GB2522209A

GB2522209A - A bath board

Info

Publication number: GB2522209A
Application number: GB1400704.1A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Ginnie Garlick
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2014-01-16
Filing date: 2014-01-16
Publication date: 2015-07-22
Anticipated expiration: 2034-01-16
Also published as: GB201400704D0; GB2522209B

Abstract

There is provided a bath board (20) suitable for spanning between two opposing sides (11, 12) of a bath (10) and for a person to sit upon. The bath board (20) comprises a seat portion (25) upon which the person may sit when showering within the bath, and a slotted portion (30) defining a slot (35), the slot for receiving a shower curtain to help direct water towards a base of the bath.

Description

A BATH BOARD

DESCRIPTION

The present invention relates to a bath board. Bath boards are sometimes also referred to as shower boards, and provide a seat for a person to sit upon whilst showering in a bath.

Elderly or infirm persons can have difficulty in showering within baths, and the use of a bath board that spans between the sides of the bath is often desirable so that the person can sit on the bath board whilst showering rather than needing to stand up, and to help mitigate against the risk of the person slipping and falling whilst in the bath.

A schematic diagram of a known bath board fitted to a bath is shown in Fig. 1 a. The bath board 1 fits over the sides 6 of a bath 8. Opposing ends 2 and 3 of the bath board bear against the tops of the sides 6 of the bath, and clamps 5 of the bath board urge against the sides 6 of the bath to help hold the bath board in position. Fig. lb shows a plan diagram of the bath board and bath of Fig. 1 a.

One of the problems with the known bath board 1 is that the bath board can cause water 4 from the shower 9 to leak out of the bath down the sides 6 of the bath, for example via the opposing ends 2 and 3. This leakage of water is undesirable and can create a slip hazard for when the person leaves the bath.

GB 2,427,133 discloses a bath board that is designed for fitting to the back of a bath for showering, and which has a raised wall around the periphery of the bath board to help guide water away from the edges of the bath board and into the bottom of the bath.

However, the use of a raised wall may cause discomfort to a person who wishes to enter the bath by first standing next to the bath, sitting upon the bath board, and then sliding their legs over the side of the bath into the bath. Such a mode of entering the bath saves the person from having to step over the sides of the bath and into the bath whilst still standing up.

Furthermore, water may still exit the bath over the tops of the raised wall, for example by bouncing off the person's upper body before even reaching the level of the bath board.

Bath seats which rest solely upon the base of the bath, without resting on the sides of the bath as with a bath board, are also known in the art. Bath seats typically present a much lower sitting position than bath boards, and so help reduce the amount of water that is directed out over the sides of the bath.

However, the lower sitting position can make it difficult for some persons to manoeuvre themselves into and out of the bath.

Bath seats are sometimes used in combination with bath boards, so that a person can first sit on the bath board, before subsequently lowering themselves to sit on the bath seat. Although, this process involves more physical movements than using a bath board alone, and the use of two separate pieces of equipment, which persons may find undesirable.

It is therefore an aim of the invention to provide an improved bath board.

According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a bath board for spanning between two opposing sides of a bath and for a person to sit upon, the bath board comprising a seat portion upon which the person may sit when showering within the bath, and a slotted portion defining a slot, the slot for receiving a shower curtain to help direct water towards a base of the bath.

The invention provides a bath board that can be used together with a shower curtain, to help keep water from exiting over the side of the bath. The provision of a slot means that the shower curtain can fit inside of the slot, thereby directing water from the shower down to the base of the bath when a person is sitting on the seat portion and having a shower.

Due to the provision of the slot, the shower curtain can take its proper position inside of the bath. Without a slot, the shower curtain would be forced upward to the level of the seat portion, reducing its effectiveness and resulting in unpleasant contact with the person using the bath board.

The bath board may further comprise a first end portion configured for securing the bath board to a first one of the two opposing sides of the bath, and the slotted portion may be between the seat portion and the first end portion. Then the shower curtain is held close to the side of the bath, away from the person that is showering. The slotted portion may connect the seat portion to the first end portion. The first end portion may be configured so that upon fitting the first end portion to the first one of the two opposing sides of the bath, the slot portion will run parallel to the first one of the two opposing sides of the bath.

Advantageously, the slotted portion may comprise a U shape that defines the slot for receiving the shower curtain. Specifically, the shower curtain may rest inside of the U. The slotted portion may be formed as a trough that extends perpendicular to a length of the bath board and that defines the slot for receiving the shower curtain.

One half of the U shape may be configured to bear against a surface of the first one of the two opposing sides of the bath, the surface being an inside surface of the bath. Therefore, the slotted portion may help secure the bath board to the bath as well as providing the slot.

The slotted portion may comprise two U shaped supports that are spaced apart from one another, and wherein the first end portion comprises two hooks that are connected to respective ones of the two U shaped supports, each hook for hooking over the first one of the opposing sides of the bath.

The bath board may further comprise a second end portion that is opposite the first end portion, the second end portion configured for securing the bath board to a second one of the two opposing sides of the bath. The second end portion may comprise an extension of the seat portion, the extension configured to rest on top of the second one of the opposing sides of the bath.

The first end portion may comprise a protrusion for resting against the first of the two opposing sides of the bath to secure the bath board to the bath, the protrusion being a member aligned along a width of the bath board at the first end portion. Furthermore, the second end portion may comprise a protrusion for resting against the second one of the two opposing sides of the bath to secure the bath board to the bath, the protrusion being a member aligned along a width of the bath board at the second end portion.

The second end portion may further comprise a clamp that is movable with respect to the seat portion so as to press against a surface of the second one of the opposing sides of the bath, the surface being an inside surface of the bath.

The bath board may comprise a length dimension for spanning between the two opposing sidewalls of the bath, and a width dimension for spanning a portion of the distance between a front and a back of the bath, and the slot may run along the whole width of the bath board. Accordingly, the shower curtain may be extended through and past the bath board to provide good protection against water splashing over the side of the bath. Typically, the width dimension is parallel to the sides of the bath.

The seat portion of the bath board may comprise a series of spaced apart slats for drainage of water between the slats, or comprise a plate having multiple apertures therethrough for drainage of water through the apertures. Enabling water to drain through the seat portion helps to prevent water from travelling along the seat portion and towards the sides of the bath.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 a shows a schematic perspective diagram of a known bath board

according to the prior art;

Fig. lb shows a schematic plan diagram of the bath board of Fig. 1 a; Fig. 2a shows a schematic perspective diagram of a bath board according to a first embodiment of the invention; Fig. 2b shows a schematic plan diagram of the bath board of Fig. 2a; Fig. 3a shows a schematic perspective diagram of a bath board according to a second embodiment of the invention; and Fig. 3b shows another schematic perspective diagram of the bath board of Fig. 3a.

The drawings are not to scale, and same or similar reference signs denote same or similar features.

The schematic diagram of Fig. 2a shows a schematic perspective diagram of a bath 10 fitted with a bath board 20 according to a first embodiment of the invention. The bath 10 comprises first and second opposing sidewalls, the first sidewall having a top surface 11 and an inside surface 15 inside of the bath, and the second sidewall having atop surface 12 and an inside surface 16 inside of the bath. The bath also has a front sidewall with a top surface 13 that connects the top surfaces 11 and 12. Only the tops of the sidewalls of the bath 10 are shown in Fig. 2a for clarity. Furthermore, Fig. 2a only shows a front portion of the overall bath.

The bath board 20 comprises a seat portion 25 upon which a person may sit when having a shower, the seat portion 25 being formed by three plastic slats that extend in a length dimension Ln, transversely to the length of the bath and perpendicular to the sidewalls 11 and 12. The three plastic slats are arranged adjacent to one another along a width dimension Wd of the bath board.

The bath board 20 further comprises a slotted portion in the form of two U-shaped supports 30 that are spaced apart from one another along the width dimension Wd. The U-shaped supports 30 define a slot 35 that has a length aligned with the width dimension Wd, a width aligned with the length dimension Ln, and a depth aligned with a depth dimension Dp. In use, the length and width dimensions Ln and Wd are horizontal and the depth dimension Dp is vertical.

In this particular embodiment, the length of the slot 35 is 500mm, the width of the slot 35 is 20mm, and the depth of the slot 35 is 300mm although other sizes are also possible. The depth of the slot 35 is preferably at least 100mm to provide sufficient depth to reliably retain a base of a shower curtain within the slot 35.

The bath board 20 further comprises a first end portion in the form of two hooks 23 for securing the bath board to the first sidewall of the bath. Each one of the two U-shaped supports 30 is connected between the seat portion 30 and a respective one of the hooks 23. The hooks 23 are formed as L shapes for fitting over the first sidewall of the bath, abutting against the top surface 11 and an outer surface of the first sidewall.

Each U-shaped support 30 comprises a first side member 31, a second side member 32, and a base member 33 between the first and second side members. The first and second side members and the base member together define the U shape, and are integrally formed with one another.

The first side members 31 are configured to press against the inside surface 15 of the first sidewall of the bath when a person sits upon the seat portion 25, to help stabilise the U-shaped supports and the L-shaped hooks 23, and to help hold the bath board 20 in position.

The bath board 20 further comprises a second end portion 27 opposite the first end portion 23, the second end portion 27 for supporting the bath board 20 on the top 12 of the second sidewall of the bath. The second end portion 27 comprises an extension of the seat portion 25 that rests upon the top 12 of the second sidewall, and a clamp 28 that is connected to a slider 29. The clamp and slider are movable away from the seat portion 25 along the extension of the seat portion to force the first side members 31 against the inner surface 15 of the sidewall of the bath.

Beneath the three plastic slats (and not visible in the figures), the slider 29 comprises a pawl, and the extension of the seat portion comprises a ratchet with which the pawl engages to prevent the slider from moving back towards the seat portion 25, until the pawl is manually disengaged when the bath board is to be removed from the bath.

The schematic diagram of Fig. 2b shows a plan diagram of the bath board when fitted to the bath 10 and in use with a shower curtain 40. As seen in Fig. 2b, the shower curtain 40 rests inside of the slot 35 formed by the U-shaped supports 30, and so retains water inside of the bath 10. The lower edge of the shower curtain may rest against the base portions 33.

The schematic diagrams of Fig. 3a and 3b show schematic perspective diagrams of a bath board 50 according to a second embodiment of the invention.

The bath board 50 comprises a first end 52, a seat portion 54, a slotted portion 56, and a second end portion 58. The first end 52, seat portion 54, a slotted portion 56, and a second end portion 58 are all formed from one planar strip of material. The planar strip of material is bent in three places to form the slotted portion 56 as a V shape that defines a trough into which a shower curtain can be inserted.

A multiplicity of apertures 55 are present through the first end 52, seat portion 54, a slotted portion 56, and a second end portion 58, to help aid drainage of water down to the bottom of the bath.

The bath board 50 can be fitted over baths to help provide a seat to sit on whilst avoiding water spillage, for example the bath board 50 may be fitted to the bath 10 shown in Fig. 2a and 2b.

The bath board 50 has a length dimension Ln2 and a width dimension Wd2, and has rubber members 62 and 64 which are aligned along the width Wd2 of the bath board. The rubber members are positioned at the first and second ends of the bath board, so that they can fit inside of the bath and rest against the sides of the bath to help stabilise the bath board on the bath. The rubber members are provided with retainers 65 which locate into the apertures 55 to attach the rubber

S

members to the bath board 50. Therefore, the locations of the rubber members can be varied by moving the retainers 65 to different ones of the apertures 55.

Further embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims will also be apparent to the skilled person. For example, different types of first and second end portions could be used, provided they fulfil the function of securing the bath board to the bath. Different types of slotted portion could also be used, provided that they provide a slot into which the shower curtain 40 may fit to help prevent water from exiting over the first sidewall of the bath.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A bath board for spanning between two opposing sides of a bath and for a person to sit upon, the bath board comprising a seat portion upon which the person may sit when showering within the bath, and a slotted portion defining a slot, the slot for receiving a shower curtain to help direct water towards a base of the bath.
2. The bath board of claim 1, wherein the slotted portion is formed as a trough that extends perpendicular to a length of the bath board and that defines the slot for receiving the shower curtain.
3. The bath board of claim 1 or 2, wherein the slotted portion comprises a U shape that defines the slot for receiving the shower curtain.
4. The bath board of claim 1, 2, or 3, wherein the bath board further comprises a first end portion configured for securing the bath board to a first one of the two opposing sides of the bath, and wherein the slotted portion is between the seat portion and the first end portion.
5. The bath board of claim 4 when appended to claim 3, wherein one half of the U shape is configured to bear against a surface of the first one of the two opposing sides of the bath, the surface being an inside surface of the bath.
6. The bath board of claim 4 or 5, wherein the first end portion comprises a protrusion for resting against the first of the two opposing sides of the bath to secure the bath board to the bath, the protrusion being a member aligned along a width of the bath board at the first end portion.
7. The bath board of claim 4, 5, or 6, wherein the slotted portion connects the seat portion to the first end portion.
8. The bath board of any one of claims 4 to 7, wherein the first end portion is configured so that upon fitting the first end portion to the first one of the two opposing sides of the bath, the slot portion will run parallel to the first one of the two opposing sides of the bath.
9. The bath board of any one of claims 4 to 8, wherein the slotted portion comprises two U shaped supports that are spaced apart from one another, and wherein the first end portion comprises two hooks that are connected to respective ones of the two U shaped supports, each hook for hooking over the first one of the two opposing sides of the bath.
10. The bath board of any preceding claim, further comprising a second end portion that is opposite the first end portion, the second end portion configured for securing the bath board to a second one of the two opposing sides of the bath.
11. The bath board of claim 10, wherein the second end portion comprises a protrusion for resting against the second one of the two opposing sides of the bath to secure the bath board to the bath, the protrusion being a member aligned along a width of the bath board at the second end portion.
12. The bath board of claim 10 or 11, wherein the second end portion comprises an extension of the seat portion, the extension configured to rest on top of the second one of the two opposing sides of the bath.
13. The bath board of claim 10, 11, or 12, wherein the second end portion further comprises a clamp that is movable with respect to the seat portion so as to press against a surface of the second one of the two opposing sides of the bath, the surface being an inside surface of the bath.
14. The bath board of any preceding claim, wherein the bath board comprises a length dimension for spanning between the two opposing sidewalls of the bath, and a width dimension for spanning a portion of the distance between a front and a back of the bath, and wherein the slot runs along the whole width of the bath board.II
15. The bath board of any preceding claim, wherein the seat portion of the bath board comprises a series of spaced apart slats for drainage of water between the slats, or comprises a plate having multiple apertures therethrough for drainage of water through the apertures.
16. A bath board substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.