Bathtub grab bars

Abstract

To provide a user-friendly bathtub handrail without unreasonably forcing movement of a user entering and exiting the bathtub.SOLUTION: A bathtub handrail 1 to be detachably attached to a side wall of a bathtub, the bathtub handrail 1 includes an attachment part 3 to be attached to the side wall of the bathtub, a stanchion 5 extending upward from the attachment part 3, and a handrail part 7 provided on an upper end of the stanchion 5 and being held by a user's hand. The handrail part 7 has a cross shape in which two rod-like bodies intersect. In a state where the attachment part 3 is attached to the side wall of the bathtub, the two rod-like bodies are disposed obliquely with respect to the side wall in plan view.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a bathtub handrail that is detachably attached to the edge of a bathtub and is primarily intended to assist elderly and physically disabled people in bathing. [Background technology]

[0002] The bathtub handrail, which is removably attached to the side wall of the bathtub, comprises an attachment part that is removably attached to the side wall of the bathtub, a support pole extending upward from the attachment part, and a handrail part provided at the upper end of the support pole. Prior examples of such handrails for bathtubs are disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2, for example.

[0003] The handrail portion of the bathtub handrail disclosed in Patent Document 1 is composed of a rod-shaped body that extends in a direction perpendicular to the side wall of the bathtub when attached. In addition, the handrail portion of the bathtub handrail disclosed in Patent Document 2 is rectangular ring-shaped and, when installed, is composed of a pair of long sides perpendicular to the side walls and a pair of short sides parallel to the side walls. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 8-140880 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-209062 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The handrail sections in both Patent Documents 1 and 2 have the problem that users who cannot move their bodies freely are forced to make unnatural movements when holding onto the handrail to get in and out of the bathtub.

[0006] The present invention has been made to solve such problems, and its object is to provide a handrail for a bathtub that is user-friendly and does not force the user to enter or exit the bathtub with excessive force. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] (1) The bathtub handrail of the present invention is detachably attached to the side wall of the bathtub, The bathtub has a mounting part that is attached to the side wall of the bathtub, a support pole that extends upward from the mounting part, and a handrail part that is provided at the upper end of the support pole and that the user can grasp with their hand. The handrail portion is characterized in that it has an intersecting shape in which two rod-shaped bodies intersect, and the two rod-shaped bodies are positioned diagonally relative to the side wall in a plan view when the mounting portion is attached to the side wall of the bathtub.

[0008] (2) In addition, in the above (1), the handrail portion is characterized in that two rod-shaped bodies are provided on the same plane.

[0009] (3) Furthermore, in the above (1) or (2), the inclination angle of the rod-shaped body relative to the side wall of the bathtub in a plan view is characterized by being 37° to 53° based on a direction parallel to the side wall. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] The bathtub handrail of the present invention comprises a mounting part to be attached to the side wall of the bathtub, a support pole extending upward from the mounting part, and a handrail part provided at the upper end of the support pole for a user to grasp with their hand. The handrail section has an intersecting shape where two rod-shaped bodies intersect, and when the mounting section is attached to the side wall of the bathtub, the two rod-shaped bodies are positioned at an angle to the side wall in a plan view. This reduces the strain on the wrists when the user enters the bathtub and prevents twisting of the body, making it comfortable for users who have limited freedom of movement. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view (part 1) of a bathtub handrail according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view (part 2) of a bathtub handrail according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] 1 is a plan view of a bathtub handrail according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 4] 1 is an explanatory diagram of a method of using a bathtub handrail according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of how to use a conventional bathtub handrail. [Figure 6] 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the state of the elbow when holding onto a bathtub handrail, where (a) is an example of the invention and (A) is a conventional example. [Figure 7] 1A and 1B are explanatory diagrams showing the state of the wrist when gripping a bathtub handrail, where (a) is an example of the invention and (A) is a conventional example. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of the bending direction of the wrist. [Figure 9] These are explanatory diagrams explaining the orientation of the body when entering a bathtub, where (a) is an example of the invention and (A) is a conventional example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the bathtub handrail 1 of this embodiment comprises an attachment portion 3 that is attached to the side wall of the bathtub, a support post 5 that extends upward from the attachment portion 3, and a handrail portion 7 that is provided at the upper end of the support post 5 and that the user can grasp with their hand. In Figure 3, (outside) and (inside) refer to the side that is located on the outside of the bathtub when the bathtub handrail 1 is attached to the side wall of the bathtub, and the side that is located on the inside of the bathtub is represented as (outside) and (inside), respectively. Each component will be described in detail below.

[0013] <Mounting part> The mounting portion 3 is used to mount the bathtub handrail 1 to the side wall of the bathtub, and includes an approximately U-shaped mounting portion main body 11 with opposing side plates 9, a clamping plate 13 arranged on one of the side plates 9 within the mounting portion main body 11, and a handle 15 for moving the clamping plate 13 between one side plate 9 and the other side plate 9. By rotating the handle 15, the clamping plate 13 moves between the side plates 9 of the mounting body 11, and the clamping force to the side wall of the bathtub can be adjusted.

[0014] <Strut> The support pole 5 is made up of a pair of rod-shaped bodies whose lower ends are fixed to the mounting body 11 at a predetermined distance, and a handrail portion 7 is provided at the upper end. The support post 5 has multiple height adjustment holes 19 (five in this example) for attaching fixing screws 17, and the height of the handrail can be adjusted by appropriately changing the mounting position of the support post 5 to the mounting body 11.

[0015] The support pillar 5 is vertically straight from its lower end to the height where the height adjustment hole 19 is provided, then bends outward from there to widen, and then extends vertically. By shaping the support pole 5 in this way, the size of the mounting portion 3 can be prevented from becoming too large, and the size of the handrail can be made as desired.

[0016] <Handrail section> As shown in Figure 3, the handrail portion 7 has an intersecting shape in which two rod-shaped bodies intersect, and the two rod-shaped bodies are configured to be positioned diagonally relative to the side wall in a plan view when the mounting portion 3 is attached to the side wall of the bathtub. In this embodiment, the inclination angle θ of the rod-shaped body relative to the side wall of the bathtub in a plan view is set to 50° with the direction parallel to the side wall as the reference. The preferred range for the inclination angle θ is 37° to 53°. This range is the range in which the user's body is less likely to twist when entering the bathtub. The most preferred angle is θ = 45°.

[0017] Furthermore, the length b (see FIG. 3) of the portion of the handrail 7 that extends from the intersection toward the support post 5 and can be grasped by hand is preferably set to 80 mm to 120 mm, taking into account the size of an adult's palm. The reason why the dimension b in Figure 3 does not reach the end on the support post 5 side is that, as can be seen from Figure 1, the handrail portion 7 on the side where the support post 5 is located cannot grip the part of the support post 5.

[0018] In this embodiment, the handrail portion 7 is arranged so that two intersecting rod-shaped bodies are on the same plane, but the present invention is not limited to this and also includes, for example, two rod-shaped bodies arranged so that they are stacked one on top of the other. However, the configuration of this embodiment makes it possible to smoothly change hands on the handrail portion 7 when getting in and out of the bathtub. The handrail portion 7 is made of a material such as elastomer, which prevents slipping.

[0019] How to use the bathtub handrail 1 of this embodiment configured as described above will be described with reference to Figures 4 to 9. Before describing how to use it, each figure will be briefly explained. Figure 4 shows the bathtub handrail 1 attached to the side wall of the bathtub, and the user's actions as they enter the bathtub. The actions progress in order from (1-a) to (1-b), and are completed in (6-a) and (6-b). The letter "a" is an enlarged view of the handrail 7, and "b" is a view including the user's entire body in the enlarged view with the same number.

[0020] FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of a conventional handrail for a bathtub having a rectangular ring-shaped handrail portion 21. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the state of the arms when holding the handrail portions 7, 21, with FIG. 6(a) being an example of the invention and FIG. 6(A) being a conventional example. FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the state of the wrist when holding the handrail portions 7, 21, with FIG. 7(a) being an example of the invention and FIG. 7(A) being a conventional example. FIG. 8 is a diagram explaining the names of the directions in which the wrist bends. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating the posture when holding the handrails 7, 21 when entering the bathtub, with FIG. 9(a) being an example of the invention and FIG. 9(A) being a conventional example.

[0021] When a user enters the bathtub, they grasp one of the two rods with both hands, as shown in Figure 4(1-a). At this time, as shown in Figure 4(1-b) and Figure 6(a), the elbows bend outward, so the user can hold the device with the wrists straight or bent toward the palmar flexion side (see Figure 8), as shown in Figure 7(a), which reduces strain on the wrists. The reduced strain on the wrists is a major benefit, especially for users with illnesses such as rheumatism.

[0022] In contrast, in the case of the conventional example, as shown in Figure 5 (1-A), the user grasps the part of the bathtub parallel to the side wall with both hands. At this time, as shown in Figure 5 (1-B) and Figure 6 (A), the elbows bend inward, and the user is unable to grasp the part of the bathtub parallel to the side wall. A ), the wrist is in dorsiflexion (Fig. 8 (see reference), which puts a lot of strain on the wrist.

[0023] In addition, in the example of the invention, as shown in Figure 4(1-b) and Figure 9(a), the shoulders and legs of the user are naturally parallel, which reduces twisting of the body and puts less strain on the intervertebral discs. In addition, the movement of straddling the side wall of the bathtub is reduced, which also reduces strain on the hip joints. Considering the strain on the body, it is said that a bent posture places about 1.5 times the strain on the lumbar spine than a standing posture. Therefore, if further twisting occurs, the strain will become even greater, but the invention has a structure that prevents twisting of the body as much as possible, so it can be said to be gentle on the lumbar spine.

[0024] In contrast, in the conventional example, as shown in Figure 5 (1-B) and Figure 9 (A), the user's shoulders are perpendicular to the side wall of the bathtub and the foot width direction is diagonal, causing a twisting of the body. To reduce twisting of the body, people stand close to the side of the bathtub, as shown in Figure 9(A). In this case, because the distance between the side of the bathtub and the body is short, it is necessary to shift the center of gravity toward the washing area to step over, which puts strain on the lumbar vertebrae. In this regard, if the handrail portion 7 is cross-shaped as in the example of the invention, as shown in Figure 9(a), the body does not twist when grabbing the handrail portion 7, and the distance from the side wall of the bathtub is kept at an appropriate distance, so there is less shift in the center of gravity when straddling and less strain on the lumbar vertebrae.

[0025] In this way, the present invention has the advantage that the action of grasping the handrail portion 7 when using the bathtub handrail 1 to enter the bathtub does not put strain on the wrist or body.

[0026] Continuing with the explanation of the operation, next, as shown in Figure 4 (2-a) (2-b), the right leg straddles the side wall of the bathtub and enters the bathtub. In this position, the body momentarily twists, but as shown in Figure 4 (3-a) (3-b), the left hand, which was holding the part of the handrail 7 facing outward from the bathtub, is transferred to the handrail 7 closer to the body, thereby eliminating the twist. As described above, the two rod-shaped members of the handrail portion 7 are provided on the same plane, which allows smooth movement of changing hands.

[0027] Next, as shown in Figures 4(4-a)(4-b), the right hand gripping the handrail 7 is transferred to the handrail 7 farther from the body. At this time, the body is momentarily twisted, but in this state, as shown in Figures 4(5-a)(5-b), the left leg is placed over the side wall of the bathtub and the body is placed in the bathtub, and the movement is completed with the twist of the body released as shown in Figures 4(6-a)(6-b).

[0028] In this way, in the example of the invention, by changing hands on the handrail portion 7 while getting into the bathtub, the user can move naturally with minimal strain on the body.

[0029] In contrast, in the conventional example, as shown in Figures 5(1-A)(1-B) to 5(4-A)(4-B), a series of movements are performed without changing grips on the handrail portion 21, resulting in strain on the wrist and twisting of the body before and after entering. Furthermore, as shown in Figures 5(3-A) and (3-B), when the left leg is raised, strain is likely to be placed on the wrist of the hand that is gripping the handrail 21 on the bathtub side.

[0030] As described above, the bathtub handrail 1 of this embodiment reduces the strain on the wrists when the user enters the bathtub and prevents twisting of the body, making it convenient for users who have limited mobility. The actions required to get out of the bathtub are the reverse of those required to enter, so it is just as convenient for the user as it is when entering. [Explanation of symbols]

[0031] 1. Bathtub handrails 3 Mounting part 5 pillars 7 Handrail 9 Side Panel 11 Mounting body 13 Holding plate 15 Handle 17 Fixing screw 19 Height adjustment hole 21 Handrail section (conventional example)

Claims

1. A bathtub handrail that can be detachably attached to the side wall of a bathtub, The bathtub has a mounting part that is attached to the side wall of the bathtub, a support pole that extends upward from the mounting part, and a handrail part that is provided at the upper end of the support pole and that the user can grasp with their hand. A handrail for a bathtub is characterized in that the handrail portion has an intersecting shape in which two rod-shaped bodies intersect in an X-shape when viewed from above, and the two rod-shaped bodies are positioned diagonally relative to the side wall when viewed from above when the mounting portion is attached to the side wall of the bathtub.

2. 2. The handrail for a bathtub according to claim 1, wherein the handrail portion is provided so that two rod-shaped bodies are on the same plane.

3. The bathtub handrail according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the inclination angle of the rod-shaped body relative to the side wall of the bathtub in a plan view is 37° to 53° based on a direction parallel to the side wall.

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