Patent Application
20060090251
The present invention relates generally to water treatment systems, and more particularly to water treatment for water tubs used by people for soaking and/or bathing such as spas, hot tubs, and whirlpool baths.
Water tubs are frequently used for recreational and/or therapeutic purposes. However, repeated and/or long term use tends to have a negative impact on water quality when water within such tubs is not replaced. As replacement of water in a water tub between uses is generally not convenient or cost effective, it is desirable to provide means for maintaining and/or improving water quality. Moreover, the benefits provided by a water tub are often enhanced by directing one or more streams/jets of water into the tub. As such, water tubs are frequently coupled to water circulation and/or filtration system.
As used herein, a water tub is any apparatus comprising a cavity sized and dimensioned to permit a person to submerge all or at least part of his/her body within water held in a cavity of the water tub. As such, a water tubs may be a spa, hot tub, or whirlpool bath. Such a water tub frequently has one or more support systems such as water circulation and/or filtering systems to maintain water temperature and/or quality. In many instances, such a tub will also include one or more outlets used to direct a stream/jet of water into the cavity in a direction likely to impact a person seated or standing within the cavity, or having a limb positioned within the cavity, particularly if the cavity contains the number of people it is adapted to hold. In some instances the cavity may be sized and dimensioned to allow one or more people to sit within the cavity and be submerged to chest or shoulder height. In other instances, the cavity may be sized and dimensioned to only permit a limb of a person to be submerged such as with a whirlpool bath sized for soaking a person's foot, ankle, and calf. As used herein, water tubs generally do not include tanks or other containers that are not adapted for human use in that they are not easily entered and exited by a person or animal, are overly large or to small for bathing and/or soaking, and/or comprise systems for creating or maintaining conditions not suitable for bathing and/or soaking such as extreme temperatures or maintaining a cavity filled with chemicals not suitable for a person or animal to bathe or soak in. Examples of various water tubs, water tub support systems, and related methods can be found by referring to U.S. Patents referencing one or more of classes U.S. Pat. Nos. D23/277, 4/488, 4/538, and/or any related subclasses. It should be noted that such patents are not necessarily all prior art, and referencing them herein is not an assertion or admission that they are prior art.
Although prior water tubs are known, there is a need for novel water tubs at least in part because previously known water tubs, support systems, and related methods do not provide a balance between features such as reduced cost and increased maintainability, operability, and portability that is suitable in all instances.
The present invention is directed to a water tub including a fluid delivery system that uses a removeably fluid container. The fluid container includes a plurality of fluids, and is structured such that: (a) the carrier can be removeably coupled to a fluid delivery system such that, while the carrier is coupled to the fluid delivery system, the fluid delivery system can obtain at least portions of the plurality of fluids from the carrier; (b) the carrier can be separated from the fluid delivery system; and (c) the plurality of fluids can be replenished while the carrier is separated from the fluid delivery system. The carrier includes a plurality of cavities, each cavity comprising a fluid container, each container comprising one of the plurality of fluids.
The exact nature of this invention, as well as the objects and advantages thereof, will become readily apparent from consideration of the following specification in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals designate like parts throughout the figures thereof and wherein:
Reference will now be made to the preferred embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. While the invention will be described in conjunction with the preferred embodiments, it will be understood that these embodiments are not intended to limit the invention. On the contrary, the invention is intended to cover alternatives, modifications and equivalents, which may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well known methods, procedures, components, and circuits have not been described in detail so as not to unnecessarily obscure the important aspects of the present invention.
In
The removeable carrier 105 is used to provide a source of fluids to the dosing engine 109. When the fluids within the carrier 105 are at least partially consumed, the carrier 105 will need to be either replaced or refilled. If replaced, the old carrier can be disposed of while a new, unused carrier is used to replace it. In other instances, the carrier 105 may be re-useable in that it can be removed and have the fluids it contains replenished prior re-coupling it to the delivery system 103.
It is contemplated that placing the removeable carrier 105 in a filter compartment 104 (i.e. a compartment containing at least partially submerged filters through which water flows when circulating in tub 100) of the tub 100 may be advantageous as such a compartment is typically covered, but is accessible by removing the cover 102. As such, removing the cover 102 of the filter compartment would facilitate replacement of any filters used by the water tub 100, and would also facilitate removing and/or replacing the removeable carrier 105. As the carrier 105 contains only a limited amount of fluids, and as such fluids will be depleted over time as they are delivered to water contained in the tub 100, the carrier 105 will typically have to have such fluids replenished periodically.
It is contemplated that mounting the carrier 105 to the lid/cover 102 will facilitate replacing the carrier 105 and will also position the carrier 105 so it is typically not fully, and possibly not even partially, submerged in the water within the filter compartment 104. If there is sufficient excess tubing of transfer apparatus 107 in the compartment 104, the lid 102 can be swung open and/or removed while the carrier 105 is still coupled to it. Being able to remove the carrier with the lid provides convenient access to the carrier 105, while the lid provides a good base to which the portion of the transfer apparatus 107 couples to the carrier 105 can be mounted.
It is advantageous to have the carrier 105 be manually removeable from the delivery system 103 in that removal can be accomplished by hand, preferably without the use of any tools. It is also advantageous to have the carrier 105 sized such that, when full, it can be carried by a person using only one hand to grasp the carrier 105. It is contemplated that in some instances, the carrier 105 will be sized such that its weight when full is less than 60 lbs. It is actually preferable that it weigh less than 40 lbs, and in some instances less than 20 lbs or less than 10 lbs. In some instances it is most preferable that it weigh less than 5 lbs. Although smaller carriers may be depleted more rapidly, the reduced weight and size facilitates buying a plurality of containers at one. In some instances, a preferred carrier may be less than 8 inches high, 8 inches wide, and 4 inches deep.
As the filter compartment is one containing a portion of the water in the tub 100, it is contemplated that the transfer mechanism 107 will include apparatus 149 for preventing water from leaking out of the filter compartment. It is contemplated that the dosing engine 109 may be positioned in an equipment compartment with the pumps, heater, and/or other equipment incorporated into the tub 100.
The fluids delivered by the system 103 may comprise any substance or combination of substances that can be contained in the carrier 105, transferred to the dosing engine 109, and introduced into the water of the water tub 100 via the delivery apparatus 111. As such, the fluids referred to herein may include, but are not necessarily limited to USEPA sanitizers, oxidizers, water balance chemicals (i.e. pH Increaser/Decreaser, Total Alkalinity Increaser/Decreaser, Total Hardness Increaser, etc.), waterline control, chemical indicators, defoamers, flocculants, fragrances, and any other liquid chemical for recreational water use.
In some instances, delivery system 103 may be capable of introducing a plurality of chemicals into water tub 100. Delivery system 203 of
As shown in
Manifold engaging members 219 include recesses 232 and protrusions 233 with recesses 232 being sized and positioned to receive retention arms 244 of manifold 243 of transfer apparatus 207. Retention arms 244 include channels 251 shaped such that protrusions 233 are moved along channels 251 by rotating carrier 205 relative to arms 244 and manifold 243. When the protrusions 233 are at or near the closed ends of the channels 251, the carrier 205 is substantially parallel to, and is latched to, the base 241. Carrier 205 latches to the base 241 or some other portion of the transfer apparatus 207 via latching mechanism 217. The latching mechanism 217 is a flexible tab interacting with the base 241 that can be manipulated, i.e. moved relative to the base 241 or some other portion of the transfer apparatus 207, by pushing the tab while grasping the handle. The latching mechanism 217 permits the carrier 205 to be attached and detached from the delivery system 203 simply be pushing on the flexible tab and rotating the carrier 205 relative to the base 241. It is contemplated that alternative embodiment may utilize alternative latching mechanisms.
The chemical retention cavities 221, 223, and 225 are used to store chemicals to be delivered by delivery system 203. The cavity connectors 227, 229, and 231 provide means for the transfer apparatus 207 to extract such chemicals from the chemical cavities 221, 223, and 225. The connectors 227, 229, and 231 may, in some instances, also be used to initially fill the cavities. The connectors 223, 229 and 231 are preferably sealed such that chemicals within the cavities 221, 223, and 225 will not leak out through the connectors unless the carrier is coupled to the transfer apparatus 207. In some instances the connectors are sealed only prior to initial use while in others they are sealed in such a manner that removal of the carrier 205 from the transfer apparatus 207 causes the cavities to be resealed.
In some instances, the cavities 221, 223, and 225 may each contain a fluid container 220, 222, and 224, containing one of the fluids to be delivered by the delivery system 203. Referring to
When the cavities contain fluid containers, the orifice of each cavity is aligned with the orifice of the fluid container of the cavity such that a male connector (i.e. connector 245) pushed through the orifice of a cavity will likely pass through the orifice of the fluid container within the cavity if the male connector is long enough to extend between the orifices. In some instances, the orifice/valve of the fluid container may be clipped or otherwise fastened to the carrier 205 adjacent to the corresponding cavity orifice.
The carrier 205 is structured such that the carrier 205 can be removeably coupled to the delivery system 203, i.e. it can be coupled to the delivery system when it has fluids/chemicals for the delivery system to deliver, and can be removed when the fluids of the carrier 205 need to be replenished. As such, while the carrier 205 is coupled to the delivery system 203, the delivery system 203 can obtain at least portions of a plurality of fluids from the carrier 205. Moreover, when the fluids need to be replenished, the carrier 205 can be separated from the delivery system 203 and replaced. Alternatively, the plurality of fluids can be replenished while the carrier 205 is separated from the delivery system 203. The carrier 205 is structured to be removeably coupled to system 203 at least in part because it includes the plurality of cavities, 221, 223, and 225, and in some instances, includes a fluid container 220, 222, or 224 in each cavity with each container comprising one of the plurality of fluids. In the embodiment shown, it is also structured to be removeably coupled because it includes the latching mechanism 217.
When the cavities 221, 223, and 225 are used to contain the fluid containers 220, 222, and 224, when the cover 235 is removed from the body there is sufficient access to each of the cavities such that a fluid container can be positioned within the cavity. When the cover 235 is coupled to the body, the cover 235 inhibits removal of the fluid containers from the carrier. In some instances, the cover 235 will fully enclose the cavities 221, 223, and 225. As used herein, a cavity is fully enclosed if the only way in which a rod having a diameter of at least 2 mm can be extended from outside the cavity into the cavity is to cause it to pass through the cavity orifice (227, 229, or 231).
The body 206 and cover 235 are preferably formed from molded plastic, and to each comprise a single piece of plastic. However, alternative embodiment may utilize a different material or combination of materials, and/or may comprise a body and/or cover that is an assembly of a plurality of pieces. If the carrier 205 is intended to be thrown away after use, the cover 235 is preferably non-removeably coupled to the body 206, i.e. is coupled the body such that removal will likely damage the body 206 and/or the cover 235. In some instances, non-removeably coupling the cover 235 to the body 206 will comprise using an adhesive to bond the cover 235 to the body 206. For a non-disposable carrier, i.e. one that is intended to be refilled for re-use, the cover 235 may be removeably fastened to the body using screws or some other fastening mechanism.
The fluid containers 220, 222, and 224 may, in some instances, be shaped to fit a particular cavity of the cavities 221, 223, and 225. In other instances, they may each have a more generic shape, and be shaped to conform to the shape of a cavity by inserting a partially filled container into the cavity to force it to a particular shape, or filling a container while it is within a cavity such that it conforms to the shape of the cavity as it is filled. The fluid containers are preferably a plastic that is does not interact with any chemicals contained in the container, but other embodiments may utilize other materials or combinations of materials.
As shown in
The delivery system 203 operates by using the dosing engine 209 to obtain chemicals from the carrier 205 via the transfer apparatus 207, and to introduce measured quantities of such chemicals into the water tub 201 via the delivery apparatus 211. The dosing engine 209 may, in some instances, need to be coupled to a vacuum source, a source of pressurized air or other gas, and/or a source of electricity to permit the dosing engine 209 to function properly.
The delivery apparatus 211 creates a vacuum by the flow of continuous water through the delivery device 265. Once the chemical is obtained from the chemical carrier 205 via the apparatus 207, the dosing engine can then aspirate the chemical via the delivery apparatus 211.
Referring back to
The function of the delivery apparatus 211 and the transfer apparatus 207 is primarily to move fluids. As such, they will typically comprise a plurality of tubes, connectors, manifolds, and similar devices made from a variety of materials or combinations of materials. The delivery apparatus 211 and/or the transfer apparatus 207 may have any form in a particular embodiment so long as it is able to transfer fluids in the manner described herein.
In some instances the dosing engine 209 may comprise a user interface that can be used to place the dosing engine into one of at least three states by interacting with the user interface. In some instances, states may include a start-up state, a maintenance state, and a sensoring state. In some instances, the dosing engine will have a flow path extending between the removable carrier 205 and the dosing 209 that is dedicated to each state. In such instances, each cavity 221, 223, and 225 of the carrier 205 may also be dedicated to a particular operating state, and include a fluid appropriate for use in such an operating state. Dedicating a carrier cavity may, in some instances, be accomplished by coupling a dedicated flow path to a connector providing access to the cavity.
In some instances, subsequent to a change in state from a prior state to a current state, the dosing engine may pump out and measure one or more quantities of fluids/chemicals contained in any cavities of the fluid carrier associated with the current state, and may introduce any such pumped and measured quantities into the water retention cavity or the water flow path of the water tub via at least one of the one or more delivery flow paths.
It is contemplated that in some instances the dosing engine may be adapted to measure a characteristic related to water quality, and to deliver chemicals based at least in part on the measured characteristic. In some such instances, the dosing engine may also be adapted to introduce a chemical from the fluid carrier prior to measuring the characteristic related to water quality wherein the introduced chemical facilitates measuring the characteristic.
It is contemplated that the apparatus and methods disclosed herein may be used in combination with one or more features of previously or subsequently known water tubs, water tub support systems, and/or related methods.
It is also contemplated that combinations incorporating one or more features described in patents and/or patent applications assigned to Watkins Manufacturing Corporation, each of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety, may prove particularly advantageous. Such incorporated patents and/or patent applications include, but are not necessarily limited to, the following U.S. Patents: U.S. Pat. No. D492,936 titled “Spa control panel”; U.S. Pat. No. 6,692,683 titled “Method of making an extruded multilayer polymeric shell having textured and marbled surface”; U.S. Pat. No. 6,556,684 titled “Spa audio system”; U.S. Pat. No. 6,551,263 titled “Massage generator for a spa; U.S. Pat. No. 6,516,070 titled “Spa audio system operable with a remote control”; U.S. Pat. No. D465,576 titled “Portable spa”; U.S. Pat. No. 7 6,470,508 titled “Air check valve system for a spa; U.S. Pat. No. D463,569 titled “Portable spa”; U.S. Pat. No. D463,028 titled “Portable spa”; U.S. Pat. No. 6,435,691 titled “Lighting apparatus for portable spas and the like”; U.S. Pat. No. 6,349,427 titled “Portable spa construction”; U.S. Pat. No. 6,324,707 titled “Personal Spa”; U.S. Pat. No. D449,281 titled “Wireless controller”; U.S. Pat. No. D446,862 titled “Spa shell”; U.S. Pat. No. D446,310 titled “Spa shell”; U.S. Pat. No. D446,309 titled “Spa shell”; U.S. Pat. No. D445,904 titled “Spa shell:; U.S. Pat. No. 6,231,938 titled “Extruded multilayer polymeric shell having textured and marbled surface”; U.S. Pat. No. 6,195,811 titled “Spa cover mounting method and apparatus”; U.S. Pat. No. D436,178 titled “Spa shell”; U.S. Pat. No. D431,297 titled “Spa shell”; U.S. Pat. No. 5,943,711 titled “Gatling jet”; U.S. Pat. No. 5,928,171 titled “Neck jet pillow for tub spas”; U.S. Pat. No. 5,924,850 titled “Pump shroud apparatus for cooling portable spa equipment compartments”; U.S. Pat. No. D407,805 titled “Spa face plate”; U.S. Pat. No. 5,872,890 titled “Cartridge heater system”; U.S. Pat. No. D405,533 titled “Spa face plate”; U.S. Pat. No. D405,186 titled “Spa shell”; U.S. Pat. No. D405,185 titled “Spa shell”; U.S. Pat. No. D405,184 titled “Spa face plate”; U.S. Pat. No. D405,183 titled “Spa face plate”; U.S. Pat. No. D405,182 titled “Spa shell”; U.S. Pat. No. D405,181 titled “Spa shell”; U.S. Pat. No. 5,810,262 titled “Spa jet with interchangeable nozzles; U.S. Pat. No. 5,810,257 titled “Rotary spa jet”; U.S. Pat. No. 5,742,953 titled “Gatling jet”; U.S. Pat. No. 5,716,333 titled “Neck jet pillow”; U.S. Pat. No. D387,870 titled “Spa shell”; U.S. Pat. No. D387,869 titled “Spa shell”; U.S. Pat. No. 5,685,032 titled “Portable spa with integral bottom pan, interchangeable side skirt, and interlocking cover”; U.S. Pat. No. 5,685,031 titled “Three-piece portable spa cover”; U.S. Pat. No. 5,647,736 titled “Pump shroud apparatus for portable spas”; U.S. Pat. No. 5,628,073 titled “Sauna”; U.S. Pat. No. 5,615,421 titled “Portable spa with integral bottom pan, interchangeable side skirt, and interlocking cover”; U.S. Pat. No. 5,564,137 titled “Portable spa with integral bottom pan, interchangeable side skirt, and interlocking cover”; U.S. Pat. No. 5,514,315 titled “Polypropylene spa shell manufacturing method”; U.S. Pat. No. D368,530 titled “Spa shell”; U.S. Pat. No. D367,710 titled “Spa cover”; U.S. Pat. No. D367,709 titled “Combined spa and cover”; and U.S. Pat. No. D367,708 titled “Spa shell”.
The embodiments of the present invention described herein comprise multiple novel features with each described embodiment including either a single such feature or a combination of such features. Other contemplated embodiments include all combinations of one or more such novel features not explicitly described herein as such combinations are readily discernable from the embodiments described.
