Protective hood

Abstract

A protective hood, particularly for the purpose of protecting the head of a person being and/or bathing inside a steam bath cabinet, the said protective hood including a separate hood part covering the head of the person inside the steam bath cabinet at least partially, the said hood part including one opening for pushing the person's head to inside the hood part, the said protective hood being attached to the steam bath cabinet at the head opening in the roof of the steam bath cabinet in such a way that the head of the person, stuck through the head opening in the steam bath cabinet, is at least partially inside the hood part. In the protective hood in accordance with the invention, the head opening of the protective hood incorporates a collar seal designed to improve the level of protection provided by the protective hood and to prevent the ingress of steam from the steam bath cabinet to inside the hood part and/or from the hood part of the protective hood into the steam bath cabinet.

Description

This application is a continuation of International Patent Application No. PCT/FI2007/000077 filed on Mar. 28, 2007.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a protective hood, more specifically a hood to protect the head of a person being inside and/or taking a bath in a steam bath cabinet, the said protective hood comprising a hood part covering the head of the person being at least partially inside the steam bath cabinet, the said hood part having at least one opening for pushing the person's head inside the hood, and the said protective hood being attached to the opening in the roof of the steam bath cabinet in such a way that the head of the person inside of the steam bath cabinet sticks out inside the protective hood part at least partially.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Most of the known steam bath cabinets are constructed in such a way that the bather's head sticks out from an opening in the roof of the steam bath cabinet. The advantage offered by this design is that the space to be filled with steam and the amount of steam required to be generated remains as low as possible, meaning that the energy consumption of the steam bath cabinet is not that high. Additionally, such a steam bath cabinet can be made relatively compact in terms of its external dimensions, which makes it suitable for use in washing or relaxation facilities, etc., that do not permit the construction of a larger fixed steam room. However, the problem with such a known steam bath cabinet with an open head opening is, among other things, that it is exposed to view and that the person inside the steam bath cabinet is inconvenienced by cold wind, rain, noise, dust and other external influences when the steam bath cabinet is used out of doors, thereby having an adverse effect on the pleasurable sensations and relaxation provided by the steam bath cabinet. Additionally, the drawback with such a steam bath cabinet is that the bather, during a prolonged bath, may easily get bored because the only thing to do when in a steam bath is to sit put. This problem is highlighted when the steam bath cabinet is used, for example, for losing weight in which case it is often necessary to stay in the steam bath cabinet for relatively long periods of time. In order to solve these problems, protective hoods have been installed on steam bath cabinets or comparable relaxation cabinets to successfully reduce the inconvenience caused by visual exposure, cold wind and rain. Such protective hoods have been presented, among others, in the patent publication U.S. Pat. No. 5,645,578 A and the patent application US 2003/0089370 A1. These protective hoods are, however, so open and offer such poor protection that a cold wind and dust may cause inconvenience especially in connection with a longer stay in a steam bath cabinet.

The object of the invention is to provide a protective hood that eliminates a number of drawbacks associated with the currently known protective hoods used in connection with steam bath cabinets. More specifically, the object of the invention is to provide a protective hood in which the ingress of the steam via the head opening of the steam bath cabinet into, or conversely, out of, the protective hood is prevented and that provides better performance in terms of protection from visual exposure, wind, rain, noise or other external sources of inconvenience to the bather than existing hoods. Additionally, the object of the invention is to provide entertainment for the bather during bathing so that the bather will not feel bored and fed up even during a relatively prolonged steam bath.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Typical of the protective hood in accordance with the invention is that the head opening of the protective hood comprises a collar seal designed to improve the degree of protection provided by the protective hood and to prevent the ingress of steam from inside the steam bath cabinet into the hood part of the protective hood, and vice versa. Such a design prevents visual exposure while reducing the inconvenience caused by wind, rain, noise, dust and other such sources of external disturbance during the stay in the steam bath cabinet. Additionally, the collar included in this type of protective hood can be used to prevent the ingress of steam, via the head opening of the steam bath cabinet, into the hood part, including a number of inconveniences associated therewith, such as reduced visibility due to condensation of the hood/visor or the uncontrolled ingress of cold air, dust, or smoke into the protective hood. A sufficiently tightly fitted protective hood and the associated collar seal can be used to advantage to reduce the amount of thermal energy escaping from the top of the steam bath cabinet and so improve the energy economy of the steam bath cabinet. Similarly, in some cases, only the head can be steamed without having the rest of the body inside the steam bath cabinet being steamed (e.g. when the steam bath cabinet is used for treating the flu).

Furthermore the protective hood includes at least one steam supply duct for supplying steam to inside the protective hood in order to steam the head of the person in the steam bath cabinet. If warm steam is to be supplied to the head area as well, the steam supply duct can be used for feeding a suitable amount of steam to inside the protective hood in a controlled manner. The supply ducts may have nozzles to regulate the supply in such a way that steam is not fed to the protective hood in excessive amounts, just enough to warm and moisten the head according to the bather's preferences.

In one embodiment of the protective hood in accordance with the invention, the hood part is attached to the roof of the steam bath cabinet such that it can be detached and/or turned to one side to open it. This makes it easier to use a steam bath cabinet fitted with the protective hood because the protective hood can be detached or turned to one side from the top of the head opening when the bather enters into or exits from the steam bath cabinet.

In one embodiment of the protective hood in accordance with the invention, the hood part includes at least one viewing opening approximately at the height of the steam bather's eyes, the said opening incorporating at least one adjustable visor to allow the viewing opening to be covered and opened adjustably. The viewing opening allows the bather to see his or her surroundings, provided that the protective hood is made of a transparent material. Additionally, the viewing opening can be used as an inlet/outlet opening for breathing air when the viewing opening is made large enough. With an adjustable visor, the viewing opening can be closed or covered partially if bathing in the steam bath cabinet takes place out of doors or in some other cool or cold place, etc.

In one embodiment of the protective hood in accordance with the invention, the protective hood includes at least one ventilation duct leading to the inside of the hood part for the purpose of ventilating and/or cooling the hood part. Thus, enough breathing air can be supplied to inside the protective hood if the protective hood is closed or fully sealed. The ventilation duct can also be used for cooling the protective hood and supplying suitable fragrance or refreshing substances in order to provide the desired scent or freshness.

In one embodiment of the protective hood in accordance with the invention, the protective hood comprises sound reproduction equipment for playing speech, music or other sound inside the protective hood. With the sound reproduction equipment incorporated in the protective hood, it is possible to listen to music, radio or television sound while being in the steam bath cabinet. Naturally, the sound reproduction equipment can also be used as a sound reproduction unit of a telephone (such as the HF unit of a mobile phone). When the sound reproduction equipment is fitted with a microphone, it is possible to talk on the telephone while being in the steam bath cabinet.

In one embodiment of the protective hood in accordance with the invention, the protective hood comprises a display unit to show a video image. Due to the display unit, it is possible to watch films and/or television and browse web pages and read electronic mail, etc., while being in the steam bath cabinet/bathing. Additionally, provided that the protective hood is fitted with telephone equipment, basically it is possible to call a video-conference/videophone Thus, the sound reproduction equipment and display unit help entertain the bather while alleviating the boredom associated with the use of existing steam bath cabinets during bathing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Next, the invention will be explained in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which,

FIG. 1 illustrates a side view of one protective hood in accordance with the invention

FIG. 2 illustrates a front view of the protective hood shown in FIG. 1, and

FIG. 3 illustrates a side view of another protective hood in accordance with the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The protective hood according to FIGS. 1 and 2 comprise a hood part 3 to be attached to the head opening 4a in the roof 2 of the steam bath cabinet 1, the said hood part comprising a head opening 4b equivalent in size to the head opening of the steam bath cabinet with a viewing opening 5 in the front, the said viewing opening featuring a visor 7 attached to its top edge with hinges 6 to cover it. Additionally, the protective hood in accordance with FIGS. 1 and 2 comprises a collar seal 8 that can be used for preventing the ingress of steam (for example, via the head opening of the steam bath cabinet) to inside the protective hood and/or vice versa, as well as locking latches 9 between the protective hood and the steam bath cabinet to allow the protective hood to be attached to the roof 2 of the steam bath cabinet from inside the steam bath cabinet 1 detachably.

In the embodiment according to FIGS. 1 and 2, the hood part 3 of the protective hood is made of hard, transparent plastic and the visor 6 is made of transparent material, such as acrylic glass. The hood part 3 is large enough in its internal and external dimensions to ensure that the head of the person sitting in the steam bath cabinet does not touch the inner surface of the hood part when the protective hood is attached to the roof of the steam bath cabinet. Consequently, the bather does not have to support the protective hood with his or her head when sitting in the steam bath cabinet.

The hinges 6 of the visor 7 consist of a shaft fastened to the visor and two lugs fastened to the hood part through which the shaft attached to the visor is fitted. The lugs comprise fixing screws (not shown in the Figures) to allow the hinge 6 to be tightened so that the visor turns rather sluggishly, making it possible for the visor to remain in the desired position. In this embodiment, the visor 7 may be made of a clear or slightly tinted material and/or of a material that reflects a mirror image outwards. The collar seal 8 is ring-like in shape and made of soft, rubbery material, cloth or, for example, of neoprene and attached air-tightly to the edge of the collar opening of the protective hood, the inner section comprising an elastic ribbing section 10 which can stretch so much that the bather can easily push his or her head through the collar opening, the collar seal being tightened around the bather's neck lightly but relatively tightly when his or her head is inside the hood part 3.

In this case, the locking latches 9 of the hood part consist of T-shaped turning pins 11 installed through the holes 12 provided in the roof 2 of the steam bath cabinet 1 to outside of the roof, with the ends on the side of the protective hood having eccentric castors 13 that, when the protective hood is locked, can be turned on top of the flange collar 15 provided in the fixing recesses 14 at the turning pins 11. As a result of this arrangement, the eccentric castors press the protective hood fairly tightly against the roof of the steam bath cabinet. In this embodiment, there are two locking latches 9 on both sides of the bather, so that he or she is able to open the locking latches from inside the steam bath cabinet.

When using the protective hood according to FIGS. 1 and 2, the bather first detaches the protective hood from the steam bath cabinet 1 by opening the locking latches 9 of the protective hood (via the steam bath cabinet door) and lifts the protective hood off the steam bath cabinet. Next, the bather sits down in the steam bath cabinet so that the steam bath cabinet door is open while holding the protective hood in his or her hands. Then, the bather places the protective hood on his or her head so that the ribbing of the collar seal 8 is around his or her neck. Next, the bather pushes the protective hood to the roof 2 of the steam bath cabinet as shown in FIG. 1 and closes the protective hood locking latches 9 and the steam bath cabinet door. After these preparations, the bather is ready to start the steam bath during which the protective hood protects the bather from visual exposure and from wind, rain, etc., if the steam bath cabinet is located out of doors for the duration of the bath. The visor 7 can be adjusted in the preferred position before the protective hood is placed on the head. The visor can be right in the front of the bather's eyes, fully open or in any position in between. After the bath, the bather opens the protective hood locking latches 9 and the door of the steam bath cabinet, making it possible to exit from the steam bath cabinet and remove the protective hood by lifting the protective hood and slipping the collar seal over the head like a pullover.

In many respects, the protective hood in accordance with the invention can be implemented differently from what is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 3 presents another embodiment of the protective hood in accordance with the invention in which the protective hood includes a number of aids and equipment that enhance the bather's comfort and satisfaction. The hood part 20 of the protective hood according to FIG. 3 includes, among other things, a ventilation opening 21, hearing protectors 22, hot-air blower 23, hot water and/or steam spraying nozzles 24, and a mechanical neck and head massage unit 25. Additionally, the viewing opening 26 of the hood part 20 is designed in such a way that it covers only the area of the bather's eyes allowing the viewing opening 26 to be fully closed with the visor/face mask 27 incorporated in the protective hood.

The protective hood in accordance with the invention can be used in a washing cabinet similar to a steam bath cabinet or in a bath where the bather sits or stands inside a cabinet-like compartment. The protective hood may be permanently fixed to the steam bath cabinet, completely detached from the steam bath cabinet, attached to the steam bath cabinet detachably or hinged to the steam bath cabinet, for example so that the protective hood is turned backwards to open it, or so that the protective hood incorporates two dome-halves that are opened to both sides when the steam bath cabinet is entered. A detachable protective hood is placed on the roof of the steam bath cabinet for the duration of the bath so that the bather's head is free and away from the protective hood. The bather must be able to move his or her head while the protective hood remains in position. A detachable protective hood can rest on top of the steam bath cabinet and/or washing cabinet aligned with the fixing pins or grooves, or it can be held in position by means of electromagnets. It is not necessary to have the type of sealing described above between the protective hood and the cabinet; instead, the sealing can be provided only on the side of the steam bath cabinet, or in some cases the ingress of steam to inside the protective hood can be permitted in part or in full.

If preferred, the protective hood can be designed and tinted in different ways, making it possible to modify its visual outlook as desired. The material can be freely selected and consist of plastic, glass, rubber, glass fibre, carbon fibre, wood, leather, cork, metal, ceramic materials, cardboard, paper, etc., or any combination of these. Additionally, the materials can be finished with a water-repellent agent or treated to withstand mould and moisture. The material and structure selected for the protective hood should preferably be impact-resistant in order not to compromise the safety of the bather during the bath due to any external activities.

In some cases, the protectively hood is partially or completely non-transparent offering no view from outside to inside and/or from inside to outside. This feature can be provided by means of plastic or glass in a known manner. Partial identification of faces can be prevented with grills, netting or lattices or Polaroid-type optical properties.

In some protective hood in accordance with the invention there may be an adjustable facemask that can be used to regulate the opening to outdoor air and/or the air and/or steam flow from the protective hood. In some cases, there may be two or several such face masks on top of each other, making it possible to regulate the air vent with one mask and control the visual blockages caused by rain, snowfall, etc., with the other.

Separate air, fragrance, medical steam therapy, herbal, breathing air, water, and steam pipes and hoses may be provided to the protective hood from separate steam generators, air blowers and complementary fragrances, medicines and herbs.

In come cases, the protective hood may incorporate sound reproduction and/or display units. The sound reproduction equipment can be used for listening to music and radio or it can be used as sound reproduction unit for the telephone in applications that include telephone functions. The display unit can be used for showing video images or as a television display unit. The unit can also be used as a computer display, allowing the bather to browse the web, etc., during the bath. Preferably, these units should be resistant to the action of water and steam.

In some embodiments, the thermal insulation capacity of the protective hood can be enhanced. This can be accomplished so that the material that the protective hood is made of, such as polystyrene, has a high thermal insulation capacity, or so that the inner or outer surface of the actual protective hood is insulated by applying a special insulation material. Thermal insulation is specifically recommended for locations that do not limit the bather's view and/or visibility to outsiders. The visibility of the bather to a person outside the steam bath cabinet may be necessary in certain medical or therapeutic applications or in cases when the well-being of a disabled person, etc., is to be monitored during the bath. For example, polystyrene is highly suitable for use as thermal insulation, whether it be sprayed, extruded or cast in preferred sections of the protective hood, or in some parts, it can constitute the actual wall structure. Such polystyrene can be coated with a known paint that withstands the action of water, steam and solar UV radiation. In some cases such insulation may be provided in between the inner and outer surface of the protective hood if the protective hood is made of at least two separate shells. Other thermal insulation materials beside polyurethane and polystyrene can be cork or some other thermal insulation solution or material commonly used in this type of device.

In some cases, such as in the embodiment according to FIG. 3, the protective hood also includes adjustable air, water and mechanical massaging devices. These and other regulators and functions described above can be controlled by the bather by means of separate push buttons and/or controls that are connected to the control devices regulating the functions electronically, by means of optical fibre, compressed air, or hydraulically. The functions of a protective hood fitted with a computer can also be controlled with pre-programmed computer applications by selecting the application suitable for each particular case. For example, the program can be selected by means of a coin, banknote, charge card, credit card, or token-operated vending machine or by entering a specific program code or pressing a button, or by means of a separate control device, such as a mobile phone. The control of the operation of the protective hood may in some cases consist of monitoring and/or regulating the temperature, blood pressure, breathing, pulse and energy consumption of the bather. The control of the protective hood can also be fully manual, fully automatic, or based on programs or any combination of these. It is advisable to provide manual controls to stop or change an on-going bathing program. Similarly, in some cases it is advisable to have sensors and devices monitoring the conditions inside the protective hood to control the internal functions of the protective hood and/or sound an alarm in order to ensure the safety of the bather properly, for example in case of malfunctions or if the bather has a fit or seizure.

The electrical functions and adjustments of the protective hood should advisably be of the low-voltage type. In general, for example, 24 V or 12 V or, in some cases even voltages lower than that, are suitable. A protective hood using this type of electrical system does not require similar moisture and electrical safety safeguards as systems powered by 110 V or 220 V mains power.

In some cases the protective hood may be fitted with nozzles for cleaning and/or disinfecting and/or drying the protective hood before and/or after use. The protective hood may also have a separate heater, e.g. an electrical resistor, in order to keep the protective hood at the desired temperature and/or in order to dry any condensate and/or washing water during use and/or after it. In some cases, it is possible to keep the bather's head dry by means of ventilation air and a separate heater, in which case water-soluble make-up and hair-dos do not suffer during the bath.

The control of the temperature and relative humidity inside the protective hood can also be implemented so that the temperature and humidity are adjustable during the bath. In some embodiment, the control of the protective hood can be implemented in such a way that the protective hood can be used for performing various therapy and health cures, such as steam bath, therapy and treatment cycles, rest periods and combinations of the same. The protective hood in accordance with the invention can also be used for opening the pores of the skin on application of various skin care agents and similar sub-stances when the protective hood is fitted with various controls, etc., or connected to a computer that controls the protective hood by means of a computer application. Additionally, some protective hood in accordance with the accordance can have spraying devices for rinsing and/or washing the bather in connection with the bath. Furthermore, some embodiment of the protective hood in accordance with the invention may have air nozzles inside the bathing compartment to provide air massage during the bath and to dry the bather with warm air after the bath.

In some cases the protective hood may be designed to be shared by two or several bathers, for example when the bathers are inside the same steam and/or bathing cabinet and/or water basin.

Claims

1. A protective hood for protecting a head of a person being and/or bathing inside a steam bath cabinet, including

a hood part covering the head of the person inside the steam bath cabinet at least partially;

said hood part comprising one opening for pushing the person's head into a hood part;

said protective hood being attached to the steam bath cabinet at a head opening in a roof of the steam bath cabinet in such a way that the head of the person inside the steam bath cabinet is at least partially inside the hood part;

said head opening of the protective hood includes a collar seal designed to improve the level of protection provided by the protective hood and to prevent the ingress of steam from the steam bath cabinet to inside the hood part and/or from the hood part of the protective hood into the steam bath cabinet;

and the protective hood includes at least one steam supply duct to supply steam into the hood part for the purpose of steaming the head of the person inside the steam bath cabinet.

2. A protective hood in accordance with claim 1, in which

the protective hood is attached to the roof of the steam bath cabinet detachably and/or such that it can be turned open.

3. A protective hood in accordance with claim 1, in which

the hood part includes at least one viewing opening approximately at the height of the bather's eyes;

the said opening incorporating at least one adjustable visor to allow the viewing opening to be covered and opened adjustably.

4. A protective hood in accordance with claim 1, in which

the protective hood includes at least one air-conditioning duct leading into the hood part in order to ventilate and/or cool the hood part.

5. A protective hood in accordance with claim 1, in which

the protective hood incorporates sound reproduction devices for reproducing speech, music or other sounds within the hood part.

6. A protective hood in accordance with claim 1, in which

the protective hood incorporates a display unit for the presentation of video images.

7. A protective hood in accordance with claim 1, in which

the protective hood incorporates a massaging device for massaging the bather's face and/or head.

8. A protective hood in accordance with claim 1, in which

the hood part of the protective hood is at least partially made of a material that is non-transparent when viewed from the outside but transparent when viewed from the inside.