Therapeutic shower enclosure

• US 7,013,504 B2
• Filed: 12/05/2003
• Issued: 03/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Gestion Ultra Internationale Inc.
• Original Assignee: Gestion Ultra Internationale Inc.
• Inventors: Brunelle, Henry, Baron, Stéphane, Bilodeau, Stéphane, Beland, Marc, Lemay, Patrick, Veyrie, Henri
• Primary Examiner(s): Huynh, Khoa D.
• Application Number:
  US10/727,538
• Publication Number:
  US 20040107496A1
• Time in Patent Office: 837 Days
• Field of Search: 459/7, 452/5, 452/4, 461/2, 461/4, 461/3, 459/8, 459/6, 522/64, 342/02, 342/24, 342/25, 342/32, 342/33, 607/87
• US Class Current: 4/597
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2033/061 Artificial hot-air baths
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2033/141 with ionised gas, e.g. ozone
• 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: A61N 2005/0651 Diodes
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/0663 Coloured light
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/0668 Apparatus adapted for operation in a moist environment, e.g. bath or shower
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/0618 Psychological treatment

Abstract

A top wall assembly to convert a shower enclosure into a therapeutic shower enclosure. The top wall assembly has an air blower in communication with one or more air return orifices in the top wall. An air distribution channel is in communication with the air blower and at least one air injecting orifice is provided in the top wall and communicates with the enclosure. A heater is provided in the air distribution channel for heating convected air therein to a temperature of up to about 75° C. to provide a stream of hot dry air circulating in the enclosure about a person'"'"'s body standing therein whereby to cause the person'"'"'s body to transpire and provide a therapeutic effect of shedding toxins through the skin. In combination with the hot dry air treatment there is available a chromotherapeutic and luminotherapeutic light treatment and an ion and ozone generator to inject ions and ozone in the hot dry air stream.

Claims

1. A top wall assembly to convert a shower enclosure to a therapeutic shower enclosure, said assembly comprising a top wall member having an air distribution channel in communication with an air blower and an air return orifice and two air injection orifices adapted to communicate with said shower enclosure whereby to create a stream of circulating air in said enclosure, heating means in said air distribution channel for heating air convected therein to a temperature of up to about 50°

C. to 75°

C. to provide said stream as a stream of hot dry air circulating in said enclosure about a person'"'"'s body positioned in said enclosure whereby to cause said person'"'"'s body to increase its internal temperature to precipitate perspiration to thereby provide a therapeutic effect of shedding toxins through the skin, and wherein said top wall member defines a right angle corner area, said air return orifice being disposed in said corner area, said air injecting orifices disposed spaced adjacent a respective one of opposed sides of said member forwardly of said corner area whereby to create said stream of hot dry air having a downward path from opposed sides of said shower enclosure to a bottom wall thereof and then up along to said corner area to said return orifice to subject the person standing in said enclosure to said dry heat air stream.

2. The top wall assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein an air filter support frame is mounted adjacent said air return orifice and supported above a water deflector cover, said frame being adapted to retain an air filter adjacent said air return orifice, said filter being accessible by removal of said water deflector cover.

3. The top wall assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein said top wall member is a molded shell, said air distribution channel is formed in said molded shell, said air distribution channel having an inlet end surrounding at least part of an impeller of said air blower and two branch channels leading to a respective one of said air injecting orifices, said air injecting orifices being elongated slots formed in said top wall member spaced close to a respective one of opposed side edges for location adjacent two sidewalls of a shower enclosure.

4. The top wall assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein there is further provided in combination with said hot dry air therapeutic stream a chromo-therapeutic light source to subject a user person to colored light, a lumino-therapeutic light source to subject the person to intense light, an ion generating source to inject ions in said air stream and an ozone generator to inject ozone in said air stream.

5. The top wall assembly as claimed in claim 4 wherein there is further provided at least one colored light source mounted in said top wall member, and control means to energize said light source for a desired predetermined period of time to subject a user person to a chromo-therapeutic effect.

6. The top wall assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein there is further provided at least one intense clear light source in said top wall member, and control means to actuate said intense clear light source for a desired predetermined period of time to subject the person to a lumino-therapeutic effect.

7. The top wall assembly as claimed in claim 6 wherein there are two or more halogen light sources secured in said top wall.

8. The top wall assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein there is further provided an ion generator in communication with said air distribution channel to inject ions in said hot dry air stream, and control means to actuate said ion generator for a desired predetermined period of time to subject the person to an energizing therapeutic effect.

9. The top wall assembly as claimed in claim 8 wherein said ion generator is secured to said air distribution channel between said air blower and said heating means.

10. The top wall assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein there is further provided an ozone generator in communication with said air distribution channel to inject ozone in said hot dry air stream, and control means to actuate said ozone generator for a desired predetermined period of time to subject the person to a purified hot dry air stream.

11. The top wall assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein there is further provided a water atomizer spray nozzle in said top wall member in communication with an interior of a shower enclosure to inject a fine water mist therein, and control means to control the operation of said water atomizer 45 for a predetermined period of time.

12. A therapeutic shower enclosure comprising a bottom wall, opposed sidewalls, a top wall and a door assembly in said sidewalls for access to said enclosure;

an air distribution channel in communication with an air blower and an air return orifice and at least one air injection orifices communicating with said enclosure whereby to create a stream of circulating air in said enclosure, heating means in said air distribution channel for heating air convected therein to a temperature of up to about 50°

C. to 75°

C. to provide said stream as a stream of hot dry air circulating in said enclosure about a person'"'"'s body in said enclosure whereby to cause said person'"'"'s body to increase its internal temperature to cause perspiration to thereby provide a therapeutic effect of shedding toxins through the skin, said air return orifice being disposed in said top wall substantially mid-way between said sidewalls, there being two of said air injecting orifices disposed spaced adjacent said sidewalls on a respective one of said opposed sidewalls forwardly of said air return orifice whereby to create said stream of hot dry air having a downward path from opposed sides of said enclosure to said bottom wall and then up along said sidewalls to said air return orifice to subject a user person standing in said enclosure to said dry heat air stream.

13. The therapeutic shower enclosure as claimed in claim 12 wherein said air distribution channel is mounted in said top wall of said enclosure, said air return orifices and said two of said air injection orifices being provided in said top wall.

14. The therapeutic shower enclosure as claimed in claim 13 wherein said air blower is mounted in said air distribution channel adjacent a single one of said air return orifice.

15. The therapeutic shower enclosure as claimed in claim 12 wherein said air is heated to a temperature preferably within the range of from about 31°

C. to 40°

C. and for a predetermined period of time.

16. The therapeutic shower enclosure as claimed in claim 15 wherein said predetermined period of time is about 20 minutes, said temperature being attained within a time delay of about 5 minutes from start-up for an enclosure having a volume of about 62 cubic feet.

17. The therapeutic shower enclosure as claimed in claim 16 wherein said air blower has a displacement capacity of 65 cfm and said two of said air injection orifices are of a predetermined size, whereby air displacement on the user'"'"'s skin will not exceed 0.2 m/s.

18. The therapeutic shower enclosure as claimed in claim 12 wherein said air injecting orifices are elongated slot orifices dimensioned to provide an accelerated downward air stream adjacent said sidewalls at a pressure sufficient to reach said bottom wall and to create a return air stream comfortable to the head of the person standing in said enclosure.

19. The therapeutic shower enclosure as claimed in claim 12 wherein said elongated slots each have a dimension of approximately 6 inches by ¾

of an inch, said air return orifice being a circular orifice having a diameter of 3 inches and said air blower having an air displacement capacity of 50 cfm for an enclosure of approximately 36 inches×

40 inches×

80 inches and wherein said heating means is a 2 kw electric resistive element.

20. The therapeutic shower enclosure as claimed in claim 12 wherein there is further provided in combination with said hot dry air therapeutic stream a chromotherapeutic light source to subject the person to colored light, a luminotherapeutic light source to subject a user person to intense light, an ion generating source to inject ions in said air stream and an ozone generator to inject ozone in said air stream.

21. The therapeutic shower enclosure as claimed in claim 12 wherein there is further provided at least one colored light source mounted in said top wall, and control means to energize said light source for a desired predetermined period of time to subject the person to a chromotherapeutic effect.

22. The therapeutic shower enclosure as claimed in claim 21 wherein there are three of said colored light source, each said source comprising a plurality of red, blue and green light emitting diodes, said light sources being disposed at a position variable to the person'"'"'s head standing in said shower enclosure.

23. The therapeutic shower enclosure as claimed in claim 12 wherein there is further provided at least one intense clear light source in said top wall, and control means to actuate said intense clear light source for a desired predetermined period of time to subject the person to a luminotherapeutic effect.

24. The therapeutic shower enclosure as claimed in claim 12 wherein there is further provided an ion generator in communication with said air distribution channel to inject ions in said hot dry air stream, and control means to actuate said ion generator for a desired predetermined period of time to subject the person to an energizing therapeutic effect.

25. The therapeutic shower enclosure as claimed in claim 12 wherein there is further provided an ozone generator in communication with said air distribution channel to inject ozone in said hot dry air stream, and control means to actuate said ozone generator for a desired predetermined period of time to subject the person to a purified hot dry air stream.

26. The therapeutic shower enclosure as claimed in claim 12 wherein there is further provided a water atomizer spray nozzle in communication with the interior of said enclosure to inject a fine water mist herein, and control means to control the operation of said water atomizer for a predetermined period of time.

27. The therapeutic shower enclosure as claimed in claim 12 wherein there is provided a single air return orifice of circular contour, and an air deflector disc secured to said top wall and aligned concentrically with said air return orifice and spaced a predetermined distance forwardly thereof.