JP2001112808A - Warm bath device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To discharge positively infiltrated moisture, especially, a hot spring component by the irradiation with microwaves to allow the same to act on a human body. SOLUTION: A warm bath device 1 comprises a combination of an outer bag 2 and a moisture discharge agent 3. The outer bag 2 is a bag housing the moisture discharge agent 3 to hold the same to a definite form. The moisture discharge agent 3 comprises particles of an alumina gel or zeolite and has water-absorbing property and water resistance. A hot spring component is supplied through the outer bag 2 to be infiltrated in the moisture discharge agent 3. The warm bath device 1 is heated in an electronic oven to diffuse warm moisture to the outside. The moisture discharge agent 3 is not collapsed by waterdrops and the outer bag can be washed as packed with the moisture discharge agent.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a hot bath which releases a hot spring component at an appropriate temperature and acts on a human body.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Certain types of ceramic beads are packed in bags,
The technology of generating hot and humid heat by heating this in a microwave oven is already known (Japanese Translation of PCT International Publication No. 7-50139).
No. 5 (Reference Example 1)).

[0003] According to prior art 1, the beads are a novel composition of particulate matter which functions as a heat transfer medium for heating or cooling, the particles being liquid at a predetermined high working temperature. Consisting of a solid carrier containing a microwave reactant, said granular medium functions as a dry heat source or a heat source containing moisture when pre-heated with microwave energy, and also functions as a cold air source when pre-cooled in a refrigerator Things.

[0004] Regarding the structure of the novel composition, the prior art 1
Is described as comprising a solid carrier material and a substance held by the carrier material that becomes liquid at a predetermined high working temperature, wherein the substance contains relatively non-volatile components. Specifically, the carrier material includes activated alumina, activated silica, and molecular sieve,
To enclose a liquid, the solid must be suitable for making capsules or solid walls and must be able to physically hold the liquid inside, and the microwave reaction liquid is less volatile That is, the vapor pressure at 25 ° C. is very low, and the boiling point at standard atmospheric pressure is 150 ° C. or more.

[0005] It must be stable at least up to the maximum use temperature. It is described that substances satisfying such requirements include ethylene glycol and its polymer, propylene glycol and its polymer, and glycerol and its polymer.

[0006] As a preferred embodiment (embodiment 1), the prior art 1 has a granular structure in which activated alumina spheres (50%) are impregnated with a mixture of glycerol (29%) and water (12%). Heating the material in a felt bag made of polyester for 3 minutes in a 700 W microwave oven was observed to release heat containing moisture from a pad having a surface temperature of 105 ° F. or higher for 25-30 minutes. Are disclosed.

By the way, a description of a "moist heat pack" which is considered to be an implementation of the "new composition of particulate matter functioning as a heat transfer medium for heating or cooling" disclosed in the prior art 1 According to 2), the moisturized pack is made of a proprietary Celabeads (registered trademark) as a moisturizing agent.
It is explained that Cerabeads have a function to generate hot and moist heat only when it is heated by a microwave oven by absorbing and storing moisture in the air, and its use is described as follows. ing. That is,

[0008] After warming in the microwave, just hit the body, just like there was a hot bath, the soft and moist warmth is transmitted comfortably. For relieving stress and sleeping well. Fits anywhere on the body, including the shoulders, neck, back, hips, chest, belly, elbows, knees, thighs, and limbs.
Thus, a specific usage example corresponding to the content described in the embodiment of the preceding example 1 is described.

[0009]

[Problems to be solved by the invention] However, according to the instruction manual of the preceding example 2, as a precautionary note, do not soak the pack in water or wash it with a washing machine. There is no limit on the number of times of use or the total use time. However, continuous heating in a short time reduces the generation of moisture. In this case, stop using it for at least 2 hours and leave it. In the meantime, it absorbs moisture in the air and recovers moisture. It is described.

The above description clearly shows the properties of "a novel composition of a granular substance functioning as a heat transfer medium for heating or cooling" (trade name: Celabeads) described in Prior Example 1. I think that the. That is, the above-mentioned novel substance releases the absorbed moisture from the air and cannot be soaked in water to absorb moisture.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a warm bath utensil which positively impregnates moisture, in particular, a hot spring component, which is released by microwave irradiation to act on the human body.

[0012]

Means for Solving the Problems In order to achieve the above object, a hot tub according to the present invention is a hot tub having a combination of an outer bag and a desiccant, wherein the outer bag is provided with a desiccant. It is a bag that is stored and kept in a certain shape, heat resistance,
Has water permeability, flexibility, and desiccant is a granular material containing a hot spring component, has water absorption, water resistance, is filled in a fixed amount in an outer bag, and is irradiated with microwave energy. It generates heat and dissipates the hot spring components to the outside together with the heat generation temperature through the outer bag.

[0013] The outer bag is a rectangular bag, and the bag is divided into two or more chambers by a suture line connecting the long sides, and the humectant is separated into each compartment. The diagonal line of the rectangular shape formed by folding the bag into two pieces is 30 cm or less.

The particle size of the desiccant is 4 to 12 mesh, preferably 8 to 12 mesh, and the total weight of the outer bag and the desiccant contained in the outer bag is 1 kg or less. .

[0015] The moisture release agent retains the hot spring component supplied through the outer bag by immersion or spraying.

Further, the desiccant does not disintegrate due to water droplets,
The outer bag can be washed while being filled with the desiccant.

The desiccant is alumina gel or zeolite particles.

[0018]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a hot tub according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In FIG. 1, a warm bath utensil 1 according to the present invention comprises a combination of an outer bag 2 and a desiccant 3. The outer bag 2 is a bag that stores the desiccant 3 and keeps it in a certain shape, and has heat resistance, water permeability, and flexibility.

The desiccant 3 is a granular material containing a hot spring component, has water absorption and water resistance, and is filled in the outer bag 2 in a fixed amount. As shown in FIG. 2, the hot tub 1 irradiates microwave energy in a microwave oven 4 to generate heat from the desiccant 3, and radiates hot spring components to the outside together with the heat generation temperature through the outer bag 2.

The outer bag 2 needs to have strength as a bag for accommodating the particles of the desiccant 3, but it has excellent flexibility because it may directly touch the human skin. Is desirable. In addition, heat generation is required in the microwave oven 4, so that heat resistance is required. Further, since water is supplied through the outer bag 2 to release the temperature and humidity after the heat generation, it is necessary to have water permeability. .

The material of the outer bag 2 is not particularly limited as long as it is a base fabric having heat resistance, water permeability and flexibility, but it is desirable to use aramid fiber cloth. Aramid fiber is a polyamide fiber whose molecular skeleton is made of aromatic, and is a kind of nylon. Teijin Limited's Conex (registered trademark) is a meta-type wholly aromatic polyamide-based heat-resistant fiber that has the same fiber performance (strong elongation, elastic modulus, specific gravity, texture, color, etc.) as polyester. Without melting in the air, the heat resistance at which decomposition and carbonization start at 400 ° C for the first time, and the limiting oxygen index (L01) 3
It is a white high-performance fiber that has a flame resistance and flame retardancy of 0 and is widely used in the fields of clothing and industrial materials.

Conex has a moisture content of 5.2% and a humidity of 95% at a standard condition (21 ° C., RH 65%).
%, It is 9.0%, which is an intermediate value between cotton and nylon, and is said to be one of the most hygroscopic fibers among synthetic fibers (Teijin Corporation: Conex technical data) Than).

When aramid fiber cloth (Cornex manufactured by Teijin Limited) is used as the material of the outer bag 2, the fiber yarn count is suitably 2 denier and the weight is suitably in the range of 150 to 250 g / m ² .

The desiccant 3 is excellent in absorbing moisture and has a function of releasing heated moisture as temperature and humidity by irradiation of microwave energy. Such a function is described in the preceding Example 1 as “a novel composition of particulate matter that functions as a heat transfer medium for heating or cooling”.
Alternatively, they have discovered that the properties are not unique to Celabeads (registered trademark) described in Preceding Example 2, but are properties also found in silica gel, alumina gel, zeolite and the like generally known as desiccants and adsorbents.

Silica gel (SiO ₂ .nH ₂ O) is prepared by decomposing an aqueous solution of sodium silicate with an inorganic acid, washing the hydrous silicic acid which solidifies in a jelly form with water, heating and drying, and appropriately activating it. Alumina gel (Al ₂
O ₃ ) is a method of hydrolyzing sodium aluminate, a precipitation method of adding ammonia or an alkali to a solution of aluminum sulfate and nitrate, and a method of dispersing and heating a basic aluminum sulfate solution in oil to form a sulfate group from a spherical one. It is made by a method such as gelation except for

Zeolite naturally occurs as zeolite, but is artificially synthesized from sodium carbonate, silica sand, alumina and the like. Silica gel has a strong property of adsorbing moisture, alcohol, benzene and other organic solvent gases, sulfurous acid gas, hydrogen sulfide and the like in the air. It is known that when heated, these can be released and reused,
Silica gel has a problem in that it breaks down due to water droplets,
The desiccant of the present invention does not always give satisfactory results.

On the other hand, alumina gel has excellent heat resistance, and its surface area does not change even when it is heated to about 700 ° C. Moreover, unlike a silica gel, it does not collapse by water droplets or ammonia gas. Synthetic zeolites do not have the disadvantages of silica gel and can be used without problems as the humectant of the present invention.

As an alumina gel (alumina-based desiccant) suitable for use as the desiccant 3, there is Neobead SA manufactured by Mizusawa Chemical Industry Co., Ltd. Further, as a synthetic zeolite suitable for the desiccant, there is a molecular sieve manufactured by Union Showa Co., Ltd. Table 1 shows the general properties of alumina gel (Neo Bead SA manufactured by Mizusawa Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.).

[0029]

[Table 1]

The particle size of the desiccant 3 is 4 to 12 mesh, more preferably 8 to 12 mesh. If the particle size of the desiccant is 4 mesh or less, the moisture absorption and desorption properties are poor, and the contact with the skin is too soft, which is not desirable. Conversely 12
If it is larger than the mesh, the contact with the skin is too hard, which is not preferable.

The outer bag 2 and the desiccant 3 contained in the outer bag 2
And the total weight is limited to 1 kg. If it exceeds 1 kg, it will be too heavy when used on the shoulder or the head, making it difficult to handle. The size of the outer bag can be freely set according to the purpose of use, but the rotating plate (with a diameter of about 30) provided in the microwave oven 4 is provided.
cm) and is heated on the plate 5. Therefore, as a restriction from the viewpoint of use, it is desirable to set the size to be smaller than the size that can be folded into two and fall within the range of the rotating plate 5.

If the desiccant is stored evenly in the bag, the desiccant particles may be dispersed and stored in the elongated section of the rectangular bag defined by the suture lines parallel to the longitudinal direction. Yes, but it's harder to fold the bag when putting it in the microwave.

Therefore, when the outer bag 2 has a rectangular planar shape, as shown in FIG. 1, the inner shape of the outer bag 2 is divided into two chambers by suturing lines 2a, 2a,. The sections are divided into the above-described sections, and the particles of the desiccant 3 are uniformly dispersed and accommodated in each section. In the example of FIG. 1, an example is shown in which the inside of the outer bag 2 is divided into four equal parts by the suturing lines 2 a, but it is not limited to four equal parts, and
It may be equally divided into eight. Although it may be divided into two equal parts, the bias of the desiccant in the partition part may increase.

A rectangular shape formed by folding the bag into two pieces has a diagonal length of 30 cm or less, and includes a shoulder, a waist, a back,
It is convenient to prepare several types of shapes according to the size of arms, legs, forehead, head, and the like. If the capacity is small, it is not always necessary to partition the outer bag.

When using the hot tub 1 of the present invention,
The hot spring water is impregnated with the desiccant in advance so that the desiccant holds the hot spring component. As shown in FIG. 3, the hot water is permeated into the desiccant 3 through the outer bag 2. Alternatively, the hot bath utensil of the present invention may be immersed in hot spring water filled in a tub, sufficiently impregnated with the hot spring component in a dehumidifier, taken out of the tub, and subjected to a dehydrator for about 5 minutes.

The hot spring components are sufficiently retained in the desiccant 3 after being subjected to the dehydrator. In the present invention, the hot spring component refers to a substance that produces a metabolic or neurotrophic action limited to a hot spring, a mineral spring, and even a medicinal hot water as a chemical action, in addition to the thermal action of a single bath or a hot bath common to hot springs. Say.

A warm bath at a temperature that is comfortable for human skin (39-43 degrees Celsius) leans the blood to alkali because it reduces metabolites, and a 14-20 degree water bath tends to acidify body fluids. It tends to be. The skin must have a lipid-soluble substance, such as carbon dioxide or hydrogen sulfide, because the skin must have high permeability in order to cause a high metabolic chemistry.

That is, a simple carbonated spring or hydrogen sulfide spring has this metabolic effect. On the other hand, the neurotropic effect on this is brought about by ions of alkali metals or earth alkalis. These salts and ions act first on the skin and then on the plant nerves (autonomic nerves). For example, when potassium ions are contained, the stimulation / excitation of the parasympathetic nerve is observed.

In the above-described type of neurotrophic action, the body temperature rises during bathing, whereas in this neurotrophic hot spring, the whole body warms up after bathing, and there is a tendency not to scald (water And Life, Keiichi Morishita, Midori Shobo 1992).

According to the hot tub 1 of the present invention, regardless of the type of hot spring, the hot spring water is impregnated with the desiccant 3 and irradiated with microwave energy in the microwave oven 4. It can act on the human body by releasing warmth and temperature and humidity containing hot spring ingredients. Heating time is about 1-2
Minutes.

At the time of use, as shown in FIGS. 4A to 4C, a dry towel 7 is hung on a portion to be heated, and the warm bath utensil 1 heated by a microwave oven is placed thereon. The heat lasts approximately 20 minutes, and for the first 10 minutes, the heat and moisture containing the hot spring ingredients penetrate deeply into the body, followed by dry heat.

After use, if it is left as it is, it absorbs the surrounding humidity, but if it is used continuously, the time for generating the temperature and humidity is shortened. In such a case, external water is supplied. Water is supplied by spraying 6 as shown in Fig. 3 above.
It is convenient to use Once impregnated with hot spring ingredients, the hot spring ingredients do not disappear immediately after several uses, but after that water is replenished from the outside if necessary.

When the hot tub is soiled due to long-term use, the outer bag 2 is immersed in warm water as shown in FIG. 5 and hand-washed with soap, and if necessary, dewatered for about 5 minutes with a dehydrator 8 of a washing machine. I do.

(Examples) Examples of the present invention will be described below.
Conex (registered trademark) of Teijin Limited as a hot bath
Alumina gel having a particle size of 4 to 8 mesh (neobead SA manufactured by Mizusawa Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.) in an outer bag of 16 cm in length and 32 cm in width using (denier of fiber yarn 2 denier, weight 200 g / m ² ) Was filled, and the longitudinal direction of the outer bag was divided into four equal parts, and the covers on the front and back of the outer bag were sewn in a straight line, and the desiccant was evenly dispersed in each section. The hot tub was impregnated with hot spring water, dehydrated, and heated in a 500 W microwave oven for 2 minutes.

The hot tub taken out of the microwave was about 8
High humidity was maintained above 0 ° C. FIG. 6 shows a temperature change characteristic when this is used in a room at a room temperature of 26 ° C. and a humidity of 65%. As shown in FIG. 6, the temperature gradually decreased over time, and dropped to about 40 ° C. after 30 minutes. Humidity was maintained for approximately 10 minutes from the beginning, followed by dry heat.

After the temperature was almost lowered to room temperature, the operation of heating again in the microwave oven and releasing the temperature and humidity in the room was repeated. The temperature change generally followed the trend shown in FIG. 6, but the time for generating humidity gradually became shorter. After the heat was released within 5 minutes, the water was replenished by spraying and heated in a microwave oven, and the temperature and humidity were released again for 10 minutes or more.

After a total of 20 uses, the bag was immersed in warm water, the outer bag was washed with soap, then dewatered in a washing machine dehydrator for 5 minutes, immediately heated in a microwave oven, and radiated indoors. The temperature decreased with the characteristics shown in FIG.

[0048]

As described above, according to the present invention, the existing alumina gel, which is conventionally known as a desiccant, or zeolite, which is conventionally known as an adsorbent, is used as a dehumidifier, regardless of a novel composition. This is impregnated with hot and humid components,
The hot spring component which is heated in a microwave oven and impregnated with a desiccant can be repeatedly released.

Moreover, since alumina gel and zeolite do not collapse by water droplets unlike silica gel, they can be positively supplied through the outer bag by filling the outer bag. You can prepare hot spring water and replace it according to your preference, and when the outer bag gets dirty, you can freely wash it with the desiccant in it, so you can always keep it clean and use it. Have.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partially sectional perspective view showing one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a situation in which heating is performed in a microwave oven.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a water supply procedure.

FIGS. 4A to 4C are diagrams illustrating usage examples.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a procedure of washing.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a temperature attenuation characteristic.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 hot tub 2 outer bag 2a suture line 3 desiccant 4 microwave oven 5 rotating plate 6 misting 7 towel 8 dehydrator

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A warm bath having a combination of an outer bag and a desiccant, wherein the outer bag is a bag that stores the desiccant and keeps it in a fixed shape, and has heat resistance, water permeability, Having flexibility, the desiccant is a granular material containing a hot spring component, has water absorption and water resistance, is filled in a fixed amount in the outer bag, and generates heat when irradiated with microwave energy, A hot tub that dissipates the hot spring ingredients to the outside together with the heat generation temperature through the outer bag. 2. The outer bag is a rectangular bag, and the inside of the bag is formed by a suture line connecting the long sides.
The compartment is divided into compartments or more, the humectant is dispersed and accommodated in each compartment, and a rectangular diagonal line formed by folding the bag into two pieces is 30 cm or less. 2. The hot tub according to 1. 3. The particle size of the desiccant is 4 to 12 mesh, preferably 8 to 12 mesh, and the total weight of the outer bag and the desiccant contained in the outer bag is 1 kg or less. The hot tub according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: 4. The hot tub according to claim 1, wherein the desiccant retains hot spring ingredients supplied through the outer bag by immersion or spraying. 5. The hot tub according to claim 1, wherein the desiccant does not collapse due to water droplets, and the outer bag can be washed while the desiccant is filled. 6. The warm bath apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the desiccant is alumina gel or zeolite particles.