Portable waterjet bathing system

Abstract

A bathing system for providing a water jet bath to a bather. The bathing system includes a tub, a seating element configured to receive a seated bather and a piping system comprising at least one pipe and a plurality of water jet elements associated with the at least one pipe. The seating element comprises a seat bottom and seat back. The piping system is configured to extend at least partially around an internal periphery of the tub. The bathing system also includes a valve element operatively connected to the piping system and a coupling element configured for attachment to a water source. The coupling element is operatively connected to the valve element. A drain element is included and configured to control drainage of water from the tub.

Description

PORTABLE WATERJET BATHING SYSTEMFIELD OF INVENTION

[0001] The present invention pertains to the field of bathing, and in particular to providing a portable bathing system.BACKGROUND

[0002] A person that is being bathed by another person may feel uncomfortable or scared if they are being splashed with water or are not supported properly when in the tub. This can especially be a problem when the bather is a baby that is unfamiliar with being placed in water and uncomfortable with splashing water on them.

[0003] Current bathing solutions often do not alleviate the discomfort and fear a bather may experience when being bathed. Accordingly, there is need for a bathing system that at least partially addresses one or more limitations of the prior art.

[0004] This background information is provided to reveal information believed by the applicant to be of possible relevance to the present invention. No admission is necessarily intended, nor should be construed that any of the preceding information constitutes prior art against the present invention.SUMMARY

[0005] An object of embodiments of the present disclosure is to provide a bathing system. This bathing system can provide a worry-free bathing experience for a bather.

[0006] An aspect of the disclosure provides a bathing system for providing a water jet bath to a bather. This bathing system includes a tub system comprising a tub and a seating element configured to receive a seated bather, a piping system comprising at least one pipe and a plurality of water jet elements associated with the at least one pipe, a valve element operatively connected to the piping system, a coupling element configured for attachment to a water source, and a drain element configured to control drainage of water from the tub. The piping system is configured to extend at least partially around an internal periphery of the tub and the coupling element is operatively connected to the valve element.

[0007] Embodiments have been described above in conjunction with aspects of the present disclosure upon which they can be implemented. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that embodiments may be implemented in conjunction with the aspect with which they are described but may also be implemented with other embodiments of that aspect. When embodiments are mutually exclusive, or are otherwise incompatible with each other, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Some embodiments may be described in relation to one aspect, but may also be applicable to other aspects, as will be apparent to those of skill in the art.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0008] Further features and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in combination with the appended drawings, in which:

[0009] FIG. 1 is a perspective front view of a bathing system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0010] FIG. 2 is a top view of the bathing system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0011] FIG. 3 is a perspective right side view of the bathing system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0012] FIG. 4 is a perspective left side view of the bathing system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0013] It will be noted that throughout the appended drawings, like features are identified by like reference numerals.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0014] When someone is being bathed by another person, the person being bathed (the “bather”) may feel uncomfortable throughout the process of being bathed.

[0015] Where a bather being bathed by another person includes a person of limited mobility and / or ability to support themselves such as a child, an elderly person, or an injured person, these bathers may feel discomfort when being bathed because they are unable to control water that may splash on them. They may also feel discomfort because they are not properly supported while sitting in a tub full of water.

[0016] To overcome these discomforts, bathing system 100 illustrated by FIG. 1 , showing the front of bathing system 100, FIG. 2 illustrating the top of bathing system 100, FIG. 3 illustratingthe right side of bathing system 100 and FIG. 4 illustrating the left side of bathing system 100, has been developed so that the bather enjoys a worry-free bathing experience.

[0017] In some embodiments, bathing system 100 includes seat element 110 that is formed integrally with tub 120 and as a result is rigidly supported by tub 120 so that the bather feels securely placed while being supported by seat element 110 in tub 120.

[0018] In some embodiments, bathing system 100 includes seat element 110 that is attached to tub 120 and also rigidly supported by tub 120.

[0019] In some embodiments, the bather is received by seat element 110 having a seat back 114 and seat bottom 118 in a fixed reclined position.

[0020] In some embodiments the seat element includes an adjustable back portion and an adjustable head rest portion to further increase the secure placement of the bather. These adjustable back and head rest also increase the comfort of the bather to alleviate the bather’s potential discomfort.

[0021] Bathing system 100 includes piping 130 with a plurality of holes to provide jets of water to be used to clean the bather. These jets of water result from water passing through piping 130 and exiting piping 130 through the provided plurality of holes to spray the bather gently. In some embodiments, piping 130 is configured to extend around the entire internal periphery of tub 120 and in other embodiments piping 130 extends only partially around the internal periphery of tub 120. Water enters piping 130 via inlet pipe 150, which is connected to a water source (not shown).

[0022] These jets of water can have the added benefit of providing entertainment to an infant bather who finds jets of water to be fun.

[0023] Bathing system 100 also includes drain 140. Drain 140 can be opened so that water sprayed on the bather via piping 130 can drain so that tub 120 does not fill with water.

[0024] Drain 140 provides several advantages described herein.

[0025] Some bathers may feel discomfort when being seated in tub 120 that has accumulated water because they fear submerging under this accumulated water. To alleviate this discomfort, drain 140 can be opened to allow the water sprayed on the bather to drain instead of being accumulated by tub 120.

[0026] Additionally, when drain 140 is opened, the bather is only exposed to the water sprayed on them via piping 130. Furthermore, when drain 140 is opened, the bather does not come in contact with water that has accumulated in tub 120 and that may potentially have become contaminated by dirt.

[0027] However, the bather may prefer being bathed in tub 120 that has been filled with water. So, bathing system 100 provides the flexibility to allow the drain 140 to be closed so that tub 120 fills with water either before or while the bather is bathing.

[0028] Some embodiments include a battery operated air pump (not shown) and an air valve (not shown) operatively connected to piping 130. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that when tub 120 is filled with water, and when piping 130 is submerged or slightly submerged, the air valve can be adjusted to control the amount of air provided by the air pump and as a result the amount of air coming out of piping 130, thereby controlling the amount of bubbles created to entertain and stimulate the bather.

[0029] A valve element (not shown) of bathing system 100 is operatively connected to piping 130 via inlet pipe 150 and also to a coupling element (not shown). The coupling element is also connected to a water source (not shown) to provide water, via the valve element, to piping 130 via inlet pipe 150 so that the bather is sprayed with water. The person bathing the bather can tighten or loosen the hand wheel of the valve element to control the flow of water flowing through piping 130 and, as a result, control the pressure of the water sprayed on the bather.

[0030] In some embodiments, piping 130 includes a constriction that those skilled in the art will appreciate acts, according to the Bernoulli principle, to increase the speed and also lower the pressure of water flowing through the constriction.

[0031] In one embodiment, bathing system 100 is portable and suitably sized so that it can be placed in a bathtub or a sink.

[0032] In some embodiments, the coupling element can be quickly connected to the water source due to being a “quick connect” type of connecting coupling element. In some embodiments this coupling element can also be configured to attach to more than one type of water source.

[0033] Some embodiments include a temperature sensor that can include an alarm to indicate when the temperature of the water that has accumulated in tub 120 has reached a threshold value.

[0034] Some embodiments include LED lighting that can illuminate and sooth the bather.

[0035] In some embodiments, bathing system 100 includes a cleanser dispenser that can be used to dispense soap or shampoo or conditioner or the like.

[0036] Some embodiments of bathing system 100 include a carousel mount (not shown) that can be used to rotate bathing system 100 to make it easier for the person bathing the bather to reach the bather to adjust any of the bather seated in seat 110 or the adjustable back portion and the adjustable head rest portion of seat 110.

[0037] Not shown in FIGs is a plurality of adjustable rubber padded support elements. These support elements may be attached at one end to the outside bottom of tub 120 and can be adjusted to raise or lower the height of tub 120. This ability to raise or lower the height of tub 120 may alleviate discomfort that the person bathing the bather may feel due to being bent over in an awkward position for extended periods of time while bathing the bather.

[0038] Some embodiments include a water pump that is used to increase the pressure of to the jets of water used to spray the bather.

[0039] Some embodiments of bathing system 100 include an integrated speaker so that music can be played to relax or provide entertainment to the bather.

[0040] Some embodiments of bathing system 100 include a second valve element (not shown) of bathing system 100 that is connected to the coupling element (not shown) and also operatively connected to a handheld showerhead (not shown) through a hose (not shown). The previously described coupling element is also connected to a water source (not shown) to provide water, via the valve element and hose (not shown) connected to the handheld showerhead to spray the bather with water.

[0041] Although the present invention has been described with reference to specific features and embodiments thereof, it is evident that various modifications and combinations can be made thereto without departing from the disclosure. The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded simply as an illustration of the disclosure as defined by the appended claims, and are contemplated to cover any and all modifications, variations, combinations or equivalents that fall within the scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

WE CLAIM:

1. A portable bathing system for providing a water jet bath to a bather, the bathing system comprising: a tub system comprising a tub and a seating element configured to receive a seated bather, the seating element comprises a seat bottom and seat back; a piping system comprising at least one pipe and a plurality of water jet elements associated with the at least one pipe, the piping system being configured to extend at least partially around an internal periphery of the tub; a valve element operatively connected to the piping system; a coupling element configured for attachment to a water source, the coupling element being operatively connected to the valve element; and a drain element configured to control drainage of water from the tub.

2. The bathing system of claim 1 wherein the seating element is formed integrally with the tub.

3. The bathing system of claim 1 wherein the seating element is attached to the tub.

4. The bathing system of claims 2 and 3 wherein the seating element includes an adjustable back portion and adjustable head rest portion.

5. The bathing system of claim 1 wherein the valve element is adjustable to control the flow of water from the coupling element to the plurality of waterjet elements.

6. The bathing system of claim 1 wherein the coupling element is configured to attach to more than one water source type.

7. The bathing system of claim 1 further comprising a temperature sensor.

8. The bathing system of claim 7 wherein the temperature sensor comprises an alarm to inform when a temperature of the water held by the tub reaches a threshold value.

9. The bathing system of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of adjustable rubber padded support elements wherein the support elements are operatively attached to the outside of the bottom of the tub, the adjustable rubber padded support elements are adjusted to raise or lower the height of the tub.

10. The bathing system of claim 1 wherein the plurality of water jet elements are operatively connected to an air pump and also operatively connected to a valve to create one or more water bubbles.

11. The bathing system of claim 1 further comprising a cleanser dispenser.

12. The bathing system of claim 1 further comprising light emitting diodes used to illuminate the bather.

13. The bathing system of claim 1 further comprising a carousel.

14. The bathing system of claim 1 wherein the coupling element is configured as a quick connect coupling element.

15. The bathing system of claim 11 wherein the cleanser dispenser dispenses soap or shampoo.

16. The bathing system of claim 1 further comprising a water pump used to increase water pressure of the water applied to the bather.

17. The bathing system of claim 1 that is suitably sized for placement in a bathtub or a sink.

18. The bathing system of claim 1 further comprising an integrated speaker.

19. The bathing system of claim 1 wherein the seating element is adapted to receive the bather in reclined position.

20. The bathing system of claim 1 further comprising a handheld showerhead to spray water on the bather.

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