Recessed bathtub

Claim 1

The combination with a bathroom having a floor, of a bathtub for facilitating the task of bathing and showering oneself selectively even though the user may be physically handicapped, said bathtub comprising a well including a bottom and having a first continuous wall encompassing said bottom and being tangentially disposed thereto, cresecent shaped bench means for supporting the user in a sitting position and for providing a step to accommodate ingress and egress of the user, a second continuous wall tangentially engaging said first wall and joining said bottom to said bench means, the diameter of said first wall being greater than the diameter of said second wall with the difference in diameters thereof defining said crescent shaped bench means, said bottom and said bench means being recessed below said floor and said first wall extending a predetermined distance upwardly above the level of said floor for allowing said well to be of an optimum depth without requiring the user to step too far below the level of said floor, hand rail means for assisting the user into and out of said well and for providing a safety barrier thereabout, said hand rail means being disposed circumferentially about said well and supported a predetermined distance above said floor, means for controllably filling said well with water, shower head means supported a predetermined distance above said bottom and being communicated with said filling means, valve means for selectively interrupting the flow of water from said shower head means and said filler spout means, drain means for controllably disposing of the water, said bottom being provided with an aperture receiving said drain means and said bottom sloping downwardly towards said drain means, at least one mouthlike opening disposed adjacent the upper edge of said first wall for receiving the water which rises to that level, conduit means for communicating said mouthlike opening with said drain means whereby said well is prevented from overflowing, plug means for blocking said drain means, said plug means having blocked and unblocked positions thereto, handle means for remotely moving said plug means between said blocked and unblocked positions, and linkage means for mechanically connecting said handle means to said plug means with said linkage means being received in said conduit means and extending from a position below the level of said floor to a position above the level of said floor.