Aid for sliding loads over a contact surface

The invention relates to an aid for sliding loads over a contact surface.

It is a common occurrence that loads have to be slid over a contact surface. A common example comprises of sliding relatively heavy furniture over a floor. The sliding of an object in or under another object is often also problematic, among other reasons because relatively high friction forces can occur here. Everybody is of course aware of the difficulty of for instance getting a foot into a tight-fitting shoe, or for instance into a ski- boot. This can form a major problem particularly in care institutions. The residents in such an institution generally lack the strength and flexibility to put on shoes and the like themselves. They must therefore be helped by the care staff present, imposing a great strain on this staff. Furthermore, it would also be advantageous for the residents themselves if they were able to operate more independently. There is therefore a great need for an aid according to the preamble, and in particular for an aid for putting on and optionally taking off footwear more easily.

The force required to put on a shoe is substantially proportional to the normal force which occurs and the coefficient of friction between the foot and the shoe. In order to reduce the friction between the shoe and the foot when putting on the shoe it is known to use a so-called shoehorn. This shoehorn is placed more or less perpendicularly in the shoe at the rear and serves as sliding surface for the heel as it is moved downward. The drawback of such a shoehorn is however that only one sliding surface is created at the position of the rear of the shoe. Force is however still required to move the foot to the front of the shoe. A shoehorn is moreover quite thick so that it reduces the size of the insertion opening of the shoe, which does not make stepping into the shoe any easier. Quite a considerable force must also be produced when withdrawing the shoehorn from the shoe, among other reasons because it is clamped between shoe and heel. Removal of the shoehorn can here even result in a painful sensation.

The invention has for its object to provide an aid for sliding a load over a contact surface, wherein the force required to slide the load and remove the aid is considerably smaller than with the use of the known aid. The invention has for its particular object to

provide an aid for putting on footwear, wherein the force required to put on footwear and to remove the aid is considerably smaller than with the use of the known aid.

This object is achieved according to the invention with an aid comprising a substantially S flat and flexible body, which comprises a first and second sheet of a smooth material which are attached to each other along at least one shared edge portion and which during use are laid at least partially over each other, wherein the body also comprises removing means which are fastened to the shared edge portion and with which the aid can be removed from between the load and the contact surface. This achieves that 0 putting on a shoe can take place with negligible exertion of force. The aid is moreover easy to handle and remove from the shoe. According to the invention the first and second sheets are mutually attached along at least one shared edge portion. It is not important here how the attachment is embodied. It is for instance possible to connect the two sheets by means of a 'permanent' connection, such as for instance a stitched seam S and/or an adhesive connection. Another option consists of attaching the two sheets to each other by means of a releasable connection, such as for instance by means of so- called velcro tape. If desired, the two sheets can then be attached to each other only when in use. It is also possible to obtain the two sheets by folding a sheet over a determined length. The folding seam then functions as connection, and the two sheet 0 parts on either side of the folding seam as first and second sheet.

In order to place a foot into a tight-fitting shoe, for instance under pressure, the aid is first grasped by hand at the position of a shared edge portion and arranged as far into the shoe as possible, wherein the aid preferably reaches into the tip of the shoe. The first 5 and second sheet here at least partially overlap each other. By now placing the foot into the shoe the aid is optionally carried along further with the toe until the aid is situated at the position of the tip of the shoe, and the foot is received almost wholly in the shoe. Sliding of the foot into the shoe is extremely easy because the friction between foot and sole is markedly reduced by the aid. Using the removing means, for instance in the form 0 of a pull strap, the aid is then pulled away from the front to the rear between the foot and the sole, wherein the sheets are folded over and the body of the aid is turned as it were inside out. Once again, hardly any friction occurs here. This is the case among other reasons because the two sheets slide over each other, which causes little friction owing to the properties of the material. The part of the sheets in contact with the sole of

the foot and the sole of the shoe, which contact could in principle cause quite a great friction force, however remains substantially stationary. Once the aid has thus been pulled out from under the sole of the foot, the aid is in a position where it is turned at least partially inside out. By once again turning the body of the aid inside out, it is returned to its original form for the purpose of reuse.

A preferred embodiment of the aid according to the invention is characterized in that the body has substantially the form of a flattened peripheral body, of which the peripheral surface parts lying one over the other thus form the first and second sheet, and wherein at least one outer end of the peripheral body forms the shared edge portion. Such an aid is simple to manufacture, easy to arrange and is moreover strong enough for multiple use.

Another preferred embodiment of the aid according to the invention has the feature that the peripheral body is formed by folding a flat sheet and at least partially connecting to each other the free edge portions thus brought together. This facilitates arranging of the aid and moreover provides for better operation thereof. The connection is preferably formed by a felled seam. A further reduced friction between aid and contact surface can be achieved by arranging the connection in the form of a felled seam. It has moreover been found that the use of a felled seam prolongs the lifespan of the aid without this having adverse effects on the operation thereof.

In yet another preferred embodiment the aid is characterized in that the removing means comprise at least one pull strap and/or pull loop. Such an embodiment of the removing means provides for simple handling of the aid during the removal thereof. The sliding action of the sheets of the aid body sliding over each other is moreover not or almost not impeded, or only to a limited extent. It is recommended that the removing means extend only on one side of the at least one shared edge portion, and particularly on that side toward which it is pulled during removal of the aid. It may however also be advantageous to characterize the aid in that the removing means extend on both sides of the at least one shared edge portion. This is particularly advantageous when, after removal of the aid, the body thereof is in the inside out position. By pulling on the part of the removing means which is situated at that moment between the sheets of the body,

the body can be turned inside out again in simple manner so that this body returns to its original position.

It is also advantageous to characterize the aid in that the removing means extend beyond the first and/or second sheet in the flat position of the aid. Hie removing means hereby become easily accessible for a person wishing to exert a pulling force on the aid, for instance in order to remove the aid from footwear or to turn the aid inside and out.

The aid according to the invention can in principle be manufactured from any material as long as it is sufficiently flexible and smooth. A preferred embodiment of the aid is characterized in that the smooth material comprises a material structure coated with a low-friction plastic. Such materials are per se known, though not in the present application. The low-friction plastic preferably comprises a polyolefin, such as for instance polyethylene, polypropylene and copolymers thereof. The low-friction plastic most preferably comprises a polytetrafluoroethylene.

Suitable material structures comprise any fabric, non-woven, knit, stitched material, film, perforated film, unidirectional fabric and so on known to the skilled person, with the understanding that the textile structure is preferably relatively thin. Within the scope of the present invention this is understood to mean that the weight per unit area of the textile structure is relatively limited. Suitable weights per unit area range between 10 and 200 g/m ² , preferably between 25 and 100 g/m ² , more preferably between 30 and 60 g/m ² . A particularly suitable glass fibre cloth with a polytetrafluoroethylene coating is commercially available from Eriks B.V. under the product name Chemglas PTFE glass fabric 100-3.

The material from which the textile structure is manufactured can also be selected within wide limits. Suitable materials comprise glass fibres, carbon fibres, organic fibres such as for instance polyaramid fibres, polyethylene fibres, polyamide fibres, polyester fibres and so on. A particularly suitable aid comprises a textile structure manufactured from a plastic selected from the group of polyesters and/or polyamides. The frictional resistance of the materials moving against each other during the "unfolding" can further be reduced by using a thermoplastic plastic and/or low-friction plastic to which an anti-block agent such as for instance hydrotalcite has been added.

The above stated materials have a very low coefficient of friction, are generally highly anti-adhesive and moreover weather and sunlight-resistant. The materials are further sufficiently strong to withstand, with negligible elongation, the tensile stresses occurring during sliding of the load and the removal of the aid.

A preferred embodiment of the aid according to the invention is characterized in that the textile structure is a thin fabric, the weft threads of which run in the direction in which the aid is substantially pulled away during the removal of this aid. It has been found that less force is required to remove an aid according to this preferred embodiment from between a load and a contact surface.

The invention is now further elucidated on the basis of the exemplary embodiments shown in the figures, without however being limited thereto.

Herein: Fig. 1 shows a schematic top view of a first embodiment of the aid according to the invention;

Fig. 2 is a schematic bottom view of the exemplary embodiment shown in fig. 1 ;

Fig. 3 is a schematic perspective view of the peripheral body of an aid according to the invention with the method of longitudinal connection; Fig. 4 is a schematic top view of a second embodiment of the aid according to the invention;

Fig. 5 shows a schematic detail view of a part of an aid according to the invention during removal thereof; and

Fig. 6 finally shows a schematic representation of an application of the aid according to the invention.

With reference to figures 1 and 2, an aid 1 is shown which is intended for sliding loads on a contact surface and in particular for sliding a foot on the sole of a shoe in order to make putting on and/or taking off the shoe easier. Aid 1 comprises a substantially flat and flexible body 10 consisting of a first sheet 11 and a second sheet 12 of a smooth material. The two sheets (11, 12) are laid at least partially over each other so that they can slide relative to each other and in mutual contact. Sheets 11 and 12 are attached to each other along at least one shared edge portion 13. In the shown exemplary embodiment sheets (11 , 12) are attached to each other along shared edge portion 13 by

means of a stitched seam, shown in the figures as a wide broken line. Any other method of connecting, such as for instance adhering, is also possible. According to the invention lateral sides 14 and IS can be open. In the preferred embodiment shown in figures 1 and 2 lateral sides 14 and IS are however closed, wherein body 10 essentially forms a peripheral body in more or less flat position. The peripheral surface parts 11 and 12 lying one over the other thus form the first and second sheets. In this variant the outer end 13 of the peripheral body forms the shared edge portion. This edge portion is at least partly closed, for instance by stitching peripheral edge parts lying on top of each other. The free edge portions (16a, 16b) define an opening or mouth for the space present between sheets (11, 12). Such an aid is simple to manufacture, and peripheral body 10 moreover simplifies putting on and taking off the shoe around the foot. The form of the two sheets (11, 12) can in principle be freely chosen, this depending on the chosen application. The embodiment variant shown in figures 1 and 2 is particularly suitable as aid for putting a shoe on and taking a shoe off a foot. In order to facilitate the operation thereof, the two sheets (11, 12) (or the flattened peripheral body 10) have a more or less tapering form, wherein the open edge portion (16a, 16b) is wider than closed shared edge portion 13. This is however by no means necessary. The preferred variant shown in figure 4 has a substantially square or rectangular form, wherein one or more edges can, if desired, comprise a slight curve, such as edge 13 in figure 4. It is also possible for free edge portions (16a, 16b) to have a mutually differing form so as to facilitate handling of aid 1. The variants shown in figures 1, 2 and 4 are thus provided with a substantially straight free edge 16a and a free edge 16b in the form of a slightly protruding triangle. Body 10 is further provided with removing means 17, preferably fastened to shared edge portion 13, with which aid 1 can be removed from between the load and the contact surface. In the shown variant removing means 17 comprise at least one pull strap 18, provided if desired with one or more pull loops 19 by which pull strap 18 can be readily grasped. Removing means 17 can extend on only one side of shared edge portion 13, as is shown in the preferred embodiment of figure 4 discussed further hereinbelow, or extend on both sides of shared edge portion 13, as shown in the preferred embodiment of figures 1 and 2. With reference to figures 1 and 2, pull strap 18 then comprises a first part 18a which extends between the two sheets (11, 12) from shared edge 13 (shown in the figures with a dot-dash line), and a second part 18b which runs outward from shared edge 13. In order to increase the ease with which the aid can be removed, pull strap 18 protrudes further outward than first sheet 11 and/or second

sheet 12 in the flat position of aid 1. In figures 1 and 2 this part is designated as part

18c. In this variant part 18c of the pull strap protrudes through the mouth of flexible body 10 defined by the two peripheral edges (16a, 16b). In variants of the invention in which removing means 17 protrude no further than at least one of the two sheets (11, 12), but are fully enclosed between the two sheets (11, 12), removing means 17 can be reached via the mouth formed by peripheral edges (16a, 16b), which then functions as access opening. This is shown for instance in figure 4. Pull strap 18 can be manufactured from any strong material, such as for instance leather and/or a strong plastic. Sheets (1 1, 12) or peripheral body 10 of aid 1 are preferably manufactured from a fabric, such as a nylon fabric or a glass fibre cloth, coated with polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). A particularly suitable fabric is the so-called rib-stop fabric. Peripheral body 10 is for instance formed from a sheet of such a material cut in the shape of a parallelogram. This sheet is then folded, thus creating a hat-shaped whole as shown in figure 3. The free edge portions which are thus brought together are then connected to each other in the longitudinal direction by means of stitched connection 20. Shared edge portion 13 is also stitched together, wherein a pull strap 18 is co- stitched at the same time if desired (not shown in figure 13). It is advantageous if stitched connection 20 is formed by a felled seam. Such a seam is shown in detail in the inset of figure 4 and comprises two free edge portions (202, 203) which are connected in the longitudinal direction at their base by means of a stitched seam 201 and which are folded over a certain length X and then connected again in the longitudinal direction at the position of the other outer end 204 by means of a stitched seam 205 (shown schematically and in open position by the broken line in the inset of figure 3). If desired, the stitched connection can also be stitched flat on sheet 12 by means of stitched seam 205. It has been found that a felled seam increases the lifespan of the aid.

The operation of aid 1 according to the invention when putting on a shoe is elucidated hereinbelow with reference to figures 4 and 5. It will be apparent that the aid can likewise be applied very well for any other operation in which a relatively heavy load must be slid over a contact surface. The aid is thus suitable for sliding cabinets and other heavy objects over a floor, for placing patients on an article of seating furniture or in a bed, and so forth. It will be apparent that this short list should by no means be deemed limitative, but is intended only to illustrate the manifold possible applications for the aid.

In order to use aid 1 when putting on a shoe, part 18b of the pull strap is folded by hand under at least a part of body 10. Body 10 is then grasped by hand at the position of shared edge 13 and arranged as far as possible into shoe 30 until the aid reaches into the toe portion. By now stepping with foot 31 into shoe 30, the aid is possibly also co- displaced with the toe (see figure 6) until part 13 is situated at the position of the tip of shoe 30 and foot 31 is situated wholly in shoe 30. Sliding the foot into the shoe is exceptionally easy because the friction between foot and sole of shoe 32 is markedly reduced by the aid. Aid 1 has a length such that removing means 17, and preferably pull strap 18, protrude from the shoe at the rear of the shoe as shown in figure 6. By now pulling pull strap 18, aid 1 is pulled away from the front side 13 to the rear between the foot and the sole of the shoe, wherein sheets (11 , 12) are folded back and the peripheral body is as it were turned inside and out. This principle is shown in figure S. Practically no friction occurs here. The part of sheet 11 which is in contact with the sole of foot 31 , which contact could in principle cause quite a great frictional force, remains substantially stationary. The same is true for the part of sheet 12 which is in contact with the sole of shoe 32. The moving parts of sheets 11 and 12 only make mutual contact when they are pulled to the rear. Owing to the properties of the material this causes little friction. Because the coefficient of friction of the teflon-coated sheets (11, 12) or peripheral body 10 is after all low, the force required to unroll the aid to the rear is also relatively small.

Once the aid has thus been pulled out from under the load, in this case foot 31 , the aid is inside out. The originally outward facing part 18b of pull strap 18 is situated here between the two sheets (11, 12). By now pulling this part 18b outward via the mouth formed by free edges (16a, 16b) using loop 19, peripheral body 10 is once again turned inside out, whereby it returns to the starting position shown in figures 1 and 2 and can be reused. By giving the two outer ends (18a, 18b) practically the same length it is possible to ensure that the aid can be used again immediately in the inside out position since this embodiment is after all practically "symmetrical".

The operation of the aid is illustrated on the basis of a first embodiment variant of the invention shown in figures 1 and 2. The operation of another preferred variant shown in figure 4 is identical and will therefore not be repeated in detail. The variant of figure 4

is preferably applied for placing patients on a chair. For this purpose the aid is placed on a chair, whereby a practically frictionless surface is created between the seat part of the chair and a patient who wishes to sit down on the chair. This patient can sit on the front edge of the seat part and slide rearward by exerting light pressure on his/her legs. This takes place exceptionally easily because the friction of peripheral body 10 with the chair surface is very low. Once the patient is fully seated, he/she and/or a member of care staff places his/her hands through the mouth situated on the front side of the chair seat and formed by free edge portions (16a, 16b), and takes hold of the loops situated in peripheral body 10 and pulls them forward in the direction of the front side of the chair seat. Owing to the same mechanism as already described above, the aid can be pulled away from under the seat of the patient with exceptionally little force. It is also possible to arrange the aid the other way round, i.e. with the mouth formed by the two free edge portions (16a, 16b) in the direction of the rear side of the chair. Once the patient has then sat down on the chair, a member of care staff places his/her hands through the mouth formed by free edge portions (16a, 16b), situated in this variant on the rear side of the chair seat, and takes hold of loops 18 situated in peripheral body 10 and pulls them rearward in the direction of the rear side of the chair seat until the aid has been removed from between the patient and the chair. The operation of the aid is further enhanced if the patient leans slightly forward here.

The invention is not limited to the above described exemplary embodiments. It is for instance also possible to apply the aid when putting on a leg or arm prosthesis. Such a prosthesis is generally provided with a bowl-shaped upper side in which a part of the (amputated) leg or arm is received. By providing the bowl beforehand with an aid according to the invention (in the same manner as described above for a shoe) the friction between prosthesis and leg or arm is reduced when the prosthesis is pulled on, whereby the attachment can take place without much exertion of force. Once the prosthesis has been arranged, the aid can then be removed in simple manner by pulling it from between the prosthesis and the leg or arm. It will be apparent that within the scope of the invention different modifications can be made which are self-evident to the skilled person.