Abstract
A walk-in tub, or combination walk-in tub and shower, having a front wall with an outwardly swinging door permitting easy entry into and egress from the tub by a user and an electromagnetic door latch assembly further comprising a plurality of electromagnetic door latches that are operatively interconnected to an electrical controller, a power supply and a rapid-release touch switch that can be selectively manipulated to interrupt the power supply to the electromagnetic latches, thereby allowing the door to swing open under emergency conditions even when the tub is filled with water.
Claims
1. A walk-in tub comprising contiguous bottom, front, back, and end walls, wherein the front wall further comprises a door opening and an outwardly swinging door providing ingress into and egress from the tub, and a touch switch accessibly mounted to facilitate release of the outwardly swinging door.
2. The walk-in tub of claim 1 comprising an electromagnetic door latch assembly.
3. The walk-in tub of claim 2 wherein the electromagnetic door latch assembly comprises operatively interconnected elements including at least two spaced-apart electromagnetic door latches, an electrical controller, a power supply and a quick-release touch switch.
4. The walk-in tub of claim 3 wherein the quick-release touch switch is mounted in a position on an end or side wall of the tub wherein the quick-release touch switch is disposed above a maximum desired water fill level of the tub and is readily accessible to a user inside the tub.
5. A combination of the walk-in tub of claim 1 with a shower that has at least two walls contiguous to the tub.
6. The walk-in tub of claim 3 wherein the electromagnetic door latch assembly further comprises an operatively interconnected notification alert.
7. The walk-in tub of claim 3 wherein a proximal end of the outwardly swinging door is attached by a plurality of concealed hinges to a side or end wall section of the tub.
8. The walk-in tub of claim 7 wherein the electromagnetic door latches are mounted flush with a mounting surface disposed adjacent to a distal portion of the outwardly swinging door and are not visible when the door is closed.
9. The walk-in tub of claim 8 wherein the electromagnetic door latches are releasably engageable with cooperatively sized and aligned steel catch plates disposed along the distal portion of the outwardly swinging door whenever the electromagnetic door latches are energized by the power supply.
10. The walk-in tub of claim 9 wherein the electromagnetic door latches are selectively disengageable from the steel catch plates by depressing the quick-release touch switch to interrupt the power supply to the electromagnetic door latches.
11. The walk-in tub of claim 1 wherein the contiguous bottom, side and end walls are fabricated from solid surface materials.
12. The walk-in tub of claim 1 further comprising a seat having some portion that is fabricated from solid surface materials and is contiguous with the front, back, bottom and one end wall.
13. The walk-in tub of claim 1 in combination with a shower having a plurality of walls each joined to at least one wall of the tub.
14. The combination walk-in tub and shower of claim 13 wherein at least two shower walls are each joined to at least one wall of the walk-in tub.
15. The walk-in tub of claim 1, further comprising apparatus controllable by the user to selectively fill and drain water from inside the tub.
16. The walk-in tub of claim 13, further comprising at least one shower head or hose-mounted sprayer.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] The apparatus of the invention is further described and explained in relation to the following drawings wherein:
[0010] FIG. 1 is a top right front perspective view of a walk-in tub (with the outwardly swinging door closed) made in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;
[0011] FIG. 2 is a top left front perspective view of the walk-in tub of FIG. 1 with the outwardly swinging door open;
[0012] FIG. 3 is a front elevation view of the walk-in tub of FIG. 1;
[0013] FIG. 4 is front elevation view, with a front wall panel removed and broken away and partially in cross-section, of the walk-in tub of FIG. 3;
[0014] FIG. 5 is a front elevation view of the walk-in tub of FIG. 3, with the left front wall panel and the door broken away;
[0015] FIG. 6 is a right side elevation view of the walk-in tub of FIG. 1;
[0016] FIG. 7 is an enlarged detail view of a portion of one embodiment of the latch portion of an installed electromagnetic door closure assembly suitable for use in the invention;
[0017] FIG. 8 is a simplified diagrammatic view depicting elements of the electromagnetic door latch assembly; and
[0018] FIG. 9 is a top left front perspective view, partially broken away, of a combination shower and walk-in tub made in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0019] Referring to an embodiment of the invention as depicted in FIGS. 1-3, walk-in tub 10 desirably comprises a unitary body with a front tub wall (not visible) covered by detachable front wall panel 12, a back wall 14, opposed end walls 16, 18, bottom wall 36, a top flange further comprising sections 26, 28, 30 and 34 that are contiguous with the front, back and end walls, and a hinged, outwardly swinging door 20. The tub body is desirably supported by threaded adjustable legs 24 (visible in FIGS. 1 and 4-6). Seat surface 22 is desirably contiguous with the front wall (behind detachable front wall panel 12, back 14 and left end wall 16, and is also supported by seat support wall 23 that is contiguous with the front, back and bottom walls. In one satisfactory embodiment of the invention, the principal inside and bottom walls, seat, seat support wall and top flange of walk-in tub 10 are unitarily formed by casting the solid surface material using a variety of molds, and then joining the cast sections to produce a seamless and leak-proof unitary structure. Supplemental structural supports 54, 60 (FIGS. 1, 4-5) can be satisfactorily used to provide additional support beneath seat 22 and left end wall 16 as needed. Referring to FIGS. 4-6, according to one embodiment of the invention, supplemental structural support 60 also provides attachment points for conventional magnets 56 or other quickly releasable hidden fastener devices or materials (snap fasteners or even hook and loop fastening materials) that can be used if desired to secure the back side of detachable front wall panel 12 to support 60 to afford quick and easy access to the underside of that portion of walk-in tub 10 following installation.
[0020] Referring to FIG. 6, end wall 18 further comprises overflow port 62 and a conventional non-emergency tub drain 58. Quick-release touch switch 32 is conveniently mounted in or on top flange section 26 near door 20. For clarity and to minimize complexity of the drawings, conventional inlet faucets and associated piping, wiring and hardware are not depicted in the drawings (except in FIG. 9, where a conventional tub inlet faucet and shower head are depicted in a combination walk-in tub and shower 80).
[0021] Referring to FIGS. 2-4, the hinge side of door 20 is desirably secured to door support post 15 (FIGS. 3-4) by a plurality of space-apart, concealed hinges 44 that re hidden inside door support post 15 and door 20 and are not visible from inside or outside walk-in tub 10 when door 20 is closed. Door 20 is desirably sized and configured to nest inside recessed channels 48, 50 on each respective side of the door that cooperate with the top surface of door sill 52 to receive and support a U-shaped elastomeric seal 46 that provides a leak-proof water barrier around the side and bottom edges of outwardly swinging door 20 when door 20 is closed and latched. When closed and latched, as best seen in FIGS. 1, 3, 4 and 6, door 20 fits flush with the front-facing surface of detachable front wall panel 12 and provides a clean, hardware-free front face to walk-in tub 10. Referring to FIG. 4, door 20 is preferably constructed with additional cross-bracing disposed between hinges 44 on one side and steel catch plates 39, 41 (FIG. 2) on the other side to provide strength and rigidity needed to keep the door from flexing sufficiently to compromise the waterproof seal provided by compressible elastomeric seal 46 during use.
[0022] Referring next to FIGS. 2, 4-5 and 7, a pair of vertically spaced-apart electromagnetic latches 38, 40 are satisfactorily mounted flush with the outwardly facing surface of recess 48 of walk-in tub 10 and are cooperatively sized and aligned with steel catch plates secured to the inside of door 20 opposite the side where door 20 is hinged to door support post 15. When installed in this manner, steel catch plates 39, 41 will engage and be secured to electromagnetic latches 38, 40, respectively, when electromagnetic latches 38, 40 are energized after door 20 is closed by swinging it through arc 64 as indicated in FIG. 7. Referring to FIGS. 2 and 4-5, when door 20 is closed, the portion of compressible elastomeric seal 46 installed in recess 48 should contact the inside surface of door 20 inwardly of electromagnetic door latches 38, 40 and cooperatively aligned steel catch plates 39, 41 so that when the electromagnetic door latches 38, 40 are energized, seal 46 will be compressed between door 20 and the facing surface of recess 48. Similarly, when door 20 is closed, the portion of the compressible elastomeric seal installed in recess 50 should contact the inside surface of door inwardly of concealed hinges 44 so that when the electromagnetic door latches 38, 40 are energized, seal 46 will be compressed between door 20 and facing surface of recess 50. Referring to FIGS. 4 and 7, door 20 will swing open again when electromagnetic door latches 38, 40 are de-energized, particularly when the fill level of water inside walk-in tub 10 is above the top of door sill 52 (typically about 3 inches above the level of bottom wall 36, depending upon applicable building code requirements).
[0023] Referring to FIG. 9, in another embodiment of the invention, a combination walk-in tub and shower 80 is disclosed in which solid surface shower walls 84 can be extended upwardly from a walk-in tub 82 as previously disclosed in relation to walk-in tub 10. Although shower 84 is depicted in an installation utilizing a conventional wall-mounted faucet 88 and shower head 86 in combination with an outwardly swinging tub door, it should be appreciated by those skilled in the art upon reading this disclosure that a shower with a tub-mounted faucet and a wall-mounted or tub-mounted shower fixture having a hose sprayer can likewise be used within the scope of the present invention
[0024] Referring to FIG. 8, one satisfactory embodiment of electromagnetic door latch assembly 70 of the invention further comprises operatively interconnected electrical controller 72, a plurality of spaced-apart electromagnets 74, 76 (analogous to electromagnetic door latches 38, 40 discussed above); a touch switch 78 (analogous to quick-release touch switch 32 discussed above); and a power supply 75. Optionally, electromagnetic door latch assembly 70 can further comprise a notification alert that is also responsive to signals received from electrical controller 72. Many types of electromagnets and electrical controllers, power supplies (and battery back-ups for both the electrical controllers and primary power supplies) that are suitable for use in controlling gates and doors are commercially available, although no use of such products for controlling the sequential closing and emergency opening of a door to a walk-in tub or a combination walk-in tub and shower as described in this disclosure is previously known. Satisfactory flush-mount electromagnets suitable for use in the invention can operate on 12 volts DC and can exert a holding force of about 330 lbs per electromagnet.
[0025] During use of the walk-in tub of the invention, a user will desirably swing the tub door open and step over the door sill and into the tub, press touch switch 78 to cause electrical controller 72 to energize electromagnets 74, 76 and secure the door in a closed position. The user can then close the drain or bath waste and turn on the faucet to begin filling the tub. In a normal situation, following a bath, the user will open the primary drain or bath waste and wait for the water level to drop below the door sill before pressing touch switch 78 to cause controller 72 to de-energize electromagnets 74, 76, thereby allowing the tub door to swing outwardly on its hinges under a minimal application of pressure to the inside surface of the door (using either a hand or knee as appropriate).
[0026] However, if an emergency circumstance occurs and the user slips downwardly off the seat, feels faint or dizzy, or slips and starts to fall while the water level inside the tub is still higher than the door sill, pressing touch switch 78 again will cause controller 72 to immediately de-energize electromagnets 74, 76 and the pressure exerted by the water on the inside of the tub door will force the door open, eliminating any possibility of drowning inside the tub and allowing the user to extricate herself or himself from the walk-in tub. Although water from the tub will quickly drain across the bathroom floor, the additional provision of a floor drain, catch basin, or an optional sensor or switch causing the controller to activate an optional notification alert 77 can help minimize any resultant damage while alerting others to the “situation” and preserving the physical well-being of the user.
[0027] Other alterations and modifications of the invention will likewise become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading this specification in view of the accompanying drawings, and it is intended that the scope of the invention disclosed herein be limited only by the broadest interpretation of the appended claims to which the inventors and/or Applicant are legally entitled.
