U.S. patent application number 11/136478 was filed with the patent office on 2006-11-30 for hydromassaging bathing tub with adjustable elevated seat.
This patent application is currently assigned to GESTION ULTRA INTERNATIONALE INC.. Invention is credited to Guy Baillargeon, Stephane Baron, Henry Brunelle, Julie Turcotte.
Application Number | 20060265803 11/136478 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 37461590 |
Filed Date | 2006-11-30 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060265803 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Brunelle; Henry ; et
al. |
November 30, 2006 |
Hydromassaging bathing tub with adjustable elevated seat
Abstract
A hydromassaging bathing tub is provided with jets disposed at
various locations about side walls thereof. At least some of these
jets are oriented to generate massaging water flows over a bottom
wall of the bathing tub. A seat is secured between opposed ones of
the side walls of the tub whereby to support the buttocks of a
bather seated thereon at an elevated position over the bottom wall
whereby the massaging water flows which are directed over the
bottom wall will massage the bather from underneath portions of its
body.
Inventors: |
Brunelle; Henry; (Cap-Rouge,
CA) ; Baron; Stephane; (Charny, CA) ;
Baillargeon; Guy; (St-Etienne de Lauzon, CA) ;
Turcotte; Julie; (Scott, CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
OGILVY RENAULT LLP
1981 MCGILL COLLEGE AVENUE
SUITE 1600
MONTREAL
QC
H3A2Y3
CA
|
Assignee: |
GESTION ULTRA INTERNATIONALE
INC.
|
Family ID: |
37461590 |
Appl. No.: |
11/136478 |
Filed: |
May 25, 2005 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
4/541.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61H 33/0087 20130101;
A61H 33/601 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
004/541.1 |
International
Class: |
A47K 3/00 20060101
A47K003/00; A47K 3/10 20060101 A47K003/10 |
Claims
1. A hydromassaging bathing tub having jets disposed at various
locations about side walls of said bathing tub, at least some of
said jets being oriented to generate massaging water flow over a
bottom wall of said bathing tub, and a seat secured between opposed
ones of said side walls whereby to support the buttocks of a bather
seated thereon at an elevated position over said bottom wall
whereby said massaging water flows directed over said bottom wall
will massage said buttocks and other portions of its body from
underneath.
2. A hydromassaging bathing tub as claimed in claim 1 wherein said
seat is provided with securement means to adjustably position same
in said bathing tub.
3. A hydromassaging bathing tub as claimed in claim 2 wherein said
opposed ones of said side walls are each provided with seat
retention means aligned with one another in facial relationship in
a common horizontal plane.
4. A hydromassaging bathing tub as claimed in claim 3 wherein said
seat retention means is formed integral with said side walls and
comprised by an elongated slot having a series of axially aligned
grooves, said grooves being configured to receive a support pin
projecting from opposed ends of said seat.
5. A hydromassaging bathing tub as claimed in claim 4 wherein said
series of axially aligned grooves are disposed in a lower edge of
said elongated slot formed in each of said opposed ones of said
side walls.
6. A hydromassaging bathing tub as claimed in claim 2 wherein said
securement means is constituted by one or more support pins secured
to said seat and projecting outwardly of opposed sides of said
seat, said pins being disposed in selected ones of retention
grooves formed in opposed side walls of said bathing tub.
7. A hydromassaging bathing tub as claimed in claim 6 wherein said
seat is a rectangular seat having opposed side edges, a support
flange secured to each said side edges and projecting above a top
seating surface of said seat, there being a pair of said support
pins secured to an upper region of each said support flanges and
disposed spaced apart along an axis parallel to said top seating
surfaces, said pair of pins being spaced apart a predetermined
distance to be removably retrieved in two spaced apart ones of said
retention grooves.
8. A hydromassaging bathing tub as claimed in claim 7 wherein said
seat is provided with one or more elongated openings therein for
the passage of portions of said massaging water flows.
9. A hydromassaging bathing tub as claimed in claim 1 wherein said
seat retention means in said opposed ones of said side walls are
disposed adjacent one end of said bathing tub, the other end of
said bathing tub being provided with at least two feet positioning
means.
10. A hydromassaging bathing tub as claimed in claim 9 wherein said
feet positioning means is provided by two or more ridge formations
formed integrally with said other end of said bathing tub, said
ridges providing horizontal support ledges for the feet of a
bather.
11. A hydromassaging bathing tub as claimed in claim 10 wherein
said one end of said bathing tub provides a backrest support for a
bather, said seat providing elevated support of the buttocks of
said bather whereby said bather is disposed in a body of water
supported elevated over said bottom wall.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present invention relates to hydromassaging bathing tubs
and wherein a seat is adjustably and removably secured between
opposed side walls of the tub whereby to support a bather elevated
from a bottom wall of the bathtub so that the bather is subjected
to massaging water flow from underneath portions of its body.
BACKGROUND ART
[0002] There are a multitude of hydromassaging bathing tubs which
are provided with water or air jets which are orientable to direct
a massaging water flow upon a bather's body which is seated on the
bottom wall of the bathing tub. Other bathing tub designs provide
for seats to be integrally molded in the side walls of the bathing
tub and defining a seated surface elevated from the bottom wall of
the tub. Because these seats are molded with the side walls, they
have no space under its seated surface and its intended purpose is
merely for comfort. It has been found that with all of these
hydromassaging bathing tub designs, the portions of the body of a
person which are massaged by the water or air jets are primarily
the legs and the back portion. There is no provision for massaging
the buttocks of the bathing person as the person is usually seated
on large flat wall potion of the bathtub.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
[0003] It is a feature of the present invention to provide a
hydromassaging bathing tub wherein a seat is adjustably and
removably secured between opposed side walls of the bathing tub to
support a bather elevated over a bottom wall of the bathtub to
provide massaging water flows underneath portions of the its body
and particularly under its buttocks.
[0004] According to the above feature, from a broad aspect, the
present invention provides a hydromassaging bathing tub with jets
disposed at various locations about side walls thereof. At least
some of these jets are oriented to generate massaging water flows
over a bottom wall of the bathing tub. A seat is secured between
opposed ones of the side walls of the tub whereby to support the
buttocks of a bather seated thereon at an elevated position over
the bottom wall whereby the massaging water flows which are
directed over the bottom wall will massage the buttocks and other
portions of its body from underneath.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0005] A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be
described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
[0006] FIG. 1 is a side section view showing a hydromassaging
bathing tub constructed in accordance with the present
invention;
[0007] FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1, but showing the bather
in a more elongated seated or lying position with the support seat
having been displaced to a more forward portion along elongated
slots having retention grooves therein for securing the seat at a
desirable position;
[0008] FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating the construction
of the seat;
[0009] FIG. 4 is a fragmented perspective view showing the
construction of the retention grooves disposed in a lower edge of
the elongated recessed slots; and
[0010] FIG. 5 is a fragmented section view showing the seat
supported by the retention grooves in the slots.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0011] Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIG.
1, there is shown generally at 10 a hydromassaging bathing tub
constructed in accordance with the present invention. As
hereinshown the bathing tub is provided with opposed side walls 11,
a first end wall 12 and a second end wall 13. The bath tub has a
bottom wall 14 and an open top end 15. A plurality of air or water
jets 15 are secured in the side wall and end walls of the bathing
tub as is necessary. Some of these jets such as those shown at 15'
are oriented to generate massaging water flows over the bottom wall
14 of the bathing tub. The bottom wall may have a ledge 13''
adjacent a seat portion 14' in which jets 15'' may be disposed.
[0012] The improvement in the bathing tub of the present invention
is the provision of a seat 17 which is secured between the opposed
side walls 11, one only shown herein due to the cross-section
illustration, whereby to support the bather 16 at an elevated
position over the bottom wall 14 whereby massaging water flows from
the jets 15' or 15'', which are directed on or close to the bottom
wall 14, will massage the bather from underneath portions of its
body such as its buttock portion 16' and lower back portion 16'',
as shown in FIG. 2.
[0013] With additional reference now to FIGS. 2 to 5, and more
particularly to FIG. 3, it can be seen that the seat is provided
with securement means 18 projecting from opposed side edges 17' of
the seat. More specifically, a support flange 19 is secured to the
seat adjacent the side edges 17' and projects thereabove. A pair of
support pins 20 are secured to the flange and are spaced apart
whereby to be received in a pair of retention grooves 21 formed
integral in a lower edge of an elongated recessed slot 22 formed
integral in the opposed side walls 11 of the bathing tub.
[0014] As shown in FIG. 4, there is provided a series of axially
aligned retention grooves and they are configured to receive the
support pins 20 which project from opposed ends of the seat.
Therefore, the seat is adjusted at any convenient location along
the opposed slots which are aligned with one another in facial
relationship in a common horizontal plane.
[0015] It can be seen from FIG. 1 that when the seat is positioned
closest to the end wall 12, the back wall of the bathing tub, that
the bather 16 is seated more erect into the bathing tub but
elevated from the bottom wall. As the seat is moved more forward,
as illustrated in FIG. 2, the bather 16 assumes a more stretched
out lying position. The seat 17 is also provided with elongated
openings 25 to permit the passage of portions of the massaging
water flows to impinge upon the buttocks of the bather sitting on
the top surface of the seat. This seat is molded from plastics
material. Also, it can be seen that the retention pins 20 are
disposed in different horizontal planes from one another whereby
the seat, when engaged in the retention grooves, assumes a rearward
angle as is the back wall to provide comfort. The slots with the
retention grooves are also disposed closer to the first end wall
12, namely the back wall.
[0016] As is also shown, another feature of this bathing tub is
that it is provided in the second end wall 13 with at least two
feet positioning means in the form of ridge formations 26. There
are three ridge formations 26 illustrated in this embodiment and
these are formed integrally with the end wall 13. These ridge
formations 26 provide horizontal support ledges 27 as well as
abutment wall portions 28 for the feet of the bather 16.
Accordingly, the bather can seat himself at any desired position by
displacing the seat along the slots and wedge himself in the
bathing tub by its feet thereby immobilizing himself in the bathing
tub at a desired position to obtain a massaging treatment by the
massaging water flows adjacent the bottom wall of the bathing tub
and particularly on his buttocks 16'' and lower back portion 16''
as previously described.
[0017] It is pointed out that when the seat is not utilized the
bathing tub is substantially a conventional tub with the bather
sitting on the rear end seat portion 14' of the bottom wall 14 but
can still use the ridge formation as feet support, if so desired.
This prevents the bather from slipping on the bottom wall 14,
particularly when bathing oil is added to the water. To remove the
seat, as shown in FIG. 5, the seat is lifted whereby to lift the
support pins 20 from the retention grooves 21. The seat is then
angled side ways for ease of removal from the opposed slots.
[0018] It is within the ambit of the present invention to cover any
obvious modifications of the preferred embodiment described herein,
provided such modifications fall within the scope of the appended
claims.
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