Patent Publication Number: US-8979778-B2

Title: Water treatment device

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to a water treatment device and more particularly to a handheld movable water treating device for tightening and whitening facial and neck skin by directing multiple streams of pressurized and heated water onto selected parts of an individuals face and neck and to methods for treating facial and neck skin. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Facial treatment devices are well known and have been in widespread use for many years. For example, a facial sauna is disclosed in a U.S. Pat. No. 3,768,483 of Kusunoki. As disclosed a facial sauna device for face treatment with hot steam and beauty liquid nutritious to skin which comprises a nozzle of steam generating means and a hood having an opening receiving a user&#39;s face and arranged to surround the nozzle. The hood is provided with a spherical concave surface partly on its inner surface so that the steam is sprayed out of the nozzle toward the face receiving opening. The hood is detachably mounted to a saucer-shaped receptacle provided on an upper part thereof to the steam generating means. The device also includes a breathing duct of a horn shape detachably mounted to a duct receiving means provided in the hood and communicating the duct with external air. The hood preferably comprises a fixed hood member detachably mounted to the saucer-shaped receptacle and a movable hood member rotatably mounted to the fixed member. 
     A more recent U.S. patent of Carminucci U.S. Pat. No. 5,938,693 that discloses a Moist Heat In Vapor Form Health And Beauty Therapeutic System. The patent discloses a therapeutic system comprising a generator for generating moist heat in vapor form. The generator comprises a housing having a vapor chamber and a fluid reservoir. The fluid reservoir receives a fluid to be vaporized. The housing further contains a heater for heating the fluid received in the fluid reservoir in a first controlled manner to produce the moist heat in vapor form wherein the moist heat in vapor form produced is contained in the vapor chamber. An interface remote from the generator interfaces the moist heat in vapor form with a desired treatment area. A delivery mechanism connected between the generator and the interface delivers the moist heat in vapor form from the generator to the interface in a second controlled manner. Lastly, a controller connected with the generator and the delivery mechanism controls the heating of the fluid received in the fluid reservoir in the first controlled manner and further controls the delivery of moist heat in vapor form to the treatment area in the second manner. The generator further provides for the inclusion of a treatment additive to the moist heat in vapor form. 
     Finally, a Facial Treatment Device is disclosed in a U.S. Pat. No. 6,679,908 of Shimizu. The Shimizu patent discloses a facial treatment device which can repeat warming and cooling of the face of a person while massages are given to the face at the same time whereby the beauty effects such as the facial treatment and body slimming can be mutually and efficiently obtained. A Peltier element is placed adjacent to a probe having a high thermal conductivity which can abut the face of a person to be treated. Then the current is supplied by a DC power supply to the Peltier element and the direction of the current can be switched between the forward and backward directions by a selector switch. Thereby the cooling and warming of the probe  11  is repeated. At the same time a motor  15  having an eccentric weight  17  is attached thereto and is driven whereby the probe is vibrated. 
     Notwithstanding the above, it is presently believed that there is a need and a potential commercial market for an improved water treatment device in accordance with the present invention. There should be a need for and potential commercial market for such devices because they facilitate treating the face and neck of an individual with multiple fine streams of pressurized and heated water. Further, the devices are of rugged construction, durable, essentially maintenance free and can be manufactured and sold at a relatively low cost. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In essence, the present invention contemplates a hand held water treatment device for tightening and whitening the facial and neck skin of an individual. The water treatment device comprises or consist of a generally circular support member and a concentric partially circular tubular element fixed to the support member and wherein each of the two tubular elements or ring like elements include a plurality of nozzles and where each of the nozzles includes a plurality of outwardly directed fine openings for directing fine streams of pressurized heated water onto selected areas of facial and neck skin. A source of water under pressure and means for increasing and decreasing the pressure of the water as well as means for controlling the temperature of the water are provided. In a preferred embodiment of the invention a flexible one-half inch ID hose connects the tubular element or elements to the source of water. 
     The present invention also contemplates a method for treating facial and neck skin with pressurized and heated water to tighten and whiten the skin. The method comprises and/or consists of the following steps: providing a flat generally circular support member and a tubular element in the form of two concentric circles. The circles include an inner circular of about six inch diameter and an outer circle of about seven inches diameter. Each of the two concentric circles contain between four and six outwardly directed nozzles and wherein each of the nozzles include between four and six fine openings of about one mm diameter for directing a plurality of fine streams onto selected portions of the face and/or neck of an individual. Those areas of the face and neck are subjected to a circular motion of the fine sprays for periods of two up to about five minutes and preferably of about three minutes. 
     The invention will now be described in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein like elements have been identified with like numbers. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic view of a portion of a device in accordance with the invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a manifold for mixing cold and hot water for use in practicing the invention; and 
         FIG. 3  is a flowchart that illustrates a method in accordance with a second embodiment of the invention. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , a hand held water treating device  20  for tightening and whitening the facial and neck skin of an individual includes a flat generally circular support member  22  and a tubular element  24  fixed to the support member  22 . The tubular element  24  is in the form of two concentric connected rings or circles  25  and  26  with the outer ring or circle  26  having an outer diameter of about 160 to 200 mm while the inner ring or circle has an outer diameter of about 100 to 120 mm. The tubular element  24  has an inside diameter of about one-half inch or 10 to 15 mm. The hand held water treating device  20  further includes a flexible hose  27 , and a handle  29  extending outwardly from the support member  22 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the support member  22  maybe made of a suitable rigid plastic as for example, polyvinyl chloride or other plastic material, stainless steel or chrome plated metal while the tubular element  24  and nozzles  30  may be of plastic or metal. Plastic such as polyvinyl chloride is preferred material for light weight and resistance to rust. 
     In a first preferred embodiment of the invention the inner ring or circle  25  has four approximately equally spaced nozzles  30 . As shown each of the nozzles  30  includes 4 to 6 outwardly directed small openings of about 1 mm diameter for directing a fine stream of heated or cold pressurized water onto the facial or neck skin of an individual. 
     A control means such as a hot or cold outlet is provided to adjust the pressure and temperature of the fine streams of water. In a preferred embodiment of the invention the device  20  may have a separate pressure control mechanism  32  and heater for heating the water to a temperature of between about 22° C. and 26° C. and a pressure control to reduce the pressure to low, medium and high wherein the low is very soft application of water and the high may slightly sting the face. 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 , a hot water inlet  40  and cold water inlet  42  direct hot and cold water into a manifold  44  when the temperature of the water and pressure of the water are adjusted in a conventional manner and an outward flow is directed to the nozzles  30  by an outlet tube  46 . A pressure regulator  48  is shown schematically and can be of any conventional design. A heater  49  is also shown schematically as being adjacent the manifold. However in practice hot water is delivered through the tube  48  from a conventional water heater (not shown). 
     The invention also contemplates a method for treating facial and neck skin with multiple fine sprays of water at different temperatures and different pressures to tighten the facial and neck skin. The method comprises and/or consists of the steps of providing a hand held water treatment device  20 . The device  20  includes a support member  22  of a flat generally circular support member  22  with a tubular element defining two concentric circles  25  and  26  disposed on the support member  22 . In  FIG. 3 , the device  30  also includes a timer  23  and a mechanism for alternately providing hot and cold water in a plurality of fine sprays to preselected areas of the face and neck for a preselected period of time. 
     For example, moderate heated water may be directed at selected areas of the face or neck for up to 2-5 minutes followed by moderately cold water for a like period of time. It is also contemplated that shorter time periods and multiple cycles can be used. 
     The mechanism for providing alternate treatments of hot and cold water may incorporate a computer controlled series of valves for alternately opening and closing a hot water and cold water tap or for mechanically controlling the temperature of hot and cold water. An alternative mechanism may include a Peltier element wherein the direction of the current can be switched to heat or cool the water as disclosed in the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 6,679,908 of Shimizu. That patent is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference. 
     A further approach to a method in accordance with the present invention incorporates a temperature selectable water supply device as disclosed in the U.S. patent of Al-Khateeb U.S. Pat. No. 6,213,199. The Al-Khateeb patent is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference. The patent discloses a temperature selectable water supply device for one of heating and cooling water provided by a water supply system to an outlet in a structure. The device includes a main water tank including an inlet conduit for receiving water from a water supply tank connected to the water supply and an outlet conduit for supplying water to the outlet connected thereto. The temperature selectable water supply device also includes a water refrigeration unit connected to receive water from the main water supply tank for cooling to a desired temperature. A heating device is connected to the main water supply tank for heating the water therein and a cooling device is connected to the water refrigeration tank for cooling the water received therefrom. A return conduit is connected between the water configuration tank and the main water tank for returning the cooled water to the main water tank for mixing with the water therein and thereby cooling the water. A hot water thermostat is connected to the main water tank for measuring a temperature of the water therein and activating the heating device to heat the water when the measured temperature is below a first predetermined adjustable value. A cold water thermostat is connected to the cooling cycle for measuring a temperature of the water within the main water supply tank and activating the cooling device when the measured temperature is above a second predetermined adjustable value. 
     In one preferred embodiment of the invention a method for treating an individual&#39;s facial and neck skin includes a step  50  of providing a circular support portion including an inner and outer concentric arrays of nozzles connected by a tubular element the method also includes a step of providing a support member and two concentric circular arrays of nozzles connected by a tubular element  51 . The method also includes a step  52  of providing a timer and control mechanism for controlling temperature, water pressure and a mechanism for controlling the time for alternately hot and cold treatments while automatically changing from hot to cold water temperature for a preselected number of times in step  53 . After this the skin is dried in step  54  and moisturizer added to the skin in step  56 . 
     While the invention has been described in connection with its preferred embodiments it should be recognized that changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the scope of the appended claims.