Collapsible, portable, weight-supporting devices

Abstract

Bath safety products, including commodes, bath seats, and transfer benches, that have hinge brackets mounted onto frame members. The hinge brackets and frame members permit the bath safety products to fit into a smaller package when unassembled, to be assembled quickly and easily without any tools, to be easily collapsible into a compact, portable configuration for convenient storage and transporting when assembled, and to later be easily uncollapsed for use.

1 . A collapsible, portable, weight-supporting device, comprising: 
 a frame assembly including frame members and hinge brackets for laterally collapsing the frame assembly; and    a seat assembly that is removably coupled to the frame assembly.    
   
   
       2 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the frame assembly is adapted for assembling without the need for tools or hardware.  
   
   
       3 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the device is in the form of a commode, a transfer bench, or a bath seat.  
   
   
       4 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the seat assembly comprises: 
 a toilet seat having integrally formed pivotal couplings for removable attachment directly to the frame members; and    an integrally formed splash guard/collection pail having a side wall and a removable bottom.    
   
   
       5 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the seat assembly has a first channel and a second channel for removably receiving the frame members for mounting the seat assembly to the frame assembly without the need for tools or hardware.  
   
   
       6 . A hinge bracket for coupling together frame members of a weight-supporting device, the hinge bracket comprising: 
 a body having at least one end opening and at least one guide slot;    the end opening receiving a first one of the frame members; and    the guide slot receiving at least one engagement button extending from and depressible into the first frame member,    wherein the first frame member is detachably coupled to the hinge bracket so that the first frame member can be easily decoupled from the hinge bracket by hand without using any tools or hardware, the first frame member pivots relative to the hinge bracket so that the device can be laterally collapsed, the hinge bracket is provided without a separate locking assembly for securing the frame members in a normal uncollapsed position for use, and the hinge bracket is adapted for use on any of four corners of the device so that different left and right and/or front and back hinge brackets are not required.    
   
   
       7 . The hinge bracket of  claim 6 , wherein the opening extends all the way through the body from a first open end to a second open end that is opposite from the first end, the opening removably receives at least two of the frame members therein, and the two frame members seat together telescopically within the opening.  
   
   
       8 . A method of assembling a weight-supporting device, comprising: 
 providing frame members, hinge brackets, and a seat assembly;    mounting the hinge brackets onto the frame members by hand, without tools or hardware, to form a frame; and    mounting the seat assembly onto the frame by hand, without tools or hardware.    
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 8 , further comprising converting a commode from a configuration for stand-alone bedside use to a configuration for use with a toilet by: 
 providing the seat assembly as a toilet seat and a collection pail with a removable bottom; and    removing the pail bottom to form a splash guard.