CHILDREN'S BATH

Abstract: The invention relates to a children's bath (1) with a bath floor and a bath wall (11), with a substantially elongated shape and two ends. According to the invention the children's bath (1) is designed such that a child in the age of approximately 6 to 30 months can use the children's bath (1) sitting substantially upright while support is offered to the child. To that end the children's bath (1) according to the invention is substantially egg-shaped amongst others in top view.

Description: Children's bath The invention relates to a children's bath with a bath floor and bath wall, with a substantially elongated shape and two ends. The generaily known children's bath are in fact miniature bath tubs for adults. The known children's bath is particularly meant for babies, which can be bathed lying down in the children's bath. Said children's bath does not offer support for the babies. Additionally a baby bath for newly born babies is known, which is more or less shaped like a bucket and in which newborn babies up to approximately 6 months can be bathed upright in the foetal position. For older babies this babies' bath is too small. Also known is a elongated babies' and children's bath for babies up to approximately 1 year old. The floor is provided with a number of bulges to support babies up to approximately 6 months at one end in a lying down position. One of the bulges also serves to support children of 6 months to 1 year old sitting up at the other end of the bath. A drawback of the known bath is that it is unsuitable for children from approximately 1 year old, whereas children will not shower until the age of approximately 2 1 /z years old. Another drawback of said bath is that the babies lie on their backs, whereas that is an unnatural position for newborn babies. This is only avoided in the bucket-shaped babies' bath, but this one can only be used for babies up to approximately 6 months. It is an object of the invention to provide an improved children's bath, which is suitable for children up to the age at which they can take a shower. This object is achieved according to the invention with a children's bath of the kind mentioned in the preamble, in which the children's bath is designed such that a child in age of approximately 6 to 30 months can use the children's bath sitting substantially upright while support is offered to the child. A children's bath designed in this way is a good follow-up of the bucket- shaped children's bath for babies up to 6 months, so that a child can sit substantially upright in the bath. By a correct design the children's bath is now suitable for children up to the age at which they can take a shower. Preferably the children's bath is designed such that a child of approximately 6 to 1 3 months can sit at the one end in the children's bath, and that a child of approximately 1 3 to 30 months can sit at the other end in the children's bath. To that end both ends of the children's bath are adapted to the size of the sitting child. According to a preferred embodiment the children's bath is substantially egg-shaped in top view, the more conical point being intended as support of children of approximately 6 to 1 3 months, and the more blunt point being intended as support of children of approximately 1 3 to 30 months. As a child of approximately 6 months can only sit for a short period without support, the more conical point of the egg-shape offers support in the back and at the sides in order to sit upright for a longer period. As these young children sit kind of cross-legged, toppling over is not possible. In the age of 9 to 1 0 months to approximately 1 3 months the children stretch their legs more. The more blunt point of the egg-shape is suitable for older and larger children, which can sit independently and need space to play. Preferably the bath floor is provided with a cup-shaped recess which changes into the bath wall at said more conical point of the children's bath. The cup-shaped recess provides a pleasant support for the buttocks of the children of approximately 6 to 1 3 months, which are not or not yet quite able to sit independently. According to a preferred embodiment the bath floor is provided with a saddle-shaped bulge which changes into the bath wall at the more blunt point of the children's bath and preferably forms a concave surface. Said saddle-shaped bulge provides a support for the buttocks of older children of approximately 1 3 to 30 months, in which the legs of the children are placed with knees bent over the bulge. The saddle-shaped bulge more or less acts like a real saddle. Preferably the saddle-shaped bulge forms a foot support facing away from the more blunt end for the child of approximately 6 to approximately 9 to 1 0 months, which preferably is almost vertical. In this way the bulge forms a foot support for children of approximately 6 to approximately 9 to 10 months, which sit more or less cross-legged. The foot support ensures that the child cannot slide away to the fore and that the child does not slump. Older children of approximately 9 to 1 0 months to approximately 1 3 months stretch their legs and can place their legs on either side of the saddle-shaped bulge. Preferably the cup-shaped recess and the saddle-shaped bulge are provided spaced apart from each other in the bath floor. In this way the children's bath is sufficiently large for children up to 30 months. According to a preferred embodiment, approximately halfway the longitudinal axis of the children's bath the bath floor is provided with an outlet for the bath water, in between the cup-shaped recess and the saddle- shaped bulge. The children's bath placed over a bath for adults and the like, can then be easily emptied by pulling the stopper from the outlet. The location of the outlet ensures that a child sitting in the children's bath will not be inconvenienced by the stopper. Preferably the children's bath is provided with a rounded off upper edge, as is usual. According to a preferred embodiment the upper edge near the ends of the bath is provided with handgrips and fortifications for them. In this way the children's bath can easily be moved, and the handgrips are also firm enough for moving a filled children's bath. The invention will be elucidated on the basis of a preferred embodiment referring to the drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a children's bath according to the invention in top view; Figure 2 shows the children's bath of figure 1 in side view; Figure 3 shows the children's bath of figure 1 in longitudinal cross section. Figure 1 shows the children's bath 1 according to the invention in top view. The children's bath 1 has a bath floor 10, a wall 1 1 (see figure 2) and a rounded-off upper edge 1 2. The children's bath 1 is substantially egg-shaped in top and bottom view, in which near the conical and blunt ends of the egg shape handgrips 1 3 are formed, by turning a part of the outer edge of the rounded-off edge 1 2 upward again, as can be seen in figure 3. As a result the upper edge at the location of the handgrips 1 3 does not cut into the fingers of those who lift the children's bath 1 . Fortification ribs 14 are arranged at the location of the handgrips 1 3 for fortification of the upper edge 1 2 . In order to stably place the children's bath on a horizontal surface the floor 10 of the children's bath 1 is provided with a placement edge 1 5 near its transition to the wall 1 1 , of which edge 1 5 the lower edge is in one plane. In the bath floor 10, an outlet 1 6 is arranged to let the bath water in the children's bath 1 flow easily out of the children's bath, without having to tilt the children's bath empty. During use a stopper (not shown) is arranged in the outlet 1 6. In the more conical point of the also substantially egg-shaped floor 1 0 a cup-shaped recess 1 7 is arranged in the bath floor 10, and in the proximity of the more blunt point of the egg-shaped floor a saddle-shaped bulge 1 8 is arranged in the floor 10, which projects upwards. The saddle-shaped bulge 1 8 defines an oblique, straight surface 1 9, which serves as a foot support, and an ergonomically concave curved surface 20. The outlet 1 6 is situated between the cup-shaped recess 1 7 and the saddle-shaped bulge 1 8. Because the children's bath 1 is egg-shaped the more conical end of the egg shape provides a good support for children of approximately 6 to approximately 1 3 months. The more curved wall 1 1 and edge 1 2 at the location of said more conical end of the children's bath provide a good support for the young child in the back and on either side of the child. This is particularly important to children of approximately 9 to 1 0 months, as these children are yet unable to sit straight up for a long time. These children sit kind of cross-legged and their feet then find support against the surface 1 9 of the saddle-shaped bulge 1 8. Older children of approximately 9 to 10 months to approximately 1 3 months stretch their legs more and are able to place their legs on either side of the saddle-shaped bulge 1 8. When the child is 1 3 months or older, it can sit straight up by itself. Because the child is placed over the saddle-shaped bulge 1 8 at the other end of the children's bath, said older child at this end of the bath will not accidentally slump either. On this location it can indeed place its legs bent over saddle-shaped bulge 1 8. The blunt rounded shape of the wall 1 1 and the edge 1 2 ensure that the child of this age is sufficiently supported, but also has sufficient freedom of movement to be able to play in the children's bath. The space the children's bath 1 according to the invention provides to both young children of 6 to 1 3 months and to older children of 1 3 months to 30 months, therefore offers sufficient support to children in these stages of life so that the child sits safely, but on the other hand offers sufficient space particularly to the older playing child for letting it move freely. It will be understood that this exemplary embodiment does not limit the scope of protection. The scope of protection is defined by the following claims. (AS/NG 1650)

Claims: Claims 1 . Children's bath with a bath floor and bath wall, with a substantially elongated shape and two ends, characterized in that the children's bath is designed such that a child in age of approximately 6 to 30 months can use the children's bath sitting substantially upright while support is offered to the child. 2. Children's bath according to claim 1 , in which the children's bath is designed such that a child of approximately 6 to 1 3 months can sit at the one end in the children's bath, and that a child of approximately 1 3 to 30 months can sit at the other end in the children's bath. 3. Children's bath according to claim 1 or 2, in which the children's bath in top view is substantially egg-shaped, the more conical point being intended as support of children of approximately 6 to 1 3 months, and the more blunt point being intended as support of children of approximately 1 3 to 30 months. 4. Children's bath according to claim 3, in which the bath floor is provided with a cup-shaped recess which changes into the bath wall at the more conical point of the children's bath. 5. Children's bath according to claim 3 or 4, in which the bath floor is provided with a saddle-shaped bulge which changes into the bath wall at the more blunt point of the children's bath and preferably forms a concave surface. 6. Children's bath according to claim 5, in which the saddle-shaped bulge forms a foot support facing away from the more blunt end for the child of approximately 6 to approximately 9 or 10 months, which preferably is almost vertical. 7. Children's bath according to claim 4 and 5, in which the cup-shaped recess and the saddle-shaped bulge are provided spaced apart from each other in the bath floor. 8. Children's bath according to claim 7, in which approximately halfway the longitudinal axis of the children's bath the bath floor is provided with an outlet for the bath water, in between the cup-shaped recess and the saddle-shaped bulge. 9. Children's bath according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the children's bath is provided with a rounded off upper edge. 10. Children's bath according to claim 9, in which the upper edge near the ends of the bath is provided with handgrips and fortifications for them. 1 1 . Children's bath according to any one of the preceding claims, substantially as shown in the drawing. (AS/NG 385)

Inventors: HOGESTIJN FRANCISCUS WILLEM, HOGESTIJN, FRANCISCUS, WILLEM
Applicants: BURGHOUTS IDEE B V, HOGESTIJN FRANCISCUS WILLEM, MOTTO PRODUCTS B V, BURGHOUTS IDEE B.V., HOGESTIJN, FRANCISCUS, WILLEM, MOTTO PRODUCTS B.V.
Application year: 1999
Main classification: A47K3
IPC codes: A47K3