Baths – closets – sinks – and spittoons – Tubs – Particular construction or configuration details
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-24
2001-12-11
Huson, Gregory L. (Department: 3751)
Baths, closets, sinks, and spittoons
Tubs
Particular construction or configuration details
C004S584000, C004S548000, C052S069000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06327722
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to the field of spas, hot tubs or large whirlpool baths with ledges for seating several people. More particularly, it pertains to a prefabricated apparatus for leveling and supporting the spa and to a method of using the apparatus in the installation of the spa.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Spas or hot tubs are becoming more and more popular in private homes, condominiums, and apartments. They seat several people and thus become a center for socialization as well as for warm water hydrotherapy and exuding the benefits of sitting in a tub of warm water while a myriad of air bubbles envelops and massages one's body. In becoming more popular, spas are being made by many manufacturers having different designs and many different accessories.
However, consistent among all spas is the need to support them on a solid level surface and to comply with various building codes in the attachment of electric lines and water lines to the pumps and nozzles of the spa. Notwithstanding the location of the spa, i.e., whether it is set up in a room in the house or in the back yard, the common practice is to pour a pad of cement or concrete, level the top surface thereof, and set the spa on the pad. In addition, many spa owners wish to hide the electric lines and water lines from view so as to make the spa more aesthetically pleasing. This latter practice requires the electrician and the plumber to coordinate their design and their efforts to place their respective utility lines in an area wherein the concrete is to be poured so that, when the spa is set upon the cured concrete, the lines will match up with the connections on the spa itself and be able to be connected thereto without undue looping or swirling of the lines that may ruin the pleasing look of the finished spa.
Many spas are purchased on impulse at retail events, home & garden shows and fairs where many of them are set out for display accompanied by attentive salespersons. This impulse to purchase an appliance, for the relief of stress, for romance, and for treating the symptoms of arthritis, carries through to the swift delivery of the unit to the buyer's home and the expectation of quick installation for near-immediate use. Imagine the surprise to the buyer when they are informed that they will need to have a cement and/or concrete slab poured, usually six to ten feet square and from three to six inches thick. This requires the services of a contractor, the likelihood of having to obtain a building permit, and a cement curing time of three to four days. Even worse, the installation process cannot be started until the buyer selects an appropriate site for the spa along with the hope that unforseen circumstances do not require it to be moved to a different location thus requiring the entire pad-pouring process to be repeated.
Often, this delay in installation cools the ardor of the spa buyer such that, after waiting the 7 to 8 days for the concrete pad to be designed, laid out, piped with electric and possibly water lines, the concrete poured and cured, and spending upwards of $600 to $1200 to have all that work done, the spa is no longer as appealing with the family as it originally was. This disappointment passes on to neighbors and friends and can work against the popularity of further sales of spas.
Accordingly, there is a significant need for another way to install and support a spa that is not a laden with the disadvantages that go with a poured concrete pad as outlined above.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention is a novel, prefabricated, portable spa platform and method of using it to locate and support a spa on a surface that is free of the disadvantages heretofore described with respect to the standard poured concrete support pad. Generally, the invention comprises at least two individual planar sections of rigid plastic foam, each section defined by broad top and bottom surfaces, in parallel, spaced-apart arrangement and bounded by a plurality of peripheral edges. Each section is made in identical finite thickness and each section defines at least one assembly edge arranged to allow the two sections to be assembled in contiguous arrangement to form a full-size pad for placement under the spa. Means in the preferred form of a wide length of adhesive tape or bonded fabric is placed along the top surfaces, spanning both sections along their contiguous edges to not only attach the two sections together but to allow one section to be tilted upward with respect to the other section to allow easier installation of the electric lines and the water lines to the spa.
In addition, the invention involves the method of placing the two sections of rigid plastic foam together on top of the ground or on a layer of leveling sand on top of the ground, temporarily adhering them together along their contiguous top surfaces, tilting one of the sections upward to allow accurate placement and installation of electric and water lines upward through the foam, and then returning the tilted section to planar assembly with the other section to form the full-size spa support pad.
The advantages of this invention are many. For instance, the sections are light weight and can be brought to the home or other location of the spa in a shipping box as opposed to having to be poured in place. The installation of the pad is a do-it-yourself project that can be accomplished by either the buyer or a general handyman as opposed to a more expensive general contractor. Generally, no building permit will be required as opposed to the time and cost of obtaining a building permit for the poured concrete slab. The sections can be made in various sizes to fit all makes and models of self-contained portable spas and/or hot tubs. The two sections and their installation will save on money spent to erect the spa, perhaps as much as two-thirds of the cost of the poured concrete pad with its permits and general contractor costs, and overcomes a major obstacle or objection from sale through installation, namely, the requirement of a poured concrete pad.
The invention will reduce the time involved in setting up the spa - in a matters of hours compared to many days or even a week with the poured concrete pad. The sections can be placed on any level surface including grass, dirt and gravel thus eliminating the need for concrete forms and the like. Placement of the sections can be temporary as well as permanent so that the spa can be moved to a new location with ease and without the necessity of going through the pouring of new concrete and its attendant costs and delays. The foam making up the sections is easy to be pierced to pass the water and electric lines from below the pad upward therethrough to the connections on the spa. Segmented design of the pad sections allows tilting of one section for more accurate placement of the utility lines. The buyer can take the sections home along with purchase of the spa and move the assembled sections about his yard to find the most convenient place to locate the spa.
Accordingly, the main object of this invention is a light weight, inexpensive foundation for a spa. Other objects of the invention include a spa support pad that is portable and can be carried home by the buyer and used without engaging the services of a cement contractor; a spa support pad that may be installed as a do-it-yourself project without the requirement of obtaining building permits, having the electrician and plumber attend expensive meetings with the general contractor in order to coordinate the installation of utility lines under the poured concrete pad; where the support pad may be easily fabricated in various sizes to fit all makes and models of self-contained portable spas and/or hot tub; a means to reduce the installation time from many days or weeks to a few hours thereby allowing the buyer to begin enjoying the newly purchased spa almost immediately upon bringing it home; a spa support pad that is truly portable and that can be moved from one location to another, at
Huson Gregory L.
Le Huyen
Murphey John J.
LandOfFree
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