"Hydromassage spa tub or mini pool"

The invention relates to a hydromassage tub or mini pool which is commonly referred to in the sector as a "spa". The known spa tubs (or also "hot tubs", i.e. tubs with recirculating water for one or more persons usually equipped with hydromassage) comprise a concavity which can be filled with water up to a top vanishing edge beyond which the water overflows and is collected by a channel which may be exposed or covered by a meshwork. The overflowing water is collected inside a balancing tank from where, after filtering and sanitization, it is pumped again into the concavity. See for example CA 2,414,836.

Common accessories are a water filter or a container with essences for aromatherapy. These accessories are arranged so as to be visible on the tub edge, alongside the channel, inside a special compartment formed inside a recess in the tub. These tubs have a complex structure and usually are made by means of moulding. Overly complex forms with undercuts or recesses complicate the moulds and increase the costs. Moreover, the time required for installation of the tubs is necessarily fairly long. The problem posed, therefore, is that of simplifying and optimizing these tubs.

The object of the present invention is to provide a tub of the abovementioned type with an alternative structure which is able to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art. This object is achieved with a spa tub or mini pool with a concavity which can be filled with water up to a vanishing edge beyond which the water is able to overflow and be collected by a recovery channel, comprising water filtering means incorporated inside a wall of the channel. Consequently manufacture of the tub is simplified and it is provided with an orderly appearance. The tub according to the invention may have many variants, some of which are listed below and which may be implemented separately or in combination.

Preferably said means comprise a cartridge filter incorporated in the bottom of the channel and/or an essence container incorporated in the bottom of the channel.

Advantageously the cartridge filter and/or the essence container may be incorporated in the bottom of a radial widening of the channel over which a removable lid is arranged.

The components can thus be accessed simply and quickly.

Advantageously the tub may comprise a channel which surrounds said concavity continuously (so as to have a maximum area for recirculation of the water).

A continuous covering meshwork for the channel, which is substantially horizontal or slightly inclined, may be arranged flush with the vanishing edge. The aesthetic appearance is

improved and the tub is provided with a flat surface useful for resting objects and/or during covering of the tub.

Advantageously the channel may have along each shoulder a step suitable for supporting the meshwork in a flush manner and the lid has a corresponding stepped edge with the same height for prolonging the edge of the channel around the concavity. Thus the meshwork remains stably in position, but may be easily removed.

Advantageously the tub comprises at least three balancing tanks, one per side, which communicate with each other via pipes and are arranged between the concavity and a perimetral structure for supporting the latter. As with all the other components which will be described, the tanks are contained within the structural perimeter of the tub, resulting in an independent stand-alone apparatus.

Preferably a non-return valve is arranged in the hydraulic circuit between the balancing tanks and the concavity and/or the hydraulic circuit is provided with an overflow outlet, an air break and a supply nozzle connected to the water mains, all three components being contained inside the perimetral structure which supports the concavity.

Preferably the pipes for connecting the tanks are substantially horizontal and one of them has, connected to it, a vertical pipe provided at the top end with an overflow outlet (64) above which an air break is formed and acts as an expansion device for a supply nozzle connected to the water mains. Preferably the tanks have a volume which extends mainly vertically so as to be able to occupy the space present between the concavity and the support structure.

Preferably the channel has straight sections provided on the bottom with water outlets which convey the overflow water to an underlying balancing tank.

Preferably the tub comprises loudspeakers incorporated in a wall of the channel. The advantages of the invention will nevertheless emerge more clearly from the following description of a preferred embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 shows a three-dimensional view of a tub according to the invention;

Fig. 2 shows a plan view of the tub according to Fig. 1 ; Fig. 3 shows a cross-sectional view along the plane III-III in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 shows a view of Fig. 3 without a component; Fig. 5 shows a cross-sectional view along the plane V-V in Fig. 2; Fig. 6 shows a cross-sectional view along the plane VI-VI in Fig. 2. The tub denoted by 10 comprises a perimetral support structure 12 which has internally a concavity for the water 14 which is shaped so as to accommodate comfortably

one or more bathers.

The concavity 14 is bounded perimetrally by a vanishing edge 16 (reached by the surface of the water) having, extending around it continuously, an annular recovery channel 18 which is connected to the edge of the structure 12 by a contour 50 which is practically flat and horizontal.

The channel 18 is covered by a meshwork 32 (not shown in Figs. 2 and 3) via which the overflowing water falls into the channel 18. The meshwork 32 rests on two continuous steps 33, 35 which are shaped, respectively, on the outside of the vanishing edge 16 and on the inside of the outermost edge of the channel 18 with a height equal to the thickness of the meshwork 32. This results in the continuity, without steps, of the edge 16, meshwork 32 and contour 50 such that the top part of the tub 10 is more or less flat and allows easy application of a heat-insulation covering canvas. The meshwork 32 may be horizontal or slightly inclined.

Inside and flush with the contour 50, a removable, semi-circular, concealable lid 20 is incorporated in two top corners of the tub 10, being situated adjacent to the channel 16. An edge of the lid 20 forms a section of the outer edge of the channel 18 and, so as not to interrupt the support frame for the meshwork 32, is also shaped with a step 37 which mates perfectly with the step 33.

Each lid 20 is situated over a radial angular widening 19 of the channel 18. The bottom of the widening 19, has, incorporated and inset therein, on one side a cartridge filter 22 for filtering the water and, on the other side, an essence container suitable for aromatherapy. The easiness with which the filter 22 and the essence container can be accessed for replacement or checking is evident: it is sufficient to remove the lid 20, but not necessarily the meshwork 32.

Loudspeakers 24 are incorporated (or fixed) into/on a side wall of the channel 18. The bottom of the straight sections of the channel 18 are provided with water outlets 44 which convey the overflow water to two connector unions 46 which are joined together by a rubber sleeve 48 through which the water flows into a balancing tank 70.

Each side of the tub 10 may have an identical design and comprise a tank 70. The tub 10, instead, has three tanks 70, one per side. The fourth free side, corresponding to the side provided with a display 90, allows easy access to the internal components of the tub 10.

When the tub 10 has several tanks 70, they communicate with each other via horizontal piping 60 which, on one side, is connected to a vertical pipe 62. The latter has, on its top end, an overflow outlet 64 with, formed above it, an air break 66 (for example a hole in the pipe 62) which acts as an expansion device for a supply nozzle 68 connected to the water mains. The piping 60 (or also any suitable point of the hydraulic circuit) is provided

with a non-return valve for compensating for the difference in levels of the water inside the concavity 14 and inside the tanks 70 (in Figs. 3-6 it can be seen that the surface of the water inside the concavity 14 is always higher than the maximum height inside the tanks 70).

The tanks 70 are arranged on the sides of the tub 10 around the concavity 14 and have an approximately parallelepiped form extending upwards in order to improve the thermal insulation and energy savings (during heating of the water inside the tub 10).