GB2549518A

GB2549518A - Bathtub for infants

Info

Publication number: GB2549518A
Application number: GB1606942.9A
Authority: GB
Inventors: John Whittaker David
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2016-04-21
Filing date: 2016-04-21
Publication date: 2017-10-25

Abstract

A bathtub 1 for washing a small infant within a bigger bathtub or sink comprises a bottom base 2 and a wall 5 contouring a peripheral edge 4 of the bottom base so as to form a container having an upright, conical shape. A plurality of holes 8 in the wall allow an exchange of water between the inside and the outside of said container. Handles may be provided on top of a rim 6 and the base may comprise an indent to support the infant. Some portions of the rim may be roughened to provide extra grip for the infant. A plurality of suckers may be provided on the base of the bathtub to hold the bath in place. The base may also include a non-slip surface to provide extra grip should the infant attempt to stand up.

Description

Bathtub for infants

The invention relates to a bathtub for infants which is particularly designed for being placed into a bigger standard bathtub or sink according to the preamble portion of claim 1.

Standard bathtubs are well known in the art. Standard bathtubs are large containers of a more or less rectangle form in which a person may sit or lie and bathe. Baby bathtubs are used for bathing infants not yet old enough to sit up on their own and usually are placed in a standard bathtub for supporting the baby. Since baby bathtubs for little children are used for a limited time only in general, most models are made out of plastic. For travel use baby bathtubs may also fold up.

However, baby bathtubs suffer from some of the following problems. The baby bath has to be filled at the correct temperature, before the baby gets in, and water cannot be added afterwards. Since babies and little children usually splash around the water escapes into the main bath and may drain through the plug hole of the outer standard bathtub. So after some minutes of the baby being in the bath the amount of water may have reduced considerably. Further, the usual bath does not have anything underneath which keeps the bath in place, resulting in the risk of the baby standing, leaning and tipping the bath over, which may lead to the baby banging it’s head in the main bath etc. Last but not least there is no grip support for a child. So, if the child does indeed try and pull itself up, it may slip and fall.

Considering the above problems it is an object of the invention to provide a bathtub for children and babies offering enhanced security and better comfort for both infant and parent.

This object is accomplished by the bathtub for infants according to claim 1. Dependent claims are directed to preferred embodiments of the invention.

The basic idea of the invention is the introduction of small holes in each side of the baby bathtub. With these holes being in place the entire bath is filled up and the baby bath is placed in the main bath. The baby bathtub then fills through the holes. If water is splashed around it just goes into the main bath and circulates back round through the holes into the baby bath.

In a preferred embodiment there is an indent in the baby bath for the baby to sit in. There may also be provided a non-slip surface to support the baby when standing or trying to climb out and grip rails down each side for extra support of the baby.

Suckers underneath will stop the bath from tipping over if the baby was attempting to climb out.

Some of the advantages of the present invention are listed in the following. The holes on either side of the bath, allow the parent to sit the bath into the main bath and fill up the main bath. The water will then circulate round and flow through the holes in the baby bath, subsequently filling the baby bath. The holes on the side will also stop the problem of the baby splashing around. When water escapes over the side it will only fall into the main bath and the water will circulate round resulting in the baby bath water remaining at the same level, when initially filled. If the water starts to become a little cold, more water can easily be added into the main bath, and if the temperature is not quite right it can be changed easily enough while it circulates round into the baby bath. Likewise water can be released down the plug hole of the main bath easily to counteract the new warmer water coming in.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention a small indent for a child's bottom has been designed for the baby to sit in. This is a smooth surface so it is comfortable for the baby when sitting in the bath, and the side the baby sits in is slightly higher, which gives back support to the baby. There is also a non-slip surface on the remainder of the floor of the bath, adding extra grip if indeed the baby does try to stand up in the bath, reducing any chance of the baby slipping. Grip handles have also been added as an extra support if the baby is standing in the bath.

In another preferred embodiment of the present invention suckers are provided on the base of the bath, which will hold the bath in place and stop any chance of the bath tipping and the baby falling and hurting itself.

Other features and advantages will become obvious to a person skilled in the art from the following description of preferred embodiments with reference being made to the accompanying drawing.

Fig. 1 shows a plan view of an embodiment of the bathtub according to the invention. Fig. 2 shows an underside view of the embodiment in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 shows a cross-section view of the embodiment in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 shows a side view of the embodiment in Fig. 1.

Fig. 5A and 5B show another cross-section view and an end view, respectively, of the embodiment in Fig. 1.

The drawing is not to scale. In the following description of preferred embodiments same reference numerals are used for equivalent features unless otherwise stated.

Fig. 1 shows a preferred embodiment of a bathtub 1 for bathing an infant or a little child. The tub comprises a bottom base 2 to support said infant while bathing and a wall 5 contouring a peripheral edge 4 of said bottom base 2 so as to form a container having an upright, conical shape on the outside. In order to fix the bathtub against slipping on a surface underneath (not shown) a plurality of suckers 3 may be provided on the lower surface of said bottom base 2.

Additionally the rim 6 of the tub may be roughened in at least some portions 7 thereof so as to give hold even when the surface of the tub is wet, for instance at the child’s attempt to sit up. Alternatively or additionally these portions 7 may also provide grips and handles (not shown) for transport of the tub.

The bathtub 1 is shown from underneath in Fig. 2. Here in particular the suckers 3 are illustrated which either may be little bumpers moulded integrally with the tub or extra patches having a napped surface. Any of these suckers 3 help avoid slipping of the tub on a surface below and thus increases stability and safety of the tub. Such surface under the bathtub could be for instance the surface of a bigger standard bathtub for adults or a bigger sink into which the baby bathtub is placed for bathing the infant.

Fig. 3 is a cross-section of the preferred bathtub 1. The bathtub rests with its bottom base 2 on a supporting surface, potentially over suckers (not shown in Fig. 3) on its underside. Along the bottom base contour 4 the wall 5 having a rim 6 at its upper end encloses a void into which water is filled in for bathing the infant. However, with the invention water need not be filled in through a tap (not shown) from above into the bathtub, but water may also get into the bathtub from any side of the bathtub. To that order a plurality of holes 8 are provided in said wall 5 contouring said bottom base 2. These holes 8 allow an exchange of water between inside and outside of the tub 1. The advantage of filling water into the tub from the side through holes 8 instead of from above is that the water may be prepared as to temperature and volume in a bigger tub beforehand. Only after water has been poured into the main tub the baby bathtub is placed in the well-tempered water then.

In Fig. 4 the bathtub of Fig. 3 is shown from one side. According to this embodiment there are two rows of holes 8 provided in the wall 5. The rows of holes are aligned basically in parallel to the bottom base 2. However this is a preferred arrangement only and the invention is not limited to it. The rows of holes 8 may be staggered with respect to each other as shown in Fig. 4. Yet, also this is not a mandatory arrangement and a skilled person easily finds other arrangements for the holes 8.

As can be seen from Figs. 3 and 4 the rim 6 of the tub may be sloped from one end of the elongated container to the other. This helps improve the look-and-feel of the bathtub and may also give an extra support to the baby’s back when sitting in the tub. This may enhance the baby’s comfort in particular in combination with the indent 9 that supports the infant’s buttock.

Figs. 5A and 5B show the bathtub of Fig. 1 as a cross-section and end view, respectively. From Figs. 5A and 5B it is clear that the structure of the bathtub according to the invention is quite simple and thus manufacturing is achievable at rather low prices.

In the following some of the basic ideas underlying the present invention are summarized for a better understanding of the inventor’s intentions.

With devices of the prior art it is necessary to fill the bath at the correct temperature, before the baby can go in. After this, water cannot be added as the temperature of the water cannot be controlled and it could be too hot or cold. Since baby splashes around in the bath the water in the bath goes over the side, into the main bath and down the plug hole. After 2-3 minutes of a baby being in the bath, the amount of water in the bath may have reduced by halve or more. There are no fixings or suckers that keep the bath in place. As the baby becomes cold from the lack of water in the bath it may want to climb out of the bath. As the baths are not secure it results in the risk of the bath tipping and the baby potentially falling out and banging it’s head on the main bath. Since there are no grips on the side there is a considerable risk of the baby slipping when pulling itself up. The same applies to the lack of grip on the bath floor.

Reference numerals 1 bathtub 2 bottom base 3 plurality of suckers 4 peripheral edge of bottom base 5 wall 6 rim 7 roughened portion, handles 8 plurality of holes for water exchange 9 indent for infant

Claims

1. A bathtub (1) for bathing a small infant comprising; - a bottom base (2) to support said infant; and - a wall (5) contouring a peripheral edge (4) of said bottom base (2) so as to form a container having an upright, conical shape on the outside; characterized by - a plurality of holes (8) in said wall (5) contouring said bottom base (2) for an exchange of water between inside and outside of said container.

2. Bathtub according to claim 1, provided with a plurality of handles (7) located on top of a rim (6) of said container for easy grasp and movement.

3. Bathtub according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the bottom base (2) comprises an indent (9) to support said infant’s buttock when sitting in said container.

4. Bathtub according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising a plurality of suckers (3) on the lower surface of said bottom base (2) so as to fix it against slipping on a surface underneath.