Foot Support

Abstract

The foot support includes a sloped draining surface, a non-skid base, and a number of sides connecting the sloped draining surface to the non-skid base.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

There are no applications related to this application.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

No invention claimed in this application was made under Federally sponsored research or development.

THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT

Not Applicable

REFERENCE TO A SEQUENCE LISTING

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The foot support is a device for holding a user's foot in an elevated position while standing and shaving, washing or performing ablutions on the user's leg in a shower, bath, or other facility.

2. Description of Related Art

Attempts to provide a secure foot support for various purposes which depend upon support from walls or sides of showers or baths are known in the art. U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,182,532 to Bentz, and 3,193,848 to Levy are typical of this approach.

Another approach to solving the problam of safety in the bath is to create a roughly triangular foot support which fits into the corner of the tub or bath. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,396,413 to Kaufman, and 4,489,448 to Cairo are typical of this approach.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The foot support includes a sloped draining surface, a non-skid base, and a number of sides connecting the sloped draining surface to said non-skid base. One or more of the sides may combine with the sloped draining surface and non-skid base to form a hollow structure. One or more of the sides may include an opening which permits communication between the interior and exterior of the hollow structure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the foot support.

FIG. 2 is a second embodiment of the invention with interlocking tabs.

FIG. 3 is a third embodiment of the invention slide ably connected.

FIG. 4 is a fourth embodiment of the invention with living hinges.

FIG. 5 is a fifth embodiment of the invention mechanical hinges.

FIG. 6 is a sixth embodiment of the invention pivotally connected.

FIG. 7 is a seventh embodiment of the invention, with legs, vertically stacked.

FIG. 8 is a eighth embodiment of the invention, with legs, vertically stacked.

FIG. 9 is a ninth embodiment of the invention conically single sided.

FIG. 10 is a side view taken from FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is a tenth embodiment of the invention cylindrically single sided.

FIG. 12 is bottom view taken from FIG. 11.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a foot support in use in a bathtub.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the invention in use in a shower.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The foot support 1 comprises: a sloped draining surface 2, a non-skid base 3, and a plurality of sides 4 connecting the sloped draining surface 2 to said non-skid base 3. One or more of the sides 4 combine with the sloped draining surface 2 and non-skid base 3 to form a hollow structure 5. One or more of the sides 4 may include an opening 6 which permits communication between the interior 7 and exterior 8 of the hollow structure 5.

The sloped draining surface 2 may further comprise one or more non-skid elements 9 including, but not limited to, patches, paints, or decorative surface features. The sloped surface is inherently a draining surface due to its sloped nature. In some embodiments the sloped nature of the sloped draining surface 2 derives from the sloped draining surface 2 being non-level when the foot support 1 is placed on the sloped floor of a shower 11 or bathtub 10. The sloped nature of the sloped draining surface 2 may also be a result of the shape of the sides 4 or lengths of the legs 19. However, the draining nature of the sloped draining surface 2 may be enhanced by holes 12, channels 13, or other features incorporated in the sloped draining surface 2. The non-skid base 3 may be created of metal, plastic, wood or any material, or combination of materials, suitable for use in an alternately wet and dry environment. The non-skid base 3 may be made of, or include, elements which are of any material which exhibits a relatively high coefficient of friction when wet as well as when dry.

The sides 4 may be constructed of any material suitable for use in an alternatively wet and dry environment. One or more of the sides 4 may be rigidly connected, slideably connected 23, or pivotally connected 24, to one or more of the other one or more sides 4 by any suitable means including, but not limited to, hinges 22, living hinges 22, welding, fusing, nails, screws, one or more adhesives, tape, interlocking tabs 24, or double sided tape. One or more of the sides 4 may be rigidly connected, slideably connected 23, or pivotally connected 24, to sloped draining surface 2 by any suitable means including, but not limited to, hinges 22, welding, fusing, nails, screws, one or more adhesives, interlocking tabs 24, tape, or double sided tape. One or more of the sides 4 may be rigidly connected, slideably connected 23, or pivotally connected 24, to the non-skid base 3 by any suitable means including, but not limited to, hinges 22, welding, fusing, nails, screws, one or more adhesives, interlocking tabs 24, tape, or double sided tape.

The foot support 1 may be configured for efficient stacking. In one embodiment the non-skid base 3 may include a large opening 6 sufficiently large to permit the sloped draining surface 2 to enter the hollow space 14 within the foot support 1. In another embodiment the opening 6 in one or more of the sides 4 may be of such a size as to permit another foot support 1 to enter the hollow formed by the sides 4, non-skid base 3 and sloped draining surface 2.

The foot support 1 may be comprised of a sloped draining surface 2, a non-skid base 3 a single side 15 connecting the sloped draining surface 2 to said non-skid base 3. In this embodiment the single side 15 may be cylindrical 16, conical 17, or frustro-conical 18. All the conditions and options described thus far apply to this embodiment to the extent possible.

In another embodiment the foot support 1 may be comprised of; a plurality of non-skid feet 18, a plurality of legs 19 and a sloped draining surface 2. The sloped draining surface 2 is as described above. In this embodiment the each non skip foot 18 is attached to one of the plurality of legs 19. The plurality of non-skid feet 18 may be made of, or include, elements which are of any material which exhibits a relatively high coefficient of friction when wet as well as when dry. Non-skid feet 18 may be implemented by a suitable configuration of the bottom edge of the leg 19. Each of the legs 19 connect the sloped draining surface 2 to one of said non-skid feet 18. At least one of said plurality of legs 19 may be sloped to facilitate stacking. The legs may be constructed of any material suitable for use in an alternatively wet and dry environment.

In yet another embodiment two or more sides 4 of the foot support 1 may be attached to each other to form a leg 19 to which a non-skid foot 18 may be attached. Alternatively legs 19 may be formed from a side 4 by providing a single attachment edge of the side 4 for attachment to the sloped draining surface 2 and formed into a plurality of legs 19 at the edge of the side opposite to the single attachment edge.

In yet another embodiment the non-skip surface 3 may be implemented by a suitable configuration of the lower edge or edges of one or more of the sides 4.

The foot support 1 may be used to support a user's foot 20 while in the shower 11 or bathtub 10 to facilitate user leg 21 care, such as shaving, washing, applying ointment, or treating minor injuries such as shaving cuts. It will be appreciated that the uses stated herein are exemplary and in no way limit the uses to which the foot support 1 may be put. It will also be appreciated that the embodiments described herein are exemplary and represent only some of the ways in which a foot support 1 may be constructed.

Claims

1. A foot support comprising:

a) a sloped draining surface;

b) a non-skid base; and

c) a plurality of sides connecting the sloped draining surface to said non-skid base.

2. The foot support of claim 1 wherein one or more of the sides opens into a cavity formed by the sloped draining surface, the non-skid base, and plurality of sides.

3. The foot support of claim 1 wherein the sloped draining surface further comprises non-skid elements.

4. The foot support of claim 1 wherein the foot support is configured for efficient stacking.

5. A foot support comprising:

a) a sloped draining planar surface;

b) a non-skid base; and

c) a single side connecting the sloped draining surface to said non-skid base.

6. The foot support of claim 5 wherein the single side is circular in cross section.

7. The foot support of claim 5 wherein the single side is frustro-conical in cross section.

8. The foot support of claim 5 wherein the sloped draining surface further comprises non-skid elements.

9. The foot support of claim 5 wherein the foot support is configured for efficient stacking.

10. A foot support comprising:

a) a sloped draining planar surface;

b) a plurality of non-skid feet; and

c) a plurality of legs, each of said legs connecting the sloped draining surface to one of said non-skid feet, at least one of said plurality of legs sloped to facilitate stacking.

11. The foot support of claim 10 wherein said legs are formed by connection of at least two sides.

12. The foot rest of claim 11 wherein at least one said sides is sloped to facilitate stacking.