Patent Publication Number: US-4924535-A

Title: High-speed emitting apparatus of mixed fluid for use in a bathtub

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates to the high-speed emitting apparatus of mixed fluid for a domestic bathtub to permit massaging parts of the human body with an appropriate stimulation, subject to sucking the warmed water within the bathtub and to emitting a mixture of warmed water and air bubbles at high-speed against a part of the body. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     It is empirically known that, subject to warming the human body in warmed water within a bathtub, it can stimulate the circulation of the blood and relieve a crick in the shoulders or muscular fatigue. In recent years, it has become known that, by generating bubbles in the bathtub and impacting the body with bubbles, it relieves a crick in the shoulders or muscular fatigue as have been thought, or otherwise has a good effect on the beauty of the face or on the health of the body. For example, a suction inlet set in the bathtub is connected with an emitting outlet, through a circulation pump by which the water in the bathtub is compulsively circulated through a circulation path. The path is separated, on the side of the lower course of the pump, into two paths, one of which is a bypass path. On the path, the bypass pump and the filter are set to filter a part of the circulating water at the filter. As the filtrating materials of the filter, there is used fibers, and particles of glass beads and silica sand etc. Regarding the former, the fiber is used in a cartridge form. In case of the latter, the particles of glass beads etc. are arranged the pipe of the path, and by having the water in the bypass path flow reversely, it is possible to cleanse the filter. But, concerning the conventional bubble generating apparatus as described above, the structure of this apparatus is complex, and if such bubble generating apparatus is installed within the bathtub, there arises difficulties such that it requires largescale work and a substantial installment cost. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The high-speed emitting apparatus for a domestic bathtub of the invention overcomes the above problems and includes a pump for sucking the liquid, a hose for discharging the liquid and a hose for sucking air within the main body, and is preferably of compact size. By setting the main body of the apparatus within the bathtub and connecting it to the source of electricity on the outside, the pump sucks the liquid in the bathtub and feeds the liquid to the hose for discharging the liquid in order to absorb air supplied by the air hose to mix the sucked liquid with the sucked outside air, and to then discharge the mixture of liquid and air at high speed. Subject to emitting the mixture (the mixed fluid) toward a part of the human body within the bathtub, the apparatus of the invention makes it possible to massage with the proper stimulation or to cleanse the body. Furthermore, with the invention it is possible to filter the liquid in the bathtub, when circulated through the main body, by setting a special filter at the liquid inlet which is positioned at the bottom of the main body. 
     Accordingly, the object of the invention is to provide a high-speed emitting apparatus for a mixed fluid for use in a domestic bathtub which emits at high speed a mixed fluid including outside air bubbles mixed with the liquid in the bathtub, which is preferably of compact size and can be positioned directly in the bathtub to massage a bathing body with proper stimulus and to increase the cleansing effect of the human body due to the stimulation of the included bubbles upon explosion, and which is inexpensive and easy to position and operate. 
     Another object of the invention is to provide a high-speed emitting apparatus, as aforesaid, which makes it possible to use the water (liquid) for many hours by filtering the liquid in the bathtub as it circulates through the main body. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a side elevational view which shows an example of the high-speed emitting apparatus of the invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the main body of the apparatus. 
     FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of the main body of the emitting apparatus. 
     FIG. 4 is a bottom plan view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 3. 
     FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view which shows the inner structure of the main body of the emitting apparatus. 
     FIG. 6 is an explanatory view which shows the apparatus and its source of electricity. 
     FIG. 7 is another explanatory view which shows the source of electricity for the apparatus. 
     FIG. 8 is an exploded view which shows the pump for sucking the liquid within the main body. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The high-speed emitting apparatus of mixed fluid for use in a domestic bathtub is designated 11 and comprises a main body or apparatus 12 and a power unit 23 which operates the apparatus 12. The main body or apparatus 12 is positionable within the bathtub, and sucks the liquid in the bathtub and mixes the outdoor air therewith, thereby emitting the mixture (the mixed fluid). The main body 12 is of a closed but hollow construction, and is vertically elongate. The inlet 13 for sucking the liquid from within the bathtub is defined at the lower part of the body 12, and the inlet 14 for air is defined at the upper back part of the body 12. At the front, approximately middle part of the main body 12, there is defined a discharge or emitting opening 15 through which the mixture is discharged. And, on the bottom wall and on the lower part of the back wall of the main body 12, there are mounted suction cups or discs 21 which are adapted to be stuck to the bottom and side of the bathtub, so as to fixedly but removably position the main body 12 within the bathtub. 
     A mechanism 16 for emitting the fluid mixture is mounted within the main body 12 so as to mix the outside air with the sucked liquid from within the bathtub, and then discharge the mixture through the outlet 15. 
     The mechanism 16 comprises a pump 17 for sucking the liquid from the bathtub through the inlet 13, a hose 18 for guiding the liquid from the pump outlet to the emitting outlet 15, a hose 19 connected to air inlet 14 for sucking air to the emitting outlet 15, and a globe-shaped mixing element or tube 20 for mixing the liquid and the air. The mixing element 20 has a hole 201 connected to hose 19 for sucking the air, a hole 202 connected to hose 18 for sucking the liquid, and a discharge tube or nozzle 203 projecting through the mixing element for emitting the liquid 203 of the emitting outlet 15 for discharging the mixture. At the globe-shaped mixing tube 20, the liquid supplied by the pump 17 is mixed with the outside air sucked through the hose 19, and then the mixture is discharged at high speed from the nozzle tube 203. Furthermore, the mixture (the mixed fluid) is emitted at high speed from the tube 203 because the outside air enters into and is mixed with the liquid within the globe-shaped mixing tube, wherein the air is compressed and accelerated and emitted as bubbles entrained in the liquid. 
     The member 20 is swivelably supported in the main body, whereby the direction of the discharged jet stream can be manually angularly adjusted. 
     Because the bubbles in the mixture as emitted from the tube 203 are of comparatively small size due to the suction and high speed, supersonic waves are generated upon expansion and explosion of the bubbles. 
     Element 22 is a filter positioned at the inlet 13 of the main body 12. The filter 22 comprises a filter casing 221 having flow circulation holes 222 through the upper and lower walls thereof. The casing 221 confines therein a filter member 223 which preferably comprises a platelike porous member formed of a suitable powder-like material. A further meshlike filter plate 224 is positioned over the lower (i.e. inlet side) of the filter 22. This filtering arrangement makes it possible to remove the sucked floating substances with large radii in the bathtub liquid by using the circular filter 224, and further makes it possible to remove the injurious or odor-causing organic substances by use of the filter 22, whereby the water (liquid) within the bathtub can be cleansed. 
     Furthermore, as the material for the filter element 223, natural minerals having numerous holes and having a decolorized or deodorized matter are comparatively good to use. For example, it is possible to use one kind or a mixture of two or more kinds of the following substances: silicic acid anhydrade compounds (quartz, silica sand, diatomaceous earth class etc.), alumina silicic acid anhydrade compounds (sillimanite fibrolite, mull stone etc.), alumina silicic acid hydrade compounds (kaolin, zeolite, sericite, montmorillonite etc.), potassium alumina silicic acid compounds (potassium feldspar, muscovite etc.), soda alumina silicic acid compounds (soda feldspar, jade etc.), magnesium alumina silicic acid compounds (phlogopite etc.), magnesium silicic acid compounds (talc, glauconite etc.), and so on. 
     The power unit 23 is set outside the bathtub and supplies electric power to operate the mechanism 16. Cord 24 connects a source of conventional AC electricity with the unit 23. The power unit 23 converts conventional AC electricity to low-voltage DC electricity. The intermediate cord 25 connects the main body 12 of the apparatus with the power unit 23. The pump 17 is operated bY low-voltage DC electric power supplied bY the power unit 23 through the intermediate cord 25. The structure of the pump 17 is generally conventional. One possible construction of the pump 17 is shown as FIG. 8 wherein 171 is a motor, 172 is a screw, 173 is a mechanical seal, 174 is an 0-ring, 175 is a casing, 176 is an impeller, 177 is an oil seal and 178 is a brush cap. 
     To use the apparatus 11, the main body 12 is positioned in the bathtub at one side thereof by means of the suction discs 21. The power unit 23 is remotely located, preferably in a different room, and is connected to the main body 12 by the intermediate cord 25. The user in the bathtub can operate the pump 17 by means of an ON-OFF switch associated with the control panel 31. The pump 17 sucks the liquid through the inlet 13 and through the filters, thereby filtering the floating substances with large radii and the organic substances within the bathtub. The liquid is fed by the pump to the globe-shaped tube 20 which thus causes the air to be sucked through the tube 19. Within the globe-shaped tube 20, the liquid and the air are mixed, and the resulting mixture including air bubbles is discharged in the form of a high-speed jet stream from the nozzle 203. By permitting this jet stream to impinge against selected parts of the bather&#39;s body makes it possible to appropriately massage and stimulate the body, and to remove waste matters and secretions from those parts of the body.