Baths – closets – sinks – and spittoons – Tubs – Means for agitating or circulating water in a tub
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-02
2001-03-13
Fetsuga, Robert M. (Department: 3751)
Baths, closets, sinks, and spittoons
Tubs
Means for agitating or circulating water in a tub
C004S541100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06199224
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a cleaning system for hydro-massage whirlpool baths of the type having a tub structure with a water circuit and an air circuit and one or more nozzles that direct a flow of pressurized water and air into the interior of the tub. In these types of whirlpool baths, a suction opening in the tub removes bath water from the interior of the tub and provides the water to a water pump that pressurizes the water and returns the pressurized water through the water pipe circuit to the nozzles that open into the interior of the tub. The air circuit is provided to mix air with the water to provide water/air jets from each nozzle.
The “water circuit” is defined by the pump and various pipes that convey water from the suction opening in the bath tub in such a way that the water is pressurized before it is conducted back to the nozzles in the wall of the bath tub. In a similar manner, the “air circuit” is defined by the pipes used to convey air from an adjustable air vent to the nozzles, where the air is mixed into the water jet.
The inner walls of the pipes in both the water circuit and the air circuit are liable to the accumulation of fatty deposits and calcium deposits. The air circuit is also subject to undesired deposits because it also becomes filled with water when the bath tub is filled with water and the pump is not turned-on. The growth of bacteria in connection with these deposits is a particular problem when there are many different users, such as in hotels and institutions.
The previous solution to the undesired deposit problem has been for the user to fill the bath tub to its operating level with hot water, pour in a cleaning agent, and then run the system so that the water and cleaning agent were conducted through the various pipes. If stronger cleaning agents or chemicals were used, the user had to thereafter empty the tub, refill the tub, and then run the system once more to rinse away the cleaning agent and/or chemical residues.
These prior cleaning or cleaning/rinsing procedures had the following disadvantages:
1) The complete tub must be filled with water each time the system is to be run to clean/rinse it. The filling of the tub is reflected in the water and power consumption.
2) The cleaning process takes a long time from start to finish and is not suitable for frequent cleaning, e.g., as is desirable in cases of more public uses, such as in hotels or institutions.
3) An unnecessarily large amount of cleaning agent has to be used in order to reach an adequate cleaning solution concentration.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,563,781 to James discloses a cleaning system in which a flow circuit is established during a cleaning mode in which water is pumped through the nozzles from the water circuit to the air circuit for return through a detergent tank into the system pump. The James system, by forcing water through the nozzles, limits the velocity of the flow of the cleaning agent and water through the water circuit and the air circuit.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,979,245 to Gandini discloses a cleaning system that forms a closed circuit which is used during the cleaning mode. The Gandini system uses a water circuit having, to some extent, parallel pipes where pressure differences may arise. The Gandini system thus does not redirect the system to communicate the water circuit with the air circuit in a continuous closed loop. The water flow is not directed through the air circuit directly, but only in parallel and indirectly, if at all, as a consequence of the amount of water which might possibly find a route through the nozzles. The Gandini system is a rather inexpedient way of ensuring that the air circuit is cleaned, since most hydromassage systems will not have substantial water/air passages between the air circuit and the water circuit at the nozzles.
The problem as to the lack of water/air communication between the water and air circuits in the Gandini system is further exacerbated if the uppermost pipe is used for the air circuit, since gravity will tend to keep the water and any cleaning agent in the lower water circuit and out of the uppermost air circuit.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,383,289 to Cleo D. Mathis and J. C. Henry redirects the air circuit and the water circuit so that they are continuous, but does not form a closed circuit that also includes the pump. The Mathis/Henry system is based on rinsing the pipes with water from the user-adjusted hot/cold water mixing unit connected to the air and water circuits system (optionally with added cleaning agent) so that the water constantly flows through the connected water and air circuits and out through the suction opening into the tub. During the cleaning mode of operation in the Mathis/Henry system, the pump is not used to pressurize the water or to increase its flow rate through the pipes. Since the water is not pressurized or the flow rate accelerated, the cleaning is much less efficient.
Further examples of the state of the art are taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,383,341 to Altman, U.S. Pat. No. 4,868,934 to Altman, U.S. Pat. No. 4,514,868 to Visinand, U.S. Pat. No. 5,012,535 to Klotzbach, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,029,594 to Pierce, Jr.
Thus, there continues to exist a need for a better way to address the bacteria/infection problem described above so that the otherwise inaccessible surfaces are cleaned in a simple and effective manner and to also prevent the growth of bacteria.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the above, it is an object of the present invention, among others, to provide a cleaning system for hydromassage baths in which the interior surfaces of the air and water circuits are cleaned in a time and cost efficient manner.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a cleaning system for hydromassage baths in which it is possible to clean the interior of the air and water circuits without the necessity to fill the interior of the tub.
The present invention provides a hydromassge tub system having both a hydromassage mode and a cleaning mode by which the interior of the various pipes that define the flow passages can be effectively cleaned. The hydromassage tub system includes a tub having a plurality of nozzles therein for introducing water jets into the interior of the tub and a pump for supplying pressurized water to the nozzles while an air circuit distributes air to the nozzles to be mixed with the water in each nozzle. A first valve is provided for selectively connecting an inlet of the pump to a suction inlet in the tub for accepting water from the interior of the tub in the hydromassage mode and for selectively connecting the pump inlet to the air circuit for accepting water from the air circuit in the cleaning mode. A second valve is provided to selectively connect the water circuit to the air circuit in the cleaning mode. The second valve, when connecting the water circuit to the air circuit in the cleaning mode, defines a first water circuit portion connected to the air circuit and also defines a second water circuit portion connected to the air circuit, the first and second water circuit portions extending in parallel flow from the pump to the air circuit to form multiple water/air flow loops in the cleaning mode.
With the system of the present invention, it is thus possible to fill and run the hydromassage system without filling the interior of the tub. All the pipes, i.e., the air pipes and the water pipes, are involved in the cleaing paths when the system is in its cleaning mode. Moreover, it is possible to use only a small amount of cleaning agent. After the cleaning mode, the pipes can be emptied via the bath tub and the process can optionally be repeated to rinse the system so that it is completely free of chemicals.
In practice, only a few liters of water are required to fill the water and air pipe systems, in contrast to the 100-300 liters needed to fill an entire bath tub to realize a savings in the consumption of water, power, cleaning agent, and time.
Consequently, the water and air piping system can be cleaned frequently and easily, and is especiall
Fetsuga Robert M.
Vico Products Mfg., Co.
Walter Wallace G.
LandOfFree
Cleaning system for hydromassage baths does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Cleaning system for hydromassage baths, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Cleaning system for hydromassage baths will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2526508