US20100162479A1

US20100162479A1 - Portable Hair-Washing Apparatus

Info

Publication number: US20100162479A1
Application number: US12/347,854
Authority: US
Inventors: Ming-Chia Tai
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2008-12-31
Filing date: 2008-12-31
Publication date: 2010-07-01

Abstract

A portable hair-washing apparatus includes a washbasin, a container, a pumping unit and a showering unit. The washbasin includes an upper deck formed on a lower deck so that a chamber is defined between them. The upper deck includes a cavity separated from the chamber and an inlet pipe in communication with the chamber. A dirty-water drain extends from the upper deck. A clean-water drain extends from the lower deck. The container includes a cavity and an aperture in communication with the cavity thereof. The inlet pipe of the washbasin is in communication with the cavity of the container when the washbasin is located on the container. The pumping unit is in communication with the clean-water drain. The showering unit is in communication with the pumping unit. There are plugs for closing the inlet pipe, the dirty-water drain and the aperture, respectively.

Description

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates to a portable hair-washing apparatus.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

It is difficult to wash hair for people who have difficulty in moving around such as aging citizens and sick and injured patients. Families or nurses have to wash these persons hair.
It is difficult for the families and nurses to move these people into bathrooms to wash their hair. Therefore, washbasins and buckets are used to carry water to their bedsides to wash their hair. There are however problems as follows:
Firstly, a washbasin or bucket is a single-compartment container. There is no choice but containing freshwater and dirty water in a same washbasin or bucket. Therefore, the washing of the hair is ineffective.
Secondly, to avoid washing hair with dirty water, the washbasin or bucket must be emptied of dirty water and refilled with clean water for many times to wash the hair effectively. This is however troublesome and exhausting for the person lying in bed and the family or nurse.
Thirdly, the washbasins and buckets are not devised to wash air so that they fail to provide adequate support for the heads and necks of those people lying in bed. The families or nurses have to support the heads or necks of those people lying in bed, and this is not easy. Therefore, the families or nurses feel tired and/or those people lying in bed feel uncomfortable. Those people lying in bed might get hurt in their necks.
The present invention is therefore intended to obviate or at least alleviate the problems encountered in prior art.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

It is the primary objective of the present invention to provide a hair-washing apparatus with which a person can conveniently have his or her hair washed.
To achieve the foregoing objective, the portable hair-washing apparatus includes a washbasin, a container, a pumping unit and a showering unit. The washbasin includes an upper deck formed on a lower deck so that a chamber is defined between them. The upper deck includes a cavity separated from the chamber and an inlet pipe in communication with the chamber. A dirty-water drain extends from the upper deck. A clean-water drain extends from the lower deck. The container includes a cavity and an aperture in communication with the cavity thereof. The inlet pipe of the washbasin is in communication with the cavity of the container when the washbasin is located on the container. The pumping unit is in communication with the clean-water drain. The showering unit is in communication with the pumping unit. There are plugs for closing the inlet pipe, the dirty-water drain and the aperture, respectively.
Other objectives, advantages and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description referring to the attached drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The present invention will be described via detailed illustration of the preferred embodiment referring to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a portable hair-washing apparatus according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the portable hair-washing apparatus shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the portable hair-washing apparatus shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged partial cross-sectional view of the portable hair-washing apparatus shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the portable hair-washing apparatus in another position than shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the portable hair-washing apparatus in another position than shown in FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a partial perspective view of a man having his hair washed with the portable hair-washing apparatus shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a man lying in bed and having his hair washed with the portable hair-washing apparatus shown in FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIGS. 1 through 4, a portable hair-washing apparatus 100 includes a washbasin 10, a container 20, a pumping unit 30, a showering unit 40 and a supporting unit 50 according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. The washbasin 10 includes an upper deck 11 and a lower deck 14. The upper and lower decks 11 and 14 are made as one. Clean water can be filled into a chamber 115 defined between the lower deck 14 and the upper deck 11.
The upper deck 11 of the washbasin 10 includes a cavity 111 defined with a wall. The cavity 111 is separated from the chamber 115. The wall includes a lowered section 112. A slope 113 is formed against the lowered section 112 of the wall, within the cavity 111. A drain 114 extends from the upper deck 11 to the lower deck 14. The drain 114 can be closed with a plug 13. An inlet pipe 117 is in communication with the chamber 115. The inlet pipe 117 can be closed with a plug or cap 12. A holder 118 is formed thereon on the upper deck 11. The holder 118 is in the form of a claw.
Recesses 119 are defined in a wall of the lower deck 14. It would be better that the recesses 119 are located evenly. A drain 116 extends downwards from the lower deck 14.
The container 20 includes a cavity 21 defined therein, an aperture 22 in communication with the cavity 21, two handles 23 formed on an external side thereof and ridges 24 formed on an internal side thereof. The ridges 24 are shaped and located corresponding to the recesses 119. The aperture 22 can be closed with plug 25.
Referring to FIGS. 2 and 4 particularly, the pumping unit 30 includes a pump 31 and a shell 32. The pump 31 is attached to the shell 32. The shell 32 is disposed in a recess defined in the external side of the container 20. The pump 31 includes an inlet pipe 311 extending from an upper side thereof and an outlet pipe 312 extending from a lateral side thereof. The inlet pipe 311 is inserted into a lower section of a collar 33 while the drain 116 is inserted into an upper section of the collar 33 so that the clean water can flow into the pump 31 from the chamber 115 without leakage.
The showering unit 40 includes a shower head 41 and a hose 42 for connecting the shower head 41 to the outlet pipe 312. Thus, the clean water pumped with the pump 31 can be spread from the shower head 41. The shower head 41 can be clipped with the holder 118. The hose 42 is made of a flexible and heatproof material.
The supporting unit 50 includes a backrest 51 supported on a frame so that the angle of the backrest 51 is adjustable.
Referring to FIG. 3, the washbasin 10 is located on the container 20. The ridges 24 are disposed in the recesses 119 to keep the washbasin 10 on the container 20. The drain 114 is closed with the plug 13. The clean water is filled into the chamber 115 through the inlet pipe 117.
Referring to FIG. 5, a portion of the clean water is spread from the shower head 41 for washing hair. The portion of clean water becomes dirty water after washing the hair. As a result, there is dirty water in the cavity 111.
Referring to FIG. 6, the plug 13 is removed from the drain 114 so that the dirty water can be drained into the container 20 from the cavity 111 through the drain 114, without entailing any pollution of the remaining portion of the clean water in the chamber 115. The process described referring to FIGS. 5 and 6 may be repeated for several times until the hair is washed clean. The chamber 115 is intended to carry enough clean water for washing one persons hair so that clean water is filled in the chamber 115 just once unless more water is needed to wash another persons hair.
Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, a person is lying in bed. His back is supported on the supporting unit 50. His neck is laid over the lowered section 112 of the wall of the upper deck 11. His head is supported on the slope 113. Thus, his back, neck and head are supported well while his air is washed.
The portable hair-washing apparatus 100 can be located on a table and used to wash the hair of a person who sits on a chair. For example, a mother can wash her daughter s hair with the portable hair-washing apparatus 100 without having to worry much about getting water into her eyes or nose.
The present invention has been described via the detailed illustration of the preferred embodiment. Those skilled in the art can derive variations from the preferred embodiment without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, the ridges 24 can be formed on the external side of the lower deck 14 while the recesses 119 can be defined in the internal side of the container 20. Therefore, the preferred embodiment shall not limit the scope of the present invention defined in the claims.

Claims

1. A portable hair-washing apparatus comprising:

a washbasin comprising:

an upper deck comprising a cavity defined therein, an inlet pipe formed thereon and a dirty-water drain extending from a lower side thereof; and

a lower deck formed beneath the upper deck so that a chamber is defined between them, in communication with the inlet but separated from the cavity and the dirty-water drain, wherein the lower deck comprises a clean-water drain extending from a lower side thereof;

a container comprising a cavity therein and an aperture in communication with the cavity thereof, wherein the inlet pipe of the washbasin is in communication with the cavity of the container when the washbasin is located on the container;

a pumping unit in communication with the clean-water drain;

a showering unit in communication with the pumping unit; and

plugs for closing the inlet pipe, the dirty-water drain and the aperture, respectively.

2. The portable hair-washing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the upper and lower decks are made as one.

3. The portable hair-washing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the upper deck comprises a lowered section for supporting persons neck can be laid across the lowered section and a slope formed against the lowered section for supporting the persons head.

4. The portable hair-washing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the upper deck comprises a holder for holding the showering unit.

5. The portable hair-washing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the washbasin comprises ridges formed thereon while the container comprises recesses for receiving the ridges, thus retaining the washbasin on the container.

6. The portable hair-washing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the container comprises ridges formed thereon while the washbasin comprises recesses for receiving the ridges, thus retaining the washbasin on the container.

7. The portable hair-washing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the container comprises two handles formed thereon.

8. The portable hair-washing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pumping unit comprises a pump comprising an inlet pipe connected to the clean-water drain of the washbasin and an outlet pipe connected to the showering unit, a shell for attaching the pump to the container and a collar for wrapping the inlet pipe of the pump and the clean-water drain of the washbasin.

9. The portable hair-washing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the showering unit comprises a shower head and a hose for connecting the shower head to the pumping unit, wherein the hose is made of a heatproof and flexible material.

10. The portable hair-washing apparatus according to claim 1 comprising a supporting unit with a backrest for supporting a persons back, wherein the angle of the backrest is adjustable.