1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to hydrotherapy jets.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various hydrotherapy jets have been developed for use in spas, hot tubs, pools and bath tubs that discharge a stream of water, which can be aerated through a variety of discharge nozzles. The designs provide different flow characteristics that result in different massage affects being experienced by the body, and these jets have become quite popular. In the design of single or multi-user spas or tubs, it is common to use a variety of different jet nozzles to provide a variety of different massaging effects.
Early jets simply discharged a stream of warm water along the longitudinal axis of the jet body, with later jets providing aeration of the water stream. Since then, numerous jets have been developed in which the direction of the stream can be adjusted. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,269,029 to Spears et al. (assigned to the same assignee as the present invention) discloses a jet that provides an off axis stream of water and has an axial push/pull mechanism used to control the flow of water. The mechanism can also be rotated to rotate the stream of water around the jet axis, providing directional control over the stream.
Jets have also been developed having a rotating outlet or eyeball that automatically rotates in response to the water flowing through the outlet. See Waterway Plastics Inc., “1999 Product Catalog,” Page 4, including Part Nos 210-6120 and 210-6510. The jet produces a water jet that passes through the outlet, and the outlet can be adjusted off the jet's longitudinal axis to provide a turning moment in the eyeball in response to the jet flow.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,178,570 to Denst et al. (assigned to the same assignee as the present invention) discloses a jet having a rotating eyeball with one or more discharge outlets that can be adjusted to vary the direction of the outlet flow stream as well as the direction and speed of the eyeball's rotation. A high-pressure water stream flows through the outlets and, depending upon the orientation of the outlets, the eyeball can rotate clockwise or counterclockwise at different speeds.
U.S Pat. No. 5,920,925, to Dongo (assigned to the same assignee as the present invention) discloses a jet having a rotating eyeball and a diverter cap formed with a number of bore holes positioned at a common radius from the center of the cap. The jet produces a high pressure water jet that flows through the eyeball, causing it to rotate at a high speed and discharge the jet in a circular pattern that impinges on the bore holes. Together, the rotational speed and the bore hole design produce the sensation of a number of simultaneously pulsating water jets that are directed into the spa.
Conventional jets can comprise a jet body having a water inlet and an air inlet that are typically perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the jet body. Water flows into the jet body through the water inlet and a diffuser can be arranged within the body to form the water flow into stream. Air can then flow into the jet body and diffuser through the air inlet to be entrained into the stream of water. The diffuser can also be arranged within the body so that it can be rotated to control the amount of water flowing into the body and through the diffuser. The diffuser can have a hole that is aligned with the water inlet to allow water to flow into the diffuser. When the diffuser is rotated within the body the water inlet and diffuser holes are moved out of alignment, which blocks the water from flowing into the diffuser.
In conventional jets the water and air inlets are molded in a fixed position on the jet body and in most, the water and air inlets are adjacent to one another or on opposite sides of the jet body. Having the inlets in a fixed position can complicate the installation of the jets in the spa because the inlets are often not in a convenient location for aligning and attaching water and air conduits. Additional lengths of conduit can be required and the resulting attached conduits can be overly complex and awkward.
One embodiment of a hydrotherapy jet according to the present invention comprises a jet body having a water inlet and an air inlet to allow water and air, respectively, to flow into said jet body from water and air conduits. A diffuser is housed within that jet body and is rotatable within the jet body to control the amount of water flowing into the jet body. The water and air inlets are rotatable about the longitudinal axis of the jet body to align the water and air inlets with the water and air conduits, respectively.
Another embodiment of a hydrotherapy jet according to the present invention, comprises a jet body having a water inlet to allow water to flow into the jet body from a water conduit. A diffuser is housed within the jet body and is rotatable within said jet body to control the amount of water flowing into the jet body. The water inlet is rotatable about the longitudinal axis of said jet body to align the water inlet with the water conduit.
One embodiment of a hydrotherapy system comprises a reservoir shell capable of holding water and a plurality of hydrotherapy jets mounted around the reservoir shell. A water pump system circulates water from the reservoir to the jets. A selected one of the hydrotherapy jets comprises a jet body having a water inlet to allow water and to flow into the jet body from a water conduit. The water inlet is rotatable about the jet body to align the water inlet with the water conduit.
One method for installing hydrotherapy jets according to the present invention comprises providing a reservoir shell capable of holding water and forming a hole in the reservoir shell for a hydrotherapy jet. A hydrotherapy jet is provided with an adjustable water inlet and the hydrotherapy jet is mounted in said reservoir shell hole with said water inlet behind the water contacting surface of the shell. A water conduit is provided, the water inlet is adjusted to align it with the water conduit, and the water conduit is mounted to the water inlet.
These and other further features and advantages of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, taken together with the accompanying drawings, in which:
The jet body 12 has an external body flange 20 that is positioned on the spa's water contacting wall. The outside surface of the body 12, adjacent to the flange 20, has a threaded section 22 for mating with the threads of a wall fitting (not shown). A circular gasket or other devices or compounds that provide a watertight seal can be on the wall fitting and/or flange 20 to provide a seal with the wall. The fitting is rotated until the flange 20 tightens against the spa wall and the jet 10 is held securely in place with the spa wall sandwiched between the flange 20 and the fitting.
The diffuser 18 is housed within the jet body 12 by conventional means with the diffuser being rotatable within the body 12 about the jet body's longitudinal axis. The diffuser 18 has a diffuser flange 24 that can include gripping depressions 26. When the jet is installed in a spa, a spa occupant can control the amount of water that passes into the body 12 by grasping the diffuser flange 24 and rotating the diffuser within the body 12 as more fully described below.
Referring now to
In those installations where an air conduit is used to supply air to the jet 10, the jet 10 can be installed such that its fixed air inlet 14 matches the orientation of the air conduit and the water inlet 16 can then be mounted to match the water conduit. When the water inlet 16 is properly oriented on the body it can be mounted in place with a watertight seal. Convention glues can be used and/or sealants, gaskets, and/or O-rings can be included to provide a watertight seal.
Referring now to
The water inlet 16 fits over the bottom of the jet and water flowing in the inlet flows into the cavity 46. The slot opening 42 is arranged to work with the diffuser opening 40 to control the flow of water into the jet body 12 and diffuser 18 from the cavity 46. As shown in
By having the water enter the jet through the bottom of the body the orientation of the inlet 14 does not impact the operation of the diffuser 18 in controlling the flow of water through the jet 10. The operation is the same regardless of the inlet's orientation, which provides the flexibility necessary to match the inlet orientation to orientation of the water conduit.
The remaining operation of the diffuser is known and only briefly described herein. The interior surface of the diffuser 18 has a venturi section 50 (shown in
In one embodiment of a installation method for installing the jet 10 in a hydrotherapy spa system, a hole is provided in the spa that is sized for the jet 10 such that the majority of the jet 10 is behind the spas water contacting wall and the flange 20 is seated against the water contacting wall. The wall fitting is turned onto the jet body 12 to sandwich the spa wall between the wall fitting and jet body to hold the jet in place. The water inlet 16 can then be adjusted (rotated) to align it with the water conduit and the water inlet 16 and then be mounted in place with a watertight seal with the body 12, such as by gluing. The water conduit can then be mounted to the water inlet 16, also by gluing.
The jet body 72 also has an external body flange 80 that works with a threaded wall fitting for mounting to a spa's water contacting wall. The fitting is mated with the body threads 82 until the flange 20 tightens against the spa wall and the jet 70 is held securely in place with the spa wall sandwiched between the flange 20 and the fitting.
The diffuser 78 is housed within the jet body 72 by conventional means, such as by a retaining ring 84 (
Similar to the water inlet 16 in jet 10 above, the water inlet 76 is a separate construction that provides the above-described flexibility in aligning the water inlet when connecting water conduits to the jet body. The jet 70 also provides the added flexibility of having an adjustable water inlet that provides added flexibility in aligning the air inlet 74 when connecting an air conduit. The jet 70 comprises an air inlet sleeve 94 mounted between the water inlet 76 and the remainder of the jet body 72. As best shown in
By having this sleeve 94 and body 72 arrangement the water inlet can be rotated around the body's longitudinal axis to align it with the air conduit. Once aligned, the sleeve 94 can be fixed in place by tightening the mounting nut 98. The water inlet 76 has a cylindrical inlet section 88 that is perpendicular to a cylindrical mounting section 90. The mounting section 90 includes a smooth water inlet mounting surface 92 that is sized to fit closely over a mounting surface 112 at the rear end of the sleeve 94. This arrangement allows for the water inlet to be rotated around the longitudinal axis of the body 72 to align the cylindrical inlet section 88 with the water conduit.
The rear of the jet body 72 is housed substantially within the rear portion of the sleeve 94 and the overlapping mounting section 90 of the water inlet 76. The diffuser 78 is similar to the diffuser 18 described above and shown in
As in jet 10, the remaining operation of the diffuser 78 is known. Air enters the jet body 72 through the air inlet 16 where it can be entrained into the water jet due to the venturi action, producing a jet with a desirable water/air mixture. Different components can be included within the jet 70 and the diffuser 78 to produce different jet effects, such as a rotating or pulsating jet.
The diffuser 128 is housed within the jet body 126 by a retaining ring 84 (
Similar to the water inlet 76 and air inlet sleeve 94 in jet 70 above, the water inlet 124 and air inlet sleeve 130 are a separate construction and provide the air and water inlets 122, 124 adjustability when connecting air and water conduits to the jet body 126. The jet 120, however, uses a different construction in mounting the air inlet sleeve 130 to the jet body 126. Instead of using a mounting nut to mount the sleeve, the forward end of the air inlet sleeve 130 has an axial lip 138 on its inside surface that cooperates with an axial ridge 140 on the jet body to hold the sleeve 130 on the jet body 126. The axial lip 138 snaps over the axial ridge, with a sleeve forward facing ledge 142 butting against a body rear facing ledge. First and second O-rings 146, 148 are provided between the body 126 and the sleeve 130 to provide a watertight seal. This arrangement allows for the sleeve 130 to rotate around the body 126 while maintaining a watertight seal between the two.
The water inlet 124 has a cylindrical inlet section 150 that is perpendicular to .a cylindrical mounting section 152, although other types of water inlets can-be used. The mounting section 152 includes a smooth water inlet mounting surface 154 that is sized to fit closely over a sleeve mounting surface 156 at the rear end of the sleeve 130. This arrangement allows for the water inlet 124 to be rotated around the longitudinal axis of the body 126 to align the cylindrical inlet section 150 with the water conduit.
Similar to the operation of jets 10 and 70 described above, the diffuser 128 in jet 120 cooperates with the jet body 126 to control the amount of water flowing through the diffuser 128. Water enters the jet 120 through the water inlet 124, and the rear of the jet body 126 has an offset longitudinal opening 158 that allows water into the jet body 126. The diffuser 128 has a rear opening 160 that allows water to enter the diffuser 128 and the diffuser rear opening 160 is arranged to work with the body's longitudinal opening 158 to control the flow of water into the diffuser 128. When the diffuser rear opening 160 is aligned with longitudinal opening 158 the maximum amount of water flows into the diffuser 128 through, and as the diffuser 128 is rotated within the jet body, the diffuser rear opening 160 is moved out of alignment with the longitudinal opening 158 to reduce or stop the flow of water through the diffuser 128.
For both jets 70 and 120, by having the water enter through the bottom of the body, the orientation of the inlets 74, 124 does not impact the operation of their diffusers 114, 128 in controlling the flow of water through the jets 70, 120. Similarly, the orientation of their air inlet sleeves 94, 122 does not impact the operation of the diffusers 114, 128. The operation is the same regardless of the inlet's orientation, which provides the flexibility necessary to match the air and water inlet orientation to the orientation of the air and water conduits.
The installation method for the jets 70 and 120 is the same as the method for installing the jet 10 in a hydrotherapy spa system, with the additional steps of aligning the air inlets 74, 122 to align them with their air conduits. The air conduits can then be mounted to the air inlets 74, 122.
Although the present invention has been described in considerable detail with reference to certain preferred configurations, other versions are possible. The invention can be used in many different types of hydrotherapy jets and different jet inlets. It can also be used with many different types of diffusers. Other jets can also have a water outlet alone, without air. Therefore, the spirit and scope of the invention should not be limited to the preferred versions described above.
This application claims the benefit of provisional application Ser. No. 60/497,075 to Colin, which was filed on Aug. 22, 2003.
Number | Date | Country | |
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60497075 | Aug 2003 | US |