NZ205995A

NZ205995A - Air injection bath

Info

Publication number: NZ205995A
Application number: NZ205995A
Authority: NZ
Inventors: R Dupont
Original assignee: Tech & Systems Elabores
Priority date: 1982-10-18
Filing date: 1983-10-18
Publication date: 1987-06-30
Also published as: FI81000B; EP0112192A1; ES8406029A1; ES526907A0; AU2023083A; CA1242052A; DK479683A; FI81000C; EP0112192B1; DK479683D0; DK159412C; NO158326B; AU578409B2; FI833786A; PT77509A; DK159412B; FI833786A0; DE3371040D1; PT77509B; NO158326C

Description

205995 7 . V<' ■.*£ ■ ■•f1 . ■* T ^ " ' 'kl' >W ' Priori •'tyDatefs): J&rjQ-.^ ■••■•■-•■•ki-iTsii.' mp.etesSpeeit.cat/on. Filed: fft-|0«&3 » . e , " ' ' ' ' » M , , , ••"■•a thn t>*K titi'Mmi'" Fubticat! P-0.,Jou ma I, l> Wo: U£fJ Patents Form No. 5 Number PATENTS ACT 1953 Dated COMPLETE SPECIFICATION AIR INJECTION BATH OF USE FOR BALNEOTHERAPY OR THALASSOTHERAPY I j ^We TECHNIQUES ET SYSTEMES ELABORES T.S.E., a French society, of 77bis rue Michel Ange, Paris, France do hereby declare the invention for whichXl/we pray that a Patent may be srranted to HiX/us. and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and bv the following statement: (Followed by page 1a) - la- 205995 The invention relates to an air injection bath of use for balneotherapy or thalassotherapy, of a kind such as to enable the user to be massaged by turbulence produced in a bath by an injection of air. 1- Air injection baths for the uses specified and ■■n' ' 1 foaving a tub whose ""base has air injection nozzles are known.

Heated and ozonised air is injected by a turbine. , The box % ■ f ' 1 ,l in which these various devices 'are disposed is placed outside the safety perimeter of* the Isath and has electric and electronic controls receiving air pulses from either a mobile control grip or a stationary control panel. The grip or panel are disposed near the user;* jtj^ give him the facility of remote control, for instance, of air injection, air ♦ heating, ozone, the duration and speed of injection and stoppage. However, a disadvantage found is that the user must get out of the bath and go to the control box to adjust inter alia the air intake and more particularly the force of air injection or starting, stopping and heating of the injected air when these controls have to be carried out on a stationery panel disposed at ^distance from the bath..

It is the ojbect of-this invention to go at least some way towards obviating these disadvantages and the invention proposes an air injection bath of use for balneotherapy or thalassotherapy with an appreciable increase in user convenience by enabling the user to control various operations without leaving the bath, the means for adjusting and controlling the bath being readily fittable and readily accessible yet very effective and without any risk for the user and not running any risk of causing overflows.

HG^cordingly, the invention relates to an air ttWCpr use in balneotherapy or thalassotherapy, w Kj yj < the bath comprising a tub having one or more air injection nozzles; an air distribution main for supplying heated and/or ozonised air under pressure from electric and electronic air pressurising, heating and ozoning means disposed outside the perimeter of the bath to the nozzle(s); at least one,pneumatic control line connected to said air pressurising, heatings and ozonising means for remotely controlling the starting and stopping thereof; and an adjustable air bypass tube leading from the air distribution main .upstream of- the nozzle(s) and open to the atmosphere", whereby the supply of; air to the nozzle(s) ■ ''-A:"-' - ' '$■" -;?y ' • " " " during use 'may be controlled to give the desired degree of turbulence in the bath.

The user can therefore control as he wishes air injection and heating and the force with which air is injected into the bath without leaving the same by means of the pneumatic control line and the air bypass tube, inter alia because the control elements can readily be arranged to be near at hand.

A silencer on the bypass tube can provide very effective damping of the noise caused by air flowing through such tube and discharging therefrom.

By means of the air discharging system and its special form of connection, excess compressed air entering the bypass tube can be removed very conveniently and can if desired be used with advantage.

A spider associated with the bypass tube can give very accurate adjustment of the force of the injected air.

The special feature of control by compressed air pulses increases the safety of the person taking a bath since nothing electrical requiring handling N F ^24APRS9S7: ■ ss \ 0 iji O x) D or equipment needing electricity is placed near the bath.

This invention will be more clearly understood with reference to an embodiment shown in the drawings wherein: Fig. 1 is a partial perspective view of an air injection bath of use for balneotherapy or thalassotherapy, and Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a constructional variant. the same has* in its base and in end walls 4 air injection nozzles 5 connected to a mains 6 by flexible hoses 7. Air enters the header 6 in the direction indicated by an arrow F. The bath 1 also comprises a box (not shown) having a number of control elements and facilities; the box is disposed outside the perimeter of the bath 1. The box also comprises a turbine for producing compressed air, an air heater, an ozone generator and a system of electric and electronic controls receiving pneumatic pulses. The same are transmitted from a mobile control grip or from a stationary control panel disposed near the bath. The box helps to control various, operations relating to the injection and heating of the injected air, ozone injection, the duration and rate of injection of air into the bath and starting and stopping. .'#v: •* ;M rg 205995 The bath 1 has provision for controlling the entry of air into the water to produce varying degrees of turbulence. Such means comprise a bypass tube 8 connected to the mains 6 upstream of a check valve 9. The tube 3 has an elbow 10 so that tube end 11 is substantially at the top edge 12 of the bath 1. A valve 13 at tube end 11 is operated by an adjusting element in the form of a spider 14 extending through the bath top edge 12.. The valve 13 disposed near the free end 11 of the tube 8 is a straight-through valve. The spider 14 is readily accessible to^ and manipulated fc>y, the user to ,give very accurate control of the force of the air injected into the bath water.

At its free end the bypass tube 8 has a silencer 15 giving very effective damping of the sound of the air flowing through the tube 8 and valve 13. The silencer 15, adapted more particularly to compressed air, is made of sintered bronze.

The bath,side walls and inside walls 16 have pneumatic control grips 17, only one of which is;shown, the other being disposed on the opposite bath surface. The grips 17 are associated with air bellows 18.

The user presses the grips 17 to transmit control pulses to the box (not shown). One of the grips 17 enables the user to control starting and stopping of air injection and the other grip 17 enables him to control the heating of the air injected into the water. Referring to Fig. 2, tube end o . las means 20 for discharging the excess compressed cS for injection produced by the turbine. The means 5 995 comprise a check valve 19 on the straight-through valve 13 and a flexible hose 21 having a ferrule or thimble or the like 22 at its free end. The hose 21 and valve 19 are disposed immediately after the valve 13.

The ferrule 22 can be connected in three different ways to discharge excess compressed air injected into the tube 8: (a) The ferrule 22 can be fitted in the wall of the room where the bath is situated so as to communicate with the exterior; (b) The ferrule 22 can be connected to the means for ventilating the room where the bath 2 is disposed; (c) The ferrule 22 is connected to the bath waste pipe.

The discharge means embodied by the valve 19 and hose 21 obviate any risk, of leakage should water accidentally enter the tube 8 while the bath is filling due to an oversight on the part of the user.

Also, the means 20 help to reduce the noise of the compressed air flowing through the tube 8.

The surplus compressed air not injected into the bath can also be removed by special adjustment of the element 14 either to atmosphere outside the room or to the means for ventilating the same or to the bath waste pipe.

Claims

WHAT WE CLAIM IS;

1. An air injection bath for use in balneotherapy or *• thalassotherapy, the bath comprising a tub having one or more air injection nozzles; an air distribution main for supplying heated and/or ozonised air under pressure from electric and electronic air pressurising, heating and means for remotely controlling the starting and stopping thereof; and an adjustable air bypass tube leading from the a distribution main upstream of the nozzle(s) and open to the atmosphere, whereby the supply of air to the nozzle(s) during use may be controlled to give the desired degree of turbulence in the bath.

2., A bath according to claim 1, wherein the air distribution main additionally includes a check valve upstream of the nozzle(s).

3. A bath according to claim 2, wherein the air bypass tube is upstream of the check valve.

4. A bath according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the air bypass tube is adjustable by means of a control valve povided therein. ozonising means disposed outside the perimeter of the ■bat ie nozzle(s); at least one pneumatic: control line connected to said air pressurising, heating and ozonising 20uSh - 7 -

5. A bath according to claim 4, wherein the control valve is a straight-through valve.

6. A bath according to claim 4 or claim 5, wherein the arrangement is such that the control valve may be . manipulated by an occupant of the bath to give the desired degree of turbulence in the bath.

7. A bath according to claim 6, wherein the control valve is provided near the open end of the bypass tube.

8. A bath according to any one of the preceding ..claims., wherein the open end of the bypass tube has an exhaust s ilencer. '' •'»

„ . 9. A bath according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein the bypass tube includes a check valve disposed after said control valve, and after said check valve the bypass tube forms a flexible hose provided with a terminal connecting thimble or ferrule.

10. A bath according to claim 9, wherein the connecting thimble or ferrule of the hose comihunicates with an exterior of the room where the bath is located, with means for ventilating the room, or with the bath waste pipe.

11. A bath according to any one of claims 4 to 10, wherein the control valve may be manipulated by an occupant of the bath by means of a spider which extends from the control valve through the rim of the bath to be readily accessible to and manipulated by the user to give the desired degree of turbulence in the bath. 205995" - 8 -

12. A bath according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the or each pneumatic control line is provided with a pneumatic control grip for remotely controlling the starting and stopping of the air pressurising, heating and ozonising means.

13. A bath according to claim 12, wherein the pneumatic control grip is secured to inside surfaces of the tub to permit ready access by an occupant of the bath,.

14. A bath according■to claim 12 or claim 13 , wherein the pneumatic control grip has air bellows/for transmitting control pulses to the air pressurising, heating and ozonising means.

15. An air injection bath substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings. WEST-WALKER, McCABE p9r: — ATTORNEYS FOR THE APPLICANT