Abstract:
An spa panel for a spa. The spa panel is electrically connected to the spa controller for the spa. The spa panel has an encasing that covers control keys that are electrically connected to a printed circuit board. The infrared receiver is mounted onto the printed circuit board and is likewise covered by the encasing. Preferably, the infrared receiver is adjacent to the edge of the spa panel and faces inward to the spa to an area that a spa user would normally sit. In another preferred embodiment, the plastic encasing covers a display screen.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    A spa (also commonly known as a “hot tub”) is a therapeutic bath in which all or part of a person&#39;s body is exposed to hot water, usually with forceful whirling currents. When located indoors and equipped with fill and drain features like a bathtub, the spa is typically referred to as a “whirlpool bath”. Typically, the spa&#39;s hot water is generated when water contacts a heating element in a water circulating heating pipe system.  
           [0002]    [0002]FIG. 1 shows prior art hot tub spa  1 . Spa controller  52  is programmed to control the spa&#39;s components, such as the spa&#39;s water pumps  1 P and  2 P, air blower  3 , ozonator  7 , stereo  1 A, and light  1 L. In normal operation, water is pumped by water pump IP through heater  5 A where it is heated by heating element  5 B. The heated water then leaves heater  5 A and enters spa tub  2  through jets  11 . Water leaves spa tub  2  through drains  13  and the cycle is repeated.  
           [0003]    A user of the spa can control the spa&#39;s components by pressing keys on spa panel  8 . Spa panel  8  is also commonly referred to as a keypad. Also, spa  1  includes monitor  9 . When an error occurs (such as a failure of water pump  2 P), the source of the error is displayed on monitor  9 . Currently, the spa user typically operates the spa with controls located within the spa or next to the spa by manipulating controls on spa panel  8  or by transmitting a remote wireless signal to spa controller  52 .  
         Prior Art Keypad  
         [0004]    Spa panel  8  is mounted over a small cutout in the top of spa  2  (FIG. 3). Spa panel  8  houses control keys  42 , digital display screen  43 , printed circuit board (PCB)  44 . A preferred spa panel  8  is manufactured by Gecko Electronique inc., model no. TSC-8-SL-AD-NO, part no. 0200-007072. FIG. 2 shows a top view of spa panel  8 .  
           [0005]    A user of the spa can control the spa&#39;s components by pressing keys  42  on spa panel  8 . Spa panel  8  is designed to be waterproof to protect its electrical components from the outside elements and water that is contained in the spa.  
           [0006]    Transparent plastic encasing  45  is attached to the shell of spa  2  by two ‘L’ shaped brackets  131 . Plastic encasing  45  is made of plastic and is waterproof. It covers and protects control keys  42 , digital display screen  43 , printed circuit board (PCB)  44 . Graphic overlay  47  is backed with an adhesive and is glued on a top recess of the plastic encasing  45 . Silicone rubber pads  132  are installed over control keys  42  and allow the user a flexible and waterproof interface by which he can press control keys  42 . PCB  44  is connected to spa controller  52  via wire (see also FIG. 1).  
         Prior Art Remote Control of Spa  
         [0007]    [0007]FIG. 1 shows infrared (IR) receiver  20  mounted to the shell of spa tub  2 . A user of the spa can transmit control signals to spa controller  52  by aiming a remote control IR transmitting device at IR receiver  20 . The control signal is then transmitted via wire from IR receiver  20  to spa controller  52 . The control signals control spa components such as the spa water pumps, the air blower, the spa stereo and spa lights.  
         Problems with Shell Mounted IR Receivers  
         [0008]    There are problems associated with the current method of mounting the IR receiver to the shell of the spa tub. To mount the IR transceiver to the shell, an extra hole must first be drilled into the shell so that the IR transceiver can be properly installed. The drilling of a hole into the shell compromises the integrity of the spa tub shell. Also, drilling into to the shell and making the necessary wire connections can be a difficult and time consuming job for a technician during an after-market installation on the field. Furthermore, a manufacturer who wants to offer the possibility of later upgrading a spa to add IR control would need to pre-drill a hole in all of the shells he manufactures to allow for the upgrade. This would add costs to the production of the spa and also unnecessarily damage the integrity of the spa for users who would not want the upgrade. Also, the IR receiver is currently mounted in the interior of the spa for the benefit of someone sitting inside the spa. However, for individuals outside of the spa wishing to control the spa via remote control, range is very limited. Moreover, the spa cannot be operated effectively unless the individual&#39;s remote control device is facing the IR receiver.  
           [0009]    What is needed is a better method of spa control eliminating prior art problems.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0010]    The present invention provides an spa panel for a spa. The spa panel is electrically connected to the spa controller for the spa. The spa panel has an encasing that covers control keys that are electrically connected to a printed circuit board. An infrared receiver is mounted onto the printed circuit board and is likewise covered by the encasing. Preferably, the infrared receiver is adjacent to the edge of the spa panel and faces inward to the spa to an area that a spa user would normally sit. In another preferred embodiment, the plastic encasing covers a display screen. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0011]    [0011]FIG. 1 shows a prior art spa.  
         [0012]    [0012]FIGS. 2 and 3 show a prior art spa panel.  
         [0013]    [0013]FIGS. 4 and 5 show a preferred embodiment of the present invention mounted to a spa.  
         [0014]    [0014]FIGS. 6 and 7 show a preferred embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 8 shows a top view of a spa prior to mounting a preferred embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 9 shows a top view of the spa of FIG. 8 after a preferred embodiment of the present invention has been mounted.  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 10 shows another preferred embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 11 shows another preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0019]    A preferred embodiment of the present invention can be seen by reference to FIGS.  4 - 9 . An IR receiver is mounted to a spa panel. The spa panel is then mounted to a spa. The spa panel has a plastic encasing that is waterproof and protects the IR receiver from moisture that could damage it.  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 4 shows a side view of spa  60 . Spa panel  61  is mounted to the top of spa  60 . Spa panel  61  is also commonly referred to as a keypad. A top view and a side view of spa panel  61  is shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, respectively. Spa panel  61  is identical to prior art spa panel  8 , shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, with the exception that spa panel  61  also includes infrared (IR) receiver  65  mounted on PCB  44 . As is the case with spa panel  8 , spa panel  61  is waterproof. Therefore, IR receiver  65  is protected from the outside elements and the water that is contained in the spa. Also, as stated above, the edge of plastic encasing  45  is transparent enabling infrared signals to reach IR receiver  65  (FIG. 6).  
       Mounting Spa panel to the Spa  
       [0021]    As shown in FIG. 8, cutout  70  is drilled through the top of the shell of spa  60 . Spa panel  61  (having IR receiver  65 ) is then installed onto the top of spa  60  and clamped via “L” shaped brackets  403  (see FIG. 9 and FIG. 7). Preferably, spa panel  61  is mounted so that IR transceiver  65  faces inward towards the part of the spa that a spa user sits to get optimum range for the spa user. The spa user will then be able to aim IR remote control unit  66  at IR receiver  65  to transmit spa control signals. FIG. 7 shows connectivity to the spa controller.  
       Remote Control Unit  
       [0022]    [0022]FIGS. 4 and 5 include range lines  80  and  81 . In a preferred embodiment, remote control unit  66  is manufactured by Gecko Electronique Inc. with offices in Quebec, Canada, model no. IRMT-4. As shown in FIG. 4, remote control unit  66  is capable of floating in the spa water. A spa user sitting in the spa can pick up and operate remote control unit  66  when he wants to send a control signal to the spa controller.  
       Extended Operating Range  
       [0023]    As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, in addition to coverage within the spa the range of the IRMT-4 model extends approximately 7 feet to the right of the rightmost edge of spa  60  and approximately 7 feet to the left of the leftmost edge of spa  60 . The range is able to extend to the left because infrared light emitted by an IR transmitter is absorbed by the transparent edge of plastic encasing  45 . For example, a user standing 7 feet to the left of spa  60  can operate the spa&#39;s components via a remote control device even though the user is not directly facing IR receiver  65 . The IR light generated by the remote control device is absorbed in the edge of plastic encasing  45  and transmitted to IR receiver  65 .  
         [0024]    It is desirable to be able to remotely control the spa at locations other than within the spa or in direct line-of-sight of the IR transceiver. For example, a user may want to turn on the spa&#39;s components prior to entering the spa. Or, user may want to turn on the spa&#39;s components without ever getting in the spa or adjacent to the spa. For example, the user may just want to turn on the spa&#39;s lights for extra backyard lighting or he may want to turn on the spa&#39;s stereo so that he can enjoy music while relaxing in the backyard.  
       Other Embodiments  
       [0025]    A feature of the present invention is that preferably the infrared receiver can be effectively mounted to an spa panel that houses other components used for spa operation. For example, the above embodiment discussed the utilization of spa panel  61  (also known as a keypad). Spa panel  61  includes a PCB onto which control keys and a display screen are mounted. However, there are other spa panels besides a keypad that can be utilized. For example, FIG. 10 shows infrared receiver  65  mounted to PCB  44  of spa status display panel  201 . Spa status display panel  201  has status display screen  202 . Status display screen  202  functions primarily to display the operating status of the spa. Preferably status display screen  202  is a digital display screen. Alternatively, digital display screen  202  can also be replaced with a plurality of light indicators to display indicate spa status. Also, FIG. 11 shows infrared receiver  65  mounted to PCB  44  of spa illuminating panel  301 . Spa illuminating panel  301  includes a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs)  302 . LEDs  302  function primarily to provide illumination for the area around the spa, inside the spa and under the water contained in the spa.  
         [0026]    Although the above-preferred embodiments have been described with specificity, persons skilled in this art will recognize that many changes to the specific embodiments disclosed above could be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, although it was shown in FIG. 7 how spa panel  61  is attached to the spa via “L” shaped brackets, spa panel  61  could also be attached via a gasket with adhesive on both sides. Also, although the above preferred embodiment showed only one IR receiver  65  attached to spa panel  61 , it would be possible to attach a plurality of IR receivers to spa panel  61 . Also, it should be understood a variety of various types of switching technology can be used for control keys  42 . These include a variety of electromechanical switches, piezo transducers, membrane switches and capacitive switches. Also, plastic encasing  45  was described as being transparent. It is also possible to make plastic encasing  45  semitransparent or translucent so that sufficient IR light is allowed through to reach the IR receiver. For example, plastic encasing  45  could be made out of a colored plastic material. Or, plastic encasing  45  could be made out of another material besides plastic, such as a clear epoxy, polymer, glass, or any other material that would allow the IR light to reach the IR receiver. Therefore, the attached claims and their legal equivalents should determine the scope of the invention.