Toilet support step

Abstract

To provide a toilet support step which can be disposed on a front side of a Western style toilet in a compact manner and is capable of easily supplementing the height up to a toilet seat and assisting a user in bracing while emptying his / her bowels.SOLUTION: A toilet support step comprises a higher step part provided in front of a Western style toilet and a lower step part connected to a lateral face of the higher step part, with the back face of the higher step part facing the front of the Western style toilet.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to steps for supporting a toilet.

Background Art

[0002] When steps are placed in front of a Western-style toilet, it becomes easier for short children etc. to use the toilet. For example, Patent Document 1 is a step having a first step and a second step in a stepped shape. It is easy for a child to straddle the step and get on and off, and it is easy to compensate for the height to the toilet seat. As shown in FIG. 7 of the above document, the step is arranged so as to be an ascending staircase from the front to the back of the toilet, and the second step can also be used as a footrest portion during use. However, as shown in FIG. 7 above, when the first step and the second step of the step are further arranged in parallel with the toilet in the front-rear direction, there is enough space for a child to stably ride on each step surface, and the step takes up a large space on the front side of the toilet.

[0003] If the arrangement direction of the above step is changed by about 90 degrees and the first and second steps are arranged side by side in the left-right direction, there is no structure for approaching the toilet like the notch portion 20 provided on the back surface of the stepped main body 11 on the side facing the front of the toilet, and an unnecessary gap is likely to occur between the step and the toilet. Also, when a child sits on the toilet seat, one foot is likely to be on the first step and the other foot is likely to be on the second step, and it is difficult to brace with both feet during use.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] The present invention aims to provide a toilet support step that can be compactly arranged on the front side of a Western-style toilet and is easy to supplement the height to the toilet seat and assist in bracing during use of the toilet.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The toilet support step according to the present invention includes a high step portion arranged in front of a Western-style toilet and a low step portion connected to the side surface of the high step portion, and is characterized in that the back surface of the high step portion faces the front of the Western-style toilet. Here, the "side surface of the high step portion" refers to the side located in the left-right direction of the toilet in a state where the "back surface of the high step portion" faces the front of the toilet in the front-rear direction, and the front-rear direction and the left-right direction intersect at approximately right angles. By connecting the low step portion to the side surface of the high step portion in this way, it is possible to go up and down the low step portion and the high step portion in the left-right direction of the toilet, and it is difficult for the step to protrude on the front side of the toilet. For example, it becomes easier for an adult to use the toilet while leaving the step arranged. In addition, since the high step portion is located in front of the toilet, it is easier to brace by placing both feet on the high step portion that is higher than the low step portion during defecation or the like.

[0007] In the present invention, it is preferable that the high step portion has an alignment portion facing along the front of the Western-style toilet on the back surface. For example, by providing a concave portion on the back surface of the high step portion that approximately follows the front shape of the toilet, it becomes easy to position the step to be arranged, and it is also easy to use the high step portion in a state where it is close to the toilet, preventing unnecessary gaps and making it easy for infants and the like to get on and off safely.

[0008] In the present invention, the back surface and / or the front surface of the high step portion may have a predetermined inclination such that the upper part is located inside rather than the lower part. Thereby, it is easy to ensure the stability of the high step portion, and even when an adult uses the toilet while placing the step, it is difficult to contact the upper part of the high step portion, so the step is less likely to be in the way. Also, for the step, while the front-back width is compact, it is easy for infants and the like to reverse and change their body postures on the upper step surface which is the tread surface of the upper step portion. Further, in order to easily brace with both feet during use, it is preferable that the left-right width (W1) of the upper step surface of the upper step portion is larger than the front-back width (D1).

Advantages of the Invention

[0009] The toilet support step according to the present invention can be stepped up and down in the left-right direction of the toilet bowl and is easily arranged compactly on the front side of a Western-style toilet bowl.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0010]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0011] The toilet support step according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Structural examples of the step 10 according to Example 1 are shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, and a structural example of a toilet room is shown in FIG. 6. FIG. 6 is an example in which the space between the front surface 1a of the Western-style toilet bowl 1 and the front wall 2 of the toilet room is relatively narrow, and a door 3 for entering and exiting the toilet room is provided on the right side surface 1b side of the toilet bowl 1. The advancing and retreating direction to such a toilet room is not the front and back directions (also referred to as the longitudinal direction) of the toilet bowl, but the left - right direction. Step 10 according to the present invention is characterized in that it can be used even when the space on the front side 1a of the toilet bowl is narrow in this way, and steps can be climbed up and down in the left - right direction of the toilet bowl.

[0012] Step 10 includes a high - level part 11 and a low - level part 21 connected to its side surface. The upper surface parts 12 and 22 of the high - level part 11 and the low - level part 21 are stepping surfaces for placing feet, and the high - level upper surface part 12 is located above the low - level upper surface part 22. Step 10 is arranged on the floor surface F so as to be close to the front 1a of the toilet bowl, and the high - level part 11 is arranged to face in the direction along the front 1a of the toilet bowl. Hereinafter, regarding the high - level part 11, the "back surface" refers to the side facing the front 1a of the toilet bowl, and in the facing state between this back surface and the toilet bowl, the side located in the left - right direction of the toilet bowl is called the "side surface". In the present invention, by having the low - level part 21 on the side surface side of the high - level part 11, it is easy to get on and off the high - level part 11 by using the low - level part 21 from the left - right direction of the toilet bowl.

[0013] For example, as shown in Fig. 1(a), the high - level upper surface part 12 is provided at the upper part of a cylindrical part formed by connecting the front surface part 13, the rear surface part 14, the right surface part 15 and the left surface part 16 of the high - level part 11 in series. Also, the low - level upper surface part 22 is provided at the upper part of a semi - cylindrical part formed by connecting the front surface part 23, the rear surface part 24 and the right surface part 25 of the low - level part 21 in series, and the low - level upper surface part 22 is connected to the right surface part 15 of the high - level part that is substantially perpendicular to this. The front surface parts 13, 23 and the rear surface parts 14, 24 of each step part are integrally formed in the left - right direction with each other, and the upper surface parts 12 and 22 are supported by the connected cylindrical part and semi - cylindrical part. In this embodiment, recessed parts 13a and 14a that are gently recessed inward in the front - rear direction are formed in the front surface part 13 and the rear surface part 14 of the high - level part respectively. By recessing the recessed parts 13a and 14a along the shape of the front 1a of the toilet bowl, it is easy to align with the front of the toilet bowl, and it is easy to approach the high - level part to the toilet bowl. Moreover, this embodiment is an example having notches 13b and 14b formed by cutting away the lower sides of the front surface portion 13 and the rear surface portion 14 of the elevated section respectively. For example, by allowing the lower part of the front surface 1a of the toilet bowl to enter the elevated section 11 through the notches 13b and 14b, the toilet bowl and the elevated section can be brought into close contact with each other and aligned. Note that an alignment portion (concave portion or notch) may be provided on only one of the front surface portion and the rear surface portion of the elevated section. In this case, the side having the alignment portion becomes the "rear surface of the elevated section".

[0014] As shown in FIG. 1(b), the lower side of the step 10 (the continuous cylindrical portion and the semi-cylindrical portion) is open, and it has resin legs 17a to 17d protruding slightly downward at each lower corner, making it easier to contact the floor surface F. In this embodiment, in the state where the step 10 and the toilet bowl 1 face each other, the left surface portion 16 of the elevated section and the right surface portion 25 of the lower section are located outside the left and right directions of the toilet bowl 1. At each lower end of the left surface portion 16 of the elevated section and the right surface portion 25 of the lower section, ribs 16a and 25a bulging slightly outward in the left and right directions are formed. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, when the rear surface portion 14 (concave portion 14a) of the elevated section is arranged along the front surface 1a of the toilet bowl, the lower section 21 protruding outward in the left and right directions from the right surface portion 15 of the elevated section 11 is located on the right side surface 1b side of the toilet bowl. In FIG. 2, the rear surface portion 14 corresponds to the "rear surface of the elevated section", and the right surface portion 15 corresponds to the "side surface of the elevated section". Here, if the front surface portion 13 is regarded as the "rear surface of the elevated section", the lower section 21 can be arranged on the left side surface side of the toilet bowl 1. In this embodiment, since the direction of going up and down the step 10 (the upper surface portion 12 of the elevated section and the upper surface portion 22 of the lower section) can be selected as the left direction or the right direction, it is easy to use even in a toilet room equipped with a door on the left side surface side of the toilet bowl, for example.

[0015] In this specification, the maximum length from the front surface to the rear surface of the step 10 is defined as the "front-to-rear width D", similarly the height from the bottom surface to the plane is defined as the "height width H", and the width from the right side surface to the left side surface is defined as the "left-to-right width W". Example 1 is an example in which the upper surface portion 12 of the upper stage is substantially rectangular in plan view and elongated in the left - right direction, and the upper surface portion 22 of the lower stage is substantially rectangular in plan view and elongated in the front - rear direction. Note that step 10 may be made of resin, but anti - slip processing may be applied to each of the upper surface portions 12 and 22 so that infants and the like can stably place their feet on it. Hereinafter, the dimensions of the upper surface portion 12 of the upper stage will be denoted as "front - rear width D1" and "left - right width W1", and the dimensions of the upper surface portion 22 of the lower stage will be denoted as "front - rear width D2" and "left - right width W2". Also, the height from the floor surface F to the upper surface portion 22 of the lower stage is referred to as "height width H2".

[0016] Since step 10 is arranged compactly on the front 1a side of the toilet bowl, it is preferable that the front - rear width D is small. For example, the front - rear width D is preferably 27 cm or less, and more preferably 23 cm or less. Thereby, the step arranged on the front side of the toilet bowl becomes compact. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, it is easy for an adult to sit down with step 10 stored between the feet and the toilet bowl 1, and it is also easy to use in a toilet room where the front 1a side of the toilet bowl is relatively narrow as shown in FIG. 6. On the other hand, the upper surface portion 12 of the upper stage preferably has a predetermined area so that infants can easily reverse or change their body postures and can easily brace themselves with both feet during defecation. For example, the front - rear width D1 may be about 10 - 23 cm and the left - right width W1 may be about 25 - 35 cm. By making the left - right width W1 larger than the front - rear width D1 in this way, even if the front - rear width is compact, an area necessary for changing the body posture and bracing can be secured.

[0017] From the viewpoint of preventing step 10 from becoming unstable, especially when the front - rear width is small, such as when an infant stands up on the upper surface portion 12 of the upper stage, it is preferable that the front surface portion 13 and the rear surface portion 14 are continuously provided substantially vertically to the upper surface portion 12, rather than having a predetermined inclination such that the upper part is located more inward in the front - rear direction than the lower part. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the rear surface portion 14 and the front surface portion 13 continuously provided to the upper surface portion 12 of the upper stage may have an inclination of angle A. Even if it is a compact step 10 (for example, the front-to-back width D is about 23 cm), if the angle A is about 6 to 12 degrees, for example, it is easy to achieve a balance of stability while ensuring the front-to-back width of the upper surface portion 12 of the high step. Also, by having an inclination, the step placed during use by an adult in the toilet is less likely to be obstructive. For example, as shown in FIG. 4(b), the continuously provided cylindrical portions 13, 14, 15, 16 and the semi-cylindrical portions 23, 24, 25 may be flared toward the bottom surface side rather than the plane side as a whole. Also, the right surface portions 15, 25 and the left surface portion 16 of each step portion may be R surfaces. By these, the stability of the step can be further enhanced.

[0018] The height width H (the height to the upper surface portion 12 of the high step) is preferably about 17 to 31 cm, more preferably about 25 cm, so that a child can easily place their feet while sitting on the toilet seat. The lower step portion 21 may have a height width H2 of about 9 to 15 cm so that a child can easily get on and off by themselves. For example, the front-to-back width D2 may be about 15 to 23 cm, and the left-to-right width W2 may be about 8 to 22 cm. The high step portion 11 and the lower step portion 21 may be such that, for example, the front-to-back width D2 of the upper surface portion 22 of the lower step is larger than the front-to-back width D1 of the upper surface portion 12 of the high step, and the left-to-right width W2 of the upper surface portion 22 of the lower step is smaller than the left-to-right width W1 of the upper surface portion 12 of the high step. In addition, if the left-to-right width W of the step is about 50 cm or less, when an adult stands up from a sitting position on the toilet seat, they may stand up while keeping the step inside the feet, or they can also place their feet on the outside in the left-to-right direction of the step by spreading both feet.

[0019] Example 2 is shown in FIG. 7, and Example 3 is shown in FIG. 8. Example 2 does not have the notch portion of Example 1, but has recessed portions 13a, 14a that are more deeply recessed than Example 1, and is an example with a strong fit between the front surface 1a of the toilet and the recessed portions. Example 3 is an example in which lower step portions 21, 31 are respectively connected to both side surfaces of the high step portion 11. Similar to the lower step portion 21, the upper surface portion 32 of the lower step portion is provided at the upper part of the semi-cylindrical portion formed by connecting the front surface portion 33, the rear surface portion 34, and the right surface portion 35 of the lower step portion 31 in series, and the upper surface portion 32 of the lower step portion 31 is substantially vertically provided on the left surface portion 16 of the upper step portion. In addition, in the third embodiment, the rear surface portions 14, 24, and 34 of the respective step portions integrally formed in the left-right direction have recesses 14a so as to be integrally recessed inward in the front-rear direction.

Explanation of reference numerals

[0020] 1 Western toilet 10 Step 11 Upper step portion 21 Lower step portion

Claims

1. A toilet support step comprising a high step portion disposed in front of a Western-style toilet bowl and a low step portion connected to a side surface of the high step portion, wherein a rear surface of the high step portion faces the front of the Western-style toilet bowl.

2. The toilet support step according to claim 1, further comprising an alignment portion on a rear surface of the high step portion that faces along the front of the Western-style toilet bowl.

3. The toilet support step according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a rear surface and / or a front surface of the high step portion has a predetermined inclination such that an upper portion is located more inward than a lower portion.

4. The high-step upper surface portion of the high-step portion has a lateral width (W １ greater than the front-rear width (D １ ). The toilet support step according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that

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