Bathtub

[57] ABSTRACT

This invention involves a bathtub having a door in one wall so hinged as to swing inwardly. A seal is maintained between the door and the opening in the tub wall, and this seal is reinforced by the water in the tub. A drain stopper is provided which is carried by the door and which cannot be put into drain stopping position unless the door is closed.

Claims, 3 Drawing Figures

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Patented May 23, 1972

3,663,971

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3,663,971

BATHTUB

The present invention relates to a bathtub one of the walls of which has an opening therein equipped with a door.

It has been heretofore proposed to make bathtubs shorter than the usual one with doors and provided with a seat. These bathtubs are used for the accommodation of aged, infirm or handicapped persons. Heretofore, this type of bathtub has not met with the success that one would expect principally by reason of the fact that difficulties encountered in assuring a sealing closure of the door have led to complicated and costly constructions. The doors provided in these known bathtubs are sliding ones or ones which open out.

The object of the present invention is to provide a bathtub of the mentioned type which can be used easily by aged, infirm or handicapped persons and the price of which is lower than that of known bathtubs of such type.

Accordingly, the bathtub of the present invention is characterized in that the door opens toward the interior of the tub.

The annexed drawings shown, by way of example, one form of bathtub according to the invention.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view;

FIG. 2 is a view in section taken along line II—II of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a view of a detail shown in section to an enlarged scale, and taken along line III—III of FIG. 2.

The general shape of the bathtub shown in the drawings is rectangular. In one of the walls which form the short sides of the bathtub, the inner sheet of metal forms a seat 1, the height of which is about 40cm above the bottom of the tub. The wall opposite to the seat defines a rectangular opening 2 which extends from the upper edge of the wall to a distance of several centimeters from the bottom of the tub. This wall is provided with a door 3 in the form of a rectangular panel the width of which is slightly greater than that of the opening 2, the height being equally larger than that of the opening. The door 3 is connected to the inner wall of the bathtub by two hinges 4. As one can see in FIGS. 1 and 2, the door opens toward the interior in such a say that when it is closed its side edges and its lower edge overlap the edges of the opening 2. The door has on its two side edges and on its bottom edge a throat or channel 5 in which there is pressed an elongated sealing strip 6 in sponge rubber of rectangular section. This strip is fastened to stay in the channel 5 and, when the door is closed, presses against the parts of the inner wall of the bathtub which surround the opening 2. A handle 7 and a latch 8 permit fixing the door in the closed position, the sealing strip 6 being then strongly compressed between the door and the inner wall of the bathtub.

The bottom of the bathtub is provided with a drain orifice 9. As a protective measure, this orifice is provided with a removable closure which cannot be put in place unless the door 3 is closed. In the form shown in the drawing, the closure 10 consists of a metal tube the length of which corresponds to the total height of the bathtub and the lower extremity of which is so adjusted as to engage in the entry to the drain orifice 9. That orifice being located immediately behind the door, one sees that the tube 10 cannot be put in place except when the door is shut. Additionally the upper extremity of the tube 10 which is provided with lateral openings plays the role of an overflow and prevents the tub from being filled above a certain level. A cap covers the orifice.

To empty the bathtub, it is necessary only to raise the tube 10. The flow of water that passes through the orifice 9 is large and emptying is rapid. The tube 10 can be connected to the door by brackets 11 and 12 in which it can slide. A stem 13 permits the tube to be locked in the open position above the upper bracket 11.

The bathtub described above is intended to be associated with the usual faucets, not shown, comprising a mixing faucet regulatable to have a large flow.

The bathtub as described has been made in sheet metal to the following dimensions: Length 1,325 mm; width 680 mm; height 700 mm. In certain cases it has been found that it was advantageous to make the body of the bathtub and the seat of plastic material, for example, in polyester. The frame of the door as well as the hinges are in this case still of metal, the borders of the frame being embedded in the polyester. The door can also be placed in one of the longitudinal side walls of the bathtub.

For water tightness of the door a rubber gasket having a cross section which is composed of a semicircular head and a body in the form of a Y can be used. The two upper branches of the Y are connected to the extremities of the arc of the circle of the head and this construction gives equally good results. Such a cross section can be easily placed around the periphery of the door, the body of the Y being pressed between two fixed parts of the door in such a way that the head of the section projects from the front surface of the door in lieu of the piece 6 shown in FIG. 3. The alternate construction presses against the wall of the bathtub when the door is closed.

Making the door on the inner side has the following advantage. The pressure which the water exerts on the door when the bathtub is partially or entirely filled aids in sealing the door against water leakage out of said bathtub and makes it practically impossible, even by mistake, to open the door.

The latching hardware that keeps the door closed can also be placed on the outside of the door. Thanks to the simplicity of the means which insure the water tightness, and the security that comes from the simple fact of locating the door on the interior of the tub permits the tub to be mass produced at a very low price. One can envisage its use in equipping homes specially intended for the aged, hospitals, clinics, etc.

In lieu of a single leaf door pivoting towards the interior about vertical hinges located on one of the edges of the opening, one can just as well make the door with two leaves each of the leaves pivoting on the long edge of one of the vertical borders of the opening. In this case, the water tightness between the adjacent edges of the leaves can be assured by a suitable joint, the water tightness between the edges of the opening and each leaf being accomplished for example as described above.