Abstract:
A motorized scrubbing system mounts to an appropriate flat surface via a pair of suction handles attached to a body member of the system. Also attached to the body member is a series of motor assemblies that each have a brush head that is positioned just above a user side of the body member. Each brush head rotates in response to output of a motor associated with the brush head. The user side of the body member is contoured to approximate the contour of a human back.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a motorized back scrubbing system that utilizes a series of motors to rotate brush heads to scrub a person&#39;s back, the unit removably attachable to a flat surface such as the wall of a shower enclosure. 
     2. Background of the Prior Art 
     When a person bathes or showers, their back tends to be a particularly difficult area to clean. Most people simply lack the flexibility to be able to effectively reach all parts of the back and even if all parts can be reached, to apply sufficient pressure with the cleaning implement being used such as a wash cloth, a bar of soap, or simply the person&#39;s hands. As a person gets older, this back washing problem becomes exacerbated due to the effects of aging which tends to rob people of some of their flexibility and dexterity so that a clean back becomes even more of a challenge. A person who has suffered an injury, such as a torn rotator cuff or is simply suffering from a shoulder ailment, such as bursitis or a frozen shoulder, finds particular difficulty in the back cleaning process. 
     One solution that can be employed to effectively clean the back is to simply have an assistant present during bathing or showering so that the assistant can clean the person&#39;s back. The assistant can be a spouse or significant other or if the person is disabled another family member or a professional such as a home health care provider. While very effective, an assistant is not a realistic solution to many. Many people live alone and lack the presence of a second person who can assist during bathing and are otherwise healthy and do not need home health care. During travel, especially business travel, many people travel alone so that a spouse or significant other may not be on hand to provide the needed second person. Many people who live in some form of assisted living, desire to maintain as much independence and dignity as possible and do not want to have a person assisting with the rather intimate task of bathing unless necessary. 
     To address such problems, handheld back brushes have been proposed. A handheld back brush has an elongate handle and a washing or scrubbing implement on a distal end of the handle so that the user grasps the handle of the brush, reaches over the shoulder or around the torso, and uses the implement on the handle for the cleaning process. Back brushes come in a wide variety of styles from the simple to the very complex. 
     A typical handheld back brush can prove quite effective to a person who has good range of motion in his or her shoulders. Such a person can maneuver the implement end of the brush to their back side for cleaning. However, a person who has limited motion often is unable to effectively maneuver the implement end of the brush around his or her body onto the back. However, even to a person who has appropriate flexibility, the handheld back brush often proves cumbersome to use as the person must maneuver the brush into various positions, often banging into the walls of the bathing enclosure and often employing each hand in turn, in order to effectively get all parts of the back scrubbed clean with the device. In short order, the person&#39;s hands get tired of holding and maneuvering the brush, especially if the brush is relatively long and has a relatively heavy implement end. 
     To address the problems associated with handheld back brushes, non-handheld back brushes have been proposed. Such devices are brushing or scrubbing elements that are mounted in some fashion to a surface, typically to a wall of the bathing enclosure or other appropriate mounting surface associated with the bathing enclosure. Such non-handheld brushes, which come in a wide variety of architectures, come in one of two broad forms, static and dynamic. A static device has its brushing implement in a fixed position relative to its mount so that once mounted, the brushing element does not move. A dynamic device has its brushing element rotate or otherwise articulate under the control of a motor, such rotation helping with the overall back cleaning process as well as adding an element of soothing comfort. While such devices, either static or dynamic, eliminate the need for a person to hold the brushing element, such devices are not without their own drawbacks. Many devices require alterations to the surface upon which they are to be mounted in order to mount such devices. Many people are not willing or able to make such alterations. Additionally, such devices position the brush element in a single fixed position so that a user must move his or her back up and down and side to side in order for the person&#39;s entire back to be cleaned by the device. Such maneuvering by the person may be awkward and difficult, if not impossible to perform, depending on the specific mount configuration and such maneuvering fails to contribute to expected soothing comfort—performing yoga-like maneuvers in a bathtub or shower enclosure may get the person&#39;s back clean, but may not prove to be overly fun. 
     What is needed is a mounted back brush system overcomes the above stated problems found in the art by allowing the system to be mounted at an appropriate location within a bathing enclosure without the need to make permanent alterations to any part of the bathing enclosure. Such a system must require little in the way of effort from the user in using the device to clean the person&#39;s entire back. Advantageously, such a system should be of relatively simple design and construction and be easy to use. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The motorized scrubbing system attachable to a wall surface of the present invention addresses the aforementioned needs in the art by providing a mounted brushing system that allows a person to clean all of his or her back in a bathing enclosure (bathtub, shower enclosure, etc.), without the need to vigorously move about the enclosure while interacting with the device. The present invention cleans the person&#39;s back and offers soothing and comforting experience. The motorized scrubbing system attachable to a wall surface mounts quickly and dismounts just as quickly from its wall surface which wall surface includes most surfaces within the enclosure that have appropriate relatively flat portions, including a wall or door of the enclosure or even a portion of the bathtub wall—the device can be mounted to other appropriate surfaces completely independent of the bathing enclosure such as an ordinary door. The motorized scrubbing system attachable to a wall surface is of relatively simple design and construction so as to be relatively inexpensive to produce using standard manufacturing techniques, so as to make the device relatively economical for potential consumers for this type of device. 
     The motorized scrubbing system attachable to a wall surface of the present invention is comprised of a body member that has a top and a bottom joined by a pair of opposing sides. The body member also has a front surface and a rear surface such that the front surface is contoured to approximate a contour of a typical human back. Such contouring is achieved by forming a channel between the top and the bottom such that the channel rises upwardly in the front surface facing direction in proceeding from the top toward the bottom, reaching a medially disposed crest between the top and the bottom, then curving downwardly to the bottom. A first suction handle is attached to the rear surface of the body member as is second suction handle. A first motor assembly is attached to the rear surface of the body member as is a second motor assembly. The first motor assembly has a first motor therein while the second motor assembly has a second motor therein. A first brush head is located about the front surface of the body member and is operationally connected to the first motor of the first motor assembly such that the first brush head rotates in response to output of the first motor while a second brush head is located about the front surface of the body member and is operationally connected to the second motor of the second motor assembly such that the second brush head rotates in response to output of the second motor. A first lever of the first suction handle applies suction to a first suction member of the first suction handle and the first lever is accessible through a first opening located on the body member while a second lever of the second suction handle applies suction to a second suction member of the second suction handle and the second lever is accessible through a second opening located on the body member. A series of additional openings is located on the body member. The front surface is symmetrical about a vertical midline extending between the top and the bottom recognizing that the screw holes do not figure into this symmetry. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is front elevation view of the back scrubbing system attachable to a wall of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a rear elevation view of the back scrubbing system attachable to a wall. 
         FIG. 3  is an environmental view of the back scrubbing system attachable to a wall attached to a wall surface. 
     
    
    
     Similar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views of the drawings. 
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring now to the drawings, it is seen that the motorized scrubbing system attachable to a wall surface of the present invention, generally denoted by reference numeral  10 , is comprised of a body member  12  that has a top  14 , a bottom  16 , a pair of sides  18 , a front surface  20 , and a rear surface  22 . As seen, the front surface  20  of the body member  12  is contoured to approximate the curvature of a typical human back (not illustrated). Specifically, extending between the top  14  and the bottom  16  is a channel  24  that curves upwardly in proceeding from the top  14  to the bottom  16 , reaching a crest  26  medially between the top  14  and the bottom  16 , then curving back downwardly to the bottom  16 . The very top of the channel  24 , that is, the very end portion of the channel  24  proximate the top  14  may flatten out. All curvatures of the front surface  20  are gradual in conformity to the natural curvature of a typical human back. The body member  12  is substantially symmetrical about either side of a vertical midline  28  passing through the channel  24  between the top  14  and the bottom  16  (this symmetry is not defeated by various screw holes having screws therein, the various screws discussed below). The body member  12  is made from an appropriate lightweight and sturdy material such as plastic. The body member  12  is formed as a single integral and possibly monolithic unit. 
     As seen, a series of first openings  30  is located within the body member  12 , substantially, possibly even exclusively within the channel  24 , although as these first openings  30  help channel water (discussed below) as well reduce overall weight of the device, additional first openings may be located on the wings of the channel  24 , the wings being the side portions of the channel that rise to the sides  18 . Two pairs of second openings  32  are located within the body member  12 , one pair of second openings  32  each on either side of the midline  28 , and a series of third openings  34  is located within the body member  12 . 
     Attached to the rear surface  22  of the body member  12  is a pair of suction handles  36 , one suction handle  36  each on either side of the midline  28 . Each suction handle  36 , which may be of any appropriate design known in the art, has a handle member  38  and one or advantageously as shown, two suction members  40  attached to the handle member  38  and a suction apply lever  42  located on the handle member  38 . Each suction handle  36  is positioned so that its suction apply levers  42  are accessible through a respective one of the second openings  32 . Attachment of each suction handle  36  to the rear surface  22  of the body member  12  is in any appropriate manner, such as by passing screws  44  through the body member  12  into appropriate screw bosses (not illustrated) on the suction handle  36 . 
     A series of motorized brush assemblies  46  is attached to the rear surface  22  of the body member  12  in spaced apart formation. Each motorized brush assembly  46  is comprised of a housing  48  holding a motor  50  therein as well as a battery  52  to power the motor  50  and one or more control switches  54  to control operation of the motor  50 . The control switches  54  may be push button, toggle, control knob, etc., as is well known in the art of control switches. Output of the motor  50  is translated into a shaft  56  coupled to the motor  50  with the shaft  56  passing through one of the third openings  34  on the body member  12 . Located on the end of the shaft  56  is brush head  58  of any desired configuration, each brush head  58  may be substantially similar to the others or various brush heads can be used in a single unit of the motorized scrubbing system attachable to a wall surface  10 . Advantageously, removal of a brush head  58  from the shaft  56  and placing a replacement brush head  58  thereon, is relatively quick and straightforward. Operation of the motor  50  causes rotation of the shaft  56  which also rotates its brush head  58 . The motor  50  may be configured in multiple ways so that the motor may be a simple one speed unidirectional motor so that the shaft  56  rotates at a single speed in a single direction of rotation, or the motor may be multispeed, or the motor may also be bidirectional with or without multiple speeds. If the motor is bidirectional, the direction of output of the motor and thus direction of rotation of the shaft  58  may be controlled via the one or more control switches  54 , or may be automated so the shaft  56  rotates in one direction for a given amount of time and upon expiration of this time, automatically changes direction of rotation. The amount of time between change of direction of rotation may be preset or may be set by a user via the one or more control switches  54 , which amount of time may be very rapid so that the shaft  56  changes direction of rotation very quickly so that the brush head  58  gives a pulsating feel. The battery  52  may be a changeable battery so that once the battery no longer has stored electricity, the housing  48  is opened in appropriate fashion, the old battery is removed and replaced with a fresh battery. Alternately, the battery  52  may be rechargeable within the housing  48  via an appropriate battery charger (not illustrated) as is well known in the art of internal battery charging. In either configuration, when the motorized brush assembly  46  is ready for operation, the housing  48  is appropriately sealed against internal moisture penetration in order to protect the motor  50  and the battery  52 . Attachment of each motorized brush assembly  46  to the rear surface  22  of the body member  12  is in any appropriate manner, such as by passing screws  44  through the body member  12  into appropriate screw bosses (not illustrated) on the motorized brush assembly  46 . 
     It is expressly recognized that the various motors may be controlled from a single control switch or set of switches located remote of each individual motorized brush assembly and attached to the body member  12  at an appropriate location and electrically connected to each motor in appropriate fashion, or such remote control switches may be wirelessly connected to each motor in any appropriate manner via an appropriate controller (such as a fob having a transmitter and each motor being connected to a corresponding receiver). 
     In order to use motorized scrubbing system attachable to a wall surface  10  of the present invention, each motor  50  is activated via its control switch  54  and the motorized scrubbing system attachable to a wall surface  10  is attached to a relatively flat surface of a bathing enclosure such as the illustrated wall W of a shower enclosure. The motorized scrubbing system attachable to a wall surface  10  is positioned so that each suction member  40  is positioned against the wall W so as to be able to suction attach thereto (no holes or other similar features at the area of attachment of the wall). Each suction member  40  is suction attached to the wall by articulating its suction apply lever  42  in the usual way through its second opening  32 . Once all suction members  40  are appropriately attached, the device is used by having the rotating brush heads  58  brush the back (or any other desired body surface of the user). The first openings  28  and the third openings  32  and to some extent the second openings help guide some water that flows through the channel  24  of the body member  12 . When use of the motorized scrubbing system attachable to a wall surface  10  is no longer desired, the suction of each suction member  40  is released via counter-rotation of the suction apply lever  42 —and possibly lifting the suction member  40  from the wall W via the small pull tab  60  located on the suction member  40 , the device is detached from the wall W, the motors  50  deenergized, and the device stored as desired. If the motors  50  can be deenergized without removal of the device from the wall W, the device may stay attached, however, a user runs the risk of the suction releasing on one or more of the suction members  40  and the device falling from the wall W possibly damaging the device or the surface upon which the device lands. 
     While the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to an embodiment thereof, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.