Patent US4535490A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US4535490A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Inflatable hot tub with cover
Assignee: SMR Acquisition LLC
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Filing: 1983-10-17
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Granted: 1985-08-20
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Expires: 2003-10-17
Abstract
Abstract An inflatable hot tub is provided with one or more stacked endless loops of inflatable tubes and sidewalls and a floor or bottom wall. An insulating cover, preferably secured around its entire periphery with an elastic band to the topmost tube, is manually removable and provides insulation by preferably either rigid closed cell synthetic foam or one or more inflation chambers. The tubes may be connected together and to the bottom wall. Pressurized gas may be provided in air jet bubbles to the bottom of the tub through a motor driven pump and heater, with a supply hose extending over the top periphery of the tubes or through the bottommost tube and side wall if present. The air jets may lead from a rigid or flexible pipe or combinations thereof, extending around the lower periphery of the floor, which pipe may be circular in cross section or of quarter-round cross section having its right angle portion fitting in the corresponding right angled joint between the side and bottom walls of the tub. A floor drain may be provided with a conventional rotatable hose coupling.
Inventors
- 👤 Robert B. Wright
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-24 11:58
CPC Classifications
A; A47; A47K; A47K3/00; A47K3/02; A47K3/06; E; E04; E04H; E04H4/00; E04H4/0018; E04H4/0025
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 18
Claim 1
Independent Claim
185 words
An inflatable hot tub, comprising: an endless inflatable tube composed of flexible sheet material and having inflation coupling means for introducing pressurized gas to its interior for inflating the same, said tube extending in a closed horizontal loop; a liquid impervious sheet material bottom extending horizontally and generally coextensive with the interior area of said tube loop; means joining said bottom around its entire periphery to said tube in a liquid impervious manner to form therewith an open top tub for containing liquid; a sheet material cover generally coextensive with the open top area of said tub, and including means for securing said cover in a manually releasable manner around the entire top periphery of said tube and heat insulating means secured to said sheet cover within the open top area of said tub; a rigid pipe extending around generally the entire periphery of the inside of said hot tub adjacent said bottom, and having a plurality of nozzle means spaced along its length for ejecting a stream of gas bubbles into said hot tub when pressurized; and means supplying pressurized air to said tube.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
185 words
An inflatable hot tub, comprising: an endless inflatable tube composed of flexible sheet material and having inflation coupling means for introducing pressurized gas to its interior for inflating the same, said tube extending in a closed horizontal loop; a liquid impervious sheet material bottom extending horizontally and generally coextensive with the interior area of said tube loop; means joining said bottom around its entire periphery to said tube in a liquid impervious manner to form therewith an open top tub for containing liquid; a sheet material cover generally coextensive with the open top area of said tub, and including means for securing said cover in a manually releasable manner around the entire top periphery of said tube and heat insulating means secured to said sheet cover within the open top area of said tub; a rigid pipe extending around generally the entire periphery of the inside of said hot tub adjacent said bottom, and having a plurality of nozzle means spaced along its length for ejecting a stream of gas bubbles into said hot tub when pressurized; and means supplying pressurized air to said tube.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
60 words
The hot tub according to claim 1, wherein said means for securing said cover include the outer periphery of said cover extending completely over the top of said tube, horizontally along the outside of said tube and then inwardly and downwardly from the outermost periphery of said tube, and further including means for contracting the outermost periphery of said cover.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
25 words
The hot tub according to claim 2, wherein said means for contracting is an elastic band extending around the entire outermost periphery of said cover.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
33 words
The hot tub according to claim 1, wherein said insulating means includes a sheet of rigid synthetic resin foam generally coextensive with the open top of said tub and secured to said cover.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
15 words
The hot tub according to claim 4, wherein said foam is of closed cell construction.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
206 words
An inflatable hot tub, comprising: an endless inflatable tube composed of flexible sheet material and having inflation coupling means for introducing pressurized gas to its interior for inflating the same, said tube extending in a closed horizontal loop; a liquid impervious sheet material bottom extending horizontally and generally coextensive with the interior area of said tube loop; means joining said bottom around its entire periphery to said tube in a liquid impervious manner to form therewith an open top tub for containing liquid; a sheet material cover generally coextensive with the open top area of said tub, and including means for securing said cover in a manually releasable manner around the entire top periphery of said tube and heat insulating means secured to said sheet cover within the open top area of said tub, said insulating means being a second sheet of material substantially coextensive with the open top of said tub and secured around its entire periphery hermetically to said cover to form there between an inflatable chamber; and a means for providing high pressure air in a plurality of jet streams of bubbles adjacent the bottom of said tub; and valve means selectively connectable to said pressurized air providing means for inflating said cover.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
206 words
An inflatable hot tub, comprising: an endless inflatable tube composed of flexible sheet material and having inflation coupling means for introducing pressurized gas to its interior for inflating the same, said tube extending in a closed horizontal loop; a liquid impervious sheet material bottom extending horizontally and generally coextensive with the interior area of said tube loop; means joining said bottom around its entire periphery to said tube in a liquid impervious manner to form therewith an open top tub for containing liquid; a sheet material cover generally coextensive with the open top area of said tub, and including means for securing said cover in a manually releasable manner around the entire top periphery of said tube and heat insulating means secured to said sheet cover within the open top area of said tub, said insulating means being a second sheet of material substantially coextensive with the open top of said tub and secured around its entire periphery hermetically to said cover to form there between an inflatable chamber; and a means for providing high pressure air in a plurality of jet streams of bubbles adjacent the bottom of said tub; and valve means selectively connectable to said pressurized air providing means for inflating said cover.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
177 words
An inflatable hot tub, comprising: an endless inflatable tube composed of flexible sheet material and having inflation coupling means for introducing pressurized gas to its interior for inflating the same, said tube extending in a closed horizontal loop; a liquid impervious sheet material bottom extending horizontally and generally coextensive with the interior area of said tube loop; means joining said bottom around its entire periphery to said tube in a liquid impervious manner to form therewith an open top tub for containing liquid; a sheet material cover generally coextensive with the open top area of said tub, and including means for securing said cover in a manually releasable manner around the entire top periphery of said tube and heat insulating means secured to said sheet cover within the open top area of said tub; and a means extending through said tube horizontally for supplying pressurized air to the interior of said tub; and a nozzle means for receiving air from said pipe means and providing a plurality of air bubble jets adjacent the bottom of said tub.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
177 words
An inflatable hot tub, comprising: an endless inflatable tube composed of flexible sheet material and having inflation coupling means for introducing pressurized gas to its interior for inflating the same, said tube extending in a closed horizontal loop; a liquid impervious sheet material bottom extending horizontally and generally coextensive with the interior area of said tube loop; means joining said bottom around its entire periphery to said tube in a liquid impervious manner to form therewith an open top tub for containing liquid; a sheet material cover generally coextensive with the open top area of said tub, and including means for securing said cover in a manually releasable manner around the entire top periphery of said tube and heat insulating means secured to said sheet cover within the open top area of said tub; and a means extending through said tube horizontally for supplying pressurized air to the interior of said tub; and a nozzle means for receiving air from said pipe means and providing a plurality of air bubble jets adjacent the bottom of said tub.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
57 words
The hot tub according to claim 7, further including a sheet material side wall extending around substantially the entire periphery of said hot tub and being imperviously joined at its lower entire periphery to said bottom wall and partially forming said means joining said bottom wall to said tube; said pipe means extending through said side wall.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
41 words
The hot tub according to claim 8, including a second endless inflatable tube extending in a closed loop below and substantially coextensive with said first mentioned tube; and means securing said second tube to said first tube and said side wall.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
22 words
The hot tub according to claim 9, wherein said second tube is of larger cross sectional area than said first mentioned tube.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
44 words
The hot tub according to claim 1, wherein said supplying means includes an electric motor, an air pump operatively and drivingly coupled to said electric motor for producing pressurized air, and conduit means for supplying the pressurized air from said pump to said pipe.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
31 words
The hot tub according to claim 11, wherein said conduit means extends across the upper periphery of said tub, downwardly along the inner periphery of said tub and to said pipe.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
31 words
The hot tub according to claim 11, wherein said conduit means extends through the cross sectional inflatable interior of said tube from the outside to the inside of the tube loop.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
38 words
The hot tub according to claim 1, wherein said rigid pipe has a cross sectional one-quarter round shape with its arcuate wall facing upwardly and inwardly with respect to the tub and its horizontal wall contacting said bottom.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
18 words
The hot tub according to claim 1, further including means for heating the air supplied to said pipe.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1988-08-19 | 1989-02-18 | 1989-08-20 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1992-08-19 | 1993-02-18 | 1993-08-20 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1996-08-19 | 1997-02-18 | 1997-08-20 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |