Abstract:
A hand-held device for gripping a piece of toilet paper including a pair of opposing jaws that are attached to one end of a curved tubular body, and a handle, with a push button actuator for the jaws, that is attached to the opposite end of the tubular body. The device provides a person with a way to easily and conveniently clean the anal region minimizing the chance of exposing themselves to the potential health risks associated with contacting fecal matter. Additionally, the device may be sterilized by chemical or thermal methods.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/076,355, filed Feb. 27, 1998. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to hygienic devices and, in particular, to a hand-held device for gripping a piece of toilet paper which allows a physically challenged person to clean their anal region with comfort and convenience. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     Throughout history, the sanitary removal of fecal matter from the anal region has been of prime importance. Despite the progress in all fields of our standard of living and particularly the improvements in the field of hygiene, few changes have occurred in the method of cleaning the anus. The traditional method of using toilet paper requires the individual to hold the toilet paper in their hand while attempting to clean the anal region. This creates a potential health risk by exposing the person&#39;s hands to fecal matter. Also, some individuals, such the obese or physically challenged, may lack a sufficient range of motion in their arms or shoulders to reach behind themselves to their anal region. 
     In order to overcome some of the above problems, hand-held bidets were developed to spray a stream of water at the anal region, thereby flushing away any fecal matter (e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 4,570,274, Kaneko et al., and, Des. 279,924, Osgood). However, since these devices spray a stream of water, they can be messy or difficult to use, especially for a person that is physically challenged in some fashion. 
     In order to overcome the above mentioned problems, there is a need for a hand-held device which will grip a piece of toilet paper and will extend the reach of the user&#39;s arm, thereby allowing the person to easily and conveniently clean their anal region thereby minimizing the chance of exposing themselves to the potential health risks of contacting fecal matter. 
     Although inventions of similar appearance exist, none are functionally or structurally designed to accomplish the presently described purposes. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,569,274 discloses an endoscopic vascular clamping system and method. This is device is for temporally occluding a blood vessel and not for hygienic purposes. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,890,340 discloses a self-contained hand-held bidet. However, this device does not allow the user to grip a piece of toilet paper. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 3,019,447 discloses an apparatus for douching the anus that is attached to a water source by a plastic hose. Again, the device does not hold a piece of toilet paper. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 1,818,388 discloses a device for cleaning the anal region comprising a spray head that is attached to a water source. 
     None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In view of the foregoing limitations of hygienic devices described in the related art, the present invention provides an improved hand-held toilet paper gripping device that will grip a piece of toilet paper and will extend the reach of the users arm. Accordingly, a user can easily and conveniently clean their anal region, thereby minimizing the chance of exposing themselves to the potential health risks of contacting fecal matter. 
     The hand-held toilet paper gripping device includes a curved tubular body portion having a first body end and a second body end, a toilet tissue gripping apparatus, a handle, and a jaw actuating mechanism. The curved tubular body portion is made from a rigid, yet resilient, material so that the curved tubular body portion will not flex except if an amount of pressure is exerted which is potentially harmful to the user. The curved tubular body portion is used to extend the reach of a user. 
     The toilet tissue gripping apparatus is affixed to the second body end enabling the hand-held toilet paper gripping device to grip toilet tissue at the second body end. The handle is affixed to the first body end for handling the hand-held toilet paper gripping device. The jaw actuating mechanism is attached to the handle, the curved tubular body portion, and the toilet tissue gripping apparatus in a manner to selectively actuate the toilet tissue gripping apparatus between an opened position and a closed position for gripping toilet tissue. 
     Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to provide a hand-held toilet paper gripping device that will allow the user to clean the anal region in a sanitary manner. 
     It is another object of the invention to provide a hand-held toilet paper gripping device that extends the reach of a person&#39;s arm, thereby allowing a physically challenged person to more easily and conveniently reach the anal region. 
     It is a further object of the invention to provide a hand-held toilet paper gripping device that will securely grip a piece of toilet tissue. 
     Still another object of the invention is to provide a hand-held toilet paper gripping device that may be disinfected by conventional methods, such as thermal or chemical disinfecting. 
     It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof in an apparatus for the purposes described which is inexpensive, dependable and fully effective in accomplishing its intended purposes. 
     These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is an elevational side view of a hand-held toilet paper gripping device according to the present invention showing its jaws in an open state. 
     FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view drawn along lines  2 — 2  of FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 3 is an elevational side view of a hand-held toilet paper gripping device according to the present invention showing its jaws in a closed position. 
    
    
     Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring first to FIGS. 2 and 3 together, a hand-held device for gripping toilet paper  100  is shown including an curved tubular body portion  110  that is defined by a first body end  130  and a second body end  140 , a handle  400  that is attached to the first body end  130 , and a toilet tissue gripping apparatus  200  that is attached to the second body end  140 . The curved tubular body portion  110  should have sufficient rigidity so that flexion not occur unless a potentially harmful amount of pressure is exerted by the user. Materials characterized by such appropriate flexion may be determined by one of ordinary skill in art using conventional engineering methods to establish maximum and minimum bending properties. Such material choice includes plastics, molded or extruded, such as polypropylene, polyethylene, polyvinylchloride, etc. Nevertheless other materials, such as stainless tubular steel of various gauges, may also be used. In addition to flexion properties, such materials must have the appropriate surface characteristics for sterilization or resistance to antigermicidal cleaning with various solvents, such as alcohols and water, again suggesting plastics or surgical grade stainless steel as preferred choices. 
     The toilet paper gripping apparatus  200  includes a jaw support  210  that is attached to the second body end  140 . The jaw support  210  preferably has a cylindrical configuration with a closed, generally hemispherical end, or generally ellipsoidal, to provide a continuous, smooth, rounded surface both suitable for winding a length of toilet paper thereon, as well as, to prevent possible injury or irritation to sensitive tissues when contacting the anal region during wiping. A suitable material characterized by such appropriate smoothness may be determined by one of ordinary skill in art using conventional engineering methods. Such material choice may include plastics, molded or extruded, such as polypropylene, polyethylene, polyvinylchloride, etc. Again, in addition to the property of smoothness, the chosen material must have the appropriate surface characteristics for sterilization or resistance to antigermicidal cleaning with various solvents, such as alcohols and water, again suggesting plastics or stainless steel as a preferred choice. 
     The jaw support  210  defines a cavity having an opening  220 , appearing rectangular when viewed in plan view, for accommodating a first opposing jaw  230  and a second opposing jaw  300 . As seen in FIG.  1  and FIG. 3, each jaw  230 , 300  is a substantially rectangular panel which, as seen in FIG. 2, is arcuate in cross section to generally correspond to an arc of an ellipsoid. Each panel or jaw  230 , 300  is disposed adjacent to the other, sized and dimensioned together to cover the rectangular opening  220 , to form a flush surface with the remainder of the support  210  to complete the ellipsoidal or cylindrical shape. This is important to eliminate otherwise injurious protrusions which might nick the skin or anal tissues during wiping. Thus, the first opposing jaw  230  has a first jaw edge  240  that is mounted by a first hinge  250 , preferably a living hinge when plastics are used, to a first longitudinal edge  260  of the rectangular opening  220 . The second opposing jaw  300  has a second jaw edge  310  that is mounted by a second hinge  320  to a second longitudinal edge  330  of the rectangular opening  220 . The opposing edges of each first opposing jaw  230  and the second opposing jaw  300  thus define a first gripping edge  270  and a second gripping edge  340 , respectively, for gripping a piece of toilet paper  350  therebetween as the two panels come together at a juncture where they would otherwise contiguously meet, in effect, forming a pair of doors with which to capture a portion of the toilet paper in a closed state, as suggested by FIG.  3 . 
     As appreciated from FIGS. 1 and 3, the opening and closing of the first opposing jaw  230  and the second opposing jaw  300  is accomplished by a jaw actuating mechanism  500 . A rod  505  having a first rod end  515  and a second rod end  520  is located inside the elongated tubular body portion  110 . The first rod end  515  is attached to a connector  516  that extends into the handle  400 , and the second rod end  520  extends into the jaw support  210 . The connector  516  may be a cable or rod extending internally along and beyond the entire length of the tubular body  110 . 
     A push button actuator  525  is built into the handle  400 , and is operably attached to the connector  516 . A conventionally known trigger may be chosen as an actuator, which, when the push button actuator  525  is depressed, causes the rod  505  to be displaced toward the second body end  140 . A spring  530  disposed inside the first body end  130  is attached to the first rod end  515  and anchored to the tubular portion  110 , which spring  530 , by depressing the actuator  525 , is stretched providing a biasing force to later reset the actuator and jaws. The displacement of rod  505  causes first opposing jaw  230  and second opposing jaw  300  to open by a mechanism to be discussed below. When the push button actuator  525  is released, the spring  530  returns to its non-stretched length, thereby biasing first opposing jaw  230  and second opposing jaw  300  to a closed position  526  (FIG.  3 ). 
     Jaw support  210  contains a jaw actuator  535  for opening and closing first opposing jaw  230  and second opposing jaw  300 . Although any means of simultaneously opening and closing the jaws  230 , 300  may be adapted to the present invention by one of ordinary skill in the art, an exemplary means, as best seen in FIG. 2, of jaw actuator  535  has a first opposing connector  540  and a second opposing connector  555  mounted on a pivot arm  600  disposed in the cavity below opening  220 . The first opposing connector  540  is pivotally attached to the second rod end  520  at a first jaw connector end  545 . The first end  547  of a first opposing jaw extension  546  is pivotally attached to a first extension end  548  of the connector  540 . A second end  549  of first opposing jaw extension  546  is attached to the first opposing jaw  230 . 
     In an identical manner, second opposing connector  555  is pivotally attached to the second rod end  520  at a first jaw connector terminus  560 . The first terminus  562  of a second opposing jaw extension  561  is pivotally attached to a first extension terminus  563  of the connector  555 . A second terminus  564  of second opposing jaw extension  561  is attached to the second opposing jaw  300 . 
     An even simpler embodiment of the jaw actuator  535  can be achieved by eliminating the pivot arms  600  and first and second opposing jaw extensions  546 , 561 , and simply attaching the first extension end  548  and first extension terminus  563  to the first and second jaws  230 , 300 , respectively. 
     Thus, as seen in FIG. 3, when the push button actuator  525  is not depressed, first opposing connector  540  (and second opposing connector  555 , hidden) are both in an inclined position  570 . When the push button actuator  525  is depressed, as shown in FIG. 1, both first opposing connector  540  (hidden) and second opposing connector  555  are pivoted to a raised position  575 , thereby causing first opposing jaw  230  (hidden) and second opposing jaw  300  to be raised to an open position  527 . The toilet paper  350  can thus be inserted between jaws  230 , 300  as shown in FIG. 2, and the actuator  525  released, thus closing the jaws  230 , 300  pinching the toilet paper therebetween. The jaw support  210  thus supports the toilet paper and presents an uninterrupted surface of toilet paper for wiping of fecal matter. Moreover, the jaws  230 , 300  return to a closed position flush with the rest of the surface of the jaw support  210 , eliminating the risk of inadvertent nicks or irritation. 
     It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the sole embodiment described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.