Portable bathing apparatus

A portable bathing apparatus comprising a body length container having an inflatable wall which forms a shallow tub for holding water for bathing a person, the wall has a valve for inflating the wall from a source of air, the container is provided with a rigid bottom portion with a fluid egress means including a control valve for draining water from the container and removable apertured cushion means resting on its bottom portion.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
This invention pertains to the field of personal health care equipment. 
More particularly, it pertains to a process of bathing an individual, who 
is confined to a bed, such as to enable one to receive body treatments 
such as bathing, massage and other administrations without contact between 
the provider of the services and the recipient thereof. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
In providing health care, those in need are often gathered together to be 
treated by teams of specialists so that the efficiency of the treatment is 
intensified or that the total cost thereof is concentrated to be more 
efficacious. For instance, in hospitals, sanitariums and retirement 
centers, sick, infirm and aged persons in need of administrations such as 
physical therapy of the limbs and bathing are treated by teams of nurses, 
doctors and others who perform these services without traveling beyond the 
confines of the institution. In some situations, a single provider of 
services such as a physical therapist or a nurse may provide frequent 
bathing to number of individuals during any given period of time. 
One can perceive, therefore, that a nurse giving baths to a number of 
patients would soon find his/her hands becoming sore from the loss of body 
oils through constant exposure to water and soap used in the bathing 
process. In other situations, individuals in need of specialized care are 
confined to their homes such as those who are aged and those who suffer 
from acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). The individual is 
virtually hopelessly confined in a bed and is to weak to leave the bed and 
travel to a shower stall and stand or sit to bathe. In these situations, 
there is a critical need to provide the services to the person in the bed 
and, further, to bar any direct contact between the patient's body and the 
provider's body. 
The prior art has attempted to provide a barrier to such contact between 
those who are in need of such services and those who provide such 
services, with the use of rubber and plastic gloves on the hands of the 
provider. However, these have not become popular because of their 
aesthetics. The prior art shows certain apparatuses for bathing, such as 
are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,749,064; 4,057,032; and 4,083,328. These 
devices, however, are generally restricted to placement over a tub or 
other container that already is provided with pressurized water and a 
water drain and are not useful for individuals lying in a bed separated 
from such a source of pressurized water or such a drain. 
The prior art further shows certain body treatment apparatuses such as are 
described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,868,950; 4,034,424; 4,152,792; 4,353,349; 
and 4,485,502. However, all of these devices are restricted to having a 
person encased in some sort of apparatus resting in one position only so 
that they cannot turn or be turned over to expose other portions of their 
body for treatment. Other forms of prior art have provided apparatus, 
including pumps and other water-transfer devices, often powered by 
electrical motors, for transmitting water from one point to another. These 
devices pose a constant danger to both the provider and the recipient 
because of the use of the water or water containing compounds in the 
presence of electrical energy and the possibility of electrocution, and 
are otherwise very costly thus placing them beyond the reach of many 
patients with limited financial means. 
U.S. Pat. No. 3,677,263, that utilizes an elongated sheath of water-tight 
material dimenioned to surround the body wherein means are provided for 
ingress and egress of fluids. The sheath is entered through an elongated 
opening having a sealable seam and the inside of the sheath is covered 
with a liner. This product has worked well over the years, however, it, 
too, has its own shortcomings and is useful only when coupled with 
expensive pumps and machinery to transfer water to and from the sheath. 
There thus exists a continuing problem in the industry concerning home care 
or concentrated care, where the individual is confined to a bed and 
further, where the individual is suffering from a malady mandating a 
continuous, impervious barrier be established between the provider of 
services and the recipient. To date, there has been no such apparatus that 
is safe for use without the attendant problems of possible electric shock 
or that is totally portable and can be moved from a source of pressurized 
water to the bedside of the individual and that can be moved between 
individuals. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The object of the present invention can be achieved by providing a portable 
bathing apparatus comprising a body length container having an inflatable 
wall which forms a shallow tub for holding water for bathing a person. The 
inflatable wall has a valve for inflating the wall from a source of air. 
The container is also provided with a rigid bottom portion having a fluid 
egress means including a valve for draining water therefrom. Removable 
apertured cushion means is placed within the container to provide comfort 
for the bather. 
Advantageously, a top sheath is provided which is placed on top of the 
container. The sheath has an opening so that the bather's head or upper 
body portion can protrude. The sheath has an opening or egress to permit 
warm air to enter and dry the bather. The sheath can be attached to the 
container. 
For additional comfort or for bathing the hair of the bather an attachable 
pillow can be provided. 
The objects and further advantages of the invention will be more apparent 
upon reading of the preferred embodiment in conjunction with the drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
FIG. 1 illustrates the bathing apparatus 10 of the present invention in its 
completely assembled condition, ready for use. It comprises a bottom 
portion 13 which is provided with a fluid egress 15 to drain bath water in 
the apparatus. The egress 15 is a manual control valve 14 which is closed 
when water is added and open to permit the water to drain by gravity. A 
flexible and inflatable portion 11 having an inflation valve 12 is 
removably attached to or can be integral with the bottom portion 13. The 
wall 21 of the inflatable portion 11 in its upright position with the 
bottom portion 13 forms a shallow tub which can be filled with water to 
permit bathing. 
The flexible portion 11 can be easily attached to the bottom portion 13 
during construction by known procedures when both the bottom portion 13 
and the inflatable portion 11 are constructed from plastics, for example, 
polyethylene, polypropylene, and the like. The attachment can be with 
adhesives, sonic bonding, heat sealing and the like. 
When the bottom portion 13 and the inflatable portion 1 are separable, the 
bottom portion 13 should be of rigid construction. Inflation of the 
flexible inflatable portion 11 creates a water tight seal with the bottom 
portion 13 similar to a tubeless tire. 
Optionally, there may be included a top sheath 18 with means 18a for 
permitting warm air to be blown into the apparatus to dry the bather after 
the water is drained. Also, there can be provided a pillow 16 for the 
bather's comfort. 
The apparatus is generally elongated so as to permit a bather to recline. 
As seen in FIG. 2, a removable cushion 20 with drain holes 20a is provided 
in the apparatus 10 for the bather's comfort. The cushion 20 may be one 
piece or in sections for ease in handling. 
The top sheath 18 can either be a rigid plastic or a flexible plastic sheet 
which can be rolled up and stowed away. It is preferred to have the sheath 
18 transparent when dealing with invalids. However, the sheath can be 
opaque for the privacy of the bather. The top sheath can be held on the 
inflatable means by a suitable fastening means, for example, a hook 19a 
and loop 19b fastener (Velcro) as shown in the figure. 
Similarly, the pillow 16 can be attached to the inflatable portion 11 with 
a hook 17a and loop 17b fastener (Velcro). The pillow 16 is preferably a 
water impervious foam material. 
The inflatable portion 11 is shown in FIG. 3 with apertured sectional 
cushions 20 resting on an optional flexible plastic bottom layer 21a 
having apertures to permit drainage to the bottom portion 13. The flexible 
bottom layer 21a has been found to be helpful in maintaining the shape of 
the inflatable portion 11 so that it can be easily inserted in the bottom 
portion 13. The bottom layer 21a also aids in inflation by bulging the 
walls outwardly so as to form the tight seal. 
As shown in FIG. 4, the bottom portion 13 is sloped for gravity drain and 
is provided with ridges 22 to hold the cushions 20 from the bottom to 
permit drainage. Alternatively, in lieu of ridges, there may be drainage 
grooves. 
It should be understood that the bathing apparatus can be utilized by 
connection with conventional hoses to water spigots and the drain means 15 
can be similarly attached to a hose from a water drain or catch. The 
present apparatus is ideally suited for use with the combination air tank 
and drainage receptacle disclosed in U.S Pat. No. 4,935,971 which is 
herein incorporated by reference. 
When the required amount of water has been put in the bathing apparatus, 
the invalid person bathes or is bathed by an attendant. When bathing is 
completed, the valve 14 is opened and the water is drained out. The 
cushions 20 are removed and any residual water can be removed using a 
sponge. The air from the portion 11 is removed so that the wall collapse. 
All of the parts being of light weight plastic material can be stowed away 
until further use. The apparatus 10 has the advantage that no tools are 
required for assembly and disassembly. The entire unit can be easily and 
inexpensively constructed from low cost plastic materials.