U.S. patent number 3,837,334 [Application Number 05/326,883] was granted by the patent office on 1974-09-24 for footspa cabinet.
This patent grant is currently assigned to The Raymond Lee Organization, Inc.. Invention is credited to Hattie Johnson.
United States Patent |
3,837,334 |
Johnson |
September 24, 1974 |
FOOTSPA CABINET
Abstract
A footspa cabinet for bathing and exercising the legs and feet
of the user under a spray of hot water. Rollers are mounted in the
cabinet under the location of the feet, to permit the foot muscles
to be exercised. The apparatus includes a pump which forces a spray
of water against each enclosed leg and foot, and a heater which
maintains the recirculated water at a temperature regulated by a
thermostat. The enclosure of the cabinet is formed of two shells
which buckle together to form a waterproof sealed housing and to
enclose both legs and feet of a user.
Inventors: |
Johnson; Hattie (Bronxville,
NY) |
Assignee: |
The Raymond Lee Organization,
Inc. (New York, NY)
|
Family
ID: |
23274134 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/326,883 |
Filed: |
January 26, 1973 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
601/19; 601/27;
601/35 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61H
35/006 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A61H
35/00 (20060101); A61h 029/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;128/66,24.1,24.3,25B
;4/182 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Trapp; Lawrence W.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Podell; Howard I.
Claims
Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire
to secure by letters Patent of the United States is:
1. Apparatus for exercising the feet under a spray of
controlled-temperature hot water comprising a cabinet which houses
free rotatable rollers against which the soles of the feet of the
user may be rested, together with
a recirculating water system including an electrically motorized
pump which draws water from a gravity-fed chamber and forces it
through spray nozzles directed at the feet and the lower legs of
the user, and means to direct said sprayed water so as to be
collected and heated by an electrically operated heater prior to
being redrawn by the pump from the gravity-fed chamber, together
with
a thermostat switch for controlling the operation of the
electrically operated heater, said thermostat switch being
regulated by means external to the apparatus, together with
a housing which encloses the apparatus in a watertight manner, said
housing being formed of two sections which are partable, together
with means to tighten said sections together in watertight sealed
condition, with one section of the housing formed with two
openings, each of a size to admit a leg of the user, with the
periphery of each of said openings wrapped with a flexible seal so
as to seal each of the openings against the inserted legs of the
user.
2. The combination as recited in claim 1 in which an external
flange is mounted along the parting edge of each separable section
of the housing, with said flanges nesting against each other in the
fastened mode.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to a cabinet for bathing and exercising the
legs and feet of a user under a spray of temperature controlled
water.
2. Prior Art
Enclosed cabinets have been utilized for foot baths, but the
advantage of this invention lies in the provisions for spraying hot
water on both the feet and the legs, together with the location of
rollers, under the feet position, for providing foot exercises
under muscle-tension relieving conditions provided by the hot water
spray.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention consists of a portable cabinet for enclosing the feet
and lower legs with apparatus for heating and spraying recirculated
water against the enclosed feet and legs, together with a series of
freely mounted rollers located as footrests, which provide exercise
to the feet, when manipulated by the user.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The objects and features of the invention may be understood with
reference to the following detailed description of an illustrative
embodiment of the invention, taken together with the accompanying
drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the apparatus being utilized by a
seated user; and
FIG. 2 is a sectional view in elevation of the apparatus.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Turning now descriptively to the drawings, in which similar
reference characters denote similar elements throughout the several
views, FIG. 1 illustrates the apparatus 10, enclosing the lower
legs 11 of the user who is seated on an adjoining chair 12.
As shown in FIG. 1-2, the apparatus 10 is formed of a lower cabinet
section 40, which is matingly attached to an upper shell 41 by
hingeable bracket clips 13. Clips 13 fasten together the flanges 15
along the open edges of the upper shell 41 to flanges 15 located
along the sides of the lower cabinet 40, with the upper cabinet
walls 42 snugly riding inside the sides 17 of the upper shell 41 to
provide a watertight seal.
Flexible rubber or plastic sleeving 38 encircles the two openings
19 in the top face 18 of the upper shell 41 to provide watertight
seals about the legs 11 of the user which are inserted through each
of openings 19 to the top cover 18.
A flexible power supply cord 14 furnishes a supply of electricity
to the equipment, which may be alternately powered by internal
batteries.
The inside of the lower cabinet 40 is fitted with free-rotating
rollers 20 upon which the feet 17 may be placed so as to exercise
the foot muscles under the tension-relieving conditions of the hot
water spray which is injected at the legs by sprayer nozzles 25
mounted in the interior wall 35 of the lower cabinet 40, and at the
feet 17, by sprayer nozzles 22 which are located below and in
between the rollers 20.
A supply of water or other solution, including medication, is added
to the interior of the lower cabinet 40 prior to use, and flows
through vertical tubular opening 24 to a water chamber 44 located
in the lowest section of the interior of the lower cabinet 40, in
which an enclosed electric-motorized pump 30 is located. Pump 30
draws the water from chamber 44 and forces it under pressure into
tubular section 23 above the chamber 44 and through tubes 26 in the
walls 16 and 42 of the lower chamber, where the water is released
through sprayer nozzles 22 and 25 respectively, at the feet and
legs of the user.
The water 37 returns to chamber 44 by rolling down inclined
interior walls 35 surrounding the leg area, and through openings 36
in the collection tube 24 surrounding the feet area.
An electrical heater 31 is located in the water chamber 44 for
heating the water in the chamber to a temperature regulated by
thermostat 32 which is controlled by rotatable shaft 34 and
external attached knob 33.
The apparatus permits the user to obtain relaxation of his foot
muscles under the tension relieving effects of the hot water spray,
and to exercise his muscles in the relaxed condition by rolling the
soles of his feet and his toes against rollers 20.
Since obvious changes may be made in the specific embodiment of the
invention described herein, such modifications being within the
spirit and scope of the invention claimed, it is indicated that all
matter contained herein is intended as illustrative and not as
limiting in scope.
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