US2487228A

US2487228A - Infant's bath

Info

Publication number: US2487228A
Application number: US768605A
Authority: US
Inventors: Ervin G Feichtmeir
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1947-08-14
Filing date: 1947-08-14
Publication date: 1949-11-08
Anticipated expiration: 1966-11-08

Description

Nov. 8, 1949 E. G. FEICHTMEIR INFANT'S BATH 7 Filed Aug. 14, 1947 JN VEN TOR. I %mjzaww Patented Nov. 8, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE m e BATH a Ervin G. Feichtmeir, Chicago, Ill. Application August 14, 1942,Serial No. 768,605 7 2 Claims. (01.444)

The invention disclosed in this specification is an infants bath. The bath-is preferably formed of a flexible water-proof fabric tub, suspended from a rectangular supporting frame and arranged to be removably positioned in a conventional type of bathtub, so that the fabric tub is inside of and supported by the rigid'tub structure.

It is'one 'Of theprimary objects of the invention to'provide aninfants tub that combines the desirable features of convenience, strength, rigidity, and safety when in use, yet is collapsible so- .that it may be dismantled and carried in a compact package, not only so that it may be easily packed in luggage when it becomes'necessary to take it'from place to place, but also so that the ltubs" may 'be conveniently packaged for merchandising. a

1 Another important object of the invention lies in the provision of an infant's flexible fabric :bathtub designed-sothat'when it is positioned in a conventional tub it is supported by and held in assembled relation by the rigid walls ofwthe tub, so'that there is no possibility of tipping or falling. The supporting frame is preferably arranged so that the upper edge of the fabric tub lies somewhatibelow thetop rim of-;the ;conventional tub,

with [the result that it becomes unlikely thatan infant can lean so far over the tub edge as to fall out. Another advantage of this arrangement is that-any water splashed over the edges of the infant's tub. falls into the larger tub, and is not spilled on the floor.

Still further. objects of the invention are to provide a mounting'for a' fabric tub within a conventional bathtub so arranged that the infants tube maybe rigidly supported in tubs oi -various widths, yet designed so that there will be no possibility of marring or scratching the finish of the larger tub.

The foregoing objects are accomplished in this disclosure by the provision of a flexible fabric tub suspended from a supporting frame consisting of longitudinal and transverse rails extending along the sides and across the ends of the tub, and joined at their corners by rubber blocks shaped to fit the curvature of the rim of a conventional Ibathtub so as to lock the frame in assembled relation as well as hold it in position. A present preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the drawings attached hereto and substantially on the plane of line 2=-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a detail sectional view taken substantially on the plane of line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is'a detail sectional view taken substantially on the plane of line 4-4 of Figure 1, and

' Figure 5 is a perspective view 0f one of the rubber mounting blocks of the supporting frame. The device is illustrated in position in a conventional cast iron bathtub, generally indicated at 6. The inner tub is made of flexible but waterproof fabric, with a bottom 1, side walls 8 and end walls 9. The side walls -8 are each provided with a hem l0 along the upper edge so that the longitudinal edges may be supported on metal rails I l extending along the side walls of the tub while the ends have hems l2 supported by cross rails 13 extending transversely of the tub. The rails II and 13 are mounted in four rubber blocks l4, each of which are provided with a socket I5 to receive an end of one of the longitudinal rails :l I, and a socket Hi to receive one end Of the cross rails l3. The blocks l4 are preferably molded of rubber having a durometer hardness of about 72,. so that they provide afirm support for the rails. Thesock'ets t5 and [6. may be molded slightly smaller than the diameter of the rails if desired, so that when the :ends of the rails are inserted, they will be snugly held in position. In addition, the socket IIGm-aybe made sufficiently deep so that filler plugs I! may be inserted, to limit the penetrationof the rails l3 into the socket so that the distancebetween the opposite iblocks I4 may be adjusted to conform to the dimension of the individual tub: in which theassembly is g- I Eachofrthe blocks [4 includes a generally verticalsurface IB to bear against the fiat side wall surface 22 of the rim. Thus it will be seen that when the structure is in position in a conventional bathtub, the projections 20 extend well beyond the side walls IQ of the tub, so that the engagement between the curved surfaces 2| of these projections and the rims '22 of the tub act to limit the downward movement of the frame, and positions the longitudinal supporting rails l I at a point generally parallel with, but somewhat below, the rim of the tub. It follows that when water is accidentally splashed over the side of the fabric tub, it will not splash on the floor but will be received in the larger tub and will flow to the drain. Also, the position of the edge of the inner tube below the rim of the outer tub makes it almost impossible for an infant to crawl over the edge and fall out. The cross rails I3 and plugs I! prevent inward movement of the rubber blocks, so that the entire assembly is held in assembled relation as long as it is within the tub and cannot be disassembled without first lifting it directly upward above the tub rim. This avoids any possibility of accidental disassembly or collapse of the structure, and the inherent rigidity of the conventional bathtub eliminates any possibility of accidental tipping.

To remove the structure from the tub, it is only necessary to lift the blocks [4 upwardly. The

rails l l and I3 may then be withdrawn from their sockets to collapse the assembly. The fabric tub may then be folded in any convenient manner and and the rails and blocks may be wrapped within the fabric to form a neat and compact package that may be easily carried or packed in a traveling bag.

The rubber of the blocks i4 is practically indestructible and the-rails H and I3 may be made of rust-proof metal rods if desired, so that the supporting frame of the tub Will be practically indestructible. The design of the assembly solves the greatest diificulties heretofore encountered in devices of this type, not only since it practically eliminates the possibility of an infant falling over the side, as is easily possible with other constructions, but also in that it cannot tip, and that there is almost no likelihood of splashing the water with enough violence to spill it on the floor. These advantages are of great importance from a practical viewpoint and have heretofore never been satisfactorily accomplished, yet by these teachings they are accomplished easily and by a mechanical design of unusual simplicity and arranged so that there is no possibility of marring or scratching the surface enamel of the tub in which the unit is installed. The inherent simplicity of the structure is also an advantage from a commercial standpoint, since it means that the device may be economically manufactured, and consequently sold at a sufficiently low price to find ready acceptance.

The form of the invention illustrated in the drawings and described herein has been chosen as an illustration of the teachings of the invention, but it should be recognized that the inventive thought is not limited to the precise structure shown and that certain variations or modifications may be made without sacrifice of all of these advantages of the teaching. It is accordingly pointed out that the scope of the invention is not limited to the illustration but extends to any modifications coming within the terms of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by United States Letters Patent is:

1. In an infant's bath adapted to be mounted in a conventional bath tub, the combination of a flexible tub having hems along its edges to receive supporting rails; a pair of longitudinal supporting rails extending through the hems along the opposite sides of the tub and a pair of transverse supporting rails extending through the hems at the opposite ends; corner supports for the rails at each corner of the tub, each of said corner supports comprising a yieldable block of resilient material having a pair of sockets at right angles to each other to receive and support the end oi one of the longitudinal and one of the transverse. rails, with a surface to engage the side wall of a conventional bath tub and with an outwardly extending projection to overhang the upper rim of the tub and support the frame and flexibletub therein.

2. In an iniants bath adapted to be mounted in a conventional bath tub, the combination of a flexible tub having hems along its edges to receive supporting rails; a pair of longitudinal supporting rails extending through the hems along the opposite sides of the tub and a. pair of transverse supporting rails extending through the hems at the opposite ends; corner supports for the rails at each corner of the tub, each 01' said' corner supports comprising a yieldable block of resilient material having a pair of sockets at right angles to each other to receive and support the end of one of the longitudinal and one of the transverse rails. with a surface to engage the side wall of a conventional bath tub and with an outwardly extending projection to. overhang the upper rim of the tub and support the frame and flexible tub therein; together with removable plugs in at least one of the sockets of the corner supports to limit the penetration of a transverse rail into the socket and thus addust the frame to fit various conventional tubs.

ERVIN G. FEICH'I'MEIR.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are'of record in the the of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 821,230 Fowler May 22, 1906 1,327,295 Smith Jan. 6, 1920 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 112,508 Great Britain Jan. 11, 1918