Portable hot tub for land and water

Abstract

An easy to assemble portable floating hot tub for use in even cold and turbulent water includes an inflatable pontoon, an insulated liner peripherally connected to the pontoon and defining hot tub fill volume, and flexible members extending from the pontoon under the liner such that the weight of the liner filled with water is supported partly by the flexible members. A floor made of rigid spaced apart and parallel slats can be rolled up with the flexible liner and deflated pontoon. A collapsible frame made of connected rigid members may be provided in or outside of the liner. The pontoon is placed on the body of water and inflated. Filling the internal volume defined by the insulated liner with water causes it to descend below the pontoon. A portable heater having a heating capacity of at least 30,000 BTUs rapidly heats up the water within the hot tub. The system components can be transported in carry bags of less than 100 pounds and deployed by one person in an extremely small space, such as on a boat.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61 / 191,968, filed Sep. 15, 2008, and is also a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12 / 072,438, filed Feb. 26, 2008, which claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60 / 903,567, filed Mar. 27, 2007.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present invention relates to a portable hot tub that floats in a body of water and, in particular, to an easily and rapidly deployable, portable floating hot tub that can be used in bodies of water that are turbulent and cold.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]Hot tubs or spas are excellent ways for relaxing and rejuvenating, as well as therapeutically soothing sore muscles and body parts. The conventional hot tub is mounted in or above the ground, has rigid sidewalls, typically a molded fiberglass shell for containing water, and a relatively sophisticated and expensive electronically monitored a...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0020]In another aspect, the present application provides a portable floating hot tub that is easy to assemble and take down and can be used in environments with extremely cold and turbulent water. The hot tub includes an inflatable pontoon that forms a buoyant ring, an insulated liner peripherally connected to the pontoon and defining a three-dimensional hot tub fill volume, and flexible members that extend from the pontoon under a bottom of the liner such that when the pontoon is floating, the weight of the liner filled with water is supported partly by the flexible members. The hot tub may have a floor made of rigid slats that are spaced apart and parallel and that can be rolled up with the flexible liner and deflated pontoon for ease of portability. A collapsible frame made of connected rigid members may be provided in or outside of the liner. The pontoon is placed on the body of water and inflated. Filling the internal volume defined by the insulated liner with water causes it to descend below the pontoon. A portable heater having a heating capacity of at least 30,000 BTUs rapidly heats up the water within the hot tub. The system components can be transported in carry bags of less than 100 pounds and deployed in an extremely small space, such as on a boat.

[0021]In general, the present invention provides a hot tub that is portable, easily assembled, easy to enter and exit, provides for comfortable seating, and can be used in environments where there is cold and turbulent water. The hot tub has a collapsible, rigid frame that makes it operable in turbulent water such as in a river or on the ocean. Walls of the hot tub are constructed from a thermally insulating material so that it retains heat and can be operated in cold water environments found in lakes, rivers and oceans. The hot tub is portable and can be carried and assembled easily by a single individual in confined environments such as on a boat or on the dock. Finally, the rigid frame structure of the tub provides for comfortable seating.

[0022]In one embodiment, the hot tub is constructed from three independent components: a pontoon, a frame and walls. The hot tub is supported in the water by a floating inflatable pontoon. The pontoon can be constructed from one or more bladder units. The pontoon must be large enough to stabilize the tub when people enter or leave the tub. The support frame of the tub is made with structural materials such as pipes or rods, or any other structural material that may be easily disassembled. The frame may include provisions for seating of one or more people in the hot tub. Extra material may be placed between the frame arms and the pontoon to distribute the weight of the frame on the pontoon. The walls of the hot tub are made from a thermally insulating material such as neoprene rubber. The insulating material helps to keep the water in the tub from losing heat too rapidly to the external body of water. When the hot that is filled with water, the majority of the tub is submerged below the surface of the external body of water, providing stability. The hot tub is designed such that when filled with water, the water level inside the tub is approximately the same level as the external body of water.

Problems solved by technology

The conventional hot tub is mounted in or above the ground, has rigid sidewalls, typically a molded fiberglass shell for containing water, and a relatively sophisticated and expensive electronically monitored and controlled water heating system relatively permanently connected an existing water supply system.

To date, there has not been an economically feasible portable hot tub for use in remote locations away from the backyard.

One difficult hurdle in constructing a portable hot tub is the necessity of providing extremely strong sidewalls to contain the large amount of water therein.

Of course providing sturdy sidewalls increases the size and weight of the device which hinders portability.

One possible answer to this practical problem is to immerse the hot tub in a larger body of water, which equilibrates the hydraulic forces across the spa wall and therefore reduces the structural strength requirements.

For a number of reasons, these designs lack one or more of the following: easy portability, easy and rapid setup, stability in turbulent water, or economic practicality.

Some relatively recent floating hot tubs, such as in U.S. Pat. No. 6,795,983, commercially available as the HOT POD floating spa, are primarily designed for use in a pool with relatively flexible and lightweight construction, which makes them ill-suited for use in very cold and turbulent water.

Though technically “floating,” these hot tubs are not portable by themselves, and are relatively permanently structurally installed and connected to the electrical and water systems of the boat.

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