Herman, Jr., Harry H.;

Bathtub cushion lift stabilization

An apparatus for enabling persons with impaired mobility to enter and leave a bathtub includes a water inflatable shell having a shape such that when fully inflated the shell wedges between opposed bathtub sidewalls and has a top tapering to a platform at about the level of the top of the sidewalls so that the person may lower and raise himself into and out of the bathtub by releasing and adding water from and to the shell, respectively, and the period of time required to transit a distance between the top of the sidewalls and below the top of the sidewalls is briefer than a comparable distance below the top of the sidewalls by virtue of the reduced volume of the tapered top of the shell. Horizontal tubes of elliptical cross section contribute to the tapered shape of the top and add stability.

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What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for enabling a person with impaired mobility to enter and leave a bathtub comprising:

a water-inflatable cushion lift assembly shell having a shape such that when fully inflated said shell wedges between opposed bathtub sidewalls, said shell, when fully inflated, having a bottom portion engaging the bottom of the bathtub and inwardly tapering upper side portions extending to the top of said shell and defining a platform at about the level of the top of said sidewalls of the bathtub, the volume defined by said tapered portion of said inflated shell being lesser than the volume within the remainder of said shell defined by a height equivalent to the height of said tapered portion, whereby a person with impaired mobility seated upon said platform may lower and raise himself into and out of the bathtub by releasing and adding water from and to the shell, respectively, and whereby the period of time required to transit a vertical distance between the top of the sidewalls of the bathtub and below the top of said sidewalls, said distance being the height of said tapered portion of the shell, is briefer than the time to transit an additional comparable vertical distance below the top of said sidewalls by virtue of the reduced volume of said tapered top of said shell.

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said tapered sides of said shell are pyramidal.

3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein a tube passes substantially horizontally through said shell.

4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 3 wherein two of said tubes are provided, said tubes being spaced apart vertically and being elliptical in cross section with a major axis of the ellipse extending horizontally through said shell.

5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 4 wherein the upper tube has an outside lower face and the lower tube has an outside upper face and said outside lower face and outside upper face are provided with means for increasing friction therebetween.

6. An apparatus as claimed in claim 5 wherein said means for increasing friction are hook and loop fabric surfaces affixed to said tubes.

7. An apparatus as claimed in claim 4 wherein the upper tube is shorter than the lower tube.

8. An apparatus as claimed in claim 7 wherein the upper tube has an outside lower face and the lower tube has an outside upper face and said outside lower face and outside upper face are provided with means for increasing friction therebetween.

9. An apparatus as claimed in claim 8 wherein said means for increasing friction are hook and loop fabric surfaces affixed to said tubes.

10. An apparatus as claimed in claim 4 wherein the interiors of said tubes are open to the outside of said shell.

11. An apparatus as claimed in claim 10 wherein a carrying strap is provided extending through one of said tubes.

12. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said shell is made of sheet material and seams in said shell are lap welds of said sheet material.

13. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said shell has a lateral wall facing one of said bathtub sidewalls and said lateral wall is provided with a drainage valve.

14. An apparatus as claimed in claim 13 wherein said drainage valve is a flap valve.

15. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said shell is provided with means for indicating the temperature of water therein.

16. An apparatus for enabling persons with impaired mobility to enter and leave a bathtub comprising:

a water inflatable shell having a shape such that when fully inflated the shell wedges between opposed bathtub sidewalls, said shell having two vertically spaced apart tubes passing substantially horizontally through said shell substantially parallel to said sidewalls, said tubes being elliptical in cross section, with the major axis of the ellipse extending horizontally through said shell, the volume within said shell as defined between the height from the top of said shell, when fully inflated, to said tube closest to the top of said shell, being lesser than the volume within the remainder of said shell defined by a height equivalent to said height, whereby a person with impaired mobility seated upon said shell may lower and raise himself into and out of the bathtub by releasing and adding water from and to the shell, respectively, whereby the period of time required to transit the vertical distance from the top of said shell to said elliptical tube closest to the top of said shell is briefer than the period of time to travel an additional comparable vertical distance by virtue of the reduced volume within the shell between the top of said shell and the tube closest thereto.

17. An apparatus as claimed in claim 16 wherein the upper tube is shorter than the lower tube.

18. An apparatus as claimed in claim 17 wherein the upper tube has an outside lower face and the lower tube has an outside upper face and said outside lower face and outside upper face are provided with means for increasing friction therebetween.

19. An apparatus as claimed in claim 18 wherein said means for increasing friction are hook and loop fabric surfaces affixed to said tubes.

20. An apparatus for enabling persons with impaired mobility to enter and leave a bathtub comprising a water inflatable shell configured such that when fully inflated the shell wedges between opposed bathtub sidewalls, said shell having upper and lower tubes vertically spaced from each other and passing substantially horizontally through said shell substantially parallel to said sidewalls, the volume within said shell, when fully inflated, defined by the height from the top of said shell to said upper tube, being smaller than the volume of a comparable height of the remainder of said shell, so that the period of time required by a person seated on said shell to transit the vertical distance defined by the top of the shell to the upper tube is less than the period of time required to travel the same vertical distance with the remainder of the shell.