Bathing assist device

Abstract

Bathing-assist device to assisting a bather to lower himself or herself into a bathtub for bathing and later to lift himself or herself out of the bathtub, directed at persons who cannot otherwise take a bath without outside assistance. The device uses the hydraulic force available from household water pressure and has no electrical aspects. Further, the device includes a support frame from which the various components are suspended, a frame that can be lifted directly onto a bathtub with which the device is to be used, eliminating the need to affix anything to the bathroom walls or to the bathtub itself.

I claim:  
     
         1 . Apparatus for assisting a bather to enter and to exit a bathtub, said device comprising 
 a) a hydraulic cylinder configured to lower and raise said bather on demand using only household water pressure;    b) valving for linking said household water pressure to said cylinder, said valving being configured so as to allow said bather to pressurize and depressurize said cylinder;    wherein said apparatus includes support structure for suspending said cylinder, and wherein said support structure is placeable on upper surfaces of said bathtub, requiring no other mounting or affixing elements in order for said apparatus to be installed and ready for use.    
     
     
         2 . The apparatus claimed in claim I wherein said bather is lowered and raised by lowering and raising a bather support surface, said bather support surface being directly linked to an hydraulic ram extending from said cylinder.  
     
     
         3 . The apparatus claimed in  claim 2  wherein said cylinder is deployed so as to be oriented vertically when said apparatus is installed on said bathtub.  
     
     
         4 . The apparatus claimed in  claim 3  wherein said valving includes a hand-operated valve that interruptedly links a household water line to a cylinder water line, said household water line being connectable to a source of household water pressure and said cylinder water line being connectable to said cylinder for pressurizing said cylinder.  
     
     
         5 . The apparatus claimed in  claim 4  wherein said valve has a plurality of positions, including a pressurizing position that causes a linkage to exist between said household water line and said cylinder water line, and a depressurizing position that interrupts said linkage and causes a depressurization of said cylinder.  
     
     
         6 . The apparatus claimed in  claim 5  configured such that when said cylinder is pressurized said ram applies an upward force to said seat sufficient to lift said bather and that when said cylinder is not pressurized said seat is allowed to descend.  
     
     
         7 . The apparatus claimed in  claim 6  wherein said support structure includes a head frame, a foot frame, and a backstop, wherein said head frame is joined to and separated from said foot frame by horizontal spacers and a back stop is affixed rigidly to said head frame.  
     
     
         8 . The apparatus claimed in  claim 7  wherein, after said apparatus is installed, said cylinder is positioned directly above said bathtub with said ram extending downward from said cylinder.  
     
     
         9 . The apparatus claimed in  claim 8  wherein said cylinder is pivotably affixed at a top end thereof to said backstop.  
     
     
         10 . The apparatus claimed in  claim 7  also comprising a lateral conveyor for conveying said cylinder between a outside position and an inside position, said outside position placing said bather above a floor surface next to said bathtub and said inside position placing said bather above said bathtub.  
     
     
         11 . The apparatus claimed in  claim 10  wherein said conveyor includes a roller-support channel, a roller unit, and a cylinder top plate, said support channel being rigidly and horizontally attached to said support means, said cylinder top plate linking a top of said cylinder to said roller unit, said roller unit being coupled rollingly to said channel.  
     
     
         12 . The apparatus claimed in  claim 11  wherein said conveyor also includes a bather-operated translating means, whereby said bather can cause said cylinder to translate between said inside position and said outside position.  
     
     
         13 . The apparatus claimed in  claim 12  wherein said translating means is a combination of a pull-rope and a plurality of pulleys.  
     
     
         14 . The apparatus claimed in  claim 13  wherein a first end of said pull-rope is affixed at a distal position of said channel, a second end of said rope is affixed at a proximal position of said channel and between said first end and said second end said rope passes in sequence through a proximal pulley and a distal pulley.  
     
     
         15 . The apparatus claimed in  claim 14  wherein said rope is relatively taut when said cylinder is located at said outside position and deployed so that when said bather pulls down on said rope so as to introduce slack in said rope, said rope pulls said cylinder toward said inside position.  
     
     
         16 . Bathing assist apparatus for use in conjunction with a domestic bathtub and household water supply, said apparatus comprising a support structure, a hydraulic lift device, a pressurizing circuit, a bather seat, an arcuate seat yoke, 
 wherein said support structure includes a head frame, a backstop, a foot frame, a plurality of adjustable-length spacers and is constructed so that said head frame and said foot frame are parallel to one another, joined together by said plurality of spacers, and configured so that said apparatus is installable said bathtub by resting said head frame on a head rim of said bathtub and said foot frame on a foot rim of said bathtub, said spacers being adjusted in length to fit said bathtub,    wherein said hydraulic lift device is a hydraulic cylinder containing a hydraulic ram wherein said hydraulic ram is retracted into said cylinder with a force of several hundred pounds upon said cylinder being pressurized with said household water supply,    wherein said cylinder is pivotably affixed at a top end thereof to said backstop, said backstop being rigidly mounted on said head frame, wherein said yoke is connected to said ram and said seat is flexibly coupled to said yoke,    and wherein said pressurizing circuit includes    a household water line connected at a first end to a hand-operated valve unit and connectable at a second end to said household water pressure,    a bathtub line connected only to said valve unit and otherwise open,    a cylinder water line running between said valve unit and said cylinder, wherein said valve unit has a plurality of positions, one of which directly connects said household water line to said cylinder line, one of which connects said household water line to said bathtub line, and one of which connects both said household water line and said cylinder water line to said bathtub line.    
     
     
         17 . Bathing assist apparatus for use in conjunction with a domestic bathtub and household water supply, said apparatus comprising a support structure, a hydraulic lift device, a pressurizing circuit, a bather seat, a bather conveyor, and a conveyor motivating device, 
 wherein said support structure includes a head frame, a backstop, a foot frame, a plurality of adjustable-length spacers and is constructed so that said head frame and said foot frame are parallel to one another, joined together by said plurality of spacers, and configured so that said apparatus is installable said bathtub by resting said head frame on a head rim of said bathtub and said foot frame on a foot rim of said bathtub, said spacers being adjusted in length to fit said bathtub,    wherein said hydraulic lift device is a hydraulic cylinder containing a hydraulic ram, wherein said hydraulic ram is retracted into said cylinder with a force of several hundred pounds upon said cylinder being pressurized with said household water supply,    wherein said conveyor includes a roller-support channel, a roller unit, and a cylinder top plate,    wherein said channel is rigidly affixed to said backstop and cantilevered so as to extend several feet outside of said bathtub when said apparatus is installed in said bathtub,    wherein said roller unit is coupled rollingly to said channel and to said cylinder top plate, said top plate being pivotably connected to said cylinder,    wherein said motivating device includes a pull-rope, a distal pulley, and a proximal pulley, said pull-rope being affixed at a distal end of said channel and at a proximal end of said channel, and running through said distal pulley and said proximal pulley.    
     
     
         18 . The bathing assist apparatus claimed in  claim 17  wherein said seat is made of flexible fabric and is flexibly connected to a straight seat yoke, said seat yoke in turn being connected to said ram.  
     
     
         19 . The bathing assist apparatus claimed in  claim 18  configured so that, when said apparatus is installed, said cylinder is pressurized said seat is pulled upon and when said cylinder is not pressurized said seat is allowed to move downward under the force of gravity.  
     
     
         20 . The bathing assist apparatus claimed in  claim 19  wherein said backstop, head frame, and foot frame are made of wood and said spacers are made of steel.