Abstract:
An air bubble massage bathtub mat system featuring a remote control and a flexible mat is disclosed. The remote control unit communicates with a blower/air heater unit contained in a housing. The housing is connected to the mat by a tube that directs air into the mat. The mat is formed of a flexible polymeric sheet material that may be rolled up for storage. The mat includes a plurality of flexible blocks that are retained between two layers of polymer sheet material that also define the air passages in the mat. Air flows through the mat and exits the mat in small holes that provide small air bubbles to water contained in a bathtub. Suction cups attached to elongated strips which are held to the mat by elongated pockets hold the mat stationary in the bathtub.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0002]    The present invention relates to an air bubble massage bathtub mat system.  
           [0003]    2. Background Art  
           [0004]    Bath massage systems have been developed that include a mat placed in a bathtub through which compressed air is directed. Compressed air is provided by an air pump. The compressed air is emitted from the mat in the form of bubbles for massaging a bather.  
           [0005]    One example of a prior art mat for bubbling compressed air through bath water is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,809,073 that is provided with an electronic control on the housing of the pump unit. The housing includes an insulating cover that prevents a bather from touching the electronic controls without first opening the cover to switch off the electric current.  
           [0006]    Another example of a bubbling air mat is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,962,759 that discloses a rope heating element for warming the air stream that is directed through an air hose to the bubbling air mat.  
           [0007]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,090,403 discloses an air bubble mat that is formed from two foils placed on top of one another between which air feed ducts or air chambers are defined.  
           [0008]    There is a need for an air bubble massage bathtub mat system that offers a convenient way to control operation of the system. In particular there is a need for remote control to minimize any potential shock hazard and eliminate the need for a bather to exit the bathtub to operate an alternating current powered pump control. It would also be desirable to eliminate any need to attempt to manually contact the pump control while remaining in the bathtub. The remote control should be capable of controlling the heat of the air injected, time of operation, and level of air output. It would also be desirable to provide for the selection of a programmable massage cycle that may be controlled by the remote control.  
           [0009]    There is also a need for an air bubble massage bathtub mat that is simply constructed and durable for long product life. It would also be desirable to provide a air bubble massage bathtub mat that is designed to assure adequate air distribution for substantially uniform bubbling action. Another desirable feature would be to provide a bathtub mat that remains in position in the bathtub and may be attached and detached without modification of the bathtub surface. It would also be desirable to provide a bath mat that can be attached and detached from bathtubs with no-slip surfaces. Additionally, it would be desirable to provide an air bubble massage mat that has the ability to stick to bathtubs with no-slip surfaces on the bottom of the tub. It would also be desirable to provide an air bubble massage bathtub mat made of thermoplastic sheet material that is flexible and may be rolled up for compact storage. A bathtub system is needed that also provides for convenient storage of all components parts.  
           [0010]    This invention addresses the above noted problems and fulfills the above needs as summarized below.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0011]    According to one aspect of the present invention an air bubble massage bathtub mat system is provided that may have a remote control. The system includes an air pump that provides a source of compressed air to a mat having at least one air passage and a plurality of air outlet holes. A hose connects the air pump to the air passage in the mat and a controller is provided for controlling operation of the air pump. A remote control unit is provided that communicates by an infrared digital signal with the controller.  
           [0012]    The system has a housing for an air pump and heater that also includes a control panel having a plurality of switches for controlling the air pump and heater. The heater uses a heating element downstream of the air pump but within the housing to heat the compressed air. The remote control unit has switches for controlling generally the same functions as the control panel. The controller and remote control unit both, if desired, may have switches for controlling predetermined massage program cycles. The massage program cycles may be varied to provide massage cycles of different durations. The massage programs may vary the air pump speed according to a predetermined cycle with gradual or immediate changes in strength of bubbling action. The massage cycle may also vary the speed of the massage cycle changes.  
           [0013]    According to another aspect of the invention, the system provides for convenient storage of component parts. The mat is formed of a flexible material, such as a soft vinyl, that may be rolled up for storage. A recess may also be formed on the housing of the air pump for storing the remote control unit. A bracket may also be provided for the remote control unit that is adapted to be secured to a supporting surface spaced from the housing but preferably within the easy reach of a bather using the air bubble massage bathtub mat system.  
           [0014]    According to another aspect of the invention, an air bubble massage bathtub mat is provided for an air bubble massage system that provides compressed air to the mat when the mat is disposed in the bathtub. The mat includes a flexible member having at least two layers defining a plurality of air passages. The mat includes a receptacle through which compressed air is provided to the air passages. A plurality of air holes are formed in the air passages through which compressed air is emitted from the air passages into the bathtub. A plurality of flexible blocks are secured to or within the flexible member at spaced locations adjacent the air passages.  
           [0015]    The flexible member of the air bubble massage system may be formed of at least two layers of polymer sheet material that are secured together at spaced locations to define the air passages. The flexible blocks may be retained between two layers of polymer sheet material in separate areas from the air passages. The polymer sheet material may be polyethylene, a soft vinyl such as polyvinyl chloride, or another flexible thermoplastic sheet material.  
           [0016]    A plurality of suction cups are secured to the bottom of the flexible member to provide a detachable connection to the bathtub. The suction cups may be secured in groups to a segment of the same type of polymer used to make the bath mat. Alternatively, a composite material may be used for the suction cups, wherein a polymeric material forms an upper part of each cup secured to the flexible member and a rubber material forms a lower part of each cup for contacting the bathtub and providing the detachable connection.  
           [0017]    According to another aspect of the invention, an elongated member formed of a resilient material may be attached to the mat. The elongated member contains at least one end portion that extends outwardly from the mat. The suction cups are attached to the end portions of the elongated member. The elongated member may be shiftably attached to the mat by a sleeve. The sleeve may be made of the same type of flexible polymeric sheet material as the mat. The resilient material of the elongated member applies a downward biasing force on the mat.  
           [0018]    The suction cups may be designed to be detachably secured to the bathtub. When the suction cups are attached to a bathtub, a vacuum is formed which causes the end portions to apply a biasing force to hold the bath mat stationary. Alternatively, the vacuum may cause the elongated member to bend, which causes the end portions to apply a compressive force on one side of the elongated member and a tensile force on the other side of the elongated member to hold the bath mat stationary.  
           [0019]    According to another aspect of the invention the air holes in the air passages are limited in size and in number to provide a flow restriction that causes the air passages to be inflated when compressed air is provided to the air passages.  
           [0020]    According to yet another aspect of the invention each of the flexible blocks are enclosed in a sealed chamber formed of the polymer sheet material having seams that define the air passages and the sealed chambers. The air passages and sealed chambers are separate from each other. The two layers of thermoplastic sheet material may be bonded together about the periphery of the flexible blocks to hold the blocks in place. The layers of thermoplastic sheet material also define air passages that form of a branched array.  
           [0021]    Additional features and aspects of the invention will be better understood in view of the attached drawings and detailed description of the invention that follows. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0022]    [0022]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an air bubble massage bathtub mat system.  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view of the air bubble massage bathtub mat taken along the line  2 - 2  in FIG. 1.  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of the air bubble massage bathtub mat taken along the line  3 - 3  in FIG. 1.  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the blower/air heater unit for the air bubble massage bathtub mat system.  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a remote control unit for use with the blower/air heater unit.  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the blower/air heater unit partially disassembled.  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 7 is an electrical schematic for the isolation power supply for a control panel of the blower/air heater unit.  
         [0029]    [0029]FIG. 8 is an electrical schematic diagram of the blower/air heater controller.  
         [0030]    [0030]FIG. 9 is an electrical schematic diagram showing an alternative embodiment of a blower/air heater unit.  
         [0031]    [0031]FIG. 10 is a block diagram of the component parts of the remote control unit.  
         [0032]    [0032]FIG. 11 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the bath mat.  
         [0033]    [0033]FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line  12 - 12  in FIG. 11.  
         [0034]    [0034]FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line  13 - 13  in FIG. 11. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0035]    Referring now to FIG. 1, an air bubble massage bathtub mat system  10  is shown. The system  10  includes a mat  12  and blower/air heater unit  14 . The mat  12  is connected to the blower/air heater unit  14  by a hose  16  that directs compressed air from the blower/air heater unit  14  into the mat  12 . A remote control unit  18  is provided to permit a bather to remotely control the blower/air heater unit  14 .  
         [0036]    As shown in FIG. 6, an air pump  20  and heating element  22  are disposed in the housing  26  of the blower/air heater unit  14 . The housing  26  includes a receptacle  28  for the hose  16 . A check valve  30  is preferably incorporated as part of the receptacle  28  to prevent water from flowing through the hose  16  into the power unit  14 . A control panel  32  is provided on the housing  26  for controlling various functions of the blower/air heater unit  14  without using the remote control unit  18 .  
         [0037]    Referring now to FIGS. 1, 2 and  3  the mat  12  will be described in greater detail. The mat  12  includes a plurality of flexible blocks  36  that are secured to or retained within the mat  12 . Air passages  38  are defined by the mat  12 . Air passages  38  conduct air from the hose  16  to a plurality of holes  40  through which air is permitted to escape into a bath to provide the massaging action of the air bubble massage bathtub mat system  10 . The mat  12  is preferably formed by top and bottom sheets of soft vinyl material, such as polyvinyl chloride, or another thermoplastic polymeric material  42 ,  44  that are bonded together about their periphery and are also bonded at intermediate locations to locate or affix the flexible blocks  36  and also to form the air passages  38 . The sheets of polymeric material  42 ,  44  are preferably bonded together by heat or ultrasonic welding but could also be chemically bonded.  
         [0038]    The mat  12  includes a receptacle  46  for receiving a hose end  48  at one end of the mat  12 . The mat  12  is secured to a bathtub by means of suction cups  50  that are affixed to the bottom of the mat  12 . A plurality of suction cups  50  are secured to strips  52  that are formed of the same thermoplastic polymer used to make the mat  12 . The strips  52  permit the suction cups  50  to be secured in groups to the bottom surface of the mat  12 . Alternatively, suction cups  50  could be formed from a composite material including a polymeric material adapted to be secured to strips  52  and a rubber material adapted to contact the bathtub and provide the detachable connection thereto. A hose holder  54  is provided to temporarily secure the hose  16  to the bathtub preferably by means of a suction cup.  
         [0039]    Referring now to FIG. 4, the control panel  32  of the blower/air heater unit  14  is shown to include a power switch  56  for turning the power unit on and off. A heat switch  58  is provided for turning on and off or setting the level of heat to be imparted to the compressed air flow by the heating element  22  contained in the blower/air heater unit  14 . A timer switch  60  is provided to permit a user to set the duration of operation of the power unit. A speed switch  62  is provided to control the speed at which programmed massage cycles progress. A strength switch  64  controls the speed of operation of the air pump  20  that controls the strength of the bubbling action. A massage switch  66  is provided to control the massage level. A program switch  68  permits a user to program the blower/air heater unit  14  to operate on a predetermined cycle that provides programmed changes of massage cycles to be automatically generated.  
         [0040]    Referring now to FIG. 5, the remote control unit  18  is shown in greater detail. The function buttons on the remote control unit  18  generally correspond to the switches on the control panel  32  of the blower/air heater unit  14 . The remote control unit  18  includes a remote power switch  70 , a remote heat switch  72 , a remote timer switch  74 , a remote speed switch  76 , a remote strength switch  78 , a remote massage switch  80  and a remote program switch  82 . The remote control unit  18  also includes an infrared light transmitter  84 . The remote control unit  18  should be pointed towards the blower/air heater unit  14  so that infrared light emitted by the infrared light transmitter  82  is received by an infrared light receiver  86  on the blower/air heater unit  14 . Alternatively, a radio frequency link could be used instead of the infrared link.  
         [0041]    The control panel  32  includes a plurality of diodes  88  or other indicator lights, that indicate the status of the blower/air heater unit  14 . When the switches on the control panel  32  or the remote switches on the remote control unit  18  are actuated the diodes  88  are illuminated to indicate the status of the blower/air heater unit  14 .  
         [0042]    Referring now to FIG. 7, an isolation power supply  100  is shown through which power is provided to the blower/air heater unit  14  control panel  32 . The isolation power supply  100  is of the Class II type and it is used to isolate the user from primary voltage at the control panel. Other power supplies could also be used.  
         [0043]    Referring now to FIG. 8, a schematic electrical diagram for the blower/air heater unit  14  is shown. A power supply  102  is controlled by power switch  104 . A microprocessor  106  that may be a programmable integrated circuit is programmed to control the operation of the blower/air heater unit  14  in accordance with user controlled and preprogrammed inputs. A clock circuit  108  provides timing for the microprocessor  106 .  
         [0044]    A control switch and LED grid is generally referred to by reference numeral  110 . The microprocessor has a speed input  112 , a strength input (blower speed)  114 , a duration input  116  and a massage program/manual input  118 . Each of the inputs  112 - 118  are provided to the microprocessor  106  on separate pins of the microprocessor. The heat switch  58 , timer switch  60 , speed switch  62 , strength switch  64 , massage switch  66  and program switch  68  are incorporated in the control switch and LED grid  110  and are connected to the input lines  112 - 118 . In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 8, three different programs are provided with each program having indicator lights provided by first, second and third programmed LED sets  122 ,  124  and  126 . For example, first program set may include a timing setting of 60 minutes, a high strength setting and a high speed setting. Second program may include a time of 30 minutes, a strength of medium and a speed of medium. The third program set may, for example, have a duration of 15 minutes with a low strength setting and a low speed setting. If it is desired to operate the system on a manual basis the manual operation may be indicated by a general LED set  128 . If desired, a different number of programs having different operational characteristics can be provided.  
         [0045]    The microprocessor is used to control the outputs of the system including a heater control  132  that controls the heating element  22 . Heating element  22  is connected to an alternating current tap at  134 . A motor speed control  136  is also controlled by the microprocessor to control operation of the air pump  20 . The air pump  20  is also connected to the alternating current tap at  134 . The microprocessor  106  may also control a timer/buzzer control  138  that may be set to alert a bather to a time limit.  
         [0046]    The microprocessor is also provided with a digital input from a receiver microprocessor  140 . The receiver microprocessor receives a digital bit stream that is transmitted via infrared light from the remote control unit  18 . The function and operation of the remote control unit  18  is described below with reference to FIG. 10.  
         [0047]    Referring now to FIG. 9, an alternative embodiment of a power circuit for the blower/air heater unit  14  is shown that has a simplified control and fewer programmable functions. The circuit  150  includes an alternating current power supply  152  that is connected through a fuse  154  to the main power switch  156  of the circuit. A heater on/off control  158  is indicated by an on/off LED  160 . The status of the heating element  22  is indicated by a heater LED  162 . The air pump or blower speed control is generally indicated by reference numeral  164 . A potentiometer  166  controls a gating circuit generally indicated by reference numeral  168  that includes a diac  170  and triac  172  that cooperate to control the speed of operation of the air pump  164 . Potentiometer  166  provides blower speed control by adjusting the gating current through diac  170 . The output of diac  170  gates triac  172  to vary the speed of operation of the air pump  20 .  
         [0048]    Referring now to FIG. 10, a remote control transmitter circuit is generally indicated by reference numeral  180 . Remote control transmitter circuit  180  includes control switches  182  that correspond to switches  70 - 82  as previously described. The control switches  182  control microprocessor  184  that generates a digital bit stream that is transmitted by an infrared transmitter  186  from the remote control unit  18  by infrared light transmission to an infrared receiver  140  that is located on the control panel  32  of the blower/air heater unit  14 .  
         [0049]    Referring now to FIG. 11, an alternative embodiment of a bath mat  150  is shown to include a body  152  in which a plurality of foam blocks  154  are retained. A plurality of air channels  156  are defined within the body  152  and are separate from the portions of the body encapsulating the foam blocks  154 . A first group of suction cups  158  are attached to a lower surface of the body  152 .  
         [0050]    Elongated strips  160  are secured to the body  152  of the bath mat  150  and may be shiftable in a transverse direction relative to the length of the bath mat  150 . The elongated strips  160  may be secured to the body  152  in several different ways. The elongated strips  160  could be fixedly secured to the body  152  or could be connected to the body by means of cooperating elements such as a track and track follower.  
         [0051]    A second group of suction cups  162  are provided on the distal ends  164  of the elongated strips  160 . The elongated strips include extension portions  166  that extend outboard from both sides of the body  152 . The extension portions  166  permit the suction cups  162  to be secured to a bathtub either at a location outboard of anti-slip tape or another anti-slip surface. The suction cups  162  may be secured to the bottom of the bathtub, in the transition curve between the bottom of the bathtub and the side walls, or may be secured to the side walls of the bathtub.  
         [0052]    A receptacle  168  is provided at one end of the body  152  to which an air hose (not shown) may be connected to provide compressed air to the air channel  156 .  
         [0053]    Referring now to FIGS. 12 and 13, the structure of the bath mat  150  will be described in greater detail. The body  152  may have an upper layer  170  and a lower layer  172 . The upper layer  170  and the lower layer  172  may be held together using a heat sealing process or glue. The foam blocks  154  are sealed in between the upper layer  170  and the lower layer  172 . An elongated pocket  174  is secured on the lower layer  172  on two edges with the opposite sides of the pocket being open. The elongated pocket  174  is preferably secured to the lower layer by heat sealing or by glue. The elongated strips  160  are attached to the body  152  by the elongated pockets  174 . The ends of the elongated strips  164  protrude outwardly from the elongated pockets  174  through the open sides of the pocket  174 . This allows the second group of suction cups  162  to be attached to the bathtub  178  outboard of the body  152 . Depending on the length of the ends  164 , the second group of suction cups  162  can be attached to the bottom, the side walls, or the transition between the bottom and the side walls of the bathtub  178 . When the second group of suction cups  162  is attached to the bathtub  178 , the ends  164  exert a biasing force on the elongated strips  160 . This force holds the body  152  against the bottom of the bathtub  178 . Alternatively, applying the second group of suction cups  162  to the side wall of the bathtub  178  can cause the elongated strips  160  to bend applying a compressive force on one side of the elongated strips  160  and a tensile force on the other side of the elongated strips  160 . These forces urge the body  152  toward the bottom of the bathtub  178 .  
         [0054]    While embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, it is not intended that these embodiments illustrate and describe all possible forms of the invention. Rather, the words used in the specification are words of description rather than limitation, and it is understood that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.