Telescopic Bath Seat Transfer for Safe Tub Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Bathing procedures are challenging for elderly and disabled individuals due to inaccessible bathroom designs, leading to safety hazards and the need for assistance, which can result in injuries for both the bather and the assisting staff.
Innovation Solution
A bathing aid featuring a telescopic element with a seat that can be extended and retracted, rotated, and tilted, allowing for safe and convenient access to a bathing enclosure, enabling individuals to bathe independently by moving the seat between positions inside and outside the enclosure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional shower and bathtub designs are used, then the bathroom structure remains simple and fixed, but elderly and disabled persons face severe difficulties entering and exiting, leading to safety hazards
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by transforming the fixed bathtub structure into a dynamic system with a movable seat that can extend and retract along a guide rail. The seat moves from a retracted position (inside the bathtub) to an extended position (outside the bathtub), providing adaptive accessibility while maintaining structural integrity. This dynamic adjustment allows elderly and disabled persons to safely enter and exit the bathtub without requiring complex manual lifting or transfer operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism - the movable seat with telescopic extension - that mediates between the fixed bathtub structure and the user's mobility needs. The seat acts as a bridge, extending to provide a stable platform for users to step onto, thereby eliminating the direct hazard of stepping from ground level into the bathtub. This intermediary solution resolves the contradiction by providing both safety and accessibility.
2Ease of operation
If assistance staff help elderly persons enter and exit the bathtub, then accessibility is improved, but the staff are exposed to heavy lifting and risk of injury
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service by enabling elderly and disabled persons to independently operate the movable seat system. The seat automatically extends and retracts along the guide rail, and users can control their own transfer process without requiring physical assistance. This eliminates the need for staff to perform heavy lifting operations, thereby removing the safety risks associated with manual handling while maintaining full accessibility.
3Ease of operation
If a fixed seat is installed in the bathtub, then the structure remains simple, but the seat cannot provide convenient access or facilitate easy entry and exit
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms a static seat into a dynamic one by incorporating a telescopic extension mechanism guided by a rail system. The seat can extend outward from the bathtub and retract back, providing variable positioning to accommodate different user needs and bathtub configurations. This dynamic capability enhances accessibility while the guide rail maintains structural organization and prevents excessive complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the seat system into multiple functional components: the base seat, the telescopic extension mechanism, and the guide rail system. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently - the base seat provides support, the telescopic mechanism provides mobility, and the guide rail provides structural guidance. The modular segmentation reduces overall system complexity while enabling the sophisticated motion required for safe and convenient access.
Data Source
AI summary
A bathing aid (100), comprising a bathing enclosure (101), a telescopic element (110) arranged at least partially within the bathing enclosure, and a seat (120) for supporting a person, said seat being arranged on the telescopic element. The bathing aid further comprises an actuation system (140) coupled to the telescopic element and the seat. The actuation system is configured to move the seat on the telescopic element along a horizontal axis (x) between a retracted position of the seat within the bathing enclosure and an extended position of the seat outside the bathing enclosure. The actuation system, in the extended position of the seat, is further configured to rotate (A) the seat in a horizontal plane (x-y) and configured to tilt (C) the seat with respect to a vertical axis (z).