JUVENILE BATHTUB WITH WATER-RINSE SYSTEM

Abstract

A juvenile bathing system includes a bathtub and a child support having a water reservoir with a backrest for supporting the child and a spray system coupled to the water reservoir including a sprayer and a pump. The child support can be positioned in a reclined position or in an upright position within the bathtub.

Description

This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/941,501, filed Jun. 1, 2007, which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates to a juvenile bathing system and, in particular, to apparatus for supporting a juvenile in a bathing position in a bathing environment. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a juvenile bathing system including a spray rinse system for bathing an infant or small child.

SUMMARY

According to the present disclosure, a juvenile bathing system includes a child support having a spray system and a water reservoir providing a backrest for a child in multiple bathing environments such as, for example, in a juvenile bathtub, an adult bathtub, or a sink.

In illustrative embodiments, the juvenile bathing system includes a child support including a spray system and a water reservoir providing a backrest. The child support is configured to be mounted in a juvenile bathtub or to allow for use in an adult bathtub or sink. The spray system is configured to mate with the water reservoir and to include a spray head, a fluid line, and a reservoir pump. When used in a juvenile bathtub, the child support is oriented to lie in the bathtub in either a reclined position or an upright position. A soft flexible sling may be adapted to mate with the water reservoir to define a portion of the child support.

Additional features of the disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the disclosure as presently perceived.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The detailed description particularly refers to the accompanying figures in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic representation of a juvenile bathing system in accordance with the present disclosure comprising a child support including a spray system and water reservoir and suggesting that the water reservoir provides a backrest for the child in multiple bathing environments, for example, in a sink or adult bathtub as suggested in FIG. 3, in a reclined position in a juvenile bathtub as suggested in FIG. 4, or in an upright position in a juvenile bathtub as suggested in FIG. 5;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of an illustrative embodiment of the juvenile bathing system of FIG. 1 showing a child support including a water reservoir and a backrest, a juvenile bathtub adapted to receive and mate with the child support, a soft flexible sling overlying the backrest, a standoff adapted to mount on an upper end of the water reservoir and adapted to lie on a counter near a sink as suggested in FIG. 3 or against the rim of a juvenile bathtub as suggested in FIG. 4, and a spray system configured to mate with the water reservoir and to include a spray head, a fluid line, and a reservoir pump, and showing that the water reservoir is formed to include left and right anchors configured to mate either with a forward set of anchor sockets formed in the juvenile bathtub to establish the reclined position of the child support as suggested in FIGS. 4, 6, and 7A or a rearward set of anchor sockets formed in the juvenile bathtub to establish the upright position of the child support as suggested in FIGS. 5 and 8;

FIGS. 3-8 show the child support of FIG. 2 in different bathing environments while showing the sling overlying the backrest in a manner shown, for example, in FIGS. 9-12;

FIG. 3 illustrates the child support of FIG. 2 as it is being placed in a sink so that the standoff is arranged to rest on a lip of a sink while the water reservoir is located in the sink and the bottom of the water reservoir is in contact with the sink bottom;

FIG. 3A illustrates the child support of FIG. 2 as it is being placed in an adult bathtub so that the standoff is arranged to rest on a rim of the adult tub while the water reservoir is located in the tub and the bottom of the water reservoir is in contact with the tub bottom;

FIG. 4 shows the child support of FIG. 2 mounted in a reclined position in the juvenile bathtub;

FIG. 5 shows the child support of FIG. 2 mounted in an upright position in the juvenile bathtub;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the juvenile bathing system of FIGS. 2-5 taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 4 showing the child support in the juvenile bathtub and the standoff in engagement with a rim of the juvenile bathtub when the child support is mounted in the reclined position;

FIG. 7A is a sectional view taken along line 7A-7A of FIG. 6 showing insertion of the right anchor formed in the water reservoir in the right forward anchor socket formed in the juvenile bathtub;

FIG. 7B is a rear elevation view of the child support taken along line 7B-7B of FIG. 6 in a juvenile bathtub in a reclined position as shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, the water reservoir being secured to the rim of the juvenile bathtub by a tether strap threaded through a standoff anchor in the standoff and through a tub anchor in the rim of the juvenile bathtub;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of the juvenile bathtub taken along line 8-8 of FIG. 5 showing the child support in the juvenile bathtub and the standoff arranged to lie in spaced-apart relation to the rim of the bathtub;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the child support of FIG. 2, wherein a soft flexible sling is arranged to overlay the backrest and the standoff, the sling includes a backrest pad and a crotch pad, the sling is secured to the standoff by a plurality of buttons on the standoff in cooperation with corresponding button holes on the sling, a sling strap extending around the rear portion of the water reservoir, and a suspension loop for hanging the child support in an inverted position to drain a bathing liquid from the water reservoir as suggested in FIG. 12;

FIG. 10 is a bottom view of the child support of FIG. 9 showing the sling strap positioned about the back of the water reservoir; and

FIG. 11 is a top plan view of the child support of FIG. 9 after the child support has been inverted by hanging upside down from a suspension loop on the sling and after the pump and fluid line have been removed to allow water to drain from the interior region of the water reservoir through a reservoir filling port and a water outlet port.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A juvenile bath system 10 includes a child support 12 including a water reservoir 14 and a spray system 18. As shown in FIG. 2, the water reservoir provides a backrest 16 for the child in multiple bathing environments, for example, in a sink 24, as suggested in FIG. 3, or adult bathtub 26, as suggested in FIG. 3A, or in a reclined position in a juvenile bathtub 22 as suggested in FIGS. 4 and 6, or in an upright position in a juvenile bathtub 22 as suggested in FIGS. 5 and 8. A soft flexible sling 20 may be provided to overlay backrest 16 as shown in FIGS. 9-11. As best shown in FIG. 7A, water reservoir includes a chamber 60 defined by a body 58. Child support 12 also includes a spray system 18 having a sprayer 83 and a pump 94 as shown in FIG. 2. Child support 12 also includes a standoff 66 to provide additional support, for example, resting against a sink rim 78 when used in a sink as shown in FIG. 3, or resting against a rim 82 of an adult bathtub 26 as shown in FIG. 3A, or resting against a rim 36 of a juvenile bathtub 22 as shown in FIGS. 4, 6, and 7B.

A juvenile bath system 10 is shown diagrammatically in FIG. 1, including a child support 12 and a sling 20 adapted to be mounted on child support 12. Child support 12 has a water reservoir 14 including a backrest 16 and a spray system 18. Sling 20 may be attached to water reservoir 14 to provide a soft covering for water reservoir 14 and support for a child using child support 12. Juvenile bath system 10 may be adapted for use in a juvenile bathtub 22, a sink 24, or an adult bathtub 26.

Juvenile bath system 10 may include a juvenile bathtub 22 adapted to receive and mate with child support 12, as suggested in FIG. 2. Juvenile bathtub 22 includes a base 28 supporting a floor 30. A side wall 32 is integral with and extends upwardly from floor 30 about its perimeter. Side wall 32 having an upper end 34 terminating in a rim 36. Rim 36 defines an opening 38 into an interior region 40. Juvenile bathtub 22 also includes mounting members such as left and right forward sockets 42A, 42B and left and right rearward sockets 44A, 44B within side wall 32. Child support 12 includes mounting members such as left and right anchors 46A, 46B adapted to mate with either the forward sockets 42A, 42B in a reclined position as shown in FIG. 4 or the rearward sockets 44A, 44B in an upright position as shown in FIG. 5.

Child support 12 includes a water reservoir 14 having a backrest 16 and a spray system 18. Water reservoir 14 includes a body 54 having an upper end 56 and a lower end 58. A chamber 60 is defined within body 54 of reservoir 14 as shown in FIG. 7A. A fill port 62 and an outlet port 64, each in communication with chamber 60, are provided at upper end 56 of reservoir 14.

A standoff 66 may be attached to upper end 56 of reservoir body 54 to provide stability for child support 12 in multiple use environments. Standoff 66 may be attached to reservoir body 54 by snap fit or other suitable means. The illustrative embodiment shown in FIG. 2 is configured to define apertures 68, 70 adapted to receive and couple to fill port 62 and outlet port 64, respectively. Standoff 66 may also include a support leg 72 having a foot portion 74 at its lower end.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, child support 12 may be used in a sink 24. Lower end 58 of reservoir 14 is placed in sink 24 resting on sink bottom 76 and foot portion 74 of standoff 66 is supported on sink rim 78. Thus, child support 12 is maintained in a reclined position. Similarly, when child support 12 is used in an adult bathtub 26 as illustrated in FIG. 3A, lower end 58 rests on tub bottom 80 and foot portion 74 of standoff 66 is supported on tub rim 82.

Spray system 18 includes a sprayer 83 and a reservoir pump 94. Sprayer 83 includes a fluid line 84 having a first end 86 and a second end 88 and a spray head 90 attached to first end 86 of fluid line 84. Second end 88 of fluid line 84 is inserted into chamber 60 of water reservoir 14 through outlet port 64. A connector 92 is provided to secure fluid line 84 within outlet port 64. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 2, connector 92 may be configured to seal outlet port 64. Fluid line 84 is arranged to pass through connector 92.

Reservoir pump 94 is coupled to fill port 62 of reservoir 14. In the illustrative embodiment of FIG. 2, reservoir pump 94 includes a handle 96 and a piston 98 coupled to handle 96. Reservoir pump 94 is used to introduce air into and pressurize chamber 60 of reservoir 14. For example, pump 94 may be of a hand-operated piston kind as illustrated, or may be of other suitable configuration. With sprayer 83 attached to outlet port 64, a caregiver, for example, may fill water reservoir 14 and insert pump 94 into fill port 62. The caregiver then may pump air into water reservoir 14 to pressurize chamber 60 and force water through fluid line 84 and out through spray head 90. The pump 94 or the water reservoir 14 may include a pressure relief valve 99 in communication with the chamber 60 adapted to exhaust air to the atmosphere if the chamber 60 is over pressurized, such as above, for example, fifteen pounds per square inch of pressure. Spray head 90 may include a shut-off valve 91 operated by a button, a handle, or similar means, to turn on and off water flow selectively to spray and rinse a child.

Sling 20 may be fitted about child support 12 over backrest 16 to provide support for a child using child support 12. Sling 20 includes a body 100 configured to overlay backrest 16. A sling strap 102 is provided to secure sling 20 in place about body 54 of reservoir 14. Sling strap 102 is positioned around water reservoir 14 opposite backrest 16 and sling body 100. Sling 20 may also be formed to include apertures 104, 106 located to receive fill port 62 and outlet port 64 respectively.

Sling 20 may also include a plurality of button holes 104 configured to cooperate with buttons 107 on standoff 66, as illustrated in FIGS. 7B and 9. Sling strap 102 may have a single-piece construction comprising an elastic material allowing strap 102 to be stretched about body 54. Alternatively, sling strap 102 may be of a two-piece construction, each piece being positioned around body 54 and secured by a fastener (not shown) such as a hook-and-loop fastener, buckle, clasp, slide, clip, snap, hook, or other appropriate fastening means.

Child support 12 may be used in a sink 24 or in an adult bathtub 26 as suggested in FIGS. 3 and 3A. Although child support 12 is illustrated without sling 20, for clarity, sling 20 may be used in sink 24 and adult bathtub 26 environments in addition to use with a juvenile bathtub 22.

Sling 20 may also include a seat pad 108 attached to a lower end 110 of sling body 100 and configured to extend beyond the lower end 58 of water reservoir 14. Seat pad 108 is configured to rest on floor 30 of juvenile bathtub 22. Similarly, when child support 12 is used in other environments, seat pad 108 may also rest on sink bottom 78 or adult bathtub bottom 80. Seat pad 108 provides a cushioned seating surface for a bathing child. Additionally, a crotch pad 112 may be provided, coupled to seat pad 108 opposite sling body 100 and positioned to have the legs of a bathing child on either side, to prevent the child from sliding down into juvenile tub 22, adult bathtub 26, or sink 24.

Sling 20 may also include a hanger 114 that allows the sling 20, alone or in combination with child support 12, to be suspended from a hook 118 or other support as illustrated in FIG. 11. In the illustrative embodiments of FIGS. 2, 10, and 11, hanger 114 comprises a fabric loop attached to a lower end 116 of sling 20. As shown in FIG. 1, pump 94 and fluid line connector 92 may be removed, leaving fill port 62 and outlet port 64 open, and child support suspended upside down by hanger 114. This configuration allows water to drain from cavity 60 of reservoir 14 through fill port 62 and outlet port 64 after use.

Referring to FIGS. 6 through 8, child support 12 may be used in cooperation with juvenile bathtub 22 in a reclined position as illustrated in FIG. 6 or an upright position as illustrated in FIG. 8. Child support 12 may be used in cooperation with juvenile bathtub 22 in a reclined position as illustrated in FIG. 6. In the reclined position, anchors 46A, 46B on child support 12 are received by and coupled to forward sockets 42A, 42B, respectively. The illustrative embodiment shown in FIG. 7A shows a detailed view of right forward socket 42A as a spherical segment in side wall 32. Anchor 46A is also shown as a spherical segment in reservoir body 58 configured to mate with and couple to socket 42A. Sockets 42B, 44A, and 44B, and anchor 46B are configured similarly, though not shown.

Referring again to FIG. 6, child support 12 configured in a reclined position, defines a first angle 120 between backrest 16 and floor 30 of juvenile tub 22. A medial edge 122 of support leg 72 and a rear surface 124 of reservoir 14 form a notch 126 to receive and rest on rim 36 of juvenile tub 22 providing additional stability for child support 12.

As illustrated in FIG. 7B, a standoff tether 128 may be provided to couple positively child support 12 to juvenile bathtub 22 when child support 12 is in the reclined position. Standoff tether 128 is fed through standoff anchor 134 and tub anchor 136 formed in rim 36 securing standoff 66 to juvenile tub 22.

In the illustrative embodiment shown in FIG. 7B, standoff tether 128 comprises a flexible tether strap 130 and a fastener 132. Tether strap 130 may be constructed from woven nylon web material, fabric, or other suitable materials. Likewise, fastener 132 may comprise hook-and-loop fastener, a side-release buckle, clasp, or other suitable means and still be within the scope of the present disclosure.

Child support 12 may be used in cooperation with juvenile bathtub 22 in an upright position, as illustrated in FIG. 8. In the upright position, anchors 46A, 46B on child support 12 are received by and coupled to rearward sockets 44A, 44B, respectively. When child support 12 is configured in an upright position, a second angle 138 is defined between backrest 16 and floor 30 of juvenile tub 22. Second angle 138 is smaller than first angle 120, resulting in child support 12 having backrest 16 oriented more vertically in the upright position than in the reclined position. In the upright position, notch 126 is located above and spaced apart from rim 36. Lower end 58 of reservoir 14 is supported on floor 30 of juvenile tub 22. Rear surface 124 of reservoir 14 is supported against upper edge 34 of side wall 32.

Juvenile bathtub 22 may also include additional features such as a drain 48 in floor 30 and a drain plug 50 for selectively opening and closing drain 48. Floor 30 may be configured to slope towards drain 48, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 8, to assist flow of water out of juvenile bathtub 22. Drain plug 50 may be coupled to floor 30 by a hinge 52, allowing for orientation of drain plug 50 between an open position and a closed position.

Claims

1. A juvenile bathing system comprising

a bathtub and

support means for supporting a child in the bathtub with a reservoir of water that is adapted to be sprayed on the child.

2. The juvenile bathing system of claim 1, wherein the support means comprises a child support including a water reservoir and a backrest.

3. The juvenile bathing system of claim 2, wherein the water reservoir includes a body defining a chamber adapted to receive water, a fill port in communication with the chamber, and an outlet port in communication with the chamber.

4. The juvenile bathing system of claim 2, wherein the child support includes a spray system coupled to the water reservoir.

5. The juvenile bathing system of claim 4, wherein the spray system includes a sprayer coupled to the water reservoir and a pump coupled to the water reservoir.

6. The juvenile bathing system of claim 5, wherein the pump includes a hand-operated piston adapted to introduce air into the water reservoir and pressurize the water reservoir.

7. The juvenile bathing system of claim 2, further comprising a standoff attached to an upper end of the water reservoir adapted to provide stability to the water reservoir in multiple use environments, the standoff further comprising a support leg having a foot adapted to support the upper end of the water reservoir, the support leg being adapted to form a notch with the water reservoir, and the notch being adapted to receive a rim of the bathtub.

8. The juvenile bathing system of claim 2, further comprising a tether adapted to couple the child support to the bathtub.

9. The juvenile bathing system of claim 2, further comprising a sling adapted to mate with the water reservoir, the sling including a body configured to overlay the backrest of the water reservoir.

10. The juvenile bathing system of claim 9, wherein the sling includes a seat pad at the lower end of the body of the sling adapted to extend beyond a lower end of the water reservoir to provide a seating surface for the child.

11. The juvenile bathing system of claim 9, wherein the sling includes a crotch pad at the lower end of the body of the sling adapted to prevent the child from sliding down into the bathtub.

12. The juvenile bathing system of claim 9, wherein the sling includes securing means for securing the body of the sling to the water reservoir.

13. The juvenile bathing system of claim 12, wherein the securing means comprises a strap adapted to be positioned around the water reservoir.

14. The juvenile bathing system of claim 12, wherein the securing means comprises one or more button holes in the body of the sling and each button hole is adapted to receive a button coupled to the water reservoir.

15. The juvenile bathing system of claim 12, wherein the securing means comprises a first aperture in the body of the sling adapted to receive a fill port of the water reservoir and a second aperture in the body of the sling adapted to receive an outlet port of the water reservoir.

16. The juvenile bathing system of claim 9, wherein the sling includes a hanger at the lower end of the body of the sling and the hanger provides means for enabling the water reservoir to be hung in an inverted position to drain water from the water reservoir.

17. A juvenile bathing system comprising

a bathtub,

a child support including a water reservoir adapted to receive water and a spray system in fluid communication with the water reservoir adapted to selectively spray water from the water reservoir, the water reservoir including a backrest adapted to support a child, and

means for orientating the child support in the bathtub in one of a reclined position or an upright position.

18. The juvenile bathing system of claim 17, wherein the means for orientating the child support comprises a first mounting member on the water reservoir, a second mounting number on the bathtub, and a third mounting member on the bathtub, the first mounting member of the water reservoir is adapted to mate with the second mounting member of the bathtub to position the child support in the reclined position, the first mounting member of the water reservoir is adapted to mate with the third mounting member of the bathtub to position the child support in the upright position.

19. The juvenile bathing system of claim 18, wherein the first mounting member comprises an anchor, the second mounting member comprises a first socket adapted to matingly receive the anchor, and the third mounting member comprises a second socket adapted to matingly receive the anchor.

20. The juvenile bathing system of claim 19, wherein the first and second sockets each include a generally spherical segment and the anchor includes a generally spherical segment configured to mate with and couple to the generally spherical segments of the first and second sockets.

21. The juvenile bathing system of claim 19, wherein the first socket comprises a forward socket and the second socket comprises a rearward socket.

22. The juvenile bathing system of claim 17, wherein the means for orientating the child support comprises a pair of anchors on the water reservoir, a pair of forward sockets in a side wall of the bathtub, and a pair of rearward sockets in the side wall of the bathtub, the anchors are adapted to respectively mate with the forward sockets when the child support is in the reclined position, and the anchors are adapted to respectively mate with the rearward sockets when the child support is in the upright position.

23. A juvenile bathing system comprising

a water reservoir including a chamber adapted to receive water and a back rest adapted to support a child and

a spray system coupled to the water reservoir and configured to spray water from the water reservoir.

24. The juvenile bathing system of claim 23, wherein the water reservoir includes one or more anchors adapted to selectively position the water reservoir in one of a reclined position and an upright position.

25. The juvenile bathing system of claim 23, wherein the water reservoir includes a fill port and an outlet port and the spray system includes a sprayer coupled to the outlet port and a pump coupled to the inlet port.

26. The juvenile bathing system of claim 25, further comprising a pressure-relief valve in communication with the water reservoir.

27. A juvenile bathing system comprising

a child support including a backrest and

support means for supporting the backrest in multiple bathing environments.

28. The juvenile bathing system of claim 27, wherein the support means is adapted to support the backrest in a juvenile bathtub.

29. The juvenile bathing system of claim 28, wherein the support means comprises a standoff coupled to the backrest, the standoff includes a support leg adapted to form a notch, and the notch is adapted to receive a rim of the juvenile bathtub.

30. The juvenile bathing system of claim 28, wherein the support means comprises one or more mounting members coupled to the backrest, the mounting members adapted to releasably couple the backrest to a side wall of the juvenile bathtub.

31. The juvenile bathing system of claim 27, wherein the support means is adapted to support the backrest in an adult bathtub.

32. The juvenile bathing system of claim 31, wherein the support means comprises a standoff coupled to the backrest and the standoff includes a support leg having a foot portion adapted to be supported on the rim of the adult bathtub.

33. The juvenile bathing system of claim 32, wherein the child support includes a water reservoir, the water reservoir includes the backrest, and a lower end of the reservoir is adapted to rest on the bottom of the adult bathtub.

34. The juvenile bathing system of claim 27, wherein the support means is adapted to support the backrest in a sink.

35. The juvenile bathing system of claim 34, wherein the support means comprises a standoff coupled to the backrest and the standoff includes a support leg having a foot portion adapted to be supported on the rim of the sink.