Patent Grant
10334992
The instant non-provisional patent application claims priority from provisional patent application No. 62/602,775, filed on May 5, 2017, under the title of WATER TEMPERATURE MODERATOR, and is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference thereto.
The embodiments of the present invention relate to a rotary unit for use with a conventional bathtub, and more particularly, the embodiments of the present invention relate to a rotary unit for selectively adding additives to water in a conventional bathtub automatically without a bather having to touch the additives or leave the conventional bathtub to get the additives.
Numerous innovations for portable showers and baths have been provided in the prior art, which will be described below in chronological order to show advancement in the art, and which are incorporated herein in their entirety by reference thereto. Even though these innovations may be suitable for the specific individual purposes to which they address, nevertheless, they differ from the embodiments of the present invention in that they do not teach a rotary unit for selectively adding additives to water in a conventional bathtub automatically without a bather having to touch the additives or leave the conventional bathtub to get the additives.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,080,568—issued to Burnett on Mar. 12, 1963—teaches a portable shower bath assembly including a foldable floor having a plurality of parallel slats and respective link bars hingedly connecting the ends of adjacent slats to each other, a generally rectangular up-standing collapsible frame including vertical corner posts and horizontal connecting bars detachably connected to the top ends of the vertical corner posts, respective, and upstanding sockets on the end portions of the opposite end slats of the floor receiving. The lower ends of the vertical corner posts, a flexible cover surrounding the frame, apparatus for detachably connecting the top margin of the cover to the horizontal connecting bar, apparatus detachably connecting the bottom margin of the cover to the floor slats, whereby to define a shower stall. A shower bath sprinkler head is secured to one of the horizontal connecting bars and is directed downwardly and inwardly into the shower stall, a water tank, apparatus for admitting water into the tank, conduit apparatus for connecting the lower portion of the water tank to the sprinkler head, apparatus for sealing the water tank, and an air inlet check valve on the top of the tank, whereby air may be pumped into the upper portion of the tank to develop a pressure sufficient to force the water in the tank through the conduit apparatus for discharge.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,025,515 issued to Rhines on Jun. 25, 1991—teaches a portable bathtub apparatus for facilitating the bathing of bedridden persons. The portable bathtub apparatus includes an inflatable bathtub. An air pump and a tank are provided to inflate the bathtub. A movable water storage tank is coupled to the bathtub by a water pump that facilitates the movement of water from the tank to the bathtub. A heat dispenser is provided to heat the water in the tank so that the water in the bathtub can be maintained at a desired temperature.
European Patent Number EP0509292—issued to Dieter on Oct. 21, 1992—teaches a washing device for patients, which includes a washing mattress that is placed on an ordinary mattress of a bed frame, below a patient to be washed. The washing mattress is of a trough-type construction, so that water passing onto it is able to pass via a water outflow and a hose into a waste water container. The washing water required for washing flows out of a washing water container to a hand-held shower unit.
United States Patent Application Publication Number 2006/0282944—published to Sagi on Dec. 21, 2006—teaches an entirely mobile system and method for bathing non-ambulatory patients in the patient's own bed. The system includes a maneuverable cart housing, a clean water supply, and all other necessary apparatus and optional accessories for bathing a patient. A waterproof and disposable bathing sheet is placed over the bed and under the patient, which is manipulated into the shape of a bath.
U.S. Pat. No. 9,301,652—issued to Millerd on Apr. 5, 2016—teaches a portable and walk-in type bathtub that includes an entrance and a door attached thereto to allow someone to walk into the bathtub without stepping over a wall. A replaceable water tank is attached to the tub so that clean water is directed from the water tank to the tub. Once the water has been used, the used water is directed to a separate tank within the water tank attachment. Once all of the clean water from the water tank has been used, the water tank is detached from the tub housing and a new tank containing clean water is attached to the tub to further facilitate bathing. The tub and water tank include wheels attached to the bottoms thereof to facilitate movement of the tub and the water tank. The wheels may be raised and lowered to facilitate movement and locking of the tub in place.
It is apparent that numerous innovations for portable showers and baths have been provided in the prior art, which are adapted to be used. Furthermore, even though these innovations may be suitable for the specific individual purposes to which they address, nevertheless, they would not be suitable for the purposes of the embodiments of the present invention as heretofore described, namely, a rotary unit for selectively adding additives to water in a conventional bathtub automatically without a bather having to touch the additives or leave the conventional bathtub to get the additives.
Thus, an object of the embodiments of the present invention is to provide a rotary unit for selectively adding additives to water in a conventional bathtub automatically without a bather having to touch the additives or leave the conventional bathtub to get the additives, which avoids the disadvantages of the prior art.
Briefly stated, another object of the embodiments of the present invention is to provide a rotary unit that selectively adds additives to water in a conventional bathtub automatically without a bather having to touch the additives or leave the conventional bathtub to get the additives. The rotary unit includes a plurality of pressurized canisters and a controller. The plurality of pressurized canisters are configured in a circular configuration and are disposed directly adjacent to, and are communicatable with, the conventional bathtub. Each pressurized canister contains a different one of the additives. The controller is in communication with the plurality of pressurized canisters, and as such, the controller is utilized to choose one of the additives to add to the water in the conventional bathtub automatically without the bather having to touch the chosen one of the additives or leave the conventional bathtub to get the chosen one of the additives.
The novel features considered characteristic of the embodiments of the present invention are set forth in the appended claims. The embodiments of the present invention themselves, however, both as to their construction and to their method of operation together with additional objects and advantages thereof will be best understood from the following description of the embodiments of the present invention when read and understood in connection with the accompanying figures of the drawing.
The figures of the drawing are briefly described as follows:
Referring now to the figures, in which like numerals indicate like parts, and particularly to
It is to be understood that the additives 12 can be hot water, cold water, bubble bath, Epson salts, bath oils, etc.
The overall configuration of the rotary unit 10 can best be seen in
The rotary unit 10 comprises a plurality of pressurized canisters 20 and a controller 22. The plurality of pressurized canisters 20 are configured in a circular configuration, and are for disposing directly adjacent to, and communicatable with, the conventional bathtub 16. Each pressurized canister 20 is for containing a different one of the additives 12. The controller 22 is in communication with the plurality of pressurized canisters 20, and as such, is utilized for choosing the one of the additives 12 that is to be added to the water 14 in the conventional bathtub 16 automatically without the bather 18 having to touch the chosen one of the additives 12 or leave the conventional bathtub 16 to get the chosen one of the additives 12.
The rotary unit 10 further comprises a base 24. The base 24 is for resting on a support surface 26.
It is to be further understood that the rotary unit 10 can be sized so the support surface 26 can be the floor adjacent the bathtub 16, or the rotary unit 10 can be reduced in size and the support surface 26 can be the ledge of the bathtub 16, etc.
The rotary unit 10 further comprises a rotary motor 28. The rotary motor 28 is attached to the base 24, and is for selectively rotating a portion 30 of the base 24.
The rotary unit 10 further comprises a pressurizing pump 32. The pressurizing pump 32 is operatively connected to the rotary motor 28, and is for pressurizing the plurality of pressurized canisters 20.
The rotary unit 10 further comprises a power source interface 34. The power source interface 34 is contained within the controller 22, and is for holding batteries 36 for powering the rotary unit 10.
The rotary unit 10 further comprises a plurality of dispensers 38. The plurality of dispensers 38 are operatively connected to the plurality of pressurized canisters 20, respectively, and are for dispensing the additives 12 on demand, respectively.
The specific configuration of the base 24 can best be seen in
The base 24 comprises a lower layer 40 and an upper layer 42.
The upper layer 42 of the base 24 is circular-shaped, has a perimeter 44 and a central axis 46, and rotates about the central axis 46 of the upper layer 42 of the base 24.
The upper layer 42 of the base 24 further has a through track 48. The through track 48 of the upper layer 42 of the base 24 extends completely therethrough, is disposed inward of, and is concentric with, the perimeter 44 of the upper layer 42 of the base 24.
The lower layer 40 of the base 24 is circular-shaped, is aligned with, is disposed directly below, and is identical in size as, the upper layer 42 of the base 24, and is for resting upon the support surface 26. The lower layer 40 of the base 24 is stationary as the upper layer 42 of the base 24 rotates relative thereto.
The specific configuration of the plurality of pressurized canisters 20 can best be seen in
Each pressurized canister 20 is pressurized, is cylindrically shaped, is vertically oriented, has a bottom end 50 and a top end 52, and extends upwardly from the bottom end 50 of an associated canister 20, from the upper layer 42 of the base 24.
The plurality of pressurized canisters 20 are disposed in a circle about the base 24, just inwardly of the perimeter 44 of the upper layer 42 of the base 24.
Each pressurized canister 20 is for containing both the additive 12 associated therewith and the pressurized air 54 provided by the pressurizing pump 32. The pressurized air 54 is for disposing below the additive 12 so as to provide dispensing pressure when that canister 20 is called into action.
Each pressurized canister 20 has the dispenser 38. The dispenser 38 is a slender, elongated, and hollow tube 58, and has a proximal end 60 and a distal end 62.
The proximal end 62 of the dispenser 38 is mounted to the top end 52 of, and fluidly communicates with, an associated canister 20, and can pivot up for an in-use position and pivot down for a not-in-use position. For safety purposes, the dispenser 38 will not dispense its additive 12 when the dispenser 38 is in the not-in-use position thereof.
In the in-use position of the dispenser 38 of an associated canister 20, the dispenser 38 is pivoted upwardly for positioning over the bathtub 16 and is ready to dispense into the bathtub 16 the additive 12 that the associated canister 20 is carrying.
Each pressurized canister 20 further has a valve 64. The valve 64 of each pressurized canister 20 is disposed on the dispenser 38 of an associated canister 20, at the proximal end 60 of said dispenser 38 of the associated canister 20, and is for allowing the additive 12 contained in the associated canister 20 to either communicate through the dispenser 38 of the associated canister 20 and be dispensed through the dispenser 38 of the associated canister 20 and into the bath tub 16 or not communicating through the dispenser 38 of the associated canister 20 and not be dispensed through the dispenser 38 of the associated canister 20.
The specific configuration of the controller 22 can best be seen in
The controller 22 includes an enclosure 66. The enclosure 66 of the controller 22 has a front control panel 68 and a lower wall 70.
The controller 22 further includes a tube stand 72. The tube stand 72 of the controller 22 has a proximal end 74 and a distal end 76, and carries communication between the control panel 68 of the enclosure 66 of the controller 22 to the plurality of pressurized canisters 20, the rotary motor 28, and the pressurizing pump 32, etc.
The proximal end 74 of the tube stand 72 of the controller 22 is disposed movably in the through track 48 of the upper layer 42 of the base 24, is fixed to the lower layer 40 of the base 24, and extends vertically upwardly therefrom to the distal end 76 of the tube stand 72 of the controller 22, which is affixed to the lower wall 70 of the enclosure 66 of the controller 22, and with the front control panel 68 of the enclosure 66 of the controller 22 for facing the bathtub 16 for facilitating use by the bather 18.
The front control panel 68 of the enclosure 66 of the controller 22 is divided into a plurality of imaginary columns 78. Each imaginary column 78 of the front control panel 68 of the enclosure 66 of the controller 22 is associated with a respective pressurized canister 20.
Each imaginary column 78 of the front control panel 68 of the enclosure 66 of the controller 22 has a position button switch 80. The position button switch 80 of each imaginary column 78 of the front control panel 68 of the enclosure 66 of the controller 22 is in electrical communication with the rotary motor 28. When the position button switch 80 of an imaginary column 78 of the front control panel 68 of the enclosure 66 of the controller 22 is pressed, the rotary motor 28 activates and turns the lower layer 40 of the base 24 into a position where the dispenser 38 of the associated canister 20 is for facing into the bathtub 16.
Each imaginary column 78 of the front control panel 68 of the enclosure 66 of the controller 22 further has an activation button switch 82. The activation button switch 82 of each imaginary column 78 of the front control panel 68 of the enclosure 66 of the controller 22 is disposed below the position button switch 80 of the imaginary column 78 of the front control panel 68 of the enclosure 66 of the controller 22, respectively, and is in electrical communication with the valve 64 of an associated canister 20. When the activation button switch 82 of the associated imaginary column 78 of the front control panel 68 of the enclosure 66 of the controller 22 is pressed, the dispenser 38 associated therewith is raised, and the valve 64 of the dispenser 38 of the associated canister 20 opens and the dispenser 38 dispenses the associated additive 12 into the bathtub 16.
And when the activation button switch 82 of the associated imaginary column 78 of the front control panel 68 of the enclosure 66 of the controller 22 is released, the valve 64 of the dispenser 38 of the associated canister 20 closes and stops the dispenser 38 from dispensing the associated additive 12 into the bathtub 16, and the dispenser 38 associated therewith drops.
Each imaginary column 78 of the front control panel 68 of the enclosure 66 of the controller 22 further has an additive quantity meter 84. The additive quantity meter 84 of each imaginary column 78 of the front control panel 68 of the enclosure 66 of the controller 22 is disposed below the activation button switch 82 of an associated imaginary column 78 of the front control panel 68 of the enclosure 66 of the controller 22, and is in electrical communication with an associated canister 20 for advising the bather 18 the amount of additives 12 left in the plurality of canisters 20.
It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together, may also find a useful application in other types of constructions differing from the types described above.
While the embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described as embodied in a rotary unit for selectively adding additives to water in a conventional bathtub automatically, nevertheless, they are not limited to the details shown, since it will be understood that various omissions, modifications, substitutions, and changes in the forms and details of the embodiments of the present invention illustrated and their operation, can be made by those skilled in the art without departing in any way from the spirit of the embodiments of the present invention.
Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the embodiments of the present invention that others can by applying current knowledge readily adapt them for various applications without omitting features that from the standpoint of prior art fairly constitute characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of the embodiments of the present invention.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3080568 | Burnett | Mar 1963 | A |
| 5025515 | Rhines | Jun 1991 | A |
| 7614570 | Freidell | Nov 2009 | B2 |
| 9301652 | Millerd | Apr 2016 | B2 |
| 20060011746 | De Simone | Jan 2006 | A1 |
| 20060282944 | Sagi | Dec 2006 | A1 |
| 20090000024 | Louis | Jan 2009 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 0509292 | Oct 1992 | EP |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20190075976 A1 | Mar 2019 | US |
