EP1014914A1

EP1014914A1 - A sauna for feet or hands

Info

Publication number: EP1014914A1
Application number: EP98931160A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Produktion Ab Telekrets
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1998-05-20
Filing date: 1998-05-20
Publication date: 2000-07-05
Also published as: WO1999059518A1; AU8134998A

Abstract

In a small sauna, the feet or hands can be locally bathed. The sauna has a water reservoir (24) in which the water is heated to a temperature of about 40 degrees Celsius by an electric boilerplate. The relative humidity will be close to 100 %. The treatment will increase the blood circulation and will be comfortable. The treatment will be particularly advantageous for persons with diabetes or rheumatism and it cannot be dangerous to persons with reduced capacity to feel heat. The treatment can be used as a pre-treatment before the professional subsequent treatment provided by a foot therapeutist.

Description

^A Sauna for feet or hands

This invention relates to a sauna for feet or hands.

Most old people need regular professional help to treat their feet. In particular, persons suffering from diabetes need regular treatment. Infections in the toes and nails are particularly dangerous for diabetics since the blood circulation in the feet is poor. Usually, foot therapeutists use lukewarm water in order to make the skin soft before treatment. It is a disadvantage that the circulation will not increase but merely decrease as a result of the water treatment and the water treatment increases the risk of injuries.

It is an object of the invention to provide for a treatment of feet or hands, which is comfortable per se and advantageous for persons with poor blood circulation but also for persons with normal circulation. Another object is to provide for a treatment that makes a release for persons with rheumatism in the hands or feet. Still another object is to provide a treatment, which can be used by foot therapeutists as a pre-treatment that facilitates the subsequent professional treatment.

The essence of the invention lies in the provision of a sauna for local damp sauna treatment of feet or hands and the invention has been given the characteristics defined in the claims.

It has been found that local damp sauna treatment of feet and hands increases the blood circulation and makes the tissues relaxed and elastic. In a full body sauna bath, the blood circulation may increase in general, but the circulation in the feet will not increase to the same degree.

The invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which show a sauna for feet as an example of the invention.

Figure 1 is a side view of the sauna.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the sauna

Figure 3 is a longitudinal section through the sauna taken along lines 3-3 in figure 5

CONFIRMATION COPY Figure 4 is a section taken along lines 4-4 in figure 3.

Figure 5 is a top plan view like figure 1 but a cover has been removed.

The sauna as shown in figures 1 and 2 comprises a bottom vessel 11 and a cover 12 and the surface between them is referred to as 13. The cover 12 has two openings 14,15 for the feet. The cover has a design, which has aestethical reasons but also makes the cover stronger. Both the bottom 11 and the cover 12 are made of plastics. An electric cord 16 is also shown in figures 1 and 2. In figure 4, a foot is shown inserted in the opening 14 shown in figure 2 and it rests on a support plate 17. The support plate 17 rests on a plurality of supports 18 in the bottom vessel 11 and it has an upstanding ridge 19 all around.

Figure 5 is a top plan view like figure 1, but the cover 12 has been removed in figure 5. There is a plurality of holes 21 in the plate 17 outside of the ridge 19. There is a space 22 under the plate 17 and an electric boilerplate 23 is mounted on the bottom of the vessel 11. The top of the boilerplate 23 is formed as a bowl 24 for water. An electric heating element 25 inside the heating plate is indicated in figures 4 and 5.

The plate 17 has a dent 26 with a hole 27 right above the bowl 24 so that the bowl can be easily filled with water. The bowl 24 can for example hold 1 dl of water.

The heating plate can preferably be provided with a thermostat and the thermostat need not be adjustable, but it can be permanently set at a temperature of about 40 degrees Celsius. Also if the thermostat is adjustable, it should have a maximum temperature that is so low that it does not hurt, that is, the maximum temperature should at least be below 50 degrees. It would be possible to heat the sauna with warmer water before using it in order to speed up the heating up and then to reduce the temperature of the water.

When the boilerplate 23 is on and there is water in the bowl 24, the water evaporates and the relative humidity in the space 22 will soon have a relative humidity of 100 %. The vapour will flow through the holes 21 into the upper space 28 above the plate 17 and the relative humidity will soon be very high also in this upper space 28 in which the feet are to be inserted. The temperature in this upper space 28 will not exceed the temperature of the water in the bowl 24 and there will be no risk of injuring ones feet. A temperature of about 40 degrees Celsius and a very high relative humidity will be comfortable. It is important that the openings 14,15 for the feet are not too wide. Spats can be used to seal the openings against the ankles but spats are not necessary.

Instead of having a thermostat, it may be possible to have dimmer for controlling the temperature. It may also be possible to have a thermostat that controls the temperature of the vapour instead of the temperature of the water.

Instead of having holes only around the rim of the plate 17, the plate 17 may have small holes all over it. Still there will be no danger since the water is not very hot. Thus by heating the water inside the sauna but not boiling the water, the sauna will be safe and it can be used also by persons who suffer from diabetes and do not feel the temperature so well. Foot therapeutists can advantageously use the sauna for pre-treatment of feet before the subsequent professional foot therapy.

A sauna of this kind can also be adapted for sauna bathing of hands instead of feet. Such sauna bath treatment may be comfortable for persons suffering from rheumatism in their hands. A sauna adapted for feet as described can of course also be used for hands.

Claims

1. A sauna for feet or hands, characterised by a closed vessel (11,12) having a reservoir (24) for water, an electric heater (23) for heating the water, and openings (14,15) into which the hands or feet can be inserted to rest on a support (17) without reaching the water.

2. A sauna according to claim 1, characterised in that the heater (23) comprises a boilerplate (23) having said reservoir (24) on its top.

3. A sauna according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that said support is a plate (17) above the reservoir (24) and openings are provided for letting the vapour pass the plate (17).

4. A sauna according to anyone of the preceding claims, characterised in that the heater (23) is arranged to maximise the temperature of the water to such a temperature that the vapour does not hurt.

5. A sauna according to anyone of the preceding claims, characterised in that a thermostat is arranged to sense and control the temperature of the vapour.