There is currently a tendency to build bathrooms with rather small dimensions, such as to make the installation of a bathtub problematic.

On the other hand, the single shower often does not fully satisfy the needs or even the simple pleasures of the users, many of which prefer the bathtub.

Even the so-called sit bathtubs, if they solve any space problems, they usually turn out to be hardly comfortable for those who use them.

Scope of the present invention is therefore to make available a shower that is easily and quickly transformable into a normal size bathtub.

An other scope is to provide a shower transformable into bathtub that has a simple construction and use.

The aforesaid scopes are attained by means of a shower transformable into bathtub, characterised in that it comprises a concave oblong body normally available in a shower operating position with concavity arranged especially in vertical direction and facing a wall or corner, said body being mounted onto a support that is suitable to make it revolvable around at least one horizontal axis, for the rotation of the aforesaid body from said shower operating position to a bathtub operating position with concavity facing upward. In other words, according to the invention a shower is provided that can easily and quickly be transformed into a bathtub by making the concave body rotate around a horizontal axis up to bringing it with the concavity facing upward. It is thus possible to obtain a bathtub with typical dimensions, capacity and position for a bathtub, that invades just temporarily, for the time of a single bath, the free spaces normally destined to the use of the other sanitary equipments. After having taken a bath the half-shell can be emptied and it can be brought back to shower position.

Further, it has normally an especially vertical arrangement suitable a for the

shower function, than does not occupy considerable volumes and, in one embodiment, it does not need any doors or curtains in order protect the bathroom from splashes of various kind. For the entrance and the exit of the user it is in fact sufficient to rotate the half-shell body around a vertical axis in order to bring it momentarily with the concavity facing a free area of the bathroom, being the latter either lateral or opposite to the one toward which the concavity was previously turned. Preferably the rotation take place on a slightly helicoidal hinge that allows the half-shell to automatically return to shower position by effect of the weight of the half-shell itself.

Safety locks can guarantee each time the maintaining of the shower or bathtub position. It is also possible to provide an intermediate lock in order to lock the half-shell in semi-inclined position, that is suitable for the bath of children.

Appropriate connections are hypothesisable for the drainage of the water from the inside of the half-shell.

Various of kind accessories as a handle for the access to the shower or bathtub, a removable and re-positionable flat grid in order to alternatively function as shower foot-board or bathtub backrest, and so on can additionally be provided.

A possible embodiment of the transformable shower according to the present invention is schematically illustrated as a non-limiting examples in the enclosed drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows the transformable shower according to the invention in shower position, as sectioned according to the line I-I in Figure 3; Figure 2 shows the transformable shower according to the invention, still in shower position, as sectioned according to the line II-II in Figure 3; Figure 3 shows the transformable shower in Figures 1 and 2 in top plan; Figure 4 shows the transformable shower in the previous Figures rotated in bathtub position, as viewed in top plan; Figure 5 shows the shower transformed into bathtub, as sectioned according

to the line V-V in Figure 4; Figure 6 shows a further embodiment of the transformable shower in top plan; Figure 7 shows the transformable shower as sectioned according to the line VII-VII in Figure 6.

The transformable shower shown as an example in the drawings, where it is indicated as a whole by the numerical reference 1, comprises a concave body 2 with the shape of substantially ovalised oblong half-shell, with major axis and minor axis (Figure 2).

The half-shell body 2 is supported by an arched support 3 (Figure 2), that partially wraps the bottom of the half-shell 2 and is revolving on a pin 4 with vertical axis secured to the bottom of a concave recess 5 obtained in a step or shower tray 6. having appropriate slope, fastened to the ground 7 in correspondence of a corner 8 of a bathroom 9 (or as an alternative near a free wall of the bathroom itself).

The half-shell 2 is in turn revolving as regards the arched support 3 around a horizontal axis defined by two aligned hinges 10, with which a locking device 11 (for instance of the type with snap lock and manual release) is associated that is only schematically shown in Figure 1 and collaborates with complementary elements 12 and 13 provided on the sides of the half-shell 2 (Figures 1 and 4).

Additional locking devices 14 and 15 are visible in Figures 1 and 4.

A flexible tube 16 connects a drainage hole 17 of the half-shell with a drainage hole 18 provided in the floor of the bathroom (Figures 1,2 and 4).

A removable and re-positionable flat grid 19 is inserted in the concavity 20 of the half-shell 2 in correspondence of one of its ends 21.

A vertical handle 22 is fastened to the wall of the bathroom in proximity of the half-shell body 2 and it supports in turn in releasable way a water dispenser with shower head 23.

When in use the half-shell body 2 is normally arranged in the shower operating position shown in Figures 1-3, that is with its concavity 20 in erected

position and facing the corner or wall of the bathroom to which it is destined.

With the half-shell 2 in such position the flat grid 19 functions as a board for the support of the feet of the user. The aforesaid position is maintained by the locking devices 11, 12 and 14.

The user can enter or exit the shower by manually making the half-shell 2 rotate around the vertical axis of the pin 4 up to exposing the concavity 20 towards a free area of the bathroom, in short by making the half-shell rotate by an angle that is sufficient to allow the entrance or exit from the half-shell.

By making the pin 4 helicoidal in shape it is possible to obtain that the weight of the half-shell itself tends to bring it back to the shower position in Figures 1-3.

In order to convert the shower into bathtub it is sufficient to rotate the half- shell 2 around the horizontal axis defined by the hinges 10 and up to the horizontal position defined by the locking devices 11, 13 and 15 (Figures 4 and 5).

With the half-shell in such position the flat grid 19 functions as a support for the back of the user.

A subsequent opposite rotation allows to bring the half-shell 2 back to the shower position illustrated in Figures 1-3.

A further embodiment of the present invention is shown in figure 6 and 7.

In this case the concave body 2 has the shape of a bathtub, with eventually external covering 35, mainly for aesthetic purpose. The concave body 2 is an integral part of a corner shower 30, with two portions 31 of it connected to the concave body 2 by means of hinges 34. At least one portion 31 has a door 32 to allow the entrance.

The concave body 2 can be transformed in a bathtub by means of rotation around an ideal horizontal axis. A handle 33 placed on the concave body 2 help the rotation. It is possible to add balancing means as springs or counterweight to facilitate the rotation. The hinges 34 are constituted by arms 36 connected, on one side, on a pivot on which can rotate, in the point C at about half height on

the upright of the portions 31, and on the other side, on a pivot on which can rotate, in the point B on one corner of the bathtub 2. Further, pivots 37, placed on the body 2, that run inside vertical guides 38 placed on the upright of the portions 31, are provided. The arms 36 and the pivot 37 support and driving, respectively, the concave body 2 during the rotation.

In figure 7 it is possible to see the bathtub 2 in horizontal position, the arm 36 in the position B, and the pivot 37 in the position A. It is possible to see the bathtub 2 in an intermediate position, the arm 36 in the position B', and the pivot 37 in the position A'. It is also possible to see the bathtub 2 in vertical position, the arm 36 in the position B", and the pivot 37 in the position A".

The drainage of the water can be actuated with an opening in the bathtub and using the shower drainage or by means of a flexible drainage tube.

In this solution the space is more limited, there is a greater watertight than in the previous example, and can be adapted to the normal showers.

It is also possible to place the body 2 in the corner of the shower 30, that when it is in vertical position, the concavity 20 is facing a wall of the shower 30 in front of the corner. In such a wall there will be placed the door of the shower.

When the shower is to be transformed into a bathtub the door of the shower must be open and the body 2 can be turned down.