JP2024071609A - Bathroom chair - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a bathroom chair which can achieve both of "a small width dimension as a whole chair for coping with a bathroom which is a narrow space" and "a large width dimension between both arm rests for facilitating standing and sitting of a user".SOLUTION: A bathroom chair 10 comprises: front legs 12; rear legs 14; a seat part 16 on which a user is seated; and a pair of arm rests 24 arranged on both sides of the seat part 16. In top view, a maximum inner dimension L1 between the arm rests 24 is 320 mm or more, a minimum width dimension L5 of the arm rest 24 is 35 mm or less, and a whole width dimension of the bathroom chair is 460 mm or less.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

The present invention relates to a chair that is primarily used in a bathroom.

Numerous bathroom chairs for use in nursing care have been developed (for example, Patent Document 1).

For example, the bathroom chair disclosed in Patent Document 1 has armrests with different widths from the center line on the left and right sides, and the width between the armrests can be changed by swapping the left and right armrests.

JP 2004-290606 A

There are various dimensional requirements for bathroom chairs. For example, "because bathrooms are small, the overall width of the chair needs to be small" and "the maximum internal dimension between the armrests needs to be large so that bathers can easily sit and stand."

To accommodate these various dimensional needs, conventional bathroom chairs were designed to fall into roughly three size categories: "compact," "medium," and "wide," in that order.

However, with conventional bathroom chairs, if the classification to which it belongs is smaller, the overall width of the bathroom chair will be smaller and the maximum internal dimension between the armrests will also be smaller; for example, there are no bathroom chairs whose overall width belongs to the "compact" classification but whose maximum internal dimension between the armrests belongs to the larger "middle" classification.

There are various possible reasons for this, but the biggest factor seems to be that in conventional bathroom chairs, the armrests were only intended as a means for the bather (hereafter referred to as the "user") to grasp when standing up or sitting down.

In response to this, the inventors focused on the armrests as "means for maintaining the user's seated position" and developed, for example, a bathroom chair whose overall width is classified as "compact" but whose maximum internal dimension between the armrests is classified as "medium," and a bathroom chair whose overall width is classified as "medium" but whose maximum internal dimension between the armrests is classified as "wide."

According to one aspect of the present invention,
A bathroom chair comprising front legs, rear legs, a seat on which a user sits, and a pair of armrests disposed on both sides of the seat,
The maximum inner dimension between the armrests when viewed from above is 320 mm or more, and
The minimum width dimension of the armrest when viewed from above is 35 mm or less,
The overall width of the bathroom chair is 460 mm or less,
The armrest is rotatable in an up-down direction from a horizontal position toward the rear, and has a front end portion that is an end portion in a direction toward which the user faces when seated on the seat, and a minimum width portion that is formed on the rear end side of the front end portion,
The maximum inner dimension is the inner dimension of the minimum width portion between the armrests,
When viewed from above, the seat portion has a front portion wider than a rear portion, and has convex portions extending outward from both side edges,
A bathroom chair is provided, wherein the armrests have recesses on their inner edges facing each other.

According to the present invention, by specifying the maximum inner dimension between the armrests and the minimum width of the armrests as 320 mm or more and 35 mm or less, respectively, when viewed from above, it is possible to provide, for example, a bathroom chair whose overall width dimension is classified as "compact" but whose maximum inner dimension between the armrests is classified as "medium", and a bathroom chair whose overall width dimension is classified as "medium" but whose maximum inner dimension between the armrests is classified as "wide".

1 is a perspective view of a bathroom chair 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a front view of a bathroom chair 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a rear view of a bathroom chair 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a plan view of a bathroom chair 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a bottom view of a bathroom chair 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. This is a left side view of a bathroom chair 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. This is a partially exploded oblique view showing the armrest 24 of the bathroom chair 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. This is a partially exploded left side view showing the armrest 24 of the bathroom chair 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. A plan view showing a cover member 126 that constitutes the armrest 24 of a bathroom chair 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. This is a schematic plan view showing the positional relationship between the armrests 24 and the seat 16 in a bathroom chair 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. This is a schematic plan view showing the positional relationship between the armrests 24, the seat 16, the leg rubbers 32 of the front legs 12, and the leg rubbers 48 of the rear legs 14 in a bathroom chair 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. A cross-sectional view showing a flat portion 134 of a frame 120 of an armrest 24 in accordance with variant example 1. A bottom view of the bathroom chair 10 relating to variant example 4. A bottom view of the bathroom chair 10 relating to variant example 4 (with the cover 211 removed). This is a cross-sectional view of the bathroom chair 10 (assembled state) of variant example 4 taken along the line AA as viewed from the right side. A front view of the bathroom chair 10 (assembled state) relating to variant example 4. A rear view of the bathroom chair 10 (assembled state) relating to variant example 4. A right side view of the bathroom chair 10 (assembled state) relating to variant example 4. A plan view of a bathroom chair 10 (assembled state) relating to variant example 4. A bottom view of the bathroom chair 10 (assembled state) relating to variant example 4. This is a B-B cross-sectional view of the bathroom chair 10 (in the middle of folding) of variant example 4, seen from the right side. A front view of the bathroom chair 10 (in the middle of folding) relating to variant example 4. A rear view of the bathroom chair 10 (in the middle of folding) relating to variant example 4. This is a CC cross-sectional view of the bathroom chair 10 (fully folded state) of variant example 4, seen from the right side. A front view of the bathroom chair 10 (in a fully folded state) relating to variant example 4. A rear view of the bathroom chair 10 (in a fully folded state) relating to variant example 4. A front view of the bathroom chair 10 of variant example 4 (assembled state with armrests 24 reclined). A rear view of the bathroom chair 10 of variant example 4 (assembled state, with armrests 24 reclined). This is a right side view of the bathroom chair 10 of variant example 4 (assembled state, with the armrests 24 reclined). A plan view of a bathroom chair 10 relating to variant example 4 (assembled state with armrests 24 reclined). A bottom view of the bathroom chair 10 of variant example 4 (assembled state, with armrests 24 reclined).

(Configuration of the bathroom chair 10)
The configuration of a bathroom chair 10 according to this embodiment (hereinafter, sometimes simply referred to as "chair 10") will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 6. The chair 10 according to this embodiment generally comprises a pair of front legs 12, a pair of rear legs 14, a seat 16, a link connection bar 18, a link bar 20, a backrest 22, and armrests 24. Note that the mechanism that allows the chair 10 to be folded is not an essential component of the present invention, and the chair 10 may be a fixed chair without a folding mechanism.

In addition, throughout this specification, the direction in which a user faces while seated on the seat 16 of the chair 10 is referred to as "forward," and the opposite direction is referred to as "rearward."

The front legs 12 are members formed by bending pipe material with a circular cross section. In this embodiment, when the chair 10 is unfolded (i.e., the state shown in Figures 1 to 6), the front legs 12 are integrally composed of a backrest support section 26 that extends downward slightly forward from the rear toward the front, a horizontal section 28 that extends horizontally next to this, and a front leg section 30 that extends downward again toward the front following this horizontal section 28. In addition, a leg rubber 32 is attached to the lower tip of the front leg section 30.

The pair of front legs 12 are connected to each other at the backrest attachment parts 34, which extend horizontally from the upper ends of the backrest support parts 26 of the respective legs. In other words, the pair of front legs 12 in this embodiment are formed by bending a single pipe material. Of course, the pair of front legs 12 may also be formed by combining multiple pipe materials.

In this embodiment, the lower end of the front leg 12 has a double pipe structure, and a number of height adjustment holes 38 are formed at a predetermined interval on the surface of the outer pipe 36. A height adjustment pin 42 is provided on the inner pipe 40, which can freely protrude from and retract into the surface of the inner pipe 40 and is fitted into one of the height adjustment holes 38. This allows the length of the front leg portion 30 of the front leg 12 to be adjusted, thereby adjusting the height from the floor to the seat 16.

The rear legs 14, like the front legs 12, are members formed by bending pipe material with a circular cross section. In this embodiment, the rear legs 14 are integrally formed with a seat support part 44 that extends slightly downward from the horizontal direction from the front to the rear when the chair 10 is unfolded, and a rear leg part 46 that extends downward from this to the rear. A rubber leg 48 is also attached to the lower tip of the rear leg part 46. In this embodiment, each rear leg 14 is formed from a different pipe material.

Like the front legs 12, the lower ends of the rear legs 14 also have a double pipe structure, with multiple height adjustment holes 52 formed at predetermined intervals on the surface of the outer pipe 50, and a height adjustment pin 56 that can freely appear and disappear from the surface of the inner pipe 54 and be fitted into one of the height adjustment holes 52 is provided on the inner pipe 54.

In this embodiment, the rear legs 14 are disposed inward of the front legs 12. The pair of front legs 12 and the pair of rear legs 14 are pivotally supported by the center of the horizontal portion 28 of the front legs 12 and the tip of the seat support portion 44 of the rear legs 14, respectively. Specifically, a front leg side pivot hole 58 is formed in the center of the horizontal portion 28 of the front legs 12, and a rear leg side pivot hole 60 is formed in the tip of the seat support portion 44 of the rear legs 14, and a pivot pin 62 is inserted through these holes to allow the front legs 12 and the rear legs 14 to pivot freely relative to each other. As shown in FIG. 6, the pivot position of the front legs 12 and the rear legs 14 in this embodiment (i.e., the position where the front leg side pivot hole 58, etc. are formed) is located midway between the front end of the front legs 12 and the rear end of the rear legs 14. The position of the front leg side pivot hole 58 that pivots the rear leg 14 to the front leg 12 is not limited to the center of the horizontal section 28 of the front leg 12 as described above, and the front leg side pivot hole 58 may be provided, for example, on the forward side of the horizontal section 28, that is, closer to the front leg 30.

In addition, in this embodiment, a seat pivot hole 66 into which a seat pivot pin 64 that pivotally supports the seat 16 on the rear legs 14 is inserted is formed slightly rearward of the rear leg side pivot hole 60 in the seat support portion 44 of the rear legs 14. In other words, the pair of rear legs 14 in this embodiment serve as "pivot legs" that pivotally support the seat 16 so that it can rotate. Also, the position at which the rear legs 14 are pivotally supported relative to the front legs 12 (for example, the position of the rear leg side pivot hole 60) is forward of the position at which the seat 16 is pivotally supported relative to the pivot legs (i.e., the rear legs 14) (i.e., the seat pivot hole 66).

Furthermore, in this embodiment, a front leg support part 63 that supports the horizontal part 28 of the front leg 12 from below when the chair 10 is unfolded protrudes outward at the position of the seat pivot hole 66 in the seat support part 44 of the rear leg 14. This front leg support part 63 is constructed by having a part of the seat pivot pin 64 protrude outward from the rear leg 14 and inserting this seat pivot pin 64 into the center of the pipe-shaped front leg support member 65.

The seat 16 is a member having a seat surface for the user to sit on, and is rotatable with respect to the front legs 12 and rear legs 14 between a horizontal state and a raised state. More specifically, as described above, the seat 16 is pivotally supported by the seat pivot pin 64 between the pair of rear legs 14, which are the pivot legs. For this reason, seat pivot pin holes 68 for receiving the seat pivot pins 64 are formed on both rear side surfaces of the seat 16 in this embodiment. In addition, in this embodiment, the seat surface shape of the seat 16 is relatively wide in the front portion and relatively narrow in the rear portion (see Figures 1 and 4). In other words, the seat 16 has convex portions 108 extending outward from both side edges in a plan view.

As shown in FIG. 5, a stopper 70 is provided at the front center of the bottom surface of the seat 16, which engages with the link connection bar 18 when the chair 10 is unfolded and the seat 16 is in a horizontal position. In this embodiment, the stopper 70 has an engagement claw 72 formed at its lower end, which is attached so as to be able to swing relative to the bottom surface of the seat 16, and the engagement claw 72 engages with the link connection bar 18, thereby maintaining the horizontal position of the seat 16.

A pair of brackets 78 are provided on the bottom surface of the seat 16, slightly forward of the position where the seat pivot pin hole 68 at the rear end is formed. Each bracket 78 is composed of a pair of bracket plate members 80 that face each other in parallel, and the pair of bracket plate members 80 are spaced apart enough to fit the other end of the link bar 20.

The position where the pair of brackets 78 are provided is not limited to being forward of the position where the seat pivot pin hole 68 is formed at the rear end of the bottom surface of the seat 16 as described above, but may be rearward of the position where the seat pivot pin hole 68 is formed.

In addition, the seat 16 in this embodiment is constructed by stacking a seat surface member made of a relatively soft material on a seat bottom member made of a relatively hard material, but of course the seat 16 may be constructed of one type of material, or three or more types of materials.

The link connection bar 18 is a member formed by bending a solid bar with a circular cross section, with one end connected to the inner surface of the portion where the horizontal section 28 and the front leg section 30 of one front leg 12 are connected to each other, and the other end connected to the inner surface of the portion where the horizontal section 28 and the front leg section 30 of the other front leg 12 are connected to each other. In addition, the link connection bar 18 in this embodiment is formed in a substantially straight line, but is not limited to this shape.

The engagement claws 72 of the stopper 70 on the seat portion 16 described above are adapted to engage with the center of the link connection bar 18.

In this way, the pair of front legs 12 in this embodiment are "link legs" with the link connection bar 18 stretched between them.

The link bar 20 is a member whose one end is rotatably connected to the link connection bar 18 and whose other end is rotatably connected to the bottom surface of the seat 16.

In this embodiment, a reinforcing bar 21 is installed between the pair of rear legs 14, which are the "support legs," but this reinforcing bar 21 is not an essential component of the present invention.

The backrest 22 is a member for supporting the back of the user from behind when seated on the seat 16, and as described above, is attached to the backrest attachment portion 34 that connects the upper ends of the pair of front legs 12 to each other. Of course, the backrest 22 may be attached to, for example, the backrest support portion 26 of the pair of front legs 12, or to another member.

In this embodiment, the backrest attachment portion 34 to which the backrest 22 is attached is curved so that its central portion 35 protrudes rearward. This forms a gap 37 between the central portion 35 and the rear surface of the backrest 22 (see FIG. 4), making it easier to insert fingers into the gap 37 to grasp the central portion 35 when lifting and moving the chair 10, etc.

The armrests 24 are members on which a user rests their elbows while seated on the seat 16. In this embodiment, a pair of armrests 24 are attached to the pair of front legs 12 so as to protrude forward from approximately the center in the height direction of the backrest support parts 26. The armrest attachment parts 98, which are the attachment parts of each armrest 24 to the front legs 12, are configured so that the tip of the armrest 24 can rotate relative to the front legs 12, and the rotation stops when the armrest 24 is approximately horizontal when the chair 10 is unfolded. Of course, the armrests 24 may be attached to other members.

The armrest 24 will now be described in detail. As shown in Figures 7 and 8, the armrest 24 is generally composed of a frame 120, a pair of side covers 122, a pivot member 124, and a cover member 126. An armrest mounting bracket 130 protrudes forward from the center of the backrest support part 26 of the front leg 12 to which the armrest 24 is attached. Furthermore, a bracket cover 132 is placed over the armrest mounting bracket 130.

The frame 120 is the "bone" of the armrest 24, and is mostly formed of a flat plate that extends in the front-to-rear direction and is thin in the horizontal width direction. The frame 120 is integrally formed of this flat plate portion 134 and a clamping plate portion 136 disposed approximately parallel to the flat plate portion 134 at the rear end (the end on the armrest mounting bracket 130 side). The flat plate portion 134 and the clamping plate portion 136 are configured to be spaced apart from each other, and the armrest mounting bracket 130, covered with the bracket cover 132, is inserted into the gap between the flat plate portion 134 and the clamping plate portion 136.

Furthermore, the flat plate portion 134 and the clamping plate portion 136 each have a support member insertion hole 138 through which the support member 124 is inserted.

The pair of side covers 122 are placed on both sides of the cover member 126 that covers the frame 120. One of the side covers 122 has a second pivot member insertion hole 140 into which the pivot member 124 is inserted, and the other side cover 122 has an inner surface on which a pivot member insertion protrusion 142 protrudes into which the tip of the pivot member 124 is inserted.

The pivot support member 124 is a member for rotatably mounting the armrest 24 to the armrest mounting bracket 130 that protrudes from the center of the backrest support portion 26 of the front leg 12, and in this embodiment, a pin with a male screw at the tip is used. Of course, a member other than a pin may be used as long as it allows the armrest 24 to be rotatably mounted to the armrest mounting bracket 130.

In this manner, in this embodiment, the armrest attachment portion 98 is formed by the flat plate portion 134 and the clamping plate portion 136 of the frame 120, the pair of side covers 122, and the pivot support member 124.

The cover member 126 is a member made of a relatively soft material (e.g., elastomer) that is used by covering the frame 120. As shown in FIG. 9, the cover member 126 according to this embodiment has a recess 146 formed to curve inwardly of the cover member 126 at the inner edge 144 that faces the opposite armrest 24 when attached to the front leg 12. As a result, the cover member 126 has a relatively wide front end 148 and a minimum width portion 150 formed rearward of the front end 148 in a plan view.

In addition, the rear end 152 of the cover member 126 is designed to cover the portion of the frame 120 where the clamping plate portion 136 is provided, and therefore its width dimension is larger than the minimum width portion 150.

Throughout this specification, the distance between the inner surfaces of the narrowest parts 150 of both armrests 24 when viewed from above (planar view) is referred to as the "maximum inner dimension L1" between the armrests 24 (see Figure 4), and it is preferable that this maximum inner dimension L1 be 320 mm or more. By setting the maximum inner dimension L1 to 320 mm or more, most users can sit down on the seat 16 without hitting the armrests 24 more than necessary.

In addition, throughout this specification, the width dimension of the narrowest part 150 of each armrest 24 when viewed from above (planar view) is referred to as the "minimum width dimension L5" of the armrest 24 (see Figure 4), and it is preferable that this minimum width dimension L5 be 35 mm or less.

Next, the positional relationship between the armrests 24, seat 16, front legs 12, and rear legs 14 in the chair 10 will be described. Figure 10 shows a schematic plan view of the front legs 12, rear legs 14, and the leg rubbers 32, 48 attached to them all positioned inside the armrests 24 (towards the center of the chair 10 when viewed from above), so only a pair of armrests 24 and seat 16 are shown.

In this case, when considering the relationship between the maximum internal dimension L1 between the armrests 24 and the dimension between the outer ends of both convex portions 108 in the seat portion 16 (hereinafter referred to as the "dimension L2" of both ends of the seat portion 16), there are cases in which the "maximum internal dimension L1" and the "dimension L2" are the same (see FIG. 10(a)), the "dimension L2" is larger than the "maximum internal dimension L1" (see FIG. 10(b)), and further, the "dimension L2" is smaller than the "maximum internal dimension L1" (see FIG. 10(c)).

In addition, in cases where the "dimension L2 of both ends" is larger than the "maximum inner dimension L1" (see FIG. 10(b)), it is difficult to imagine a case where the "dimension L2 of both ends" is larger than the dimension between the outer ends of both armrests 24 (hereinafter referred to as the "outer end dimension L3" of the armrests 24). This is because in such a case, both armrests 24 would get in the way, making it impossible to effectively use both outer ends of the seat 16, resulting in a lot of waste.

Throughout this specification, the maximum dimension in the width direction of the entire chair 10 in a plan view is referred to as the "maximum width dimension." In other words, in each case shown in FIG. 10, the outer end dimension L3 of the armrest 24 is the "overall width dimension" of the chair 10.

Figure 11 shows a schematic plan view of the leg rubber 32 attached to the front leg 12 and the leg rubber 48 attached to the rear leg 14, in which the leg rubber 32 is located outside the armrest 24 (away from the center of the chair 10 in a plan view). Of course, the same concept applies when the leg rubber 48 is located outside.

In this case, when considering the relationship between the maximum internal dimension L1 between the armrests 24 and the dimension L2 at both ends of the seat 16, as in the case shown in Figure 10, there are cases where the "maximum internal dimension L1" and the "dimension L2 at both ends" are the same (see Figure 11(a)), where the "dimension L2 at both ends" is larger than the "maximum internal dimension L1" (see Figure 11(b)), and further where the "dimension L2 at both ends" is smaller than the "maximum internal dimension L1" (see Figure 11(c)).

In this case, too, for the same reasons as above, it is difficult to imagine a case in which the "dimension L2 at both ends" is greater than the outer end dimension L3 of both armrests 24.

In each case shown in FIG. 11, the dimension L4 between the outer ends of the leg rubbers 32 attached to the front legs 12 is the "maximum width dimension" of the chair 10. Of course, if the leg rubbers 32 are not present, the dimension between the outer ends of the front legs 12 is the "maximum width dimension", and if the rear legs 14 are spaced farther apart than the front legs 12, the dimension between the outer ends of the rear legs 14 or the dimension between the outer ends of the leg rubbers 48 attached to the rear legs 14 is the "overall width dimension".

(Features of the bathroom chair 10)
According to the chair 10 of this embodiment, by specifying the maximum inner dimension L1 between the armrests 24 and the minimum width dimension L5 of the armrests 24 to be greater than or equal to 320 mm and less than or equal to 35 mm, it is possible to provide, for example, a bathroom chair whose overall width dimension is classified as "compact" but whose maximum inner dimension between the armrests is classified as "medium", or a bathroom chair whose overall width dimension is classified as "middle" but whose maximum inner dimension between the armrests is classified as "wide".

For example, in the case of a chair 10 classified as "compact" and having an overall width dimension of 400 mm to 410 mm, it is conceivable that the minimum width dimension L5 of the armrests 24 could be set to 35 mm or less, and the maximum internal dimension L1 between the armrests 24 could be set to 320 mm to 375 mm.

In addition, for chairs 10 classified as "middle" with an overall width dimension of 450 mm to 460 mm, it is conceivable to set the minimum width dimension L5 of the armrests 24 to 35 mm or less and the maximum internal dimension L1 between the armrests 24 to 370 mm to 425 mm.

By adopting such armrest dimensions, it is possible to ensure the maximum inner dimension L1 between the armrests 24 while ensuring sufficient overall width, thereby increasing design freedom.

In addition, by providing the armrest 24 with a relatively wide front end 148 and a minimum width portion 150 formed rearward of the front end 148, the torso of the user sitting on the seat 16 is less likely to interfere with the minimum width portion 150 of the armrest 24, and the front end 148 of the armrest 24 can be easily used as a "handhold" when the user stands up, providing a user-friendly bathroom chair 10.

Furthermore, by forming convex portions 108 extending outward from both side edges of the seat 16 and forming concave portions 146 on the inner edges 144 of both armrests 24 that face each other, it becomes possible to position the seat 16 up to the minimum width portion 150 of the armrest 24 in a plan view of the chair 10, thereby further reducing areas where the user feels uneasy because the armrests 24 and seat 16 are not positioned.

(Variation 1)
In the above-described embodiment, the flat plate portion 134 of the frame 120 constituting the armrest 24 is configured as a flat plate that extends in the front-to-rear direction and is thin in the horizontal width direction. However, if greater strength is required for the frame 120, it is preferable to give the flat plate portion 134 a shape that increases the second moment of area, for example by providing a predetermined bent portion 160, as shown in Figure 12.

(Variation 2)
In the above embodiment, the armrest 24 is formed by covering the frame 120 with a separate cover member 126, but the frame 120 and the cover member 126 may be integrally molded. Also, a single member may serve as both the frame 120 and the cover member 126 by using a material with appropriate strength and surface softness.

(Variation 3)
In addition, in the above-described embodiment, a clamping plate portion 136 is arranged at the rear end of the frame 120, and the armrest 24 is attached to the front leg 12 by sandwiching the armrest mounting bracket 130 protruding from the front leg 12 between this clamping plate portion 136 and the flat plate portion 134. However, conversely, the frame 120 may be constructed only from the flat plate portion 134, and the armrest mounting bracket 130 protruding from the front leg 12 may be doubled and the flat plate portion 134 may be inserted between them to attach the armrest 24 to the front leg 12.

(Variation 4)
In the above-described embodiment, a stopper 70 is provided in the front center portion of the bottom surface of the seat 16, and when the seat 16 is in a horizontal position, the engagement claws 72 of the stopper 70 engage with the link connection bar 18, thereby maintaining the horizontal position of the seat 16. However, instead, a stopper mechanism 200 such as that shown in Figures 13 and 14 may be provided on the bathroom chair 10.

In addition to the presence of this stopper mechanism 200, the chair 10 according to this modified example 1 differs from the above-mentioned embodiment in that the pair of seat pivot pins 64 inserted on both rear sides of the seat 16 are replaced with a seat support bar 202 that spans from the seat pivot hole 66 in one rear leg 14 to the seat pivot hole 66 in the other rear leg 14, the seat support bar 202 is inserted into a seat support bar insertion hole 203 formed slightly rearward of the center of the bottom surface of the seat 16, making the seat 16 rotatable, and a leg biasing mechanism 250 is provided that biases the front and rear legs 12 and 14 in the direction in which they close.

The stopper mechanism 200 is roughly composed of a lever 204, a stopper 206, a link 208, a biasing member 210, and a cover 211.

The lever 204 is a member disposed at the rear end of the seat 16, and in a cross-sectional view (FIG. 15), the lower and front end of the lever 204 is rotatably attached to the bottom surface of the seat 16. Specifically, a lever pivot shaft insertion hole 214 is formed at the lower and front end of the lever 204, through which a lever pivot shaft 212 is inserted, the lever pivot shaft 212 being disposed parallel to the bottom surface of the seat 16 and extending in the width direction of the seat 16. By inserting the lever pivot shaft 212 into the lever pivot shaft insertion hole 214 formed in the lever 204, the lever 204 is raised and lowered in the vertical direction toward the rear of the seat 16.

The stopper 206 is a member disposed on the front side of the bottom surface of the seat 16, and the upper end side of the stopper 206 and the end on the front side of the seat 16 are attached to the bottom surface of the seat 16 so as to be freely rotatable. Specifically, a stopper rotation shaft insertion hole 218, through which a stopper rotation shaft 216 is inserted, which is disposed parallel to the bottom surface of the seat 16 and extends in the width direction of the seat 16, is formed on the upper end side of the stopper 206 and on the front end of the seat 16. When the stopper rotation shaft 216 is inserted into the stopper rotation shaft insertion hole 218 formed in the stopper 206, the stopper 206 rotates up and down below the seat 16.

In addition, a stopper engagement portion 220 that engages with the link connection bar 18 is formed on the front side of the stopper 206.

The link 208 is a straight rod, one end of which is rotatably attached to approximately the center in the vertical direction on the front side of the lever 204, and the other end of which is rotatably attached to the upper end of the rear side of the stopper 206. As a result, the lever 204 and the stopper 206 are linked (rotated) via the link 208, and the length of the link 208 is set so that when the lever 204 is raised upward, the stopper 206 rotates downward, and conversely, when the lever 204 is tilted downward, the stopper 206 rotates upward.

The attachment position of one end of the link 208 relative to the lever 204 is set so that when the lever 204 is tilted downward, the lever 204, which was above the lever pivot shaft 212, is positioned below it. As a result, even if the stopper 206 is biased by the biasing member 210 to rotate downward, if the lever 204 is tilted downward against the biasing force and moved below the lever pivot shaft 212, the lever 204 can be prevented from rotating back upwards by the biasing force even if it is released.

As described above, the biasing member 210 is a member that biases the stopper 206 in a direction in which the stopper 206 rotates downward. In this embodiment, a "coil spring" is used as the biasing member 210, and the upper end of the coil spring is fixed to the bottom surface of the seat portion 16, and the lower end biases the stopper 206. Note that the biasing member 210 is not limited to a coil spring, and other types of members such as a torsion spring can be used as long as they can bias the stopper 206 in a direction in which it rotates downward.

The cover 211 is a member that covers the center of the bottom surface of the seat 16, and in this embodiment, it covers part of the stopper 206, the biasing member 210, and the lever 204. In this embodiment, the lever pivot shaft 212 is attached to the rear end surface of the cover 211.

The leg biasing mechanism 250 includes a leg biasing member 252, a leg biasing member locking member 254, and a leg biasing member insertion member 256.

The leg biasing member 252 is a member that generates a biasing force on the front leg 12 and the rear leg 14 in a direction in which the legs 12, 14 close, and in this embodiment, a torsion spring is used. Note that the leg biasing member 252 is not limited to a torsion spring, and other types of members can be used as long as they can generate a biasing force in a direction in which the legs 12, 14 close.

The leg biasing member locking members 254 are a pair of members for locking one end of the leg biasing members (torsion springs) 252, and in this embodiment, they are provided forward of the leg biasing members 252 and protrude horizontally and inward from the horizontal portion 28 of each front leg 12.

The leg biasing member insert member 256 is a member for fixing and attaching the leg biasing member 252 by inserting it into the central hole of the torsion spring that serves as the leg biasing member 252. In this embodiment, the pivot pin 62 that pivotally supports the front leg 12 and the rear leg 14 is formed so that it extends inward toward the center of the seat 16.

In this embodiment, the other end of the torsion spring that constitutes the leg biasing member 252 is attached to the seat support bar 202.

Next, the procedure for folding the chair 10 according to this embodiment will be described. As shown in Figs. 15 to 20, in the "assembled state" in which the seat 16 is in a substantially horizontal state, the lever 204 of the stopper mechanism 200 is rotated downward against the biasing force of the biasing member 210. Then, as shown in Figs. 21 to 23, the stopper 206 also rotates upward and backward through the lever 204 pulled backward. As a result, the stopper engagement portion 220 of the stopper 206 is disengaged from the link connection bar 18. In this state, if the chair 10 is lifted upward by holding the backrest 22 or the like, the front legs 12 and rear legs 14 are closed by the biasing force from the leg biasing member 252 of the leg biasing mechanism 250, and the seat 16 rotates upward around the seat support bar 202 (see Fig. 21).

When the seat 16 rotates upward around the seat support bar 202, the rear end of the lever 204 comes into contact with the reinforcing bar 21 as shown in the figure (it may of course come into contact with any other member of the chair 10). As the front legs 12 and rear legs 14 are further closed and the seat 16 continues to rotate upward, the lever 204 pushed by the reinforcing bar 21 rotates upward relative to the seat 16, returning the seat 16 to its horizontal position, and when the link 208 returns to the upper side of the lever rotation shaft 212, the biasing force of the biasing member 210 presses the stopper 206 to rotate downward, and the lever 204 also rotates upward via the link 208, returning the seat 16 to its position when it was horizontal.

When the lever 204 returns to its original position, folding of the chair 10 is complete (see Figures 24 to 26).

To return the chair 10 from its folded state to its "assembled state," the user opens the front legs 12 and rear legs 14 against the biasing force from the leg biasing mechanism 250. This causes the front end of the seat 16 to move downward, and when the front legs 12 and rear legs 14 are fully opened, the stopper engagement portion 220 of the stopper 206 provided on the bottom surface of the seat 16 engages with the link connection bar 18, and the chair 10 returns to its "assembled state" (see Figures 27 to 31).

In this way, according to the embodiment of the fourth modification, the seat 16 can be made rotatable simply by rotating the lever 204 protruding from the rear end of the seat 16 downward, without having to reach around the bottom surface of the seat 16.

In addition, even if the lever 204 is released once the seat 16 has been made rotatable, the lever 204 will not return to its original position (upward), eliminating the need for two-handed operations such as rotating the front end of the seat 16 upward while operating the lever 204. This makes it easy for even elderly people to assemble and fold the chair 10.

In addition, when the front end of the seat 16 is rotated upward, the lever 204 comes into contact with the reinforcing bar 21 and automatically returns to its original position, so there is no need to worry about forgetting to return the lever 204 to its original position.

According to the embodiment of the fourth modified example, the hand that has been used to operate the lever 204 protruding from the rear end of the seat 16 is then moved vertically upward to grasp the backrest 22 of the chair 10 or the central portion 35 of the backrest attachment portion 34, and then the chair 10 can be easily folded simply by lifting the chair 10 upward, i.e., by simply moving the hand vertically upward.

In addition, the front legs 12 and rear legs 14 are always biased in the closing direction by the leg biasing mechanism 250, so the distance between the legs 12, 14 does not undesirably widen.

When returning the chair 10 to the "assembled state," simply by opening the legs 12, 14 against the biasing force of the leg biasing mechanism 250, the front end of the seat 16 will rotate downward under its own weight, and the stopper engagement portion 220 of the stopper 206 provided on the bottom surface of the seat 16 will engage with the link connection bar 18, eliminating the need to rotate the front end of the seat 16 downward by hand.

Furthermore, unlike chairs with a lever on the top of the backrest, there is no need to hold the lever while folding the chair. Also, there is no need to provide a through hole in the backrest to make it easier to hold the lever.

In the above-mentioned fourth embodiment, the stopper 206 can be released from its engagement with the link connection bar 18 by rotating the lever 204 from top to bottom. Alternatively, the link 208 may be set so that the stopper 206 can be released by rotating the lever 204 from bottom to top.

In addition, in the above-mentioned Example 4, the seat 16 is attached to the rear legs 14 so that the front end of the seat 16 pops up when the chair 10 is folded, but instead, the seat 16 may be attached to the front legs 12 so that the rear end of the seat 16 pops up when the chair 10 is folded.

The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered to be illustrative and not restrictive in all respects. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims, not by the above description, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims.

10...bathroom chair (chair), 12...front legs, 14...rear legs, 16...seat, 18...link connection bar, 20...link bar, 21...reinforcement bar, 22...backrest, 24...armrest, 26...backrest support portion, 28...horizontal portion, 30...front legs, 32...leg rubber (of front legs 12), 34...backrest mounting portion, 35...center portion (of backrest mounting portion 34), 36...outer pipe (of front legs 12), 37...gap, 38...height adjustment hole (of front legs 12), 40...inner pipe (of front legs 12), 42...height adjustment pin (of front legs 12), 44...seat support portion , 46...rear leg portion, 48...leg rubber (of rear leg 14), 50...outer pipe (of rear leg 14), 52...height adjustment hole (of rear leg 14), 54...inner pipe (of rear leg 14), 56...height adjustment pin (of rear leg 14), 58...front leg side pivot hole, 60...rear leg side pivot hole, 62...pivot pin, 63...front leg support portion, 64...seat pivot pin, 65...front leg support member, 66...seat pivot hole, 68...seat pivot pin hole, 70...stopper, 72...engagement claw, 78...bracket, 80...bracket plate material, 98...armrest attachment portion, 108...convex portion (of seat portion 16) 120...frame, 122...side cover, 124...axial support member, 126...cover member, 130...armrest mounting bracket, 132...bracket cover, 134...flat plate portion, 136...clamping plate portion, 138...axial support member insertion hole, 140...axial support member second insertion hole, 142...axial support member insertion protrusion portion, 144...(of cover member 126) inner edge, 146...recess, 148...front end portion, 150...minimum width portion, 152...rear end portion, 160...bent portion 200... stopper mechanism, 202... seat support bar, 203... seat support bar insertion hole, 204... lever, 206... stopper, 208... link, 210... biasing member, 211... cover, 212... lever pivot shaft, 214... lever pivot shaft insertion hole, 216... stopper pivot shaft, 218... stopper pivot shaft insertion hole, 220... stopper engagement portion 250... both legs biasing mechanism, 252... both legs biasing member, 254... both legs biasing member locking member, 256... both legs biasing member insertion member

Claims (1)

A bathroom chair comprising front legs, rear legs, a seat on which a user sits, and a pair of armrests disposed on both sides of the seat,
The maximum inner dimension between the armrests when viewed from above is 320 mm or more, and
The minimum width dimension of the armrest when viewed from above is 35 mm or less,
The overall width dimension of the bathroom chair is 460 mm or less,
The armrest is rotatable in an up-down direction from a horizontal position toward the rear, and has a front end portion that is an end portion in a direction toward which the user faces when seated on the seat, and a minimum width portion that is formed on the rear end side of the front end portion,
The maximum inner dimension is the inner dimension of the minimum width portion between the armrests,
When viewed from above, the seat portion has a width at a front portion that is wider than a width at a rear portion, and has convex portions extending outward from both side edges,
The armrests each have a recess on the inner edge facing each other.

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