Device for providing assistance in donning garments equipped with sleeves

A device is able to provide assistance to a person in donning a garment (10) equipped with sleeves. This device includes fixed tubular elements (2); movable parts (3) which are attached to the tubular elements (2) in such a way as to be able to slide along a path composed of a vertical segment (v) and a subsequent horizontal segment (o) of the tubular elements (2); pincers (4) which are supported by the movable parts (3) and which are able to grasp a part of the garment (10), holding it over the entire path; a drive motor (6) which is able to cause the movable parts (3) to translate along the path in both directions of motion; and a base which supports the entire device that is adjustable in height.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
This invention pertains to the area of devices for assisting persons 
suffering from a handicap or disability, even of a transient nature, which 
keeps them from making full or proper use of their arm joints or 
shoulders. 
2. Description of the Related Art 
The inventor has noted that, owing to conditions of arthrosis, arthritis, 
etc., as well as to simply the sequelae of previous traumas involving the 
arms, the shoulders and/or the torso, many people, particularly those of 
advanced years, experience serious and sometimes insurmountable problems 
in donning garments equipped with sleeves, e.g., shirts, jackets, or 
overcoats. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The inventor has thus set himself the goal of providing a device which, 
while being simple and practical, is able to actually assist users in 
donning garments of the type described, allowing them to avoid making the 
unnatural movements and the contortions that would often be necessary 
otherwise.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
The inventor has determined how it is possible to assist a person in 
donning a garment 10 that is equipped with sleeves by suspending, with 
appropriate pincers 4, garment 10 in the vertically extended position (see 
FIG. 6), with the entry holes of the sleeves opened wide, and by causing 
the pincers 4 themselves to travel along a path (FIG. 1) in such a way as 
to raise the garment 10 (segment v), into whose sleeves the user has first 
slipped his hands, up to the height of the shoulders, and then moving it 
approximately horizontally (segment O) toward the user's body until the 
collar of garment 10 has reached a point near the neck. 
By now unlocking pincers 4, opening them and releasing garment 10, the user 
will now have donned the garment 10 without having had to rotate his arms 
or torso. 
To accomplish this operation, the device in question can be implemented in 
a number of different ways, two of which are favored by the inventor (but 
which are neither limiting nor restrictive) and are described below. 
In the first embodiment (FIGS. 2 and 3), the support structures used are 
two hollow tubular elements 2 which have a vertical segment and a 
basically horizontal segment; said segments are connected by a curved 
part. 
Both of the tubular elements 2 have a full-length groove 8 over virtually 
their entire length. 
In the lower part of each tubular element 2, on the inside, are the 
following: a threaded pin 9 and a nut 13 that is engaged with said pin 9 
and is firmly attached to a bolt 11, which is also aligned coaxially 
inside tubular element 2. 
At the upper end of said bolt 11, there is attached a helical spring 12 
which is of a predetermined length and is selected in such a way as to 
have considerable flexibility, and to the upper end of said spring 12, 
there are attached the pincers 4, which are shaped and attached in such a 
way as to be able to slide along said full-length groove 8, extending 
outside of tubular element 2, with its parts being prepositioned for 
grasping a garment 10. 
Nut 13 is mounted by known methods in such a way that, after threaded pin 9 
is turned and since said nut 13 is coaxial inside of said pin 9, said nut 
13 is able to translate only and cannot be dragged along with the 
rotational movement owing to the friction of threaded pin 9 itself. The 
latter is attached at its lower end to transmission parts 3, which are 
either toothed or of another type and which, by means of known systems, 
connect them to a small electric motor 6 mounted on 9 support base 1, 
which supports tubular elements 2. When the small motor 6 drives, its 
rotation causes threaded pin 9 to rotate and consequently causes nut 13 to 
translate, along with bolt 11 which is securely attached to said nut 13, 
consequently causing helical spring 12 and pincers 4, which are attached 
to said nut 13, to turn as well. When small motor 6 drives in the upward 
direction of pincers 4, said pincers 4 then slide along groove 8 and 
travel along an essentially L-shaped path (corresponding to segments v, o, 
c in FIG. 1) along tubular element 2. The last, approximately horizontal 
segment can, in point of fact, be traversed owing to the flexibility of 
spring 12, which readily adapts to the shape of said tubular element 2. 
The same producer occurs with regard to the other tubular element 2, and 
since the transmission parts between small motor 6 and two threaded pins 9 
are dimensioned in such a way as to ensure the identical linear movement 
of two pincers 4 as motor 6 accomplishes the same rotation, the garment 
(10 in FIG. 6) is lifted parallel to itself in the way described above. 
The inventor states that small motor 6 is to be actuated by means of a 
pedal switch 7 located in the lower part of support base 1 of the device. 
When depressed, said pedal 7 can cause the motor 6 to drive in such a way 
as to raise pincers 4 and lower them when released, or said pedal 17 can 
regulate the various phases of the operation with the aid of a programmer 
device of a known type that is already used for household appliances, or 
it can operate in different ways as dictated by the particular 
requirements of the user. 
Pincers 4 are thus equipped with basically known mechanical or magnetic 
systems which cause them to release and open when they reach their 
end-of-travel positions at the ends of the horizontal segments, thus 
releasing the garment 10, which has now been donned. 
A second sample embodiment is depicted in FIGS. 4 and 5. The operation of 
the device is quite similar to that described above, and all of the 
various working parts are also quite similar, except for those which are 
prepositioned in order to convey motion between the small electric motor 6 
and helical springs 12 which support pincers 4. As said FIGS. 4 and 5 
show, said pincers 4 are composed of a system of retractable tie rods 14 
which interconnect motor 6 and springs 12, and ultimately pincers 4, via 
return pulleys 15 in such a way as to be able to move said pincers 4, 
themselves in both directions of motion, thereby ensuring the identical 
translation each time said small electric motor 6 accomplishes the same 
rotation. 
The individual design details are not presented here since they refer to 
drive systems which are otherwise familiar to persons skilled in the art. 
The power supplied by the small electric drive motor 6 is selected in such 
a way as to be able to accomplish one operating cycle within a reasonably 
short time without, however, giving rise to the risk of pulling on or 
otherwise injuring the user through abrupt movements. 
In order to achieve good results along these lines, a friction coupling is 
inserted between the small motor 6 and the devices driven by it, 
regardless of what form said parts may take in various embodiments, in 
such a way as to limit the torque that can be transmitted in any case. 
This kind of approach is not depicted but is readily imaginable for one 
skilled in the field of mechanics. 
In order to make it possible for the device to be used regardless of the 
user's height, the inventor has thus made provision for designing the 
support base 1 overall in such a way as to be adjustable in height by 
means of, e.g., coaxial telescoping or toothed devices which are equipped 
with a locking device 1'. 
It is clear that the two examples described and depicted here do not 
exhaust all of the possible embodiments of a device according to the 
invention, which embodiments can be implemented by modifying the shape of 
the component parts, but even such embodiments will remain within the 
scope of the protection conferred by this patent since they are based on 
what is presented in the attached claims.