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

[0007]The present invention relates to a hot tub that is portable and may be placed in a body of water such as a pool, a lake, river or the ocean. A primary application i

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 o

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