U.S. patent application number 12/130695 was filed with the patent office on 2008-12-04 for juvenile bathtub with water-rinse system.
This patent application is currently assigned to COSCO MANAGEMENT, INC.. Invention is credited to Richard M. Bastien, Ward Fritz, Andrew W. Marsden, John Ristuccia.
Application Number | 20080295239 12/130695 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 40086501 |
Filed Date | 2008-12-04 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080295239 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Ristuccia; John ; et
al. |
December 4, 2008 |
JUVENILE BATHTUB WITH WATER-RINSE SYSTEM
Abstract
A juvenile bathing system includes a bathtub and a child support
having a water reservoir with a backrest for supporting the child
and a spray system coupled to the water reservoir including a
sprayer and a pump. The child support can be positioned in a
reclined position or in an upright position within the bathtub.
Inventors: |
Ristuccia; John;
(Plainville, MA) ; Marsden; Andrew W.; (Hingham,
MA) ; Fritz; Ward; (Chelsea, MA) ; Bastien;
Richard M.; (Cumberland, RI) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BARNES & THORNBURG LLP
11 SOUTH MERIDIAN
INDIANAPOLIS
IN
46204
US
|
Assignee: |
COSCO MANAGEMENT, INC.
Wilmington
DE
|
Family ID: |
40086501 |
Appl. No.: |
12/130695 |
Filed: |
May 30, 2008 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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60941501 |
Jun 1, 2007 |
|
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|
Current U.S.
Class: |
4/589 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47K 3/024 20130101;
A47K 3/127 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
4/589 |
International
Class: |
A47K 3/022 20060101
A47K003/022 |
Claims
1. A juvenile bathing system comprising a bathtub and support means
for supporting a child in the bathtub with a reservoir of water
that is adapted to be sprayed on the child.
2. The juvenile bathing system of claim 1, wherein the support
means comprises a child support including a water reservoir and a
backrest.
3. The juvenile bathing system of claim 2, wherein the water
reservoir includes a body defining a chamber adapted to receive
water, a fill port in communication with the chamber, and an outlet
port in communication with the chamber.
4. The juvenile bathing system of claim 2, wherein the child
support includes a spray system coupled to the water reservoir.
5. The juvenile bathing system of claim 4, wherein the spray system
includes a sprayer coupled to the water reservoir and a pump
coupled to the water reservoir.
6. The juvenile bathing system of claim 5, wherein the pump
includes a hand-operated piston adapted to introduce air into the
water reservoir and pressurize the water reservoir.
7. The juvenile bathing system of claim 2, further comprising a
standoff attached to an upper end of the water reservoir adapted to
provide stability to the water reservoir in multiple use
environments, the standoff further comprising a support leg having
a foot adapted to support the upper end of the water reservoir, the
support leg being adapted to form a notch with the water reservoir,
and the notch being adapted to receive a rim of the bathtub.
8. The juvenile bathing system of claim 2, further comprising a
tether adapted to couple the child support to the bathtub.
9. The juvenile bathing system of claim 2, further comprising a
sling adapted to mate with the water reservoir, the sling including
a body configured to overlay the backrest of the water
reservoir.
10. The juvenile bathing system of claim 9, wherein the sling
includes a seat pad at the lower end of the body of the sling
adapted to extend beyond a lower end of the water reservoir to
provide a seating surface for the child.
11. The juvenile bathing system of claim 9, wherein the sling
includes a crotch pad at the lower end of the body of the sling
adapted to prevent the child from sliding down into the
bathtub.
12. The juvenile bathing system of claim 9, wherein the sling
includes securing means for securing the body of the sling to the
water reservoir.
13. The juvenile bathing system of claim 12, wherein the securing
means comprises a strap adapted to be positioned around the water
reservoir.
14. The juvenile bathing system of claim 12, wherein the securing
means comprises one or more button holes in the body of the sling
and each button hole is adapted to receive a button coupled to the
water reservoir.
15. The juvenile bathing system of claim 12, wherein the securing
means comprises a first aperture in the body of the sling adapted
to receive a fill port of the water reservoir and a second aperture
in the body of the sling adapted to receive an outlet port of the
water reservoir.
16. The juvenile bathing system of claim 9, wherein the sling
includes a hanger at the lower end of the body of the sling and the
hanger provides means for enabling the water reservoir to be hung
in an inverted position to drain water from the water
reservoir.
17. A juvenile bathing system comprising a bathtub, a child support
including a water reservoir adapted to receive water and a spray
system in fluid communication with the water reservoir adapted to
selectively spray water from the water reservoir, the water
reservoir including a backrest adapted to support a child, and
means for orientating the child support in the bathtub in one of a
reclined position or an upright position.
18. The juvenile bathing system of claim 17, wherein the means for
orientating the child support comprises a first mounting member on
the water reservoir, a second mounting number on the bathtub, and a
third mounting member on the bathtub, the first mounting member of
the water reservoir is adapted to mate with the second mounting
member of the bathtub to position the child support in the reclined
position, the first mounting member of the water reservoir is
adapted to mate with the third mounting member of the bathtub to
position the child support in the upright position.
19. The juvenile bathing system of claim 18, wherein the first
mounting member comprises an anchor, the second mounting member
comprises a first socket adapted to matingly receive the anchor,
and the third mounting member comprises a second socket adapted to
matingly receive the anchor.
20. The juvenile bathing system of claim 19, wherein the first and
second sockets each include a generally spherical segment and the
anchor includes a generally spherical segment configured to mate
with and couple to the generally spherical segments of the first
and second sockets.
21. The juvenile bathing system of claim 19, wherein the first
socket comprises a forward socket and the second socket comprises a
rearward socket.
22. The juvenile bathing system of claim 17, wherein the means for
orientating the child support comprises a pair of anchors on the
water reservoir, a pair of forward sockets in a side wall of the
bathtub, and a pair of rearward sockets in the side wall of the
bathtub, the anchors are adapted to respectively mate with the
forward sockets when the child support is in the reclined position,
and the anchors are adapted to respectively mate with the rearward
sockets when the child support is in the upright position.
23. A juvenile bathing system comprising a water reservoir
including a chamber adapted to receive water and a back rest
adapted to support a child and a spray system coupled to the water
reservoir and configured to spray water from the water
reservoir.
24. The juvenile bathing system of claim 23, wherein the water
reservoir includes one or more anchors adapted to selectively
position the water reservoir in one of a reclined position and an
upright position.
25. The juvenile bathing system of claim 23, wherein the water
reservoir includes a fill port and an outlet port and the spray
system includes a sprayer coupled to the outlet port and a pump
coupled to the inlet port.
26. The juvenile bathing system of claim 25, further comprising a
pressure-relief valve in communication with the water
reservoir.
27. A juvenile bathing system comprising a child support including
a backrest and support means for supporting the backrest in
multiple bathing environments.
28. The juvenile bathing system of claim 27, wherein the support
means is adapted to support the backrest in a juvenile bathtub.
29. The juvenile bathing system of claim 28, wherein the support
means comprises a standoff coupled to the backrest, the standoff
includes a support leg adapted to form a notch, and the notch is
adapted to receive a rim of the juvenile bathtub.
30. The juvenile bathing system of claim 28, wherein the support
means comprises one or more mounting members coupled to the
backrest, the mounting members adapted to releasably couple the
backrest to a side wall of the juvenile bathtub.
31. The juvenile bathing system of claim 27, wherein the support
means is adapted to support the backrest in an adult bathtub.
32. The juvenile bathing system of claim 31, wherein the support
means comprises a standoff coupled to the backrest and the standoff
includes a support leg having a foot portion adapted to be
supported on the rim of the adult bathtub.
33. The juvenile bathing system of claim 32, wherein the child
support includes a water reservoir, the water reservoir includes
the backrest, and a lower end of the reservoir is adapted to rest
on the bottom of the adult bathtub.
34. The juvenile bathing system of claim 27, wherein the support
means is adapted to support the backrest in a sink.
35. The juvenile bathing system of claim 34, wherein the support
means comprises a standoff coupled to the backrest and the standoff
includes a support leg having a foot portion adapted to be
supported on the rim of the sink.
Description
[0001] This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. .sctn.
119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/941,501, filed
Jun. 1, 2007, which is expressly incorporated by reference
herein.
BACKGROUND
[0002] The present disclosure relates to a juvenile bathing system
and, in particular, to apparatus for supporting a juvenile in a
bathing position in a bathing environment. More particularly, the
present disclosure relates to a juvenile bathing system including a
spray rinse system for bathing an infant or small child.
SUMMARY
[0003] According to the present disclosure, a juvenile bathing
system includes a child support having a spray system and a water
reservoir providing a backrest for a child in multiple bathing
environments such as, for example, in a juvenile bathtub, an adult
bathtub, or a sink.
[0004] In illustrative embodiments, the juvenile bathing system
includes a child support including a spray system and a water
reservoir providing a backrest. The child support is configured to
be mounted in a juvenile bathtub or to allow for use in an adult
bathtub or sink. The spray system is configured to mate with the
water reservoir and to include a spray head, a fluid line, and a
reservoir pump. When used in a juvenile bathtub, the child support
is oriented to lie in the bathtub in either a reclined position or
an upright position. A soft flexible sling may be adapted to mate
with the water reservoir to define a portion of the child
support.
[0005] Additional features of the disclosure will become apparent
to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following
detailed description of illustrative embodiments exemplifying the
best mode of carrying out the disclosure as presently
perceived.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0006] The detailed description particularly refers to the
accompanying figures in which:
[0007] FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic representation of a juvenile
bathing system in accordance with the present disclosure comprising
a child support including a spray system and water reservoir and
suggesting that the water reservoir provides a backrest for the
child in multiple bathing environments, for example, in a sink or
adult bathtub as suggested in FIG. 3, in a reclined position in a
juvenile bathtub as suggested in FIG. 4, or in an upright position
in a juvenile bathtub as suggested in FIG. 5;
[0008] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of an illustrative
embodiment of the juvenile bathing system of FIG. 1 showing a child
support including a water reservoir and a backrest, a juvenile
bathtub adapted to receive and mate with the child support, a soft
flexible sling overlying the backrest, a standoff adapted to mount
on an upper end of the water reservoir and adapted to lie on a
counter near a sink as suggested in FIG. 3 or against the rim of a
juvenile bathtub as suggested in FIG. 4, and a spray system
configured to mate with the water reservoir and to include a spray
head, a fluid line, and a reservoir pump, and showing that the
water reservoir is formed to include left and right anchors
configured to mate either with a forward set of anchor sockets
formed in the juvenile bathtub to establish the reclined position
of the child support as suggested in FIGS. 4, 6, and 7A or a
rearward set of anchor sockets formed in the juvenile bathtub to
establish the upright position of the child support as suggested in
FIGS. 5 and 8;
[0009] FIGS. 3-8 show the child support of FIG. 2 in different
bathing environments while showing the sling overlying the backrest
in a manner shown, for example, in FIGS. 9-12;
[0010] FIG. 3 illustrates the child support of FIG. 2 as it is
being placed in a sink so that the standoff is arranged to rest on
a lip of a sink while the water reservoir is located in the sink
and the bottom of the water reservoir is in contact with the sink
bottom;
[0011] FIG. 3A illustrates the child support of FIG. 2 as it is
being placed in an adult bathtub so that the standoff is arranged
to rest on a rim of the adult tub while the water reservoir is
located in the tub and the bottom of the water reservoir is in
contact with the tub bottom;
[0012] FIG. 4 shows the child support of FIG. 2 mounted in a
reclined position in the juvenile bathtub;
[0013] FIG. 5 shows the child support of FIG. 2 mounted in an
upright position in the juvenile bathtub;
[0014] FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the juvenile bathing system of
FIGS. 2-5 taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 4 showing the child support
in the juvenile bathtub and the standoff in engagement with a rim
of the juvenile bathtub when the child support is mounted in the
reclined position;
[0015] FIG. 7A is a sectional view taken along line 7A-7A of FIG. 6
showing insertion of the right anchor formed in the water reservoir
in the right forward anchor socket formed in the juvenile
bathtub;
[0016] FIG. 7B is a rear elevation view of the child support taken
along line 7B-7B of FIG. 6 in a juvenile bathtub in a reclined
position as shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, the water reservoir being
secured to the rim of the juvenile bathtub by a tether strap
threaded through a standoff anchor in the standoff and through a
tub anchor in the rim of the juvenile bathtub;
[0017] FIG. 8 is a sectional view of the juvenile bathtub taken
along line 8-8 of FIG. 5 showing the child support in the juvenile
bathtub and the standoff arranged to lie in spaced-apart relation
to the rim of the bathtub;
[0018] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the child support of FIG. 2,
wherein a soft flexible sling is arranged to overlay the backrest
and the standoff, the sling includes a backrest pad and a crotch
pad, the sling is secured to the standoff by a plurality of buttons
on the standoff in cooperation with corresponding button holes on
the sling, a sling strap extending around the rear portion of the
water reservoir, and a suspension loop for hanging the child
support in an inverted position to drain a bathing liquid from the
water reservoir as suggested in FIG. 12;
[0019] FIG. 10 is a bottom view of the child support of FIG. 9
showing the sling strap positioned about the back of the water
reservoir; and
[0020] FIG. 11 is a top plan view of the child support of FIG. 9
after the child support has been inverted by hanging upside down
from a suspension loop on the sling and after the pump and fluid
line have been removed to allow water to drain from the interior
region of the water reservoir through a reservoir filling port and
a water outlet port.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0021] A juvenile bath system 10 includes a child support 12
including a water reservoir 14 and a spray system 18. As shown in
FIG. 2, the water reservoir provides a backrest 16 for the child in
multiple bathing environments, for example, in a sink 24, as
suggested in FIG. 3, or adult bathtub 26, as suggested in FIG. 3A,
or in a reclined position in a juvenile bathtub 22 as suggested in
FIGS. 4 and 6, or in an upright position in a juvenile bathtub 22
as suggested in FIGS. 5 and 8. A soft flexible sling 20 may be
provided to overlay backrest 16 as shown in FIGS. 9-11. As best
shown in FIG. 7A, water reservoir includes a chamber 60 defined by
a body 58. Child support 12 also includes a spray system 18 having
a sprayer 83 and a pump 94 as shown in FIG. 2. Child support 12
also includes a standoff 66 to provide additional support, for
example, resting against a sink rim 78 when used in a sink as shown
in FIG. 3, or resting against a rim 82 of an adult bathtub 26 as
shown in FIG. 3A, or resting against a rim 36 of a juvenile bathtub
22 as shown in FIGS. 4, 6, and 7B.
[0022] A juvenile bath system 10 is shown diagrammatically in FIG.
1, including a child support 12 and a sling 20 adapted to be
mounted on child support 12. Child support 12 has a water reservoir
14 including a backrest 16 and a spray system 18. Sling 20 may be
attached to water reservoir 14 to provide a soft covering for water
reservoir 14 and support for a child using child support 12.
Juvenile bath system 10 may be adapted for use in a juvenile
bathtub 22, a sink 24, or an adult bathtub 26.
[0023] Juvenile bath system 10 may include a juvenile bathtub 22
adapted to receive and mate with child support 12, as suggested in
FIG. 2. Juvenile bathtub 22 includes a base 28 supporting a floor
30. A side wall 32 is integral with and extends upwardly from floor
30 about its perimeter. Side wall 32 having an upper end 34
terminating in a rim 36. Rim 36 defines an opening 38 into an
interior region 40. Juvenile bathtub 22 also includes mounting
members such as left and right forward sockets 42A, 42B and left
and right rearward sockets 44A, 44B within side wall 32. Child
support 12 includes mounting members such as left and right anchors
46A, 46B adapted to mate with either the forward sockets 42A, 42B
in a reclined position as shown in FIG. 4 or the rearward sockets
44A, 44B in an upright position as shown in FIG. 5.
[0024] Child support 12 includes a water reservoir 14 having a
backrest 16 and a spray system 18. Water reservoir 14 includes a
body 54 having an upper end 56 and a lower end 58. A chamber 60 is
defined within body 54 of reservoir 14 as shown in FIG. 7A. A fill
port 62 and an outlet port 64, each in communication with chamber
60, are provided at upper end 56 of reservoir 14.
[0025] A standoff 66 may be attached to upper end 56 of reservoir
body 54 to provide stability for child support 12 in multiple use
environments. Standoff 66 may be attached to reservoir body 54 by
snap fit or other suitable means. The illustrative embodiment shown
in FIG. 2 is configured to define apertures 68, 70 adapted to
receive and couple to fill port 62 and outlet port 64,
respectively. Standoff 66 may also include a support leg 72 having
a foot portion 74 at its lower end.
[0026] As illustrated in FIG. 3, child support 12 may be used in a
sink 24. Lower end 58 of reservoir 14 is placed in sink 24 resting
on sink bottom 76 and foot portion 74 of standoff 66 is supported
on sink rim 78. Thus, child support 12 is maintained in a reclined
position. Similarly, when child support 12 is used in an adult
bathtub 26 as illustrated in FIG. 3A, lower end 58 rests on tub
bottom 80 and foot portion 74 of standoff 66 is supported on tub
rim 82.
[0027] Spray system 18 includes a sprayer 83 and a reservoir pump
94. Sprayer 83 includes a fluid line 84 having a first end 86 and a
second end 88 and a spray head 90 attached to first end 86 of fluid
line 84. Second end 88 of fluid line 84 is inserted into chamber 60
of water reservoir 14 through outlet port 64. A connector 92 is
provided to secure fluid line 84 within outlet port 64. For
example, as illustrated in FIG. 2, connector 92 may be configured
to seal outlet port 64. Fluid line 84 is arranged to pass through
connector 92.
[0028] Reservoir pump 94 is coupled to fill port 62 of reservoir
14. In the illustrative embodiment of FIG. 2, reservoir pump 94
includes a handle 96 and a piston 98 coupled to handle 96.
Reservoir pump 94 is used to introduce air into and pressurize
chamber 60 of reservoir 14. For example, pump 94 may be of a
hand-operated piston kind as illustrated, or may be of other
suitable configuration. With sprayer 83 attached to outlet port 64,
a caregiver, for example, may fill water reservoir 14 and insert
pump 94 into fill port 62. The caregiver then may pump air into
water reservoir 14 to pressurize chamber 60 and force water through
fluid line 84 and out through spray head 90. The pump 94 or the
water reservoir 14 may include a pressure relief valve 99 in
communication with the chamber 60 adapted to exhaust air to the
atmosphere if the chamber 60 is over pressurized, such as above,
for example, fifteen pounds per square inch of pressure. Spray head
90 may include a shut-off valve 91 operated by a button, a handle,
or similar means, to turn on and off water flow selectively to
spray and rinse a child.
[0029] Sling 20 may be fitted about child support 12 over backrest
16 to provide support for a child using child support 12. Sling 20
includes a body 100 configured to overlay backrest 16. A sling
strap 102 is provided to secure sling 20 in place about body 54 of
reservoir 14. Sling strap 102 is positioned around water reservoir
14 opposite backrest 16 and sling body 100. Sling 20 may also be
formed to include apertures 104, 106 located to receive fill port
62 and outlet port 64 respectively.
[0030] Sling 20 may also include a plurality of button holes 104
configured to cooperate with buttons 107 on standoff 66, as
illustrated in FIGS. 7B and 9. Sling strap 102 may have a
single-piece construction comprising an elastic material allowing
strap 102 to be stretched about body 54. Alternatively, sling strap
102 may be of a two-piece construction, each piece being positioned
around body 54 and secured by a fastener (not shown) such as a
hook-and-loop fastener, buckle, clasp, slide, clip, snap, hook, or
other appropriate fastening means.
[0031] Child support 12 may be used in a sink 24 or in an adult
bathtub 26 as suggested in FIGS. 3 and 3A. Although child support
12 is illustrated without sling 20, for clarity, sling 20 may be
used in sink 24 and adult bathtub 26 environments in addition to
use with a juvenile bathtub 22.
[0032] Sling 20 may also include a seat pad 108 attached to a lower
end 110 of sling body 100 and configured to extend beyond the lower
end 58 of water reservoir 14. Seat pad 108 is configured to rest on
floor 30 of juvenile bathtub 22. Similarly, when child support 12
is used in other environments, seat pad 108 may also rest on sink
bottom 78 or adult bathtub bottom 80. Seat pad 108 provides a
cushioned seating surface for a bathing child. Additionally, a
crotch pad 112 may be provided, coupled to seat pad 108 opposite
sling body 100 and positioned to have the legs of a bathing child
on either side, to prevent the child from sliding down into
juvenile tub 22, adult bathtub 26, or sink 24.
[0033] Sling 20 may also include a hanger 114 that allows the sling
20, alone or in combination with child support 12, to be suspended
from a hook 118 or other support as illustrated in FIG. 11. In the
illustrative embodiments of FIGS. 2, 10, and 11, hanger 114
comprises a fabric loop attached to a lower end 116 of sling 20. As
shown in FIG. 1, pump 94 and fluid line connector 92 may be
removed, leaving fill port 62 and outlet port 64 open, and child
support suspended upside down by hanger 114. This configuration
allows water to drain from cavity 60 of reservoir 14 through fill
port 62 and outlet port 64 after use.
[0034] Referring to FIGS. 6 through 8, child support 12 may be used
in cooperation with juvenile bathtub 22 in a reclined position as
illustrated in FIG. 6 or an upright position as illustrated in FIG.
8. Child support 12 may be used in cooperation with juvenile
bathtub 22 in a reclined position as illustrated in FIG. 6. In the
reclined position, anchors 46A, 46B on child support 12 are
received by and coupled to forward sockets 42A, 42B, respectively.
The illustrative embodiment shown in FIG. 7A shows a detailed view
of right forward socket 42A as a spherical segment in side wall 32.
Anchor 46A is also shown as a spherical segment in reservoir body
58 configured to mate with and couple to socket 42A. Sockets 42B,
44A, and 44B, and anchor 46B are configured similarly, though not
shown.
[0035] Referring again to FIG. 6, child support 12 configured in a
reclined position, defines a first angle 120 between backrest 16
and floor 30 of juvenile tub 22. A medial edge 122 of support leg
72 and a rear surface 124 of reservoir 14 form a notch 126 to
receive and rest on rim 36 of juvenile tub 22 providing additional
stability for child support 12.
[0036] As illustrated in FIG. 7B, a standoff tether 128 may be
provided to couple positively child support 12 to juvenile bathtub
22 when child support 12 is in the reclined position. Standoff
tether 128 is fed through standoff anchor 134 and tub anchor 136
formed in rim 36 securing standoff 66 to juvenile tub 22.
[0037] In the illustrative embodiment shown in FIG. 7B, standoff
tether 128 comprises a flexible tether strap 130 and a fastener
132. Tether strap 130 may be constructed from woven nylon web
material, fabric, or other suitable materials. Likewise, fastener
132 may comprise hook-and-loop fastener, a side-release buckle,
clasp, or other suitable means and still be within the scope of the
present disclosure.
[0038] Child support 12 may be used in cooperation with juvenile
bathtub 22 in an upright position, as illustrated in FIG. 8. In the
upright position, anchors 46A, 46B on child support 12 are received
by and coupled to rearward sockets 44A, 44B, respectively. When
child support 12 is configured in an upright position, a second
angle 138 is defined between backrest 16 and floor 30 of juvenile
tub 22. Second angle 138 is smaller than first angle 120, resulting
in child support 12 having backrest 16 oriented more vertically in
the upright position than in the reclined position. In the upright
position, notch 126 is located above and spaced apart from rim 36.
Lower end 58 of reservoir 14 is supported on floor 30 of juvenile
tub 22. Rear surface 124 of reservoir 14 is supported against upper
edge 34 of side wall 32.
[0039] Juvenile bathtub 22 may also include additional features
such as a drain 48 in floor 30 and a drain plug 50 for selectively
opening and closing drain 48. Floor 30 may be configured to slope
towards drain 48, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 8, to assist flow of
water out of juvenile bathtub 22. Drain plug 50 may be coupled to
floor 30 by a hinge 52, allowing for orientation of drain plug 50
between an open position and a closed position.
* * * * *