Inflatable bathing device

A bathing device for use in a hospital or nursing home environment comprises a rectangular chamber surrounded on five sides by inflatable interconnected panels. An integral head and neck support are provided at one end of the rectangular chamber. A drain unit penetrates the chamber and is connected to a hose for drainage of the bathing device. Air is provided to the interconnected panels through a resealable inlet. Air is also provided to the head and neck support though a resealable inlet. The bathing device is designed to be utilized in a hospital bed. A sloped inflated bottom panel facilitates drainage.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to devices utilized in a hospital to bathe a 
patient who is fully or partially immobilized. More particularly the 
instant invention relates to an inflatable bathtub which may be easily 
employed to comfortably bathe a person with limited ambulatory capacity. 
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART 
Devices which are both inflatable and utilized in the bathing or treatment 
of immobilized individuals are known in art. U.S. Pat. No. 3,058,122 
issued to B. B. McDaniel et. al. on Oct. 16, 1962 discloses a 
thermoplastic film lavage device for treating victims of a thermonuclear 
conflagration. The device is inflatable and designed to hold the victim 
while burn treatments such as spray and lavage are applied. A drain and 
head rest are provided. 
U.S. Pat. No. 3,681,789 issued to Edward Bott on Aug. 8, 1972 discloses a 
self-supporting bathing receptacle of compliant material for bathing a 
person therein. The device includes a drain tube and an inflatable tubular 
channel surrounding the bathing zone. 
U.S. Pat. No. 4,964,183 issued to James LaForce, Jr. on Oct. 23, 1990 
discloses a solar tanning tub. An inflatable enclosure and back and neck 
support are designed to allow the user to comfortably recline inside the 
enclosure while being partially immersed in water. The device may be 
deinflated and folded for storage. 
U.S. Pat. No. 5,022,102 issued to Maria Louvaris on Jun. 11, 1991 discloses 
a bathing device comprising the combination of an inflatable bathtub and a 
shampoo bowl of flexible material. Drains are provided at both ends of the 
longitudinal axis of the inflatable bathtub. 
None of the above referenced devices, considered either singly or in 
combination, is seen to suggest the instant invention as claimed. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
A bathing device for use in a hospital or nursing home environment 
comprises a rectangular chamber surrounded on five sides by inflatable 
interconnected panels. An integral head and neck support are provided at 
one end of the rectangular chamber. A drain unit penetrates the chamber 
and is connected to a hose for drainage of the bathing device. Air is 
provided to the interconnected panels through a resealable inlet. Air is 
also provided to the head and neck support though a resealable inlet. The 
bathing device is designed to be utilized in a hospital bed. The bathing 
device is placed on the hospital bed in its uninflated condition. The 
immobilized person while in an inclined position is placed thereon. The 
five interconnected panels and head/neck support are then inflated. Water 
is introduced and the patient/user is cleaned. The soiled water is then 
drained from the bathing device to an appropriate disposal unit. A sloped 
inflated bottom facilitates drainage. The unit is deflated, and the 
patient/user is removed and dried. The bathing unit is then sterilized or 
destroyed as required or necessary. 
Accordingly, one object of the present invention is to provide a simple to 
use inflatable bathing device. 
Another object of the present invention is to provide an inflatable bathing 
device for use with immobile individuals. 
Another object of the present invention is to provide an inflatable bathing 
device which is easy to drain. 
Another object of the present invention is to provide an inflatable bathing 
device which has features to ensure the comfort of the user. 
These and other objects of the present invention will become readily 
apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
An inflatable bathing device or tub 10 is provided for use with a patient 
11 confined to a bed 5 in a hospital or a nursing home. The bathing device 
10 comprises a right side wall 12, a left side wall 14, a head side wall 
16, and a foot side wall 18, connected to a bottom element 20. The upright 
side walls (12, 14, 16, 18) and the bottom element 20 are inflatable and 
are composed of generally cylindrical tubular members 15. The bottom 
element 20 has a top portion 21 and a foot or lower portion 23. The top 
portion 21 is higher than the lower portion 23, thus creating a interior 
slope on the bottom element 20. A drain outlet 28 is provided at the 
intersection of the lower portion 23 with the left side wall 14. This 
drain outlet 28 passes through the foot side wall 18 and would permit 
fluid to drain from the tub 10. The drain outlet 28 is connected to a 
drain hose 34 externally of the tub 10 to permit remote disposal of the 
used water. Any of a variety of means may be employed to connect the hose 
34 to the drain outlet 28. A plug 32 is provided to maintain tub 10 
integrity while being employed. 
Referring now to FIG. 1, the inflatable tub 10 is shown in use, with an 
orderly 8 bathing an incapacitated patient 11 while a substantial portion 
of the patient's body is immersed in water. Water 13 is brought to the tub 
10 from a hot water supply by a hose 17. The tub 10 is in its inflated 
position and is shown with the drain hose 34 connected. The drain hose 34 
leads to a suitable dirty water disposal site such as the bathroom. 
Gravity would cause the water to drain once the plug 32 which is provided 
is removed. 
Referring now specifically to FIG. 2, the sloped nature of the bottom 
inflatable element 20 is shown. An inflatable pillow 22 is provided 
secured to the top portion 23 of the bottom element 20. The drain outlet 
28 is shown penetrating the foot side wall 18 proximal the lower portion 
23 of the bottom element 20. The bottom element 20 is shown in dashed 
lines, sloping downward from the head wall 16 to the foot wall 18. An air 
input valve 24 is provided on the left side wall 14. The air input valve 
24 is resealable and permits the air tubes 15 to be filled to a desired 
pressure. The four wall elements (12, 14, 16, 18) are composed of 
cylindrical air tubes 15 which are made of plastic or other suitable 
material such as rubberized cloth. The air tubes 15 are integral and 
connected in such a way that the one resealable air valve 24 would permit 
inflation of the entire tub 10. 
FIG. 3 is a view showing the further sloping of the bottom element 20 from 
the right side wall 12 toward the left side wall 14 to facilitate water 
drainage. The drain outlet 28 is shown penetrating the foot side wall 18. 
The drain outlet 28 is shown in FIG. 4. A plug 32 can be employed to 
prevent drainage of the tub 10. The drain outlet 28 has a conventional 
screw hose mounting 29 attached in the preferred embodiment; however, one 
of any of a host of hose securing means may be employed to secure the 
drain hose 34 to the drain outlet 28 by coupling 30. The drain hose 34 is 
brought to a suitable disposal area where the waste water would be 
disposed of. 
FIG. 5 shows a top plan view of the instant invention. It shows the 
integral nature of the cylindrical air tubes 15. The bottom inflatable 
element 20 is comprised of a plurality of connected cylindrical air tubes 
15 which are also filled by the master air valve 24. An inflatable pillow 
22 is shown with its own resealable air input valve 26. 
It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the 
sole embodiment described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments 
within the scope of the following claims.