Patent Publication Number: US-2023144622-A1

Title: Adjustable showerhead support system

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a Nonprovisional Application of pending U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/276,544, filed Nov. 5, 2021, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF INVENTION 
     This invention is directed to a showerhead support system, in particular, to an adjustable showerhead support system. 
     BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 
     A bath is one of life&#39;s simplest pleasures and a critical component of personal hygiene. Yet for some populations (e.g., the elderly or chronically ill) this is a major challenge. The purpose of a daily bath is not just cleanliness, but it also improves a person&#39;s self-image, emotional, and mental well-being, which has a direct impact on their physical well-being. Experts say that for the aging population, “losing the ability to bathe is associated with having falls, fracturing bones, and even being admitted to a nursing home.” In fact, nearly a quarter million people are injured in the bathroom each year, and 70% of them are injured while bathing. 
     Elderly individuals have difficulty with movement, specifically being able to stand for long periods of time and raise their arms over their head. This causes issues while bathing and makes it difficult for the elderly to wash their hair and back. 
     Similarly, temporarily limited people (those with broken bones, pregnant women, people recovering from surgery, etc.) are unable to stand in the shower or have limited range of motion due to their ‘ailment’. 
     For the above people, it is difficult to hold a showerhead for the duration of a shower due to weakened muscles. Showering can be messy if the flow of water is not properly contained, this is especially difficult when using a removable showerhead because there is no way to stabilize it. Moreover, some facilities don&#39;t allow people who would be otherwise independent to bathe themselves for fear of accidental strangulation with the shower hose. 
     To address these issues, there are currently two options on the market, (1) assisted or self-sponge bathing and (2) a stationary clip which holds the showerhead to the leg of a shower chair. Considering five categories for comparison: independence, flexibility, comfort, containment, and time saving, both current solutions are inadequate. 
     Sponge bathing does not offer independence, especially if it&#39;s assisted, then the person has no control over what is happening and if they do it themselves, it would be infeasible to reach their entire body. Similarly, this option does not offer flexibility as the person can only reach as much as their range of motion allows. In terms of comfort, during a sponge bath a person is exposed to the air whilst being washed, which leads to a very cold and uncomfortable experience. Additionally, sponge baths are often done in places outside of a shower, such as in a bed, which can be very messy because the water is not contained (i.e., poor containment). Lastly, bathing another person can be a time-consuming task and may require multiple people, depending upon how resistant a person is to being bathed. 
     A stationary clip does not enable full independence while bathing because the person is only able to reach the parts of their body which they can reach without assistance, which also means it lacks flexibility. Due to the limitations users may be facing, often times trying to wash their body, especially their back and hair, is uncomfortable and potentially painful. This also makes it difficult for the user to control the flow of water as there is nothing to stabilize the showerhead during the bathing process, which can lead to a mess. Thus, this solution does not provide containment. Lastly, the user will more than likely require assistance when using this, to get fully clean, which requires the time of multiple people. 
     Thus, it would be desirable to provide people with physical limitations a way to stabilize an adjustable showerhead that allows them the ability to bathe or take a shower independently. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, it is the subject of this invention to provide a clip-on shower chair attachment with a two-lever system that moves a removable showerhead along a track, laterally, up/down and forwards/backwards, enabling independence and promoting comfort while bathing. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG.  1    depicts a perspective view of a showerhead support system. 
         FIG.  2    depicts a front view of a shower head support system. 
         FIG.  3    depicts a rear view of s showerhead support system. 
         FIG.  4    depicts a right side view of a showerhead support system. 
         FIG.  5    depicts a left view of a showerhead support system. 
         FIG.  6    depicts a bottom view of a showerhead support system. 
         FIG.  7    depicts a top view of the a showerhead support system. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     List of Components 
     
         
         
           
             Showerhead support system— 10   
             Showerhead support assembly— 100   
             Cable track— 110   
             First cable— 115   a    
             Second cable— 115   b    
             Showerhead support track— 120   
             Showerhead support— 125   
             Showerhead— 130   
             Showerhead hose support— 135   
             Showerhead hose— 140   
             Showerhead handle— 145   
             Showerhead handle support— 150   
             First showerhead handle support brackets— 155   a    
             Second showerhead handle support brackets— 155   b    
             First showerhead support leg— 160   a    
             Second showerhead support leg— 160   b    
             First telescoping leg— 165   a    
             Second telescoping leg— 165   b    
             Showerhead support track cable— 170   
             Telescoping bracket— 175   
             Telescoping release lever— 180   
             First connector— 185   a    
             Second connector— 185   b    
             Support bracket— 190   
             Back track assembly— 200   
             Upper back track— 210   
             Lower back track— 220   
             First support leg— 225   a    
             Second support leg— 225   b    
             Upper support leg connector— 230   
             lower support leg connector— 235   
             Two-lever assembly— 300   
             Showerhead support track lever— 305   
             Showerhead support track lever handle— 310   
             Lock position  1 - 310   a    
             Lock position  2 - 310   b    
             Lock position  3 - 310   c    
             Showerhead support track lever connector— 315   
             Showerhead support assembly connector— 320   
             Back track lever handle locking button— 325   
             Back track lever— 350   
             Back track lever handle— 355   
             Back track wire— 360   
             Back track wire guide— 365   
             Chair connection assembly— 400   
             First chair connector— 405   a    
             Second chair connector— 405   b    
             Top stationary clip— 410   
             Left bottom stationary clip— 415   
             Right bottom stationary clip— 420   
             Right top stationary clip— 425   
             First counterbalance connector— 430   a    
             Second counterbalance connector— 430   b    
             First right counterbalance connector— 435   a    
             First left counterbalance connector— 435   b    
             Second right counterbalance connector— 435   cc    
             Second left counterbalance connector— 435   d    
             Chair— 450   
             Counterbalance assembly— 500   
           
         
       
    
     In one embodiment, the showerhead support system  10  helps facilitate showers for users that require a chair while showering. Showerhead support system  10  attaches to a chair  450  and provides an user with three degrees of freedom for the showerhead  130 , 1) front to back, 2)telescoping or height (that is, the showerhead  130  can be moved up and down to adjust for different heights of the user), and 3) side to side or laterally. In this way, showerhead support system  10  can provide shower spray to most areas of the body. 
     As shown in  FIGS.  1  and  2   , showerhead support assembly  100  is positioned vertically and includes cable track  110 , which includes first cable  115   a  and second cable  115   b . In one embodiment, first cable  115   a  and second cable  115   b  are attached to the top of cable track  110 . Cable track  110  is embodied as T-shaped component that has openings on either side to receive first showerhead support leg  160   a  and second showerhead support leg  160   b . At the bottom of cable track  110  is showerhead support track cable  170 . Although depicted as a T-shaped component, any suitable shape will work. In one embodiment, cable track  110  is made of plastic, but it is understood that any suitable material could be used. Another suitable material is aluminum. 
     First cable  115   a  and second cable  115   b  travel upward from cable track  110  and through showerhead support track  120 . Showerhead support track  120  is embodied as two parallel pieces connected by showerhead hose support  135  and is configured horizontally. At the back ends of both sides of showerhead support track  120 , there are openings to perpendicularly receive first showerhead support leg  160   a  and second showerhead support leg  160   b . At the front of showerhead support  120 , the two parallel pieces are connected perpendicularly by showerhead support  125 . 
     Showerhead support  125  supports showerhead  130  having showerhead handle  145  ( FIGS.  4  and  5   ). Showerhead  130  is connected to showerhead hose  140  ( FIG.  7   ) which is held up by showerhead hose support  135 . Showerhead hose support  135  keeps showerhead hose  140  out of the user&#39;s way and prevents accidental injury (e.g., strangulation) with the showerhead hose  140 . Although not depicted, showerhead hose  140  is connected a water source. 
     As best illustrated in side views  FIGS.  4  and  5   , showerhead  130  is connected to showerhead handle  145 , which is supported by showerhead handle support  150 . Showerhead support track  120  has first showerhead handle support brackets  155   a  and second showerhead handle support brackets  155   b  attached horizontally on either side of showerhead support track  120  and attached to showerhead handle support  150 . First showerhead handle support bracket  155   a  is closer to showerhead  130  and is shorter than second showerhead handle support bracket  155   b , which is further back from showerhead  130 . Because first showerhead handle support bracket  155   a  is shorter than second showerhead handle support bracket  155   b , showerhead handle support  150  is at an angle between 5 and 85 degrees with respect to showerhead support track  120 . 
     Turning to  FIG.  3   , showerhead  130  is capable of being moved along showerhead support track  120 , which includes first and second cables  115   a ,  115   b , that are connected to showerhead support  125 , showerhead handle support  150  and first and second showerhead handle support bracket  155   a ,  155   b . When cable track  110  is raised or lowered, first and second cables  115   a ,  115   b , provide the first degree of freedom  1 ) front to back. That is, if cable track  110  is lowered, then showerhead  130  will move back towards the back of the user (and closer to the water source) and if cable track  110  is raised, then showerhead will move forward towards the front of the user (and further away from the water source). As cable track  110  is raised or lowered, showerhead support  125 , showerhead handle support  150  and first and second showerhead handle support bracket  155   a ,  155   b  all move along showerhead support track  120 . Cable track  110  is raised or lowered by showerhead support track cable  170 , which is moved by showerhead support track lever  305  and this is described below. 
     Also shown in  FIG.  3   , first and second showerhead support legs  160   a ,  160   b , are connected to first and second telescoping legs  165   a ,  165   b , by way of telescoping bracket  175 , which has openings at the top for receiving first and second showerhead support legs  160   a ,  160   b , and openings at the bottom for receiving first and second telescoping legs  165   a ,  165   b . Telescoping bracket  175  is further secured to first and second showerhead support legs  160   a ,  160   b , by way of first and second connectors  185   a ,  185   b.    
     First and second showerhead support legs  160   a ,  160   b , have a larger diameter than first and second telescoping legs  165   a ,  165   b . Telescoping bracket  175  includes telescoping release lever  180 , which impinges on first and second telescoping legs  165   a ,  165   b , such that first and second showerhead support legs  160   a ,  160   b , are prevented from sliding over first and second telescoping legs  165   a ,  165   b . When pressure is applied to telescoping release lever  180 , it disengages first and second telescoping legs  165   a ,  165   b , thereby allowing first and second showerhead support legs  160   a ,  160   b , to slide over first and second telescoping legs  165   a ,  165   b . Once the desired height is reached, pressure can be released from telescoping release lever  180  so that is again impinges on first and second telescoping legs  165   a ,  165   b , thereby preventing first and second showerhead support legs  160   a ,  160   b , from moving. 
     Thus, telescoping bracket provides the second degree of freedom  2 )telescoping or height. By adjusting the placement of first and second showerhead support legs  160   a ,  160   b , with respect to first and second telescoping legs  165   a ,  165   b , the showerhead  130  will be positioned to the desired height for any individual using the showerhead support system  10 . 
     First and second telescoping legs  165   a ,  165   b , are also connected to first and second support legs  225   a ,  225   b  by way of support bracket  190 , which has openings at the top for receiving receiving first and second telescoping legs  165   a ,  165   b  openings at the bottom for receiving first and second support legs  225   a ,  225   b.    
     Below support bracket  190 , upper and lower support leg connectors  230 ,  235 , both have openings at the top to receive first and second support legs  225   a ,  225   b . Additionally, upper support leg connector  230  has openings at the bottom such that first and second support legs  225   a ,  225   b , can be threaded through and then end at lower support leg connector  235 . 
     In addition to providing support for first and second support legs  225   a ,  225   b , upper and lower support leg connectors  230 ,  235 , connect to upper and lower back tracks  210 ,  220 , thereby forming back track assembly  200 . Ultimately, back track assembly  200  provides the third degree of freedom, 3) side to side movement, which allows showerhead  30  to move side to side. 
     Upper and lower back tracks  210 ,  220 , are configured to allow upper and lower support leg connectors  230 ,  235 , respectively to slide left to right. Upper and lower back tracks  210 ,  220 , may be straight across or may be curved. On either the front or back side of upper and lower back tracks  210 ,  220 , there are tracks or slots for upper and lower support leg connectors  230 ,  235 , to engage or interlock with such that the showerhead support assembly  100  may be moved left or right. Upper Although the FIGS. all depict back track assembly  200  located in front of shower support assembly  100  with respect to chair  450 , in other embodiments, back track assembly  200  may be located behind shower support assembly  100 . As will be discussed below, the left to right location of showerhead support assembly  100  may be locked in place. 
       FIG.  4    depicts a right side view of showerhead support system  10  and back track assembly  200 , while  FIG.  5    depicts a left side view. As can be seen, upper and lower back tracks  210 ,  220 , are further configured to connect to first and second chair connectors  405   a ,  405   b , thereby forming chair connection assembly  400 . First and second chair connectors  405   a ,  405   b , are connected to the top of chair  450  by way of top stationary clip  410  and both connectors angle down towards the bottom of chair  450  and then curve in under the seat of chair  450  to connect to counterbalance assembly  500  by way of first and second counterbalance connectors  430   a ,  430   b . Also shown are left and right bottom stationary clips  415 ,  420 , which connect counterbalance assembly  500  to the left and right side of the seat of chair  450 , respectively, by way of first right, first left, second right, second left counterbalance connectors  435   a ,  435   b ,  435   c ,  435   d , ( FIG.  6   ). 
       FIG.  6    best illustrates counterbalance assembly  500  and first right, first left, second right, second left counterbalance connectors  435   a ,  435   b ,  435   c ,  435   d . These connectors are attached to counterbalance assembly  500  and extend horizontally therefrom towards either the right or left side of the seat of chair  450  and then curve upwards in order to connect to left bottom stationary clip  415  or right bottom stationary clip  42 . In the case of first and second right counterbalance connectors  435   a ,  435   c , these connectors travel through right bottom stationary tip  420  and continue upwards and end at right top stationary clip  425 . Left bottom, right bottom, and right top stationary clips  415 ,  420 ,  425 , all have openings to allow the connectors to connect. 
     Counterbalance assembly  500  provides a counterbalance to showerhead support system  10  by lowering the center of gravity such that showerhead support system  10  does not cause chair  450  to fall over. Counterbalance assembly  500  is any combinations of weights that is suitable to offset the weight of showerhead support system  10 . 
     As further described below, two-lever assembly  300  includes showerhead support track lever  305  and back track lever  350 , which make it easier to control the motion of showerhead  130  and control of the flow of water. The levers are connected to pulleys that help control the motion of the system. The two-lever assembly  300  is connected to low force springs that will provide low resistance but still bring the motion systems back to their original positions. Although not depicted, two-lever assembly  200  may be placed on the left side of chair  450  to allow anyone to use the levers with the dominate arm and to accommodate different shower spaces. 
     As seen in  FIGS.  1  and  4   , right top stationary clip  425  is configured such that it can accommodate a horizontally positioned showerhead support track lever  305 . Showerhead support track lever  305  is connected to showerhead support track lever connector  315 , which is configured to connect to showerhead support assembly connector  320 , which perpendicularly connects showerhead support track lever  305  to showerhead support assembly  100  or chair  450 . 
     Showerhead support track lever  305  has an attached showerhead support track lever handle  310 . In one embodiment, back track lever handle  310  is embodied as a handle with a ball on top for users with arthritis and joint discomfort so it will be easier for them to grip. Optionally, multiple back track lever handles may be designed to be interchanged dependent upon user need. 
     Showerhead support track lever  305  and showerhead support track lever handle  310  are connected to showerhead support track cable  170  as best seen in  FIG.  4   . As showerhead support track lever handle  310  is moved, showerhead support track cable  170  is either pulled or let loose, causing cable track  110  to move up or down. Cable track  110  then moves both first and second cables  115   a ,  115   b , along showerhead support track, thereby moving showerhead  130  forwards or backwards. 
     In a preferred embodiment, showerhead support track lever  305  also has openings to lock in showerhead support track lever handle  310 . Starting closest to the back of chair  450 , showerhead support track lever  305  includes showerhead support track lever handle lock positions  1 ,  2 ,  3 ,  310   a ,  310   b , and  310   c , respectively. This will then adjust the showerhead in three main positions, in front of the user&#39;s head, above the user&#39;s head, and behind the user&#39;s head, respectively. 
     Also shown in  FIG.  4   , back track lever  350  includes back track lever handle  355 . As best seen in  FIG.  3   , back track wire  360  is connected to back track lever handle  355  and back track wire guide  365 , which is connected to first support leg  225   a . As can be imagined, when back track lever handle  310  is moved backward with respect to chair  450 , back track wire  360  is loose with respect to back track wire guide  365  allowing back track assembly  200  to be to the left side of chair  450 . When back track lever handle  310  is moved forward, back track wire  360  is taut with respect to back track wire guide  365  and back track assembly  200  will move to the right side of chair  450 . Back track handle  310  may be moved to any position between complete backward and complete forward and the location of back track assembly  200  will follow. 
     As described above, upper back track  210  and lower back track  220  are both configured with tension coils that extend along the upper and lower back tracks  210 ,  220  if back track lever handle  355  is moved forward. Alternatively, the tension coils wrap inside of upper and lower back tracks  210 ,  220 , as back track lever handle  355  is moved backward. In this way, back track assembly  200  is able to move side to side. 
     In one embodiment, back track lever handle  355  may include a discrete locking mechanism, such as a back track lever handle locking button  325 , which may be configured as push button locking mechanism ( FIG.  5   ). 
     Features of the Invention 
     In a preferred embodiment, the showerhead support system  10  clips to the seat of the shower chair, rather than to the back of the shower chair, thereby fitting a wider range of shower chairs. It is noted that all shower chairs have seats/benches, but not all shower chairs have backs. 
     In one embodiment, the back track assembly  200  is curved to allow a wider range of motion, i.e., to enable a user to reach the sides and front of their body, even their legs and feet. This also saves on space to allow the showerhead support system  10  to be used in smaller showers. 
     In another embodiment, there is a clip (not shown) that holds showerhead  130  in place to stabilize it during the bathing process, which reduces the mess and increases user control. The clip has multiple angles in which it can be set, adding another degree of freedom. 
     As described above, the two-lever assembly  300  makes it easier to control the motion of the showerhead and the flow of water. The levers are connected to pulleys that help control the motion of the system. These lever systems are connected to low force springs that will provide low resistance but still bring the motion systems back to their original positions. By locking the moving parts of the apparatus the user has greater control of water flow. By adding easy to use locking mechanisms, the user can position the showerhead where they want and not have to worry about additional physical strain of controlling the water flow. 
     Optional Features of the Disclosure 
     In one embodiment feet may be attached to the bottom of the showerhead support system  10 , thereby providing it with more stability when necessary. 
     Materials and Construction 
     In most embodiments, showerhead support system  10  will be constructed mainly out of plastic and metal, mostly aluminum. It is noted that any suitable material may be used to make the various components of showerhead support system  10 . 
     The connectors will be mostly constructed from molded plastics except for the connectors that connect directly to the chair. Those connectors will be fabricated in aluminum to ensure a strong rigid mount while also keeping the overall system lightweight and corrosion resistant. The connectors themselves will be covered with a rubber insulation to both help with the grip onto the surface while also making it a more comfortable surface for the user when they sit on it. 
     Optionally a hose guard may be provided and will be originally molded out of polycarbonate plastic. It is noted that the optional hose guard may be made of sheet metal. 
     The back track assembly  200  will be initially manufactured out of aluminum but could be changed to plastic later if it is determined that the track can handle the forces. This would make the showerhead support system  10  more lightweight. 
     The showerhead clip will be prefabricated and be mostly created out of plastic except for the eyebolts that are used to connect the cabling from the pulleys to the showerhead clip. 
     The two-lever assembly  300  will be aluminum to ensure a strong, rigid connection to the cable and pulley system. They will be covered in a rubber over mold to make the surface softer and more user friendly. 
     Key and Distinguishing Features 
     The features of showerhead support system  10  provide its users with independence, flexibility, comfort, containment, while saving time. In terms of independence and flexibility, showerhead support system  10  has multiple degrees of freedom (flexibility) and a low resistance lever system which enables the user to shower without assistance, except potentially setting the chair and shower up. Showerhead support system  10  puts less strain on the individual and allows them to stay in the warm water for the duration of the bathing process, which provides a more comfortable and pleasurable bathing experience. The combination of showerhead holster and hose guard ensure that the flow of water is controlled and thus contained. Showerhead support system  10  promotes independence while bathing making it more pleasurable and eliminating the need for assistance, which ultimately saves time. 
     Alternative Embodiments 
     In an alternative embodiment, the levers can be placed on either the right or left side of the chair to allow anyone to use the levers with the dominate arm and to accommodate different shower spaces. Additionally, there is a locking mechanism for each lever, which holds the showerhead in a fixed position for comfort and ease of use. 
     In one alternative embodiment, the chair could come configured with showerhead support system  10  instead of making it a clip. This could also help eliminate a lot of potential issues with attaching the device to other chairs. 
     It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that while the showerhead support system  10  has been described in detail herein, the invention is not necessarily so limited and other examples, embodiments, uses, modifications, and departures from the embodiments, examples, uses, and modifications may be made without departing from the process and all such embodiments are intended to be within the scope and spirit of the appended claims.