Asymmetric Spa Cover with Hinged Segments
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing spa tub covers suffer from heat loss, unsightly discoloration of lower surfaces, and safety concerns, particularly with children, due to their design and operation.
Innovation Solution
A spa tub cover system with first and second portions coupled by a living hinge at the lower surface, featuring different lengths to prevent coplanarity in the open configuration, allowing the upper surface to face users and incorporating a lifter with a mount and support elements for easy lifting, along with a debris shield and integrated audio/video devices, and a supplemental shade for enhanced functionality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the spa cover is designed with first and second portions of equal size connected by a hinge, then the cover can be folded back for storage and use, but the lower surfaces become discolored and unsightly when folded, and heat loss occurs at the gap between portions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies asymmetry by making the first cover portion larger than the second cover portion. Specifically, the first portion has a first width and the second portion has a second width that is less than the first width. This asymmetric design allows the smaller second portion to be folded back onto the larger first portion, positioning the discolored lower surface away from view and reducing the gap for heat loss.
2Reliability
If multiple child-resistant locks are provided on the cover, then safety is improved, but the device complexity and difficulty of operation increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple locking functions into a single integrated child-resistant lock mechanism. Instead of providing separate locks for each cover portion, the invention uses one lock that can secure both the first and second portions to the spa tub, thereby maintaining safety while reducing complexity and ease of operation.
3Loss of energy
If the cover portions are made large enough to fully cover the spa tub, then heat retention is improved, but the weight and difficulty of lifting the cover increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the cover into a first portion and a second portion that are connected by a hinge. The first portion remains attached to the spa tub and provides the primary heat retention coverage, while the second portion can be folded back and lifted separately. This segmentation allows the cover to maintain full coverage for heat retention while reducing the weight that users must lift.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides improved heat retention, hides unsightly lower surfaces, enhances safety, and integrates entertainment and shading features, addressing the limitations of prior art spa tub covers.
Implementation Method 1
The hinge is constructed of the same vinyl material as the casing material
Implementation Method 2
Each of the first and second portions are constructed of insulative foam slabs provided within a water-resistant vinyl casing material
Implementation Method 3
The cover lifter seats on the cover and provides a bar which extends over the hinge and about which the second portion is folded back onto the first portion. The bar is then rotated to lift and support the cover at the hinge.
Data Source
AI summary
A spa cover includes first and second portions that are rotatable along a pivot axis. The first portion has a first length traverse to the pivot axis, and the second portion has a second length extending in the same direction as the first length. The first length is longer than the second length. When the cover is moved from a closed configuration into an open configuration, lower surfaces of the first and second portions, which face the spa tub water when in the closed configuration and can become unsightly, are moved into a position in which they face each other, whereas the upper surface of the second portion faces the users in the tub. A lifter is provided for moving the spa cover between the closed and an open configurations.