GB2099695A

GB2099695A - Steam bath cabinet

Info

Publication number: GB2099695A
Application number: GB8111842A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1981-04-14
Filing date: 1981-04-14
Publication date: 1982-12-15

Abstract

A steam bath cabinet is provided with a heating unit (17) Fig. 2, comprising a water reservoir having an integral outlet duct section (20) Fig. 3, and a lid assembly (21) incorporating a fan unit (23) in an air inlet section thereof. Air and steam from the cabinet are forced by the fan over the heated water in the reservoir beneath the lid (21) to provide a flow of steam and hot humid air which passes through the outlet duct section (20) to discharge into the cabinet interior thereby creating a circulating stream of hot air and steam in the cabinet. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Steam bath cabinet This invention relates to steam bath cabinets.

There are known steam bath cabinets of the type comprising a cabinet in which an individual can sit with the neck projecting through an aperture in the wall of the cabinet so that the head is free from the steam atmosphere within the cabinet. In such known cabinets a water reservoir is provided under a seat in the cabinet with one or more heating elements provided in the water to produce steam therefrom. The steam is then ducted downwardly to beneath an apertured foot rest at the bottom of the cabinet to rise therethrough into the cabinet. The cabinets are provided with thermostatic control whereby the heating elements are switched off when a preselected temperature is reached within the cabinet.However, these cabinets have certain disadvantages, for example steam collecting mainly at the upper part of the cabinet thereby tending to burn the shoulders of the occupant whilst the feet and lower legs remain relatively cold. Furthermore this type of system works on the principle of steam being produced and the expansion forcing the steam out naturally while the heating elements in the water reservoir are switched on. However the hot air and steam are not emitted into the cabinet when the thermostat switches off the heating element(s) in the water reservoir so that there is a tendency to accentuate the differential between the upper hot and lower cold areas within the cabinet when the movement of air and steam into the cabinet almost seated.

According to the invention there is provided a steam bath cabinet provided with means for receiving a volume of water, means for heating such water to produce steam therefrom and means to pass a stream of air over the surface of the heated water and then to discharge such steam at a location within the cabinet preferably at a lower part thereof.

It is preferred that the air/steam within the cabinet is re-cycled to form at least a part of the stream of air passed over the surface of the water so that there is a continuous flow of hot air/steam circulating within the cabinet thereby tending to reduce the likelihood of significant temperature differences between different regions in the cabinet.

In embodiments of the invention said means for passing the stream of air comprises of fan located in duct means which extends across the surface of the water reservoir into an outlet duct section having an outlet located towards the bottom of the cabinet interior. The water reservoir and said duct means containing said fan may comprise an assembly which is located on a floor section of the interior of the cabinet with an inlet to the duct means being open to interior atmosphere of the cabinet and through which said fan draws air into and through said duct means.

The duct means may be provided by a lid member for location over the upper end of an upwardly open water reservoir, the duct means having a section for containing said fan and being locatable on the water reservoir to define an air duct which extends from an air inlet leading to the fan and thence across the surface of water in the reservoir and then to an inlet of said outlet duct section which is preferably formed integrally with the water reservoir.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 is a front view of a steam bath cabinet, Fig. 2 is a side view of the cabinet of Fig. 1 with a side wall thereof removed, and, Fig. 3 is a vertical section through a heating unit of the cabinet of Figs. 1 and 2.

Referring to the drawings, a steam bath cabinet 10 comprises a housing which includes a 2" square soft wood frame, clad with soft wood boarding members having tongue and groove connections. The cabinet 10 has a pair of hinged doors 12 for providing access to the interior thereof. Between the upper ends of the doors 11 and 12 and the upper wall 13 of the cabinet, an aperture 14 is defined through which the neck of the person using the cabinet projects, so that the head is outside the hot atmosphere within the cabinet.

The cabinet has an adjustable seat 15, and a drip tray 1 6 is located across the base of the cabinet. The drip tray 1 6 has a lowered central area and a loose apertured footrest 1 8 is located across the central area of the drip tray 1 6 to be flush with the peripheral portion thereof.

Heating unit 1 7 is located on the drip tray 1 6 beneath the seat 1 5 and projects through the footrest 1 8. The heating unit 1 7 comprises a fibreglass water tank 1 9 which is open at its upper end, an integrally formed outlet duct section 20 at the forward end of the tank 19 and a lid section 21 which fits over the upper end of the tank 19.

The lid section 21 is also formed of fibreglass. The lid section 21 is formed with a chamber 21 which houses a turbo-fan unit 23 of which the motor 24 is coated with latex rubber in order to render it waterproof. An inlet aperture 25 is provided in the wall of the chamber 22 to provide an inlet thereto in communication with the interior atmosphere of the cabinet 10. A duct is defined between the lid 21 and a volume of water provided in the tank 19 which is heated by two heating elements 26, e.g.

two 1 Kilowatt heating elements; such duct communicates with an inlet 27 of the outlet duct section 20. The duct section 20 has a portion extending downwardly from the inlet 27 which then leads into a lower horizontally extending section which is defined by an inverted U-shaped portion 28 which, together with an area of the drip tray 1 6 on which is rests, provides a further passage for air and steam which discharges from the forward end of such passage into the cavity defined between the footrest 1 8 and the drip tray 16. Such heated air and steam then passes upwardly through the apertured footrest 1 8 to circulate within the cabinet 10.

A thermostat 29, which is a quick-acting airsensing thermostat housed in its own moistureresisting case, is provided within the cabinet 10. A setting dial and knob of the thermostat project outside the cabinet and the thermostat switches off the heater elements 26 at a predetermined "set" temperature within the cabinet. A monitoring thermometer 30 is also provided. A voltage-operated trip switch 31 is provided in the electric supply to the motor 24 from the connector block 32.

In operation air from within the cabinet 10 is drawn into the chamber 22 through inlet aperture 25, by operation of the turbo blower fan 23. Water in the tank 1 9 is heated by the heaters 26 in order to produce steam and the fan 23 forces a stream of air across the surface of the boiling water whereby steam and heated air are forced into the outlet duct section 20 to discharge into the cavity beneath the footrest 18 and through the apertures in such footrest to circulate within the cabinet 10.

The shape of the cabinet, namely a front section which is narrower than the back thereof, the power of the fan and indeed the design of the apertures in the footrest 1 8 are such as to give a flow of steam and hot humid air which is circulated around the inside of the cabinet under the action of the fan 23 whereby hot air and steam are drawn from the top of the cabinet down the two sides and towards the rear of the cabinet at a lower level thereof and against into the inlet aperture 25 for further passage across the surface of the boiling water in the tank 1 9. The temperature within the cabinet is controlled by the water-resistant thermostat situated inside the cabinet towards the upper end thereof, the thermostat being adjustable from outside the cabinet.

Advantages of the above described cabinet over known steam bath cabinets include improved temperature conditions within the cabinet as a result of the forced stream of hot humid air and steam introduced into the lower part of the cabinet. Furthermore recycling of the hot air and steam within the cabinet provides a desirable circulation thereof within the cabinet in order to overcome or minimise the problem experienced with previous steam baths, namely that the atmosphere in upper regions of the cabinet are such as to tend to burn the shoulders of an occupant whilst the lower regions remain relatively cold. As a result of this circulation, the air sensing thermostat is very much more efficient as a result of the movement of the air and also the cabinet is more evenly distributed with warm air and steam.A further advantage is that the relatively hot and then relatively cold conditions usually experienced in the conventional cabinets when the heating elements are switched off and on every few minutes are practically eliminated.

This is achieved as a result of the air within the chamber being continuously forced over the hot water in the tank 1 9 even when the heating elements 26 are switched off so that it is still then warmed by the hot water.

A further advantage is that hot air and steam are continuously discharged from the outlet duct, whereas in conventional elements which depend on the steam being produced and expansion forcing it out of such duct naturally when the heating units are in operation, the flow of hot air and steam ceases to be discharged from the outlet duct when the thermostat switches off the heating elements in the water tank thereby accentuating the temperature differential between hot and cold regions in the cabinet as the movement of air inside the cabinet almost stops.

Claims

1. A steam bath cabinet provided with means for receiving a volume of water, means for heating such water to produce steam therefrom and means to pass a stream of air over the surface of the heated water and then to discharge such steam at a location within the cabinet.

2. A cabinet according to Claim 1, wherein said discharge means are adapted to discharge steam at a lower part of the cabinet.

3. A cabinet according to Claim 1 or Claim 2 including means to recycle air/steam within the cabinet to form at least a part of the stream of air passed over the surface of the water to provide in use a substantially continuous flow of hot air/steam circulating within the cabinet.

4. A cabinet according to any preceding claim wherein said means for passing the stream of air comprises of a fan located in duct means which extends across the surface of a water reservoir into an outlet duct section having an outlet located towards the bottom of the cabinet interior.

5. A cabinet according to Claim 4 wherein the water reservoir and said duct means containing said fan comprise an assembly which is located on a floor section of the interior of the cabinet with an inlet to the duct means being open to interior atmosphere of the cabinet and through which said fan draws air, in use, into and through said duct means.

6. A cabinet according to Claim 4 or Claim 5 wherein the duct means is provided by a lid member for location over the upper end of an upwardly open water reservoir, the duct means having a section for containing said fan and being locatable on the water reservoir to define an air duct which extends from an air inlet leading to the fan and thence across the surface of water in the reservoir and then to an inlet of said outlet duct section.

7. A cabinet according to Claim 6 wherein said outlet duct section is formed integrally with the water reservoir.

8. A cabinet according to any preceding claim wherein said discharge means is arranged to discharge steam into a cavity beneath an apertured floor of the interior of the cabinet.

9. A steam bath cabinet substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as illustrated in, the accompanying drawings.