Baths – closets – sinks – and spittoons – Tubs – Convenience accessories
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-22
2001-04-10
Douglas, Steven O. (Department: 3751)
Baths, closets, sinks, and spittoons
Tubs
Convenience accessories
C004S571100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06212706
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a bathtub and a step stool and in particular to a device having both a bathtub configuration and a step stool configuration.
Infant-sized bathtubs have become increasingly popular and useful items to have. Bathing infants presents special concerns. Often infants do not have the strength to support themselves in a seated position and thus placing them in an adult-sized bathtub presents a risk that the infant will topple over and possibly drown in the bath water. For this reason, infant-sized bathtubs are often used.
Another useful item to have around a dwelling is a step stool. These devices help provide additional “height” so that otherwise unreachable places, or at least safely unreachable places, can be accessed safely.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In general, in one aspect, the invention features a device including a base providing an upwardly-directed cavity having a mouth at an upper end thereof and configured to receive a portion of a child and to hold water. A lid is movably coupled to the base and movable into a tub position and a stool position, the lid extending angularly upward and away from the cavity to provide a back rest when in the tub position and the lid being disposed at least partially over the mouth and providing a substantially horizontal top surface when in the stool position. The base and lid provide a bathtub capable of holding a portion of a child therein and water for bathing the child when the lid is in the tub position and provide a step stool adapted to support the weight of a person standing on the substantially horizontal surface when in the stool position.
Implementations of the invention may include one or more of the following features. The base is configured to fit in a sink basin. The lid is pivotally and slidably attached to the base near the mouth.
The device of can also include a tray slidably coupled to a front end of the base near the mouth, the tray being slidable between a tray tub position and a tray stool position, the tray extending substantially horizontally away from the mouth when in the tray tub position and being disposed at least partially over the cavity in the tray stool position. The is adapted to receive a portion of the lid when the lid and the tray are in their respective stool positions. The lid is slidable relative to the base and wherein the tray includes a plurality of bosses and the lid provides a plurality of recesses adapted to receive the bosses when the tray is in its stool position and the lid is moved into its stool position, thereby inhibiting sliding movement of the lid relative to the base. The lid is adapted to be slidably received by the base in the cavity when the lid is in its tub position. The lid is adapted to interfere with the bosses if the lid is moved from toward its stool position and the tray is displaced from the tray stool position.
The lid includes a high-friction top surface when the lid is in its stool position. The high-friction surface includes a plurality of ridges providing open-ended recesses between the ridges.
In general, in another aspect, the invention features a combination bathtub and step stool including a base adapted to mounted to a sink basin, the base providing a cavity adapted to receive an infant and to retain water. A back rest is slidably and pivotally coupled to the base, the back rest being adapted to have a lower portion thereof be slidably received within the cavity along an angled back wall of the cavity and to have an upper portion thereof extend angularly away from the cavity in a back rest tub position, the back rest being further adapted to be moved to a back rest stool position extending substantially horizontally over at least a portion of the cavity. A tray is slidably coupled to the base between a tray tub position and a tray stool position, the tray being adapted to receive a portion of the back rest when the back rest is pivoted to a back rest stool position and the tray is in a tray stool position. The cavity is substantially covered and a top surface is provided for a person to stand thereon when the back rest and tray are in the back rest stool position and the tray stool position, respectively.
Implementations of the invention may include one or more of the following features. A top surface of the back rest is substantially planar with a top of the tray when the back rest and tray are in the back rest stool position and the tray stool position, respectively. The back rest is slidable between the back rest tub position and a pivoting position, and is pivotable between the pivoting position and the back rest stool position.
In general, in another aspect, the invention features a foldable bathtub and step stool combination including a base including a plurality of legs and providing an infant-receiving cavity and a drain opening in a bottom of the cavity, at least the plurality of legs being sized and disposed to fit within a sink basin, the infant-receiving cavity configured to receive a portion of an infant and to hold water when the drain opening is plugged, the base being configured to support the weight of a person. A back rest is pivotally and slidably attached to a top back end of the base into a back rest tub position and a back rest stool position, the back rest being disposed partially in and extending out of the infant-receiving cavity of the base and providing a surface adapted to receive an upper portion of an infant when in the back rest tub position, the back rest being disposed over the infant-receiving cavity and providing a substantially horizontal surface adapted to support the weight of the person when in the back rest stool position, the back rest including a plurality of recesses. A tray is slidably coupled to a front top end of the base between a tray tub position and a tray stool position, the tray receiving a portion of the back rest when the back rest and the tray are in their respective stool positions, the tray extending laterally away from the top of the base when the tray is in the tray tub position, the tray including a plurality of bosses adapted and disposed to be received by the back rest recesses when the tray is in the tray stool position and the back rest is moved into the back rest stool position, thereby inhibiting sliding movement of the back rest relative to the base.
Various embodiments of the invention may provide one or more of the following advantages. A single system can be used as a bathtub and quickly and easily converted for use as a step stool. A step stool can store items in an internal compartment. An infant bathtub can be reconfigured for use even when there is no need for the bathtub. Costs associated with items of short-term need for rearing a child can be reduced.
Other features and advantages of the invention will be evident from the following detailed description, including the drawings, and the claims.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2518604 (1950-08-01), Douglas
patent: 3086222 (1963-04-01), Hall et al.
patent: 3416163 (1968-12-01), Jordan
patent: 3995331 (1976-12-01), Fotre et al.
patent: 5425149 (1995-06-01), Crossley et al.
patent: 5518405 (1996-05-01), Aiello
patent: 5575021 (1996-11-01), Harris
patent: 5978976 (1999-11-01), Chai
patent: 6018826 (2000-02-01), Yang
Hotaling Bryan R.
MacNeil John A.
Rossman Jon R.
Douglas Steven O.
First Years Inc.
Fish & Richardson P.C.
Huynh Khoa
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