Bathtub step stool and method of use
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Solution Overview
Problem
Seniors and individuals with limited mobility face challenges when entering and exiting bathtubs due to high walls and slippery surfaces, and existing solutions like bed rails are not portable or flexible, making it difficult to access bathtubs safely.
Innovation Solution
A bathtub step stool with adjustable, perpendicular guardrails and a step assembly that allows users to safely enter and exit the bathtub by providing a stable and secure pathway, which can be clamped to the bathtub for stability, featuring padded grips and adjustable height for user comfort and safety.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If bed rails are attached to the bed to prevent falls, then safety is improved, but portability and flexibility deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The bathtub safety system is divided into separate components: a bathtub-mounted guardrail system and a standalone step stool with its own guardrails. This segmentation allows the step stool to be portable while the bathtub guardrails provide fixed safety, resolving the contradiction between portability and safety.
Solution Approach 2:
The step stool acts as an intermediary device between the bathroom floor and the bathtub. It provides a temporary platform with guardrails that assists users in transitioning safely, while the bathtub-mounted guardrails provide additional safety support, combining portability with reliability.
2Reliability
If high bathtub walls are maintained for safety, then containment is improved, but ease of entry and exit deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The step stool provides a preliminary elevated platform before entering the bathtub. Users first step onto the stool (which is already at bathtub height) and then transfer to the tub, breaking down the single difficult action of climbing the full height into two easier steps.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of providing lateral support only (parallel to tub wall), the guardrails extend perpendicular to the tub wall, creating a three-dimensional protective enclosure that supports users from multiple directions during entry and exit.
3Ease of manufacture
If bathtub surfaces are made smooth for cleaning, then ease of maintenance is improved, but slip resistance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The step stool and guardrails provide localized non-slip surfaces at critical contact points (steps and handholds), while the bathtub itself maintains its smooth overall surface for easy cleaning. This local quality approach addresses slip resistance where needed without compromising overall maintainability.
Solution Approach 2:
The step stool and guardrails act as intermediary elements that provide slip resistance between the user and the smooth bathtub surface. Users interact with the textured surfaces of the stool and rails rather than directly with the slippery tub, eliminating the need to make the tub itself non-slip.
4Reliability
If guardrails are positioned parallel to the bed for fall prevention, then fall protection is improved, but accessibility to desired position deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The guardrails extend perpendicular to the bathtub wall rather than parallel, creating a T-shaped or L-shaped configuration that provides both lateral fall protection and forward support during entry. This dimensional change allows users to approach the tub from the front while still being protected from side falls.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of using a bathtub step stool to get into a bathtub comprises gripping at least one support of a bathtub step stool; stepping onto a step assembly of the bathtub step stool, towards an entry side of the bathtub; turning towards one of supports; while gripping one of the supports, stepping over the entry side of the bathtub and into the bathtub.