COMBINATION INFANT BATHTUB AND SEAT
The combination infant bathtub and seat is a combination bathtub and retaining bathtub chair for use by an infant. The combination infant bathtub and seat includes a base, having opposed upper and lower surfaces and at least one sidewall projecting upwardly from a peripheral edge of the upper surface of the base. The at least one sidewall and the base define the bathtub basin for receiving water and the infant. Further, a chair is provided, the chair having a seat and a seat back. In one embodiment, the seat is integrally formed on the upper surface of the base, preferably by one-piece molding, such that the base, the at least one sidewall and the seat are all integrally molded together in one-piece formation.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/890,832, filed Oct. 14, 2013.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to bathtubs for infants and young children, and particularly to a combination infant bathtub and seat.
2. Description of the Related Art
Infant high chairs, car seats, swimming pool chairs and restaurant chairs are relatively well known. Such chairs and seats are adapted for a babies and very young children for use in specific environments to protect and prevent babies and very young children from falling out of the chair, or injuring themselves in some other manner while in the chair. Such seats, however, are typically designed for very specific applications, such as eating or floating in a swimming pool, and cannot be adapted for other situations in which the use of such a retaining chair would be desirable. One such situation is within an infant bathtub, where the adult bathing the baby must take great precaution to prevent an accidental slip and fall of the infant within the tub. Thus, it would be desirable to provide the safety and security of an infant high chair or the like in a bathing setting.
Thus, a combination infant bathtub and seat solving the aforementioned problems is desired.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe combination infant bathtub and seat is a combination bathtub and retaining bathtub chair for use by an infant. In a first embodiment, the combination infant bathtub and seat includes a base having opposed upper and lower surfaces and at least one sidewall secured to and projecting upwardly from a peripheral edge of the upper surface of the base. The at least one sidewall and the base define the bathtub basin for receiving water and the infant. Further, a chair is provided, the chair having a seat and a seat back. The seat is integrally formed on the upper surface of the base, preferably by one-piece molding, such that the base, the at least one sidewall and the seat are all integrally molded together in one-piece formation.
In an alternative embodiment, the combination infant bathtub and seat similarly includes a base, having opposed upper and lower surfaces, and at least one sidewall projecting upwardly from a peripheral edge of the upper surface of the base to define a bathtub. However, a raised central portion of the base is configured to define a seat adapted for supporting an infant. An annular retainer is further provided, the retainer having at least one vertical support depending downward therefrom. A lower end of the at least one vertical support is adapted for releasable mounting within the bathtub, so that the annular retainer is raised with respect to the base and is positioned about the seat.
These and other features of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.
Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTSThe combination infant bathtub and seat 10 is a combination bathtub and retaining bathtub chair for use by an infant, such as the exemplary infant I in
Further, a retaining chair 18 is provided for releasably holding the infant I. As is conventionally known, the chair 18 includes a seat 22 and a seat back 20. Similar to the bathtub, it should be understood that the overall configuration and relative dimensions of the chair 18 shown in
As best shown in
Similarly, armrests 24 are attached to the seat back 20 and project forward therefrom, forming a substantially C-shaped retainer for the proper positioning and security of the infant I. As shown in
It should be understood that the overall configuration and relative dimensions of the front retainer 28 may be varied. As best shown in
In the alternative embodiment of
As best shown in
The alternative combination infant bathtub and seat 200 of
Similar to the previous embodiment, vertical supports 220 extend downward from both the front portion 219 and the rear portion 221 of the ring portion 218. The lower end 227 of each vertical support 220 is contoured to form an engaging member which is releasably received within a corresponding recess 225 formed in the upper surface 214 of the base 212 (best shown in
In addition to the recesses 224 arrayed peripherally about the raised central portion 223, the rear portion 221 has a plurality of tabs 230 formed peripherally thereon for releasable engagement with corresponding slots 232 formed within a rear portion of the sidewall 216 (best shown in
In the further alternative embodiment of
In contrast to the embodiment of
In addition to the recess 331, a plurality of recesses 336 are formed in an upper portion of the sidewall 316 for releasable engagement with corresponding engaging members 334, which extend downward from the rear portion 321 of the ring portion 318 (best shown in
It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.
Claims
1. A combination infant bathtub and seat, comprising:
- a base having opposed upper and lower surfaces;
- at least one sidewall projecting upward from a peripheral edge of the upper surface of the base, the at least one sidewall and the base defining a bathtub; and
- a chair having a seat and a seat back, the seat being integrally formed on the upper surface of the base.
2. The combination infant bathtub and seat as recited in claim 1, wherein the chair further comprises a pair of armrests.
3. The combination infant bathtub and seat as recited in claim 2, further comprising a front retainer secured to the pair of armrests for releasably securing an infant within the chair.
4. The combination infant bathtub and seat as recited in claim 3, wherein the front retainer has a first end and a second end, the first end of the front retainer being pivotally attached to one of the armrests, the second end of the front retainer being releasably attached to the other armrest.
5. The combination infant bathtub and seat as recited in claim 4, wherein the front retainer has an aperture dimensioned and configured for removably receiving a bottle formed therein.
6. The combination infant bathtub and seat as recited in claim 5, wherein the front retainer has at least one recess formed in an upper surface thereof adjacent the aperture, the at least one recess being adapted for holding a toy.
7. The combination infant bathtub and seat as recited in claim 1, further comprising a central projecting member secured to the seat adjacent a front edge thereof, the central projecting member being adapted for separating the legs of an infant and securing the infant within the chair.
8. The combination infant bathtub and seat as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least one sidewall has an upper edge having a recess defining a soap dish is formed therein.
9. A combination infant bathtub and seat, comprising:
- a base having opposed upper and lower surfaces and defining a peripheral edge, the base having a raised central portion defining a seat adapted for supporting an infant;
- at least one sidewall projecting upward from the peripheral edge of the upper surface of the base, the at least one sidewall and the base defining a bathtub;
- an annular retainer; and
- at least one vertical support extending downward from the annular retainer, the at least one vertical support having a lower end releasably mountable within the bathtub, the annular retainer being raised above the base and positioned about the seat when the at least one vertical support is mounted within the bathtub.
10. The combination infant bathtub and seat as recited in claim 9, further comprising at least one raised engaging member extending upward from a peripheral edge of the raised central portion, the at least one vertical support having a recess formed in the lower end thereof releasably receiving the at least one raised engaging member.
11. The combination infant bathtub and seat as recited in claim 10, wherein the at least one vertical support comprises a plurality of vertical supports.
12. The combination infant bathtub and seat as recited in claim 11, wherein the at least one raised engaging member comprises a plurality of raised engaging members releasably engaging corresponding ones of the plurality of vertical supports.
13. A combination infant bathtub and seat, comprising:
- a base having opposed upper and lower surfaces and defining a peripheral edge, the base having a raised central portion defining a seat adapted for supporting an infant;
- at least one sidewall projecting upward from the peripheral edge of the upper surface of the base, the at least one sidewall and the base defining a bathtub;
- an annular retainer having front and rear portions, the rear portion being releasably attached to a rear portion of the at least one sidewall; and
- a front vertical support extending downward from the front portion of the annular retainer, the front vertical support having a lower end releasable mountable within the bathtub, the annular retainer being raised above the base and positioned about the seat when the at least one vertical support is mounted within the bathtub.
14. The combination infant bathtub and seat as recited in claim 13, wherein the raised central portion has a peripheral edge having a front recess formed therein releasably receiving the lower end of the front vertical support.
15. The combination infant bathtub and seat as recited in claim 13, wherein the at least one sidewall has a rear portion having at least one slot defined therein, the rear portion of said annular retainer having at least one tab extending therefrom, the at least one tab selectively engaging the at least one slot.
16. The combination infant bathtub and seat as recited in claim 13, wherein the central portion has a peripheral edge having at least one rear recess formed therein, the combination infant bathtub and seat further comprising at least one rear vertical support extending downward from the rear portion of the annular retainer, the at least one rear vertical support having a lower end received in the at least one rear recess.
17. The combination infant bathtub and seat as recited in claim 13, wherein the front portion and the rear portion of said annular retainer each have a first end and a second end, the first end of the front portion being pivotally attached to the first end of the rear portion, and the second end of the front portion being releasably attached to the second end of the rear portion.
18. The combination infant bathtub and seat as recited in claim 13, wherein the at least one sidewall has a rear portion having at least one recess defined therein, the rear portion of said annular retainer having at least one engaging member extending therefrom, the at least one engaging member selectively engaging the at least one recess.
19. The combination infant bathtub and seat as recited in claim 18, wherein the at least one engaging member comprises a plurality of engaging members and the at least one recess comprises a plurality of recesses releasably receiving corresponding ones of the plurality of engaging members.
20. The combination infant bathtub and seat as recited in claim 19, wherein the front portion and the rear portion of said annular retainer each have a first end and a second end, the first end of the front portion being pivotally attached to the first end of the rear portion, and the second end of the front portion being releasably attached to the second end of the rear portion.
Type: Application
Filed: Oct 13, 2014
Publication Date: Apr 16, 2015
Inventor: MARK SROUR (SOUTH PLAINFIELD, NJ)
Application Number: 14/513,126
International Classification: A47K 3/024 (20060101); A47D 1/00 (20060101);