US3026539A - Flexible and collapsible tub - Google Patents

Description

March 27, 1962 Filed A ril 10, 1959 M. F. LEWIS FLEXIBLE AND COLLAPSIBLE TUB 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ist- INVENTOR. MARGERY F. LEWIS ATTORNEYS March 27, 1962 M. F. LEWIS 3,026,539

FLEXIBLE AND COLLAPSIBLE TUB Filed April 10, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. ARGE-RY F. LEWIS ATTORNEYS aazasas Fatenteel Mar. 2?, l$2

- are 3,026,539 FLEXIBLE AND COLLAPSKBLE TUB Margery F. Lewis, Rte. 1, Box 218, Drain, Oreg. Filed Apr. 10, 1959, Ser. No. 805,463 1 Claim. (Cl. 4177) The present invention relates to a flexible and collapsible tub for use in stall type showers.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a flexible and collapsible bath tub for use in stall showers for holding water when bathing children.

Another object of the invention is to provide a tub of the class described above that can be used by adults for bathing their feet.

A further object of this invention is to provide a tub of the class dficribed above that can be collapsed and stored while not in use.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a collapsible tub of the type described that can also be used separately without any connection to a bath room.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a structure of the class described which may also be used as a collapsible wading pool for youngsters.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent in the following specification when considered in light of the attached drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of the invention shown positioned in a conventional shower stall;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevation of the structure shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary enlarged detail perspective view of one of the upper corners of the tub partially broken away and in section for convenience of illustration;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary enlarged vertical sectional view taken on line 4' lof FIGURE 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary enlarged plan view of one of the lower ends of the supporting legs for supporting the tub;

FIGURE 6 is an end elevational view of the tub in collapsed position while not in use; and

FIGURE 7 is an exploded perspective View of the invention.

Referring now to the drawings in detail wherein like reference characters indicate like parts throughout the several figures, the reference character T indicates generally a flexible collapsible tub attachment for a stall shower S.

The tub T includes a box-like flexible container C, having side walls 10 and 11, and end walls 12 and 13, with a generally horizontal bottom 14 associated therewith, all corners being watertight. The upper edges 15 of the side walls 10 and ll have loops 116 formed integrally thereon. Rigid tubular rods 17 extend through the loops 16 the full length of the container C.

Supporting U-shaped leg assemblies L include legs 18 and 19, the lower ends of which are bent to provide a bottom bight portion and are hingedly secured together at 20. The upper ends of the bars 18 and 19 are bent at right angles to form horizontal oftset extensions 21. The extensions 21 engage in the openings 22 of the end walls 12 and ll?) of the container C and into the tubular rods 17, as best illustrated in FIGURES 3 and 7. When the Weight of the container C with its contents, such as water, pulls down on the supporting leg assemblies L, it forces them to the position shown in FIGURES 2 and 7, supporting the container C rigidly.

When it is desired to store the container C the upper ends or" the legs 18 and 19, together with the transverse tubular rods 17, are brought together, as illustrated in FIGURE 6, collapsing the container C, requiring a minimum of space for storage.

Located centrally of the bottom of the container C is a drain fitting 23 which includes a pair of reinforcing disks 2d and 25 vulcanized to the material 26 of the container C. Located in the center of the fitting 23 is an opening 27 which receives the usual drain plug 28. The opening 27 registers with the drain 29 located on the bottom 30 of the shower stall S.

When the tub T is being used in a shower stall S, the leg assemblies L are brought into position and attached to the elongated tubular rods 17, as above described, to support the container C within the shower stall S, or in the event the same is used other than within the shower stall S, the same can be located on any flat surface, as for instance on the lawn, for wading purposes.

Having thus described the prefeired embodiment of the invention, it should be understood that numerous structural modifications and adaptations may be resorted to without departing from the scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

A flexible and collapsible tub assembly comprising a flexible box-like container having a pair of spaced upright side walls, a pair of spaced upright end walls extending between and connecting the ends of said side walls, and a generally horizontal bottom wall connecting the lower edges of said side Walls and said end walls, said side end and bottom walls being formed of flexible water-proof material, each of said flexible side walls having a loop integrally formed on the upper end thereof, a tubular rod in each of said loops, a pair of pivotally connected angular leg assemblies for supporting said side walls and said end walls in a vertical position, each of said leg assemblies having a bight portion extending from a centrally disposed pivot along the lower edge of a flexible end wall, a pair of portions extending upwardly from the bight portion having a horizontally oflset extension on the upper end of each upwardly extending portion of the removably contained within an end of said tubular rods.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,062,316 Johnson Dec. 1, 1936 FOREIGN PATENTS 49,112 Switzerland Feb. 10, 1910

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