Baths – closets – sinks – and spittoons – Tubs – Convenience accessories
Reexamination Certificate
2002-12-09
2004-01-06
Mancene, Gene (Department: 3751)
Baths, closets, sinks, and spittoons
Tubs
Convenience accessories
C004S571100, C004S559000, C004S604000, C182S198000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06671897
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a lift assisting device and stabilizing device. More particularly, the present invention relates to a lift assisting device and a stabilizing device for a bather and a showerer, respectively.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Numerous innovations for assisting devices have been provided in the prior art that will be described. Even though these innovations may be suitable for the specific individual purposes to which they address, however, they differ from the present invention.
A FIRST EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 271,796 to Converse teaches a fire escape in combination with the rope provided with the hook at its upper end of the steps inserted between the strands of the rope the block and the wire ties substantially as herein shown and described whereby the steps are secured between the strands of the rope and the block secured to the rope and steps by the same tie, as set forth.
A SECOND EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 3,228,038 to Augustine teaches a safety bar for use with a bathtub with a vertical wall at one end, comprising (a) a main member of generally U-shaped configuration with a bight and two legs extending from the ends of the bight, and (b) a bracket hingedly fastened to the free end of each leg and adapted to be fastened to the wall, the legs extending downwardly away from the wall and the brackets when the bar is in operative position so that the junctions between the legs and the bight rest on the upper surface of the bathtub, each bracket being formed from a single sheet of metal folded into a U-shaped configuration having a central bight adapted to be fastened to the wall and two flanges extending at right angles to the wall in vertical planes, the free end of each leg lying between the flanges of its bracket and being hingedly connected thereto by a horizontal pivot member, the flanges of the bracket extending vertically above the pivot member a substantial distance to embrace a considerable portion of the leg with substantial friction to hold the main member in an inoperative position against the wall.
A THIRD EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 3,696,888 to Brandenberger teaches a rigid ladder section that is equipped with hooks and rod attachment for hanging over the outside a window sill. One rung of the ladder section is rotatable and carries a rolled up rope or rope ladder which may be released to the ground from high elevations. When not in use as a fire escape the rigid section is equipped with supporting feet and the hooks serve to steady the rod so as to serve as a support for clothes hangers and similar wardrobe holding devices.
A FOURTH EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 3,874,375 to Penner teaches a back therapy and exercise apparatus having a heavily padded horizontal knee bar made of pipe and with the padding formed of resilient foam material such as foam rubber wrapped with plastic, and a padded toe bar in parallel horizontally spaced relation to the knee bar and also made of pipe. A flexible ladder consisting of horizontal pipe sections supported on chains depends from the opposite ends of the knee bar. A trapeze is positioned with its horizontal bar slightly above and spaced laterally from the knee bar, and a rope having knots at spaced intervals depends from the trapeze to permit a user to grasp the trapeze bar, climb the flexible ladder, hook his knees over the knee bar, hook his toes under the toe bar, and lower himself to an inverted position by means of the knotted rope for the desired length of time.
A FIFTH EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 4,846,306 to Ventz teaches a flexible narrow rung rope escape ladder including a pair of parallel support ropes and a series of narrow rungs disposed between the support ropes, the support ropes being spaced from each other such that a user's foot placed on the rung cannot slip sideways during use and no more than one hand or one foot can be place don a rung at a time.
A SIXTH EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 6,230,339 B1 to McCrink teaches a lift assisting device that includes a longitudinal extension member having two angled arms extending outwardly from a wall. The arms are joined together at the wall end to form a loop which pivotally and tightly engages a tubular bar mounted along the wall. The other ends of the arms engage a handle which can be grasped by a person to pull up from a sitting position or lower down from a standing position. The extension member can maintain a longitudinal position extending from the wall or a vertical position along the wall. The preferred use of the extension member is for safely lowering into or rising from a bathtub with the device extending from a wall at the head of the tub.
A SEVENTH EXAMPLE, U.S. Design Pat. No. D 453,035 to Giles teaches the ornamental design for an exercise device.
It is apparent that numerous innovations for assisting devices have been provided in the prior art that are adapted to be used. Furthermore, even though these innovations may be suitable for the specific individual purposes to which they address, however, they would not be suitable for the purposes of the present invention as heretofore described.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
ACCORDINGLY, AN OBJECT of the present invention is to provide a lift assisting device and a stabilizing device for a bather and a showerer, respectively, that avoids the disadvantages of the prior art.
ANOTHER OBJECT of the present invention is to provide a lift assisting device and a stabilizing device for a bather and a showerer, respectively, that is simple and inexpensive to manufacture.
STILL ANOTHER OBJECT of the present invention is to provide a lift assisting device and a stabilizing device for a bather and a showerer, respectively, that is simple to use.
BRIEFLY STATED, STILL YET ANOTHER OBJECT of the present invention is to provide a lift assisting device and a stabilizing device for a bather and a showerer, respectively. The device includes a rope and a plurality of rungs. The rope is suspended from a ceiling. The plurality of rungs are operatively connected to the rope for grasping by the bather to assist in lifting and the showerer for stabilizing. The plurality of rungs are molded around the rope so as to form an integral unit therewith. The rope is one-piece for integrity and passes through the plurality of rungs to define a path that is double-helix-like that prevents the bather and the showerer from falling if one of the plurality of rungs fails since double lengths of the rope pass through each of the plurality of rungs.
REFERENCES:
patent: 271796 (1883-02-01), Converse
patent: 487393 (1892-12-01), Kirchhoff
patent: 2565978 (1951-08-01), Meriwether
patent: 2572615 (1951-10-01), Hansen
patent: 3114154 (1963-12-01), Laughlin
patent: 3228038 (1966-01-01), Augustine
patent: 3696888 (1972-10-01), Brandenberger
patent: 3874375 (1975-04-01), Penner
patent: 4437196 (1984-03-01), Louis
patent: 4531612 (1985-07-01), Sandor
patent: 4846306 (1989-07-01), Ventz
patent: 6230339 (2001-05-01), McCrink
patent: D453035 (2002-01-01), Giles
Kokabi Azy
Mancene Gene
Miller Richard L.
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