GB2487294A

GB2487294A - Suction feet support element for a bath or shower tub insert

Info

Publication number: GB2487294A
Application number: GB1200362.0A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Robert Kempter
Original assignee: Drive Medical & Co KG GmbH
Current assignee: Drive Medical & Co KG GmbH
Priority date: 2011-01-11
Filing date: 2012-01-11
Publication date: 2012-07-18
Anticipated expiration: 2032-01-11
Also published as: DE102011050283A1; DE102011050283B4; GB2487294B; GB201200362D0

Abstract

Disclosed is a support element 1 for a bath or shower tub insert with suction feet 2, in particular for a bathtub lifter. The bathtub lifter has a seat and a lifting device that can adjust the relative position of the seat and the support element relative to one another. The suction feet are arranged below the support element and a ball joint 5 to be provided to act between the suction feet and the support element. The support element may form a part of the ball joint eg the ball socket. The ball socket may have a hole through it, which a fastening section of the suction foot passes, the fastening section forming the ball coupling.

Description

SUPPORT ELEMENTS FOR A BATH OR SHQWER TUB INSERT

The instant invention relates to a support element for a bath or shower tub insert, in particular for a bathtub lifter, which encompasses suction feet.

Bath or shower tub inserts in the form of bathtub lifters, bathtub stools and folding tables are required in particular for persons who have reduced physical capabilities, so that they can perform daily personal hygiene safely and without accidents. A secure footing for the respective bathtub insert in the bathtub or shower tub, which cannot be moved, if possible, is required for these uses. For this purpose, the known devices encompass feet, which are provided with suction cups, by means of which they are fastened to the ceramic or plastic inner surface of the bathtubs. A small installation height and thus a minimal seat depth is furthermore particularly important for bathtub lifters, which typically encompass a more or less closed base plate or an open support frame as support element and a seat comprising a back, which can be moved by means of a lifting device, so that the user can use the bathtub volume as completely as possible. Typically, the support elements of the other bathtub inserts are legs, brackets or generally a support frame.

Modern bathtubs develop more and more into design objects and are embodied in an increasingly narrower and tighter manner, at least in partial areas. This involves the difficulty of securely fastening the bathtub insert despite cramped available space. In addition, modern bathtubs are more frequently equipped with an anti-slip protection in the form of nub-like or groove-like projections of the bottom of the tub, so that a satisfactory fastening of the suction feet to the tub bottom is hardly possible anymore.

DE 10 2006 024 164 Al thus proposes a bathtub lifter, the suction feet of which are arranged in the lateral area of the seat and which are to adhere to the lateral inner surfaces of the bathtub by means of low pressure. Due to the fact that the fastening is moved into the level of the seat, the base plate of this bathtub lifter can manage with very low, rigid feet, because the stability is created mainly via the lateral support. In cramped spaces, however, such a bathtub lifter cannot be used, because the lateral application of the suction feet at the level of the seat unduly restricts the available sifting room. This document also proposes to embody the position of the suction feet to be adjustable to the lateral inner walls by means of ball joints.

A bathtub lifter, which encompasses a support frame instead of a base plate as support element, is known from GB 2 425 724 A. Provision is made in the corner areas of the support frame for suction cups, which are inserted into the frame, and which can be slightly tilted out of the horizontal position by means of a bar, which engages excentrically, so as to release the vacuum.

The invention thus has the object of specifying a low-rise and space-saving support element comprising suction feet for a bathtub insert, which can still be securely fastened to a bathtub and which does not restrict the remaining useable space of the bathtub too much. According to the invention, such an insert is to also be usable for shower tubs and is to be used for them.

In the case of a support element for a bathtub insert encompassing suction feet, in particular a support element for a bathtub lifter, wherein the bathtub lifter further encompasses a seat and a lifting device for adjusting the relative position of seat and support element relative to one another, this object is solved in that the suction feet are mainly arranged below the support element and that a ball joint is provided so as to act between at least one suction foot and the support element. The solution of the movable connection between foot and support element by means of a ball joint according to the invention advantageously allows for a capability to select the fastening points, so that areas of the bathtub comprising an uneven surface can either be circumvented or can actually be used. At the same time, this solution advantageously also allows for the transition area between tub bottom and vertical tub wall to be useable for fastening the bathtub inserts according to the invention, because the foot can be oriented mainly parallel to this radius, like a secant. A secure fastening in or close to the tub bottom area is made possible through this in spite of a restricted tub bottom area, because only a small amount of space is required in addition to the space, which is already required by the support element. This, in turn, does not limit the movement space of a user in the use state of the invention.

In an embodiment of the invention, provision is made for the suction foot and the support element to be arranged on the ball joint. This embodiment highly advantageously provides for a small installation height, because longer connecting paths between support element and suction foot are not necessary, but they are instead connected virtually directly to the ball joint.

It is particularly advantageous when the support element forms a functional part of the ball joint, in particular the ball socket thereof. Through this, the installation height is once again reduced advantageously. According to the invention, the support element as such can thus form a ball socket due to its shape or can encompass a part, which is connected thereto and which forms the ball socket, for example a correspondingly shaped disk, which is connected to the support frame. It is particularly advantageous when the suction foot also forms a functional part of the ball joint, in particular the ball coupling thereof. Extremely advantageously, this leads to a minimal installation height, because the joint between support element and suction foot is formed through them.

In an embodiment of the invention, provision is made for the ball socket to encompass a through passage and for the suction foot to encompass a fastening section, which permeates the through passage, wherein the fastening section forms the ball coupling, in particular the ball scraper. The invention understands fastening section to mean all those parts of the suction foot, which are not suction foot plates, which are thus functionally related to and also possibly oriented to the ball socket of the support element, if applicable, in the broadest sense. This further development according to the invention considerably reduces the required space once more, because it quasi inverses the ball joint, so that a relatively small ball surface section, such as a ball scraper, is sufficient as a joint connection, even though the movement space of the suction foot provided by the joint is extremely limited through this as compared to full4ledged ball joints. In contrast to known ball joints, provision is accordingly made according to the invention for ball socket and coupling to be fastened to one another in any manner, not to other components in each case, for instance.

In an embodiment of the invention, provision is made for the ball scraper to be arranged between ball socket and suction foot plate. In the case of this simple embodiment, the ball socket can advantageously simply be introduced in the support element as a cavity, which is open towards the suction foot plate, and the counter piece of which forms a ball scraper, which is oriented towards the support element and which in turn is integrally molded on the suction foot plate.

The fastening of this embodiment still takes place by means of a fastening element, which permeates the ball socket.

In the event that, by dimensioning ball socket and ball scraper, the ball joint is embodied such that the relative movement of both components relative to one another is made possible by only a few degrees of the azimuth angle and polar angle, the functionality of the ball joint according to the invention is limited even further as compared to a classic ball joint, but not beyond the measure, which is required for the instant purpose. The simplicity of the production and of the constructive design justifies this loss of functionality.

In the event that the fastening section encompasses two subsections, which are movable relative to one another, which mount the suction foot on the support element in the area of the through passage by forming an effective cross sectional surface, in particular in a positive and non-positive manner, a constructively simple, yet solid and fixed anchoring of the suction foot on the support element is realized advantageously.

In an embodiment of the invention, provision is made for the suction foot to uniformly consist of one material, in particular of an abrasion-resistant, flexible, tenside and acid-resistant plastic material, such as a silicon, a rubber or the like.

Another embodiment of the baIl joint according to the invention is formed in that the ball socket is arranged between ball scraper and a suction foot plate. In the case of this embodiment, the ball scraper is arranged above the support element, so as to obtain a device, which is as flat as possible. Highly advantageously, the ball scraper simultaneously serves as fastening element.

In a further development of this embodiment, provision is advantageously made for the fastening section to be embodied in two pieces from a bolt comprising a threaded portion, which permeates the through passage, and a ball coupling-like fastening nut, which is formed complementary to the ball socket, or for the fastening section to be embodied in one piece and as a hemisphere on its free end. The latter embodiment has the advantage that suction foot and fastening section consist of the same material and can be produced in a single simple step. The spherical surface thereby faces the suction foot and is separated therefrom by means of a section, which permeates the through passage and which is mainly handle-shaped. In the case of this embodiment, provision is made in the support element for an insertion opening outside of the area of the ball joint, the diameter of which corresponds to the hemispherical fastening section, so that it can be inserted into the support element at that location. In the case of this embodiment, provision is also made in the support element for a slit-shaped through passage from the insertion opening to the ball socket, so that the inserted fastening section can be guided to the ball socket.

A further development having a particularly simple construction is present when the bolt is inseparably molded into the suction plate of the suction foot by material engagement and/or if the fastening nut is embodied as a commercial cap nut and if a ball coupling, which is formed complementary to both components, is arranged between cap nut and ball socket.

Advantageously, the invention further provides for a ring, which is formed complementary to both components, to be provided between suction plate and ball socket. This increases the stability and simplifies the geometry of the suction plate, so that forces acting on the bathtub insert can be introduced into the suction plate via a larger surface in response to the use of the bathtub insert.

Highly advantageously, provision is made for the through passage to encompass such a width and geometry that a pivoting of the bolt between 0° and 30°, preferably between 5° and 25°, in particular by 15° is made possible. A pivot radius, which is limited in this manner, is sufficient to use the otherwise unusable areas of the bathtub.

In the event that ball coupling and ring consist of plastic and the fastening nut consists of a corrosion-resistant steel, these components are sufficiently resilient and corrosion-resistant.

The invention will be described in an exemplary manner in a preferred embodiment with reference to a drawing, wherein further advantageous details can be gathered from the figures of the drawing. Parts having the same function are thereby provided with the same reference numerals.

In detail: Fig. I shows, sketchily, a typical bathtub lifter comprising a support element in a perspective view, Fig. 2 shows a sketchy cross section in the area of the suction foot fastening on the support element, Fig. 3 shows a sketchy cross section in the area of an alternative suction foot fastening and Fig. 4 shows a preferred embodiment in a sketchy cross section.

Fig. I shows sketchily a known bathtub lifter in a perspective view. It encompasses a support element I in the form of a base plate. Four suction feet 2, which extend only slightly beyond the contour of the base plate 1, are arranged in the corner areas below this base plate. Instead of four suction feet, provision can also be made for six suction feet, thus three for each longitudinal side of the base plate. It is important that the suction feet 2 only encompass a small installation height so as to keep the height of the base plate I above the bathtub bottom as low as possible, so as to obtain a sifting position, which is as deep as possible. One or two centimeters already play an important role hereby. The seat 3 including the lifting device 4 is arranged on this base plate 1, wherein the seat 3 encompasses a back 19, which can be adjusted relative thereto. Seat 3 and back 19 are lifted or lowered relative to the base plate I like a scissor-type lift table. Due to the sliding guide 20 of the scissor members 21 on the base plate 1, the fastening of the suction feet 2 is not to extend into it. In the case of this embodiment, provision is made for a floatable and water-tight operating unit, the seat 3 encompasses a hygiene recess 15 for more easily cleaning the genital area of a user. Instead of the illustrated base plate 1, provision could also be made for a frame made of tubes as support element 1, as is the case in other known bathtub lifters.

Fig. 2 now shows a sketchy cross section through a support element I according to the invention in the area of the suction foot fastening. According to the invention, such a fastening can also be provided at other bathtub inserts as bathtub lifters, for example on the free end of the legs of a bathtub stool or table. These suction feet 2 are arranged approximately in the corner areas of the base plate 1, as is shown schematically in Fig. 1. Due to the fact that the fastening of the suction feet 2 according to the invention permeates the base plate 1, is not to project into the sliding guide 20 of the scissor members 21. In the area of the suction foot fastening, the base plate I is embodied in a curved manner as a ball socket 6 comprising a through passage 7. This through passage 7 encompasses such a width that a pivoting of the suction feet by approximately I 5°-20° is made possible. A suction foot 2 permeates the through passage 7 with a bolt 9 and ends in a corresponding ball coupling 13. To obtain installation heights of the articulated connection of base plate I and suction foot 2, which are as small as possible, the known ball joint in the case of this invention is inverted, that is, the ball coupling acts through the ball socket, so that the fastening of the suction foot 2 on the ball coupling 13 can take place in the ball coupling 13 itself. Even though the mutual permeation of ball coupling and ball socket highly limits the moveability of the joint, the invention accepts this disadvantage, so as to obtain an articulated connection of suction foot 2 and base plate 1, which is as short as possible.

In its center, the approximately circular suction plate 12 encompasses a material bulge, which is embodied as a fiat surface 17 on the base plate side. A bolt 9 consisting of corrosion-resistant, highly-alloyed steel, in particular stainless steel, is injected in the area of this material bulge. On its free ends, this bolt 9 encompasses a threaded portion 10. Provision is made between suction plate 12 and ball socket 6 of the base plate I for a ring 14 made of plastic, which is curved concavely on the side facing the base plate I and which is embodied so as to be flat on the side facing the suction plate 12.

Advantageously, it thus serves to encompass the ball socket on both sides in a manner that corresponds to the shape thereof, so that a secure force transmission is made possible without damaging the joints. The ring 14, together with the stop 16 of the base plate 1, forms a pivot limitation for the joint 5, so that damages to the device caused by excessive pivoting are avoided.

The walls of the through passage 7 must thus not only act as path delimiter and are accordingly prevented from being damaged. The bolt 9 ends above the base plate 1. According to the invention, provision is made on this side of the base plate and thus on the concave side of the ball socket 6 for a ball coupling 13. In the case of the illustrated embodiment, the ball coupling 13 is an independent component, through which the bolt 9 permeates and which encompasses a polygonally shaped cylindrical opening for this purpose. A cap nut 18 is inserted therein and is screwed to the bolt 9, so that the distance between suction plate 12 and cap nut 18 decreases and a clamping force is applied through this, so that ball coupling 13 and ring 14 clamp the ball socket 6 between one another. It would also be possible to embody cap nut 18 and ball coupling 13 in one piece, whereby they would have to be referred to as one-piece, ball coupling-like fastening nut 11. In the case of the illustrated embodiment, bolt 9, cap nut 18 and ball coupling 13 form a fastening section 8 of the suction foot 2.

The cap nut 18 is made of a corrosion-resistant, highly-alloyed steel, in particular stainless steel. The material selection of the components ensures that the support element according to the invention remains ready for use via a plurality of wetting processes without corrosion.

Fig. 3 shows an alternative embodiment of the suction foot fastening. In the case of this embodiment, the suction foot 2 is embodied in once piece. The fastening section 8 is embodied here as a handle 22 comprising a hemispherical element 23, wherein the spherical surface points to the suction foot plate and the dimensions thereof corresponds to the ball socket 6. In the case of this embodiment, the ball socket does not only encompass one through passage 7, but also a slit-shaped opening from the through passage 7 to a non-illustrated insertion opening. At the insertion opening, which is adapted to the hemispherical element 23, the hemispherical element 23 is guided through the base plate I and is then displaced along the slit-shaped opening to the passage opening 7, wherein the hemispherical element 23 is located above the base plate, the suction plate 2 is located below the base plate and the handle 22 is located within the base plate. To prevent that the suction foot is moved away from the joint towards the insertion opening, the handle 22 could encompass an oval cross section, so that it is turned in the through passage 7 such that it can no longer be guided through the slit-shaped opening on its own.

Fig. 4 shows a preferred embodiment of the invention, in the case of which the functionality of the ball joint according to the invention is further limited, but installation height and simplicity of the construction are improved advantageously. A ball scraper 13', the ball surface of which points in the direction of the support element 1, is molded on the suction foot plate 12. The ball scraper 13' is part of a fastening section 8, which further encompasses an approximately mushroom-shaped subsection Ba and a subsection Sb, which is connected thereto via a tube-shaped connection 24. The tube-shaped connection 24 can thereby be embodied to be so long that a finger of a hand of an operator can reach under it, so as to disengage the fastening of the suction foot thereon out of the anchoring in the through passage 7 by forcefully pulling upward. The ball socket 6 is embodied only in a rudimentary manner, the through passage 7 in the support element I encompasses an attachment bar on its jacket surface, which extends approximately about half of the periphery, preferably across large portions of the periphery of the subsection Sb. The attachment bar 25 can be embodied so as to be segmented. The positive and non-positive anchoring of the suction foot 2 on the support element I takes place in such a manner that the suction foot is guided through the through passage 7 from below, so that the suction foot plate 12 and the ball socket 13' are located below the through passage and the subsections Ba and Sb are located above the through passage. The approximately plate-shaped subsection Sb, which is arranged on the flexible connection 24, is subsequently bent towards the subsection Ba, so that it reaches underneath the mushroom-shaped cap 26 with one flange, which is possible because of the high elasticity of the suction foot material. The wrap-arounds 27 encompass the attachment bar 25 in the fastening position, the cap 26 overlaps an edge of the support element 1, so that the suction foot is held by wrap-arounds 27, cap 26 and the contact points of ball scraper 13' to ball socket 6. The subsections Ba and Sb relative to one another as well as the mushroom-shaped section to the edge of the through passage 7 are embodied such that a movement of the handle-like section is made possible in an approximate cone-shaped shell sliding guide.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

I support element 2 suction foot 3 seat 4 lifting device ball joint 6 ball socket 7 through passage 8 fastening section 8a, 8b subsections 9 bolt threaded portion 11 fastening nut 12 suction foot plate 13 ball coupling 13' ball scraper 14 ring hygiene recess 16 stop 17 flat bearing surface 18 cap nut 19 back sliding guide 21 scissor members 22 handle 23 hemispherical element 24 tube-shaped connection attachment bar 26 cap 27 wrap-around

Claims

PATENT CLAIMSA support element (1) for a bath or shower tub insert encompassing suction feet (2), in particular a support element (1) for a bathtub lifter, wherein the bathtub lifter further encompasses a seat (3) and a lifting device (4) for adjusting the relative position of seat (3) and support element (1) relative to one another, characterized in that the suction feet (2) are mainly arranged below the support element (1) and that a ball joint (5) is provided so as to act between at least one suction foot (2) and the support element (1).
2. The support element (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that suction foot (2) and support element (1) are arranged on the ball joint (5).
3. The support element (1) according to claim I or 2, characterized in that the support element (1) forms a functional part of the ball joint (5), in particular the ball socket (6) thereof and/or that the suction foot (2) also forms a functional part of the ball joint (5), in particular the ball coupling (13) thereof.
4. The support element (1) according to one of claims 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that the ball socket (6) encompasses a through passage (7) and the suction foot (2) encompasses a fastening section (8), which permeates the through passage (7), wherein the fastening section (8) forms the ball coupling (13), in particularthe ball scraper (13').
5. The support element (1) according to one of claims I to 4, characterized in thai the ball scraper (13') is arranged between ball socket (6) and suction foot plate (12).
6. The support element (1) according to claim 5, characterized in that, by dimensioning ball socket (6) and ball scraper (13'), the ball joint (5) is embodied such that the relative movement of both components relative to one another is made possible by only a few degrees of the azimuth angle and polar angle.
7. The support element (1) according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that the fastening section (8) encompasses two subsections (Ba, 8b), which are movable relative to one another, which mount the suction foot (2) on the support element (1) in the area of the through passage (7) by forming an effective cross sectional surface, in particular in a positive and non-positive manner.
8. The support element (1) according to claim 5, 6 or 7, characterized in that the suction foot (2) uniformly consists of one material.
9. The support element (1) according to one of claims I to 4, characterized in that the ball socket (6) is arranged between ball scraper (13') and a suction foot plate (12).
10. The support element (1) according to claim 9, characterized in that the fastening section (8) is embodied in two pieces from a bolt (9) comprising a threaded portion (10), which permeates the through passage (7), and a ball coupling-like fastening nut (11), which is formed complementary to the ball socket (6) or that the fastening section (8) is embodied in one piece and as a hemisphere on its free end.
11. The support element (1) according to claim 9, characterized in that the bolt (9) is inseparably molded into the suction plate (12) of the suction foot (2) by material engagement and/or the fastening nut (11) is embodied as a commercial cap nut (1 8) and a ball coupling (13), which is complementary to both components, is arranged between cap nut (18) and ball socket (7).
12. The support element (1) according to one of claims 9 to 11, characterized in that provision is made between suction plate (12) and ball socket (6) for a ring (14), which is formed complementary to both components in each case.
13. The support element (1) according to one of claims 9 to 12, characterized in that the through passage (7) encompasses such a width and geometry that a pivoting of the bolt (9) between 0° and 30°, preferably between 50 and 25°, in particular by 15° is made possible.
14. The support element (1) accordIng to one of claims 9 to 13, characterized in that bail coupling (13) and ring (14) consIst of plastic and the fastening nut (11) consists of a corrosion-resistant steel.