EP0207730A1

EP0207730A1 - Portable toilet device

Info

Publication number: EP0207730A1
Application number: EP86304924A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Sonia Deborah Labovitch
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1985-06-28
Filing date: 1986-06-25
Publication date: 1987-01-07
Also published as: GB2176700A; GB8614944D0

Abstract

An inflatable receptacle for use as a bidet, lavatory, or for other toilet purposes comprises an inflatable wall (10) surrounding a base (12), and a seat portion (11) around the upper peripheral edge of the wall.

Description

This invention relates to portable devices for holding water or other liquid for personal toilet purposes, such as bidets, basins, lavatories, etc.
Bidets are widely installed in the bathrooms of homes and institutions for both general personal use and for use by patients following medical treatment. They are generally of ceramic materials and are installed as fixtures in the bathroom with permanent plumbing arrangements. Because of this, there are many locations where they are not or cannot be made available. For example, they are not generally available when camping or caravanning. Furthermore, there are many places which, although having suitable plumbing facilities, do not have a bidet installed.
Similarly, lavatories are also generally permanently installed, but even if of the portable type they are conventionally made of plastics or ceramic materials, and are not easily stored or carried due to their bulk and/or weight.
According to the invention, there is provided an inflatable receptacle for water or other liquid which, when inflated, has its upper peripheral edge defining a seat adapted to support and surround a human bottom such that the receptacle is particularly suitable for use as a bidet or lavatory.
The invention thus provides a receptacle which, when deflated, can be stored or carried extremely easily (in most embodiments the receptacle can be collapsed to a substantially flat state and then folded), and which can be readily inflated whenever and wherever it is required to be used.
For this purpose, the receptacle preferably comprises at least one valve for controlling the inflation and deflation, and preferably the or each valve will be of the type which permits inflation of the receptacle by the supply of air or other gas under pressure, and operates to maintain the receptacle in the inflated state until positively actuated to permit deflation. The receptacle may be inflated by lung pressure, or by using a suitable air pump or supply of compressed air or other gas if available.
Preferably the receptacle, when inflated, has a substantially flat base.
As will be appreciated, although the receptacle in accordance with the invention is designed primarily for use as a bidet or a lavatory, the seat preferably being generally oval in shape, the receptacle may be used for a wide variety of-different purposes. For example, it could also be used as a washbasin, a baby bath, a foot bath, or indeed for any purpose where a small quantity of water or other liquid is required to be contained or collected.
In many cases it will be particularly useful if the receptacle is provided with an outlet for the water or other liquid from the receptacle. For example, this may simply comprise a hole located in the base of the receptacle and provided with a closure plug or valve. Alternatively, the outlet may comprise a pipe, provided with a closure valve, for conducting liquid away from a hole located in the base of the receptacle and opening into the pipe.
Further preferred features of the invention will become apparent from the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate three different examples of the receptacle in accordance with the invention. In the drawings:-

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a first example in the inflated state;
Figure 2 is a cross-section taken on the line 2-2 in Figure 1;
Figure 3 is a perspective view of the first example in a deflated and folded atate;
Figure 4 is a perspective underneath view of a modified form of the Example shown in Figure 1;
Figure 5 is a perspective view of a second example in the inflated state;
Figure 6 is an underneath plan view of the second example shown in Figure 5;
Figure 7 is a perpsective view of the second example of Figures 5 and 6, but with the receptacle shown deflated and packed flat;
Figure 8 is a view similar to that of Figure 7 but showing how the receptacle can be folded when deflated and flattened;
Figure 9 is a perspective view of the third example in the inflated state; and
Figure 10 is a perspective view of the third example in a deflated state.

In the example shown in Figures 1 to 3, the reoeptaole comprises an inflatable ring 1 which is generally oval in shape and has a substantially oiroular cross-sectional profile as shown in Figure 2, and a sheet 2 sealed around its periphery to the ring on one side thereof and forming the base of the receptacle. In the inflated state the ring 1 forms a peripheral containment wall of the receptacle and its upper peripheral surface 3 forms a comfortable seat for supporting and surrounding a human bottom when the receptacle is used as a bidet or lavatory.
The ring 1 is formed by two similar flat, annular, flexible sheets 4 and 5 of elastomeric material, such as a plastics material, sealed to each other, for example by heat welding, around their inner and outer edges 6,7. The base sheet 2 is made of the same material as the ring 1, and is sealed to the ring 1 where the outer edges 7 of the ring sheets 4 and 5 are sealed together, and in practice the sheets 2, 4 and 5 will be heat welded or otherwise sealed together simultaneously at their outer edges 7.
As can be seen, when the ring 1 is inflated the base sheet 2 is pulled tight so that it is flat. A valve 8, for example of the type described earlier, for inflating and deflating the ring 1 is sealed to the upper sheet 4 of the ring.
As mentioned earlier, the receptacle in the form of this example may be used as a bidet or a lavatory. It may also be used as a general washbasin for hands, feet, clothes, etc., or even as a simple air cushion. This would be particularly useful for mothers after giving birth, bed- bound patients and wheelchair invalids. The receptacle is also particularly suitable for use by incontinent patients, although for this purpose it is preferable that the receptacle is provided with a suitable outlet such as described earlier. Figure 4 illustrates a modified form of the receptacle shown in Figures 1 and 2 provided with a suitable waste outlet pipe 9 connected to the base sheet 2 and leading from the underside thereof. The outlet pipe 9 communicates at one end with the interior of the receptacle through the base sheet 2 and may be provided with a suitable valve (not shown) for opening and closing the pipe. Preferably, however, the pipe 9 will be arranged to be connected at its other end (not shown) to discharge into a suitable collecting bag, such as a bag which is known for use by colostomy patients and the like and which has a non-return or self-sealing inlet.
When the receptacle is not in use and is required to be carried or stored, the ring is simply deflated via the valve 8 until it is collapsed to a substantially flat condition, whereupon it can then be folded and packed away, for example In a suitable purse or other container provided for the purpose. Figure 3 shows the receptacle after it has been deflated and twice folded in half. For some medical uses, however, the receptacles may be provided in individual aterile packs with the intention of being thrown away after a particular patient has finished with it.
The second example illustrated in Figures 5 to 8 is of an inflatable bidet, although as mentioned earlier it may of course be used for other purposes as well. The bidet comprises an inflatable container 10 and an inflatable seat portion 11 around the upper edge of the container. The container and the seat are formed from suitable sheets of plastics material heat welded or otherwise sealed together by conventional techniques to form the inflatable enclosures. The enclosures may be in communication with each other so that the container and the seat are inflated simultaneously, or they may be isolated from each other so that the container and seat are separately inflatable.
The container 10 comprises a base 12 surrounded by four upstanding rectangular side walls 13, 14, 15 and 16, three of which are flat and the fourth, 16, is bowed to form the front of the bidet.
The seat 11 comprises three straight sections 17, 18 and 19 and a curved section 20, corresponding to the walls 13, 14, 15 and 16 of the container 10. The sections of the seat have a generally circular cross-section with a diameter, when inflated, which is greater than the thickness of the walls of the container 10 when inflated.
Valves 21,22 for inflating and deflating the container 10 and seat 11 are provided at the rear of the bidet, although only one valve need be provided if the container and seat communicate internally.
As shown in Figure 6 the base 12 of the container 10 may be provided with suction pads 23 (there are 4 in this example) for the purpose of securing the base, and hence the bidet, to a suitable surface. In this connection, it will be appreciated that the base need not be inflatable. It may instead be formed by a single sheet of plastics material which could be reinforced for rigidity.
When the bidet is to be used, it is inflated and filled with water as required. For this purpose the bidet may be provided with pipes for connection to a water supply. These pipes (not shown) may run around the top of the container 10 beneath the seat 11, and may be provided with apertures which allow a spray of water to be directed towards the centre of the bidet. These pipes will preferably also be of a flexible plastics material so that they can be folded without damage.
After use, the bidet ia emptied and the valves 21,22 opened to deflate the container 10 and the seat 11. As shown in Figure 7, in the deflated state the bidet can be squashed flat and can then be folded (as illustrated in Figure 8) for ease of storage or carriage.
The third example illustrated in Figures 9 and 10 is intended for use primarily as an inflatable portable lavatory or "potty" for use by babies and infants. The potty comprises an inflatable bowl 24 formed by an airtight plastics membrane which assumes, upon inflation via a valve 25, a conventional potty shape. The bowl 24, when inflated, has a generally oval or circular upper edge 26 constituting a seat portion; a flat, oval or circular shaped base 27; and a curved wall 28 extending between the base and the seat portion. The whole of the bowl, including the base, is inflatable.
When the potty is no longer required, it is deflated by expelling the air via the valve 25, and squashed to a flat configuration. As shown in Figure 10, the walls collapse concertina fashion between the seat and the base, and the walls may be especially configured with folds to assist in this process. As in the previous examples, the deflated potty may be folded and packed in a suitable carrier.

Claims

1. An inflatable receptacle (1,2; 10,11; 24) for water or other liquid which, when inflated, has its upper peripheral edge defining a seat (3;11;26) adapted to support and surround a human bottom such that the receptacle is particularly suitable for use as a bidet or lavatory.

2. A receptacle according to claim 1, in which the inflated receptacle has a substantially flat base (2;12;27).

3. A receptacle according to claim 1 or claim 2, comprising an inflatable ring (1) which, when inflated, defines both the seat (3) and a peripheral containment wall of the receptacle, and a sheet (₂) sealed around its periphery to the ring (₁) for forming a base of the receptacle.

4. A receptacle according to claim 3, in which the ring (1) is formed by two similar flat, annular, flexible sheets (4,5) of elastomeric material sealed to each other around their inner and outer edges (6,7), and the base sheet (2) is made of the same material as the ring and is sealed to the ring where the outer edges (7) of the ring sheets (4,5) are sealed together.

5. A receptacle according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising an outlet (9) for water or other liquid from the receptacle.

6. A receptacle according to claim 5 when dependent on claim 3 or claim 4, in which the outlet comprises a pipe (9) communicating at one end with the receptacle through the base sheet (2) and adapted at its other end for connection to a collecting bag having a non-return or self-sealing inlet.

7. A receptacle according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising at least one valve (8;21,22;25) for controlling the inflation and deflation of the receptacle, the valve permitting inflation of the receptacle by the supply of air or other gas under pressure, and operating to maintain the receptacle in an inflated state until positively actuated to permit deflation.

8. An inflatable bidet comprising an inflatable container (10) which, when inflated, defines a base (12) and a surrounding wall (13,14,15,and 16) and an inflatable seat portion (11) around the upper edge of the container.

9. A bidet according to claim 8, in which the seat portion (11), when inflated, has a substantially circular cross-section which is of a diameter greater than the thickness of the container wall (13,14,15 and 16) when the container is inflated.

10. A bidet according to claim 8 or claim 9 , in which the base (12) of the container is not inflatable and is formed by a single sheet of material which is flat when the container is inflated, and the base is provided on its underside with suction pads (23) to allow the bidet to be fixed on a surface.

11. An inflatable portable lavatory for babies and infants, comprising an inflatable bowl (24) having its upper edge (26) defining a seat of generally oval or circular configuration.