JP7629382B2 - Bathroom handrails - Google Patents

Description

Article 30, Paragraph 2 of the Patent Act applies Manufactured and sold by DIPPER Hokumei Co., Ltd. from March 1, 2021 to October 28, 2021

The present invention relates to a bathroom handrail that is attached to the tub wall on the washing area side of a bathtub.

The applicant has previously proposed this type of handrail (Patent Document 1). The handrail in Patent Document 1 is composed of a handrail base attached to the tub wall facing the washing area, a handrail body supported by the handrail base, and a leg column that contacts the floor surface of the washing area. The handrail base is provided with a clamp structure for fixing the base to the tub wall, and this clamp structure includes a pair of left and right fixed clamp bodies fixed to the base body and contacting the outer surface of the tub wall, a clamp arm supported by the base body so as to be freely movable forward and backward, a pair of left and right movable clamp bodies supported by the clamp arms and contacting the inner surface of the tub wall, and an adjustment structure for moving the clamp arms forward and backward. The joint surface of the fixed clamp bodies is formed as a curved surface that curves outward toward the outer surface of the tub wall. In addition, the movable clamp body is supported by a universal joint provided on the clamp arm so that it can tilt forward and backward and left and right.

When the bathroom handrail of Patent Document 1 is attached to a tub wall, the joint surfaces of the pair of fixed clamp bodies are received at two points on the left and right of the outer surface of the tub wall. In addition, the joint surfaces of the pair of movable clamp bodies, which can tilt in different directions, are received at two points on the inner surface of the curved tub wall. Therefore, not only when the tub wall is flat, but also when the tub wall is curved to one side, either inward or outward, the handrail base can be stably attached to the tub wall.

Patent No. 6868672

In recent years, the exterior appearance of bathtubs has tended to emphasize design, such as shapes with multiple irregularly connected curved surfaces. Therefore, even with the bathroom handrail of Patent Document 1, depending on the degree of curvature of the tub wall, it may not be possible to stably and firmly fix the handrail base to the tub wall. This is because, while a movable clamp body with a large degree of freedom can easily follow the changes in the curved surface of the tub wall and bring the joint surface of the clamp body into close contact with the curved surface of the tub wall, a fixed clamp body with no degree of freedom can easily reduce the contact area of the joint surface with the tub wall, such that only two points of the joint surface that are curved outwardly come into contact with the curved surface of the tub wall. As a result, the fixed clamp body shifts and the handrail cannot be firmly fixed to the tub wall.

The object of the present invention is to provide a bathroom handrail with a clamp structure that clamps the front and rear of the bathtub wall, which can be reliably attached to the curved surface of the tub wall by the front and rear clamps that make up the clamp structure, even when the degree of curvature of the tub wall varies widely, and can be stably and firmly fixed to the tub wall.

The bathroom handrail of the present invention comprises a handrail base 3 fixed to a tub wall 2 facing the washing area of a bathtub 1, and a handrail support 4 attached to the handrail base 3 and supported on the floor of the washing area. The handrail base 3 comprises a base body 7 that holds and fixes the handrail support 4, and a clamp structure provided on the base body 7 that clamps the tub wall 2 from the front to the back. The clamp structure comprises a front clamp 26 provided on the base body 7 and abutting the front surface 2a of the tub wall 2, a clamping arm 27 supported on the base body 7 so as to be movable forward and backward in the front-rear direction while straddling the tub wall 2, a rear clamp 28 supported by the clamping arm 27 and abutting the rear surface 2b of the tub wall 2, and an adjustment structure that adjusts the clamping distance between the clamps 26 and 28 by operating the clamping arm 27 forward and backward relative to the base body 7. The rear clamp 28 includes a plurality of rear support structures 52 provided at the rear of the clamp arm 27, and a clamp plate 56 that contacts the rear surface 2b of the tab wall 2 and is supported so as to be tiltable in all directions relative to the clamp arm 27 via each rear support structure 52. The front clamp 26 includes a base frame 29 fixed to the base body 7, a plurality of front support structures 34 provided on the base frame 29, and a clamp block 30 that contacts the front surface 2a of the tab wall 2 and is supported so as to be tiltable in all directions relative to the base frame 29 via each front support structure 34 and to be slidable in the front-rear direction relative to the base frame 29 via each front support structure 34.

The front support structure 34 includes an axle 37 provided on either the base frame 29 or the clamping block 30, a hole 40 provided on the other of the base frame 29 and the clamping block 30 to allow the axle 37 to be inserted, a clamping spring 43 that urges the clamping block 30 to move rearward, and a stopper 44 that holds the axle 37 in the hole 40 to prevent it from falling out. The axle 37 is guided and supported by the hole 40, allowing the clamping block 30 to slide back and forth relative to the base frame 29, and the axle 37 tilts relative to the hole 40, allowing the clamping block 30 to tilt in all directions relative to the base frame 29.

Either the base frame 29 or the clamping block 30 is provided with an indicator 46 to show whether the clamping force of the front and rear clamps 26 and 28 against the tab wall 2 is appropriate.

The base frame 29 includes a pedestal portion 31 connected to the base body 7, and a block receiving frame 32 that protrudes from the pedestal portion 31 and opens backward, and a hole portion 40 is formed in a pedestal wall 39 facing the inner surface of the block receiving frame 32. The clamping block 30 includes a block base 36 that opens forward, a shaft portion 37 that protrudes forward from the inner surface of the block base 36, and a joining mat 38 made of an elastic material that is fixed to the rear of the block base 36. The clamping block 30 is assembled to the base frame 29 with the block base 36 overlapping the outer periphery of the block receiving frame 32. A display body 46 is formed on the outer periphery of the block receiving frame 32, and a clamping spring 43 is arranged around the shaft portion 37.

Four clamping blocks 30 are provided on the base frame 29.

Grooves 41 are engraved in a grid pattern on the joining surface of the joining mat 38. The joining surface is made up of a group of divided joining surfaces 42 that are partitioned by the grooves 41.

In the bathroom handrail of the present invention, the rear clamp 28 comprises a plurality of rear support structures 52 provided at the rear of the clamping arm 27, and a clamping plate 56 that abuts against the rear surface 2b of the tub wall 2 and is supported so as to be tiltable in all directions relative to the clamping arm 27 via each rear support structure 52. The front clamp 26 comprises a base frame 29 fixed to the base body 7, a plurality of front support structures 34 provided on the base frame 29, and a clamping block 30 that abuts against the front surface 2a of the tub wall 2 and is supported so as to be tiltable in all directions relative to the base frame 29 via each front support structure 34 and to be slidable in the front-rear direction relative to the base frame 29 via each front support structure 34. With this bathroom handrail, even if the degree of curvature of the tub wall 2 varies widely, the clamping plate 56 of the rear clamp 28 and each of the clamping blocks 30 of the front clamp 26 can be tilted to fit the curved surface of the tub wall 2 and tightly attached, so the handrail base 3 can be stably and firmly fixed to the tub wall 2 compared to conventional bathroom handrails. In particular, each of the multiple clamping blocks 30 of the front clamp 26 can be curved to fit the curved surface of the front surface 2a of the tub wall 2 and tightly attached, so the handrail base 3 can be stably and firmly fixed to the tub wall 2 compared to conventional bathroom handrails.

The front support structure 34 includes an axis 37 provided on either the base frame 29 or the clamping block 30, a hole 40 provided on the other of the base frame 29 and the clamping block 30 to allow the axis 37 to be inserted, a clamping spring 43 that biases the clamping block 30 backward, and a stopper 44 that prevents the axis 37 from falling out of the hole 40. The axis 37 is guided and supported by the hole 40, so that the clamping block 30 can slide back and forth relative to the base frame 29, and the axis 37 can tilt relative to the hole 40, so that the clamping block 30 can tilt in all directions relative to the base frame 29. By adopting the above configuration, the clamping block 30 can be supported so that it can tilt in all directions relative to the base frame 29 and can slide back and forth relative to the base frame 29. Therefore, each of the multiple clamping blocks 30 of the front clamp 26 can be curved to fit the curved surface of the front surface 2a of the tub wall 2, so that the handrail base 3 can be firmly and stably fixed to the tub wall 2 compared to conventional bathroom handrails.

Either the base frame 29 or the clamping block 30 can be provided with an indicator 46 to indicate whether the clamping force of the front and rear clamps 26, 28 against the tab wall 2 is appropriate. With this, the visibility of the indicator 46 changes according to the relative movement of the base frame 29 and the clamping block 30 when the front and rear clamps 26, 28 are tightened. Therefore, by tightening the clamps 26, 28 with an adjustable structure while checking the visibility of the indicator 46, the handrail base 3 can be fastened to the tab wall 2 with the appropriate tightening force, neither too much nor too little.

The base frame 29 has a pedestal portion 31 connected to the base body 7 and a block receiving frame 32 that protrudes from the pedestal portion 31 and opens backward. A hole 40 is formed in a pedestal wall 39 facing the inner surface of the block receiving frame 32. The clamping block 30 has a block base 36 that opens forward, an axle portion 37 that protrudes forward from the inner surface of the block base 36, and a joining mat 38 made of an elastic material that is fixed to the rear of the block base 36. The clamping block 30 is assembled to the base frame 29 with the block base 36 overlapping the outer periphery of the block receiving frame 32. A display body 46 is formed on the outer periphery of the block receiving frame 32. A clamping spring 43 is arranged around the axle portion 37. When the indicator 46 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the block receiving frame 32 in this way, the handrail base 3 can be fastened to the tub wall 2 with the right amount of fastening force by tightening the front and rear clamps 26, 28 with an adjustable structure while checking that the entire indicator 46 is covered by the block base 36. This prevents the handrail base 3 from slipping along the tub wall 2 due to insufficient fastening force of the front and rear clamps 26, 28 on the tub wall 2, or prevents the tub wall 2 from being damaged due to excessive fastening force of the front and rear clamps 26, 28 on the tub wall 2.

By providing four clamping blocks 30 on the base frame 29, each of the four clamping blocks 30 can be tilted along the curved surface of the tub wall 2 to make tight contact, so that the front clamp 26 can be brought into tight contact with the tub wall 2 in a more stable state, and the handrail base 3 can be fixed more firmly to the tub wall 2.

When grooves 41 are engraved in a grid pattern on the joining surface of the joining mat 38 and the joining surface is composed of a group of divided joining surfaces 42 partitioned by the grooves 41, each divided joining surface 42 can be elastically deformed independently, so that the joining mat 38 can be more reliably attached along the curved surface of the front surface 2a of the tub wall 2.

1 is a cross-sectional plan view of a front clamp device that constitutes a bathroom handrail in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. FIG. 2 is a plan view of a bathtub and handrail, showing an example of how the handrail can be used in a bathroom. This is a side view of a bathroom handrail. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 2. This is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in Figure 6. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC in FIG. 5. FIG. This is a cross-sectional view taken along line D-D in Figure 5. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line E-E in FIG. 4. This is an exploded oblique view showing the support structure of the rear clamp device that constitutes the bathroom handrail. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing a fixing structure of the clamping arm. 4 is a partially cutaway plan view showing the relative structure between a base frame and a clamping block. FIG. A side view showing a bathroom handrail according to a second embodiment of the present invention. A cross-sectional view of the main parts of a bathroom handrail according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

(First embodiment) Figures 1 to 12 show a first embodiment of the bathroom handrail according to the present invention. In the present invention, front, back, left, right, and up and down refer to the arrows shown in Figures 2, 3, and 6, and the indications of front, back, left, right, and up and down written near each arrow. In Figure 2, reference numeral 1 denotes a bathtub, reference numeral 2 denotes a tub wall facing the washing area, and a bathroom handrail is installed on the tub wall 2. Note that Figure 2 shows the case where the handrail is installed in the center of the tub wall 2, but it can also be installed near the corner of the tub wall 2 as shown by the two-dot chain line. The bathroom handrail is composed of a handrail base 3 fixed to the tub wall 2, a handrail support post 4 assembled to the handrail base 3 and supported by the floor surface of the washing area, and an upper frame body 5 installed between the ceiling of the washing area and the handrail support post 4.

In FIG. 4, the handrail base 3 is composed of a base body 7 that holds and fixes the handrail post 4, a clamp structure provided on the base body 7 that clamps the tab wall 2 from the front and rear, a front upper block 8 and a rear upper block 9 that are fixed to the front and rear upper surfaces of the base body 7, a rear lower block 10 that is fixed to the rear lower surface of the base body 7, a body cover 12 that covers these components from the underside, and a lid cover 13 that covers the upper surface of the base body 7.

The front upper block 8 and the rear upper block 9 are provided to fasten the main body cover 12, the rear lower block 10, and the front clamp 26 described later to the base main body 7, and each block 8, 9 is provided with nuts 15 corresponding to three bolts (hexagon socket bolts) 14 inserted from the underside of the main body cover 12 and the rear lower block 10 (see Figure 4). A cushion material 16 that is received by the upper surface of the tab wall 2 is fixed to the underside of the rear lower block 10. The base main body 7, the front and rear upper blocks 8, 9, the rear lower block 10, the main body cover 12, and the lid cover 13 are all made of plastic molded products. As shown in Figure 5, the left and right sides of the rear end surface of the rear lower block 10 are provided with arm holes 11 that support the front and rear mid-portions of the clamping arms 27 described later.

As shown in Figure 7, a boss 18 for assembling the handrail post 4 is formed near the center of the base body 7, and a post hole 19 is formed in the center of the boss 18, penetrating vertically. In addition, a guide groove 20 with a convex cross section that supports the adjustment structure described later is formed on the left and right of the boss 18 (see Figure 8), and a front frame 21 and a rear frame 22 are formed to protrude from the front and rear of the boss 18, and the front and rear upper blocks 8 and 9 and the rear lower block 10 are fastened to the top and bottom surfaces of these two frames 21 and 22. A connecting hole 23 for assembling the tube wall 13a of the lid cover 13 is formed in the upper part of the boss 18 (see Figure 4). A connecting recess 24 for assembling the front clamp 26 described later is formed in the front part of the lower surface of the rear frame 22.

The clamping structure of the handrail base 3 includes a front clamping device 26 that is provided on the base body 7 and abuts against the front surface 2a of the tab wall 2, a clamping arm 27 that is supported by the base body 7 while spanning the tab wall 2 from front to back, a rear clamping device 28 that is supported by the clamping arm 27 and abuts against the rear surface 2b of the tab wall 2, and an adjustment structure that adjusts the clamping distance between the clamping devices 26 and 28 by moving the clamping arm 27 back and forth relative to the base body 7.

As shown in FIG. 1, the front clamp 26 includes a base frame 29 fixed to the base body 7, and four clamping blocks 30 supported by the base frame 29 via a front support structure 34 and abutting the front surface 2a of the tub wall 2. The base frame 29 is a plastic molded product that includes a base portion 31 connected to the base body 7, a square-frame-shaped block receiving frame 32 that protrudes from four points on the rear surface of the base portion 31 and opens backward, and a fastening seat 33 that protrudes from the center of the front surface of the base portion 31. The clamping block 30 is a plastic molded product that includes a square-frame-shaped block base 36 that opens forward and a shaft portion 37 that protrudes forward from the inner surface of the block base 36, and a joining mat 38 made of an elastic material is fixed to the rear of the block base 36. The base frame 29 is fixed to the base body 7 with the fastening seat 33 connected to the connecting recess 24 of the base body 7 by the bolts 14 (see FIG. 4). The block base 36 is formed to be slightly larger than the block receiving frame 32, and when the clamping block 30 is attached to the base frame 29, the block base 36 overlaps the outer periphery of the block receiving frame 32.

The front support structure 34 is composed of an axis 37 provided on the clamping block 30, a hole 40 provided in the base frame 29, a clamping spring 43 that urges the clamping block 30 to move backward, and a stopper 44 that holds the axis 37 against the hole 40. More specifically, the base frame 29 and the clamping block 30 are connected via the axis 37 provided on the clamping block 30 and the hole 40 provided in the base frame 29, and the axis 37 is guided and supported by the hole 40, so that the clamping block 30 can slide back and forth relative to the base frame 29. The hole 40 is formed in the base wall 39 facing the inner surface of the block receiving frame 32 (see FIG. 12). As shown in FIG. 4, the joint mat 38 is formed in a square shape, and the joint surface has deformation promotion grooves (grooves) 41 formed in a lattice pattern, and the joint surface is composed of a group of divided joint surfaces 42 partitioned by the deformation promotion grooves 41.

Each clamping block 30 is supported by the base frame 29 so that it can tilt in all directions, in order to make each clamping block 30 adhere to the curved front surface 2a of the tub wall 2, increase the contact area between the joint mat 38 and the front surface 2a, and stably and firmly fix the handrail base 3 to the tub wall 2. In detail, when the central axis P of each hole 40 is assumed as shown in FIG. 12, the shaft portion 37 is supported by each hole 40 in a state in which it can tilt in all directions around the central axis P, and further, the diameter of the shaft portion 37 is set larger than the diameter of the hole 40, and each clamping block 30 is supported by the base frame 29 so that it can tilt in all directions. Inevitably, the diameter of the hole 40 is set larger than the diameter of the shaft portion 37, and each clamping block 30 can be tilted within the range of the difference between the diameters of the two to make the joint mat 38 adhere to the curved surface of the tub wall 2. In this way, if each clamping block 30 is supported so as to be tiltable relative to the base frame 29, even if the degree of curvature of the tub wall 2 varies widely, each clamping block 30 can be tilted along the curved surface of the tub wall 2 to adhere closely to it, as shown in FIG. 1, so that the handrail base 3 can be stably and firmly fixed to the tub wall 2 compared to conventional bathroom handrails. Also, as explained above, if the joint surface of the joint mat 38 is composed of a group of divided joint surfaces 42, each divided joint surface 42 can be elastically deformed independently, so that the joint mat 38 can be more reliably adhered to the curved surface of the front surface 2a of the tub wall 2.

As described above, in a handrail in which the handrail base 3 is clamped and fixed to the tab wall 2 by the front and rear clamps 26 and 28, the handrail base 3 may not be fastened to the tab wall 2 with the proper tightening force, without being excessive or insufficient. In order to eliminate such problems and always fasten the handrail base 3 to the tab wall 2 with the proper tightening force, a clamping spring 43 that urges the clamping block 30 to move in a direction away from the base frame 29 and a stopper 44 that holds the shaft 37 against the hole 40 are provided between the base frame 29 and the clamping block 30. The stopper 44 is fixed with a screw 45 screwed into the shaft 37. The clamping spring 43 is arranged around the shaft 37 between the base frame 29 and the clamping block 30. In addition, an indicator 46 that indicates whether the clamping force of the front and rear clamps 26 and 28 against the tab wall 2 is appropriate is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the block receiving frame 32 located on both the left and right sides of the base frame 29. The indicator 46 is formed by attaching a plastic sheet of a conspicuous color, such as red or orange, to the outer periphery of the block receiving frame 32.

As described above, when the clamping block 30 is biased to move by the clamping spring 43, the spring force of the clamping spring 43 gradually increases in proportion to the clamping force acting on the tab wall 2, even if the front and rear thicknesses of the tab wall 2 are different. In addition, the indicator 46 provided on the outer circumferential surface of the block receiving frame 32 is gradually covered by the block base 36 and becomes difficult to see as the clamping spring 43 is compressed and deformed. Therefore, by adjusting the spring force of the clamping spring 43 so that the entire indicator 46 is covered by the block base 36 when an appropriate clamping force is applied to the tab wall 2, the handrail base 3 can be fastened and fixed to the tab wall 2 with the appropriate tightening force, neither too much nor too little. In other words, the indicator 46 is gradually covered by the block base 36 and the visibility changes according to the relative movement of the base frame 29 and the clamping block 30 when the front and rear clamps 26 and 28 are tightened with the adjustment structure, so that the tightening force of the clamp structure attached to the tab wall 2 can be always optimized by tightening both clamps 26 and 28 with the adjustment structure until the indicator 46 is covered by the block base 36 and cannot be seen. In this way, if the clamps 26 and 28 are tightened with the adjustment structure while checking the visibility of the indicator 46, when the visibility of the indicator 46 reaches a predetermined state, the tightening operation of the adjustment structure is stopped, and the handrail base 3 can be fastened and fixed to the tab wall 2 with the appropriate tightening force without excess or deficiency.

As shown in FIG. 5, the clamping arm 27 is formed by applying a plastic coating to a recumbent L-shaped press fitting, and the front end of the horizontal arm is fastened to a metal arm connecting frame 49 by two screws 48. The arm connecting frame 49 is also fastened to the upper surface of a slide block 50 of an adjustment structure described later by two screws 51. A clamping plate 56 constituting the rear clamping device 28 is supported by a cross-shaped universal joint (rear support structure) 52 at the lower front surface of the vertical arm of the clamping arm 27. In detail, as shown in FIG. 10, a pair of left and right brackets 53 provided on the vertical arm of the clamping arm 27 support the left and right shafts of the universal joint 52, and a pair of upper and lower brackets 54 provided on the rear surface of the clamping plate 56 constituting the rear clamping device 28 support the up and down shafts of the universal joint 52. In this way, by supporting the clamping plate 56 of the rear clamping device 28 by the universal joint 52, the clamping plate 56 can be tilted left and right and forward and backward according to the curvature and inclination of the rear surface of the tab wall 2. In this embodiment, the clamping plate 56 can be tilted left and right by 10 degrees when viewed from the top, and can be tilted forward by 15.5 degrees and backward by 9.5 degrees when viewed from the side. The joint surface 55 of the clamping plate 56 is made of a cushioning material such as rubber.

The adjustment structure includes a metal slide block 50 with a convex cross section, which is guided and supported by a guide groove 20 provided in the base body 7 so that it can slide back and forth, and an adjustment bolt 58 that is screwed into the slide block 50 to move the block 50 forward and backward. As shown in FIG. 5, the operation head of the adjustment bolt 58 is supported by the front wall of the guide groove 20, and the screw shaft is screwed into a threaded hole 59 of the slide block 50 in a front-to-rear manner. The operation head of the adjustment bolt 58 is covered by the front upper block 8 assembled to the base body 7, and wrench holes 60 for screwing and operating the adjustment bolt 58 are formed on the left and right sides of the front upper block 8 (see FIG. 5). As shown in FIG. 11, four screw holes 61 are formed at a fixed pitch in the arm connection frame 49, and the clamping distance between the front clamp 26 and the rear clamp 28 can be adjusted by changing the fastening position of the clamping arm 27 relative to the arm connection frame 49.

The handrail post 4 is formed by coating a metal round pipe with resin, and a floor-contacting cap 62 is fixed to its lower end. The upper frame 5 is made of a metal round pipe with a smaller diameter than the handrail post 4, and a ceiling presser 63 is attached to its upper end. The lower part of the upper frame 5 is housed inside the handrail post 4 and is fixed by a lock handle 64 attached to the upper part of the handrail post 4. When the lock handle 64 is swung from the state shown in Figure 3 to a horizontal position around the upper handle shaft 65, the upper frame 5 can be moved up and down relative to the handrail post 4.

In order to support the handrail post 4 on the handrail base 3 so that its vertical position can be adjusted, as shown in FIG. 7, a semicircular support seat 67 is provided below the post hole 19 of the base body 7, and a support block 69 equipped with a semicircular support seat 68 is arranged opposite the support seat 67, so that the handrail post 4 can be clamped and fixed from the front to the back by both support seats 67, 68. Both support seats 67, 68 are positioned by positioning shafts 70 provided on the left and right of the support block 69 and positioning holes 71 provided on the left and right of the base body 7, and are fastened and fixed by bolts 72 provided on the left and right of the base body 7 and nuts 73 provided on the left and right of the support block 69. In FIG. 7, reference numeral 74 denotes a regulating cap that prevents the bolt 72 from loosening unnecessarily.

In the bathroom handrail constructed as above, the handrail base 3 is temporarily assembled to the tub wall 2, the handrail support 4 is adjusted in height, and the bolt 72 is tightened to fix the handrail support 4 with the support seats 67 and 68. Next, the adjustment bolt 58 is tightened to bring the rear clamp 28 into close contact with the rear surface 2b of the tub wall 2, and the tub wall 2 is clamped by the pair of front and rear clamps 26 and 28. Finally, the upper frame 5 is locked by swinging the lock handle 64 to the position shown in FIG. 3 while the ceiling pressing body 63 of the upper frame 5, which has been temporarily assembled to the handrail support 4, is pressed against the ceiling wall. In this way, in the handrail of this embodiment, the handrail base 3, handrail support 4, and upper frame 5 are fixed and supported by the tub wall 2, floor, and ceiling, so that the handrail support 4 and upper frame 5 can be firmly fixed in a stable state. Therefore, the user can safely move between the washing area and the bathtub 1 while holding onto the handrail post 4, and can also change posture while holding onto the handrail post 4.

As described above, in the handrail of this embodiment, the base frame 29 includes a pedestal portion 31 connected to the base body 7, and a block receiving frame 32 that protrudes from the pedestal portion 31 and opens backward, and a hole 40 is formed in the pedestal wall 39 facing the inner surface of the block receiving frame 32. The clamping block 30 includes a block base 36 that opens forward, an axle portion 37 that protrudes forward from the inner surface of the block base 36, and a joining mat 38 made of an elastic material that is fixed to the rear of the block base 36. Furthermore, the clamping block 30 is assembled to the base frame 29 with the block base 36 overlapping the outer periphery of the block receiving frame 32. Then, the indicator 46 is formed on the outer periphery of the block receiving frame 32, and the clamping spring 43 is arranged around the axle portion 37. With this clamp structure, the handrail base 3 can be fastened to the tub wall 2 with the right amount of clamping force by tightening the front and rear clamps 26, 28 with the adjustment structure while checking that the entire display 46 is covered by the block base 36. This prevents the handrail base 3 from slipping along the tub wall 2 due to insufficient clamping force on the tub wall 2 by the front and rear clamps 26, 28, or prevents the tub wall 2 from being damaged due to excessive clamping force on the tub wall 2 by the front and rear clamps 26, 28.

In addition, this handrail has four clamping blocks 30 on the base frame 29, so these four clamping blocks 30 can be tilted at four points along the curved surface of the tub wall 2 to make tight contact. This allows the front clamp 26 to be tightly attached to the tub wall 2 in a more stable state, and the handrail base 3 to be more firmly fixed to the tub wall 2.

(Second embodiment) Figure 13 shows a second embodiment of the bathroom handrail according to the present invention. The handrail of this embodiment is significantly different from the handrail of the first embodiment in that a handrail frame 77 is attached to the upper part of the handrail support 4. The handrail support 4 is composed of an upper support 78 that is held and fixed by the base body 7 of the handrail base 3, and a lower support 79 that is housed and connected inside the upper support 78, and the height of the floor cap 62 can be adjusted by rotating the lower support 79. The handrail frame 77 is formed in a racetrack shape in a plan view with a pair of long sides and a curved part continuing to the end of the long sides, and a connecting part 80 provided on the underside of the middle part of each long side is connected to a bracket 81 fixed to the upper part of the upper support 78 via a connecting shaft 82 and a bolt 83. In the handrail configured in this way, the handrail frame 77 can be rotated and displaced around the central axis of the handrail support 4, and the handrail frame 77 can also be rotated and displaced around the central axis of the bolt 83. The rest of the handrail is the same as in the first embodiment, so the same components are given the same reference numerals and their explanations are omitted.

As described above, with a bathtub-type handrail in which a handrail frame 77 is attached to the top of the handrail support 4, the overall structure of the handrail can be simplified and costs reduced by the amount that the ceiling presser 63 and lock handle 64 can be omitted compared to a pillar-type handrail in which an upper frame body 5 is provided on the top of the handrail support 4.

(Third embodiment) Figure 14 shows a third embodiment of the bathroom handrail of the present invention. In this third embodiment, the shape of the hole 40 is different from that of the first embodiment. In other words, in the first embodiment, the hole 40 formed in the base frame 29 is formed as a generally straight hole, but this is not necessary, and the cross section of the hole 40 may be formed as a hyperbola with an arc surface, as shown in Figure 14 (a). Also, as shown in Figure 14 (b), the cross section of the hole 40 may be formed as a hyperbola with a tapered surface. When the hole 40 is formed as a hyperbola in this way, there is no need to increase the difference in diameter between the shaft 37 and the hole 40, and the shaft 37 can be tilted relative to the hole 40.

In addition to the above, the base frame 29 may be provided with a shaft portion 37, and the clamping block 30 may be provided with a hole portion 40. The clamping block 30 may be attached to the base frame 29 with the block base 36 overlapping the inner circumference of the block receiving frame 32, and in this case the indicator 46 may be provided on the outer periphery of the block base 36. It is preferable to provide four clamping blocks 30 in order to stably adhere the front clamp 26 to the tab wall 2, but at least three should be provided.

Reference Signs List 1 Bathtub 2 Tub wall 2a Front surface 2b Rear surface 3 Handrail base 4 Handrail support 7 Base body 26 Front clamp 27 Clamp arm 28 Rear clamp 29 Base frame 30 Clamp block 34 Front support structure 37 Shaft 40 Hole 42 Section joint surface 43 Clamp spring 44 Stopper 52 Rear support structure (universal joint)
56 Clamping plate

Claims (5)

The bathtub (1) includes a handrail base (3) fixed to a tub wall (2) facing the washing area of the bathtub (1), and a handrail post (4) assembled to the handrail base (3) and supported on the floor surface of the washing area,
The handrail base (3) includes a base body (7) that holds and fixes the handrail support (4), and a clamp structure that is provided on the base body (7) and clamps the tab wall (2) from the front and rear.
The clamp structure includes a front clamp device (26) provided on the base body (7) and abutting against the front surface (2a) of the tab wall (2), a clamping arm (27) supported on the base body (7) so as to be movable forward and backward in the front-rear direction while straddling the tab wall (2), a rear clamp device (28) supported by the clamping arm (27) and abutting against the rear surface (2b) of the tab wall (2), and an adjustment structure for adjusting the clamping distance between the two clamp devices (26, 28) by operating the clamping arm (27) forward and backward relative to the base body (7),
The rear clamping device (28) includes a plurality of rear support structures (52) provided at the rear of the clamping arm (27), and a clamping plate (56) that contacts the rear surface (2b) of the tub wall (2) and is supported via each rear support structure (52) so as to be tiltable in all directions relative to the clamping arm (27);
The front clamp device (26) comprises a base frame (29) fixed to the base body (7), a plurality of front support structures (34) provided on the base frame (29), and a clamping block (30) that abuts against the front surface (2a) of the tub wall (2) and is supported so as to be tiltable in all directions relative to the base frame (29) via each of the front support structures (34) and to be slidable in the front-rear direction relative to the base frame (29) via each of the front support structures (34) ;
This bathroom handrail is characterized in that an indicator (46) is provided on either the base frame (29) or the clamping block (30) to indicate whether the clamping force of the front and rear clamping devices (26, 28) against the tub wall (2) is appropriate . The front support structure (34) includes a shaft portion (37) provided on either the base frame (29) or the clamping block (30), a hole portion (40) provided on the other of the base frame (29) or the clamping block (30) to allow insertion of the shaft portion (37), a clamping spring (43) that biases the clamping block (30) backward, and a stopper (44) that holds the shaft portion (37) in place against the hole portion (40);
The shaft portion (37) is guided and supported in the hole portion (40), so that the clamping block (30) can slide back and forth relative to the base frame (29);
2. The bathroom handrail according to claim 1, wherein the shaft portion (37) is configured to tilt relative to the hole portion (40), so that the clamping block (30) can tilt in all directions relative to the base frame (29). The base frame (29) is provided with a pedestal portion (31) connected to the base body (7) and a block receiving frame (32) protruding from the pedestal portion (31) and opening rearward, and a hole portion (40) is formed in a pedestal wall (39) facing the inner surface of the block receiving frame (32);
The clamping block (30) includes a block base (36) that opens forward, a shaft portion (37) that protrudes forward from the inner surface of the block base (36), and a joint mat (38) made of an elastic material that is fixed to the rear part of the block base (36).
The clamping block (30) is assembled to the base frame (29) in a state in which the block base (36) overlaps the outer periphery of the block receiving frame (32),
3. A bathroom handrail as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the indicator (46) is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the block receiving frame (32), and the clamping spring (43) is arranged around the shaft portion (37) . The bathroom handrail according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein four clamping blocks (30) are provided on the base frame (29) . A groove (41) is engraved in a lattice pattern on the joining surface of the joining mat (38),
4. The bathroom handrail according to claim 3 , wherein the joint surface is composed of a group of divided joint surfaces (42) partitioned by grooves (41) .

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