Patent Publication Number: US-5836035-A

Title: Adjustable shower back cleaner

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to devices for cleaning the back of a showering person, particularly but not necessarily, a physically disabled person. More particularly, the present invention relates to an easily mounted, easily adjusted and easily used shower back cleaner. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     Showering is routine for physically able persons, but can be something of a challenge for physically disabled persons. Even so, whether a person is or is not physically able, cleaning of the back is quite difficult, in that one&#39;s hands cannot reach the middle back area. 
     It is possible to reach the middle back area using some sort of hand-held handled brush or sponge, wherein the handle enables the brush or sponge to reach the middle back. However, for persons having a physical disability, the manipulations necessary to achieve this result may be difficult or impossible to realize. Also, persons who are physically able, may find the necessity to use a hand-held handled brush or sponge to be annoying or otherwise undesirable. As a result, it would be beneficial if a brush or sponge could be used by a showering person which would reach the middle back, yet not require the necessity of being hand-held. 
     Devices for cleaning the back of a showering person are known in the art whereby a brush or sponge is mounted to a shower wall. Some devices, such as represented by U.S. Pat. No. 4,008,503 to Tharp, dated Feb. 22, 1977 are rotatably powered and are generally mechanically complex, and may include options, such as a soaper. Other devices are less mechanically involved, such as a slidably adjustable brush described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,901,760 to Nelson, dated Sep. 1, 1959. 
     While a spectrum of shower back cleaners are known, there yet remains needed in the art a shower back cleaner which is structured for being easily and selectively mounted with respect to a shower wall, is easily repositionable to optimally interface with the backs of each respective user of the shower, and is easily used to clean the back during a shower even by physically disadvantaged persons. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is a shower back cleaner which is structured for being easily and selectively mounted with respect to a shower wall, is easily repositionable to optimally interface with the backs of each respective user of the shower, and is easily used to clean the back during a shower even by physically disadvantaged persons. 
     The back cleaner according to the present invention is composed, generally, of a mounting rail, a mounting member for connecting the mounting rail to a shower wall, a base, a cleaning member (preferably in the form of a brush or sponge) which is connected with the base, and a cam means for connecting the base to the mounting rail wherein the base is slidable along the mounting rail and is affixable at any selected location along the mounting rail by a simple turn of the base in relation to the mounting rail. 
     The cam means is composed of a flanged slot formed in the mounting rail and a cam connected with the base. The cam is trappingly situated in the flanged slot. Rotation of the cam provides a selective amount of abutting force of the cam with respect to sidewalls of the flanged slot, ranging from zero force wherein the base is freely slidable in relation to the mounting rail to a level of force wherein the base is frictionally frozen with respect to the mounting rail. 
     In operation, a user attaches the mounting rail to a shower wall via the mounting member which is preferably in the form of a plurality of double sided adhesive foam strips. Each shower user then adjusts the height of the base so that the cleaning member will suitably interface with their respective back by turning the base to release or freeze it slidably in relation to the mounting rail via the selective camming action of the cam. 
     Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a shower wall mountable back cleaner which is easily height adjustable. 
     It is a further object of the present invention to provide a shower wall mountable back cleaner which is easily height adjustable by simple movements which can be performed by persons having limited hand dexterity. 
     These, and additional objects, advantages, features and benefits of the present invention will become apparent from the following specification. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a partly sectional side view, showing the shower back cleaner according to the present invention in a typical environment of operation. 
     FIG. 2 to a front plan view of the shower back cleaner according to the present invention. 
     FIG. 3 is a side view of the shower back cleaner according to the present invention. 
     FIG. 4 is a partly sectional view of the shower back cleaner, seen along line 4--4 in FIG. 2. 
     FIG. 5 is a partly broken away, partly sectional rear view of the shower back cleaner, seen along line 5--5 in FIG. 3, wherein the base is rotatably positioned to permit free slidability thereof with respect to the mounting rail. 
     FIG. 6 is a partly broken away, partly sectional rear view of the shower back cleaner as generally seen in FIG. 5, wherein now the base rotated in relation to the mounting rail such that the base is slidably frozen. 
     FIG. 7 is a partly broken away, partly sectional side view of the base of the shower cleaner according to the present invention, wherein now a cleaning member in the form of a sponge, rather than a brush, is depicted. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring to the Drawing, FIGS. 1 through 3 generally depict a shower back cleaner 10 according to the present invention. The shower back cleaner 10 is, as shown in FIG. 1, attached to a shower wall 12. The shower back cleaner generally includes a cleaning member 14, and is adjustable so that the cleaning member is selectively locatable at an optimum location to cleaningly interface with the middle back 16 of a showering person 18. In operation, the person moves his or her back in relation to the cleaning member 14 so as to cause the cleaning member to clean the middle back 16. The preferred structural material of the base 26 and the mounting rail 20 is plastic, preferably formed by a conventional plastic molding operation. 
     As shown best by FIGS. 2 and 3, the shower back cleaner 10 includes an elongated mounting rail 20 having a rear side 20a and an opposite front side 20b. The rear side 20a of the mounting rail 20 is attachable to a shower wall 12 via a mounting member 22. The front side 20b is provided with a flanged slot 24 running along its length for interconnecting with a base 26 which carries the cleaning member 14. 
     The preferred form of mounting member 22 is a plurality of strips of double-sided adhesive foam 22a (see FIG. 4), wherein a user removes a protective covering to expose an adhesive at the outwardly facing side of the foam which is then pressed to the shower wall 12 (which is clean and dry at the time of application) to thereby affix the mounting rail 20 thereto. The mounting member 22 may be otherwise constituted, such as for example screws, suction cups or glue. 
     The flanged slot 24 includes a bottom wall 24a, opposing sidewalls 24b and opposing flanges 28 which overhang the sidewalls in perpendicular relation thereto and in parallel relation to the bottom wall. The flanges 28 are mutually spaced apart to provide an entry gap 30. 
     The ends 32a, 32b of the mounting rail 20 are provided with end caps 34 which define the terminal ends of the flanged slot. Each end cap 34 has a projection portion 34a which is slidably received into the flanged slot 24, wherein the flanges 28, sidewalls 24b and bottom wall 24a provide a tight fit with respect thereto. Each end cap 34 is preferred to have an inclined surface 34b at the flanged slot 24 for facilitating drainage of shower water therefrom. 
     The base 26 has, preferably, a round periphery 26a; however, other geometrically shaped peripheries are possible. It is preferred for the periphery 26a to be coarsely knurled by indentations 26b for facilitating a person to grab and rotate the base 26 by hand. 
     A front face 26c of the base 26 is generally flat and connected with the cleaning member 14. In FIGS. 1 through 4 and 7, the depicted cleaning member 14 is in the form of a brush 36, which is most preferred. In FIG. 7, the depicted cleaning member 14 is in the form of a sponge 38. As shown in FIG. 4 the bristles 36a of the brush 36 are anchored in a conventional manner into the front face 26c of the base 26. As shown in FIG. 7, the sponge 38 is attached to the front face 26c of the base 26 by a non-toxic, water stable adhesive 38a. 
     A rear face 26d of the base 26 is provided with a cam 40 which perpendicularly projects therefrom at the geometrical center thereof via a stem 42. The stem 42 extends about the height of the flanges 28 (in relation to the bottom wall 24a) and has a diameter a little less than the gap 30 (see FIG. 4). The cam 40 is dimensioned to be received into the flanged slot 24, wherein the flanges 28 overhang the cam. Accordingly, the flanges interferingly prevent the cam 40 from being dislodged from the mounting rail 20. In order to place the cam 40 into the flanged slot 24, one or the other of the end caps 34 is slidingly removed from the mounting rail 20 so that the cam can be slid into the flanged slot. Thereafter, the removed end cap 34 is slid back into place on the mounting rail 20, thereby trapping the cam 40 in the flanged slot 24. 
     As shown best by FIGS. 5 and 6, the cam has two spiraling cam surf aces 44a, 44b which are mutually diametrically opposed. Since the cam 40 and its stem 42 are fixedly connected with the base 26, rotation of the base results in simultaneous rotation of the cam. The combination of the flanged slot 24 and the cam 40 provide a cam means which connects the base 26 to the mounting rail 20 and provides for adjusting the position of the base along the mounting rail. 
     As shown at FIG. 5, the cam 40 can be rotated to an adjustment position wherein the cam surfaces 44a, 44b provide a diameter, as measured directly between opposed sidewalls 24b of the flanged slot 24, which is less than the distance between the opposed sidewalls. In this position, since the cam 40 has play with regard to the flanged slot 24, the base 26 is freely slidable along the mounting rail 20 (see arrows A and B). 
     As shown at FIG. 6, the cam 40 is rotated (see arrow C) in the direction of increasing spiral of the cam surfaces 44a, 44b to an affixment position wherein the cam surfaces provide a diameter, as measured directly between opposing sidewalls 24b of the flanged slot 24, which is just more than the distance between the opposed sidewalls. In this position, since the cam is tightly jammed against the sidewalls 24b, the base 26 is slidably frozen in relation to the mounting rail 20. 
     Ribs 46 are located on the rear face 26d of the base 26 which project from the rear surface sufficiently to serve as outboard stabilizers in abuttable relation to the shower wall 12; that is, the ribs 46 project a distance slightly less than the rear side 20a of the mounting rail 20 (see FIG. 4). The ribs 46 ensure that an untoward amount of mechanical strain is not applied to the cam 40 and its stem 42 during a back cleaning episode, since the ribs will abut the shower wall 12 when the peripheral areas of the base are pressed toward the shower wall. Preferably, the ends 46a, 46b of the ribs 46 abut the mounting rail at, respectively, each of the adjustment and affixment positions of the cam 40 (see FIGS. 5 and 6). 
     In operation, the user affixes the rear side of the mounting rail to a selected location on a shower wall, wherein the length of the mounting rail provides locations for the cleaning member to be locatable at the middle back of known or likely users of the shower. Each user (where necessary for optimum performance of the shower back cleaner) rotates the base to free the cam in relation to the flanged slot, whereby free movement of the base along the mounting rail is made possible. The base is then slid to a location on the mounting rail where the cleaning member is situated centrally with respect to the middle back of the user. The user then rotates the base oppositely to thereby cammingly jam the cam in the flanged slot, whereby the base is slidingly frozen in relation to the mounting rail. Now the user takes a shower and cleans his or her middle back by moving his or her back abuttably about the cleaning member. The next shower user makes a similar adjustment of the location of the base, if necessary. 
     To those skilled in the art to which this invention appertains, the above described preferred embodiment may be subject to change or modification. Such change or modification can be carried out without departing from the scope of the invention, which is intended to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.