Patent Publication Number: US-8973177-B2

Title: Drop-in bath with integral handgrips

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S) 
     This application claims priority to U.S. Design patent application No. 29/331,593, filed on Jan. 28, 2009, issuing as D613,833 on Apr. 13, 2010, and claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/311,236, filed on Mar. 5, 2010. 
    
    
     STATEMENT OF FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     Not applicable. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to plumbing fixtures, such as bath tubs. More specifically, the invention relates to bath tubs having integrally formed structures for assisting bathers into and out of the tub basins. 
     To prevent slipping, it is common for bath tubs to have features for bathers to grasp when stepping into and out of the tub. Handles, or other bar-like components, are typically mounted to the side walls of the tub basin to give the bather a structure that can be grasped readily. See e.g., U.S. Pat. No. D282,963. Handles and the like are usually made of an easily formed or molded material, such as plastic or metal, rather than vitreous, fiberglass or such materials from which the tub basins are formed. Such handles are thus separate components that must be assembled to the tub basin with mechanical fasteners, such as screws, bolts, rivets, clips adhesives and the like, which add to the cost and complexity of the manufacturing and assembling of the bath tub. Moreover, handles, and associated mounting hardware, are primarily functional components and thus often detract from the overall aesthetic of the bath tub. Furthermore, the seams at the interface of the handles and the tub basin can create areas for leakage and otherwise make cleaning more difficult. 
     For bath tubs without handles, a bather must use nearby objects, such as walls, countertops and the like, or the side walls of the tub itself for support when entering and exiting the bath tub. In drop-in mounted tubs there is typically a flat ledge at the periphery of the tub basin that the bather sits on or presses against to aid in getting in and out of the bath tub. In free-standing tubs, the thin side walls of the tub basin are typically contoured and curve out along the periphery of the tub basin. See e.g. U.S. Pat. Nos. D22,809; D24,777 and D24,889. Both the wide, flat ledges of typical drop-in bath tubs and the thin, curved walls of typical free-standing tub are difficult for the bather to grasp securely and comfortably. To help in the latter case, the prior art teaches using a cover or wrap, such as made of rubber or metal, that fits over the curved rim of the bath tub so that it may be grasped more readily. See U.S. Pat. Nos. 921,733 and 1,329,487. However, such wraps detract from the aesthetic appearance of the tub and provide more items that must be assembled and cleaned. 
     Drop-in mounted tubs provide additional concerns. Namely, as mentioned, they typically have a wide ledge at the periphery of the tub basin, which sits flush atop a mounting platform. The large width and flush mounting of the ledge makes it unsuitable for grasping within a bather&#39;s hands. Moreover, if the tubs are not flush-mounted, then there may not be an area for sealing the tub basin to the mounting platform, such that water could leak down around the tub basin within the mounting platform. Even if an adequate seal could be established between the tub basin and the mounting platform with the ledge being spaced off the mounting platform sufficient to allow a bather&#39;s fingers to fit into, small items could fall into this space and possibly down between the tub basin and the mounting platform, and dirt could accumulate there as well. 
     Therefore, the prior art does not provide a bath tub with structures integrally formed with the tub basin that may be readily grasped by bathers, and which may be used in the drop-in mounting applications without leaving gaps between the tub basin and the mounting surface. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides a drop-in mounted bath tub that has a basin with a peripheral rim that is uniquely shaped to both support the tub on a mounting platform and provide integral handgrips used to assist the bather in entering and exiting the tub. The rim can curve out from the top of the basin downward toward the mounting platform further at the end walls of the basin than at the side walls so that it contacts the mounting platform only at the end walls while being spaced up from the mounting platform at the sides. The contoured rim provides a stable, comfortable surface for the bather to grasp. A partition wall can be provided which extends from the rim between the basin side walls and the outer edge of the rim to provide a surface for sealing the basin to the mounting platform as well as a guard to keep items from falling between the tub and the mounting platform and to prevent the bather from touching or viewing the rough, unfinished outer shell of the basin. 
     In particular, in one aspect the invention is a tub for bathing having a basin including a bottom, upright side walls and upright foot and head end walls. A rim extends down from the side walls and the foot and head end walls. At least a portion of the rim extends to a first height at each of the foot and head end walls and at least a portion of the rim extends to a second height at each of the side walls, wherein the first height is less than the second height with respect to a base plane, such as that including the floor or the basin bottom. 
     In another aspect, the invention provides a tub for bathing capable of being drop-in mounted to a mounting platform. The tub has a basin formed of a bottom, upright side walls, and upright end walls. A rim extends from a top of the basin to a peripheral edge. A partition wall extends from the rim between the basin side walls and the rim peripheral edge. The partition wall extends to a height that is closer to the basin bottom than that of at least a portion of the rim peripheral edge. 
     Yet another aspect of the invention provides a tub for bathing capable of being drop-in mounted to a mounting platform with a basin having a peripheral rim and a partition as described. However, the rim is shaped so that when the tub is mounted to the mounting platform the peripheral edge of the rim contacts the mounting platform at the end walls and is spaced from the mounting platform at the side walls so as to provide contoured handgrips that are integral with the tub along the sides to assist the bather into and out of the tub basin. 
     These and other advantages of the invention will be apparent from the detailed description which follows and accompanying drawings. What follows is merely a description of a preferred embodiment of the present invention. To assess the full scope of the invention the claims should be looked to as the preferred embodiment is not intended to be the only embodiment within the scope of the claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an isometric view of a bath tub embodying the invention that is drop-in mounted in an opening of a mounting platform; 
         FIG. 2  is a side elevation view thereof; 
         FIG. 3  is a cut-out, end elevation view of a bath tub embodying the invention; and 
         FIG. 4  is a detail view of a partition and a peripheral rim at one side of the bath tub. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENT(S) 
     The present invention provides an improved bath tub  10  that can be drop-in mounted at an opening (not shown) in a mounting platform  12  as seen in  FIG. 1 . Specifically, the bath tub  10  has a basin  14  with a bottom defined by bottom wall  16  and opposite sides defined by side walls  18  and  20  and opposite ends defined by head  22  and foot  24  walls. The side walls  18  and  20  and end walls  22  and  24  extend up from the bottom wall  16  and have upper edges that curve outward to form a peripheral rim  26 . The walls  16 - 24  and rim  26  thus form a continuous, monolithic basin structure without joints or seams. 
     Referring to  FIG. 2 , the rim  26  at the sides or ends of the tub  10  curls or curves down from the top of the bath tub  10  different vertical distances, or to different heights relative to a base plane, such as that including the floor or the basin bottom  16 . In particular, the rim  26  at the end walls  22  and  24  extends downward farther than at the side walls  18  and  20 . As seen in  FIG. 2 , the rim  26  on the side walls  18  and  20  curves down to a height, H 2 , off of the floor and the rim  26  on the end walls  22  and  24  curves down to a height, H 1 , off of the floor. H 1  is also the height of the mounting platform  14  off of the floor. Thus, the rim  26  on the end walls  22  and  24  engages the mounting platform  14  and acts as a pedestal to support the tub  10  when the basin  14  is inserted into the opening in the mounting platform  12 . 
     The shorter rim surfaces along the side walls  18  and  20  create spaces between the top surface of the mounting platform  12  and the rim  26 . As seen in  FIGS. 2 and 4 , the space  30  between the rim  26  on the side wall  18  and the top surface of the mounting platform  12  is large enough for fingers to fit in, and thereby allow a bather to grip the rim  26  surfaces on the sides  18  and  20  when entering or leaving the bath tub  10 . Since the side rim surfaces are integrally formed with the side walls, these surfaces form integral grips on each side of the bath tub  10  to assist the bather into and out of the tub  10 . As can be seen in  FIG. 4 , the gripping areas are formed by a smoothly contoured wall that curls downward a short distance so as to provide an ergonomic handle. 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 , in the described embodiment the grips run the full-length of the side walls  18  and  20 , and thus the full-length of the basin  14 . This is preferred to give the bather gripping surfaces along the entire length of the side walls  18  and  20 , and to permit the bather to freely slide his or her hands along therealong when moving in and out of the tub or when shifting positions within the tub. However, it is within the scope of the invention to provide integral gripping surfaces at the sides of the basin  14  that extend less than the full-length thereof (with the partition wall(s)  28  being correspondingly shortened possibly), in which case some portion of the rim  26  could extend down to the height at the ends of the basin, or even to lower than at the basin, in which case the rim  26  would provide both the pedestal feature for supporting the tub as well as the integral gripping feature. Moreover, it should be noted that in this case multiple, short-length gripping surfaces could thus be provided at each side. Furthermore, it is also within the scope of the invention for such gripping features to be formed at the ends of the basin. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 4 , either a single, continuously extending partition wall  28 , or multiple discrete-length partition walls  28  extend down from the rim  26  along each side of the bath tub  10  in the space between each of the side walls  18  and  20  and the free edge of the rim  26 . As seen in  FIG. 4 , the partition wall  28  provides a surface for sealing the tub at the opening of the mounting platform  14 , such as with a gasket, caulk or the like (not shown). By sealing the bath tub  10  along the partition wall on each side of the bath tub  10 , water cannot splash over the rim  26  and leak down between the outside of the tub  10  and the mounting platform  12  into the opening in the mounting platform  12 . Also, this prevents small objects and debris from falling down between the tub  10  and the mounting platform  12 . 
     The partition wall(s)  28  may extend to and engage the top surface of the mounting platform  12  as seen in  FIG. 4 , and thus, may provide support for the tub  10  similar to the functioning of the rim  26  on the end walls  22  and  24  as previously described. In such a circumstance, the top surface of the mounting platform  12  may or may not extend to the side  18  of the tub  10 . Alternatively, if the opening in the mounting platform  12  is of a greater dimension than the basin, the partition wall  28  may extend below the top surface of the mounting platform  12 . In that circumstance, the bottom edge of the partition wall(s)  28  will not engage the top surface(s) of the mounting platform  12 , and thus, the wall  28  will not act as a pedestal to support the tub  10 . Even so, the outer side of the partition wall(s)  28  may engage the mounting platform  12  and provide one or more surfaces for sealing the tub  10  at the opening of the mounting platform, as previously described. 
     Moreover, the outer face of the partition wall(s)  28  may be finished to provide a smooth, aesthetic surface. As a bather grips the rim  26  on the side walls  18  and  20 , the bather&#39;s fingers may contact the smooth, outer face of the partition walls rather than contacting the rough, outer surface of the side walls  18  and  20 . 
     While there has been shown and described what is at present considered a preferred embodiment of the invention, various changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention defined by the appended claims. Therefore, various alternatives and revised embodiments are contemplated as being within the scope of the following claims. 
     INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY 
     The invention provides a drop-in bath tub with a peripheral rim integrally forming hand-gripping areas for a bather to hold onto when entering and exiting the bath tub. Other portions of the rim integrally form surfaces for supporting the bath tub on a mounting surface so that that the hand-gripping areas are spaced from the mounting surface to accommodate the bathers hands.