Abstract:
A spa speaker apparatus having a housing with a speaker mounted therein, wherein the speaker can be extended and retracted with respect to the housing and the speaker is also rotatable within the housing. A system for providing audio to a spa is also disclosed. The system comprises a spa having walls and at least one speaker unit mounted to a spa wall. Each of the speaker units is capable of receiving an audio signal, and generating sound towards the occupants of the spa. Each of the speaker units comprises a speaker that is individually retractable to be hidden behind the spa wall and extendible from the spa wall. Each of the speakers is also rotatable within the spa wall to direct the speaker sound.

Description:
[0001]     This application claims the benefit of provisional application Ser. No. 60/500,900 to Lerma, which was filed on Sep. 4, 2003. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0003]     This invention relates to spas and more particularly to a retractable rotating speaker system for spas.  
         [0004]     2. Description of the Related Art  
         [0005]     Recreational or therapeutic reservoirs of water such as pools, spas, bathtubs and the like (collectively referred to as “spas” or “spa”) are more commonly being constructed with features such as televisions and audio systems. For the occupants of the spa to hear the television or audio system, a number of speakers can be included around the spa, with a common location for the speakers being the edge of the spa above the waterline. The speakers are arranged so that the sound they produce is directed toward the spa occupants and can be heard over the noise of the spa&#39;s plumbing system.  
         [0006]     One conventional way of mounting speaker systems around the edge of spas having Acrylic or fiberglass spa bodies is to form “ears” or extensions in the spa body and to mount a respective speaker in each of the ears. The ears may be formed during the spa fabrication process to provide fixed and permanent housings for the speakers. The ears are usually arranged around the edge of the spa and extend above the edge, with a typical location being in the corners of a rectangular or square spa. When the speakers are installed in the ears, their sound is directed in toward the spa occupants. One example of these ears may be purchased in the Excalibur series spas available from Dynasty Spas of Athens, Tennessee.  
         [0007]     One of the disadvantages of this type of spa speaker system is that the extra step of forming the ears in the acrylic or fiberglass body can add significant cost to the spa. Spas with ears also require additional storage and shipping space because the ears extend above the top surface of the spa. Shipping and storing of these spas can also be awkward because the ears prevent the spas from being stacked on top of one another with stability. The ears can also make it difficult to produce a cover that closely fits over the spa, and are not adaptable to different seating arrangements for the spa occupants.  
         [0008]     Other spa speaker systems have been developed with speaker housings that extend from the top edge of the spa during use and can then be retracted below the edge when not in use. Holes are formed in the surface of the spa shell around the edge of the spa and the speakers are mounted within the holes. When the speaker housings are fully retracted, their top surfaces are substantially flush with the surface of the spa. The speaker housings may be restored to their non-retracted operating position with the force of an air pump/cylinder, hydraulic system or electric hoist, all of which are usually housed behind the wall of the spa body and push the speakers up from the bottom. The speakers may be connected to a common air or hydraulic driving system so that the air or hydraulic extenders may be simultaneously actuated to simultaneously extend the speaker housings. One example of such a system may be purchased from Cal Spas of Pomona, Calif.  
         [0009]     In these types of speaker systems each speaker can require its own air, hydraulic or electronic actuator, and at least one actuator driving system. The actuators and their driving systems can add significant cost and complexity. The space behind the wall of a spa is also often at a premium, particularly for portable spas. The plumbing and electrical systems consume much of the space behind the spa wall, leaving little space for speakers. Speaker systems with air, hydraulic or electrical actuators can consume precious space behind the spa wall.  
         [0010]     Conventional spa speaker systems also produce a fixed sound pattern that can vary from location to location within the spa, producing a good audio experience for some of the spa occupants but a poor one for others. Furthermore, when an occupant changes his or her location within the spa the sound quality can also change, forcing him or her to choose between a desired spot in the spa and a desired sound quality. The sound produced by conventional spa speaker systems is focused inward toward the spa occupants and typically produces poor sound quality to those outside the spa.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0011]     The present invention seeks to provide a spa speaker system that consumes less space behind the spa wall, is less costly and less complex. The invention also seeks to provide a speaker system that is easy to install and use and includes a speaker that can be easily and independently extended, retracted and rotated when extended.  
         [0012]     One embodiment according to the invention comprises a spa speaker having a housing with the speaker mounted therein. The speaker is extendible from and retractable into and rotatable relative to the housing. Preferably the housing is mounted to a surface of the spa above the water line.  
         [0013]     One embodiment according to the invention comprises a system for providing audio to a spa. The system comprises a spa having a wall and at least one speaker mounted to the wall. Each of the speakers is retractable to be hidden behind or beneath the wall and is extendible from the wall. Further, each of the speakers is rotatable in the extended position. Each of the speakers is extendible, retractable and rotatable independent of the other speakers in the system. Each of the speakers is capable of receiving an audio signal and generating sound toward occupants of the spa shell. An audio system generates an audio signal and transmits the signal to the speakers. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0014]     These and further features and advantages of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, taken together with the accompanying drawings, in which:  
         [0015]      FIG. 1  is an exploded perspective view of one embodiment of a spa speaker according to the present invention;  
         [0016]      FIG. 2  is a front elevation view of the speaker of  FIG. 1  in its extended position;  
         [0017]      FIG. 3  is a side elevation view of the speaker of  FIG. 1 , in its extended position;  
         [0018]      FIG. 4  is a top plan view of the speaker of  FIG. 3 ;  
         [0019]      FIG. 5  is a sectional view taken along section lines  5 - 5  of  FIG. 2 ;  
         [0020]      FIG. 6  is a sectional view taken along section lines  6 - 6  of  FIG. 3 ;  
         [0021]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of the speaker in its extended position as shown in  FIGS. 2-6 ;  
         [0022]      FIG. 8  is a side elevation view of the speaker of  FIG. 1 , in its retracted position;  
         [0023]      FIG. 9  is a sectional view taken along section lines  9 - 9  of  FIG. 8 ;  
         [0024]      FIG. 10  is a perspective view of the retracted spa speaker of  FIG. 8 ;  
         [0025]      FIG. 11  is a perspective view of a spa using spa speaker systems according to one embodiment of the present invention; and  
         [0026]      FIG. 12  is a perspective view of a spa using spa speaker systems according to one embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0027]      FIGS. 1-3  show one embodiment of the rotatably extendable speaker unit  10 , its internal components and how they are assembled. Most of the system&#39;s components are formed from a water impervious plastic such as chlorinated polyvinyl chloride, CPVC; polyvinyl chloride, PVC; or acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, ABS. Speaker system  10  is particularly adapted to be integrated with a spa so that it can be extended from a surface of the spa shell above the waterline, and retracted below the surface when not in use.  
         [0028]     The spa speaker unit  10  includes an elongated cabinet  30  that has a generally cylindrical cross section and houses a speaker arrangement, which can comprise one or more different audio components of many different sizes. Cabinet  30  has speaker face plate  34  having a number of circular holes that cover circular areas having diameters approximately equal the diameter of the face of the housing&#39;s two 2″ speakers  32  or tweeter speaker  33 . Speaker faceplate  34  is provided as a mounting plate to hold 2″ speakers  32  and tweeter speaker  33 . The speakers are mounted in the shell so that sound from the speakers emits through the holes in speaker faceplate  34 . Speaker plate  34  is mounted within speaker cabinet  30  through speaker opening  35 . When assembled, these parts are frequently referred to as speaker  36 .  
         [0029]     Cap  20  provides the only visible surface of speaker unit  10  when the speaker unit is installed in a spa or tub surface and retracted. Cap  20  is mounted on top of speaker cabinet  30 . Latch  21  may be inserted into cap  20  to provide a locking mechanism to keep speaker unit  10  retracted when not in use. Latch lock  22  of latch  21  extends through latch slot  31  in speaker cabinet  30  to engage a notch  45  in speaker upper housing  51  when speaker  36  is retracted. In one embodiment latch  21  may be operable to withdraw latch lock  22  from the notch  45  by pressing latch  21  releasing speaker  36  and allowing it to extend from a surface of the spa.  
         [0030]     Speaker  36  is mounted on support stage  40  which has a planar top surface with a hole in its center  42  to allow speaker wires to pass through the planar top surface. Support stage  40  has stage assent stop  44  that engages a lower edge of upper speaker housing  51  as speaker  36  extends to its limit. Wire guide  41  is joined to the interior underside of the top surface of support stage  40 . Wire guide  41  is a hollow cylindrical structure similar to a straw used for sipping drinks. Wire guide  41  has an upper end  43  that is attached to the interior surface of support stage  40 .  
         [0031]     Speaker  36  is placed on and over support stage  40 . Speaker cabinet  30  has a tab  70  (shown in  FIG. 5 ) on its inside cylindrical surface that is inserted into a slot  72  in the outer vertical cylindrical surface of support stage  40 . The slot goes almost all the way around the circumference of support stage  40 . The speaker tab once fixed in the support stage slot allows speaker  36  to be rotated relative to support stage  40 . The circumferential slot in support stage  40  does not completely circle the stage so as to provide a rotation stop  74  for rotational movement of speaker  36 . Speaker  36  may rotate in either direction until the tab comes to the end of the slot in support stage  40 . Speaker  36  is restrained from full rotational movement to keep any speaker wires that may pass through wire guide  41  up to speakers  32  and  33  from excessive twisting.  
         [0032]     Rotation of speaker  36  requires cabinet  30  to be cylindrical. Cylindrical cabinets are problematical, because speakers tend to require deep cones for sound projection. A cylindrical cabinet using conventional speakers would require too much wasted room behind the speaker to make rotatable speakers that may fit in small spaces. Fortunately an improvement is speaker quality has resulted in new smaller speakers useable in spas having essentially the same sound quality compared to conventional speakers. These smaller speakers allow cylindrical cabinets to be placed in small, convenient places around the spa.  
         [0033]     In other embodiments according to the present invention, speakers  32  and  33  may be connected to an audio source wirelessly, in which case excessive rotation is not a concern. In the wireless embodiments, speakers  32  and  33  will have wireless receivers attached to them and the housing  30  can rotate completely around the support stage  40 .  
         [0034]     Upper speaker housing  51  is used to fasten speaker unit  10  to a horizontal spa surface  62  (shown in  FIG. 11 ). Retaining lip  53  of upper housing  51  lays flush on horizontal surface  62  of the spa. Outer threads  52  match with inner threads  58  of 2″ nut  57  to snuggly hold speaker unit  10  to horizontal spa surface  62 .  
         [0035]     Constant force springs  54  are mounted to an interior surface of upper speaker housing  51  by screws  55 . Screws  55  hold constant force springs  54  firmly to upper speaker housing  51  while allowing the springs to unfurl into speaker housing body  50 . Many different custom and commercially available springs may be used, with a suitable spring being a constant force coil spring such as those provided by Stock Drive Product/Sterling Instrument (SDP/SI) of New Hyde Park, N.Y., under part numbers A3X50-SH10J29 and A3X50-Sh10K29. The springs  54  comprise a pre-stressed strip of metal, which tightly winds around itself in successive turns to form a coil. The spring can be mounted at many different locations in embodiments of speakers according to the invention.  
         [0036]     Speaker housing  50  is attached to upper speaker housing  51  to form an assembly. Speaker housing  50  may be adhered to upper speaker housing  51  by common waterproof adhesives. One such adhesive may be ABS glue. The inside lower edge of said upper housing comprises a housing stop  76  (shown in  FIG. 5 ) to prevent the speaker from extending out of said housing and upper speaker housing  50 , 51  combination. Housing cap  56  is attached to the lower end of speaker housing body  50 . Housing cap  56  has a hole in its center to provide an exit port for wire guide  41 . As speaker  36  is retracted into speaker housing body  50 , wire guide  41  extends through the hole in housing cap  56 .  
         [0037]     Nut  57  has interior threading  58  used to secure speaker unit  10  to horizontal spa surface  62  by combining with exterior threads  52  of upper speaker housing  51  to clamp onto the surface of spa shell  62 . The upper speaker housing  51  is typically inserted in a hole in the spa wall with a close fit with the lip  53  resting on the outside of the spa surface  62 . The nut  57  is turned onto the outer threads  52  until the spa surface is sandwiched between the nut and lip to hold the upper housing  51  in place. A watertight seal can be provided between the lip  53  and surface  62  by different devices such as O-rings, gaskets and sealants, although in other embodiments the necessary seal is provided by the force of the lip on the spa surface  62 .  
         [0038]      FIG. 2  shows a view of the front of speaker unit  10  with the speaker face plate  34  having two 2″ speakers  32  and one tweeter speaker  33  mounted on its surface. Speaker faceplate  34  is mounted within speaker cabinet  30  and the speaker cabinet  30  is capped with cap  20 . Speaker housing body  50  is suspended below a spa surface and contains speaker  36  when it is in its retracted position. Housing cap  56  seals the bottom of speaker housing  50 . Housing cap  56  may be adhered to the bottom end of speaker housing  50  by such adhesives as ABS glue. The bottom end of wire guide  41  may be seen poking through and extending below housing cap  56 . Wire guide  41  is designed so that at least a portion of it protrudes beneath housing cap  56  when speaker  36  is fully extended as in this figure. A drain  59  is included in the housing cap  56 , behind wire guide  41  and is used to allow water that enters the speaker housing  50  to drain out.  
         [0039]      FIG. 3  shows speaker unit  10  from the side when it is in its extended position. As described above, latch  21  is attached to the speaker cabinet  30  and as shown, latch lock  22  protrudes through the back surface of speaker cabinet  30 . Screw  55  protrudes from the forward surface of upper housing  51  and is used to fasten constant force spring  54  to the interior of upper speaker housing  51 .  
         [0040]      FIG. 4  shows the top of speaker unit  10  with latch  21  mounted within the cap  20 . Latch  21  may be activated to release latch lock  22  (shown in  FIGS. 1 and 3 ) holding speaker cabinet  30  in its retracted position within speaker housing  50 . The outer edge of retaining lip  53  of upper speaker housing  51  extends beyond the outer edge of cap  20 . Beyond the outer edge of retaining lip  53  is the outer edge of nut  57 . The speaker  36  is adapted to rotate in an arc approximately 350° to provide optimal sound direction for the occupants of the spa or to direct the speaker sound to persons outside the spa. When speaker unit  10  is attached to an audio system by wires, the speaker  36  should be limited in its ability to rotate to preserve the wires.  
         [0041]      FIG. 5  demonstrates how latch lock  22  protrudes through the back of speaker cabinet  30 . Tweeter speaker  33  and speakers  32  are shown mounted on speaker faceplate  34  with the speaker faceplate  34  held within speaker cabinet  30 . Wire hole  42  passes through the upper surface of support stage  40  and wire guide  41  is attached to the under side of the upper surface of support stage  40  directly beneath wire hole  42 . Wire guide  41  is preferably a hollow tube that traverses the distance from the bottom of the upper portion of ascending stage  42  through housing cap  56  and out of speaker unit  10 . Wire guide  41  is adapted to contain speaker cable running from an audio system to speakers  32  and  33 . The purpose of wire guide  41  is to form a solid shell around any speaker wires that may be running through it and through support stage  40  to connect to speakers  32  and  33 . Wire guide  41  will prevent such speaker wires from becoming tangled and bunched up as speaker unit  10  is cycled through multiple extensions and retractions of the speaker  36 .  
         [0042]     Latch slot  31  is shown between retaining lip  53  and the nut  57  on the left side of speaker unit  10  in  FIG. 5 . Latch slot  31  is the resting place for the extreme end of latch lock  22 , when speaker  36  is in its retracted position. As described above, drain  59  in the bottom of housing cap  56  provides an exit for any moisture that may accumulate in speaker housing body  50 .  
         [0043]      FIG. 6  illustrates speaker unit  10  in its extended position with speaker  36  extended fully from speaker housing  50 . The faces of speakers  33  and  32  are positioned above retaining lip  53  of upper speaker housing  51 . In the extended position shown in  FIG. 6 , speakers  32  and  33  are exposed to the spa environment to provide sound to the spa occupants. Constant force springs  54  curl under the lower edge of support stage  40 . In  FIG. 6  constant force springs  54  are in their fully retracted position. The tension in springs  54  supports speaker  36  in its extended position from speaker housing  50  and the springs  54  remain in their contracted position elevating speaker  36  above retaining lip  53  until such time as the speaker  36  is forced back into housing body  50  and engaging latch lock  22  (shown is  FIG. 5 ) with latch slot  31  (also shown in  FIG. 5 ). It is important to note that even with speaker  36  fully extended from speaker housing  50 , wire guide  41  extends partially from the bottom of support stage  40  through and out the bottom of housing cap  56 .  
         [0044]      FIG. 7  shows speaker unit  10  in a fully extended position with speakers  33  and  32  mounted on speaker faceplate  34  being fully visible above retaining lip  53 .  FIG. 8  is a side view of speaker unit  10  in its fully retracted position with Cap  20  forming a tight seal with upper lip  53 . The seal between cap  20  and upper lip  53  may be waterproof when latch  21  (not shown) is engaged and O-rings, gaskets or sealants can be included to help form the seal. Screw  55  hold the stationary end of constant force springs  54  in place attached to upper speaker housing  51 . Drain  59  extends from the bottom of housing cap  56 . When speaker unit  10  has its speaker  36  retracted, wire guide  41  extends through the center of housing cap  56  and descending past the bottom of housing. Any wires connected to the speaker still pass through the wire guide to the speaker.  
         [0045]      FIG. 9  shows speaker unit  10  in its fully retracted position mounted in a spa shell surface  62 . Cap  20  and retaining lip  53  are shown to form the visible portion of the speaker unit  10  when it is fully retracted. Tweeter speaker  33  and speakers  32  are mounted on speaker faceplate  34  contained within speaker cabinet  30 . Speaker cabinet  30 , and therefore speaker  36 , is entirely contained within speaker upper housing  51  and housing body  50 . The retaining lip  53  of upper speaker housing  51  may be seen to be flush with the top of spa shell surface  62 . Nut  57  is shown threaded onto outer threads  52  and in contact with the bottom of spa shell surface  62 . In the fully retracted position all speaker faces  32 ,  33  and the speaker  36  are withdrawn from the view of spa occupants. Support stage  40  holds the ends of constant force springs  54  in their fully extended position. Constant force springs  54  in this position maintain an upward force on the bottom of support stage  40  such that when the latch  21  (shown in  FIG. 5 ) to disengage the latch lock  22  from the slot  31 , the speaker  36  is urged to its extended position viewable by spa occupants.  
         [0046]      FIG. 10  again shows speaker unit  10  in its fully retracted position. Latch  21  may be seen to be flush with cap  20 , which forms a boundary with retaining lip  53 . These three parts are molded such that there will be no jagged or obvious edges where they meet that might snag apparel or scrape the skin of the spa occupants. In one embodiment retracted speaker unit  10  may become fully extended by merely depressing latch  21 .  
         [0047]      FIG. 11  is a perspective view of a spa  60  with a number of rotatably extendable speaker units  10  arranged on horizontal surface  62  that runs around the edge of spa  60 . Speaker units  10  according to the invention may be mounted in many different devices and in many different locations. Speaker units  10  are particularly adapted to use in an acrylic or fiberglass spa on top horizontal surface  62  around spa  60  that is above the waterline. Spa  60  may have one or more speaker units  10 , each of which requires a hole in surface  62 . Each hole is shaped similar to the housing&#39;s cross-section, but slightly larger than housing  50 . Speaker units  10  according to the present invention may also be arranged at different locations that can be included in other reservoirs of water such as pools, hot tubs or bathtubs.  
         [0048]     Spa  60  plumbing system  61  includes pumps, filters and conduits. Plumbing system  61  typically will consume much of the space behind a spa wall.  
         [0049]     An audio system  64  generates an audio signal to be transmitted to speaker units  10  over speaker cable  63 . The audio system may be any apparatus that generates an audio signal including but not limited to television, compact disc player, receiver, tape player, digital video disc player, VHS player, etc.  
         [0050]     Each speaker unit  10  may be extended alone or in combination with other units. Each speaker may be rotated about an axis normal to horizontal surface  62  in an arc of approximately 350°. This rotation allows the each speaker to be directed at any location within the spa and many locations outside the spa. Each speaker may be rotated alone or in combination with other speakers.  
         [0051]      FIG. 12  shows one embodiment of the invention where the connection between audio system  64  and speaker units  10  is wireless. Speaker units  10  each contain a wireless receiver that allows the unit to access wireless transmission  65 , and covert that into sound to be directed into spa  60 . Audio system  64  includes a transmitter for generating wireless transmission  65  for broadcast to speaker units  10 . Audio system  64  may be attached to spa  60 , or may be positioned near the spa as long as speaker units  10  are within effective broadcast range of wireless transmission  65 .  
         [0052]     Although the present invention has been described in considerable detail with reference to certain preferred configurations, other versions are possible. Different components may be used in speaker systems according to the invention and the speaker system components may be arranged in different ways. For instance, different springs may be used and can be attached to the speaker systems in different locations. Therefore, the spirit and scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the preferred version as described above.