Abstract:
Methods are disclosed for making a base of a spa apparatus to resemble artificial rocks and wood. In one embodiment, the method is comprised of the following steps: making a mold in which its inner surface has the shape and surface texture of a rock or wood; placing a first structure on the inner surface of the mold, the first structure being operative to prevent warping of the base; spraying polymer on the mold; allowing the polymer to harden; and removing the hardened polymer from the mold, the hardened polymer having substantially the shape and surface texture of rock or wood.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
   This application is a continuation-in-part of copending U.S. utility application entitled, “PROCEDURE FOR MOLDING OF AN ARTIFICIAL ROCK OR WOOD,” having Ser. No. 11/464,212, filed on Aug. 14, 2006, which is entirely incorporated herein by reference and claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application entitled, “PROCEDURE FOR MOLDING OF AN ARTIFICIAL ROCK OR WOOD,” having Ser. No. 60/831,000, filed on Jul. 14, 2006, which is entirely incorporated herein by reference. 

   TECHNICAL FIELD 
   This disclosure relates to a method of making artificial rocks, rock formations, and wood, and more particularly to a method of making a base of a spa apparatus that resembles a rock or wood. 
   BACKGROUND 
   The pedicure industry is expanding in today&#39;s economy. Many pedicure salons have spa apparatuses in which customers sit at the spa apparatuses where technicians can provide pedicure services as well as spa services. Typically, each base of the spa apparatuses is made of plastic and does not resemble natural rocks, rock formations, and natural wood. In addition, artificial rocks, rock formations, and wood are typically made of plastic or cement. Cement is often used to provide the authenticity of a rock or wood. For example, a method of making artificial rock formation is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,668,451, to Langson. Langson discloses that cement is applied to the inner surface of a mold. When the mold is removed, the cement resembles the natural rock surface. Cement takes hours to harden and this causes delay in manufacturing artificial rocks, rock formations, and wood. 
   SUMMARY 
   Methods are disclosed for making a base of a spa apparatus to resemble artificial rocks and wood. In one embodiment, the method is comprised of the following steps: making a mold in which its inner surface has the shape and surface texture of a rock or wood; placing a first structure on the inner surface of the mold, the first structure being operative to prevent warping of the base; spraying polymer on the mold; allowing the polymer to harden; and removing the hardened polymer from the mold, the hardened polymer having substantially the shape and surface texture of rock or wood. 
   A spa apparatus is disclosed herein. In one embodiment, the spa apparatus is comprised of a chair, a basin, and a base. Such base is made of hardened polymer having substantially the shape and surface texture of rock or wood, the base including a first structure that is disposed on top of the base, the first structure being operative to prevent the warping of the hardened polymer. The chair and basin is typically attached on top of the base. 
   Other apparatuses, methods, features, and advantages of the present disclosure will be or become apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the following drawings and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional apparatuses, methods, features, and advantages be included within this description, be within the scope of the present disclosure, and be protected by the accompanying claims. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Many aspects of the disclosure can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present disclosure. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views. 
       FIG. 1  depicts an embodiment of a base of a spa apparatus that resembles a rock formation; 
       FIG. 2  depicts a cross-sectional view illustrating layers of materials used during a procedure of making an artificial rock, such as that shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 3  is a perspective view showing the front, left and upper sides of a backing mold that facilitates making of a base of a spa apparatus to resemble a rock; 
       FIG. 4  is a perspective view showing the front and upper sides of a backing mold, such as that shown in  FIG. 3 ; 
       FIG. 5  is a top view of an oval structure, such as that shown in  FIG. 4 ; 
       FIG. 6  is a perspective view showing the front and upper sides of a backing molding, such as that shown in  FIG. 3 ; and 
       FIGS. 7A-B  are flow diagrams that illustrate operation of an embodiment of making a base of a spa apparatus to resemble a rock. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     FIG. 1  depicts an embodiment of a base of a spa apparatus that resembles a rock formation. It should be noted that the base can also be made to resemble wood. The base  100  generally includes a seating portion  105  that is disposed on the top  115  and towards the rear  140  of the base  100 . A chair  120  is generally attached on top of the seating portion  105 . A basin  110  is generally disposed on the top  115  and towards the front  130  of the base  100 . The basin  110  is generally located adjacent to the seating portion  105 , where water is filled and a person&#39;s feet can be submersed in. A foot rest (not shown) can be place adjacent to the basin  110  opposite from seating portion  105 . The base  100  of the spa apparatus, from a top view, can have the shape of, such as, but not limited to, a rectangle, circle, ellipse, hexagon, and octagon, among others. A cross-sectional view  125  of a front portion  130  of the base  100  shows the outer shape and the surface texture  135  of the artificial rock, which are described later in relation to  FIG. 2 . 
     FIG. 2  depicts a cross-sectional view illustrating layers of materials used during a procedure of making an artificial rock, such as that shown in  FIG. 1 . The artificial rock is generally made by way of a molding process that shapes pliable raw material, using a frame or model called a mold  205 . The mold  205  is a hollowed-out block that is filled with a liquid, such as, but not limited to, glass, metal, silicone, polyurethane/polyurea, latex, and any other plastic materials, among others. The liquid hardens or sets inside the mold  205 , adopting its shape. In this instance, an interior surface  207  of the mold  205  resembles the outer shape and the surface texture  135 , such as that shown in the cross-sectional view  125  of a front portion  130  of the base  100  in  FIG. 1 . Referring back to  FIG. 2 , after the mold  205  is made, a layer of polymer  210 , such as polyurethane, is applied on the inner surface  207  of the mold  205 , forming an outer shell  210 . Alternatively or additionally, after the outer shell  210  hardens, a hardcoat  215 , such as urethane, polyurea, fiberglass, or glass fiber reinforced cement (GFRC), can be applied on the outer shell  210 . Once the outer shell  210  and hardcoat  215  within the mold harden, the mold  205  is pulled off of the outer shell  210 ; the result is a base of a spa apparatus that has the appearance of a rock or wood. 
   Alternatively or additionally, cementitious material instead of polymers can be used to form the outer shell  210 . The cementitious material includes, but is not limited to, cement, GFRC, and glass fiber reinforcement, among others. The GFRC is a cement-based composite containing glass fibers for reinforcement. The GFRC is substantially lower in weight than plain concrete, with higher flexural and compressive strengths. 
   Alternatively or additionally, acrylic and/or resin-modified cementitious material can be used in conjunction with the hardcoat  215  to form the base resembling a rock or wood. The hardcoat  215  includes, but is not limited to, polyurea/polyurethane hybrid, among others. The acrylic and/or resin-modified cementitious material reinforced with the hardcoat hardens more quickly than cement; thus, more artificial rocks can be manufactured in a shorter period of time. 
     FIG. 3  is a perspective view showing the front, left and upper sides of a backing mold  300  that facilitates making a base of a spa apparatus to resemble a rock. The backing mold  300  aids in the uniformity and interchangeability of making an artificial rock. The backing mold  300  includes four sidewalls  310 ,  315 ,  320 ,  325 , a bottom wall  330  and a top wall  335 . The top wall  335  includes an opening in which a mold  305 , such as that described in  FIG. 2 , is placed therein. Alternatively or additionally, the mold  305  can be made in one piece. An advantage, among others, is that no disassembly and reassembly is required between castings. If for some reason the mold  305  is deemed unusable (torn, cut with a knife, etc.), a new mold can be poured using the same backing mold. It is believe that in any other mold making system, a new mold requires a new backing mold. 
     FIG. 4  is a perspective view showing the front and upper sides of a backing mold  300 , such as that shown in  FIG. 3 . The mold  305  is placed in an opening of the top wall  335  in which an inner surface of the mold is exposed toward the top wall  335  of the backing mold  300 . The mold  305  facilitates the making of the artificial rock base  100 , such as that shown in  FIG. 1 . A support component  405  is placed on, for example, the inner surface and at the bottom of the mold  305  towards the front wall  320  of the backing mold  300 . Generally, the support component  405  includes a rectangular structure that can be made out of wood. A pedispa chair  120 , such as that shown in  FIG. 1 , is generally placed on the support component  405 . It should be noted that the support component  405  can be any shape, such as circular, oval, square, pentagonal, hexagonal, heptagonal, and octagonal, among others, as long as the support component  405  facilitates attaching and supporting, for example, a pedispa chair as well as a customer sitting on the chair. 
   A circular or oval structure  410  is placed on the inner surface and at the bottom of the mold  305  towards the rear  310  of the backing mold  300 . The oval structure  410  is generally adjacent to the support component  405 . The oval structure  410  can preserve an opening on the mold in which a spa bowl or basin (not shown) can be inserted into the opening to rest flushed against the dried, hardened composite. The oval structure  410  is comprised of an oval bar  420  and a rectangular center  415 , which are generally attached by a plurality of bars  425 . In this example, two corners of the rectangular center are also attached to the oval bar. The bars  425  and rectangular center  415  prevent the oval bar and the hardened composite from warping during the process of making the artificial rock. It should be noted that the structure  410  can be any shape other than oval, such as circular, rectangular, square, pentagonal, hexagonal, heptagonal, and octagonal, among others. 
     FIG. 5  is a top view of an oval structure  410 , such as that shown in  FIG. 4 . The rectangular center  415  can be covered with, for example, a thin, flexible, plastic sheet, during the process of spraying polymers in the mold  305 . The rectangular center  415  can be removed from the oval bar  420  so that the rectangular center  415  can be used in making other artificial rocks. Alternatively or additionally, the support component  405  can also be covered with a thin, flexible, plastic sheet. 
     FIG. 6  is a perspective view showing the front and top of a backing mold  300 , such as that shown in  FIG. 3 . Weights  605 ,  610  are placed on top of the support component  405  and oval structure  410  so that pressure can be applied to the support component  405  and oval structure  410  to seal them substantially air-tight to the mold  305 . The weights  605 ,  610  can include a thirty pound metal plate, among others. Alternatively and/or additionally, the weight  610  that is placed on top of the support component  405  can be used to provide support for a massage chair and a customer sitting on the chair. 
     FIGS. 7A-B  are flow diagrams that illustrate operation  700  of an embodiment of making a base of a spa apparatus to resemble a rock. Beginning with block  705 , the operation  700  is comprised of making a mold of a rock, rock formation, or wood. There are various ways of making a mold. In one embodiment, the method begins with locating a natural rock or wood that is to be used for its shape and surface texture. The rock includes, but is not limited to, a rock, boulder, combination of rocks, and cliffs, among others. The wood includes, but is not limited to, a tree and a combination of a trunk and root of the tree. The surface of the rock or wood to be molded is cleaned, and flanges are installed if needed. The rock or wood is allowed to dry and then is coated with a few coats of silicone urethane latex using a paint brush or airless sprayer with drying time between each coat. It should be noted that other materials can be used in place of latex, such as, but not limited to, silicone, urethane, or other similar materials. 
   The latex is applied with a few layers of cheesecloth with drying time between each layer. Other materials can be used in place of cheesecloth, such as burlap and nylon mesh. The dried cheesecloth is then applied with a few more coats of latex to seal against moisture. The latex is then dried, and flanges are placed on the latex if needed. The dried latex is coated with a bond release, and the bond release is coated with fiberglass or polyurea/polyurethane. The fiberglass and latex are peeled off, forming the mold. 
   In block  710 , the mold is placed inside a backing mold. The backing mold allows the mold to retain its shape during the process of making the base of the spa apparatus to resemble the rock. In block  715 , once the mold is placed in the backing mold, a support component is placed at, for example, the bottom of the mold. The support component facilitates attaching and supporting a pedispa chair as well as a customer sitting on the chair. The support component further facilitates preventing the hardened composite from warping during the process of making the artificial rock. 
   In block  720 , an oval structure is placed at an opening of the mold, which is, generally, at the bottom of the mold and adjacent to the support component. The oval structure can be removed from the mold to preserve the opening of the mold in which a spa bowl can be inserted into the opening to rest flushed against the dried, hardened composite. In block  725 , pressure can be applied to the support component and oval structure to seal the support component and oval structure substantially air-tight to the mold. Generally, weights are placed on top of the support component and oval component. 
   In block  730 , a vinyl resin solution is sprayed on the mold. The vinyl resin solution is allowed to dry and harden. An advantage, among others, of spraying vinyl resin solution on the mold is that the artificial rock can be separated from the mold later in the process. In block  735 , a polyurethane, acrylic polymer is sprayed at the edge of the support component and oval structure. It is allowed to dry and harden. The weights are then removed. The polyurethane, acrylic polymer is also sprayed on top of the vinyl resin solution, support component, oval structure, and sprayed edges. The polymer is then allowed to dry and harden. 
   In block  740 , the mold and the hardened composite are removed from the backing mold. In block  745 , the hardened composite is removed from the mold. The composite should resemble a rock formation. In general, the hardened composite has flanges at the bottom of the composite, which is trimmed with, for example, a router slotting blade or other cutting device. In block  750 , the bars and rectangular center of the oval component are removed from the oval bar. It should be noted that the rectangular center can be used for making other artificial rocks. 
   In block  755 , a support structure is attached to the support component by applying silicone, liquid nails or any adhesive products, for example. The support structure provides additional support to, for example, a massage chair. The support structure can include a framed box that is designed to have substantially a height from the support component to the bottom of the artificial rock. In block  760 , the artificial rock is flipped over and all angles of the artificial rock are ensured even. In block  765 , an acrylic polymer mixed with colored pigments is sprayed on the vinyl resin solution that aids the composite to better resemble a rock in shape and color. In block  770 , a clear coat of polyurethane finish is sprayed on the acrylic polymer to preserve the rock formation exterior and color. 
   It should be emphasized that the above-described embodiments are merely possible examples of implementations, merely set forth for a clear understanding of the principles of the disclosure. Many variations and modifications may be made to the above-described embodiments without departing substantially from the spirit and principles of the disclosure. All such modifications and variations are intended to be included herein within the scope of this disclosure and the present disclosure and protected by the following claims.