US3451069A

US3451069A - Bathtub cover

Info

Publication number: US3451069A
Application number: US709045A
Authority: US
Inventors: Cornelius P Cronin Sr
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1968-02-28
Filing date: 1968-02-28
Publication date: 1969-06-24
Anticipated expiration: 1986-06-24

Description

June 24, 1969 c. P. cRoNxN, SR 3,451,069

. BATHTUB COVER Filed Feb. 28, 195s l sheet of 2 Fig. l/

Corne/ius l? Cronin, Sr. ,5 INVENTOR.

/4 BY l0 wpswy 25m June 24, 1969 v c. P.v cRoNlN, SR

BATHTUB COVER Sheet Filed Feb. 2e; 1968 Carn/ius P. Cron/n, Sr.

United States Patent O 3,451,069 BATHTUB COVER Cornelius P. Cronin, Sr., 710 McClelland St., Monaca, Pa. 15061 Filed Feb. 28, 1968, Ser. No. 709,045 Int. Cl. A47k 3/00 U.S. Cl. 4 173 9 Claims ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE This bathtub cover could, if desired, lbe made in one piece but preferably comprises a pair of plastic head and foot `sections having abutting transverse ends separably connected by a iinm tongue and groove jpint. It is advocated for use whenever the tub is not being used for bathing and serves to guard against persons, particularly unwary youngsters and elderly and infirm persons, from falling on or into the tub. This cover can be used to conceal clothes while being soaked, used as a shelf for stacking towels, linens, miscellaneous bottles and containers while cleaning a nearby cabinet, the medicine chest, and for similar purposes when storage space is at a premium. It can be used as a seat. Also the half-sections can be individually used while taking a foot bath, even .as a table and in other ways. Note too, the well-like sump for trapping and draining water from a leaky showerhead or spigot.

A significant aspect of the concept has to do with the advantages and benefits available to the infirm person who may desire to bathe alone. To be sure, assistance may be desired, perhaps necessary, if the user has to lie down in the tub. Certain infirm persons who would be unable to arise unassisted will be enabled with my invention to resort to and take a sponge bath while seated on one section of the cover. It follows that the cover is unique in that it will serve the purposes of manufacturers, retailers, nurses, physicians and users in a self-evident and practical manner.

Briefly, the unique cover means is designed and adapted to provide a protective shield, to ward off and minimize injuries and in particular to safeguard the person who may be called upon to hastily enter the ybathroom in case of illness. To the ends desired the cover means is preferably made of colorful lightweight plastic material. While it could be in the form of a readily applicable and removable lightweight one-piece lid (not shown), it is preferably made up of a pair of complemental or companion half-sections, one half-section cooperable with the head and adjacent half-portion of the tub and the other halfsection cooperable with the foot and adjacent end portion of the tub. The adjacent abutting transverse ends of the companion sections are in abutting but separable relationship and a firm tongue and groove joint serves to interlock the sections for oriented and coordinating use. It is within the purview of the inventive concept to provide at least one of the sections, for example, the foot section, with a recessed top surface wherein the recess provides a concave or well-like depression. This depression provides a water trapping and pooling sump and is preferably centrally apertured to provide a drain hole. This sump serves to collect water such as may drip from a leaky showerhead or spigot as the case may be.

It is a ,matter of common knowledge that temporary readily applicable and removable shields and covers have been offered by others with a view toward protecting the tub surfaces against damage particularly during the time that the bathroom is under construction and the tub has been installed. A number of prior art examples could be cited here for background purposes. `lt is believed, however, that it will be suiiicient to merely mention the sectional bathtub cover in a patent to Mayer, 1,570,164.

An object of the present invention is to advance the art and to provide an innovation which while capable of use in lieu of Mayers cover, is primarily designed and adapted for protective and other attending usage after the bathroom has been completed and readied for use.

Aside from the primary safeguarding purpose and objective it will be evident from the following disclosure that the cover, being .made of lightweight but sturdy plastic material can be decorative and colorful for use as an added and practical accessory in ones bathroom. It has been satisfactorily used as a shield to conceal clothes, curtains and the like while being allowed to soak or bleach. When in use this cover permits the user, or users, to sit, if desired, atop the shielded tub. It provides a feasible place for towels, linens, and miscellaneous containers and various small articles while working or cleaning within the limited contines of the bathroom.

When one half-section of the cover is moved, the other half-section can be allowed to remain in place to thus provide a shelf or table for books, magazines, and the like while the bather is soaking in the tub. Then, too, when one half-section is removed and the other half-section is allowed to remain in place, it can be used as a practical seat while bathing ones feet. 'Ihe cover section which has been removed can be placed on the floor and used as a bath mat for persons stepping out of the tub. When both sections are in place the recessed and grooved top surfaces can be relied upon to trap and drain water back into the receptacle portion of the tub.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIG. l is a top plan view showing a sectional or twopart protective bathtub cover constructed in accordance with the invention and illustrating the manner in which the sections are designed and cooperate.

FIG. 2 is a central longitudinal sectional View taken approximately on the plane of the section line 2 2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a transverse or cross-sectional view taken approximately on the plane of the section line 3 3 looking in the direction of the arrows.

FIG. 4 is a similar cross-section taken on the plane of the section line 4 4 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a bottom plan view of the cover removed from the tub and showing the details of construction.

FIG. 6 is a view in perspective showing one cover sec- `tion, the foot section, in position for use at the foot end of a tub and showing the complemental head section removed from the tub and placed atop the floor-'in which position it can be used as the aforementioned foot mat. l With reference to FIG. 6 it will be seen that the numeral 8 designates a standard bathtub the receptacle portion of which is denoted at 10. The aforementioned head end of the tub is conveniently designated at 12 and the foot end at 14. The usual rounded or convex upper surfaces of the side walls of the tub are denoted at 16.

It is reiterated that it is within the purview of the inventive concept to make a one-piece protective shield or cover, that is one having the groove and drainage features and perhaps other features on the underneath side. It is preferred however that the cover be made up of companion half-sections with the section at the right serving as the head section. This section is designated by the numeral 18. The companion or complemental foot section is differentiated by the numeral 20.

The section 18 is substantially rectangular in plane but has a rounded end at the right to coordinate with the rounded head portion 12 of the tub. It will be noted in FIG. 6 that the overhanging marginal rim portions 22 are shaped to reside firmly atop the underlying surfaces of the tub. These edge portions are referred to as ledgelike and the underneath surfaces can be and preferably are contoured to provide firm contact with the tub surfaces. Inwardly of the overhanging rim portion the underneath side is provided with a depending ange which is denoted as an entity by the numeral 24 (FIG. 5). This flange rigidifies the section but in addition the underneath side 26 is provided with transverse spaced parallel stabilizing ribs 28. The component of the fiange at the left in FIG. 2, that is the portion 30 is substantially V-shaped as suggested at 32 to provide a substantially interlocking tongue. The top of this section 18 in FIG. 1 is provided with a network of grooves one of which is denoted at 36, and the diamond portion of which is conveniently denoted at 38 and which has auxiliary branches 40 communicating with the encompassing groove 36 and all of said grooves leading to the discharge groove 42 at the left in FIGS. 1 and 6 to serve in a manner to be described. The pad-like components defined by the grooves and denoted at 44 are milled, knurled or otherwise roughened as at 46 to provide anti-slipping portions. The numeral 48 designates suitable handholds which facilitate applying and removing the head section 18.

With respect now to the independent but cooperable foot section 20 it will be noted that it too is provided with an encompassing marginal rim 50 which has its underside shaped to rest atop the tub surfaces, for example the surface 52 at the left in FIG. 2. The underneath side is also provided inwardly of the marginal edge with the depending reinforcing positioning and retaining flange 54. The flange portion 56 at the right is V-shaped in crosssection as denoted at 58 to provide a groove for the abutting and interlocking tongue 32. The top surface 60 has a dished or concave well-like depression 62 which serves as a catch basin for leaky water. This is centrally provided with a drain hole 64 which drains into the receptacle portion of the tub. It will be noted in FIGS. 1 and 2 that there is a groove at 66 which is aligned with the aforementioned discharge groove 42 so that any water which collects on the section 18 will be transferred (as is evident from FIG. 2) to the water pooling depression 62 for drainage into the tub.

It is intended that when the cover is placed on the tub, the surface, thereof, shall be inclined in such a manner that the water falling on either part of the cover will run so that it eventually comes into discharge groove 42; and from thence on into basin 62. This is achieved by having the margin rim portion 22 thickest at the head and foot ends of the cover, and sloping into the thinnest part on either side of drain hole 64.

The foot portion of the cover (shown on the oor in FIGURE 6) is to be constructed in such a manner that water coming on it will remain in

channels

36, 38, 40; and will not drip onto the floor through discharge groove 42. This is accomplished by having flange 24 highest at that end of the cover where discharge groove 42 is located and sloping uniformly to a slightly lower height at the other end of the cover.

It is submitted that the component parts or

sections

18 and 20 are shown to advantage in FIGS. 1 and 6 in particular. The underneath surface portions are brought out in FIG. 5. The longitudinal and transverse sectional construction is shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4. FIG. 2 shows the manner in which the tongue and groove joint functions to interlock the abutting transverse ends of the sections together. FIG. 6 shows how one section 20` can be used by itself as a seat and for other purposes while the other section 18 can be placed atop the iioor and used as a bath mat.

It can be added that the section containing the water pooling depression 62 lends itself to use as a small basin in that the user can bathe a baby therein. Water at a proper temperature could be discharged directly from the faucet or spigot for such purposes. Then too, and inasmuch as the sections are made of plastic and are non-conductive, a person can stand atop the cover in FIG. l herein when using electrical appliances. It will be evident therefore that the invention well serves the purposes for which it is intended and that a more detailed description is deemed to be unnecessary.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. Cover means for a standard open top bath tub comprising, in combination, a pair of readily applicable and removable companion cover sections, namely, a first section adapted to span and cooperatively cover the head end and adjacent portion of said tub, and a second section adapted to span and cooperatively cover the foot end and adjacent portion of said tub, said sections being disposed in a generally common plane when in use and being marginally encompassed by ledge-like rim portions having underneath surfaces which are Contoured to rest firmly atop underlying crown portions of coacting walls of said tube, the inward transverse end of said second section terminating in a groove and the contiguous inward transverse end of the first section terminating in an overhanging tongue-like projecting conformingly into said groove and separa-bly interlocking said sections in tub covering relationship.

2. The cover means defined in and according to claim 1, and wherein said sections have underneath marginal portions provided with depending positioning and retaining flanges which are located and spaced inwardly from the above named marginal edges and are designed and adapted to project into the receptacle portion of said tub, said flanges having outer perimeter surfaces which are expressly contoured and shaped to conformingly and intimately contact the tub surfaces which are abutted thereby in a manner to keep said sections in their given position and tub covering relationship.

3. The cover means defined in and according to claim 2, and wherein said groove is substantially V-shaped in cross-section and said tongue is correspondingly V-shaped in cross-section whereby to provide a stable tongue-andgroove joint between said sections.

4. The cover means defined in and according to claim 3, and wherein at least one of said sections is provided with readily accessible hand holes which assist one in gripping and holding said one section when either applying or removing it.

5. The cover means defined in and according to claim 1, and wherein at least one of said sections has an upper side which is concave, the concavity providing a dished sump capable of trapping and pooling dripping water, if any.

6. The cover means defined in and according to claim 5 and wherein said dished sump is provided centrally with a drainage hole which functions to direct dripping water from a leaky shower head or faucet into the underlying receptacle portion of said tub.

7. The cover means defined in and according to claim 6, and wherein the other one of said sections has an upper side having a plurality of interconnected communicating drip retrieving and channeling grooves, at least one of said grooves registering with said sump by way of a complemental groove leading to said sump.

8. Cover means for a standard open top bath tub comprising a lid-like cover having coplanar marginal ledgelike rim portions capable of being seated firmly but removably atop coacting underlying crown portions of the Walls of said tub, the underneath marginal portions 0f said cover having inset depending piloting and positionretaining flanges, said cover having a top side provided with a concave depression which constitutes a water trapping and pooling sump, and said depression having a drain hole leading to the receptacle portion of the tub.

9. The cover means defined in and according to claim 8 and wherein said cover is characterized by a pair o=f lightweight plastic cover sections, more particularly, head and foot spanning sections, at least one section capable of use as a oor mat and having a grooved top side with anti-slipping components, said one section having an underneath side provided with reinforcing ribs.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,001,520 8/1911 Greason 4-189 1,570,164 1/1926` Mayer 4-173 1,576,607 3/1926` Hasskarl 4--189 10 LAVERNE D. GEIGER, Primaly Examiner.

H. I. GROSS, Assistant Examiner.