US 4,546,506 A · Home bathing unit

Abstract

A bathing unit is particularly designed for home use, and includes a bathtub with an access opening in one side for easy ingress and egress, and a vertically sliding door to close the access opening. The bathing unit has a unique, combination door guide and grab bar arrangement, an adjustable control console, and a power door lock, all of which permit the bather to readily operate the door by himself, and to adjust the water temperature, flow and whirlpool from a seated position within the bathtub. The bather can receive total bathing and whirlpool therapy in private, without the need for an assistant. The combination door guide and grab bar arrangement includes a pair of support rods located on either side of the access opening, which function both as a track on which the door smoothly and easily glides, and also as vertical grab bars, which greatly facilitate entering and exiting the bathtub, and do not interfer with the operation of the door. The adjustable control console allows a seated bather to move the bathing controls to a convenient location within easy reach. The power door lock securely closes the door to a fully closed and sealed position without significant manual effort, and includes a remote actuator located on the control console to further facilitate the use of the bathing unit without an attendant, or other assistance.

Claims67

Dependent claims

A home bathing unit, comprising:

a bathtub having opposite sidewalls and end walls, with an access opening in one of said sidewalls for bather ingress and egress therethrough;
a seat located in said bathtub adjacent to one of said end walls;
a door shaped to selectively close said access opening;
means for vertically guiding said door between a fully open position wherein bather movement through said access opening is permitted, and a fully closed position wherein said door sealingly closes said access opening;
means for securely locking said door in the fully closed position;
a lock actuator operably connected with said locking means, and positioned to be manipulated by a bather disposed on the seat in said bathtub;
a handle located on said door at a position thereon from which a bather disposed on the seat in said bathtub can grasp said handle and manually translate said door between the fully open and fully closed positions;
a door controller, having means for retaining said door in said fully open position until moved therefrom by the bather, and means for adjusting the height of said door in the fully open position, so that said door is high enough to permit the bather to readily enter said bathing unit through said access opening, yet low enough to permit the bather, when disposed on the seat in said bathtub, to reach said handle and close said door, whereby the bather may enter and exit the bathing unit, and open, close and lock said door by himself from a seated position within said bathtub, without requiring an assistant.

5 more elements

In a bathing apparatus of the type having a bathtub with at least one water dispenser, a seat area at one end of said bathtub, and a controller for said water dispenser at the other end of said bathtub, the improvement of an adjustable console comprising:

a cabinet having a chassis, and a front plate facing the one end of said bathtub;
means for connecting said controller to said chassis, with a variable actuator portion of said controller extending through said front plate and accessible to a user disposed at the seat area of said bathtub;
a console support connected with said bathtub, and having means for slidingly mounting said cabinet thereon at the other end of said bathtub for selective movement along a generally horizontal plane;
and
means for non-rigidly communicating said controller with a source of pressurized water, whereby said console is bodily translated along said support to adjust the fore-to-aft position of said console with respect to the seat area of said bathtub for a particular user, such that variously sized users can readily grasp and manipulate the actuator portion of said controller.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Home bathing unit

Life of this patent

Home bathing unit

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims67