Claims
- 1. A spa apparatus comprising:
a basin for retaining fluid; a foot rest plate removably positioned within the basin, the foot rest plate including a plurality of openings and at least one area without openings; an impeller coupled to the basin; and a motor drivably coupled to the impeller.
- 2. The spa apparatus of claim 1, wherein the foot rest plate comprises at least a first nozzle system configured to direct fluid in a non-vertical direction, the first nozzle system including at least a first opening.
- 3. The spa apparatus of claim 2, wherein the foot rest plate further comprises a second nozzle system configured to direct fluid in a non-vertical direction, the second nozzle system including at least a second opening.
- 4. The spa apparatus of claim 3, wherein the first nozzle system is configured to direct fluid toward the second nozzle system and the second nozzle system is configured to direct fluid toward the first nozzle system.
- 5. The spa apparatus of claim 3, wherein the fluid directed toward the second nozzle system and the fluid directed toward the first nozzle system form an included angle between 0 and 45 degrees.
- 6. The spa apparatus of claim 5, wherein the plurality of openings are configured to produce a fluid pressure less than 10 psi.
- 7. The spa apparatus of claim 6, wherein the plurality of openings are configured to produce a fluid pressure of about 2 psi.
- 8. The spa apparatus of claim 5, wherein the plurality of openings have areas in the range of about 0.05 to 0.15 inches.
- 9. The spa apparatus of claim 5, wherein the plurality of openings have areas in the range of about 0.10 to 0.3 square inches.
- 10. The spa apparatus of claim 9, wherein the plurality of openings have diameters of about 0.2 square inches.
- 11. The spa apparatus of claim 1, wherein the foot rest plate has at least one non-horizontal region.
- 12. The spa apparatus of claim 11, wherein the foot rest plate further includes a toe region and a heel region, the heel region being lower than the toe region.
- 13. The spa apparatus of claim 1, wherein the foot rest plate is removable without the use of a tool.
- 14. The spa apparatus of claim 1, wherein the basin includes a drain positioned in a lower portion of the basin.
- 15. The spa apparatus of claim 1, wherein the motor is configured to operate at variable speeds.
- 16. The spa apparatus of claim 1, wherein the foot rest plate is substantially non-perforated.
- 17. The spa apparatus of claim 1, wherein the foot rest plate is removably coupled to the basin by at least one fastener device.
- 18. The spa apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an automatic switch that controls operation of the motor.
- 19. The spa apparatus of claim 18, wherein the automatic switch at least temporarily prevents operation of the motor when the foot rest plate is at least partially moved out of position from within the basin.
- 20. The spa apparatus of claim 18, further comprising a screen positioned over the foot rest plate, where the screen is removable without the use of a tool.
- 21. The spa apparatus of claim 20, wherein the automatic switch at least temporarily prevents operation of the motor when the screen is at least partially moved out of position from over the foot rest plate.
- 22. The spa apparatus of claim 1, further comprising at least one seal to confine the flow of fluid under the foot rest plate and force it though the plurality of openings.
- 23. The spa apparatus of claim 1, wherein the foot rest plate further comprises:
a toe region; a heel region; and an arcuate surface extending between the toe region and the heel region.
- 24. A spa apparatus comprising:
a basin for retaining fluid; a foot rest plate removably positioned within the basin, the foot rest plate including a plurality of openings and at least one non-horizontal region; an impeller coupled to the basin; and a motor drivably coupled to the impeller.
- 25. The spa apparatus of claim 24, wherein the foot rest plate further includes a toe region and a heel region, the heel region being lower than the toe region.
- 26. The spa apparatus of claim 25, wherein the foot rest plate slopes downward from the toe region to the heel region.
- 27. A spa comprising:
a basin for retaining fluid having a floor; a foot plate operatively sealed to the basin; a first region defined by an area between the foot plate and the floor of the basin, the plate having an intake opening and at least one output opening; an impeller located between a top surface of the plate and the floor of the basin and configured to draw fluid through the intake opening into the first region and to force the water out of the first region through the output opening.
- 28. The spa of claim 27, wherein the fluid pressure in the first region is greater than the fluid pressure in a second region above the foot plate.
- 29. The spa of claim 27, wherein the foot plate includes at least one support surface configured to support a user's foot and at least one downwardly extending wall from the support surface; and a seal located between the downwardly extending wall and the basin.
- 30. The foot rest plate of claim 27, wherein the foot rest plate includes a plurality of openings and at least one area without openings.
- 31. The foot rest plate of claim 28, wherein the foot rest has at least one non-horizontal region.
- 32. The foot rest plate of claim 31, wherein the foot rest plate further includes a toe region and a heel region, the heel region being lower than the toe region.
- 33. A method of cleaning a spa apparatus, the method comprising:
removing a foot rest plate from the spa apparatus; mechanically cleaning the spa apparatus with at least a cleanser, including each component exposed to fluid during use of the spa apparatus; repositioning the foot rest plate in the spa apparatus; and repeating any step or combination thereof as required.
- 34. The method of claim 33, further comprising rinsing the spa apparatus with a fluid.
- 35. The method of claim 34, further comprising draining fluid from the spa apparatus.
- 36. The method of claim 35, further comprising filling the spa apparatus with fluid.
- 37. A water spa comprising:
a basin configured to hold water; a removable foot rest plate having an upper surface and operatively secured to the basin below the free surface of the water, the foot rest plate including an inlet opening and at least one output opening; a pump configured to draw water through the inlet opening into a region below the foot rest plate and to distribute the water to the output opening under a pressure greater than the fluid pressure of the water above the foot rest plate.
- 38. The water spa of claim 37, further including a seal between the foot rest plate and the basin.
- 39. The water spa of claim 38 including wherein the pump includes an impeller that is surrounded by a duct.
- 40. The water spa of claim 39, wherein the foot rest plate includes a depressed region about the output opening to prohibit contact of the opening with a user's foot.
- 41. The water spa of claim 40 including means for adding air to the water exiting the output opening.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/436,128, filed Dec. 23, 2002, entitled “Spa Apparatus” by Gruenwald and is incorporated by reference herein.
Provisional Applications (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
|
60436128 |
Dec 2002 |
US |