Back to results
US 4,048,266 AGranted
Air bubbling mat for use in bathtubs for producing bubbling and full-foam baths
OwnerLudwig G. Baumanninventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Loading patent…
Loading patent…
OwnerLudwig G. Baumanninventor
Estimating the term…
The mat is arranged to be connected to an air distribution device and a blower, and comprises a substantially rectangular, flat, and relatively elongated hollow body of a suitable material, such as plastic or rubber, with upper and lower walls forming, respectively, upper and lower support surfaces for a patient's body, and interconnected by side and end walls. The body has an upper portion, including the upper wall, formed with a plurality of air chambers and with air passages, and a lower portion, including the lower wall, having ribs or elevations extending therefrom. The upper wall is pressure-formed to define a plurality of channels or grooves extending longitudinally and centrally of the body and a plurality of channels or grooves extending laterally outwardly from the central grooves or channels. The bases of these grooves are formed with perforations opening through the upper wall. An air distributing manifold is incorporated in the body and the air passages establish at least partial communication between the air chambers and further establish electrically controllable communication between individual air chambers and the manifold. Further elongated chambers extend along each longer peripheral edge of the body, and have perforations directed through the side walls closely adjacent to the lower wall of the body. In one embodiment, respective coupling sleeves are provided on the upper and lower walls at the manifold, with one coupling sleeve communicating with the central and laterally extending chambers and the other coupling sleeve communicating with the chambers extending along the longer edge of the body. In another embodiment of the invention, two coupling sleeves are provided on the upper wall of the body, one communicating with the centrally and laterally extending air chambers and the other communicating with the air chambers extending along the longer peripheral edges of the body. If the body is made of fully flexible material, supports may be provided extending from the upper wall to engage the lower wall, and these supports are tapered in a downward direction.
An air bubbling mat for use in a bathtub which can be selectively utilized to produce either a bubbling bath or a full-foam bath, comprising a substantially flat, elongated mat having opposed upper and lower walls forming respectively the upper and lower surfaces, opposed end and side walls interconnecting said upper and lower walls about the periphery of said upper and lower walls defining a hollow mat body, means disposed in said mat body to define a manifold chamber, said manifold chamber having an inlet means which is adapted to be connected to a source of compressed air, partition means disposed between said upper and lower walls to define therewith a plurality of air distributing channels through which air is distributed when said mat is utilized to produce a bubbling bath, said upper wall having a plurality of grooves formed on the surface thereof, said grooves extending transversely of each of said air distributing channels, and said grooves having a plurality of apertures formed therein disposed in communication with the associated air distributing channel through which the air distributed to said distributing channels flows when used to make a bubbling bath, and a second partition means disposed between said upper and lower walls and defining with said side walls separate foaming air channels, said side walls having a series of openings formed therein communicating with said foaming air channels through which air is permitted to flow outwardly from said mat when said mat is utilized as a full-foam bath mat, said manifold having a plurality of outlets, said outlets being respectively in communication with each of said plurality of air distributing channels and said foaming air channels, and means for selectively opening and closing said outlets for selectively distributing air from said manifold to one or more of said air distributing channels or to said foaming air channel only.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.