodiment it would be possible for the bearing unit 9 to have but one single plug socket 28 or, respectively, 29.

The two plug sockets 28 and 29 are at a right angle to each other.

One of the two plug sockets 28 is constituted by a through hole 30 arranged spaced from the pivot axis 10 and accordingly alongside the pivot axle element 13. The through hole 30 therefore extends parallel to a tangent to the rotary bearing recess 14. In this case the support bar 11 may be completely inserted right through the through hole 30 accordingly the through bearing unit 9 so that its end portion 31 (see FIGS. 9 and 10) extend through the through hole 30 and through the bearing unit 9 and extend past the bearing unit 9. The projecting end portion 31 bears a wall abutment 32, which could also be formed by the end face of the support bar's end part 31.

The wall abutment 32 arranged in front of the bearing unit 9 means that the bearing unit 9 and with it the support bar 11 can only be pivoted in the respective direction until the wall abutment 32 strikes the building wall on which the holding device 1 is fixed. This will be seen from the FIGS. 1 through 4. The support bar 11 in this case is stuck right through the through hole 30. If the support bar 11 is swung out of its idle position as in FIG. 1 downward into its use position as in FIG. 2 the wall abutment 32 will engage the building wall with the result that the support bar 11 can not move any farther downward. The seated person may therefore be supported by the support bar 11 without having to fear pivoting of the support bar 11 and its giving away. In the case of FIGS. 3 and 4 the wall abutment 32 will limit the pivoting movement of the support bar 11 toward the seated person.

The wall abutment 32 is able to be adjusted in the longitudinal direction of the support bar 11 so that there is an adjustable limiting effect for the support bar 11. Furthermore a wall abutment element 33 can be arranged on the support bar end which is adjustable in the longitudinal direction of the support bar. In FIG. 10 the wall abutment element 33 is indicated in chained lines in a further position which is farther to the outside. The wall abutment element 33 may have a threaded pin 34 which is screwed into the support bar 11 so that the longitudinal position of the wall abutment element 33 can be set by rotation in the one or the other direction.

Another possibility for the adjustment of the wall abutment is such that the support bar 11 is able to be slid in the longitudinal direction and secured in the respective longitudinal position in the through hole 30. This can for example be effected by having a set screw screwed in through the bearing unit 9 and acting on the support bar 11. This design is not depicted.

In the case of the other plug socket 29 of the bearing unit 9 it is a question of a blind hole 35 which is radial in relation to the pivot axle element 13. In the case of the use in accordance with FIGS. 5 and 6 of the holding device 1 the support bar 11 is secured in the blind hole 35. It may then be pivoted through a range of approximately 180 degrees with the result that it can be pivoted to either side of the suction means 2 toward the building wall.

The support bar 11 is in both possible applications arrested in the through hole 30 or, respectively, in the blind hole 35 releasably. For this purpose it is possible to have a detachable detent for holding in place apart from the above described possibility of the use of a set screw for adjustment of the longitudinal position of the support bar. For this purpose a detent element 36 can be arranged on the support bar 11 which corresponds to the detent elements 17 and 18 of the pivot axle element 13, such detent element 36 being urged by spring force outward. For the detent element 36 there is a cooperating detent hole 37 in the bearing unit 9, into which the detent element 35 snaps. The snapped home detent element 36 is—since the detent hole 37 opens to the outside—accessible from the outside so that the detent element 36 may be urged out of the plug socket inward for withdrawing the support bar 11. It will be clear that the detent hole 37, like the detent hole 19 described above, constitutes an annular surrounding abutment face 38 on which the detent element 36 abuts.

The detent hole 37 may as in the working be so arranged that the detent element 36 fits into the same detent hole 37 irrespectively of whether the support bar 11 is fitted in the through hole 30 or the blind hole 35.

The bearing unit 9 constitutes a pivot axis bearing portion 19 and a bearing portion 40 extending sideways from the pivot axis bearing portion, such portion 40 having in it the through hole 30 and the blind hole 35. The support bar bearing portion 40 preferably has a square block-like configuration. The pivot axis bearing portion 39 is radiused at the side opposite to the support bar bearing portion 40 so that the pivoting about the pivot axis element 13 is not impeded. The bearing unit 9 can be a single integral molding.

Claims

1. A holding device adapted to be attached to a building wall and in particular in a bathroom, comprising an attachment means able to be attached to the building wall and a support bar for holding objects or to be gripped by persons, and which, when the attachment means is attached to the building wall extends in a position of use into the space delimited by the building wall wherein the attachment means comprises a suction means with at least one suction head with a sucker disk and an actuating means for the sucker disk so that the sucker disk and with it the associated suction head may be manually caused to suck firmly on the building wall and be released from it, and the suction means carries a bearing unit able to be pivoted about a pivot axis parallel to the building wall, such bearing unit holding the support bar extending perpendicularly to the pivot axis.

2. The holding device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the pivot axis is constituted by pivot axle element extending from the at least one suction head.

3. The holding device as set forth in claim 2, wherein the suction means comprises two suction heads connected with one another by way of the pivot axle element.

4. The holding device as set forth in claim 3, wherein the bearing unit is arranged betwixt the two suction heads.

5. The holding device as set forth in claim 2, wherein each suction head constitutes a terminal abutment for securing the bearing unit in the axial direction.

6. The holding device as set forth in claim 2, wherein the pivot axle element is detachably joined with the at least one suction head.

7. The holding device as set forth in claim 6, wherein the pivot axle element is connected by plugging detachably with the at least one suction head.

8. The holding device as set forth in claim 6, wherein the pivot axle element is connected by detent means detachably with the at least one suction head.

9. The holding device as set forth in claim 2, wherein the bearing unit includes a through bearing recess through which the pivot axle element is fitted.

10. The holding device as set forth in claim 9, comprising a holding means, which is effective between the bearing unit and the pivot axle element, for holding the bearing unit in place in different angular positions on the pivot axle element.

11. The holding device as set forth in claim 10, wherein the rotary bearing recess and/or the pivot axle element have a friction pad.

12. The holding device as set forth in claim 10, wherein the holding means is a releasable rotary/detent connection means.

13. The holding device as set forth in claim 10, wherein the rotary/detent connection is constituted by peripherally distributed detent recesses in the wall of the rotary bearing recess or on the pivot axle element and a resiliently held detent member, corresponding to the detent recesses, on the pivot axle element or, respectively, on the wall of the rotary bearing recess.

14. The holding device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the bearing unit has at least one plug socket at a right angle to the pivot axis and associated with the facing terminal support bar.

15. The holding device as set forth in claim 14, wherein the bearing unit has plug socket in the form of a through hole spaced from the pivot axis.

16. The holding device as set forth in claim 15, wherein the terminal portion of the support bar fits through the through hole and forms or bears a wall abutment.

17. The holding device as set forth in claim 16, comprising a wall abutment element arranged on the support bar end and able to be adjusted in the longitudinal direction of the support bar.

18. The holding device as set forth in claim 16, wherein the support bar is able to be slid in its longitudinal direction and is borne in the respective longitudinal position and is able to be set in place in the through hole.

19. The holding device as set forth in claim 14, wherein the bearing unit possesses a plug socket in the form of a blind hole radially aligned in relation to the pivot axis.

20. The holding device as set forth in claim 14, wherein the support bar is detachably held by detent means in the plug socket.

21. The holding device as set forth in claim 14, wherein the bearing unit constitutes a pivot axis bearing portion bearinged on the pivot axle element and also constitutes a support bar bearing portion projecting sideways from the pivot axis bearing portion, the at least one plug socket being arranged on the latter.

22. The holding device as set forth in claim 21, wherein the said support bar bearing portion has the shape of a square block.

23. The holding device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the support bar is designed in the form of a curtain rod.

24. The holding device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the support bar is designed to be grasped and is provided with a handle means.