US20060265803A1

US20060265803A1 - Hydromassaging bathing tub with adjustable elevated seat

Info

Publication number: US20060265803A1
Application number: US11/136,478
Authority: US
Inventors: Henry Brunelle; Stephane Baron; Guy Baillargeon; Julie Turcotte
Original assignee: Gestion Ultra International Inc
Current assignee: Gestion Ultra International Inc
Priority date: 2005-05-25
Filing date: 2005-05-25
Publication date: 2006-11-30

Abstract

A hydromassaging bathing tub is provided with jets disposed at various locations about side walls thereof. At least some of these jets are oriented to generate massaging water flows over a bottom wall of the bathing tub. A seat is secured between opposed ones of the side walls of the tub whereby to support the buttocks of a bather seated thereon at an elevated position over the bottom wall whereby the massaging water flows which are directed over the bottom wall will massage the bather from underneath portions of its body.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to hydromassaging bathing tubs and wherein a seat is adjustably and removably secured between opposed side walls of the tub whereby to support a bather elevated from a bottom wall of the bathtub so that the bather is subjected to massaging water flow from underneath portions of its body.

BACKGROUND ART

There are a multitude of hydromassaging bathing tubs which are provided with water or air jets which are orientable to direct a massaging water flow upon a bather's body which is seated on the bottom wall of the bathing tub. Other bathing tub designs provide for seats to be integrally molded in the side walls of the bathing tub and defining a seated surface elevated from the bottom wall of the tub. Because these seats are molded with the side walls, they have no space under its seated surface and its intended purpose is merely for comfort. It has been found that with all of these hydromassaging bathing tub designs, the portions of the body of a person which are massaged by the water or air jets are primarily the legs and the back portion. There is no provision for massaging the buttocks of the bathing person as the person is usually seated on large flat wall potion of the bathtub.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

It is a feature of the present invention to provide a hydromassaging bathing tub wherein a seat is adjustably and removably secured between opposed side walls of the bathing tub to support a bather elevated over a bottom wall of the bathtub to provide massaging water flows underneath portions of the its body and particularly under its buttocks.
According to the above feature, from a broad aspect, the present invention provides a hydromassaging bathing tub with jets disposed at various locations about side walls thereof. At least some of these jets are oriented to generate massaging water flows over a bottom wall of the bathing tub. A seat is secured between opposed ones of the side walls of the tub whereby to support the buttocks of a bather seated thereon at an elevated position over the bottom wall whereby the massaging water flows which are directed over the bottom wall will massage the buttocks and other portions of its body from underneath.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a side section view showing a hydromassaging bathing tub constructed in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1, but showing the bather in a more elongated seated or lying position with the support seat having been displaced to a more forward portion along elongated slots having retention grooves therein for securing the seat at a desirable position;
FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating the construction of the seat;
FIG. 4 is a fragmented perspective view showing the construction of the retention grooves disposed in a lower edge of the elongated recessed slots; and
FIG. 5 is a fragmented section view showing the seat supported by the retention grooves in the slots.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIG. 1, there is shown generally at 10 a hydromassaging bathing tub constructed in accordance with the present invention. As hereinshown the bathing tub is provided with opposed side walls 11, a first end wall 12 and a second end wall 13. The bath tub has a bottom wall 14 and an open top end 15. A plurality of air or water jets 15 are secured in the side wall and end walls of the bathing tub as is necessary. Some of these jets such as those shown at 15′ are oriented to generate massaging water flows over the bottom wall 14 of the bathing tub. The bottom wall may have a ledge 13″ adjacent a seat portion 14′ in which jets 15″ may be disposed.
The improvement in the bathing tub of the present invention is the provision of a seat 17 which is secured between the opposed side walls 11, one only shown herein due to the cross-section illustration, whereby to support the bather 16 at an elevated position over the bottom wall 14 whereby massaging water flows from the jets 15′ or 15″, which are directed on or close to the bottom wall 14, will massage the bather from underneath portions of its body such as its buttock portion 16′ and lower back portion 16″, as shown in FIG. 2.
With additional reference now to FIGS. 2 to 5, and more particularly to FIG. 3, it can be seen that the seat is provided with securement means 18 projecting from opposed side edges 17′ of the seat. More specifically, a support flange 19 is secured to the seat adjacent the side edges 17′ and projects thereabove. A pair of support pins 20 are secured to the flange and are spaced apart whereby to be received in a pair of retention grooves 21 formed integral in a lower edge of an elongated recessed slot 22 formed integral in the opposed side walls 11 of the bathing tub.
As shown in FIG. 4, there is provided a series of axially aligned retention grooves and they are configured to receive the support pins 20 which project from opposed ends of the seat. Therefore, the seat is adjusted at any convenient location along the opposed slots which are aligned with one another in facial relationship in a common horizontal plane.
It can be seen from FIG. 1 that when the seat is positioned closest to the end wall 12, the back wall of the bathing tub, that the bather 16 is seated more erect into the bathing tub but elevated from the bottom wall. As the seat is moved more forward, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the bather 16 assumes a more stretched out lying position. The seat 17 is also provided with elongated openings 25 to permit the passage of portions of the massaging water flows to impinge upon the buttocks of the bather sitting on the top surface of the seat. This seat is molded from plastics material. Also, it can be seen that the retention pins 20 are disposed in different horizontal planes from one another whereby the seat, when engaged in the retention grooves, assumes a rearward angle as is the back wall to provide comfort. The slots with the retention grooves are also disposed closer to the first end wall 12, namely the back wall.
As is also shown, another feature of this bathing tub is that it is provided in the second end wall 13 with at least two feet positioning means in the form of ridge formations 26. There are three ridge formations 26 illustrated in this embodiment and these are formed integrally with the end wall 13. These ridge formations 26 provide horizontal support ledges 27 as well as abutment wall portions 28 for the feet of the bather 16. Accordingly, the bather can seat himself at any desired position by displacing the seat along the slots and wedge himself in the bathing tub by its feet thereby immobilizing himself in the bathing tub at a desired position to obtain a massaging treatment by the massaging water flows adjacent the bottom wall of the bathing tub and particularly on his buttocks 16″ and lower back portion 16″ as previously described.
It is pointed out that when the seat is not utilized the bathing tub is substantially a conventional tub with the bather sitting on the rear end seat portion 14′ of the bottom wall 14 but can still use the ridge formation as feet support, if so desired. This prevents the bather from slipping on the bottom wall 14, particularly when bathing oil is added to the water. To remove the seat, as shown in FIG. 5, the seat is lifted whereby to lift the support pins 20 from the retention grooves 21. The seat is then angled side ways for ease of removal from the opposed slots.
It is within the ambit of the present invention to cover any obvious modifications of the preferred embodiment described herein, provided such modifications fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A hydromassaging bathing tub having jets disposed at various locations about side walls of said bathing tub, at least some of said jets being oriented to generate massaging water flow over a bottom wall of said bathing tub, and a seat secured between opposed ones of said side walls whereby to support the buttocks of a bather seated thereon at an elevated position over said bottom wall whereby said massaging water flows directed over said bottom wall will massage said buttocks and other portions of its body from underneath.

2. A hydromassaging bathing tub as claimed in claim 1 wherein said seat is provided with securement means to adjustably position same in said bathing tub.

3. A hydromassaging bathing tub as claimed in claim 2 wherein said opposed ones of said side walls are each provided with seat retention means aligned with one another in facial relationship in a common horizontal plane.

4. A hydromassaging bathing tub as claimed in claim 3 wherein said seat retention means is formed integral with said side walls and comprised by an elongated slot having a series of axially aligned grooves, said grooves being configured to receive a support pin projecting from opposed ends of said seat.

5. A hydromassaging bathing tub as claimed in claim 4 wherein said series of axially aligned grooves are disposed in a lower edge of said elongated slot formed in each of said opposed ones of said side walls.

6. A hydromassaging bathing tub as claimed in claim 2 wherein said securement means is constituted by one or more support pins secured to said seat and projecting outwardly of opposed sides of said seat, said pins being disposed in selected ones of retention grooves formed in opposed side walls of said bathing tub.

7. A hydromassaging bathing tub as claimed in claim 6 wherein said seat is a rectangular seat having opposed side edges, a support flange secured to each said side edges and projecting above a top seating surface of said seat, there being a pair of said support pins secured to an upper region of each said support flanges and disposed spaced apart along an axis parallel to said top seating surfaces, said pair of pins being spaced apart a predetermined distance to be removably retrieved in two spaced apart ones of said retention grooves.

8. A hydromassaging bathing tub as claimed in claim 7 wherein said seat is provided with one or more elongated openings therein for the passage of portions of said massaging water flows.

9. A hydromassaging bathing tub as claimed in claim 1 wherein said seat retention means in said opposed ones of said side walls are disposed adjacent one end of said bathing tub, the other end of said bathing tub being provided with at least two feet positioning means.

10. A hydromassaging bathing tub as claimed in claim 9 wherein said feet positioning means is provided by two or more ridge formations formed integrally with said other end of said bathing tub, said ridges providing horizontal support ledges for the feet of a bather.

11. A hydromassaging bathing tub as claimed in claim 10 wherein said one end of said bathing tub provides a backrest support for a bather, said seat providing elevated support of the buttocks of said bather whereby said bather is disposed in a body of water supported elevated over said bottom wall.