Patent Publication Number: US-2004049841-A1

Title: Commode chair

Description:
FIELD OF INVENTION  
       [0001] The present invention relates to commode chairs and, in particular, relates to commode chairs which are positionable for assisting exit and entry from the chair and for facilitating defecation by persons using the chair.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002] Physically challenged persons require comfortable and convenient toilet seating facilities. To this end, known commode chairs have been designed to offer basic support for the back, buttocks, arms, legs and feet for persons using such chairs.  
       [0003] Known commode chairs, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,343,573 and 5,289,596, include seats which are substantially horizontal and flat. Also, the backrests of known commode chairs have limited positioning capabilities. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,110,183 and 5,224,754 disclose a commode chair with a positionable backrest. However, positioning capabilities of the associated backrest is limited.  
       [0004] In this respect, known commode chairs, although satisfying basic support requirements, do not provide for optimum positioning of persons using these chairs in regards to assisting such persons when defecating. Further, the design of such commode chairs does little to assist a health care professional who is attempting to seat a physically challenged person in or lift such person out of the commode chair.  
       SUMMARY OF INVENTION  
       [0005] The present invention provides a commode chair having a seat comprising a generally central opening, a lateral outer edge, and a support surface disposed between the lateral outer edge and the opening sloping downwardly in a direction towards the opening.  
       [0006] In one aspect, a commode chair is provided having a seat comprising a generally central opening, a right lateral outer edge and a left lateral outer edge, a front outer edge and a rear outer edge, and a depression disposed between the right lateral outer edge and the left lateral outer edge, rearwardly of the front outer edge, and extending forwardly from the opening.  
       [0007] In another aspect, a commode chair is provided comprising a frame, and a seat having a generally central opening, the seat being pivotally coupled to the frame and having a first seating position and a second seating position. The first seating position is characterized by a position of tilt which is different than that of the second seating position.  
       [0008] In yet another aspect, a commode chair is provided comprising a frame, a seat having a generally central opening, and a backrest pivotally coupled to the frame and having a first backrest position and a second backrest position. The first backrest position is characterized by a position of inclination which is different than that of the second backrest position. At least one of the first backrest position and the second backrest position has a position of inclination forward of vertical.  
       [0009] In yet a further aspect, a commode chair is provided comprising a seat having a generally central opening and a lateral outer edge, and an armrest disposed laterally from the lateral outer edge and having a first armrest position and a second armrest position. The first armrest position is characterized by a lateral position which is different than that of the second armrest position.  
       [0010] By providing support surfaces which slope downwardly in a direction towards the generally central opening, the thighs of a person sitting in the chair will tend to roll in a generally inward direction, which facilitates defecation. The depression helps reduce the risk that male persons using the chair will not suffer injury to their genitalia as they are removed from the chair by their caregivers. Further, by being able to incline the backrest forward of vertical, a person sitting in the chair will be forced to bend forwards, and thereby adopt a more favourable position for defecation. Similarly, the tiltability of the seat also facilitates defecation, and further assists a caregiver in removing persons from the chair particularly when the seat is tilted at an angle below the horizontal. The lateral moveability of the armrests is also advantageous because it facilitates adaptability of the chair to persons of various body sizes. 
     
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
     [0011] The invention will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:  
     [0012]FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a commode chair of the present invention;  
     [0013]FIG. 2 is a back elevation view of a commode chair of the present invention;  
     [0014]FIG. 3 is a side elevation view of the commode chair of the present invention, having a backrest which is shown reclined at an angle rearward of vertical;  
     [0015]FIG. 4 is a side elevation view of the commode chair of the present invention, having a backrest which is shown reclined at an angle forward of vertical;  
     [0016]FIG. 5 is a top plan view of a commode chair seat of the present invention;  
     [0017]FIG. 6 is a front elevation view of a commode chair seat of the present invention;  
     [0018]FIG. 7 is a front perspective view of another embodiment of the present invention;  
     [0019]FIG. 8 is a detailed drawing of an embodiment of an extendible support member of the commode chair of the present invention; and  
     [0020]FIG. 9 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a commode chair seat of the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
     [0021] Referring to FIGS. 1,2,  3  and  4 , a commode chair  10  is illustrated comprising a seat  12  with a generally central opening  14 , a backrest  16 , and a frame  18  which supports the seat  12  and backrest  16  on a floor surface. The seat has lateral sides  12   a,   12   b  and the backrest  16  has lateral sides  16   a,   16   b.    
     [0022] Backrest lateral sides  16   a,   16   b  are pivotally coupled to seat lateral sides  12   a,   12   b  respectively to allow backrest to be positioned at a desired degree of inclination relative to the floor surface. Backrest  16  is further supported by extendible support members  26   a,   26   b.  Extendible support members  26   a,   26   b  allow backrest  16  to be locked in a fixed position of inclination. Each of the extendible support members  26   a,   26   b  is pivotally coupled at one end to the backrest  16 , and is further coupled at another end to strut members  28   a,   28   b  which are in turn fixedly coupled to the seat  12 . Strut members  28   a,   28   b  can also be fixedly coupled anywhere on frame  18  so long as the backrest  16  is able to change its position of inclination in response to a change in extension of support members  26   a,   26   b.  Backrest  16  and extendible support members  26   a,   26   b  co-operate such that backrest  16  is capable of being fixedly positioned at an angle forward of vertical. The vertical position is defined as the position where the backrest  16  is disposed at an angle of about 90° relative to the seat  12 . Preferably, the backrest  16  is positionable at an angle of at least about 5° forward of vertical. More preferably, the backrest  16  is positionable at an angle of at least about 10° forward of vertical. When a person is sitting in chair  10 , the forward inclination of backrest  16  causes such person to bend forwards, and thereby adopt a bodily position which is conducive to defecation.  
     [0023] The frame  18  comprises a pair of fixed front support members  20   a,   20   b  pivotally coupled to a front portion  12   c  of seat  12 , and a pair of extendible rear support members  22   c,   22   d  pivotally coupled to a rear portion  12   d  of seat  12 . The rear support members  22   c,   22   d  are made extendible to effect support and positioning of the seat  12  at various angles of tilt. The front support members  20   a,   20   b  and rear support members  22   c,   22   d  are engaged to a common base  24  to form frame  18 . Seat  12  and extendible support members  22   c,   22   d  co-operate such that seat  12  is capable of being fixedly positioned at an angle ranging from 20° above the horizontal to 45° below the horizontal.  
     [0024] Referring to FIG. 7, in one embodiment, frame  18  further includes upper lateral frame members  23   a,   23   b  pivotally coupled to and extending rearwardly from front support members  20   a,   20   b  on either side of chair  10 . Seat  12  includes lateral sides  12   a  and  12   b  which are coupled to frame members  23   a,   23   b  in snap fit engagement. In this respect lateral sides  12   a  and  12   b  are formed with outer edges  32   a  and  32   b  which include downward reverse bends  33   a  and  33   b  to form arcuate flanges  35   a  and  35   b  (see FIG. 6). Arcuate flanges  35   a  and  35   b  mate with frame members  23   a  and  23   b  for frictional engagement or snap fit engagement thereto.  
     [0025] In this respect, chair  10  includes both back recline and seat tilt capabilities. Advantageously, backrest  16  can be inclined forward of vertical and seat  12  can be tilted below the horizontal, simultaneously. By providing forward inclination of backrest  16 , a person sitting in chair  10  will be forced to bend forwards, thereby facilitating defecation. Further, because seat  12  is tilted below the horizontal, the centre of gravity of such person will be moved rearwardly. Therefore, when in this configuration, backrest  16  will simultaneously provide support to a person sitting in chair  10  while causing the person to bend in a forwardly direction. Preferably, to effect this desired positioning, backrest  16  is positioned at an angle of at least 5° forward of vertical and seat  12  is positioned at an angle of at least 5° below horizontal.  
     [0026] Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, seat  12  includes a generally central opening  14  to facilitate drainage of body wastes from a person sitting in chair  10  into a receptacle  13  (see FIGS. 3 and 4), and a perimeter  30  surrounding opening  14 . Perimeter  30  provides support to a person sitting in chair  10 . Perimeter  30  has a surface defined by lateral outer edge  32  and an inner edge  34 . Lateral outer edge  32  includes right lateral outer edge  32   a  and left lateral outer edge  32   b.  The inner edge  34  helps define a space which serves as the opening  14  to facilitate drainage of body wastes.  
     [0027] The perimeter  30  has support surfaces  36   a,   36   b  between each of the right and left lateral outer edges  32   a,   32   b  and the opening  14 . More particularly, the surfaces  36   a,   36   b  are disposed between a front outer edge  38  and a rear outer edge  40  of seat  12 . The support surface  36   a  or  36   b  slopes downwardly in a direction towards the opening  14 , such that support surfaces  36   a,   36   b  provide a reaction surface to cause the thighs of a person sitting in chair  10  to roll in a generally outward direction. The support surfaces  36   a,   36   b  slope downwardly at an angle of at least 5° below the horizontal. Preferably, this angle is at least 10° below the horizontal. More preferably, this angle is at least 15° below the horizontal. Most preferably, this angle is at least 20° below the horizontal. Preferably, support surfaces  36   a,   36   b  have a length of at least 4 cm in the direction of the slope. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 6, the support surface  36   a  extends from a region  41   a  proximate the right lateral outer edge  32   a  to a region  43   a  proximate the opening  14 . Similarly, the support surface  36   b  extends from a region  41   b  proximate the left lateral outer edge  32   b  to a region  43   b  proximate to the opening  14 . By providing support surfaces  36   a,   36   b,  the body of a person sitting in the chair  10  will adopt a desirable position in regards to facilitating defecation. In particular, bowel movement of a person sitting in chair  10  is greatly facilitated in response to having his or her thighs rolled inwardly.  
     [0028] The seat  12  further includes a support surface  42  positioned rearwardly of the opening  14  and a weir  44  extending upwardly from the surface  42 . The weir  44  is substantially perpendicular to the surface. In this respect, weir  44  provides a barrier to contain body wastes should the body wastes of a person using chair  10  inadvertently travel towards to rear end of seat  12  rather than draining through opening into an associated receptacle  13 .  
     [0029] In one embodiment, seat  12  further includes a depression  46 , disposed generally between lateral outer edges  32   a  and  32   b,  rearwardly of front outer edge  38 , and extending forwardly from opening  14 . The depression  46  gradually slopes downwardly from a region  49  rearward of front outer edge, to form sloping surface  48 , and extends to the inner edge  34  or opening  14 . Preferably, the sloping surface  48  is substantially uninterrupted and gradual. People who use these chairs often require assistance from caregivers in being removed from the chair  10 . In doing so, caregivers typically remove such persons from across the front side edge of seat  12 . By providing this depression, men who use these chairs  10  are less likely to suffer injury to their genitalia when being removed from the chair  10  by the caregiver.  
     [0030] Referring to FIGS. 1, 3 and  4 , the chair  10  further comprises first and second armrests  50   a  and  50   b  positioned adjacent to each of the lateral sides  12   a  and  12   b  of seat  12 . Each armrest is laterally moveable with respect to the seat  12 . In this respect, the armrest  50   a  or  50   b  is releasably mounted on the chair  10  with releasable clamps  52   a,   52   b.  In one embodiment, the armrest  50   a  or  50   b  is slidably mounted on the underside  53  of seat  12 . In this respect, the underside  53  of seat  12  includes frame member  54   a  and  54   b  disposed substantially perpendicular to the plane defined by the armrest  50   a  or  50   b.  Armrests  50   a  and  50   b  are mounted on the corresponding frame members  54   a  and  54   b  by releasable clamps  52   a  and  52   b.    
     [0031] A footrest  56  is also provided, having a footplate  56   a  and leg rest  56   b  for supporting the feet and legs respectively of a person sitting in chair  10 . Footrest  56  can be engaged to the front end of frame  18 . In one embodiment, the footrest  56  is probably connected to frame  18  for pivotal rotation about pivot point. Extendible support member  58  is provided to effect support and positioning of footrest  56  at various elevated positions above the floor surface. In another embodiment, the footrest  56  can be engaged to seat  12 , thereby travelling with seat  12  as seat  12  is positioned and re-positioned at various angles of tilt. In yet another embodiment, footrest  56  can be operatively connected to backrest  16 . In this respect, the footrest  56  becomes elevated or lowered in response to recline and incline respectively of backrest  16 .  
     [0032] In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, extendible support members  22   a,    22   b,    26   a,    26   b  and  58  include gas springs containing a compressible gas which exert an upward force on corresponding members which they support to resist a downward weight of a person sitting in the chair  10 . A suitable gas spring is a BLOC-O-LIFT spring locking gas spring using a Bowden cable system, and as manufactured by Stabilus GMBH. A detailed drawing of the extendible support members  22   a,   22   b,    26   a,   26   b,  and  58 , comprising gas springs, is provided in FIG. 8.  
     [0033] The gas spring is a closed system consisting of a pressure tube  102  and a hollow piston rod  104  extending from the pressure tube  102 . Piston rod  102  terminates in a piston within pressure tube  102 . A compressed gas is provided within tube  102 . The pressure tube  102  is separated into first and second chambers by a valve (not shown). The valve is actuated by a release pin which extends from the valve and through the piston rod  104 , and extends externally of the piston rod  104  for actuation by release plate  106 . When the valve is open in response to depression of the release pin, the piston rod will be extended in a controlled, dampered manner at the defined gas spring force. The piston rod can further be compressed by application of an external force to overcome the gas spring force when the valve is open. As soon as the actuator pin is released from the outside, the valve will close automatically because of the gas pressure exerted on it. The piston or piston rod is then locked, as gas exchange between the chambers is interrupted. The cylinders may thus be releasably locked in a desired position when the chair seat  12  or backrest  16  is tilted to a desired position. In one embodiment, such valve is manually controlled by wires  80   a,   80   b,    80   c,    80   d,  and associated manual levers  82   a,   82   b,    82   c,   82   d  which thereby control locking of the cylinders (see FIG. 2). Alternatively, such extendible support members can be lockable helical springs or a ratchet mechanism.  
     [0034] Front wheels  60   a,   60   b  and rear wheels  62   a,   62   b  extend downwardly from frame  18  to allow health care professionals to easily transport patients who may be sitting or reclining in the commode chair  10 .  
     [0035]FIG. 9 illustrates a further embodiment of commode chair seat  12 , wherein chair seat  12  includes a seating surface  90  including a raised surface  92  and a recessed surface  94 . The recessed surface  94  is disposed proximate to and extends from opening  14 , but is spaced inwardly from all edges of the seat  12 .  
     [0036] It will be understood, of course, that modifications can be made in the embodiments of the invention described herein without departing from the scope and purview of the invention as defined by the appended claims.