Baths – closets – sinks – and spittoons – Vapor or heat in bath
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-15
2001-08-14
Fetsuga, Robert M. (Department: 3751)
Baths, closets, sinks, and spittoons
Vapor or heat in bath
C607S083000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06272697
ABSTRACT:
CLAIMING FOREIGN PRIORITY
The applicant claims and requests a foreign priority, through the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industry Property, based on a patent application filed in the Republic of Korea (South Korea) with the filing date of Jul. 2, 1999, with the application number 99-12889, by the applicant. (See the Attached Declaration)
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a sauna device. More particularly, the present invention relates to a lie-down personal sauna device which improves usability and convenience by providing a hinge-opening mechanism.
Generally, it is known that sauna satisfies skin cosmetic purposes and improves body health. In recent years, a demand on portable sauna facility has been increasing on the market. A wide range of its prospects or customers include beauty salons, tanning salons, day spas, skin care centers, health care providers, etc. Such a personal sauna facility is also used at home and for medical purposes.
FIG. 6
shows a lie-down personal sauna device according to a prior art. As shown therein, a conventional lie-down personal sauna device
1
employs a slide-opening mechanism. Specifically, the conventional sauna device
1
includes a base plate
3
, a first cover
5
, a second cover
7
, a control box
8
and an electrical cord
9
. The first cover
5
fixedly covers a half of the base plate
3
. The second cover
7
slides over the first cover
5
to open the device
1
and it is pulled forward to cover the other half of the base plate
3
to begin the sauna operation. To complete the sauna operation, the heated second cover
7
should be slid back and overlapped with the first cover
5
so that the first cover
5
becomes exposed to heat.
Such a conventional structure has several disadvantages. First, since the second cover has to be overlapped with the first cover when the second cover is slidably released open, the outer surface of the first cover is subject to deformation resulting from sauna heat from the second cover. Second, the second cover has to be pulled over by a user for sauna use in a state in which the user has lied down on the base, thereby causing inconvenience in controlling the sauna device. Third, the slidable structure consumes a significant amount of electrical power to open/close the second cover.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This present invention is contrived to overcome the conventional disadvantages and others demerits. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a lie-down personal sauna device which employs a hinge-opening mechanism, thereby improving usability and convenience.
Another object of the present invention is to maximize sauna effect while minimizing power consumption by enabling its opening/closing operation using a slight amount of manual force.
To achieve the above-described objects and others, a lie-down personal sauna device according to the present invention comprises a base plate, a first cover, a second cover, a hingedly attaching means, and a heating means. The base plate has a substantially middle portion. The first cover has a front edge and a bottom edge. The bottom edge is attached to the base plate so that the first cover partially covers the base plate. The second cover has a lower edge, a rear edge and a cutout so that a portion of a user's body can be extended out through the cutout.
The hingedly attaching means attaches the second cover to either the first cover or the substantially middle portion of the base plate so that the second cover can be moved from an open position to a closed position through the hingedly attaching means. When the second cover is at the closed position, the base plate, the first cover and the second cover form a substantially enclosed cavity. In this construction, the user is received into the cavity at the open position of the second cover and maintained within the personal sauna under the closed position of the second cover. Also, the heating means serves to heat the cavity. The heating means comprises a heat emitting sheet embedded within each of the base plate, the first cover and the second cover. The base plate may also comprise a plurality of foldable legs extending from a lower surface thereof.
In an improvement, a packing member may be fixedly carried on at least one of the front edge of the first cover and the rear edge of the second cover so as to prevent air communication between the front edge of the first cover and the rear edge of the second cover when the second cover is at the closed position. The packing member may be heat resistant. A flexible cushion member may be disposed on the base plate to improve the user's comfortablity.
For a better performance, the first cover has a first left side hinge area and a first right side hinge area. The second cover has a second left side hinge area and a second right side hinge area. The hingedly attaching means has a left side hinge and a right side hinge so that the left side hinge is sequentially hinged through the first and second left side hinge areas and the right side hinge is sequentially hinged through the first and second right side hinge areas.
The personal sauna may further comprise at least one damper connecting the second cover and the base plate to smoothly open, close and adjust the second cover, wherein the damper is disposed adjacent to a selected one of the left side hinge and the right side hinge.
According to an embodiment, a control panel is attached on an outer surface of the second cover and adjacent to the cutout to control the personal sauna. The control panel comprises an operation indicator, an error indicator, and a plurality of first control buttons, wherein the operation indicator visually indicates normal operations of the personal sauna and temperatures in the cavity, wherein the error indicator visually indicates erroneous operations of the personal sauna, and wherein the first control buttons separately control the respective operations of the personal sauna.
The control panel may further comprise a plurality of second control buttons disposed on an inner surface of the second cover and adjacent to the cutout so that the user can control the sauna operations while lying within the cavity. Also, the heat emitting sheet is connected to an external power source and controllably to the control panel.
In another embodiment, the personal sauna further comprises a means for generating far infrared radiation. The infrared generating means is carbon-coated and disposed on the heating means. The carbon-coated infrared generating means is activated by a conductive line connected at each side thereof. Also, a cover layer having a plurality of through holes is disposed on the infrared generating means so that the cover layer, the infrared generating means and the heating means are sequentially laminated and exposedly embedded within at least one of the base plate, the first cover and the second cover. The carbon-coated far infrared generating means may be further coated by an insulation compound resin to prevent an electrical short.
The advantages of the present invention are numerous. First, the lie-down personal sauna device enables a user to conveniently open/close the second cover by providing a hinge-opening mechanism. Second, the personal sauna device substantially decreases power consumption to as low a level as that of a hair dryer by utilizing energy efficiency mechanism. Third, the dual control system allows a user to control its operation from inside the sauna device, thereby maximizing convenience and usability.
Although the present invention is briefly summarized, the fuller understanding of the invention can be obtained by the following drawings, detailed description and appended claims.
REFERENCES:
patent: 463490 (1891-11-01), Crank
patent: 1157842 (1915-10-01), Brandelle
patent: 2184418 (1939-12-01), Faigle
patent: 4565188 (1986-01-01), Hardie
patent: 4884574 (1989-12-01), Hardie et al.
patent: 5049670 (1993-03-01), None
Fetsuga Robert M.
Park John K.
Park & Sutton LLP
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