Baby bathtub

Abstract

A bathtub for infants and children that can be placed within another standard bathtub such as a regular bathtub. The bathtub has a set of supports that suspend the bathtub above the bottom of the standard bathtub to that the baby bathtub can be reach easily by an adult. The purpose is to increase the comfort of the adult washing the infant or child and to help the adult protect the infant or child from harm.

Description

FIELD OF INVENTION

This invention relates to bathtubs. More specifically it relates to bathtubs for infants and children.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Most baby baths are arranged so that they are placed inside a regular bathtub. This is done so that the baby bath can overflow into the regular bathtub. But, the low position of the baby bath makes bathing a child or an infant difficult. The child or infant is significantly below the lip of the regular bath making the adult who is bathing the child reach down into the regular bathtub to bathe the child. This is uncomfortable for the adult and makes controlling and protecting the child or infant during the bath more difficult.

Some baby baths-have tried to resolve this problem by placing the baby bath over a sink. An example is U.S. Pat. No. 4,561,135 by Adriaanson. The Adriaanson patent describes a baby bath that is longer than the sink and thus can rest on top of the sink. While this system does place the baby bath at a comfortable high for the adult, it presents the problem that the baby bath is outside the confines of the sink. Thus water can be spilt out of the baby bath and not collected by the sink.

The present invention allows a baby bath to be raised to a comfortable height and still place the bath so that water spilt out of the bath can be caught by the regular bathtub that is supporting the baby bathtub.

U.S. Pat. No. 1,422,718, by Keehn, describes a baby bathtub with four supports that suspend the baby bathtub over a standard bathtub. The supports in the Keehn patent are attached to the baby bathtub at the lip of the baby bathtub. Thus the baby bathtub is too low to be comfortable for an average adult user.

U.S. Pat. No. 2,614,264, by Schmidt, describes a baby bathtub with an integrated shirt that supports the baby bathtub over a standard bathtub. Like Keehn, the Schmidt support is attached at the lip of the baby bathtub and is too low to be comfortable for an average adult user.

U.S. Pat. No. 1,086,628, by Tate, describes a baby bathtub with four supports that are attached to the baby bathtub at a point between the base and lip of the baby bathtub. But, the Tate invention requires that the baby bathtub be perpendicular to the standard bathtub that supports it. This means that part of the infant or child will be as far away from the parent or adult who is bathing the child. This is not convenient and makes the bathing job more difficult. Furthermore, by comparing Tate and Keehn, it is clear that the baby bathtubs are a crowded field and small differences can separate different baby bathtubs that use four supports.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

The invention is a baby bathtub that is elevated above the bottom of a standard bathtub. This position allows a parent or adult to bathe the infant or child in the baby bathtub without bending over. Furthermore, the baby is parallel to the standard bathtub, so the parent or adult can more easily reach all parts of the child.

The invention is a baby bathtub that has a set of supports that project from the walls of the baby bathtub. The supports rest on the lip of the standard bathtub. The supports are attached to the baby bathtub at a point on the walls of the baby bathtub that is between the lip and the base of the baby bathtub. Thus the baby bathtub is neither too high, nor too low for the parent or adult who is bathing the infant or child. The baby bathtub can also have other features commonly found with baby bathtubs, such as drains, storage areas or novelty shapes.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The accompanying drawing, which is incorporated in and form part of the specification, illustrate the embodiments of the present invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a picture of a side view of the invention with the bathtub mounted upon a regular bathtub.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates the bathtub 1 for a child or infant. The bathtub 1 has an opening 3, a base 4 and a plurality of walls 9. The bathtub 1 also has a lip 8 at the edge of the opening 3. The bathtub 1 has a set of supports 2 attached at to the walls 9. The bathtub 1 rests upon a standard bathtub 5 by the supports 2. The standard bathtub 5 has an opening of the standard bathtub 6. The standard bathtub 5 also has a lip of the standard bathtub 7. The standard bathtub 5 also has a bottom of the standard bathtub 10. The supports 2 rest on the lip of the standard bathtub 7. This allows the bathtub 1 to be substantial suspended over the opening of the standard bathtub 6.

The bathtub 1 can have a longer side and a shorter side so that the bathtub 1 is longer than it is wide. The standard bathtub 5 can have a longer side and a shorter side so that the standard bathtub 5 is longer than it is wide. In the preferred embodiment, the longer side of the baby bathtub 1 is parallel to the longer side of the standard bathtub 5. In other embodiments, the baby bathtub 1 is not longer than it is wide and has side of approximately the same length.

The bathtub 1 should be in a position that is parallel to the standard bathtub 5. This allows the parent or adult who is bathing the infant or child to reach the least distance to bathe the child.

The bathtub 1 can be of any size. The bathtub 1 can also be used to wash any person, animal or object. The bathtub 1 can be made of any rigid material. The bathtub 1 can be made of metal, wood, plastic or any other material.

The supports 2 can be of any number or any rigid material. The preferred embodiment envisions four supports 2. In the preferred embodiment, two supports 2 would be on one side of the bathtub 1 and the other two supports 2 would be on the opposite side of the bathtub 1. The preferred embodiment also envisions that the lip 8 of the bathtub 1 will be substantially higher than the lip of the standard bathtub 7. The invention could use any number of supports 2.

The supports 2 need to be of a length that will extend from the walls 9 to a point over the edge of the lip of the standard bathtub 7. The supports 2 can extend beyond the lip of the standard bathtub 7. The exact length of the supports 2 is proportional to the side of the opening of the standard bathtub 6. Other versions of the supports 2 include versions that have grips on the supports 2 to hold the lip of the standard bathtub 7.

The supports 2 can be attached to the bathtub 1 by any means practical. The preferred embodiment envisions the supports 2 being integral and continuous to the bathtub 1, such as both bathtub 1 and supports 2 being molded from the same piece of plastic. Other examples of means of attaching the supports 2 include forming the bathtub 1 and the supports 2 out of one piece of material, attaching supports 2 to bathtub 1 with glue or adhesives, attaching supports 2 to bathtub 1 by welding supports 2 to bathtub 1, attaching supports 2 to bathtub 1 by a bolt or pin, or attaching supports 2 and bathtub 1 by any fastener such as screws or nails.

The bathtub 1 can also have other features commonly found in baby baths. Bathtub 1 can have a drain and an overflow drain. It can also be molded to provide support for the child or infant, or to provide a place to store bottles or soap. The bathtub 1 could also be molded into a novelty shape such as a flower or cartoon character. The standard bathtub 5 can be an adult sized bathtub or any large container.

Although this invention has been illustrated by reference to specific embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modification may be made which clearly fall within the scope of the invention. The invention is intended to be protected broadly within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A baby bathtub comprising:

a bathtub with a base, a plurality of rigid walls and a lip;

the baby bathtub is longer than it is wide;

a plurality of supports attached to the walls of the bathtub at a point between the lip and base of the bathtub;

a standard bathtub with a bottom and a lip;

so that the bathtub is placed into the lip of the standard bathtub so that the supports hold the base of the bathtub above the bottom of the standard bathtub so that the longer side of the baby bathtub is parallel to the longer side of the standard bathtub.

2. (canceled)

3. The baby bathtub from claim 1 with supports that are perpendicular to the walls of the bathtub.

4. (canceled)

5. The baby bathtub of claim 1 with four supports that are perpendicular to the walls of the bathtub.

6. (canceled)

7. The baby bathtub from claim 1 where the supports and the baby bathtub are formed from molded plastic so that supports are integral and continuous with the baby bathtub.

8. The baby bathtub from claim 1 where the supports and the baby bathtub are formed from a single piece of metal so that supports are integral and continuous with the baby bathtub.