U.S. patent number 3,874,374 [Application Number 05/443,213] was granted by the patent office on 1975-04-01 for hydromassage tub and air induction system therefor.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Jacuzzi Research, Inc.. Invention is credited to Roy A. Jacuzzi.
United States Patent |
3,874,374 |
Jacuzzi |
April 1, 1975 |
Hydromassage tub and air induction system therefor
Abstract
A hydromassage tub with jet head assemblies installed in the
corners thereof, has a control panel for adjusting air intake to
the various jet head assemblies, and includes an induction air
control system which precludes flooding in the event any of the
nozzles of the various jet head assemblies should be blocked from
discharging.
Inventors: |
Jacuzzi; Roy A. (Moraga,
CA) |
Assignee: |
Jacuzzi Research, Inc.
(Berkeley, CA)
|
Family
ID: |
23759859 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/443,213 |
Filed: |
February 19, 1974 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
601/169; 601/157;
D24/204; 4/541.6; 4/541.4 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61H
33/02 (20130101); A61H 33/027 (20130101); A61H
33/6063 (20130101); A61H 2033/023 (20130101); A61H
2033/022 (20130101); A61H 33/6052 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A61H
33/02 (20060101); A61h 009/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;128/66 ;4/180 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Trapp; Lawrence W.
Claims
I claim:
1. A hydromassage system comprising a jet head assembly including a
jet nozzle having means for connection to a source of water under
pressure, means for introducing air into said nozzle in response to
flow of water therethrough, said means for introducing air
including an air passageway exposed at one point to atmosphere and
at another point to such flow of water, and means permitting
entrance of air into said air passageway and flow therethrough to
such flow of water through said nozzle, and adapted to block flow
of water through said air passageway in the reverse direction in
the event discharge of water through said nozzle be blocked.
2. A hydromassage system in accordance with claim 1, characterized
by means in said air passageway, normally only partially closing
the same to permit flow of air therethrough from atmosphere toward
said nozzle, but responsive to flow of water in the reverse
direction, for blocking said passage to flow of water therethrough
in said reverse direction.
3. A hydromassage system in accordance with claim 2, characterized
by said means for permitting flow in the one direction and blocking
flow of water in the reverse direction, including a ball valve in
said air passageway, a shoulder normally supporting said ball valve
and providing a by-pass for air flow toward said nozzle, and a
valve seat in said passageway to the other side of said ball valve
and against which said ball valve will seat in response to flow of
water in the reverse direction.
4. A hydromassage system in accordance with claim 2, characterized
by an adjustable air intake valve assembly in said air passageway
intermediate said nozzle and said means for permitting flow of air
in the one direction and blocking flow of water in the reverse
direction.
5. A hydromassage system in accordance with claim 1, characterized
by said air passageway including a pair of branch passageways
terminating in a section common to both branches, with said means
for permitting entrance of air in the one direction and blocking
flow of water in the reverse direction being located in said common
section to protect both branch passageways, and an adjustable air
intake valve in each of said branch passageways.
6. A hydromassage control unit for a system for independently
controlling air flow to different jet head assemblies in such
system, comprising a housing having side walls, a floor at one end
and an end wall at the other end, a pair of air tubes extending
through said floor with a portion of each air tube extending
outside the housing for coupling to an air line to a jet head
assembly, and a portion extending into said housing and terminating
in an adjustable air intake valve assembly, an air intake nozzle
mounted at one end in a wall of said housing with its other end
exposed to atmosphere, and means for controlling each of said air
intake valves independently of the other from outside of said
housing.
7. A hydromassage control unit in accordance with claim 6,
characterized by said end wall including a panel, and a pair of
control knobs, each mechanically coupled to a different one of said
adjustable air intake valve assemblies for independent control of
each.
Description
My invention relates to hydromassage equipment and more
particularly to a hydromessage tub and air induction system
therefor.
Hydromessage equipment functions primarily by creating a jet stream
with numerous air bubbles entrained therein, such bubbles exploding
upon impact of the jet stream against the body, to produce a gentle
massage action, along with the impact of the water itself against
the body.
Air is usually entrained in the jet stream through a pipe or tube
which is exposed at one point to atmosphere, and at another point
to flow of water through a nozzle to induct air into the jet
stream.
In the course of using such equipment, if one should accidently or
deliberately impede or block discharge of the jet stream at the
nozzle, the water can back up into the air intake pipe or tube and
discharge therefrom to atmosphere, and should such pipe or tube
terminate at some point outside of a tub, flooding can occur.
Among the objects of my invention are;
1. To provide a novel and improved hydromassage tube and air
induction system therefor;
2. To provide a novel and improved hydromassage tub in which the
capability of flooding upon blocking of discharge, is
precluded;
3. To provide a novel and improved hydromassage tube and included
air inductions system which is relatively quiet in operation.
Additional objects of my invention will be brought out in the
following description of a preferred embodiment of the same as
applied to a tub having special features, taken in conjunction with
the accompanying drawings where;
FIG. 1 is a plan view of my improved hydromassage tub with my
improved air induction system incorporated therein;
FIG. 2 is a schematic view depicting the general layout of the
water and air systems associated with the tub of FIG 1;
FIG. 3 is a view in section through a conventional type jet head
assembly;
FIG. 4 is a plan view of the air induction control means of the
present inventipn;
FIG. 5 is a view in section, taken in the plane 5--5 of FIG. 4;
and
FIG. 6 is a view in section taken in the plane 6--6 of FIG. 5.
Referring to the drawings for details of my invention, it involves
a tub 1 of substantially rectangular shape, having a jet head
assembly 3 installed in each corner thereof, the tub including side
walls 5, 7 preferably of slightly greater length than the end walls
9, 11. A peripheral apron 13 surrounds the tub walls in spaced
relationship thereto to create a peripheral chamber, which not only
houses the jet head assemblies, but also a pump 17 in one corner 18
and all piping associated with the system. Filling the tub may be
from a faucet installed above in an adjacent room wall and emptying
may be accomplished through a controllable drain in the floor of
the tub, neither the faucet nor the drain being involved in the
present invention.
Each jet head assembly may be of conventional design, such for
example, as illustrated in FIG. 3, wherein a housing 19 of
generally frusto-conical form having an end wall 21 at one end and
a mounting flange 23 at its other end, the end wall including a
hollow hemi-spherical central portion 25 flow connecting with an
axial extension 27 for connection to a source of water, and a
passageway 29 at substantially right angles thereto for connection
to a source of air.
A spherical component 31 swivel mounted in the hemi-spherical
central portion of the end wall, has an integral axial extension 33
which, together with the spherical component, has an axial
passageway 35 therethrough which is threaded for adjustable
installation of a nozzle 37 which in turn, is sealed adjacent its
inner end to the hemi-spherical portion by an O-ring 39, the
longitudinal passageway flow connecting with the water intake
extension 27 via an aligned opening 41 in the hemi-spherical
central portion.
At a location in advance of the O-ring, the nozzle is provided with
one or more radial openings 43 in its wall, and provision is made
for flow coupling the air intake passageway 29 to the interior of
the nozzle by way of these openings. Thus flow of water at a rapid
rate through the nozzle will induce flow of air into the water
stream to mix therewith and emerge from the nozzle as an air
charged jet stream.
All four corner jet heat assemblies are supplied in parallel with
water from the pump, the water being returned to the pump via a
return opening 47 in the proximate corner of the tub, to which
opening, the suction line of the pump is coupled.
Air control to the jet head assemblies is provided from a
substantially horizontal but preferably slightly sloping panel 49
installed preferably in that corner of the tub, which houses the
pump, and above the proximate jet heat assembly. Two control knobs
51, 53 are installed in this panel, one in control of the air to
the jet head assemblies at one end of the tub, and the other in
control of air to the other two jet heat assemblies at the opposite
end. An appropriate scale or indicia 55 on the panel in association
with the control knobs, will enable intelligent control of the air
supply to the jet head assemblies.
These two control knobs are components of an air control unit
comprising a housing 57 formed of side walls, closed at one end by
a floor 59 and at its other end by an end wall 60 upon which the
panel 49 rests and is retained by appropriate fastening means.
Installed in and extending through the floor of the air control
unit, are a pair of air tubes 61, 63, a portion of each extending
outside the housing for coupling to an air line 67, 69
respectively, from which to supply air to two of the jet head
assemblies and a portion of each extending within the housing.
The portion of each air tube within the housing has an opening 71
adjacent its edge. Telescoping this end of each air tube is a
rotatable cap 73 having a matching opening, which by rotation of
the cap as a valve, can be made to move into and out of registry
with the associated opening in the tube, and to varying degrees.
Each tube and associated cap thus constitutes a valve assembly for
determining permissible air intake.
Rotational adjustment of each such cap valve is remotely controlled
from one of the knobs through a coupling rod 75 connecting the knob
to the associated cap, whereby rotational adjustments of the knob
will effect corresponding rotational adjustments of the valve cap
or air intake valve.
The housing is exposed to atmosphere by way of an air intake nozzle
79 flow connecting with a side wall of the housing.
At its intake end, this air intake nozzle is of slightly increased
internal diameter to provide a chamber 81 in which to house a light
weight plastic ball 83 of the ping-pong type, for limited movement
with respect to a soft rubber lip valve seat 85 installed at the
extreme end of the nozzle and with respect to which, the ball will
act as a valve. The shoulder 87 formed within the nozzle by the
increased internal diameter of this section and which limits the
inward movement of the ball valve, is notched or eccentrically
formed to permit flow of air by the ball valve, when the ball is
resting against the shoulder. Thus air may be taken into the system
during normal operation thereof.
However, in the event, one or more of the jet nozzles should be
blocked, as by an occupant of the tub placing his hand across the
nozzle, the water, which would normally discharge from the nozzle,
is forced to back up into the air tube and, in the absence of the
ball valve, would normally discharge through the air nozzle.
However, with the ball valve installed, the water will carry the
ball up against the soft rubber lip valve seat and thus seal the
air intake opening of the air nozzle and thus preclude discharge of
water therefrom.
The air intake nozzle being common to both air aupply systems, the
one ball valve will serve to protect both systems against possible
flooding of the surroundings, should any of the jet nozzles
associated with either of the systems be blocked.
From the foregoing description of my invention in its preferred
form, it will be apparent that the same fulfills all the objects of
my invention and while I have illustrated and described the same in
considerable detail, it will be apparent that the same is subject
to alteration and modification without departing from the
underlying principles involved, and I accordingly do not desire to
be limited in my protection to the specific details illustrated and
described, except as may be necessitated by the prior art.
* * * * *