Abstract:
An air massage system for a bathtub comprises a blower, an air distributor and the water jets. The air distributor connects the blower to the jets, and the jets are adapted to deliver air under pressure to the cavity defined by the bathtub. The jets include water check valves to prevent the water in the bathtub from entering the air distributor. The air distributor comprises at least one water relief valve for preventing water from reaching the blower, when inoperative, in the event of failure of any one of the water check valves. The air distributor also comprises a main pipe, a manifold and distribution pipes, with the main pipe connecting the blower to the manifold and the distribution pipes connecting the manifold to the jets. The water relief valve is provided on the manifold, and the water check valves are provided on the manifold and at each jet. A pressure relief valve is provided upstream of the jets for keeping a substantially steady pressure from the air propelled by the blower.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
   This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/289,910, filed on Nov. 7, 2002, now abandoned which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/549,881, filed on Apr. 17, 2000 now abandoned. This application claims priority on Canadian Patent Application No. 2,269,307, filed on Apr. 16, 1999. 

   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention relates to bathtubs and, more particularly, to air massage systems therefor. 
   2. Description of the Prior Art 
   Air Systems 
   Two types of air systems exist on the market. 
   1) The Channel System: This system consists in making a fiberglass air cavity surrounding the bathtub. Thirty to ninety holes of +/−⅛″ of diameter are then drilled through the bathtub. Air is directly propelled in the cavity by a blower and then escapes by each of the holes to create turbulence in the water. 
   2) The System Connected to the Drain: This system operates with big jets without valves, in order to evacuate the water that stays in the air conduits, a part of the piping is connected to the drain of the bathtub. When the user opens the drain to empty the bathtub, a valve is automatically opened to also drain the piping. 
   Manifold 
   The prior systems include only one valve which may be a check valve or a “Hartford-loop”, the “Hartford-loop” being an assembly of pipes creating a vacuum that can be compared to a bathtub or toilet bowl siphon. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   It is therefore an aim of the present invention to provide an improved bathtub air massage system. 
   It is also an aim of the present invention to provide a bathtub air massage system that comprises a blower, an air distribution network and water jets to expel water under pressure in the bathtub&#39;s cavity. 
   It is a further aim of the present invention to provide a bathtub air massage system that comprises a water relief valve downstream of the blower to evacuate, for instance, water backflow, e.g., in the event of malfunction of check valves provided at the jets. 
   Therefore, in accordance with the present invention, there is provided an air massage system for a bathtub comprising a blower, an air distributor, and water jets, said air distributor being adapted to connect said blower to said jets, said jets being adapted to deliver air under pressure to the cavity defined by the bathtub, said air distributor comprising a manifold having a water check valve for generally preventing water from reaching said blower, and at least one water relief valve for draining water from said manifold, in the event that water infiltrates said manifold upstream of the water check valve in said manifold. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
     Having thus generally described the nature of the invention, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, showing by way of illustration a preferred embodiment thereof, and in which: 
       FIG. 1  is a schematic perspective view of part of a bathtub provided with an air massage system in accordance with the present invention, wherein water jets of the system are provided at the bottom of the bathtub; 
       FIG. 2  is a schematic perspective view of part of a bathtub provided with a second air massage system in accordance with the present invention, wherein water jets of the system are provided on the sides of the bathtub; 
       FIG. 3  is a schematic perspective view of part of a bathtub provided with a third air massage system in accordance with the present invention, wherein the system includes a sequencer; 
       FIG. 4  is a schematic perspective view of part of a bathtub provided with a fourth air massage system in accordance with the present invention, in combination with a whirlpool system; 
       FIG. 5  is a schematic perspective view, partly in cross-section, of a water jet of the present air massage system, wherein a valve of the water jet includes a spring-loaded piston; 
       FIG. 6  is a schematic perspective view, partly in cross-section, of another water jet of the present air massage system, wherein the water air jet includes a ball valve; 
       FIG. 7  is an enlarged perspective view of the manifold of the air massage system of  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 8  is a cross-sectional view of the manifold, in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 9A  is a cross-sectional view of a manifold in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention, with a ball of a water relief valve in a position for allowing water to exit from the manifold; 
       FIG. 9B  is a cross-sectional view of the manifold of  FIG. 9A , with the ball shutting the water relief valve outlet during normal operation of the manifold; 
       FIG. 9C  is a cross-sectional view of the manifold of  FIG. 9A , with the pressure relief valve exhausting air from the manifold; and 
       FIG. 10  is an exploded view of the manifold of  FIG. 9A . 
   

   DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   In accordance with the present invention,  FIG. 1  illustrates an air massage system M for a bathtub B. The main components of the air massage system M for the bathtub B are the following:
         a blower  10  provided with a heating element;   an electronic controller  22  or starting system for the blower;   a manifold  12  (i.e., and air distributor) equipped with one or many security valves, such as a check valve, a water relief valve and a pressure relief valve, which are described in more detail hereinafter;   jets  14 , with or without water check valves.
 
The jets  14  are also referred to as water jets and water air jets herein, but the jets  14  are jets injecting air in a fluid such as water;
   a flexible pipe  16  extending between the manifold  12  and the jets  14 ; and   a flexible or rigid pipe  18  to connect the manifold  12  to the blower  10 .       

   The functioning principle of the present air massage system M for the bathtub B is as follows. Ambient air is sucked in the blower  10  and heated by its heating element to then reach, via the pipe  18 , the manifold  12  wherein air is distributed in the flexible pipes  16  to finally be blown and exit the system through the jets  14 , which are located either at a bottom  50  of the bathtub B (see the air massage system M of  FIG. 1 ) or on the lateral walls  52  of the bathtub B (see a second air massage system M′ of the present invention shown in  FIG. 2 ). 
   Step by Step 
   1. The blower  10  is activated by an electronic controller  22  or a mural timer. 
   2. From the blower  10 , the air, beforehand heated, is blown through the rigid or flexible pipe  18  to the manifold  12 . The manifold  12  comprises many levels of security which can be installed individually or jointly, for example in the form of valves. These valves are:
         a) a check valve (e.g., with a flap), as shown in  FIGS. 7 and 8 , which prevents the water from entering the blower  10  by a flap  72  held by a spring  74 . In  FIG. 7 , the flap  72  is shown abutting against the seat  75  of the manifold  12 , due to the biasing action of the spring  74 . Accordingly, water coming from the downstream end of the manifold  12  is prevented from passing through the check valve  70  of the manifold  12 .   b) a water relief valve which drains water is also provided in the manifold  12 , as shown at  76  in  FIGS. 7 and 8 . Therefore, if water infiltrates the pipe which leads to the blower  10 , for instance due to a failure of the check valve  70 , the water relief valve  76  exhausts the infiltrated water. The water relief valve  76  has an inlet  78  below the check valve  70 , such that water going upstream of the check valve  70  flows through the inlet  78  of the water relief valve  76  by the effect of gravity (i.e., the open position of the water relief valve  76 ). Water may then exit through outlet  80 . A ball  82  is provided to close the outlet  80  during operation of the blower  10  (i.e., the closed position of the water relief valve  76 ), so as to generally prevent air pressure losses through the manifold  12 ; and/or   c) a pressure relief valve, which holds the pressure from the blower  10  steady independently of the number of jets  14  installed, is generally shown at  90  in the manifold  12 ′ of  FIGS. 9A to 9C .       

   3. From the manifold  12  (or  12 ′), the air is blown through the flexible pipes  16  to each jet  14 . 
   The jets  14  may each include a water check valve which prevents water from infiltrating the flexible pipe  16 . These water check valves may have a spring-loaded piston  24  (as in the jet  14   a  of  FIG. 5 ), a glass, plastic or metal ball (as in the jet  14   b  of  FIG. 6 ), a rubber flap or any other means to obtain the required water-tightness at the jet  14 . 
   The jets  14  are again located in the bottom  50  of the bathtub B ( FIG. 1 ) or on the lateral walls  52  of the bathtub B ( FIG. 2 ). 
   Others 
   The air massage system may be installed in combination with a whirlpool system  30  (see the air massage system M′″ and whirlpool system  30  of  FIG. 4 ). The air massage system can also be installed with a sequence module  20  (see the air massage system M″ of  FIG. 3 ) whose purpose is to open and close alternately a series of jets  14  in order to create a back and forth motion of air bubbles in the water (a wave effect). The use of a sequence module  20  will typically cause a pressure variation in the piping, whereby it is contemplated to use the manifold  12 ′ having the pressure relief valve  90 . 
   The jets  14  can be equipped with simple or double check valves or without valves if it is not required by the installation. For example, for jets  14  installed laterally (see  FIG. 2 ), drainage may be achieved by gravity. 
   The valves of the jets  14  may be spring-loaded (see spring-loaded piston  24  in  FIG. 5 ) with a stainless steel or plastic ball, magnetic, or with a rubber flap. 
   An additional valve can also be installed directly on the piping of the jet  14  to further ensure the water-tightness. 
   The jets  14  can be installed in an ergonomic way at the bottom  50  or on the lateral walls  52  of the bathtub B. 
   The jet  14  comprises a jet body  32  including a threaded hollow rod  34  with a flange  36  at its superior end under which is located an O-ring  38  whose purpose is to provide a seal with the interior finished surface of the bathtub B with the jet  14 , a jet head or cap over or inside the flange  36  being the esthetic part visible from the interior of the bathtub B. The jet body  32  goes through the thickness of the bottom  50  or the lateral wall  52  of the bathtub B to then be connected to a piece serving as a locking nut and an elbow connector  40  provided with one or two inlets  42  (two inlets  42  being shown in the jets  14   a  of  FIG. 5 , and one inlet  42  being shown in the jet  14   b  of  FIG. 6 ) adapted to be attached to one or two connectors for flexible tubes  16 . 
   In order to make the system safe, two valves are included in the manifold  12 , i.e., the check valve  70  and the water relief valve  76 , as shown in  FIGS. 7 and 8 . A third valve, of pressure relief type, as shown at  90  in  FIGS. 9A to 9C , can also be added in order to keep a steady pressure from the air propelled by the blower  10 . In  FIGS. 9A to 9C , the pressure relief valve  90  is installed at the end of the water relief valve  76 . The manifold  12 ′ of  FIGS. 9A to 9C  has the check valve  70  as well as the water relief valve  76 . The ball  82  of the water relief valve  76  is positioned into a sleeve  92  and is held captive therein by a strainer  93 , and is displaceable to block the outlet  80 , as explained previously. The strainer  93  enables fluid to pass therethrough such that water may be drained from the manifold  12 ′. The sleeve  92  is displaceable along directions  94 , and is biased to the position illustrated in  FIG. 9A  (i.e., shut position) by a spring  96  of the pressure relief valve  90 . 
   A pressure build-up upstream of the ball  82  during operation, as is well illustrated in  FIG. 9B  by the ball  82  blocking the outlet  80 , will cause the actuation of the pressure relief valve  90 . More specifically, for a pressure build-up of a given magnitude, the pressure on the ball  82  and sleeve  92  will overcome the biasing force of the spring  96 , such that the sleeve  92  moves to the position illustrated in  FIGS. 9B and 9C  (relief position), whereby air will be exhausted about the sleeve  92  (where axially-oriented air channels  98  are provided therefor) until the pressure is lowered to the given magnitude. 
   This pressure relief valve is optional for an installation having an amount inferior to twelve jets or to jets having much air restriction or to systems including a sequencer  20 . 
   The blower  10  comprises an integrated heating element. 
   The electronic controller  22  operating the air massage systems M, M′, M″ and M′″ may be in a box independent from or included in the blower  10  according to the model. 
   The electronic controller  22  can be operated by an electronic or pneumatic touchpad  44 . 
   The air pipe  18  connecting the manifold  12  to the blower  10  may be made of flexible or rigid piping. 
   The piping  16  connecting the manifold  12  to each jet  14  is preferably made of flexible pipe, but may also consist of a rigid pipe. 
   An air piping  16  can hold up to four air jets  14  interconnected one to the other in line. 
   An air massage system may be installed jointly with the whirlpool system, as seen in  FIG. 4 , where the air massage system M′″ is shown in combination with the whirlpool system  30 . 
   The air massage and whirlpool systems M′″ and  30  are then operated by the same electronic controller but in an independent way to allow to use them together or separately. 
   An air sequencer  20  can be added to the air system (see the air massage system M″ of  FIG. 3 ). The module of the sequencer  20  is equipped with four electromagnetic valves (although fewer or more electromagnetic valves could be used) which are operated by the electronic controller and that open and close each valve independently and in sequence to create a wave effect in the bathtub B. 
   The air system M″ with the air sequencer  20  can be installed jointly with a whirlpool system  30 . 
   The present air systems and their versatility make them unique products. Furthermore, they can be installed on acrylic, fiberglass or stainless steel bathtub without modification in the fabrication of the bathtub itself. 
   As it has been conceived, the manifold  12  is unique on the market. It includes two security valves (i.e., the aforementioned check valve  70  and water relief valve  76 ) for water, and an optional pressure relief valve  90  for the blower  10 . 
   Indeed, there is included two security valves: a check valve  70  and a water relief valve  76 , the water relief valve  76  ensuring that if the check valve  70  does not work adequately, water cannot reach the blower  10  and provoke a short circuit but would be drained. In order to avoid air pressure loss during operation of the system, the water relief valve  76  is closed by air pressure by a glass, plastic or metal ball  82  ( FIGS. 8 ,  9 A to  9 C) which will close the opening during the operation of the blower  10 . It will then allow the drainage of the water when the blower  10  is stopped while preventing air pressure losses when the blower  10  is operating. However, if the air pressure becomes too high for the capacity of the blower  10 , then the pressure relief valve  90 , which can be added jointly or separately with the water relief valve  76 , will open to balance out the air pressure and prevent the overheating of the motor of the blower  10 . 
   Distribution of Jets 
   The jets  14  can be installed indifferently in the bottom  50  or on the lateral walls  52  of the bathtub B. At that level, the system which resembles the most the present system is the Ultra-Jet system; however, the jets of the latter do not offer the versatility of installation on the lateral walls and do not have check valves to ensure the hygiene of the system. The present jets  14  have the versatility to include or not distinct check valves (spring-loaded, ball or magnetic) and have many different designs, which makes the present jets  14  innovative by the flexibility to offer end users a multitude of jets according to the marketing orientation wanted thereby. 
   Piping 
   In the other systems, the piping which connects the blower to the manifold is always made of rigid materials. With the help of an adapter which we have specially conceived and which can be installed at the ends of the blower  10  and of the manifold  12 , the present air massaging systems offer the possibility to install a flexible pipe  18 , which allows to install the blower  10  fifteen feet from the bathtub B and thus reduce the noise during operation. The piping  16  which connects one jet  14  to another is also flexible, as opposed to what was existing before as rigid piping was used (reference Ultra-Jet). This made the installation of the previous system longer and more complicated. 
   Electronic Controller 
   The electronic controllers  22  are operated by way of a touch-pad  44  operating with an extra low voltage to protect the user against all electric discharge risks. Another innovation is the incorporation of an electronic timer to ensure the automatic stop of the blower  10  if forgotten by the user as well as an automatic drying cycle with water detection to ensure the hygiene of the system. 
   Combination of Air System/Whirlpool System 
   The present air massaging systems, with their great installation flexibility, allow to install any type of whirlpool system  30  to the same bathtub B as the air massaging system M′″ and to be operated by the same electronic controller  22 . 
   Sequencer 
   The present air massaging system M″ offers a sequencer  20  whose module comprises four electromagnetic valves which are activated individually and in a sequential way by an electronic control which also operates the blower  10 , and thus without modification to the installation of the air massaging system, with the exception of the connection of flexible piping  46  of the manifold  12  to each electromagnetic valve of the sequencer  20  which is then connected to a line of three or four air jets  14  via flexible pipes  16 . 
   Combination of Air System, Whirlpool System and Sequencer 
   The air massage systems M, M′, M″ and M′″, the sequencer  20  and whirlpool system  30  can be operated by the same electronic controller.