Baths – closets – sinks – and spittoons – Tubs – Convenience accessories
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-01
2001-03-06
Phillips, Charles E. (Department: 3751)
Baths, closets, sinks, and spittoons
Tubs
Convenience accessories
C108S145000, C297S016100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06195813
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates, in general, to a chair that can be readily used within a shower and, more particularly, to a shower chair that is readily collapsible upon itself for storage purposes.
BACKGROUND ART
Shower chairs or seats permit the user to be seated, rather than standing, while taking a shower or while coloring or conditioning one's hair while showering. Such chairs or seats, however, are typically not readily storable when not being used. This creates a problem in small bathrooms such as those which are usually present in apartments in large cities where space is at a premium. In such instances, a non-collapsible chair takes up an excessive amount of space which is very impractical.
In order to overcome this problem, some shower chairs or seats are permanently attached to the wall of the shower stall or to the wall adjacent the bathtub in a bathtub-shower combination. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,579,668 (Aronovitz) discloses a bath or shower seat in the form of a panel which is hingedly attached to the wall adjacent the bathtub. The panel is supported by the top surface of the bathtub and, when not in use, can be moved into an upward position so as to be adjacent the wall surrounding the bathtub. U.S. Pat. No. 5,551,100 (Kindrick) discloses a bath bench in the form of a panel which is hingedly attached to the wall adjacent the bathtub and is supported by the top surface of the bathtub when the panel is in the downward position. The bench disclosed in this latter patent differs from the seat disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,579,668 (Aronovitz) in that includes a storage catch member attached to the wall adjacent the bathtub to secure the panel in the vertical position when not in use. U.S. Pat. No. 1,923,428 (Frankenstein) discloses a bench or chair for a bathtub and differs from the seats or benches disclosed in the aforementioned patents in that the bench or chair is self-storing within the wall adjacent the bathtub. Thus, the chairs or seats disclosed in all of the aforementioned patents overcome the storage problem by being hingedly attached to the wall adjacent the bathtub or by providing a compartment within the wall for the storage of the chair when not in use. In any event, the chair is permanently mounted to the bathtub or shower stall enclosure and cannot be readily removed therefrom or replaced, if necessary.
In view of the foregoing, it has become desirable to develop a shower chair which is readily collapsible upon itself and which can be stored within the shower stall when not in use.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention solves the problems associated with storing shower chairs or benches and other problems by providing a collapsible shower chair which has a plurality of suction cups on an edge thereof permitting the chair to readily grip the wall of the shower stall when not in use. Each suction cup is received within a longitudinally extending slot in a side member of the seat portion of the chair and is readily movable therein permitting alignment of the cup with the surface of the tiles forming the walls of the shower stall. A ball and detent arrangement is provided for engagement of a leg support arm with the seat portion ensuring that the legs are firmly attached to the seat portion when the chair is in use, and also permitting the seat portion to become disengaged from the leg support arm when the chair is not in use.
REFERENCES:
patent: 527017 (1894-10-01), Fry
patent: 1335857 (1920-04-01), Robbins
patent: 1712704 (1929-05-01), Kiser
patent: 1923482 (1933-08-01), Frankenstein
patent: 1975857 (1934-10-01), McKenney
patent: 2560679 (1951-07-01), Zalkind
patent: 3458876 (1969-08-01), Struthers
patent: 3579668 (1971-05-01), Aronovitz
patent: 3995331 (1976-12-01), Fotre et al.
patent: 5097542 (1992-03-01), Roesler
patent: 5185892 (1993-02-01), Mitchell
patent: 5551100 (1996-09-01), Kindrick
patent: 5606751 (1997-03-01), Baker
Hudak James A.
Phillips Charles E.
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