SITTING BATH TUB

Technical field

The present invention generally relates to sitting bath tubs for bathing in a sitting position, i.e. bath tubs having a length insignificantly greater than the height thereof. More precisely, a sitting bath tub according to the invention has a seat in a rear part thereof and a bottom below the seat in a forward part integral with the rear part, a side opening extending substantially down to the bottom and having a decreasing width in downward direction, and a door for sealing said side opening in a closed position.

Background art

Such sitting bath tubs, due to the presence of the side opening and the seat, are of great advantage to physically disabled persons and are known from many prior art documents, e.g. U.S. Patents Nos. 4,802,247; 5,184,358;

5,446,929; and 6,499,153. Similar sitting bath tubs are disclosed in WO94/07403 and SE444461B.

The doors of the sitting bath tubs disclosed in U.S. Patents Nos. 4,802,247 and 6,499,153 open outwards from the side opening. This makes it difficult for a physically disabled person sitting in a wheel chair by the side of the sitting bath tub to open the door and then move into the sitting bath tub.

The door of U.S. Patent No. 5,184,358 is a removable side panel which is slidably engageable with a slot along the edge of a side opening in the sitting bath tub. To enter this sitting bath tub a physically disabled person has to lift the side panel, place it on the floor outside the side opening, enter the sitting bath tub and then lift the side panel and slide it into engagement with the side opening.

Obviously, this is not an easy manoeuvre for a physically disabled person, especially a disabled person sitting in a wheel chair.

The door of the sitting bath tub of U.S. Patent No. 5,446,929 is a tambour door having a plurality of tambour slats and a flexible impervious membrane.

Though a physically disabled person may be able to manoeuvre this door, it is a rather complex solution with a comprehensive control and tightening system.

WO94/07403 discloses a sitting bath tub having a side opening and a door for sealing said side opening in a closed position. This door is movable between its closed position and a raised position substantially above the side opening by pivoting about a horizontal shaft joining the sitting tub and an upper forward part of the door. The door is also pivotable horizontally away from its raised position so as to enable a person sitting outside the side opening to freely move sidewise into the sitting bath tub and on to the seat.

The sealing of the door in WO94/07403 is obtained in that the marginal portions of the outward side of the door is brought into contact with portions of the inside surface of the side wall of the tub. The necessary contact pressure for said sealing is achieved by a hook-shaped member that is rigidly connected to the door and projects from the outward side thereof. The hook-shaped member is arranged, when closing the opening by means of the door, to be hooked over an edge portion of the side wall, located at the lower edge of the side opening. The sealing technique used in WO94/07403 is difficult to manage and not very reliable. Also, the lower horizontal edge of the side opening is located at a substantial distance above the bottom of the tub which makes it difficult for a disabled person to enter the tub.

SE444461B shows an embodiment of a sitting bath tub having a side opening with a horizontal bottom edge and an adjoining backward edge in the shape of a circular arc. The door has a corresponding shape and is pivotable about a horizontal axis positioned in the centre of the circular arc. The edge of the door cooperates with a U-shaped sealing which means that a substantial friction will result from the door edge sliding in the U-shaped sealing during pivoting of the door to and from its closed position. This will make the closing and opening of the door difficult and will reduce the durability of the sealing.

However, WO94/07403 and SE444461B both disclose a side opening of such shape that a front part of the seat is exposed therethrough. This is of advantage for a disabled person when entering the sitting bath tub.

Disclosure of the invention

It is a primary object of the present invention to provide a sitting bath tub of a simple and safe design which has a safe and durable sealing and is easily used

and manoeuvred by a physically disabled person, especially by a physically disabled person sitting in a wheel chair beside the side opening of the sitting bath tub.

This and other objects are achieved by a sitting bath tub having the fea- tures defined in claim 1.

Thus, the present invention relates to a sitting bath tub having a seat in a rear part thereof and a bottom below the seat in a forward part integral with the rear part, a side opening extending substantially down to the bottom and having a decreasing width in downward direction, and a door for sealing said side opening in a closed position, said door being pivotable between its closed position and a raised position substantially above the side opening about a horizontal shaft joining the sitting tub and an upper forward part of the door, and further being pivotable away from its raised position at least over an angle enabling a person sitting outside the side opening to freely move sidewise into the sitting bath tub and on to the seat. This sitting bath tub has the new features that the opening has a continuously decreasing width in downward direction, that the distance from the horizontal shaft to the rear edge of the side opening decreases with decreasing height above the bottom, and that the front edge of the side opening is substantially vertical, such that the side opening has a lowest point close to the front edge of the side opening. Consequently, the side opening comprises a rear edge backward of said lowest point and a front edge forward of said lowest point but has substantially no horizontal portion adjoining said lowest point. When the door is pivoted to its closed position the rear edge thereof progressively tightens upwards along the rear edge of the side opening substantially from said lowest point, and the front edge of the door progressively tightens downwards along the front edge of the side opening towards said lowest point. The result is that a compressible sealing may be used to advantage between the edges of the door and the side opening, since this sealing will be compressed without substantial sliding and concomitant friction when closing the door. Thereby, a secure sealing may be obtained when the door is closed.

Preferably, a first end of the horizontal shaft is fixed to the upper forward part of the door and a tube fixed in the forward portion of the sitting bath tub is received on a first part of the horizontal shaft.

E2006/000428

Further, a helical spring may be received on a second part of the horizontal shaft, a first end of the helical spring being fixed to the horizontal shaft and a second end of the helical spring being fixed to the forward portion of the sitting bath tub, said spring being set so as to substantially balance the weight of the door during pivoting thereof. Consequently, the disabled person may easily raise the door from its closed position to its raised position.

In a first embodiment, the horizontal shaft also constitutes a mechanism for allowing a further pivoting of the door in the vertical plane so as to enable a person sitting outside the side opening to freely move sidewise into the sitting bath tub and on to the seat. Since this pivoting movement requires a minimum of force, it is easily performed also by a physically disabled person.

In a second embodiment, a second shaft extends substantially along an upper edge of the door, a first end of the second shaft being fixed to a first holder fixed to the first shaft and a second end of the second shaft being received in a bearing in a second holder fixed to the door, thereby allowing a horizontal pivoting of the door in its raised position. Thus, a person sitting outside the side opening may easily swing the raised door and be able to freely move sidewise into the sitting bath tub and on to the seat.

Brief description of the drawings

The accompanying drawings illustrate preferred embodiments of a sitting bath tub according to the present invention, in which:

Figs. 1a-1c are perspective views of a first sitting bath tub embodiment; Figs. 2a-2c are perspective views of a second sitting bath tub embodiment; Fig. 3 is a perspective partial view of a mechanism for raising a door of the sitting bath tub embodiments of Figs. 1a-1c and 2a-2c;

Fig. 4 is a perspective partial view of a mechanism for pivoting the door of the sitting bath tub embodiment of Figs. 2a-2c;

Best mode for carrying out the invention

Referring to Figs. 1a-1c, a sitting bath tub 1 is shown having a seat 2 in a rear part thereof and a bottom 3 below the seat 2 in a forward part thereof. A side opening 4 extends from the top edge of the sitting bath tub 1 substantially down

to the bottom 3. A door 5 seals the side opening 4 in its closed position, as illustrated in Fig. 1a.

The door 5 and the sitting bath tub 1 are joined by a horizontal shaft 6 indicated in Figs. 1a-1c by a dashed line and illustrated in more detail in Fig. 4. The distance from the horizontal shaft 6 to the rear edge of the opening 4 (as well as to the rear edge of the door 5 in its closed position) decreases with decreasing height above the bottom 3, which will ensure a safe sealing of the side opening 4 by the door 5.

More precisely, the side opening 4 opening has a continuously decreasing width in downward direction, which means that there is a lowest point in the opening positioned between a front edge and a rear edge thereof. As illustrated in the drawings, the front edge of the side opening 4 is substantially vertical and straight, while the rear edge is defined as stated above, i.e. that the distance from the horizontal shaft 6 to the rear edge of the opening 4 decreases with decreas- ing height above the bottom 3. Since the door 5 and the side opening are of substantially the same shape, the edge of the door 5 will engage the edge of the side opening with a sealing positioned therebetween consecutively starting downwards from the top of the front edges and upwards from the lowest point in the opening along the rear edges. Thus, the sliding between the edges and the seal- ing between these edges will be minimal and the compression of the sealing will be optimal.

As a result, the width of the door 5 is somewhat greater than its height, which relation also is valid for the length of the sitting bath tub versus its height. Further, a front part of the seat 2 is exposed through the side opening 4 in an open position of the door 5, as shown in Figs. 1b and 1c. Consequently, the door 5 may be raised from the closed position shown in Fig. 1a to the raised position shown in Fig.1b by a physically disabled person sitting, e.g. in a wheel chair, close to the side opening 4, the physically disabled person using a handle on the door 5 for pivoting the door 5 from the closed position of Fig. 1a to the raised po- sition of Fig. 1b.

In order to get free access to the seat 2 in the sitting bath tub 1 , the physically disabled person may now pivot the door 5 further forwards to the position

shown in Fig. 1c and is then free to move sidewise into the sitting bath tub 1 and onto the seat 2.

The sitting bath tub embodiment illustrated in Figs. 2a-2c corresponds to the sitting bath tub embodiment of Figs. 1a-1c as regards the movement of the door 5 from the closed position (shown in Fig. 2a) to the raised position (shown in Fig. 2b). As indicated by dotted lines, this sitting bath tub embodiment is placed in a corner in a bath room, which means that such pivoting of the door 5 as shown in Fig. 1c is stopped by a room wall and thus not possible. Instead there is a second shaft 7, indicated by dashed lines and illustrated more in detail in Fig. 5, al- lowing a horizontal pivoting of the door 5 not intercepting with said room wall.

As shown in Fig. 2c, the second shaft 7 makes it possible for the physically disabled person to pivot the door 5 horizontally outwards from the sitting bath tub 1 so as not longer restraining the physically disabled person's movement side- wise into the sitting bath tub 1 and onto the seat 2 therein. An upper forward part of the door 5 and adjoining parts of the sitting bath tub 1 are illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4. Figs. 3 and 4 also illustrate the mechanism for raising the door 5 of the sitting bath tub embodiments of Figs. 1a-1c and 2a- 2c. This mechanism comprises the horizontal shaft 6, which at a first end has a first plate 9 for fastening the shaft 6 to the door 5. A first inner part of the shaft 6 is received in a tube 10 fastened to the sitting bath tub 1. A second outer part of the shaft 6 is received in a helical spring 12 having a first end 11 fixed to the sitting bath tub 1 and a second end 13 fixed to a second end of the shaft 6.

The helical spring 12 is set so as to balance the weight of the door 5. As a consequence, the door 5 will stand still in any pivoting position. Referring to Fig. 4, the mechanism for pivoting the door 5 horizontally between the positions shown in Figs. 2b and 2c comprises the second shaft 7 extending substantially along an upper edge of the door 5. A first end of the shaft 7 is fixed in a first holder 14 at an upper forward part of the door 5. This holder 14 is fastened to the first plate 9 and thus at right angle to the horizontal shaft 6. A second end of the shaft 7 is received for pivoting in a bearing 15 fixed in a second holder 16. The second holder 16 is fixed to the door 5 so that the door 5 may pivot horizontally in its raised position (between the positions shown in Fig. 2b and Fig. 2c), which thus will enable a physically disabled person sitting outside

the side opening 4 to move freely sidewise into the sitting bath tub 1 and on to the seat 2.

It will be understand that various changes and amendments of the above described embodiments may be made by those skilled in the art within the scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

Further, the man skilled in the art would be able to use other means for balancing the door 5 along its various paths of movement.

Finally, it should be noted that all embodiments described are very well adapted for being used in small and narrow bathrooms, i.e. bathrooms where the distance between the door and the opposite bathroom wall is short (even shorter than the width of the door 5). Still, the space in front of the door 5 should preferably be large enough so as to allow a physically disabled person to enter this space sitting in a wheel chair.