Universal bed bath envelope system

Abstract

A bed bath system having a mattress with a bed surface and mattress wall periphery about the bed surface; a support member having an inner wall sized and configured to contact and encircle the mattress wall periphery; a fluid impermeable sheet having a first side disposable on the mattress and an opposing second side, the sheet disposable in the support member to form an envelope on the second side, the envelope having a floor coplanar with the bed surface, a lateral wall coplanar with the support member inner wall, and a bath space interior to the lateral wall and the floor; an infusion reservoir with a dispensing port to dispense a bathing fluid; a nozzle in fluid communication with the dispensing port operative to emit bathing fluid into the envelope; and a drainage port positioned to drain waste fluid from the envelope.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application claims the benefits of U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60 / 839,955, entitled “Bed Bath Envelope” filed Aug. 23, 2006, the entire contents of which is expressly incorporated herein by reference.STATEMENT RE: FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH / DEVELOPMENT[0002]Not ApplicableBACKGROUND[0003]The present invention relates generally to a disposable bath envelope system for use on most beds by a bather.[0004]The challenges associated with the bathing of individuals with limited or no mobility are well known, both to caregivers and patients alike. Traditionally, patients suffering from the debilitating effects of Alzheimer's disease, paralysis, burn victims, and a host of other medical conditions are confined due to their immobility to their beds for extended periods of time, if not indefinitely. Caregivers assigned to such patients are responsible for providing the basic necessities of life, including washing and basic hyg...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0011]In the case of a bather who is bed-ridden, the bed bath system is innovative in that the configuration of the envelope formed by the sheet inside the support member in contact with and encircling substantially the mattress wall periphery may facilitate a quicker and more efficient installation process by a single caregiver, while the patient remains in the bed. Accordingly, other caregivers may be freed up to tend to patients with more pressing medical issues. As virtually all beds have a mattress with a mattress wall periphery capable of being encircled substantially by a support member, the bed bath system is further innovative in that it may be sized and configured to form the envelope for bathing on most beds. Furthermore, the use of the support member with the sheet to form the envelope directly on the bed surface may serve to mitigate the need for additional parts that are cumbersome and bulky. This feature may likewise reduce the amount of time and effort necessary for a caregiver to devote to the installation and transportation of the bed bath system. The absence of cumbersome and bulky parts may also serve to prevent injuries sustained by either the caregiver or the bather in tripping over the bed bath system. The bather may be much less likely to fall out of the bed bath system because the envelope is disposed directly on the bed surface with the bather lying thereon, as opposed to the bather being placed in a frame or envelope suspended above the bed surface. Accordingly, a bed-ridden patient would not need to be lifted and moved from their beds in order to be washed, thereby reducing the physical toll taken on caregivers, while also serving to reduce the risk of physical injury and pain to patients along with their anxiety in being washed in an open and unfamiliar place. As a result, the bed bath system may improve both the quality and frequency of the bathing experience received by a patient, thereby improving the overall quality of medical care, and their prognosis for recovery. These same innovative benefits may also be enjoyed by ambulatory bathers desiring a convenient spa treatment using the universal bed bath envelope system in the comfort of their own home. Also, bed bath system may find application in the bathing of a small child or an infant while they are lying within their confines of their crib.

[0030]This feature of the bed bath system uniquely allows a bather to soak themselves in the bath space of the envelope, thereby recreating a refreshing bathing experience comparable to what they might experience in a bathtub.

Problems solved by technology

None of the prior art bed bath systems appear to utilize a support member that encircles substantially and is in contact with the mattress wall periphery for support of a bather on a bath envelope placed directly onto the bed surface of the mattress.

The prior art bed bath systems appear to be difficult to install, due to their apparent use of bulky and / or cumbersome parts.

The prior art bed bath systems also appear to subject the bather to a greater risk of fall and injury and therefore appear to fail to provide adequate support to the bather, due to their reliance on a combination of frames and / or sheet and hook configurations that require the bather to be at least partially elevated off of the bed surface.

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