WO1995028141A1

WO1995028141A1 - Bathtub for hydromassage and/or application of alternating hot and cold water

Info

Publication number: WO1995028141A1
Application number: PCT/IT1995/000057
Authority: WO
Inventors: David Fagnani
Original assignee: David Fagnani
Priority date: 1994-04-19
Filing date: 1995-04-19
Publication date: 1995-10-26
Also published as: ITME940008A0; IT1280638B1; ITME940008A1

Abstract

The invention comprises a bath designed for two types of hydrotherapy, namely the 'Scottish shower' (alternating hot and cold water) and hydromassage. The ergonomic bottom (35) of the bathtub allows the patient to lie in a prone position, or on his back or side. A door (33) allows an easy entrance to elderly or disabled patients. The use of selected delivery openings (36) allows the treatment of a part of the body. It is possible to treat a patient within 20-30 minutes, thus speeding up the work of establishments where a considerable number of patients are treated daily.

Description

DESCRIPTION

BATH-TUB FOR HYDROMASSAGE AND/OR APPLICATION OF ALTERNATING HOT AND COLD WATER.

Tecnical Field

The invention aims at bringing snelping changes in the hydrotherapy field with the help of an absolutely new bath-tub planned with a methodology never used before that makes it possible to unite two important

hydrotherapies,interdependent and complementary between themselves, that are able to solue to solve any problems concerning all the brenches of Thermal,Aesthetic and Rehabilitation Medicine, such as:

Sports: Sprains and tirednes;

Female: 3ynecological troubles;

Cardiovascular: Metabolism diseases;

Dermatology: Eczema and psoriasis;

Psichiatry: Sleeplessness and mental healt;

Geriatry: Rheumatism and gout;

Pain: Paresis, trauma, burns;

Aesthetic: Localized inexetism; Thermal: Thalassotherapy and mudtherapy

Background Art

The present state of tecnique does not produce bath-tubs that cannot be compared to the invented one because it, after thousands of year, changed radically the shape of the bath-tub tanks to methodological innovation such that the valve of hydrotherapy is redisbovered recently muddled up with bathing therapy.

The reason why the invention males the interdependence of two hydrotherapies possible is the following:

As everybody knows the "Scottish shower" by exposing the human body to an alternated contact of cold and hot water causing a vessel constraint and a vessel dilatation, enables to do the vascular gymnastic, that is necessary to rehabilitate the elasticity of the venous circulation, that is often endangered by diseases or by sedentary life, that is charatheristic of our society.

The hydromassage's assignmentis to execute a push on the return of the blood, but this is possible only if the vascular system is elastic enough.

The present state of tecnique produces boxes fot the Scottish shower inside which the patient in upright position he is exposed to the shower of hot and cold water with the following results:

As a consequence of the upright position and of the obtained vessel dilatation, it favours the force of gravity that acts in the opposite direction to the return of the blood causing a remarcable snelling of the ankles,it means clearly a stagnate on of the blood. The hydrotherapy,instead, should reduce the work of that wonderfullorgan,man's heart, that makes the blood go up to the heart exceeding the height of I,20 and winning the force of gravity that acts in the opposite direction. As for the hydromassage, actually a lot of models are on the market, that are really very nice and made with the most advanced standards,but they don't allow to lie in complete relax, because they need to be filled up with a remarkable quantity of water, 300/500 It.,inside which the body floats and slided to the feet, always in a muscular tension.

Such a quantity of water, that usually reaches the height of ml.0, 60, besides compressing the body to soak,it offers a considerable resistance to the massage and the result is that the parts nearer to the small openings suffer the strangling of the diameter of veins, besides t the trauma of the blood capillaries and lymphatic

periferal,while the other parts do not enjoy the benefit of the fluxes.

These bath-tubs, inside which a lot of small openings of delivery are spread, or nozzles arranged on the botton and on the inside of the container, they effect on the immersed body a compression of a duration equal to the time of working, that cannot be compared to a massager's work.

If we observe a massager's hands, infact,we can notice how they cause the shifting of a part of the body and then make it return to the beginning position.

Besides, the massager always beging from the plantar area thenhe massagers all the body following the right

direction of the return blood and he limitte or avoids his interventions in the areas afflicted with varicose veins,with capillary frailty,with wounds and he keeps on massaging the parts that need specific treatment.

Since no bath can produce, even partilly, the same work of massager,we can tranquilly say that they do not effect any underwater massage or hydromassage, but they are simple equipment for bathing therapy, that is much different from hydrotherapy, to which very important hidrotherapic symptoms are bound.

Besides these bath-tubs neglect the temperature of water that's basic in hydrotherapy because when there is a variation of just 5° in comparision to the corporeal temperature, it initiates a process of greater or smaller molecular cohesion of immersed tissues.

In these bath-tubs, the air constantly added to water fluxes caused a remarkable lowering of the initial temperature, about 34°36°,with the consequences above mentioned, besides the unpleasant feeling of cold to which the patient's exposed, that is the reason why it is necessary to interrupt the treatment, to restore the initial temperature.

The invention aims at obviating the faults above

mentioned in the following way:

Disclosure of invention.

The botton of the bath-tub is placed at 50 cm. from the ground and it can be reached through a water-tight door This shrewdness will be of considerable help to the disabled and to the elderly ones, than can reach it directly from the roller chair without entrusting them to lifters or to the assigned people.

The botton of the bath-tub,lined longitudinally by concavo-convex canals, has a sinuous course that allows to lie in it in all confort like in a bed for

physiotherapy absolutely relaxed and on the back

position, a prone one and on one side.

Lying in these positions it's possible to have the

Scottish shower coming from an arch of a moving trolley that will advance and return on special rails situated on the superior longitudinal edge of the bath.

This trolley, besides making hydrotherapy on the whole body from the plantar zone to the cervical one, allows specific treatments even for just a little part of the trunk or of one leg.

In the positions mentioned above, the patient can receive the hydromassage thanks to five small openings of

delivery situated in the plantar zone.

Such therapy will be pulsatile to produce the same work of a massager, oily directional from the plantar zone, according the return of the blood, have an angle of incidence on the human body of just 2 or 4 degrees that does not involve any strangling of veins no, any trauma of lymphatic and blood capillaries,it will be at a constant temperature throughout the treatment,it can be specific for the rehabilitation of just one leg or an arm In such a bath-tub, laying down, all the lymphatic

ganglions of the ankles, of the interior bending of the knee of the groin. and the armpits will be exposed to the mechanical action of the fluxes coming from the plantar zone, that stimulates such ganglions to empty out all the slags from the tissues, improving as a consequence the lymphatic circulation.

The invention makes it possible to effect two

hydrotherapies,in the following way:

From the beginning of the working day, all the tanks (41-42-43-44) will be full of water at a programmed temperature for the single hydrotherapies.

On the microprocessor on the wall, from which all the services of the invention depend, personal programmes will be set out for every patient, either for one therapy only or for both of them.

The patient reaches the bath by a water-tight door (33) then he lies down (35), in the mott suitable position to receive the prescribed hydrotherapy.

THE SCOTTISH SHOWER

A shower of cold water alternated to hot water comes from the arch of a mobile trolley that advances and returns on the concerned parties of the body delivering water only outward.

The microprocessor will give the imput to turn off the water outlet electrovalves from the tanks (12), of those placed in the communicating canals (14), of that placed to turn off the hydromassage's small openings (38), and start simultaneously the motor-pump (5-4) and the moving motors placed in the hollow heads of the trolley

(45)

The electrovalves of the tanks (43 and 44) open

alternativately, each time the trolley goes back to its initial position, allowing the pump to draw cold water first and hot water the second time.

If the whole body is involved in the hydrotherapy both the manoeuvring taps of the flexible cords (21) remain open, otherwise the one placed in the part of the body not involved in hydrotherapy and in this case the shower comes only from half the arch, as it is divided in to two sections.

Of course the trolley goes forward and backward on the part to be treated which ma be just a part of the trunk, a leg, an arm,with the possibility to exclude the

treatment from those zones affected with varicose veins, capillary brittleness and wounds.

When the shower programme is over, the microprocessor gives the imput to stop the motors placed in the hollow heads of the trolley, after its return to the foot of the bath,it will stop the motor-pump (5-4), open the

electrovalves (II) to fill up the tanks (43 and 44) and subsequently to reactive the electric resistances (I8) in both of the tanks in order to prepare them for the next treatment.

THE HYDROMASSAGE

It works as follows:

The two bath-tub discharges will be turned off, as well as the electrovalves serving the Shottish shower (39),the one serving the pouths of erogazion will be open (38), as well as the electrovalves located in the communicating canals (14) and, simultaneously, the one for the water outlet (12) from the tank (42). Onle the motor-pump (5-4) has been started, all the water contained in the tank (42) of It. IIO will be carried into the bath-tub - container and,as a

conseguence of the opened intercommunicating ducts (14) it will be all the same with the one in the tank (41). If the quantity of IIO It. of water were not enough to cover the patient's body, because of his size,it is possible to add the necessary water taking it from the manual shower (32).

Immediately the water inlet into tank (11) and the electric resistance (18) reactivated in order to prepare the next treatment.

At the same time the exit electrovalve (12)from the tank (41) has been opened from which the pump will draw throughout the duration of the hydromassage.

The water will make a complete turn according to the(40) lenght of the bath-tub and it will be kept at a constant temperature by electric resistance (18) that remains active throughout the duration of the treatment.

The massaging flux, pulsed every 25-30 seconds, starts from the plantar zone and then goes up all the body, according to the right direction of the return of the bllod. This flux meets an insignificant resistance with a water mass of modest thickness and it will be favoured by the aspiration coming from the intercommunicating diets (14) placed in the head of the bath-tub.

The massaging flux neeting the human body lying down and relaxed,will involve with its mechanical action, all the lymphatic ganglions of the ankles, of the internal bending of the knee, of the groin, of the armpits with a high stimulant action that will empty out the ganglions, enabling, as a consequence, a better peripheric lymphatic circulation.

In the event a specific treatment is required for just one leg,it works as follows:

Two of five small openings of erogation (36) will be closed by the taps (20) placed on the container, leaving the other three small openings concerning the interested limb working the middle small opening of the three acts on the plantar zone,while the other two act inside and outside the leg with an angle of incidence of just 2-4 degrees, effecting a caress as if it was a massager's hands. If it is necessary to overturn the patient in order to treat the same leg, the small openings turned off previously will be opened and the last two of the three before will be turned off and one will proceed as before. Should a hydrotherapy be carried out aimed at

rehabilitating one arm, only do as follows:

Four of five small openings of erogation (36) will be turned off as wellas one of the two intercommunicating ducts (14), leaving those concerning the interested limb working.It is understood that the whole arm and the axillary zone will be exposed to the massaging flux, that is canalized between the trunk and the wall of the bath-tub and will act according to the return of the blood and will stimulate the axillary lymphatic ganglions,which are exposed to the mechanical action.

Once the hydromassage is over, the microprocessor will stop the motor-pump,it will turn the electric

resistance (18) in tank (41),it will open the discharges (17) from which all the water will come up from the container.

After the patient leaves the bath, the door is shut and the motor-pump will start to empty out the tank (41) of piping (7) of the pump (4) through the opening of the electrovalve (25) which it is provided with.

When it is empty,it is possible to fill up the tank (41) inside which it's been put a predetermined dose of necessary detergent and disinfectant contained in the reservoir (30).

Once the motor-pump is started the cleaning and

sterilization of the tank (41), of the piping (7), of the small openings of erogation (36) of the bath-tub and of the pump will be done.

Then the discharges will be opened and, subsequently, the the electrovalve of the pump (25)for emptylng all the water used for the washing and sterilization.

Immediately after the microprocessor will consent the filling of the tank (41), to reactivate the electric resistance (I8),in order to prepare the next treatment. At this point the next patient will be able to enter the bath-tub because the two tanks (43 and 44) used before have already had enough time to heat It.55 water at 34-36 degrees and It.55 water at 8-10 degrees.

The invention, thanks to the separated involvement of the services,will enable to cure one patient every 30 minutes with both the hydrotherapies,while just 20 mins for a single one will be enough, quickening as a consequence the work of those structures used to serve a considerable number of daily patients.

Brief description of drawings

Figure n°I represents the services placed under the bath-tub; Fig. n°2 the plan of the bath-tub; fig. n°3 the longitudinal section executed in the section A-B of the plan; fig. n°4 the transversal section in the C-D section of the plan;fig.n°5 represents the front view and fig. n°6 the side view.

In these drawings the number identify :

1-Plastic coated stainless steel pillars 25×80 m/m;

2-Plastic coated stainless steel base and head bars 25×80 m/m;

3-Shower flexible cord garages;

4-Emptylng pump provided with an electrovalve and

separated from the motor;

5-Temporizable variable speed motor separated from the pump.

6-Pipeline for water adduction into tanks;

7-Pipeline for water adduction from tanks to pump;

8-Pulleys for housing a rubber belt to connect the motor with the pump.

9-Ingress of water into pump;

IO-Water outlet from pump;

II-Ingress of water into tanks by electrovalve.

12-Water outlet from tanks by electrovalve.

13-Level sensors min/max;

14-lntercommunieating canals between the bath-tub

container and the underlying tank;

I 5-Air-valve for tanks;

I6-Main discharges ɸ 50 m/m;

I7-Bath-tub discharge ; I8-Electric resistance to heat up the water;

I9-Thermoregulator of electric resistance;

20-Small opening taps;

21-Shower flexible cord taps;

22-Signalling quadrant of water delivery;

23-Signalling quadrant of air delivery;

24-Holes for the replacement of flexible cords;

25Pump drain provided with electrovalve;

26-Manual shower tap ;

27-Inspection hole and tank cleaning;

28-Earthed main drain plug;

29-Bath-tub discharge communicating with the

underlying tank;

30-Detergent and disinfectant tank with automatic dosing;

31-Water temperature warning light in the tanks;

32-Manual shower connected to the domestic pipeline:

33-Water-tight door for the entrance of patients;

34-Trolley for the Scottish shower sliding on rails guides placed on the upper longitudinal edges of the bath-tub;

35-Ergonomic shaping of the botton of the bath-tub; 36-Small pulsed delivery openings of massaging fluxes in one sense;

37-Toothed tracks or guides for advancccment and return of the trolley for the Scottish shower;

38-Electrovalve for water adduction to the small

delivery openings;

39-Electrovalve for water adduction to the trolley for the Scottish shower;

40-Direction of water circulation for hydromassage 41-Inox steel tank to re-use lt.35, the water for

hydromassage;

42-Tank of It. IIO to contain and produce hot water

to fill up the bath-tub;

43-Tank of It.55 to contain and produce hot water

for the Scottish shower;

44-Tank to contain water for the Scottish shower;

45-Concavo-convex canals to allow the circulation of water;

Claims

On all the hydromassage bath-tubs and similar ones which have the botton of the container (35)placed at about 50 cm. from the ground, shaped in the horizontal sense in order to reproduce the shape of the human body, during the supine position on a soft ground (35), ruled by concavo-convex canals (46) located in the bath lenght's direction, to enable the water

circulation even belove the laying body on it,which enables to lay down in the prone position, supine and on the bed for physiotherapy,which nave the entrance made up by a hermetic door (33) which have the upper side of the horizontal borders doomed to contain or constitute a track or guide upon which a carriage goes forth and back, from which a shower or the Scottish shower (34) will spread,which have five mouths of erogazion (36) placed in line at the botton of the bath-tub itself and two mouths of to find again (14) situated at the top and at the same distance from the borders with the first and the fifth mouth of erogazion (36), that allow to execute the shower and the Scottish shower, in orizontal position, as an

alternative to the hydromassage or joined to it, enabling the patient to lay in the same positions available for the hydromassage.

2-On all the bath-tubs, as previously in point 1,which heve the container placed upon a metallic structure (1) and (2), use the lower space to contain the steel tanks and thermoplastic material, endowed with electric resistance (18) thermoadjustable (I9),with level sensors,with electrovalves placed atthe entrance(11) and at the exit (12) of the water from the reservoirs, with breather pipe (15) from tanks themselves, that can contain and produce the hot water necessary to the hydromassage and a Scottish shower.

3-On all the bath-tubs, as at point 1,which through a

tank that re-uses the water (41), endowed with thermo-adjustable (19) electric resistance (I9),which

rimans active throughout the lenght of the hydrotherapy, enable to do treatments at a constant temperature,imitating the water circulation system in the heating radiator system (40).

4-On all the bath-tubs, as at point 1,which enable to execute the hydromassage for a single leg or arm, using the utility of the mounths of erogation (36) and of those that re-use water (14), in order to drive the massaging flux on the interested part of the body according to the direction of the return of the blood.

5-0n all the bath-tubs, as at point 1,which enable to do even the shower or the Scottish shower through a mobile arch or arm,whose advancement and return will concern all the patient's body, from the plantar zone to the cervical one, as well as it will concern just one small section of the bust or a leg, thanks to the water that can come from the whole arch or arm or just from half them (34), acting on the pipes of the flexible cords (21) and planning the lenght and the progression on the microprocessor. 6-On all the bath-tubs, as at point 1,which using the separated activity of the reservoirs (41-42-43-44) and of the predetermined schedules on the

microprocessor, enable to do the Scottish shower and the hydrmassage on the same patient, and it also allows to do a single hydrotherapy and a special one. 7-On all the hydrmassage bath-tubs, as at point 1, that through operative devices, available because of the separated use of the reservoirs (41-42-43-44), and of the manoeuvre of the taps (20) corresponding to each of the erogation mouths, allow to carry out those specific treatments since today and practiced in the baths for the rehabilitation of the upper and lower limbs.

8-On all the bath-tubs, as at point 1,which using the sectioned use of the reservoirs (41-42-43-44) allow an uninterrupted following of patients throughout the day.

9-On all the bath-tubs, as at point 1,that being used in the Therms, allow to cover the patient in mud, making him rest for the necessary time on the

sinuous ground of the bath,without moving him in the proper calls to take the mud off.

IO-On all the bath-tubs, as at point 1,which will be

able to use the sea water, by putting it directly in the reservoirs and in the circuits of the hydromassage in order to produce the same benefical effects of the sea wave on all the human body laying down on the sea shore. The thalassotherapy can be practiced since the bath-container is made of glass-resin, the canals in untoxic plastic, the pump in noryl and the mouths in glazed steel,while the electric circuit will of high protected in order to prevent corrosion caused by oxidizing elements.