Bath Massager

Abstract

A portable, inexpensive, safe bath massager having a submerged member defining a channel open at both ends to the bath water, a first passage adapted to be connected to a water source at a pressure above the pressure of the bath water and terminating at the channel in an elliptically shaped aperture through which water flows into the channel to impart momentum and cause bath water to flow through the channel and out one end as a stream, and a second passage adapted to be communicated with the air and terminating at the channel in an aperture so that the water flowing past draws air into the channel and aerates the stream. The member is mounted preferably in a housing which can be attached removably to a bath surface for directing the stream to any desired body part. A pair of hoses connected together attach the member to the water source and communicate to the air respectively.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a portable, inexpensive and safe bath massager having no moving parts.

The therapeutic and relaxing value of aerated, moving water has long been recognized. Whirlpool baths have been used for many years for treating and soothing injured muscles and tissues. Some such devices are designed solely for this purpose and no other. Other devices are intended to be used in conventional bath tubs for circulating and aerating the water. There are, however, a considerable number of drawbacks to the use of these units which has limited their acceptance in the commercial marketplace.

One type of device which is intended to be used with a conventional bathtub is a unit which is placed on the side of the tub with a portion extending down into the bath water. A motor outside the water furnishes the mechanical energy which circulates the water and also aerates it. One of the considerable disadvantages with this particular kind of unit is the considerable expense necessitated by the use of an electrical motor and the other mechanical components required to accomplish circulation without either electrocuting or mangling the user. A further disadvantage is that it is very difficult, if not impossible, to direct the circulating water to any particular area of the body. In many instances, the user will desire, for example, to sooth an arm or leg muscle which is injured or which has some condition requiring treatment. The large type unit which sits on the side of the tub cannot be satisfactorily used for that purpose. Another considerable disadvantage with this type of unit is the ever present danger and concern about electrocution. While expensive safeguards can minimize this danger, the concern and worry is always present.

Another type of device which provides a stream of aerated air in a bathtub uses the water pressure which is available for example at a shower head or the tub faucet. A tube is connected to the shower head or tub faucet and a second tube is concentrically fixed within the water carrying tube for drawing air into the water. A stream is thus created which can be directed from below the surface of the bath water onto any chosen body part. The patent Krohn U.S. Pat. No. 3,672,359 shows a device of this kind.

This type of device, while an improvement in many ways over the unit described above which sits on the side of the tub and extends down in the water, still has a number of considerable drawbacks. One of the major problems with this unit is that since all of the water from the shower is used to create the stream of water, in a short time which is not sufficient for most desired therapeutic uses of the unit, the tub is filled to overflow and some of the water must either be let out and wasted or the massage terminated. Either course is undesirable and a nuisance. One of the further difficulties is that the device cannot be easily used to direct water flow onto any chosen part of the body because of the bulk of tubing and the difficulty in holding the tubing to direct the stream as desired. Further, the aeration which results from this type of unit is not as extensive as might be desired.

The present invention relates to a safe, inexpensive portable bath massager which creates a stream of extremely aerated water flow which can be easily directed toward any desired portion of the body. The unit has no moving parts and is solely operated by a water pressure so there can be absolutely no danger of injury. Further, the unit can be easily constructed from molded plastic parts at a minimal expense in comparison to previous devices as described above.

Rather than relying solely on the water from a pressurized source, such as the shower connection or the bath connection, to supply the water for the aerated stream, the pressurized water is used only for the purpose of imparting momentum to and causing flow of the actual bath water through a channel which is open at both ends in a member adapted to be submerged below the bath water surface. Downstream of the location of injection of the water from the pressurized source, an aperture and passage communicate the channel to the air so that, as the bath water and injected water rush through the channel, air is drawn into and effectively mixed with the stream to a hitherto unrealizable extent.

The extraordinary aeration which results with this particularly simple and effective unit may produce therapeutic results which are in excess of those obtainable with conventional units such as described above. Whether this is true or not, the aerated stream is without question soothing and relaxing.

Further, the small portable head of the massager which contains the member defining this channel in a housing is preferably provided with suction cups or the like for removably attaching the housing to any bath surface. Thus, the unit can be easily and quickly placed anywhere in the bath tub as desired to direct the stream of aerated water flowing out of the unit precisely onto any desired body part, be it arm, leg, etc.

According to the embodiment of the invention described below, the massager head includes a flow generating and aerating member mounted inside a housing. The member defines a channel, open at both ends to the bath water with two passages opening onto that channel. One of the passages is adapted for carrying water from a pressurized source and injects that water into the channel via an aperture at the angle, for example of 22 1/2.degree., to impart momentum to the bath water and cause flow from one end of the channel to the other. The other passage, which terminates in an aperture downstream from the site of injection of the pressurized water, is in communication with the air outside the tub so that, as the water rushes by the downstream aperture, air is drawn into and effectively mixed with the bath and injected water to create particularly effective aeration.

Two co-pending applications to Souza Ser. No. 126,273 filed Mar. 19, 1971 and Hurst Ser. No. 95,319 filed Dec. 4, 1970, and now Pat. No. 3,712,065 describe momentum transfer devices in which a stream of liquid or gas is injected into a channel via an aperture which is elliptically shaped and flush with the walls of the chamber to impart momentum and effect mixing. As discussed in these two applications, the momentum imparted by this arrangement has been found to be particularly effective and it is believed that the use of a flush, elliptically shaped opening is at least one of the factors which results in that effective momentum transfer. It has been established that with such an aperture a pair of counter rotating vortices are created which result in particularly effective mixing and momentum transfer of the injected liquid or gas to the liquid or gas in the channel. Further such twin vortices are created by the bath massager of this application, and are at least in part be responsible for the extremely effective momentum transfer which permits a small amount of pressurized water to create a large stream volume taking many minutes to add sufficient volume of water to the tub to require draining or termination of the massage.

The head of the massager can be connected to any source but is preferably connected to a diverter valve which is installed between the shower fitting and the shower head and which can be easily, and manually operated to divert water from the shower head through the hose to operate the massage head. An air hose is preferably attached to this hose, for example by a plastic clip, and extends upward out of the bath water to supply air to the unit for aeration as described below.

Many other objects and purposes of the invention will become clear from the following detailed description of the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of the novel bath massager of this invention in use in a tube supplying a stream of aerated water.

FIG. 2 shows a cut away side view of the head for the bath massager and the attached hoses.

FIG. 3 shows a top view of the head and attached hoses of the massager of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 shows a view of the bottom of the head of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 shows a front view of the massager of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 shows a cut away view of one half of the member mounted inside the housing of the bath massager of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Reference is now made to FIG. 1 which shows a schematic view of the novel bath massager of this invention in operation. As discussed briefly above, a conventional bath tub 20, which may be of virtually any size or shape, is filled partially with bath water to a level sufficient for submerging bath massager head 22 so that a stream of liquid can be directed onto any desired body part. Massager 22 can be hand held or preferably attached to any bath surface below the water level by suction cups.

Head 22 is connected to a source of water at a pressure greater than the water in the bath tub by a hose 28. Any source of water can be employed but a shower fixture has been found particularly satisfactory. In the embodiment of FIG. 1, hose 28 directly connects to a conventional diverter valve 30 which is connected between the shower head and the pipe for normally supplying water to the shower head. Diverter valve 30 can be very quickly installed in almost any conventional shower arrangement and once in place can be left there with the shower being operated while diverter valve 30 is one position and the massager being employed after diverter valve 30 has been manually shifted to a second position. Many such valves are well known in the art and no specific discussion of any one is believed necessary or appropriate. A second hose 30 is attached to hose 28 as discussed above and extends out of the tub far enough so as to be in no danger of submerging. Tube 30 thus simply terminates in the air and communicates bath massager head 22 with the air for aerating the water as discussed below.

Referring to FIGS. 2 through 5, head 22 includes a housing 36 which is preferably of molded plastic and formed as two parts which are fused together after assembly as discussed below. Housing 36 includes on its inner surface a plurality of locating portions for receiving studs on an interior member 38 which performs the momentum transfer and aerating functions. Referring to FIG. 1, housing 36 includes at the end adjacent where the aerated stream exists from housing 36, an upper locating portion 40 and lower locating portion 42. Further locating portions are preferably disposed behind locating portions 40 and 42 respectively. At the rear of the unit adjacent to the location where bath water is pulled into head 22 locating parts 44 and 46 similarly receive studs of member 38 for holding that member in place during operation.

Housing 36 as discussed above can be simply and easily attached to any bath surface below the surface of the water in the bath by means of a pair of suction cups 50 and 52 which are force fitted into apertures in the lower surface of housing 36 as can be seen in FIGS. 1 and 4. A weight of cast iron, lead or the like 56 is also mounted within housing 36 below member 38 for adding weight to the unit. Since preferably housing 36 as well as member 38 are both molded of conventional plastic, weight 36 aids in keeping the unit in place and in using the same. Weight 36 may be held in place by means of upwardly extending ribs 60 of housing 36.

As mentioned briefly above, and as can be seen in FIGS. 1 and 3, a water hose 60 and an air hose 62 are connected to member 38 for supply of water at a pressure and communicating the member to the air respectively. Air hose 62 is preferably formed with a clip 64 for attaching hoses 60 and 62 together. This aids in keeping the hoses separated and avoiding snarling of the same. Hose 62 terminates in an air opening 64 at any location far enough above the bath so as to be out of danger of receiving water in the event of an overflow or a full tub.

Reference is now made to FIG. 6 which shows a side view of one half of member 38. Member 38 is preferably formed into halves with one of the halves having locating studs such as studs 70 and 72 and the other half having female members for receiving the studs. After molding, the two units can then be fused together to produce an operative member which is then placed in housing 36. Member 38 defines a channel 74 having a roughly circular cross section and which is Open at both ends to the bath water. Hose 60, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, connects to a threaded portion 76 which bounds a passage 78 leading from hose 60 to an aperture 80 which is elliptically shaped and flush with the walls bounding channel 74. Water at a pressure above that of the bath water flows through hose 60 from diverter valve 30 and is injected into channel 74 via aperture 80. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, the angle between the axis of channel 74 and the water injected from aperture 80 is roughly 22 1/2.degree. and this angle has been found to be particularly effective transfering momentum. The water injected through aperture 80 thus causes bath water to be drawn into opening 86 of channel 74 and to flow through channel 74, exiting opening 88 and creating a stream of water which can be directed to any desired body location.

Air hose 62 is connected to a second part of the member 38 which bounds a second interior passage 90 which likewise terminates at an aperture 92 which is downstream from aperture 80 and which operates much like a venturi. Thus, as the water flows past aperture 92, air is drawn from tube 62, down through passage 90 and pulled into the moving water, causing effective aeration of the same as the turbulence created by the injection through aperture 80 operates both to impart momentum and to effect mixing.

The embodiment described above is particularly and uniquely designed for use as a bath massager. The principle, however, finds the application in aeration of all other kinds of liquids, for example in sewage treatment plants or the like. The device can be effectively used for mixing gases other than air in liquids. It can be used for dispensing liquids such as perfume, liquid soaps, etc. The rate of dispensing can be controlled by controlling the flow rate through the device. Accordingly, since many changes in modification of the above described embodiment can be made without departing from the scope of the invention that scope is intended to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. Apparatus for use in a bath to provide a stream of aerated water comprising:

aerating means adapted for placement in the bath below the water level including a member having a channel open at both ends to the bath water, a first passage terminating at a first aperture opening into said channel and a second passage terminating at a second aperture opening into said channel,

first hose means for connecting said member to a source of water at a pressure above the water in said bath so that water flows through said first passage and into said channel at an angle via said first aperture to impart momentum and cause bath water to flow through said channel from one end to the other, and

second hose means for communication said member with the air so that as water flows through said channel air is drawn through said second passage and into said channel via said second aperture to mix with water and create an aerated stream exiting from said other end of said channel.

2. Apparatus as in claim 1 further including a housing within which said member is mounted and means for attaching said housing to a bath surface.

3. Apparatus as in claim 2 wherein said mounting means includes first and second suction cups.

4. Apparatus as in claim 2 wherein said housing mounts said member so that said stream leaves said member at an upward inclination when said housing is attached to said bath surface.

5. Apparatus as in claim 2 wherein said member and housing are both plastic.

6. Apparatus as in claim 5 further including a mass of metal within said housing for providing a stabilizing weight.

7. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said first aperture is elliptically shaped and flush with the boundary of said channel.

8. Apparatus as in claim 7 wherein said first passage extends so that said water enters said channel from said first passage at an angle of roughly 22 1/2.degree. with respect to the axis of said channel.

9. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said channel has a roughly circular cross section.

10. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said first hose means includes a length of flexible hose and said second hose means also includes a length of flexible hose and including means for clipping said flexible hoses together.

11. Apparatus as in claim 1 further including valve means for connecting said first hose means to a shower pipe.

12. A bath massager for use submerged in a tub comprising:

an aerating member defining a channel open to the bath water at both ends, a water flow passage opening into said channel and conducting water flow into said channel at an angle so as to impart momentum and cause bath water flow from one end of the channel toward the other, an air flow passage opening into said channel for communicating with the air and conducting air flow through said air flow passage as air is drawn into said channel by the flowing water in said channel,

a housing for holding said aerating member, and

means for removably attaching said housing to a bath surface for directing a stream of aerated water onto any desired body part.

13. Apparatus as in claim 12 wherein said attaching means includes first and second suction cups.

14. Apparatus as in claim 12 wherein said housing mounts said member so that said stream leaves said member at an upward inclination when said housing is attached to said bath surface.

15. Apparatus as in claim 12 wherein said member and housing are both plastic.

16. Apparatus as in claim 15 further including a mass of metal within said housing for providing a stabilizing weight.

17. Apparatus as in claim 12 wherein said first aperture is elliptically shaped and flush with the boundary of said channel.

18. Apparatus as in claim 17 wherein said first passage extends so that said water enters said channel from said first passage at an angle of roughly 22 1/2.degree. with respect to the axis of said channel.

19. Apparatus as in claim 12 wherein said channel has a roughly circular cross section.

20. A structure for providing a stream of aerated liquid having

a channel opening at one end at an exit for the aerated stream and at the other end on an entrance for unaerated liquid, a further opening for receiving liquid at a pressure exceeding the pressure of said liquid at the entrance to said channel,

a passage in communication with said further opening for conducting liquid received at said further opening and an aperture connecting said passage to said channel for permitting liquid conducted in said passage to flow into said channel at an angle to transfer momentum to the liquid in said channel, and

a further opening for receiving gas, a further passage in communication with said gas receiving opening for conducting gas received and a further aperture connecting said further passage to said channel and located between said aperture connecting said liquid conducting passage to said channel and said exit of said channel so that the flow of liquid past said further aperture draws gas into said channel and aerates the passing liquid.

21. Apparatus as in claim 20 wherein said first aperture is elliptically shaped and flush with the boundary of said channel.

22. Apparatus as in claim 21 wherein said first passage extends so that said water enters said channel from said first passage at an angle of roughly 22 1/2.degree. with respect to the axis of said channel.

23. Apparatus as in claim 21 wherein said channel has a roughly circular cross section.