Removable floor mounted support pole for elderly and disabled persons

Abstract

A removable floor mounted support pole for assisting elderly and disabled persons with standing from a seated surface, and providing adjacent support while moving on, to, and from a bed, bathtub, or toilet. The apparatus is designed to be installed and used typically in buildings with a concrete slab type floor such as a hospital or nursing home. The apparatus comprises two major assemblies: firstly, a floor receptacle which is installed permanently within a concrete slab type floor, and secondly, a support pole assembly which removably fastens into the floor mounted receptacle. When the support pole is not required, it may be removed in less than a minute, and placed in storage. The floor receptacle is sealed with a flush cap when a support pole is not installed within. The present design includes several novel features including: a novel fastening means to secure the support pole assembly into the floor receptacle, novel mating geometry to ensure minimal movement of the pole while installed in the floor receptacle, a novel means of using the support pole as a tool to disengage the floor receptacle cap, and a novel method of storing the sealing cap of the floor receptacle within the pole while the pole is installed in the floor receptacle.

I claim:  
     
         1 . A support pole for elderly and disabled persons comprising an outer tubular member enclosing a rotatable inner tubular member with means at its lower end to engage a cylindrical floor mounted receptacle.  
     
     
         2 . a support pole as defined in  claim 1  wherein the cylindrical floor receptacle has an annular groove arrangement on the outer surface  
     
     
         3 . A support pole as defined in  claim 2  wherein the annular groove is of helical configuration.  
     
     
         4 . A support pole as defined in  claim 3  wherein a pair of helical grooves having opposite leads angles are used.  
     
     
         5 . A support pole as defined in  claim 4  wherein the interior of the cylindrical floor receptacle has a taper surface at its upper end and at its lower end  
     
     
         6 . A support pole as defined in  claim 5  wherein a pair of locking holes are located at the bottom of the cylindrical floor receptacle  
     
     
         7 . A support pole as defined in  claim 6  including a hollow knob connected to the inner tubular member and located at the top of the pole  
     
     
         8 . A support pole as defined in  claim 7  including a circular cap member with an attached threaded stem which slidably fits into the knob  
     
     
         9 . A support pole as defined in  claim 8  having a grip member on the outer surface  
     
     
         10 . A support pole as defined in  claim 9  wherein the cap member sealingly engages the cylindrical floor receptacle when the support pole is not in use.  
     
     
         11 . A support pole as defined in  claim 10  wherein the outer tubular member is connected to a base stem member  
     
     
         12 . A support pole as defined in  claim 11  including a pair of pins at the bottom of the base stem member which are adapted to fasten the cap to the cylindrical floor receptacle  
     
     
         13 . A support pole as defined in  claim 12  wherein the pins are adapted to engage the locking holes of the cylindrical floor receptacle  
     
     
         14 . A support pole as defined in  claim 13  wherein the base stem member engages the tapered surfaces of the cylindrical floor receptacle