Abstract:
A bathroom seat has a frame that includes a pair of substantially straight bars and a pair of side members. The pair of substantially straight bars have opposed ends. The pair of side members each have a pair of openings on opposite sides. Each of the openings is adapted to receive an end of a different one of the bars.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0002]     This invention relates generally to bathroom seats and the like, and more particularly to a bathroom seat having a frame that can be manufactured inexpensively and shipped and stored in a small and economical container.  
         [0003]     2. Description of Related Art  
         [0004]     To prevent bathroom accidents, many physically challenged persons use bathroom seats such as bath chairs, specialty comrnodes, and transfer benches. A bath chair is especially designed to aid a person&#39;s mobility within a bathroom. For example, a typical bath chair is positioned in the bath tub or shower prior to use, and a user sits in a seat of the bath chair while taking a bath or shower. Most bath chairs have legs with suction cups or rubber feet to keep the bath chair stable and to prevent surfaces contacted by the legs from being scratched. Many bath chairs have handgrips that aid those with balance problems and to make it easier to remove the bath chair from the tub.  
         [0005]     Transfer benches aid those that find it difficult to get in and/or out of a bath tub. A typical transfer bench includes a seat that slides on a pair of rails such that the seat can be positioned partially in and partially out of the bath tub. A user sits on the seat positioned outside of the bath tub, then slides the seat along the rails until the seat is located in the bath tub.  
         [0006]      FIG. 1  is a perspective, exploded view of a known transfer bench  20  including a seat  22  for a user to sit in while bathing. The transfer bench  20  includes a frame  24  having a front bar  26  and a rear bar  28  connected to a right support bar  30  and a left support bar  32 . As shown in  FIG. 1 , the front bar  26 , the rear bar  28 , the right support bar  30 , and the left support bar  32  are connected together via several fasteners  34 . The seat  22  is connected to horizontal middle sections of the front bar  26  and the rear bar  28  via gliding elements  34 . The horizontal middle sections of the front bar  26  and the rear bar  28  form a pair of rails that the seat  22  slides along.  
         [0007]     Users of bathroom seats often need to take their seats with them when traveling. Unfortunately, assembled bathroom seats are relatively large and bulky. For example, a problem arises with the transfer bench  20  of  FIG. 1  in that while the transfer bench  20  may be partially disassembled for transport by removing the fasteners  34 , at least one tool is required to partially disassemble the transfer bench  20  for transport and to reassemble the transfer bench  20  at a destination. In addition, the fasteners  34  (and/or the tool or tools) may be lost during transport. It would be advantageous to have a bathroom seat that does not require a tool for disassembly and/or reassembly.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0008]     The present invention provides a frame for use in a bathroom seat. The frame includes a pair of substantially straight bars having opposed ends; and a pair of side members each having a pair of openings on opposite sides, wherein each of the openings is adapted to receive an end of a different one of the bars.  
         [0009]     A primary objective of the present invention is to provide a bathroom seat having advantages not taught by the prior art.  
         [0010]     Another objective is to provide a bathroom seat having a frame that can be manufactured inexpensively.  
         [0011]     A further objective is to provide a bathroom seat having a frame that can be shipped and stored in a small and economical container.  
         [0012]     Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following more detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING  
       [0013]     The accompanying drawings illustrate the present invention. In such drawings:  
         [0014]      FIG. 1  is a perspective, exploded view of a known transfer bench including a seat for a user to sit in while bathing;  
         [0015]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a frame for a bathroom seat including a pair of bars coupled between a pair of side members, wherein upper ends of legs of the side members connect to ends of the bars;  
         [0016]      FIG. 3  is a side elevation view of one of the connections of  FIG. 2  between an upper end of one of the legs and an end of one of the bars;  
         [0017]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of one embodiment of a transfer bench including a seat slidely coupled to the frame of  FIG. 2 ;  
         [0018]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of the frame of  FIG. 2  suitable for use in a bath chair;  
         [0019]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the bath chair once the seat has been mounted upon the frame;  
         [0020]      FIG. 7  another embodiment of the frame of  FIG. 2  suitable for use in a commode; and  
         [0021]      FIG. 8  is a perspective view thereof once the commode has been mounted upon the frame. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0022]     As shown in  FIGS. 2-8 , the bathroom seat may be, for example, a transfer bench, a bath chair, or a commode, and the terms seat and bathroom seat should be construed to include of these variations, as well as alternative embodiments that would be obvious to one skilled in the art.  
         [0023]     In one embodiment, shown in  FIG. 2 , the frame  40  may include a first side member  42  and a second side member  44 , and a first bar  46  and a second bar  48 . The first and second bars  46  and  48  are adapted to be connected between the first side member  42  and the second side member  44 . The first side member  42  may include two legs  50 A and  50 B, each having an upper leg portion  80  and a lower leg portion  82 . The lower leg portions  82  of the legs  50 A and  50 B are substantially straight and define axes of the legs  50 A and  50 B that are substantially vertical. The upper leg portions  80  are shown in  FIG. 3 , and described in greater detail below.  
         [0024]     In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 2 , the first side member  42  also includes a support bar  52  connected between the upper ends  80 C of the legs  50 A and  50 B. The support bar  52  rigidly connects the upper ends  80 C of the legs  50 A and  50 B and defines a distance between the upper ends  80 C of the legs  50 A and  50 B. The support bar  52  has two opposed ends and a middle section. The middle section is substantially straight and defines an axis of the support bar  52 . The ends of the support bar  52  are curved away from the axis in the same direction such that the ends of the support bar  52  are angular. The support bar  52  is substantially “U”-shaped, and is inverted when connected to the upper end  80 C of the legs  50 A and  50 B. The legs  50 A and  50 B and the support bar  52  are preferably formed from metal tubing, and the support bar  52  is preferably welded to the upper ends  80 C of the legs  50 A and  50 B. Welding is preferred other known connecting means as it not only reduces an overall size of connections, it also results in a product that has smooth lines and is visually appealing.  
         [0025]     The first bar  46  and the second bar  48  are substantially identical. The first bar  46  and the second bar  48  are substantially straight, and each has two opposed ends and a middle section. As described in more detail below, the upper end  80 C of the leg  50 A of the first side member  42  has an opening adapted to receive one of the ends (i.e., a corresponding end) of the first bar  46 . The upper end  80 C of the leg  50 A connects to the corresponding end of the first bar  46  at a connection  54 . Similarly, the upper end  80 C of the leg  50 B of the first side member  42  has an opening adapted to receive one of the ends (i.e., a corresponding end) of the second bar  48 . The upper end  80 C of the leg  50 B connects to the corresponding end of the second bar  48  at a connection  56 .  
         [0026]     In the embodiment of  FIG. 2 , the first side member  42  includes a hand rail  58  connected to the legs  50 A and  50 B and the support bar  52  of the first side member  42 . The hand rail  58  has two ends and a middle section. As shown in  FIG. 2 , one end of the hand rail  58  is connected to the leg  50 A and the corresponding end of the support bar  52 , and the other end of the hand rail  58  is connected to the leg  50 B and the corresponding end of the support bar  52 . When the frame  40  is assembled as shown in  FIG. 2 , the middle section of the hand rail  58  is elevated above the middle section of the support bar  52 . Like the legs  50 A and SOB and the support bar  52 , the hand rail  58  is preferably formed from metal tubing. The hand rail  58  is preferably welded to the upper ends  80 C of the legs  50 A and SOB and the ends of the support bar  52 .  
         [0027]     The second side member  42  includes two legs  60 A and  60 B that are constructed in a similar manner to the leg  50 A.  
         [0028]     The second side member  44  also includes a support bar  62  connected between the legs  60 A and  60 B. The support bar  62  is substantially similar to the support bar  52 . The support bar  62  rigidly connects the legs  60 A and  60 B and defines a distance between the upper ends of the legs  60 A and  60 B. The support bar  62  has two opposed ends and a middle section. The middle section is substantially straight and defines an axis of the support bar  62 . The ends of the support bar  62  are curved away from the axis in the same direction such that the ends of the support bar  62  are angular. The support bar  62  is substantially “U”-shaped, and is inverted when connected to the legs  60 A and  60 B. The legs  60 A and  60 B and the support bar  62  are preferably formed from metal tubing, and the support bar  62  is preferably welded to the legs  60 A and  60 B.  
         [0029]     The upper end  80 C of the leg  60 A of the second side member  44  has an opening adapted to receive the other end (i.e., a corresponding end) of the first bar  46 . The upper end  80 C of the leg  60 A connects to the corresponding end of the first bar  46  at a connection  64 . Similarly, the upper end of the leg  60 B of the second side member  44  has an opening adapted to receive the other end (i.e., a corresponding end) of the second bar  48 . The upper end of the leg  60 B connects to the corresponding end of the second bar  48  at a connection  66 .  
         [0030]     As described above, the legs  50 A-SOD, the support bars  52  and  62 , and the hand rail  58  are preferably formed from metal tubing. The metal tubing may be, for example, stainless steel tubing. Alternately, the metal tubing may be anodized aluminum tubing.  
         [0031]      FIG. 3  is a side elevation view of the connection  54  of  FIG. 2 , which illustrates the upper leg portion  80  of the leg  50 A. The upper leg portion  80  includes a first portion  80 A, a curved portion  80 B, and an upper end  80 C. The first portion  80 A is straight along the axes of the leg  50 A, to enable the telescopic engagement of the upper leg portion  80  with the lower leg portion  82 . The curved portion  80 B is curved away from the axes of the leg  50 A such that the upper ends  80  of the legs  50 A and  50 B are angular and end in the upper end  80 C that is substantially horizontal and approximately 90 degrees from the axes of the legs  50 A and  50 B. The upper end  80 C is adapted to engage the corresponding end  72  of the first bar  46 . It is noted that the other connections  56 ,  64 , and  66  of  FIG. 2  are similar to the connection  54 . The upper end  80 C is preferably generally horizontal, while the first portion  80 A is preferably generally vertical. For purposes of this disclosure, the terms generally horizontal, generally vertical, and approximately 90 degrees should all be construed on the basis of functionality and not on precise geometric measurements. These terms should be constructed to include any angles with respect to the ground that are functionally equivalent for supporting the seat, and should not be construed to limit the claims to narrow and specific geometries.  
         [0032]     As described above, the upper end  80 C of the leg  50 A has an opening  74  adapted to receive the corresponding end  72  of the first bar  46 . In the embodiment of  FIG. 3 , the opening  74  in the upper end  80 C of the leg  50 A has an inner diameter that slightly exceeds an outer diameter of the corresponding end  72  of the first bar  46 . That is, the end  72  of the first bar  46  is a “slip fit” into the opening  74  in the upper end  80 C of the leg  50 A.  
         [0033]     Further, in the embodiment of  FIG. 3  the connection  54  is a push-button lock connection. As shown in  FIG. 3 , the end  72  of the first bar  46  includes a spring-loaded button  76  extending outward from an outer surface, and the upper end  80 C of the leg  50 A has a corresponding hole  78 . To form the connection  54  during assembly of the frame  40 , the button  76  is depressed, and the end  72  of the first bar  46  is slid into the opening  74  in the upper end  80 C of the leg  50 A until the spring-loaded button  76  pops into the corresponding hole  78 . When the button  76  is positioned in the hole  78 , the first bar  46  is substantially rigidly connected to the upper end  80 C of the leg  50 A. To separate the first bar  46  from the upper end  80 C of the leg  50 A during disassembly of the frame  40 , the button  76  positioned in the hole  78  is depressed, and the end  72  of the first bar  46  is slid out of the opening  74  in the upper end  80 C of the leg  50 A.  
         [0034]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of one embodiment of a transfer bench  90  including seat  92  slidely coupled to the frame  40  of  FIG. 2 . In the embodiment of  FIG. 4 , the seat  92  is slidely coupled to the middle section of the first bar  46  (and optionally to the second bar  48 ) via gliding elements  94 . The seat  92  is provided for a user to sit in while bathing in a bath tub. The substantially parallel middle sections of the first bar  46  and the second bar  48  form a pair of rails along which the seat  92  can slide via the gliding elements  94 . The user may use the hand rail  58  to slide to the seat  92  along the middle sections of the first bar  46  and the second bar  48 , thereby entering or leaving the bath tub.  
         [0035]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of the frame  40  of  FIG. 2 . As shown in  FIG. 6 , this embodiment is suitable for use when the seat is a bath chair  84 . In the embodiment of  FIG. 5 , the first bar  46  and the second bar  46  are shorter, and the hand rail  58  is not included. The bath chair  84  may be coupled to the first bar  46  and the second bar  48  of the frame  40  of  FIG. 5 .  
         [0036]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of another embodiment of the frame  40  of  FIG. 2  suitable for use when the seat is a commode  86 , as shown in  FIG. 8 . In the embodiment of  FIG. 7 , the first bar  46  and the second bar  46  are shorter, and a second hand rail  100 , similar to the hand rail  58 , is connected to the legs  60 A and  60 B and the support bar  62  of the second side member  44 . The commode  86 , shown in  FIG. 8 , may be mounted on the first bar  46  and the second bar  48  of the frame  40  of  FIG. 7  such that a tank  88  is supported thereunder.  
         [0037]     As claimed, the invention focuses on the preferred embodiment wherein the upper end  80 C of the leg  50 A has the opening  74 , and the corresponding end  72  of the first bar  46  fits into the opening  74 . It should be understood, however, that this terminology is specifically defined to include the opposite configuration wherein the leg  50 A fits into an opening (not shown) of the corresponding end  72  of the first bar  46 .  
         [0038]     While the invention has been described with reference to at least one preferred embodiment, it is to be clearly understood by those skilled in the art that the invention is not limited thereto. Rather, the scope of the invention is to be interpreted only in conjunction with the appended claims.