Patent ID: 7055187

Claim:
A bathing apparatus to assist bathing of a disabled bather, comprising: a bathtub having walls that define at least in part a floor and a ramp joining the floor; the ramp defining a slope with respect to the floor; a banister hingedly connected to and operable for rotation about a sidewall of the bathtub associated with defining the ramp, the banister when rotationally positioned for supported placement within the bathtub to extend over the ramp and over a substantial length of the floor, the banister comprising: a descending portion having a slope to allow a bather upon entry at the sidewall to slide his seat downwardly along the descending portion; and a bench portion that transitions longitudinally from the descending portion, the bench portion defined in part by a seating surface of a substantially horizontal extent along its length and disposed at a given height above the floor of the bathtub suitable for seating a bather.