JP7630784B2 - Bathtub handrail device - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to a bathtub handrail device that is installed in a bathtub to ensure the safety of bathtub users when walking and entering and exiting the bathtub.

Bathtub handrail devices include, for example, those shown in Patent Document 1 that are primarily intended to ensure safety when entering and exiting the bathtub, and those shown in Patent Document 2 that are intended to ensure safety when entering and exiting the bathtub as well as to ensure safety when walking outside the bathtub.

The device shown in Patent Document 1 is configured by attaching a relatively small, annular handrail to a resilient part that is fastened and fixed to the edge of the bathtub, and when users enter or exit the bathtub, they grasp the handrail to ensure safety when entering or exiting the bathtub.

The device shown in Patent Document 2 is a handrail device for a bathtub that is the subject of an application by the present applicant, which is configured by attaching a handrail unit with a handrail body that extends forward onto a base that is placed on the floor, and fastening and fixing the tip of the handrail body to the wall of the bathtub with the tip of the handrail body inserted into the bathtub. When walking outside the bathtub, safety is ensured by gripping the extended part of the handrail body, and when entering or exiting the bathtub, safety is ensured by gripping the tip of the handrail body.

JP 2015-173700 A JP 2020-065889 A

However, the handrail devices shown in Patent Documents 1 and 2 are both designed to be firmly fastened to the bathtub wall mainly using a screw mechanism when installed, which means that installation, removal, or changing the installation position requires cumbersome operations and poor workability.

The handrail device in Patent Document 2 is relatively large because it is comprised of a base that is installed on the floor and a handrail unit that is attached to the base in an upright position. Moreover, when installing or removing the handrail device, or when changing its location, it must be handled as a whole, leaving room for improvement in terms of ease of use.

The present invention is aimed at improving the ease of use and convenience of a handrail device that is made up of a base that is installed on the floor and a handrail unit that is attached to the base in an upright position, particularly when installing or removing the handrail device or changing its location.

The present invention adopts the following configuration as a specific means for solving such problems.

The first invention of the present application provides a bathtub handrail device comprising a base placed on the floor near the bathtub and a handrail unit arranged upright on the base, wherein the handrail unit comprises a handrail body attached to the upper end of a support pillar arranged upright on the base, and the tip of the handrail body is provided with a hanging mechanism that faces the inner wall surface of the bathtub with a predetermined gap or abuts against the inner wall surface of the bathtub and is hung on the inner wall surface of the bathtub.

The second invention of the present application is characterized in that in the bathtub handrail device according to the first invention, the hook mechanism is configured with a hook arm that is attached to the tip of the handrail body so as to be rotatable about its axis and is held in a hanging position by its own weight, and a contact member that is attached to the tip of the hook arm so as to be able to swing.

In the third aspect of the present invention, in the bathtub handrail device according to the first or second aspect of the present invention, the handrail body is provided with a fixing member that is fixed to the upper end of the support pillar that is erected on the base and extends from the outside of the bathtub toward the bathtub, and a fixing member that is located at the tip side of the fixing member and is attached to the fixing member.
The movable member is configured to be movable back and forth in its axial direction relative to the movable member, and the above-mentioned hook mechanism is provided at the tip of the movable member.

The fourth invention of the present application is characterized in that in the bathtub handrail device according to the first, second or third invention, the support pillar is configured to be height adjustable.

The fifth invention of the present application is characterized in that in the bathtub handrail device according to the first, second, third or fourth invention, the handrail unit can be attached to the base in a position that can be changed between a right position and a left position when facing the bathtub.

The sixth invention of the present application is characterized in that in the bathtub handrail device according to the first, second, third, fourth or fifth invention, the handrail units are provided facing each other on both the left and right sides of the width direction of the base.

The present inventions provide the following advantages:

(a) First Invention of the Present Application According to the first invention of the present application, a bathtub handrail device comprises a base that is placed on the floor near the bathtub and a handrail unit that is arranged upright on the base, the handrail unit comprises a handrail body attached to the upper end of a support that is arranged upright on the base, and the tip of the handrail body faces the inner wall of the bathtub with a predetermined gap between them, or is equipped with a hanging mechanism that abuts against the inner wall of the bathtub and is hung on the inner wall. Therefore, by placing the handrail device on the outer surface of the side wall of the bathtub and hanging the hanging mechanism on the inner wall of the bathtub, stable installation of the handrail device can be achieved.

Therefore, in this state, if you want to move from the bathroom to the bathtub and enter the hot water in the bathtub, you can walk in the bathroom to the front of the bathtub, grab the handrail while facing the bathtub, and move along the handrail in a normal walking position to the bathtub. Then, while still holding on to the handrail, you can climb over the side wall of the bathtub from the outside to the inside and enter the bathtub.

Conversely, when exiting the bathtub, the person stands up in the bathtub, grabs the tip of the handrail to maintain their position, climbs over the side wall of the bathtub from the inside to the outside, and then moves out of the bathtub, moving their body forward in the direction of movement and climbing along the handrail while maintaining a normal walking position to leave the bathtub.

In other words, with this bathtub handrail device, the handrail body can maintain posture not only when entering or exiting the bathtub by straddling the side wall, but also when moving around outside the bathtub, thereby providing greater protection for bathtub users than conventional handrail devices that only maintain posture when entering or exiting the bathtub.

In addition, because the handrail extends in a direction facing the side wall of the bathtub, the bathtub user can move safely along the handrail with their body facing or facing away from the bathtub (i.e., in a normal walking position), providing a safer bathtub handrail device.

Furthermore, according to the bathtub handrail device of the first invention, the handrail device is hooked to the bathtub side by the hook mechanism provided on the handrail unit side of the handrail device, stabilizing the handrail device, and the hooking and unhooking operations are extremely easy. Therefore, compared to conventional handrail devices in which the handrail device is fastened to the side wall of the bathtub with bolts, for example, the handrail device can be easily installed, removed, or its location changed, greatly improving convenience, and the effect is particularly noticeable when the work is performed by physically weak people such as elderly people or women.

(b) Second Invention of the Present Application In addition to the effect described in (a) above, the second invention of the present application provides the following unique effect. That is, in this invention, the above-mentioned hook mechanism is configured to include a hook arm that is attached to the tip of the handrail body so as to be rotatable around its axis and is held in a hanging state by its own weight, and a contact member that is swingably attached to the tip of the hook arm, so that, for example, when installing the handrail device in the bathtub or removing it from the bathtub, the hook arm can be easily retracted from the outside to the inside of the bathtub or from the inside to the outside of the bathtub by rotating and pulling it up to a nearly horizontal position, without interfering with the sidewall of the bathtub. For example, compared to the case where the entire handrail device is lifted to move the hook arm 14 over the sidewall of the bathtub, the installation and removal of the handrail device can be easily performed.

In addition, since the hanging arm is set in a hanging position due to the rotational moment caused by its own weight, the abutment member provided at the tip of the hanging arm 1 is always able to abut or approach the inner surface of the bathtub in an appropriate state, ensuring the hanging action of the handrail device by the hanging arm.

(c) The third invention of the present application In addition to the effects described in (a) or (b) above, the third invention of the present application provides the following unique effects: That is, in this invention, the handrail body is composed of a fixed member fixed to the upper end of the support pillar erected on the base and extending from the outside of the bathtub toward the bathtub, and a movable member located at the tip of the fixed member and capable of moving forward and backward in its axial direction relative to the fixed member, and the tip of the movable member is provided with the hooking mechanism, so that by increasing and decreasing the forward and backward position of the movable member, it is possible to easily adjust and maintain the distance between the abutment member provided at the tip of the hooking arm and the opposing inner wall surface of the bathtub at an appropriate distance, and the hooking effect of the handrail device to the bathtub by the hooking arm becomes even more reliable, which in turn improves the reliability of the handrail device in use.

(d) The fourth invention of the present application In addition to the effects described in (a), (b) or (c) above, the fourth invention of the present application provides the following unique effects: In other words, since the height of the support can be adjusted in this invention, it is easy to set the height of the hook arm and the abutment member relative to the side wall of the bathtub to an appropriate state, and coupled with the forward and backward adjustment of the movable member of the handrail body, the hooking effect of the handrail device on the bathtub by the hook arm becomes even more reliable.

(e) Fifth Invention of the Present Application In addition to the effects described in (a), (b), (c), or (d) above, the fifth invention of the present application provides the following unique effect: In other words, in this invention, the mounting position of the handrail unit on the base can be changed between the right side and the left side when facing the bathtub, so that the installation position of the handrail unit with respect to the bathtub can be selected depending on conditions such as the installation position of the bathtub in the bathroom and the arrangement of fixtures near the bathtub, making it possible to create a layout that is more convenient for the user.

(f) The Sixth Invention of the Present Application In addition to the effects described in (a), (b), (c), (d), or (e) above, the sixth invention of the present application provides the following unique effect: In other words, in this invention, the handrail units are provided on both the left and right sides of the base in the width direction in an opposing relationship, so that the user of the bathtub can move while simultaneously holding the handrail units on both sides or selectively holding either one of them, thereby improving the protection effect for the bathtub user and improving usability, compared to, for example, a case in which the handrail unit is provided only on one side of the base in the width direction.

1 is an overall perspective view of a bathtub handrail device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a view taken along the line AA in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of part B in FIG. 2 . 4 is an explanatory diagram of the bathtub handrail device during installation in a bathtub. FIG. FIG. 11 is an overall perspective view of a bathtub handrail device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is an overall perspective view of a bathtub handrail device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

First Embodiment
1 and 2 show a state in which a handrail device for a bathtub _Z1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention is installed close to a side wall 51 at the front of a bathtub 50.

"Configuration of handrail device _Z1 "
The handrail device _Z1 is constructed by attaching the handrail unit 1 described below to a base 2 having a substantially rectangular planar shape placed on the floor surface in front of the bathtub 50. In addition, what is indicated by the reference numeral 20 in the figure is a step stool, and this step stool 20 is installed as necessary.

The handrail unit 1 is composed of a support post 3 and a support post 6 that are erected at two positions, one in front and one in back, on one side edge 2a of the base 2, and a handrail body 10 that is attached across the upper ends of the supports 3 and 6 and has a tip that protrudes further forward from the support post 6.

The support 3 is composed of a base material 4 fixed upright on the base 2 and a column body 5 inserted into the base material 4 in an expandable manner. The height of the support 3 can be adjusted by adjusting the amount of expansion and contraction of the column body 5, and the height position is fixed and held by an appropriate locking mechanism (not shown).

The support 6, like the support 3, is composed of a base material 7 fixed upright to the base 2 and a column body 8 inserted into the base material 7 in an expandable manner, and the height of the support 6 can be adjusted by adjusting the amount of expansion and contraction of the column body 8, and the height position is fixed and held by an appropriate locking mechanism (not shown).

Furthermore, pillar mounting parts 19 are provided at the front and rear of the other side edge 2b of the base 2, and the handrail unit 1 can change its erected position relative to the base 2 by using these pillar mounting parts 19 (see Figure 5).

The handrail body 10 has an expandable structure consisting of a fixed member 11 fixed across both the support 3 and the support 6, and a movable member 12 inserted in an expandable manner into the end of the fixed member 11 on the support 6 side, and the expansion length (the amount of extension of the movable member 12 from the fixed member 11) is fixed and held by a locking portion 13 provided at the end of the fixed member 11 (see FIG. 3). In addition to the above-mentioned structure of the locking portion 13 having a function of fixing and holding the extension amount of the movable member 12 (in this case, the expansion and contraction of the movable member 12 is a manual operation), it is also possible to have a structure in which the movable member 12 is expanded or contracted by rotating the locking portion 13, and the amount of expansion and contraction at that time is held by releasing the operating force.

As shown in Figures 1 and 3, a hook arm 14 consisting of a rod body of a predetermined length is attached to the tip of the movable material 12 via a rotation support part 15. Furthermore, a roughly semi-cylindrical abutment member 16, at least the surface of which has an appropriate elastic structure, is attached to the tip of the hook arm 14 so as to be able to swing via a pivot pin 17 having an axis in a direction along the rotation surface of the hook arm 14. In this embodiment, the movable material 12 of the handrail body 10, the hook arm 14, and the abutment member 16 constitute the hook mechanism X in the claims.

The swing range of the abutment member 16 is restricted by an appropriate swing restriction part (not shown) so that, when the hanging arm 14 is hanging down from the pivot support part 15 as shown in FIG. 4, the swing range of the abutment member 16 is at an angle α downward from the horizontal position. This is to prevent the abutment member 16 from swinging (rotating) excessively downward due to its own weight moment, which would cause the abutment state of the abutment member 16 against the inner surface 51b of the side wall 51 of the bathtub 50 to become inappropriate. On the other hand, the swing range of the abutment member 16 upward is restricted by the abutment of the abutment member 16 against the hanging arm 14.

As described above, the hanging arm 14 has a cantilever support structure, and the abutment member 16 is attached to the tip of the hanging arm 14, so that the hanging arm 14 is always biased and held in a hanging state from the tip of the movable material 12 by its own weight moment, while when an external force is applied to the hanging arm 14, it can be changed in position from the hanging position to any rotated position (see the position indicated by reference symbol _14A in FIG. 1).

In addition, since the hanging arm 14 is attached to the movable material 12 of the handrail body 10, the position of the hanging arm 14 in the axial direction of the movable material 12 changes as the movable material 12 expands and contracts (see the position indicated by the symbol _14B in FIG. 1).

"Handrail device _Z1 usage status"
When using the handrail device _Z1 , as shown in FIG. 1, the base 2 is placed close to the side wall 51 on the front side of the bathtub 50, the tip end of the handrail body 10 of the handrail unit 1, i.e., the movable material 12 portion, is extended further forward beyond the side wall 51 of the bathtub 50, and the hook arm 14 provided on the tip end side of the movable material 12 is positioned on the inner side of the side wall 51 and is suspended from the movable material 12.

That is, when installing the handrail device _Z1 on the bathtub 50 side, as shown in FIG. 4, the hanging arm 14 is rotated sideways against the biasing force of its own weight moment toward the hanging position (i.e., the hanging arm 14 is raised to a height at which it does not interfere with the bathtub 50), and in this state, the whole of the handrail device _Z1 is moved along the axial direction of the handrail body 10 to position the hanging arm 14 on the inside side of the bathtub 50, and further, the restricting force on the hanging arm 14 is released to hang the hanging arm 14 from the movable member 12.

Then, the height of the handrail unit 1 is adjusted and the amount of expansion and contraction of the movable member 12 is adjusted so that the abutment member 16 provided at the tip of the hook arm 14 is at a predetermined height position relative to the inner peripheral surface 51b of the side wall 51 of the bathtub 50 and at a predetermined distance from the inner peripheral surface 51b, as shown in FIG. 2.

In addition, since the handrail device _Z1 includes the base 2, has a predetermined weight as a whole, and is stable in its installation state, as described above, a predetermined gap is provided between the abutment member 16 and the inner peripheral surface 51b of the side wall 51, and the abutment member 16 abuts against the inner peripheral surface 51b of the side wall 51 and enters a latched state only when an excessive force is applied to the handrail unit 1 to pull it forward (in the direction away from the bathtub 50), thereby ensuring the stability of the handrail device _Z1 . Therefore, from the viewpoint of further increasing reliability, it is also possible to have the abutment member 16 abut against the inner peripheral surface 51b of the side wall 51 from the beginning. In other words, the latching action of the latching mechanism X in the present invention does not only refer to a state in which the abutment member 16 is always in contact with the inner surface 51 b of the side wall 51, but is a broad concept that also refers to a state in which the abutment member 16 is spaced from the inner surface 51 b of the side wall 51 but moves toward the inner surface 51 b of the side wall 51 due to the load of excessive external force, and comes into contact with and is latched.

According to the handrail device _Z1 arranged in the vicinity of the bathtub 50 as described above, for example, when moving from inside the bathroom to the bathtub 50 side to enter the hot water in the bathtub 50, after moving in the bathroom to the front of the bathtub 50, while facing the body toward the bathtub 50, the user grasps the handrail body 10, moves along the handrail body 10 to the bathtub 50 in a normal walking state, and further, while holding the handrail body 10, moves to the side wall of the bathtub 50. Note that since the handrail device _Z1 includes the base 2, has a predetermined weight as a whole, and is stable in its installed state, as described above, a predetermined gap is provided between the abutment member 16 and the inner circumferential surface 51b of the side wall 51, and the abutment member 16 comes into contact with the inner circumferential surface 51b of the side wall 51 and enters a latched state only when an excessive force is applied to the handrail unit 1 to pull it toward the front side (in the direction away from the bathtub 50), and the handrail device Z ₁ is secured to ensure the stability of the locking mechanism 51. Therefore, from the viewpoint of further enhancing reliability, it is also possible to keep the abutment member 16 in contact with the inner peripheral surface 51b of the side wall 51 from the beginning. That is, the locking action by the locking mechanism X in the present invention does not only refer to a state in which the abutment member 16 is always in contact with the inner peripheral surface 51b of the side wall 51, but is a broad concept that also refers to a state in which the abutment member 16 is separated from the inner peripheral surface 51b of the side wall 51 but moves toward the inner peripheral surface 51b of the side wall 51 due to the load of an excessive external force and comes into contact with and is locked.
51, one simply climbs over it from the outside to the inside and enters the bathtub 50.

Conversely, when exiting the bathtub 50, the user stands up in the bathtub 50, grasps the tip of the handrail 10 to maintain his/her position, climbs over the side wall 51 of the bathtub 50 from the inside to the outside, and moves out of the bathtub 50. Then, while moving forward in the direction of movement and walking normally, the user moves along the handrail 10 to leave the bathtub.

That is, according to this handrail device _Z1 , the handrail body 10 can maintain posture not only when the user straddles the side wall 51 of the bathtub 50 to enter or exit the bathtub 50, but also when the user is walking outside the bathtub 50. This provides a much better protection for the bathtub user than conventional handrail devices that can maintain posture only when the user enters or exits the bathtub.

On the other hand, this handrail device _Z1 is configured to be stabilized by hanging the handrail device _Z1 on the bathtub 50 side by the hanging mechanism X provided on the handrail unit 1 side, so that the hanging and unlocking operations are extremely easy. Therefore, compared to the conventional handrail device in which the handrail device is fastened to the side wall of the bathtub by bolts, the installation, removal, and change of the installation position of the handrail device _Z1 are easy, and the convenience is greatly improved, and the effect is particularly remarkable when the related work is performed by physically weak persons such as elderly people or women.

Second Embodiment
FIG. 5 shows a state in which a handrail device _Z2 for a bathtub according to a second embodiment of the present invention is installed close to a side wall 51 at the front of a bathtub 50.

This handrail device _Z2 has the same basic configuration as the handrail device _Z1 according to the first embodiment, and differs from it in the mounting position of the handrail unit 1 relative to the base 2. That is, the mounting position of the handrail unit 1 relative to the base 2 can be changed between the right side and the left side when facing the bathtub 50, and while the handrail unit 1 is set on one edge 2a of the base 2 in the handrail device _Z1 of the first embodiment, this is set on the other edge 2b of the base 2. According to this setting, a space for people to move is secured on the left side of the handrail unit 1, so that it is suitable in cases where it is difficult to secure a space for people to move in this area, for example, because there is some incidental equipment on the right side of the bathtub 50 or because the bathroom wall is close by.

The configuration and effects other than those described above are the same as those of the first embodiment, so the relevant explanations in the first embodiment are used and will not be repeated here.

Third Embodiment
FIG. 6 shows a state in which a handrail device for a bathtub _Z3 according to a third embodiment of the present invention is installed close to a side wall 51 at the front of a bathtub 50.

This handrail device _Z3 has the same basic configuration as the handrail device _Z1 according to the first embodiment and the handrail device _Z2 according to the second embodiment, and differs from them in that, while in the handrail device _Z1 of the first embodiment the handrail unit 1 is arranged on one side edge 2a of the base 2 and in the handrail device _Z2 of the second embodiment the handrail unit 1 is arranged on the other side edge 2b of the base 2, in this embodiment the handrail units 1 are arranged on one side edge 2a of the base 2 and on the other side edge 2b, respectively, and the space between these two handrail units 1 is used as a space for people to move around.

Therefore, by allowing the user of the bathtub 50 to move while simultaneously holding the handrail units 1 on both sides or selectively holding either one, the protective effect for the user is improved and ease of use is improved compared to, for example, a case in which the handrail unit 1 is provided on only one side in the width direction of the base 2.

The configuration and effects other than those described above are the same as those of the first and second embodiments, so the relevant explanations in the first and second embodiments are used and will not be repeated here.

The bathtub handrail device of the present invention is widely used primarily in the field of nursing care.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 handrail unit 2 base 3 support 4 base material 5 column body 6 support 7 base material 8 column body 10 handrail body 11 fixed member 12 movable member 13 lock portion 14 latch arm 15 rotating support portion 16 abutment member 17 pivot pin 19 support mounting portion 20 step 50 bathtub X latch mechanism Z handrail device

Claims (6)

A bathtub handrail device comprising a base placed on the floor near the bathtub and a handrail unit arranged upright on the base,
The handrail unit includes a handrail body attached to an upper end of a support pillar erected on the base,
The handrail device for a bathtub is characterized in that the tip of the handrail body is equipped with a hooking mechanism that is arranged to face the inner wall surface of the bathtub with a predetermined gap or to abut against the inner wall surface of the bathtub and is hooked onto the inner wall surface. In claim 1,
The above-mentioned hanging mechanism is characterized in that it comprises a hanging arm that is rotatably attached to the tip of the handrail body around its axis and is held in a hanging position by its own weight, and a contact member that is swingably attached to the tip of the hanging arm. In claim 1 or 2,
The handrail body is composed of a fixed member fixed to the upper end of the support pillar erected on the base and extending from the outside of the bathtub toward the bathtub, and a movable member located on the tip side of the fixed member and capable of moving forward and backward in the axial direction relative to the fixed member,
A bathtub handrail device characterized in that the above-mentioned hook mechanism is provided at the tip of the movable member. In claim 1, 2 or 3,
The bathtub handrail device is characterized in that the support pillar is height adjustable. In claim 1, 2, 3 or 4,
The handrail unit is attached to the base in a position that can be changed between a right side position and a left side position when facing the bathtub. In claim 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5,
A bathtub handrail device characterized in that the handrail units are provided facing each other on both the left and right sides of the base in the width direction.

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