Chair Commode Design to Reduce Stigma and Improve Sanitary Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Physically-limited, ill, or elderly individuals face difficulties using standard toilets and existing portable commodes or bedpans, which are unsanitary, aesthetically unpleasant, and lack convenience.
Innovation Solution
A chair for personal relief with a seat housing, backrest, cushion, armrests, and a removable bowl, featuring a tapered sidewall and bar clasp fastener system for easy access and cleaning, designed to resemble an ordinary chair while providing comfort and stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If portable commodes and bedpans are used for personal relief, then immediate relief is provided, but they are difficult, frustrating and unsanitary to use and carry a negative stigma
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a copy of a standard chair that functions as a commode. The chair replica includes a hollow seat portion with an opening that receives a bowel movement receptacle, allowing it to function as a commode while visually resembling a normal chair. This copying approach eliminates the negative stigma and aesthetic unpleasantness of traditional commodes while maintaining their functional benefits.
Solution Approach 2:
The commode chair is divided into separable components: a chair frame, a removable bowel movement receptacle, and a liner. The receptacle can be easily removed and replaced, and the liner can be discarded after use. This segmentation makes the device easier to operate, cleaner to maintain, and more sanitary compared to integrated commode designs.
2Ease of operation
If portable commodes and bedpans are used for personal relief, then immediate relief is provided, but they are aesthetically unpleasant and difficult to keep obscured or hidden from sight
Solution Approach 1:
The device is designed as an exact visual copy of a standard chair, complete with armrests, backrest, and seat cushion. The hollow seat portion is shaped to match the exterior contours of a normal chair seat, making the commode indistinguishable from a regular chair when not in use. This eliminates the aesthetic unpleasantness while preserving immediate relief functionality.
3Shape
If a chair is designed to resemble an ordinary chair for personal relief, then stigma is reduced and aesthetics are improved, but the device must be adapted to include functional toilet-like features
Solution Approach 1:
The chair is segmented into functional zones: a solid outer shell maintaining chair aesthetics, a hollow interior space for waste reception, an opening in the seat portion for access, and a removable receptacle for bowel movements. This segmentation allows the device to maintain simple chair-like external geometry while incorporating complex internal functionality for personal relief.
Solution Approach 2:
The bowel movement receptacle is nested within the hollow seat portion of the chair. The receptacle fits inside the pre-formed cavity, and both are contained within the outer chair shell. This nesting arrangement allows multiple functional elements to be integrated within the simple external form of a standard chair, managing structural complexity efficiently.
4Ease of operation
If the chair frame includes support legs and a seat cushion for stability and comfort, then usability is improved, but the device becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The chair frame serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides structural support for the chair-like appearance, creates the hollow interior space for waste reception, supports the seat cushion for comfort, and positions the opening and receptacle for usability. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional components, managing complexity while improving usability.
Data Source
AI summary
A chair commode. The chair is designed to look like a functional, decorative furniture piece while providing the utility of a chair that a person can relieve himself or herself thereupon. The chair provides a seat with a hole to a seat housing. A removable bowl is disposed in the seat housing to receive objects passing through the hole.