Claims
- 1. A paraffin bath apparatus for melting paraffin for use in therapeutic treatment of a body part immersed in the melted paraffin, the apparatus comprising:a housing being generally cup shaped and having a base and an upper opening; a tub for retaining paraffin, the tub being generally cup shaped and having an open top and an interior cavity defined by a bottom wall and upwardly extending sidewalls; a heating element cooperating with an outer exterior surface of the tub and located between the tub outer exterior surface and the housing, the heating element being capable of providing sufficient heat to melt the paraffin with the tub; and a strainer sized to freely fit within the tub interior cavity and rest upon the bottom wall, the strainer having an upper portion provided with a plurality of slots extending there through and a plurality of flanges extending downwardly from the upper portion to rest upon the tub bottom wall to space the strainer upper portion above the bottom wall to permit liquid paraffin to circulate through the slots and to enable dirt and debris in the paraffin to fall through the slots to the bottom of the tub.
- 2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the strainer has an outer peripheral shape which generally conforms to the shape of the tub bottom wall.
- 3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the tub and the strainer are formed of a high temperature resistant polymeric material.
- 4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the tub is formed of a high temperature resistant polypropylene.
- 5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the upper surface of the strainer is spaced from and generally parallel to the tub bottom wall to prevent direct contact of the user's skin with the bottom wall.
- 6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the strainer is provided with a temperature indicating portion formed of a polymeric material which changes color when a predetermined paraffin temperature is reached.
- 7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the heating element does not cooperate with the outer peripheral surface of the tub in the region immediately adjacent to the temperature indicating element so that the heat radiated by the heating element will not distort the temperature indication.
- 8. A paraffin bath apparatus for melting paraffin for use in therapeutic treatment of a body part immersed in the melted paraffin, the apparatus comprising:a housing being generally cup shaped and having a base and an upper opening; a tub formed of a high temperature resistant polymeric material for retaining paraffin, the tub being generally cup shaped and having an open top and an interior cavity defined by a bottom wall and upwardly extending sidewalls; a heating element cooperating with an outer exterior surface of the tub and located between the tub outer exterior surface and the housing, the heating element being capable of providing sufficient heat to melt the paraffin with the tub; and a strainer sized to freely fit within the tub interior cavity and rest upon the bottom wall, the strainer having an upper portion provided with a plurality of slots extending there through and a plurality of flanges extending downwardly from the upper portion to rest upon the tub bottom wall to space the strainer upper portion spaced from and generally parallel to the bottom wall to permit liquid paraffin to circulate through the slots and to enable dirt and debris in the paraffin to fall through the slots to the bottom of the tub.
- 9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the strainer has an outer peripheral shape which generally conforms to the shape of the tub bottom wall.
- 10. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the tub is formed of a high temperature resistant polypropylene.
- 11. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the strainer is provided with a temperature indicating portion formed of a polymeric material which changes color when a predetermined paraffin temperature is reached.
- 12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the heating element does not cooperate with the outer peripheral surface of the tub in the region immediately adjacent to the temperature indicating element so that the heat radiated by the heating element will not distort the temperature indication.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/710,117, filed Nov. 8, 2000 which issues on Jul. 9, 2002 as U.S. Pat. No. 6,417,495 which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/523,506 filed Mar. 10, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,184,500, issued Feb. 6, 2001.
US Referenced Citations (35)
Foreign Referenced Citations (2)
Number |
Date |
Country |
61-65815 |
Apr 1986 |
JP |
11-56893 |
Mar 1999 |
JP |
Non-Patent Literature Citations (3)
Entry |
TheraBath® Paraffin Wax Therapy for arthritis, bursitis, tendonitis, www.1rehab.com/paraffin/index.htm, May 23, 2000, pp. 1-3. |
Remington Products, Hand Care, www.remington-products.com/products/spatherapy/ahdn.html, May 23, 2000, pp. 1-3. |
Photographs of Gena Paraffin Bath Product, pp. 1-2. |
Continuations (2)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09/710117 |
Nov 2000 |
US |
Child |
10/191356 |
|
US |
Parent |
09/523506 |
Mar 2000 |
US |
Child |
09/710117 |
|
US |