Elevated seat assembly and method

Abstract

An elevated seat assembly for a toilet bowl has a stiff platform adapted to (a) rest atop said bowl, and (b) attach to the rear of the bowl. The assembly also has a compressible, raised seat that is releasably attached to the stiff platform. The raised seat has a flexible upper surface. The raised seat and platform can be installed together on the bowl. The raised seat can then be removed from the platform, leaving the platform installed on the bowl. In some cases the raised seat is horseshoe-shaped and its front to back orientation can be reversed before reinstalling it on the platform.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0001]1. Field of the Invention[0002]The present invention relates to raised toilet seats, and in particular, to seats that are easy to rise from.[0003]2. Description of Related Art[0004]Often, people with disabilities are not very mobile, tend to remain in a fixed position and are therefore prone to pressure sores (bedsores or decubitus). These individuals must carefully avoid having concentrated pressure applied to their skin in a way that might impair circulation and promote bedsores.[0005]Also, Federal regulations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) specifies that compliant chairs have seats at an elevation of 17 inches of (43 cm).[0006]The elderly or people with handicaps can have difficulty using conventional toilet seats because of their low elevation. People with weakened or impaired muscles or with paralysis will be unable to rise from these standard seats without assistance. In addition, a toilet seat designed for use by a handicapped...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The patent describes a seat for people with limited mobility that is designed to be easily raised and removed. The raised seat has a horseshoe shape, with a gap in the front that is either open or closed depending on the user's needs. The seat can be adjusted to different orientations for different medical needs. The platform itself has sliding panels that allow easy access to the bowl for urination, and there is a central opening with a corridor that matches the gap in the raised seat for manual access. Overall, this seat provides an improved quality of life for people who use it.

Problems solved by technology

Often, people with disabilities are not very mobile, tend to remain in a fixed position and are therefore prone to pressure sores (bedsores or decubitus).

The elderly or people with handicaps can have difficulty using conventional toilet seats because of their low elevation.

In particular, lateral shifting can add a new hazard of falling due to the shifting.

Persons paralyzed from the waist down (paraplegics, as well as quadriplegics) have limitations that complicate their use of a toilet.

Often, normal bowel function is impaired and must be augmented by an enema or digital stimulation.

Consequently, these persons will often remain on a toilet seat for a relatively long time, perhaps 20 to 60 minutes.

Paralyzed persons often have poor circulation and are therefore especially prone to pressure sores when they remain in the same seated position for even a relatively short time.

Also, they will have difficulty defending against pressure sores because they typically cannot feel any of the pain normally caused by these sores.

In some cases these pressure sores will lead to a more serious, deep tissue injury.

While padded toilet seats are known, they provide poor cushioning and flatten with ordinary use.

Cleaning a seat in place is difficult, but removing a seat for cleaning is difficult as well.

One might periodically discard a toilet seat to avoid cleaning, but replacement is time-consuming and replacement costs become burdensome.

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