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Device for assisting disabled personsDevice for assisting disabled persons description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070085405, Device for assisting disabled persons. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] The present application is the continuation of the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) Application Number PCT/EP2006/009767, filed Oct. 10, 2006, entitled "DEVICE FOR ASSISTING DISABLED PERSONS"; which designated all states including the United States of America; the subject matter of which hereby being specifically incorporated herein by reference for all that it discloses and teaches; and claims priority from the European Patent Application, Number 05022034.2, filed Oct. 10, 2005, the subject matter of which also hereby being specifically incorporated herein by reference for all that it discloses and teaches. [0002] The present invention relates to a device for disabled, impaired or handicapped persons or patients in reaching or maintaining a standing position in which they can be transported, undressed, dressed, and/or washed in the abdominal region, for example in connection with visits to the toilet. The device is intended for assisting persons that have reduced strength and control, and is not suitable for completely lamed or fully disabled persons. BACKGROUND ART [0003] In nursing and home care toilet seats and integral toileting assisting devices are used to raise and lower patients or persons e.g. in connection with toilet visits. WO 2004/098479 discloses a toilet chair that can move a seat between upper and lower positions, during which movement the seat and thus the patient sitting on it is continuously gradually inclined backwards in the movement to the upper position and forwards in the movement to the lower position. At the end of a toilet visit the seat is moved to the raised and rearwardly inclined position so that a care giver will have access to the abdominal region for cleaning or washing and to the lower garments for dressing. [0004] However, the inventor of the present invention has realized that the neither the access to the abdominal region nor the ease of dressing is optimal in the reclined position. Undressing and dressing the lower garment in the reclined position is hampered by the contact of the person's rear abdominal region with the seat. It can therefore be difficult to put a patient's pants up since the patient rests with a substantial part of his/her weight on the seat. Elderly persons often use diapers, which are even more difficult to place correctly when the person to be assisted rests with a part of his/her weight on rear abdominal region. Further, the rearwardly inclined position is often experienced by patients as humiliating. [0005] In nursing and home care a variety of standing and lifting aids have been developed. Most of there devices are based on a pivoting lifting arm with sling attached thereto, in combination with a footplate and a knee support, as known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,918,771. The lifting arm pivots from a substantially horizontal position upwards. All of these devices are based on the principle that the centre of gravity is positioned well behind the footplate/knee support during almost the complete lifting procedure so that the person "hangs" in the sling that is positioned around the persons back and/or abdominal region. With the centre of gravity of the person to be assisted so far behind the footplate/knee support the weight carried by the sling to the person to be assisted is quite significant, which leads to a high load on back and shoulders of the person to be assisted. Thus, there is a need for improving standing and raising aids, toileting chairs and assistive devices. DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION [0006] The inventors of the present invention have realized that the procedure of assisting a person from a seated to a substantially standing system can be improved by keeping the center of gravity of the person to be assisted less far behind the foot plate/knee support. [0007] Further, the inventors of the present invention have realized that access to the abdominal region and ease of undressing and addressing of the lower garments will be highly improved when the person to be assisted is in a substantially standing position leaning somewhat forward. [0008] Based on this insight, there is provided an improved device for assisting a person to move from a seated position on a seat to a substantially standing and at least slightly leaning forward position and vice versa. The device comprises a frame, a knee or shin support carried by said frame, a torso support movably suspended from said frame, at least a part of the torso support having a preferably substantially transversely and extending support surface that is disposed in front of the torso of the person to be assisted, the torso support is operably connected to actuating means for moving said torso support from a first position in which the lower to middle part of the torso and eventually also the underarms of the person to be assisted can rest thereon whilst the person to be assisted is in a seated position with his/her torso at least slightly bended forward to a second position in which the torso and eventually the arms of the person to be assisted can rest thereon whilst the person to be assisted is in a standing and at least slightly leaning forward position. [0009] The novel use of a torso support, allowing person to be assisted to lean thereon with his/her torso and eventually underarms results in a standing aid on which the person to be assisted is leaning as opposed to hanging in a sling in the prior art devices. When properly used, the centre of gravity of the person to be assisted is not far behind or even above the knee support throughout the procedure. This results in an ergonomically improved raising procedure, with significantly less load on the back of the person to be assisted. Further, the resulting standing whilst leaning slightly forward position offers a much less humiliating position for undressing and dressing and washing of the abdominal region. [0010] The torso support may comprise a transversely extending and forwardly inclined main support surface disposed substantially right in front of the torso of the person to be assisted. Such an almost upright and preferably upholstered support surface increases confidence in the device by the user and of course also increases comfort of use. [0011] The torso support may also comprise underarm support surfaces, one on opposite sides of said main support surface. This measure further increases the confidence in the device by the user and of course also increases comfort of use, since this measure provides an additional support for the users body, thereby spreading the load and reducing the risk of overloading any body part. [0012] The torso support may further comprise two handles that move in unison with the torso support. These handles are preferably disposed in front of the main support surface for holding by the hands of the person to be assisted. The distance between the main support surface and the handles is preferably adjustable. [0013] At the start of the raising procedure the underarm support extends substantially horizontally from the torso support towards the handles. [0014] The torso support may be able to tilt forward about a transversely extending axis disposed within the torso support, preferably against the force of a resilient member. [0015] Preferably, the first position is substantially above the seat and the second position is substantially above or in front of the knee or shin support The upper arms of the person to be assisted can during the raising procedure be directed substantially downwards whilst the underarms and the torso of the person to be assisted rest on the torso support. [0016] Most of the movement of the torso support is in a forward direction, whilst a simultaneous movement upwards is typically of a lesser magnitude. Thus, the second position may be higher than the first position. [0017] Preferably, the first and second positions are adjustable within a range of positions in order to adapt the device to the characteristics of the person to be assisted. [0018] The torso support may include handles in front thereof for gripping by the hands of the person to be assisted, so as to assure that center of gravity of the torso of the person to be assisted is kept in a forward position. [0019] In order to provide easy access to the seat, the torso support can be pivotally supported at one end so as to allow the torso support to pivot about a substantially vertical axis between a position with torso support extends substantially transversely in front of the torso of the person to be assisted and a position in which the torso support extends in a non-transverse direction. In the latter position, a person to be assisted can pass the torso support substantially unhindered. [0020] The preferably height adjustable knee or shin support extents in use in a transverse and substantially horizontal direction and is disposed in front of at least one of the shins or knees the of the person to be assisted. However, the knee or shin support may be pivotally supported at one end so as to allow the at least one arm rest to pivot about a substantially vertical axis between a position with the knee or shin support extends substantially transversely in front of shins or knees of the person to be assisted and a position in which the knee or shin support extends in a non-transverse direction thereby allowing a person to be assisted to pass the at least one knee or shin support substantially unhindered. [0021] The seat can be the toilet itself, with the device arranged in the close vicinity of the toilet seat. Alternatively, the frame also supports its own a seat with a front end and a rear end. This seat can be operably connected to actuating means for tilting the seat between a substantially horizontal position and a forwardly inclined position in which the rear end is higher than the front end. The actuating means can be resilient member, such as a gas spring. Continue reading about Device for assisting disabled persons... Full patent description for Device for assisting disabled persons Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Device for assisting disabled persons patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. 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