BAR, Marcin (ul. Ignacego Krasickiego 54/4, Przeworsk, PL-37-200, PL)
CHOJNACKI, Dominik (ul. Barska 8/9, Nowy Sącz, PL-33-300, PL)
BAR, Marcin (ul. Ignacego Krasickiego 54/4, Przeworsk, PL-37-200, PL)
| PATENT CLAIMS 1. The foldable bathtub contains a body which rotates against a horizontal axis - from a substantially vertical position for storage to a substantially horizontal position for use of which the body is pivotally supported by two arms of a fixed length which are located on the sides of the body and has a drain hole connected with the plumbing is characterized in that the body (1 ) of the bathtub and the pivotally supporting first fixed length arms (4) are fitted to the base (5) which is slidably mounted against the ground (13) in the plinth (12) which is fixed against the ground, preferably near a wall or a similar vertical compartment; and the base (5) is equipped with two second arms (8) of variable lengths of which at least one contains at least one or more compression spring member (9), the second arms (8) are situated on the sides of the body (1 ) and are pivotally connected with one of their side with the base (5) or with the first arms (4), preferably near the base (5) and on their other side, they are pivotally connected with the upper part of the body (1 ) nearer to its centre than to the place where the rotational axis of the body is situated. 2. The foldable bathtub according to claim 1 is characterized in that the first arms (4) are the integral components of the base (5). 3. The foldable bathtub according to claim 1 is characterized in that the base (4) is slidably mounted to the plinth (12) via sliding or rolling component. 4. The foldable bathtub according to claim 1 or 3, is characterized in that the base is slidably mounted to the plinth (12) by the use of a trolley (14) which works together with the plinth guide elements (16). 5. The foldable bathtub according to claim 1 is characterized in that the plinth (12) is situated above the upper surface of the ground (13) in relation to which it is fixed. 6. The foldable bathtub according to claim 1 or 5 is characterized in that the plinth (12) is sunken in the ground (13) in relation to which it is fixed. 7. The foldable bathtub according to claim 1 is characterized in that the second arms (8) contains a compression spring member (9) in the form of a gas spring. 8. The foldable bathtub according to claim 1 is characterized in that the first arms (4) are pivotally connected with the body (1 ) by the first ball joints (6). 9. The foldable bathtub according to claim 1 or 7 is characterized in that the second arms (8) are pivotally connected with the body (1 ) by the second ball joints (10). 10. The foldable bathtub according to claim 1 or 7 is characterized in that the second arms (8) are pivotally connected with the base (5) or the first arms (4) by the third joints (1 1 ) which are cylindrical or ball joints. 1 1 . The foldable bathtub according to claim 1 is characterized in that the drain hole of the bathtub is tightly connected with the siphon (19) with a rotational trunk (25) and the siphon (19) is connected to the plumbing with a flexible drain hose (22); while the siphon (19) contains a spring (23), preferably spiral one, which is functionally attached to the immovable stem (24) of the siphon (19) and on the other to the trunk (25) which creates a reel for winding the drain hose (22). 12. The foldable bathtub according to claim 1 is characterized in that the body (1 ) of the bathtub includes an inner shell (2) and an outer shell (3) between which at least the first (4) and second (8) arms and the base (5) are situated. 13. The foldable bathtub according to claim 1 or 3 or 12 is characterized in that the gap in the outer shell (3) of the body (1 ) from which base (5) exits and the gap in the plinth (12) from which base (5) exits are fitted with sliding screens (26) attached to both sides of the base (5) and cover the inner space of the body (1 ) and plinth (12). |
This invention relates to a foldable bathtub, which, when folded takes up less area than is needed when in use. This bathtub is especially useful in the home.
It is commonly known that the bathtub is used for a relatively short period of time; however, its storage takes up a significant amount of space, e.g. in the bathroom where it is a permanent piece of furnishing.
This is why for the last few decades solutions are being developed to eliminate or at least to reduce this inconvenience.
Foldable bathtubs are known from the examples of patent specifications: US 237494, US 281255, US 760540 and GB 190209932. The said bathtubs have the body (tank) which rotates on a horizontal axis near one of its ends. The axis however, is not movable in relation to the ground or the body. The tubs are movable from a vertical position for storage to a horizontal position for use. In the position for use (open, unfolded), the said bathtubs are supported by "legs". According to the solutions presented in patents US 237494 and GB 190209932, these legs fold up against the body of the tub when stored. According to the other two aforementioned solutions the tubs have immovable legs.
The foldable bathtub pursuant to the patent US 237494 is adapted to be stored behind a door in a recess of the room in which it is used, whereas, the other three aforementioned solutions are adapted to be stored in a closet (a piece of furniture).
Each of the abovementioned bathtubs has a drain hole connected to the plumbing by drain pipes. According to patent specifications US 281255, US 760540 and GB 190209932, these pipes are flexible and moveable from the position for use to the storage position, however, in an undetermined manner. According to patent specification US 237494, the drain pipes are stiff but connected with a socket which allows for the rotation from one position to the other. Patent specification US 4530120 presents a tilting bathtub with a rotating seat for its user. This bathtub includes a support structure which is fixed to the floor of the building. The body of the bathtub is pivotally connected at one of its ends to the support structure and contains the seat for the user. This seat is pivotally fixed to the body of the bathtub gimbals like as to allow the user to sit during tilting movement of the tub. Hydraulic cylinders are used to raise and lower the bathtub between its vertical position and lowered position. These hydraulic cylinders are pivotally attached with one of their end to the support structure near the bath's axis of rotation and with the second of their end to the bathtub itself at a distance from the axis of rotation. A flexible water supply hose and a flexible drain hose connect the bathtub to the building's water supply and the building's plumbing.
The foldable bathtub for bathing and showering known from patent specification FR 1567908 contains a tank (body) and a panel or a closet hanging on the wall of the room. The tank of the bathtub can be rotated on a horizontal axis and its rotation can be achieved thanks to a traction system which consists of springs and 2 brackets attached to the base of the bathtub. The base is attached to the bottom of the panel set. The panel set is perpendicular to the tank and is designed to support the water heater - boiler. The boiler is gas-powered by either city gas, bottled gas or similar and has such dimension which allow for it to fit into the tank when the bathtub is folded. The boiler also has a flue for removing fumes, which allows fresh air flow needed for burning gas and protects against dangerous fumes.
The said bathtub is equipped with sanitary fittings such as a faucet mixing hot and cold water, a drain hole and a drain plug, a shower head with handle, a shower hose, an overflow and other. The lower part of the panel may include a soap holder, some towel hangers and other accessories. The bathtub includes a suction pump for drainage which is connected to the plumbing preferably by flexible pipe in order to remove water from the bathtub. In the unfolded position, the bathtub is supported by legs and one or more of its handles are used manipulate the tank. A shower which contains an elongated, concave body and can be converted into a bathtub is known from international patent application WO 2004012568.
The body is basically positioned upright for taking a shower and then its concave side is generally vertical, facing a wall or a corner of the room. The said body is mounted to the floor with a fixed support bracket which allows for comfortable rotation at least on one axis to move the bathtub from the shower position to the bathing position in which the concave side of the tub faces downwards. In addition, the body has a drain hole connected by flexible pipe to the plumbing.
A device which is a combination of a bathtub and a shower which allows for space-saving and comfortable mobility inside is known from the description of the German utility model DE 8915216.
According to this known solution, a vertically positioned bathtub serves as a shower cabin with two walls and those walls are connected with a four-part screen which protects against splashing water.
The bathtub is attached to a rectangular, arced stainless steel stand with the steel frame. The frame is fixed to the floor and includes an electric motor to rotate the bathtub between the two positions of use. When the bathtub reaches one of the two positions (i.e. bath or shower), a locking mechanism latches on and the motor is disconnected. The frame is protected against splashing water. Furthermore, the shower tray is situated near the frame and contains a siphon that protects against drain odours. The bath also contains a drainage system for the shower tray.
The main aim of this invention is to provide such a mount for the foldable bathtub that it will significantly reduce the room space needed when stored (folded) against a wall or similar compartment space and at the same time, during unfolding (putting in position for use) from the said storage position, it does not cause a contact between the body of the bathtub and the wall or similar compartment, thus keeping from unfolding the bathtub. The second aim of this invention is to provide such a mount for a foldable bathtub that allows the user to freely and smoothly rotate the tub for folding and unfolding without significant physical exertion.
Another aim of this invention is to arrange the movement of the flexible drain hose connecting the bathtub with the plumbing, to reduce the space required to store the hose when the bathtub is folded i.e. in the storage position.
Furthermore, an additional aim is to cover the bathtub attachment construction to protect it from damage and for aesthetic and ergonomic improvement.
The aims mentioned above have been met due to the construction of a bathtub mount, which, during folding and unfolding, allows for sliding and rotational movement against the ground, while introducing additional mounting arms of variable length which contain at least one compression spring. Furthermore, the abovementioned aims have been reached by a rotating spring-powered siphon that is a reel for the drain hose., and also, by the construction of the bathtubs body from two shells; the inner shell which contains the tank and the outer shell which makes up the protection member for the mounting and supporting elements of the bathtub.
According to the invention, the foldable bathtub contains a body which rotates on a horizontal axis from a substantially vertical position for storage to a substantially horizontal position for use. This body is pivotally supported (with bearings) by two arms of fixed lengths situated on both sides of the body and it includes a drain hole connected to the plumbing. The bathtub is characterised by the fact that the body and the pivotal supporting first arms of fixed length are mounted against the base, which is slidably to the plinth. Plinth is fixed to the ground, preferably near a wall or a vertical compartment in which the bathtub is located.
Especially, the first arms are the integral components of the base. Preferably, the base is slidably mounted to the plinth via sliding or rolling components set which collaborates with it, preferably, by a trolley which works together with the plinth guide elements. The bathtub's plinth is situated above the top layer of the ground in relation to which it is fixed or it is either completely or partly sunken in the ground.
Apart from said two fixed length arms on which the body of the bathtub is pivotally supported, the base is equipped with two second arms of variable lengths of which at least one contains one or more compression spring member, particularly a gas spring.
The second arms are situated on the sides of the bathtub's body and are pivotally connected from one of their side with the base or with the first arms of the base, preferably near the base. On their other side, they are pivotally connected with the upper part of the bathtub's body, nearer to its centre than to the place where the rotational axis of the body is situated.
The more preferable is when ball joints are the said pivotally joints which connect the first arms with the bathtub's body as it enables the first arms to be set in arcs running up against the body.
Furthermore, it is also preferable for at least one of the pivoting joints of each of the second arms to be a ball joint.
Moreover, the body has a drain hole connected in a leakproof way to a siphon with a rotational trunk. The siphon is connected in a leakproof way to the plumbing with the use of a flexible drain hose. The said siphon contains a spring, preferably spiral spring, functionally attached to the immovable stem of the siphon on one side and on the other to the trunk of the siphon, which creates a reel for winding the drain hose.
The body of the bathtub is includes an inner shell which is the tank for water during bathing and an outer shell which acts as protection member for the rotational-sliding mounting components. The outer shell is the shell member for at least first and second arms and the bathtub's base, it also works beneficially for the water supply and plumbing elements.
In addition, in order to protect the bathtub from splashes of water and mechanical impurities, the gap in the outer shell of the body from which the base of the bathtub exits and the gap in the plinth from which the base of the bathtub exits are fitted with sliding screens attached to both sides of the bathtub base and cover the inner space of the body and plinth. To improve the comfort of use, the bathtub according to this invention, is fitted with a known, tilting leg which supports the body of the bathtub in the position for use. The tilting leg can also contain a handle for moving the bathtub and a mechanism for locking the bathtub in the storage position. However, specific solutions for the above technical issues go beyond the scope of the said invention.
According to this invention, the foldable bathtub has a simple and reliable design which allows to accomplish the formulated goal - the reduction of space during storage. The application of a sliding base in combination with a rotating body mount in this base enables to minimize the distance of bathtub from the vertical compartment i.e. the wall in the storage position, and at the same time eliminates the risk of contact with the wall during unfolding.
Thanks to the use of variable length arms with compression spring member in the body's rotating support, the bathtub folds and unfolds smoothly and does not require any physical exertion from the user.
The bath's unfolding system is intuitive and ergonomic and the drainage system is tightly sealed with the plumbing in a way to minimize the space needed for the drain hose thanks to the possibility of winding it around the rotational trunk of the siphon while moving the tub to the storage position.
One of the examples of practical implementation is shown in the attached drawing, where:
Fig.1 shows the schematic longitudinal cross-section of the bath in its unfolded position with a schematic location of the rotational-sliding mounting components against the ground;
Fig.2 - cut-away side view of the tub in the unfolded position with the storage recess in the background;
Fig.3 - cut-away side view of the tub in the storage position with the storage recess in the background;
Fig.4 - longitudinal cross-section of the bathtub in the unfolded position with the storage recess in the background;
Fig.5 - longitudinal cross-section of the bathtub in the storage position with the storage recess in the background;
Fig.6 - A-A bathtub's cross-section from fig.2; Fig.7 - enlarged, isometric cross-section of the bathtub, parallel to the A-A cross- section;
Fig.8 - enlarged, horizontal cross-section of the bath's plinth from fig.5.
The foldable bathtub has body 1 , containing the inner shell 2 and the outer shell 3 which is connected to it. In the presented example it is foreseen that, both shells 2 and 3 are made from for example: polyester-glass laminates to significantly reduce the weight of the bathtub.
Body 1 of the bathtub is pivotally supported in the two first arms 4 of fixed length. These first arms 4 are situated on the sides of body 1 and make up one of the components of the bathtub's movable base 5.
In this example the first arms 4 are located in the base 5 and are connected with it by known fasteners. However, in other examples of implementing this invention, the first arms 4 can be either connected with the base 5 in different ways, or can make up also an integral component of base 5 .
Pivotally joints 6 are located at the ends of the first arms 4 to connect to the junction plates 7, which are attached to bathtub body 1. Due to this pivotal joints, body 1 is able to be horizontally rotated from the substantially vertical position for storage to the substantially horizontal position in which the bathtub is unfolded and ready for use.
In the presented example the first arms 4 have been fitted with ball joints. However, other pivotally joints may be used without any impact on the nature of invention.
Similarly, the first pivotally joints 6 in other examples can be attached directly to bathtub body 1 without the use of junction plates 7. They can also be attached to body 1 with technical means other than junction plates 7 as this will not change the nature of the invention.
Apart from the first two arms 4 of fixed lengths, the bathtubs base 5 is also fitted with two second arms 8 of variable lengths. These are located on the sides of the bathtub in the gap between the inner shell 2 and the outer shell 3, together with first arms 4.
In this example, both of the second arms 8 are fitted with the compression spring component 9 in the form of gas springs. However, if in the further examples the second arms 8 shall contain compression spring components of different types or if only one of the second arms 8 contains a compression spring component or the second arms 8 contain more than one compression spring component, it shall also not change the nature of the invention.
The second arms 8 are pivotally connected to the first arms 4 on one side and to the junction plates7 on the other side.
In other examples of this invention the second arms 8 can be connected directly to base 5 on their one side and directly to body 1 on the other without having an impact on the nature of this invention. They can also be pivotally connected to body 1 by means other than junction plates 7.
In the presented example the second arms 8 are connected to junction plates 7 on their one side by the use of second ball joints 10 and on the other side to the first arms 4 of the base 5 by the use of the cylindrical third joints 11.
Without any impact on the nature of the invention, the second 10 and third
11 joints on both sides of the second arms 8 can be either ball joints or rotating joints of any type and they can either be identical or different joints on both sides.
However, it should be noted that in all instances implementation of this invention the upper joints of the second arms 8 are always connected to the upper part of the body 1 either directly or by the use additional technical means. These are always connected closer to its centre (e.g. closer to the half length of body 1 ) than the rotational axis of body 1 which is supported by first joints 6 of the first arms 4.
In this description of the invention the term "upper" and "lower" refers to the components which are located in that manner when the bathtub is in the unfolded position.
In all examples of this invention, the base 5 is always slided against plinth
12 which is fixed against the ground 13.
The term "ground" in this invention refers to any floor or other generally horizontal, construction compartment on which the bathtub is situated in order to be used and storaged.
In the presented example in figures 2 to 8 plinth 12 has been presented completely sunken in ground 13, and in figure 1 plinth 12 - entirely above the surface of ground 13. It is therefore obvious and understandable for an expert, that in other examples of implementation, plinth 12 can also be situated above the upper surface of ground 13 and at the same time be partially sunken in ground 13.
Plinth 12 is fixed in relation to ground 13 in a room designated for bathtub use, possibly close to a vertical compartment such as a wall to achieve minimize space needed during storage.
In this example base 5 is slidably mounted in plinth 2 by the use of trolley 14 fitted with rolling components set 15 which collaborates with guides 16 of plinth 12.
In further examples of implementation, bathtub base 5 can be directly slidably mounted in plinth 12 or by the use of one or more sliding or rolling components co-working with the plinth as this does not change the nature of the invention.
Body 1 contains a drain hole which is fitted with the known overflow 17 and a plug. The overflow 17 is connected to pivotal siphon 19 in a leakproof way, by the use of overflow hoses 18. Annular wall 20 is located inside siphon 19 to create a hydraulic lock when filled with water in order to stop any odour rising from plumbing 21. Siphon 19 is tightly connected to plumbing 21 with flexible drain hose 22.
The spring 23 (preferably spiral spring) is located inside the siphon 19. It is functionally attached to stem 24 of the siphon 19 - immovable in relation to base 5 - on one side and to trunk 25 of siphon 19, pivotally attached to stem 24, on the other.
The outer surface of trunk 25 of siphon 19 is shaped into a reel for winding the drain hose 22 while the bathtub is being raised into the storage position.
During storage, spring 23 is relaxed and hose 22 is wound on trunk 25 of siphon 19. During unfolding of the bath the drain hose 22 unwinds of the trunk 25, rotates it and stretches the spring 23.
Body 1 contains an inner shell 2 which makes up the tank for water during bathing. The outer shell 3 of body 1 in turn protects the structural components which make up the rotational-sliding mount of the bathtub as well it protects the water supply and plumbing elements such as overflow 17, overflow hoses 18 and siphon 19.
Additionally, to protect the structure of the bathtub from splashing water and mechanical impurities, the gap in outer shell 3 of the body 1from which the base 5 exits and the gap in the plinth 12 from which base 5 exits are fitted with sliding screens 26 attached to both sides of the base 5 and covering the inner space of the body 1 and plinth.
To improve the comfort of use, body 1 has been fitted with tilting leg 27 which supports body 1 when the bathtub is unfolded and also contains handle 28 to release the block of the body 1 in the storage and unfolded positions.
It is obvious and understandable that the aforementioned embodiments mentioned in detail do not limit the nature or the scope of the invention as they are merely an illustration of it.