Bathing method and bathing apparatus

• US 6,418,573 B1
• Filed: 08/09/2000
• Issued: 07/16/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Masuda, Masatoshi
• Original Assignee: Masuda, Masatoshi
• Inventors: Masuda, Masatoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Eloshway, Charles R.
• Application Number:
  US09/634,746
• Time in Patent Office: 706 Days
• Field of Search: 453/8, 456/7, 456/8, 452/5, 452/4, 452/8, 452/9, 460/1-6-4, 560/6, 592/8
• US Class Current: 4/538
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2035/004 for the whole body except the head
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/10 with further special therapeutic means, e.g. electrotherapy, magneto therapy or radiation therapy, chromo therapy, infrared or ultraviolet therapy
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 33/06 Artificial hot-air or cold-air baths; Steam or gas baths or douches, e.g. sauna or Finnish baths artificial climate rooms A61G10/02
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 35/00 Baths for specific parts of the body electric circuits therefor A61H33/005; specific components therefor A61H33/60
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/0659 infrared
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/0668 Apparatus adapted for operation in a moist environment, e.g. bath or shower

Abstract

An apparatus includes a base having an opening on the top; a body supporting member having a number of openings, placed inside of the base; a lid covering the opening of the base; a plurality of upper shower nozzles arranged on the lid; a plurality of lower shower nozzles arranged under the body supporting member in the base; a hot-water supplying part; a hot-water supply route to connect a plurality of the upper shower nozzles and a plurality of the lower shower nozzles and the hot-water supplying part; and a heater to heat a space formed by the base and the lid.

Claims

1. A bathing apparatus comprising:

a base having an opening on the top;

a body supporting member having a number of openings, placed in said base;

a lid covering the opening of said base;

a plurality of upper shower nozzles arranged on said lid;

a plurality of lower shower nozzles arranged under the body supporting member in said base;

a hot-water supplying part;

a hot-water supply route to connect a plurality of said upper shower nozzles and a plurality of said lower shower nozzles and said hot-water supplying part, said hot-water supplying route including;

(i) at least one upper hollow shaft extending from one side to another side of the lid substantially in parallel to the body supporting member, each upper shaft having two ends rotatably fixed to the lid, wherein the upper shower nozzles are mounted on each upper shaft; and

(ii) at least one lower hollow shaft extending from one side to another side of the base substantially in parallel to the body supporting member, each lower shaft having two ends rotatably fixed to the base, wherein the lower shower nozzles are mounted on each lower shaft, wherein hot water flows inside each upper and lower shaft;

an actuator to partially rotate each of said upper and lower hollow shafts on its axis; and

a heater to heat a space formed by said base and said lid.

2. A bathing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said heater includes a far-infrared emission system to radiate far-infrared rays onto a space formed by said base and said lid.

3. A bathing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said heater includes a warm-air supply system having a warm-air generation part, a warm-air ejection part and a warm-air supply route to connect said warm-air ejection part and said warm-air generation part.

4. A bathing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising

a cleansing agent reservoir to store a cleansing agent to cleanse a human body, and

a mixer to mix the cleansing agent, stored in said cleansing agent reservoir, with hot water passing through said hot-water supply route.

5. A bathing apparatus as claimed in claim 4 further comprising

a lotion reservoir to store lotion,

spray nozzles to eject like a mist the lotion stored in said lotion reservoir onto a space formed by said base and said lid, and

a lotion supply route to connect said spray nozzles and said lotion reservoir.

6. A bathing apparatus as claimed in claim 5 further comprising

a water-soluble-pack reservoir to store a water-soluble pack,

spray nozzles to eject, like a mist, the water-soluble pack stored in said water-soluble-pack reservoir onto a space formed by said base and said lid, and

a water-soluble-pack supply route to connect said spray nozzles and said water-soluble-pack reservoir.

7. A bathing apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein said lotion supply route includes (i) at least one hollow shaft extending from one side to another side of at least either the lid or the base substantially in parallel to the body supporting member, said shaft having two ends rotatably fixed to the lid or the base, wherein the spray nozzles are mounted on said shaft, wherein the lotion flows inside the shaft, and (ii) an actuator to swing the shaft on its axis.

8. A bathing apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein the shaft of the pack supply route is aligned with the shaft of the hot-water supply route.

9. A bathing apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein said spray nozzles comprise a plurality of upper spray nozzles arranged on said lid and a plurality of lower spray nozzles arranged under the body supporting member in said base.

10. A bathing apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein said lotion supply route includes (i) at least one hollow shaft extending from one side to another side of at least either the lid or the base substantially in parallel to the body supporting member, said shaft having two ends rotatably fixed to the lid or the base, wherein the spray nozzles are mounted on said shaft, wherein the lotion flows inside the shaft, and (ii) an actuator to swing the shaft on its axis.

11. A bathing apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the shaft of the lotion supply route is aligned with the shaft of the hot-water supply route.

12. A bathing apparatus as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a swinging device to swing said upper and lower shower nozzles.

13. A bathing apparatus comprising:

a base having an opening on the top;

a body supporting member having a number of openings, placed in said base;

a lid covering the opening of said base;

a plurality of upper shower nozzles arranged on said lid;

a plurality of lower shower nozzles arranged under the body supporting member in said base;

a hot-water supplying part;

a hot-water supply route to connect a plurality of said upper shower nozzles and a plurality of said lower shower nozzles and said hot-water supplying part; and

a heater to heat a space formed by said base and said lid, wherein said heater includes a warm-air supply system having a warm-air generation part, a warm-air ejection part and a warm-air supply route to connect said warm-air ejection part and said warm-air generation part,

said bathing apparatus further comprising a steam supply system to mix steam with warm air passing through said warm-air supply route.

14. A bathing apparatus comprising

a main apparatus comprising of a base having an opening on the top and a body supporting member inside and a lid covering the opening of the base;

a hot water supplyer to supply hot water to a human body in said main apparatus;

a cleansing agent supplyer to supply a cleansing agent to a human body in said main apparatus; and

a far-infrared supplyer to radiate far-infrared rays onto a human body in said main apparatus,

wherein said main apparatus includes (i) at least one hollow shaft extending from one side to another side of the main apparatus substantially in parallel to the body supporting member, each shaft having shower nozzles mounted thereon and having two ends rotatably fixed to the main apparatus, wherein each shaft connects to the hot water supplyer, and hot water flows inside the shaft and is ejected through the nozzles; and

(ii) an actuator to partially rotate each shaft on its axis.

15. A bathing apparatus as claimed in claim 14 further comprising a lotion supplyer to supply lotion to a human body in said main apparatus.

16. A bathing apparatus as claimed in claim 15 further comprising a water-soluble-pack supplyer to supply a water-soluble pack to a human body in said main apparatus.

17. A bathing apparatus comprising

a main apparatus comprising of a base having an opening on the top and a body supporting member inside and a lid covering the opening of the base;

a hot water supplyer to supply hot water to a human body in said main apparatus;

a cleansing agent supplyer to supply a cleansing agent to a human body in said main apparatus; and

a far-infrared supplyer to radiate far-infrared rays onto a human body in said main apparatus,

said bathing apparatus further comprising a steam mixer to admix steam with warm air supplied by a warm air supplyer.