[0001] This invention falls within the field of baths and cleaning devices for therapeutic
purposes in general, and relates in particular to a shower incorporating an apparatus
for feeding, filtering, heating, recirculating and discharging an aqueous treatment
solution for skin disorders.
[0002] Various bathtubs with water recirculation systems are already commercially available,
in which the patient lies to be subjected to various types of hydrotherapeutic treatment.
These tub systems have however the drawback that the patient may experience difficulty
in directly exposing the part to be treated to the water jet, sometimes because when
the patient lies in the tub that part to be treated is resting on the tub bottom and
he may therefore be compelled to assume an uncomfortable position which is difficult
to maintain for the whole duration of the application.
[0003] An object of the invention is to obviate said drawback by providing a simple apparatus
of economical construction and small overall area which enables the patient to comfortably
expose to the water jet any part to be treated.
[0004] This and further objects and advantages, which will be apparent from the following
description, are attained according to the invention by a shower for therapeutic use,
comprising an enclosure with tray, characterised by comprising a water feed, recirculation
and discharge apparatus which is positioned below the shower tray and comprises:
- a vessel interposed between said feed and said discharge;
- means for drawing water from the vessel and pumping it to a delivery head within the
enclosure.
[0005] The structural and operational characteristics of a preferred but non-limiting embodiment
of the shower according to the invention are described hereinafter with reference
to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Figure 1 is a perspective overall view of the shower according to the invention;
Figure 2 is a partly exploded perspective view of a water feed, filtering, heating,
recirculation and discharge apparatus positioned below the tray of the shower of Figure
1; and
Figure 3 is a perspective view of the electrical control panel for the apparatus of
Figure 2.
[0006] With initial reference to Figure 1, a shower according to the present invention is
indicated overall by the reference numeral 10. The shower enclosure comprises three
lateral walls 11 resting on the perimeter of a substantially rectangular shower tray
12 upperly closing a metal base 13 forming a protection casing for a water feed, filtering,
heating, recirculation and discharge apparatus, shown in Figure 2 and described hereinafter.
[0007] Access to the shower enclosure 11 is facilitated by two steps 14, of which the upper
one terminates flush with the shower tray 12.
[0008] Within the enclosure there is a conventional height-adjustable water delivery head
15 connected by a hose 16 to a tap 17.
[0009] External to the shower enclosure and adjacent to one of its walls there is fixed
to the casing 13 a panel 18 upperly carrying two levers 19 and 20 with which an assistant
is able to control from the outside the arrival and discharge of the water respectively.
[0010] On the panel 18 there are also provided a current socket 22 and a knob 23 for adjusting
a thermostat 27 positioned below the tray 12 and shown in Figure 2. With reference
to Figure 2, the water feed, recirculation, filtering, heating and discharge apparatus
30 is positioned supported on a support frame 16 below the shower tray 12. A filter
24 with a washable cartridge 25 removable after removing a fixing screw 26 is positioned
to correspond with the discharge hole (not shown) situated at the lowest point of
the tray 12. The filter 24 communicates directly with a substantially parallelepiped
vessel 28 on which the thermostat 27 is fixed. An electrical resistance element 29
with protection device 31 is inserted into the vessel, there also being provided on
the upper part of the vessel a water level control device. Water is fed from the water
mains into the vessel via a feed pipe 33, upstream of which there is a solenoid valve
34.
[0011] The apparatus 30 also comprises a delivery pump 35 which draws water from the base
of the vessel via a rigid pipe 36 connected to a first entry hose 37, and feeds it
to the delivery head 15 via a second exit hose 39 connected to a pipe extending towards
the user. A further pump protection filter 41 is interposed between the entry hose
37 and the pump 35.
[0012] The rigid pipe 36 leaving the vessel is provided with a discharge branch 42 connected
to drain. Discharge is achieved by a ball valve 43 connected into the branch 42 and
controlled via a flexible cable system (not shown for simplicity) by the discharge
control lever 19 situated on the panel 18 visible in Figure 1.
[0013] Likewise, water feed to the delivery head 15 is regulated by a ball valve 44 controlled
by the lever 20 (Figure 1) via a flexible cable system (not shown).
[0014] With reference to Figure 3, in a position remote from the shower enclosure there
is provided an electrical control board for the apparatus 30. This board, indicated
overall by the reference numeral 50 and described briefly hereinafter, is connected
electrically to the socket of the panel 18 by a cable 51. The board 50 comprises:
- a pushbutton for activating the resistance element 29, with relative indicator lamp
53;
- a pushbutton for activating the pump 35, with relative indicator lamp 55;
- a timer with adjustment knob 56 and relative acoustic buzzer 59 and indicator lamp
58;
- a pushbutton 59 for controlling the solenoid valve 34.
[0015] The electrical control board 50 and the water feed and discharge levers 19 and 20
are operated by an external operator while the patient undergoes the hydrotherapeutic
treatment within the shower enclosure.
[0016] To operate the shower of the present invention, the external operator firstly presses
the pushbutton 59 to open the solenoid valve 34 and allow water to flow into the vessel
28 through the pipe 33. When the optimum degree of filling has been achieved, as determined
by the control device 32, the water flow is automatically interrupted and the pushbutton
52 is then pressed to operate the electrical resistance element 29. The indicator
lamp 53 lights. The desired treatment temperature is selected by adjusting the knob
23. When this temperature is reached the indicator lamp 53 is extinguished. The required
duration of treatment is set by adjusting the knob 56. At this point the patient enters
the shower enclosure, on the tray of which there will already have been distributed
the soluble salts suitable for the particular treatment underway, and the operator
activates the pump 35 by pressing the pushbutton 56, after which he operates the lever
20 to provide water feed.
[0017] During operation, the water falling on the shower tray progressively dissolves the
salts, returns to the vessel 28 via the filter 24 and is continuously drawn by the
pump 35 through the pipe 36 and hose 37 and fed to the delivery head 15 via the hose
39, pipe 40 and hose 16. The patient can easily direct the water (or rather the aqueous
solution) onto that part to be treated, while possibly resting comfortably seated
on a stool (not shown) for the entire duration of the treatment, which on an average
is between 10 and 15 minutes. If for some accidental reason the water in the vessel
should fall to below the level of the resistance element 29 and leave it exposed,
the protection device acts by interrupting power to the resistance element. In addition
a pressure switch (not shown) incorporated into the pump switches it off to prevent
it burning.
[0018] When the time set for the treatment has expired, the buzzer 57 advises the operator,
who interrupts power to the resistance element 29 by pushing the pushbutton 52 and
switches off the pump by pressing the pushbutton 54. He then halts the water feed
by rotating the lever 20 (which closes the valve 44) and discharges the vessel by
operating the discharge lever 19. This causes the discharge valve 43 to open, so allowing
water to flow through the pipe 36 and the discharge branch 42.
[0019] In an alternative embodiment (not shown) of the present invention, the times for
the various water feed, filtration, recirculation, heating and discharge operations
can all be preselected by a system for programming the activation times, by which
the various functions of the apparatus (30) are automatically performed by appropriate
connections. In this manner, after setting the treatment duration and desired temperature,
no further manual action is necessary for starting and stopping the pump or feeding
and discharging water.
[0020] The invention is not limited to the aforegoing described embodiment, which is to
be considered as purely illustrative of the best method of implementing the invention,
and which is susceptible to modification in terms of the form, dimensions and arrangement
of the parts and the constructional and operational details. The invention is intended
to embrace all modifications included within its sphere, as defined by the following
claims.
1. A shower for therapeutic use, comprising an enclosure (11) with tray (12), characterised
by comprising a water feed (33), recirculation (36, 37, 39, 40) and discharge (42)
apparatus (30) which is positioned below the shower tray (12) and comprises:
- a vessel (28) interposed between said feed (33) and said discharge (42);
- means (35) for drawing water from the vessel (28) and pumping it to a delivery head
(15) within the enclosure (11).
2. A shower as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the apparatus (30) is provided
with means (29) for heating the water within the vessel.
3. A shower as claimed in claim 1, characterised by comprising first manual control means
(20) to enable water to be fed to the delivery head by the pumping means (35).
4. A shower as claimed in claim 1, characterised by comprising second manual control
means (19) to enable water to be discharged from the vessel to drain.
5. A shower as claimed in claims 3 and 4, characterised in that said first and second
manual means are arranged on a panel (18) external to the shower enclosure (11).
6. A shower as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the apparatus (30) is contained
within a rigid casing (13) flanked by access steps (14) to the enclosure.
7. A shower as claimed in claims 1 and 2, characterised in that the apparatus (30) is
connected to a control board (50) positioned in a remote position and comprising:
- means (54) for activating and deactivating the pumping means (35);
- means (52) for activating and deactivating the heating means (29);
- an adjustable timer (56);
- control means (59) for a solenoid valve (34) for the feed (33).