U.S. patent number 3,835,482 [Application Number 05/313,834] was granted by the patent office on 1974-09-17 for suntanning tub.
Invention is credited to James R. Tersch.
United States Patent |
3,835,482 |
Tersch |
September 17, 1974 |
SUNTANNING TUB
Abstract
A shallow, tub-like receptacle for use by sunbathers in
obtaining a suntan. The receptacle is defined by an elongated
rectangular bottom with relatively short end and side walls
projecting upwardly therefrom, the end walls being of different
height so that the tub is deeper at one end than the other. A
peripheral flange extends laterally outward from the end and side
walls, the flange being widened along each side over a
predetermined length to define arm rests for the user. The tub
further includes inclined ramp surfaces disposed at each end
thereof to receive and comfortably support the sunbather's head and
feet in a position of repose.
Inventors: |
Tersch; James R. (Minneapolis,
MN) |
Family
ID: |
23217345 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/313,834 |
Filed: |
December 11, 1972 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
4/573.1; 4/585;
220/608; D12/11; D23/278; 5/928; 441/129; 607/95 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47C
1/14 (20130101); A47C 17/62 (20130101); A47C
17/66 (20130101); Y10S 5/928 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A47C
1/00 (20060101); A47C 1/14 (20060101); A47k
003/022 (); A61h 033/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;4/1,172,177,173,185R,160,162,164,163,148,185HB
;128/25R,367,369,372,373 ;229/2.5 ;D23/52 ;D6/37,38 ;9/347,348
;220/1C,72 ;206/77.1 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Mautz; George F.
Assistant Examiner: Levy; Stuart S.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Merchant, Gould, Smith &
Edell
Claims
I claim:
1. An integrally molded, thin walled article for use by sunbathers,
comprising:
a. an elongated, generally rectangular bottom member of
predetermined dimension, the bottom member being longitudinally
corrugated for strength;
b. first and second end walls and first and second side walls
projecting upwardly from the bottom member and defining a shallow
recepacle therewith capable of holding water and sized to permit a
sunbather to lie therein;
c. the vertical dimension of the first end wall being greater than
that of the second end wall, and the vertical dimension of the
first and second side walls increasing correspondingly to define a
receptacle of increasing depth toward said first end wall;
d. a peripheral flange of predetermined width extending laterally
outward from said side and end walls, the peripheral flange being
widened along each side from an intermediate point thereof to a
point proximate the first end wall to define arm rests for the
sunbather;
e. a first generally rectangular inclined surface extending
longitudinally from the top surface of the bottom member to the
first end wall and being slidhtly concave to receive and
comfortably support the sunbather's head;
f. a second generally rectangular inclined surface extending
longitudinally from the top surface of the bottom member to the
second end wall and being slightly concave to receive and
confortably support the sunbather's feet;
g. each of said first and second inclined surfaces having a
roughened finish to prevent slipping relative thereto.
2. The article defined by claim 1 wherein each of said arm rests is
slightly concave and inclined downwardly to the receptacle to
channel water thereto.
3. The suntanning tub defined by claim 1 wherein the juncture of
said side and end walls with the bottom member is rounded.
4. The suntanning tub defined by claim 1, wherein the outer edge of
the peripheral flange is rolled downwardly.
5. The suntanning tub defined in claim 1, wherein the bottom
member, side walls, end walls, peripheral flange and inclined
surface are integrally molded from self-supporting
polyethylene.
6. The suntanning tub defined by claim 1, wherein the second
inclined surface is spaced from the respective side walls to define
slots to receive the user's feet.
Description
The invention is directed to a shallow tube for use by sunbathers
in obtaining a suntan.
Sunbathing, whether done for the purpose of obtaining a suntan or
merely for relaxation, is often accompanied by periods of undue
warmth, particularly under conditions of high temperature and
little or no wind. For the sunbather in close proxmity to a
swimming pool, lake or ocean, the problem of becoming excessively
warm or hot is of little consequence since it is readily solved by
a short submergence into the water, which both cools the body and
assists in the tanning process. Sunbathers who do not have
immediate access to a swimming area are not so fortunate, and
either tolerate such excessive warmth or cut short their period of
sunbathing.
My invention resides in a suntanning tub or receptacle which is
capable of containing water at a shallow depth, and which also
offers comfortable support to the sunbather in a position of
repose. Thus, the use of my inventive structure enables the
sunbather to remain both cool and comfortable for extended
sunbathing periods.
The inventive suntanning tub includes an elongated rectangular
bottom having side and end walls projecting upwardly therefrom to
define a shallow receptacle capable of holding water. Preferably,
the end walls are of different height so that depth of the
receptacle increases from the foot to the head portion. A
peripheral flange extends laterally outward from the side and end
walls, the flange having an increased width from essentially the
tub midpoint to the head portion to define arm rests enabling the
sunbather to repose in a position of total comfort. Disposed at
each end of the tanning receptacle is an inclined ramp surface
extending longitudinally from the tub bottom to the top of the
associated end wall to define supports for the user's head and
feet. The supportive foot surface is of such width relative to the
width of the tub as to permit the sunbather to place his feet in
the water on either side thereof if desired.
From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that the inventive
structure permits a user to obtain a suntan at any desired
location, whether or not a swimming area is nearby, in complete
comfort.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a suntanning tub embodying the
inventive principle;
FIG. 2 is a view in side elevation of the inventive suntanning
tub;
FIG. 3 is a view in top plan of the suntanning tub;
FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of the suntanning tub taken
along the line 4--4 of FIG. 3; and
FIG. 5 is an end view of the suntanning tub.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
With reference to the drawings, a suntanning tub or receptacle
embodying the inventive principle is represented generally by the
numeral 11. Tub 11 comprises an elongated bottom 12 which is
generally rectangular in shape and longitudinally corrugated to
give it the requisite strength for adequately supporting a person
in a reclined position thereon. The length and width of bottom 12
are chosen in accordance with the size of adult persons as will be
evident below.
Projecting upwardly from the bottom 12 are a pair of side walls
13a, b and a pair of end walls 14a, b the height of which is chosen
to generally define a shallow receptacle capable of holding water.
The juncture of each of the side walls 13a, b and end walls 14a, b
with bottom 12 is rounded, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4. In the
preferred embodiment, the end wall 14a is disposed at the head of
tub 11, and its height is slightly greater than that of the end
wall 14b (see FIG. 2 in particular). Consequently, the side walls
13a, b increase in their vertical dimension or height from the foot
to the head of the tub 11, and the receptacle depth increases
accordingly.
As shown particularly in FIGS. 2, 4 and 5, the line of juncture of
each of the side walls 13a, b and end walls 14a, b with the bottom
12 is rounded to eliminate the presence of sharp edges on the tub
11.
Extending laterally outward from the side wall 13a, b and end walls
14a, b is a continuous peripheral flange 15. As shown particularly
in FIG. 4, the flange 15 has a rolled, smooth outer edge, also for
the reason of avoiding any sharpness to the user. Between the
longitudinal midpoint of the tub 11 and the head portion, the
peripheral flange 15 is widened to define arm rests 16 on each side
thereof. The arm rests 16 may be slightly concave, as shown
particularly in FIG. 4, for more comfort to the user and also to
insure that water will be channeled back into the receptacle rather
than over the outer edge. Except for the arm rest 16, peripheral
flange 15 is of essentially constant dimension.
Extending longitudinally from the end wall 14a to the top surface
of the bottom 12 is a ramp surface 17, the inclined length of which
is sufficient to receive and comfortably support a user's head.
Similarly, at the foot of tub 11, a ramp surface 18 extends
longitudinally from the end wall 14b to the upper surface of bottom
12. The inclined length of ramp surface 18 enables the user to
comfortably place his feet in a slightly elevated position thereon,
such length being slightly greater than that of the ramp surface
17. The transverse dimension of width of the ramp 18, however, is
somewhat less than that of the ramp surface 17 to define slots 19
on either side thereon into which the user may place his feet to
keep them partially submerged in water, if desired.
Preferably, each of the ramp surfaces 17, 18 is slightly concave as
shown and has a slightly roughened finish, which prevents the
user's head and feet from slipping to provide optimum comfort.
Based on the foregoing description, it will be apparent that the
inventive tanning tub can be made from any number of appropriate
materials capable of defining a water retaining receptacle.
Preferably, the tanning tub is formed from self-supporting
polyethylene having a thickness of 0.060 inches, which offers
sufficient supportive strength without being unduly heavy. The use
of self-supporting polyethylene also enables the tub 11 to be
integrally molded as a unit to simplify its manufacture.
Using the inventive tub 11 simply involves placing it on a flat
horizontal surface, filling it with water to the desired depth and
assuming a comfortable reposed position. The unique structure of
the suntanning tub 11 enables the user to lie either face up or
face down; and consequently, should the user become excessively
warm or hot, turning over provides immediate cooling with a minimum
expenditure of energy.
* * * * *