Light transmitting type bathtub

• US 6,601,247 B2
• Filed: 06/24/2002
• Issued: 08/05/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: LIXIL Corporation (LIXIL Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Hideo Shimizu
• Inventors: Shimizu, Hideo
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tuan N.
• Application Number:
  US10/179,596
• Publication Number:
  US 20030019028A1
• Time in Patent Office: 407 Days
• Field of Search: 448/7, 453/8, 453/9, 454/11, 454/6, 458/4, 458/0, 450/6, 466/1
• US Class Current: 4/584
• CPC Class Codes: A47K 3/02 Baths heatable F24H
• 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: A61N 2005/0663 Coloured light
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 33/004 Sanitary equipment, e.g. mirrors, showers, toilet seats or paper dispensers
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/001 the light being emitted along at least a portion of the lateral surface of the fibre

Abstract

According to the present invention, on a back surface side of a peripheral wall of a bathtub vessel formed of material having light transmittance by molding, a strip-like optical fiber which is formed into a strip shape by weaving a plurality of optical fibers in a meshy form which have end portions thereof directed to a light source of a light source device for illumination and perform the side surface illumination upon receiving an illumination light from the light source is circumferentially mounted.

Claims

1. A light transmitting type bathtub characterized by circumferentially mounting a strip-like optical fiber which has an end portion thereof directed to a light source of a light source device for illumination and is formed in a strip shape by weaving a plurality of optical fibers in a meshy form which perform a side light emission upon receiving illumination light from said light source on a back surface side of a peripheral wall of a bathtub vessel formed of material having light transmittance.

2. A light transmitting type bathtub according to claim 1, wherein a coating is applied to said back-surface side surface of said bath tub vessel except for said surface corresponding to a portion where said strip-like optical fiber is circumferentially mounted.

3. A light transmitting type bathtub according to claim 1, wherein an FRP layer formed by solidifying glass fiber with resin is formed on an internal surface of said bathtub.

4. A light transmitting type bathtub according to claim 1, wherein said light source device for illumination is configured to emit light in a plurality of colors by way of a color filter disc which is rotated.

5. A light transmitting type bathtub according to claim 4, wherein said end portions of strip-like optical fibers are arranged in a row and are disposed while being aligned with the rotational direction of said color filter disc.

6. A light transmitting type bathtub according to claim 5, wherein radially-extending masks are mounted on said color filter disc.

7. A light transmitting type bathtub according to claim 4, wherein said light source device for illumination is a sound-pressure control type light source device which emits light in synchronism with sound.

8. A light transmitting type bathtub according to claim 1, wherein said meshy form is a Nishijin brocade.

9. A light transmitting type bathtub according to claim 1, wherein said light source device for illumination is a sound-pressure control type light source device which emits light in synchronism with sound.