Portable sauna

A portable sauna is described, being formed in the shape of a sphere. A door leads into a spherical shaped room wherein a bench extends about a central circular floor. Above the bench is a loft lying adjacent a plane that passes through the center point of the spherical shape. The sauna may be selectively heated by any combination of heat lamps, dry heated air blower, and a steam generator, all of which operate on common household current. Water for the steam generator is supplied by a self-contained reservoir. Ventilation can be controlled by the occupant through a skylight ventilator or automatically through a valve mechanism interconnected with the blower. The valve mechanism is operable to recirculate room air or to receive indirect outside air into the room. Selectively controlled lighting and audio systems are also included to allow further control of the enclosed environment.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention is related to portable saunas and steam bath 
structures. 
The sauna and steam bath both have well known physiological restive 
affects. Tension and other physical stress is relieved through the dry 
heated air of a sauna or the heavy moist air of a steam bath. 
Until now the desirable effects produced by saunas and steam baths have 
been offset by the problems of effective design, efficient use of space 
and economics. 
Saunas and steam baths are popularly known to be integral "rooms" of 
exclusive homes, fitness centers or health spas. Portable saunas and steam 
baths have been developed (reference U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,271,786 and 
3,707,732) but their portability is directly dependent upon their small 
size--only one person can make use of the device at any given time. Saunas 
and steam baths both are much more enjoyable and effective when they can 
be occupied by more than one person. Furthermore, the closed cramped 
quarters of a typical portable sauna can, at least with some people, cause 
more tension than the therapeutic effect of the sauna or steam bath can 
remove. Portable saunas thus have had limited value, psychologically if 
not physiologically. 
The present invention meets human needs for both physiological and 
psychological pleasure and relaxation within a defined space of soothing 
shape and texture. It remains very practical in its portability, 
structural stability, use of household current, and nonrequirement of 
plumbing connections; yet it gives one or preferably several people the 
opportunity to select an environment to match nearly any mood.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
The present "sauna" is designated generally by the reference character 10 
in the accompanying drawings. The present invention broadens the general 
concept of the term "sauna" by adding significantly to the presently known 
dry heat room or steam bath. The result is a novel "sauna" 10 in which the 
user can selectively control sensory input to affect his overall 
physiological as well as psychological enjoyment and relaxation. 
The sauna is comprised basically of a ball shaped structure 12 supported 
externally by an upright framework 11. The framework 11 may be formed 
integrally with the structure, extending downwardly to flat, horizontal 
surfaces that brace the ball shaped structure from rolling. The structure 
12 includes a spherical external wall 13 that encloses or circumscribes a 
complementary spherical inner wall 14. The interior wall defines a 
spherical shaped room 15. 
The spherical walls 13 and 14 are formed of synthetic resinous shells, 
preferably by a vacuum forming process. The walls are preferably formed in 
two hemispheres and joined together during assembly of a sauna unit. 
The two walls are connected at a joint 20 in a plane common to both sets of 
hemispherical wall sections. The two hemispherical sections can be 
permanently or temporarily joined together at the joint 20. 
The void or space between the inner and outer walls 13 and 14 is filled by 
an insulative material 16. It is preferred that this material 16 be of the 
foamed resin variety, providing high heat insulative values as well as 
acoustical insulation of the room 15 from the external atmosphere. 
Furthermore, such foamed insulation has structural properties that, 
together with the structural stability imparted through the walls 13 and 
14, add to the entire structural integrity of the unit. 
A doorway 23 (FIGS. 1 and 3) is formed through the structure 12 leading 
into the room 15. The doorway 23 is selectively closed by a door 24. 
Appropriate sealing material (not shown) may be provided about the mating 
surfaces of the door and doorway to provide an airtight seal. 
The door 24 is formed with the curvature of the walls 13 and 14 so as not 
to interrupt the spherical shape of the structure externally, nor the 
spherical shape of the room 15. The door is shown as being a single piece 
structure. However, it is conceivable that the door may be formed by more 
than one hinged element. For example, the door can be divided horizontally 
at its approximate midsection with an upper half foldable upwardly to open 
the upper half of the doorway and to provide overhead protection to the 
user. The bottom half would be hinged and folded downwardly, providing a 
ramp leading into the room 15. Other forms of unitary, split hinged, or 
sliding doors are also contemplated. 
The single piece door 24 shown in the drawings is hinged at 25 to the ball 
shaped structure 12. The hinges protrude outwardly from the external wall 
13 to define an upright axis about which the door will swing. 
Upward of the doorway 23 along the structure 12 is a skylight 28. The 
skylight 28 includes a smoothly curved dome 29 formed of a transparent 
material, preferably a transparent variety of the same material utilized 
to form the walls 13 and 14. The curvature of the dome 29 is continuous 
with the curvature of the external wall. The dome is received within a 
recess 30 formed in the outer wall 13 so as not to interrupt the spherical 
appearance of the structure from the outside. The recess can be lined with 
appropriate weather stripping 32 to seal the dome 29 and exterior wall 13. 
The dome 29 is centered on an upright central axis that passes vertically 
through the common center of the spherical walls 13 and 14. Also centered 
on this axis is a circular opening 31 extending between the walls 13 and 
14. The dome 29 covers opening 31. 
Dome 29 is mounted to a sleeve 33 (FIG. 6) received within the opening 31 
for sliding movement toward and away from the room 15. The sleeve 33 
slides frictionally and axially along the central upright axis to lift the 
dome 29 to the dotted line position as shown in FIG. 6 or to lower the 
dome into flush engagement with the exterior wall 13. 
A first inner transparent pane 34 is formed across the sleeve 33 
hermetically sealing the area between the pane 33 and adjacent surface of 
the dome 29. A second circular transparent pane 35 is spaced axially from 
the first pane 34. Sleeve 35 creates a second hermetically sealed area 
between the panes 34 and 35. There is a double insulation factor, 
therefore, between the exterior atmosphere and the inside environment of 
the room 15. 
The second pane 35 is preferably formed of a polarized material. A third 
transparent pane 36 is rotatably mounted to the second pane 35 and is also 
formed of polarized material. The pivot connection 37 is positioned on the 
upright axis passing through the center point of the walls 13 and 14. A 
handle 38 is provided on the third pane 36 outward of the pivot 37 to 
enable rotational movement of the third pane 36 relative to the second 
pane. Rotational movement or angular positioning of one polarized pane 
relative to the other will correspondingly effect the amount of light 
allowed to enter the room through the skylight 28. The user can therefore 
selectively determine the amount of external light admitted into the room 
15 simply by rotating the third pane 26 about the upright central axis. 
A lower portion of the sleeve 33 includes a vent means generally shown at 
40 in FIG. 6. The vent means 40 is simply comprised of a number of 
openings 41 formed through the sleeve about its periphery. These openings 
41 can be moved upwardly with the sleeve to become exposed to the outside 
air and allow free passage of air to and from the room 15. The amount of 
ventilation depends on the axial position of the sleeve. A fully open 
position is shown by the dashed line position of FIG. 6. 
One entering the room 15 through the doorway 23 will step firstly on a 
circular floor 44. The floor 44 is formed integrally within the inner 
shell that defines the wall 14. The circular floor 44 is centered on the 
upright central axis. It may be partially covered by a decking (not shown) 
that will elevate the user's feet from condensate that can collect within 
the room following use with steam. 
A bench 48 extends about the upright axis and about the periphery of the 
floor 44. The bench is split into different levels about the axis. A high 
or upper level 49 of the bench extends partially about the arc formed by 
the bench 48 with the remaining bench portion made up by a lower bench 
level 50. Both levels 49 and 50 are determined by an upright front wall 51 
of the bench. The wall 51 is formed integrally with the inner wall and 
defines a hollow space between it and the adjacent portions of the curved 
wall 14. Horizontal seats 52 extend between the upright front wall 51 and 
inner wall 15 to provide support to the user. The seats 52 are supported, 
at least partially, by dividers 53 that extend radially with respect to 
the central upright axis of the room. The dividers 53 are formed to 
provide arm rest sections 54 and integral upright structural braces 55. 
The structural braces 55 support a loft 56 that is located above the bench 
44 on a horizontal plane situated elevationally adjacent the center point 
for the spherical inner curvature of the room. The loft is preferably 
formed of a wooden plank platform 57 supported by the braces 55 and 
additional supports such as horizontal beams 58 (FIG. 2). It is pointed 
out that the beams 58 may be integral with either of the hemispheres or 
separate from both. If separate, the platform can be mounted to the lower 
hemisphere prior to positioning of the upper hemisphere along the joint 
20. 
A forward edge 60 (FIG. 3) of the loft 56 passes through or is adjacent to 
the center point of curvature within the room 15. The edge 60 is located 
directly above the upper level 49 of bench 48. The elevational difference 
between the floor 44, upper bench level 49, and loft 56, is such that it 
is relatively easy for a user to step up onto the upper bench level 49 and 
sit or slightly lift himself onto the loft surface. 
The loft 56 spans a substantial (semi circle) area within the room 15 and 
therefore can provide support for one or more persons either lying 
separately or sitting on the loft surface. 
The atmosphere within the room 15 can be selectively changed through 
selective use of three different room temperature controlling mechanisms. 
Firstly, a steam generator (FIG. 7) is provided at 62 for selectively 
increasing the humidity within the room 15. The generator 62 is formed 
within the confines of the bench 48 between the front wall 51 and inner 
wall 14 of the structure. The steam generator 62 includes a standard 
electrical resistive heat element 63 that operates from standard household 
current. The element 63 is submersible and is selectively covered with 
water within a water chamber 64. The chamber 64 is shown as a metal 
chamber. However, it is contemplated that the chamber may be supplied as 
an integral part of the structure between the wall 51 and internal wall 
14. 
A steam discharge 65 leads from the water channel 64 to direct steam 
through a conduit 66 (dashed lines, FIG. 5). The conduit 66 leads around 
the wall 51 on an interior surface thereof to several angularly spaced 
discharge orifices 67 (FIG. 4). The orifices 67 are preferably situated 
adjacent to the floor 44. 
Water is supplied to the steam generator 62 through a water reservoir 70. 
The reservoir 70 is preferably defined by substantially radial partitions 
71 (FIG. 7) that extend between the upright wall 51 and adjacent areas of 
the interior spherical wall 14. It is preferred that the water reservoir 
70 hold and store several gallons of water so that refilling will not be 
necessary for each use of the present sauna. 
A water inlet 72 is provided between the water reservoir 70 and the water 
chamber 64. Flow of water through the inlet 72 from the reservoir is 
controlled by a float mechanism 73. The mechanism includes a float valve 
74 that is opened when the water level within the water chamber 64 falls 
below a selected level. Water can then fill the chamber 64 back up to its 
desired level by gravity flow from the reservoir. 
A second source of heat includes a blower and air heater means 76 that is 
positioned below the bench seat 52 adjacent to the steam generator 62 
(FIG. 4). The blower and air heater means may be separate or integral 
mechanisms so the blower can be used independently of or in conjunction 
with the heater to circulate cool or heated air throughout the room 15. 
The blower and heater means 76 may comprise a conventional squirrel cage 
fan unit mounted adjacent to a standard electrical resistance heater. It 
is preferred that both the blower and heater units operate on standard 
household current. 
An air valve means is provided at 77 for selectively directing air to the 
blower and air heater means 76. The air valve means 77 includes an outside 
air duct 78 leading from an external opening to an air inlet of the blower 
and air heater. An inside air duct 80 is also provided, opening at 81 
(dashed lines, FIGS. 3 and 4) into the room for receiving and 
recirculating air from within the room to the heater and blower. The ducts 
78 and 80 are joined at a common manifold 82. A closure means 83 is 
situated within the manifold and is selectively operable to close one of 
the ducts while opening the other. 
The closure means 83 is simply comprised of a butterfly disk 81 for each 
duct 78 or 80. The butterfly disks 84 are interconnected by a single rod 
85. The rod rotates the disks along a common axis. The disks are mounted 
on the rod 85 at right angles to one another. With this angular 
relationship pivotal movement of one disk to close its associated duct 
will cause the opposed disk to open the duct associated therewith. An 
actuator 86 in the form of a solenoid or other appropriate motion 
transmitting mechanism may be provided to automatically rotate the rod in 
response to automatic actuation through appropriate thermostatic control 
or by manual actuation by the user. 
The output side of the blower and air heater means 76 is connected to ducts 
87 that lead to exhaust openings 88, one of which is shown in FIG. 4. The 
opposite opening is directly opposite. The ducts 87 each extend upwardly 
inside the structural braces 55 to avoid reducing the wall thickness or 
insulation depth between the internal wall 14 and external wall 13. 
A third source of heat is supplied by radiant heat means 39. Preferably, 
the radiant heat means includes one or more heat lamps 90 situated 
upwardly of the loft 56 along the internal wall 14. The heat lamps 90 are 
situated within cowlings 91 formed integrally with the wall 14. The heat 
lamps are directed inwardly and toward the center point of the structure. 
The radiant heat from lamps effectively increases the temperature within 
the room 15. The heat lamps are selected to operate from standard 
household current. 
Incandescent lights 93 are provided along each of the structural braces 55 
and can be selectively operated to provide primary light within the room. 
Also situated along the interior wall 14 are a pair of sunlamps 94. One 
lamp 94 is shown in FIGS. 2 and 6. The lamps 94 fit within cowlings 91 and 
are directed toward the loft area 56 and the room center. The sunlamps can 
be operated periodically to supply ultraviolet radiation for body tanning 
purposes. 
An audio system is also supplied at 95 having one or more speakers 96 
mounted to the interior wall 14 above the loft 56. A sound reproducing 
unit 97 is situated at a central control panel 98. The unit 97 may be any 
appropriate system including radios, cassette decks, etc. 
The control panel 98 is located to provide central control of the various 
different operational systems. Appropriate switches and various control 
mechanisms may be provided to manually select the atmosphere desired 
within the room 15, or appropriate automatic control systems can be 
provided to allow the user to simply select any one of several 
preprogrammed environments. 
The present sauna may be manufactured as a complete unit or can be supplied 
in "kit" form with the two hemispheres initially separated. The "kit" can 
be constructed simply by placing the upper hemisphere over the lower 
hemisphere and securing the joint by anyone of several conventional 
securing mechanisms, including glue, bolts, fiberglass, etc. Electrical 
connections may be made by appropriate plugs (not shown) to interconnect 
the control panel 98 and power supply with the electrical appliances 
situated within the upper hemisphere. 
The upper hemisphere must be positioned so the sides of the door are in 
proper alignment. The next step in construction, then, will be hanging of 
the door. This procedure, with the hinges shown, is simply a matter of 
placing the door in position and inserting the conventional hinge pins 
through the spaced hinge members. 
Following assembly, a sauna unit may be connected to a standard outlet for 
conventional household current. 
As a final preparation step, the user may wish to fill the water reservoir 
70 with water. The reservoir can be filled simply by removing the adjacent 
seat 52 and pouring water into the reservoir. The reservoir permits use of 
the steam generator without requiring that the entire sauna unit be 
plumbed to receive a continuous supply of water. Experimental use with a 
prototype has shown that as little as five gallons of water is required 
for continuous steam operation through an 80 hour period. Therefore, the 
reservoir does not require frequent refilling. 
The present sauna can be used by one or, preferably, several people. Three 
people are shown in the sectional view in FIG. 2. One occupant is shown 
seated on the upper bench 49. Another is reclining on lower level 50, 
while a third is lying on the loft 56. 
A prototype of the present sauna having an internal diameter of 7 feet 9 
inches is very comfortable for several people in addition to the three 
shown. Experimental use has shown that up to 12 people may occupy the 
present sauna, (within the 7 feet 9 inch diameter room 15) without 
discomfort. 
The upper bench level 49 will receive and support one or more people in a 
sitting position. Additional people may sit or recline at the lower bench 
level 50. A reclining person is assisted by the outwardly flaring wall 14 
which provides a backrest above the horizontal bench surface of seats 52. 
Upon closing the door 24, the user finds himself within a substantially 
spherical enclosure. The effect of the spherical shaped walls has 
typically produced a psychologically comforting effect. Studies have shown 
this experience stems from the prenatal confines of the womb. This, then, 
begins the overall psychological and physiological relaxation experience 
that is offered by the present sauna. 
Once in the room, the user can select an environment that can be altered in 
terms of temperature, humidity, type and intensity of light, interior 
sounds, and his own physical position in relation to the various sensory 
affecting components. 
For example, the user may merely wish to occupy the room without using any 
of the available heating units. In such a case, the heat lamps, air heater 
and steam generator, are not operated. The air valves means 77 can be 
selectively controlled to direct outside air to the independently 
controlled blower 76 so that cool circulating air may be directed 
throughout the interior of the sauna. Such outside air can be selectively 
vented out the top of the room by moving the vent means within the dome to 
an open, operative position (see dashed lines FIG. 6). The user can select 
the amount of exterior light entering the sauna simply by rotating the 
polarized pane 36. He can further control lighting within the room 15 by 
selectively operating the available lights 93. The audio system may also 
be selectively operated according to the user's choice. 
If the user or users wish to experience the present sauna in a heated 
environment, any one or a combination of the individual heating units can 
be utilized for that purpose. For example, if dry heat is desired, the air 
heater and blower can be used, or the heat lamps can be used, or both can 
be used together. Both the air heater-blower and heat lamps operating 
together can produce conventional sauna bath temperatures at low humidity 
within the room. It is pointed out that this is accomplished using 
standard household current. 
If the users desire to experience a high humidity atmosphere within the 
room, the steam generator is used alone or in combination with any one or 
more of the remaining heating units. An interesting effect, however, is 
produced when the steam generating unit is utilized in conjunction with 
the heat lamps. The soft colors of the heat lamp are reflected by the 
steam within the room to produce a warm, overall glow throughout the room 
interior. Furthermore, the radiant heat from the lamps serves to heat and 
maintain the steam in suspension within the room atmosphere. If increased 
heat is desired, the air heater and blower means can be actuated. 
Because the sauna is totally self-contained, the user need only plug it 
into a standard electrical outlet. No wiring, plumbing or remodeling of 
existing premises is required. The present sauna, due to the heat 
insulative capacity between the walls 13 and 14, can operate efficiently 
as a sauna in outside temperatures even below freezing. 
The above description is given by way of example to set forth a preferred 
form of the present invention and several of the many therapeutic 
functions it provides. Other forms and modifications may be made within 
the scope of my invention. Therefore, the following claims more 
specifically define the scope of my invention.