Salty atmosphere shower stall

Abstract

 A shower stall (1) consisting of a box (2) and an aerosol/atomizer assembly (3), responsible for preparing and introducing a saline solution in the atomized, aerosol form into the box (2); the aerosol/atomizer assembly (3) comprises a tank (6) adapted to be filled with water, a salification circuit (8) adapted to salify the water present in the tank (6), at least one atomizer (9) facing into the box (2), and at least one aerosol diffuser (10), also facing into the box (2); the atomizer (9) and the aerosol diffuser (10) are connected to the tank (6) by means of respective pipes (11, 12).

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a salty atmosphere shower stall.

[0002] Some pathologies, such as cystic fibrosis, in addition to antibiotic therapy, require a further treatment aimed at eliminating secretions from the respiratory tract to thus allow a better lung ventilation. These treatments are usually carried out in spas.

[0003] It may be easily understood that the condition of reaching spas may be in contrast with patient's needs and lifestyle. In other words, for different reasons, not everyone can reach spas and, therefore, benefit from the treatments which are offered therein. Furthermore, spa treatments are however beneficial from many point of views even for "healthy" people, i.e. people not suffering from the pathologies above.

[0004] A need was thus felt to be able to create either in hospitals or at home the optimal conditions, by now present in spas only, capable of ensuring a significant improvement of health conditions and life expectancy.

[0005] It is the object of the present invention a shower stall, the essential features of which are set forth in claim 1, and the preferred and/or auxiliary features of which are set forth in claims 2-11.

[0006] Hereinafter, shower stall means a box which may act as a container for the controlled atmosphere.

[0007] The following illustrative, non-limiting example is provided for a better understanding of the invention with the aid of the figure in the accompanying drawing, which diagrammatically shows a preferred embodiment of the shower stall object of the present invention.

[0008] In the figure, numeral 1 indicates as a whole a preferred embodiment of the shower stall object of the present invention.

[0009] Shower stall 1 comprises a box 2 defining the therapeutic environment in which a patient P is accommodated to receive a therapeutic treatment, an aerosol/atomizer assembly 3, responsible for preparing and introducing a saline solution in the atomized and aerosol form into the box 2, an air introduction assembly 4, responsible for introducing sanitized air into the box 2, and an aspiration assembly 5, responsible for aspirating the air from the box 2.

[0010] In order to continuously monitor the environmental conditions, box 2 comprises an air/water thermometer and a barometer, known and not shown for simplicity.

[0011] The aerosol/atomizer assembly 3 comprises a tank 6, which is filled with water from the water network, a sanitization circuit 7 for the water present inside the tank 6, a salification circuit 8 to salify the water from the sanitization circuit 7 and introduce it back into the tank 6, a plurality of atomizers 9 fixed to inner walls of the box 2, only one of which is shown in the figure, and a plurality of aerosol diffusers 10, also fixed to the inner walls of the box 2, only one of which is shown in the figure. The atomizers 9 and the aerosol diffusers 10 are connected to the tank 6 by means of respective pipes 11 and 12.

[0012] The sanitization circuit 7 comprises, according to the water treating order, a contact chamber 13 in which the water taken from the tank 6 by means of a motor pump 14 is subjected to ozone contact, a heater 15 such as to raise the temperature of the treated water by 10°C and a UV-C bactericidal lamp 16, which ensures a 99% germicidal action of the microbe load. After the action of the UV-C lamp 16, the water returns to the tank 6 through a pipe 17 to be cyclically subjected to the above-described sanitization process.

[0013] The salification circuit 8 comprises a pipe 18 extending from the pipe 17, a salt tank 19 where the brine is made with the water conveyed by the pipe 18, and a further pipe 20 for cascade conveying the salified water from the salt container 19 to the tank 6 in order to achieve a salt concentration of 36 g/l therein.

[0014] Pipe 17 and pipe 18 are provided with respective valves 23 and 24 to firstly ensure a recirculation sanitization process excluding the salification and then the salification process.

[0015] Once the desired concentration of salt has been reached in the tank 6, the salified water is sent to the atomizers 9 and the aerosol diffusers 10 by means of the pipes 11 and 12.

[0016] In use, once the tank 6 has been filled with water from the water network, the sanitization circuit 7 is cyclically actuated with the exclusion of the salification circuit 8 by closing the valve 24. The sanitization treatment is maintained for the time required to ensure water sanitization. Once the water has been sanitized, it is introduced into the salification circuit upon opening the valve 24 and closing the valve 23. Thereby, a solution with a salt concentration of 36 g/l is obtained in the tank 6 and conveyed to the atomizers 9 and the aerosol diffusers 10 for generating the desired therapeutic environment inside the box 2. With this regard, the salified water, before reaching the atomizers 9, is subjected to the action of a heater 25 arranged along the pipe 11, while the aerosol diffusers 10 are also connected to breathable, compressed air bottles 26, only one of which is shown in the figure.

[0017] The contact chamber 13 is connected to an ozone generator 27 from which it is fed. The ozone generator 27 is in turn fed by an oxygen bottle 28.

[0018] Tank 6 comprises an exhaust 29 comprising, in turn, an activated carbon filter 30 for abating ozone residues present in the salified water.

[0019] The air introduction assembly 4 is arranged at an upper opening 31 and comprises, in the travel order of the air to be introduced, a blower 32, a high-efficiency passive filter 33, an electrostatic cell 34 and a heater 35 such as to ensure a temperature of about 30°C inside the box 2. In particular, the blower 32, in addition to taking air from the outside, is connected to the ozone generator 27, to be able to introduce the ozone into the box 2 in order to sanitize the box 2 itself once the patient has finished the treatment. With this regard, the flow rate of the air introduction assembly 4 should be adjustable to correctly set it before, during and after the therapeutic treatment.

[0020] In addition to the ozone introduction, the sanitization of the box 2 is further ensured by the presence of a plurality of UV-C bactericidal lamps 36 arranged on the walls of the box 2, only one of which is shown in the figure.

[0021] The aspiration assembly 5 is arranged at an exhaust opening 37 and comprises, in the travel order of the air to be exhausted, an activated carbon filter 38 and an aspirator 39. In particular, the activated carbon filter 38 comprises a manual closure for avoiding the carbons from deteriorating upon the humidification thereof during the therapeutic treatment.

[0022] Furthermore, the bottom of the shower stall includes an exhaust opening 21 provided with a sealed closure and heating section, so as to prevent the bacteria from working their way back after treatment.

[0023] Finally, the shower stall 1 comprises a plurality of water dispensers 40, such as hand showers, shower heads, etc. which, facing into the box 2, are fed by the water network and/or the tank 6, and one or more UVA lamps 41 fixed to the walls of the box 2 and adapted to assist the main therapeutic treatment.

[0024] The above-described stall allows to subject the patient to a therapeutic treatment in which the typical spa conditions aimed at the detachment of the mucus mass from the lungs and its subsequent ejection are reproduced. The patients are subjected to therapeutic treatment cycles, the duration of which depends on the patent's personal needs and once each therapeutic cycle has finished, the shower stall allows to carry out a cleaning and disinfection cycle to keep low bacteria contamination levels.

[0025] Furthermore, the shower stall object of the present invention has an appropriate instrumentation to prevent the used ozone from being spread into the environment.

Claims

1. A shower stall (1) comprising a box (2) defining the therapeutic environment; said shower stall (1) being characterized in that it comprises an aerosol/atomizer assembly (3), responsible for preparing and introducing a saline solution in the atomized, aerosol form into the box (2).

2. A shower stall (1) according to claim 1,
characterized in that the aerosol/atomizer assembly (3) comprises a tank (6) adapted to be filled with water, a salification circuit (8) adapted to salify the water present in the tank (6), at least one atomizer (9) facing into the box (2), and at least one aerosol diffuser (10), also facing into the box (2); said atomizer (9) and said aerosol diffuser (10) being connected to the tank (6) by means of respective pipes (11, 12).

3. A shower stall (1) according to claim 2,
characterized in that the aerosol/atomizer assembly (3) comprises a sanitization circuit (7) adapted to sanitize the water present in the tank (6).

4. A shower stall (1) according to claim 3,
characterized in that said sanitization circuit (7) comprises a contact chamber (13) where the water taken from the tank (6) is subjected to ozone contact, a heater (15) such as to raise the temperature of the treated water, and a UV-C bactericidal lamp (16), which ensures a germicidal action.

5. A shower stall (1) according to claim 4,
characterized in that said sanitization circuit (7) comprises recirculation means (14, 17) adapted to provide a cyclic sanitization action of the water present in the tank (6).

6. A shower stall (1) according to any one of the claims from 2 to 5, characterized in that the salification circuit (8) comprises a pipe (18) extending from said sanitization circuit (7), a salt tank (19) in which the brine is made, and cascade introduction means (20) for the salified water from the salt container (19) to the tank (6).

7. A shower stall (1) according to claim 6,
characterized in that it comprises valve means (23, 24) adapted to isolate and connect said sanitization circuit (7) and said salification circuit (8) from/to each other.

8. A shower stall (1) according to one of the claims from 2 to 7, characterized in that said tank (6) comprises an exhaust (29), comprising an activated carbon filter (30) for abating the ozone residues present in the salified water.

9. A shower stall (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises an air introduction assembly (4) responsible for introducing sanitized air into to the box (2) and an aspiration assembly (5) responsible for aspirating the air from the box (2).

10. A shower stall (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the air introduction assembly (4) comprises a blower (32), a high-efficiency passive filter (33), an electrostatic cell (34) and a heater (35).

11. A shower stall (1) according to claim 10, characterized in that the blower (32) is connected to an ozone generator (27).

12. A shower stall (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises at least one UV-C bactericidal lamp (36) facing into the box (2) and adapted to ensure the sanitization of the box (2) itself.

Drawing