Inflatable spa

• US 9,254,240 B2
• Filed: 07/28/2014
• Issued: 02/09/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intex Marketing Ltd. (Intex Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Intex Recreation Corporation (Intex Corporation)
• Inventors: Lin, Hua Hsiang, Hsu, Yaw Yuan
• Primary Examiner(s): BAKER, LORI LYNN
• Application Number:
  US14/444,474
• Publication Number:
  US 20150020306A1
• Time in Patent Office: 561 Days
• Field of Search: 4538-595
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A47K 3/06 Collapsible baths , e.g. inflatable; Movable baths
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2033/023 with means in the air supply lines to prevent back-feed of water, e.g. anti-backflow valves, draining devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/0103 inflatable
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/0157 portable
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/0207 heated
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/5007 computer controlled
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 33/0087 Therapeutic baths with agitated or circulated water
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 33/0095 Arrangements for varying the temperature of the liquid
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 33/02 Bathing devices for use with gas-containing liquid, or liquid in which gas is led or generated, e.g. carbon dioxide baths A61H33/6026 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 33/028 Means for producing a flow of gas, e.g. blowers, compressors
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 33/6005 Special constructive structural details of the bathtub, e.g. of the walls or supporting structure
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 33/6021 Nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 33/6047 With incorporated pump means
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 33/6068 Outlet from the bath
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 4/0025 with inflatable parts
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 4/129 Systems for heating the water content of swimming pools solar collectors using pools F24S10/17, F24S10/10; by solar radiation F24S20/02
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining

Abstract

An inflatable spa having improved strength includes a water cavity that receives massaging air bubbles and/or jetted water.

Claims

1. An inflatable product comprising:

a first wall;

a second wall;

an inflatable air chamber defined by the first wall and the second wall; and

a plurality of tensioning structures located in the air chamber and coupled to the first wall and the second wall, each tensioning structure including;

at least one attachment sheet having an outer perimeter; and

a porous sheet coupled to the at least one attachment sheet, the porous sheet having an outer perimeter that substantially overlaps the outer perimeter of the at least one attachment sheet, the porous sheet including a plurality of enclosed pores located entirely within the outer perimeter of the at least one attachment sheet and a plurality of frame members that intersect to define the plurality of enclosed pores.

2. The inflatable product of claim 1, wherein the plurality of frame members of the porous sheet cooperate to define a screen.

3. The inflatable product of claim 1, wherein the plurality of frame members of the porous sheet are arranged in a grid pattern.

4. The inflatable product of claim 1, wherein the porous sheet includes a plurality of open spaces that are partially surrounded by the frame members.

5. The inflatable product of claim 1, wherein the at least one attachment sheet has a lower melting point than the porous sheet.

6. The inflatable product of claim 1, wherein the at least one attachment sheet, the first wall, and the second wall have similar melting points.

7. The inflatable product of claim 1, wherein the product is a pool, the first wall is an internal wall of the pool, and the second wall is an external wall of the pool, the spa further comprising a bottom wall that cooperates with the internal wall to define a water cavity.

17. The inflatable product of claim 1, wherein the at least one attachment sheet is welded to the first wall along a first seam and welded to the second wall along a second seam and portions of the plurality of frame members extend diagonally relative to the first and second seams.

18. The inflatable product of claim 17, wherein the first wall comprises an inner wall of the inflatable product and the second wall comprises an outer wall of the inflatable product, further comprising a top wall and a bottom wall cooperating with the inner and outer walls to define the inflatable air chamber, each tensioning structure and the top and bottom walls cooperate to define gaps therebetween.

19. The inflatable product of claim 18, wherein each tensioning structure includes a plurality of notches cooperating with the top and bottom walls to define the gaps.

20. The inflatable product of claim 19, wherein the plurality of tensioning structures include upper and lower edges having notch-defining portions defining the notches, and a plurality of the frame members extend from the first and second seams to the notch-defining portions of the upper and lower edges.

21. The inflatable product of claim 20, wherein the upper edge includes upper-most portions positioned adjacent at least one of the notch-defining portions, the lower edge includes lower-most portions positioned adjacent at least one of the notch-defining portions, a plurality of the frame members terminate at the upper-most portions, and a plurality of the frame members terminate at the lower-most portions.

22. The inflatable product of claim 21, wherein the porous sheet includes a plurality of open spaces that are partially surrounded by the frame members and positioned along the notches.

30. The inflatable product of claim 7, wherein the bottom wall includes an annular perimeter rim attached to the internal wall of the pool, an upper layer attached to the annular perimeter rim, and a lower layer attached to the annular perimeter rim and the upper layer, a majority of the upper layer being spaced apart from the lower layer to define a space therebetween.

8. An inflatable product comprising:

a first wall;

a second wall;

an inflatable air chamber defined by the first wall and the second wall; and

a plurality of tensioning structures located in the air chamber, each tensioning structure being coupled to the first wall along a first seam that extends along a first line and to the second wall along a second seam that extends along a second line, each tensioning structure including a porous sheet with a plurality of pores, wherein any line parallel to the first line intersects the plurality of pores in the porous sheet and the first line is parallel to the second line.

9. The inflatable product of claim 8, wherein the porous sheet includes a plurality of frame members that cooperate to define the plurality of pores, wherein the plurality of frame members are oriented transverse to the first line.

10. The inflatable product of claim 9, wherein the plurality of frame members are oriented transverse to a third line that is perpendicular to the first line.

23. The inflatable product of claim 8, wherein the porous sheet includes a plurality of frame members that cooperate to define the plurality of pores and the plurality of frame members extend diagonally relative to the first and second seams.

24. The inflatable product of claim 23, wherein the porous sheet defines a diagonal grid relative to the first and second seams.

25. The inflatable product of claim 23, wherein the plurality of pores are aligned in a plurality of diagonal rows.

11. A method of manufacturing an inflatable product having an air chamber defined by a plurality of walls, the method comprising:

providing a porous sheet of a first material including a plurality of frame members that cooperate to define a plurality of pores, at least a portion of the first material surrounding the plurality of pores in the porous sheet;

placing the porous sheet between a second sheet of a second material and a third sheet of a third material, the second material and the third material covering the portion of the first material that surrounds the plurality of pores in the porous sheet;

attaching the second sheet to the third sheet;

placing the porous sheet in the air chamber of the inflatable product; and

attaching the porous sheet to a first wall of the plurality of walls along a first seam that extends along a first line and attaching the porous sheet to a second wall of the plurality of walls along a second seam that extends along a second line, the plurality of frame members being oriented transverse to the first line.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the second sheet comprises an attachment layer located between one of the plurality of walls of the inflatable product and the porous layer.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the second sheet comprises one of the plurality of walls of the inflatable product.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the attaching step comprises attaching the second material of the second sheet to the third material of the third sheet through the plurality of pores in the porous sheet.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the attaching step comprises melting the second material of the second sheet and the third material of the third sheet.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the second material of the second sheet is the same as the third material of the third sheet.

26. The method of claim 11, wherein the attaching step creates first and second seams along the plurality of walls of the inflatable product, the porous sheet includes a plurality of open spaces that are partially surrounded by frame members of the porous sheet, a majority of the pores surrounded by the first material are positioned in an area between the first and second seams, and a majority of the open spaces are positioned outside of the area between the first and second seams.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein a minority of the open spaces are positioned in the area between the first and second seams.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the porous sheet includes notches having a width significantly wider than a width of the plurality of pores, the notches are positioned in the area between the first and second seams, a minority of the open spaces are positioned adjacent the notches, and the porous sheet includes a plurality of open spaces positioned in the area between the first and second seams and spaced apart from the notches.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising the step of attaching a pool floor to the first wall and the second wall to form an inflatable pool.