HK1075817B - Therapeutic shower enclosure - Google Patents

Description

Therapeutic shower bath cabinet

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a therapeutic shower enclosure in which hot dry air is generated at a temperature in the range up to about 50 ℃ to 70 ℃ and is circulated within the enclosure to cause the body to perspire and to provide a therapeutic effect on the skin of the individual's body to perspire and to expel toxins.

Background

Since the existence of human beings on the earth, they have been using natural elements to treat, cure and alleviate various diseases.

Throughout history, many nationalities, including those of scandinavia, north africa, turkey and india, have relied on various forms of sweating techniques to promote health. Going back to ancient romans and greeks, these civilizations utilized the sweating process as a means for maintaining and, in many cases, restoring health and energy. A number of health problems, such as chronic pain, respiratory disorders and skin irritation, can be treated by this process, which they consider as indispensable for life as food, water and air.

Aztecs, and other nations in mexico and central america also take advantage of healthy sweating sessions as part of traditional therapeutic and medical practices. Temazcal (native navatai) is still used in mexico today, temas is used in bathrooms, and calili is used in residences where stone or mud-shed steam baths of original appearance are still practiced.

The same beneficial principles apply so far. Practices involving sweating have so many medical benefits. It can relieve a large number of symptoms and improve human health to a great extent. This induced heat reproduces the high fever effect (a natural way to get rid of the infected body) by stimulating and enhancing the body's normally occurring internal exchanges. It produces effects similar to those caused by intense exercise and increases metabolism, resulting in enhanced circulation of all muscles, organs and tissues. It acts by waking up the normal defense mechanisms of the human body, which greatly stimulates the natural healing process. This overheating of the human body helps to expel toxins at a faster rate. Thus, by enhancing blood circulation and accelerating sweating, toxin expulsion is maximized. The skin, which is considered to be the third lung of the human body, not only absorbs nutrients, but also excretes unwanted substances from the human body. In a controlled and safe environment, excessive sweating will accelerate the process, resulting in improved health and comfort.

The normal healing capacity of the human body is increasingly slowed down with aging, and deterioration begins as such. The human body does not excrete internal waste, toxins and excess acid, as it should, as well as substances that weaken and deteriorate the organs, muscles and tissues. Bodily functions are slowed and degradation of all tissues comes along. The oxidative process begins and causes disease development and diminished physical and intellectual abilities. People only smell antioxidant foods and dietary supplements that slow down this process, but there are also technical and practical experience to prevent oxidation in humans.

The use of preventive measures is critical to continued good health. Physical activity such as regular exercise (sweating occurs) can help slow the aging process. The sauna supply provides a limited possibility of moist heat. The human body cannot tolerate this combination of high temperature and high humidity for too long, as the pores will close in response to this extreme humidity, thus preventing the drainage process. However, providing a dry-hot environment would rather cause the pores to open and release water, to disguise the skin and freely drain waste, so that the user would easily experience heat in excess of the normal body temperature of the human body by more than 50 ° f, requiring a sufficient amount of time to produce a noticeable result. Under these conditions, viruses, bacteria and microorganisms are almost destroyed or significantly attenuated. Moreover, it has been scientifically proven that 30 to 40 minutes of intense sweating allows the elimination of excess acid and toxins equivalent to 24 hours of normal renal function.

Primary sweating is the time spent in a sweating environment in a sitting position that opens pores for detoxification and is considered the sanitary part of the time. This time should occur in a calm and peaceful atmosphere. Assisted sweating is a quiescent period (post-sweating environment) when the user lies in a strategic position covered by different layers of clothing, bedding and blankets to receive assisted sweating, and is considered the therapeutic part of the time. This allows the body to sweat first sufficiently and then gradually and slowly, relaxing the body back to normal body temperature. In the second step, a greater amount of toxins and waste can be discharged than the sweating produced by a bath or sauna.

It is known to use a shower enclosure, which is converted for medical use. However, such medical uses have been limited to the generation of steam in a shower enclosure to provide a sauna. Examples of the prior art can be found in us patents 5,142,713 and 5,293,653. In the latter reference, the device for generating steam is incorporated into the top of an existing shower stall to convert it into a sauna. The top transition consists of a compact box-shaped top with a fan for forced air circulation inside the shower enclosure, and a nebuliser, which produces steam supplied directly from a water source through a valve. The nebulizer is operated intermittently by a timer which is interlocked by two thermostats. The steam is circulated through a forced air circulation system.

Steam baths are known to provide limited therapeutic effect because the steam deposits water particles on the human skin and insulates the skin from the temperature in the shower stall. The tolerance of an individual placed in a steam bath is typically limited to about 120 ° f. The temperature is not high enough for the human body to induce a defense mechanism by sweating and thus provide a therapeutic effect by rapidly expelling toxins.

To do this, the internal body temperature of the human body needs to be increased to 101F. to 102F. When the internal body temperature rises to such a level, at such temperatures, viruses and bacteria will die, and other beneficial effects are obtained. As previously mentioned, this effect cannot be achieved with steam saunas due to the fact that the moist environment deposits moisture on the user's skin, insulating it.

There are also known sauna devices for small shower enclosures, such as that described in us patent 5,987,662, in which the heating means heating device is in the form of a heat generating plate which is secured adjacent the ceiling of the shower enclosure. The heat-generating plate includes a resistive heating element that radiates heat within the shower enclosure. At the same time, the blower circulates air within the shower enclosure. If the shower is a shower stall type shower, an individual standing or sitting in the shower will receive radiant heat directly to his head, as the heat will not be concentrated but will gradually heat the entire body, which can have an adverse effect on the individual user making it difficult to resist the heat radiation. Thus, such devices are not suitable for use in therapeutic showers for individual users. The heating device disclosed in this patent is therefore not recommended.

The advantages of the therapeutic shower enclosure of the present invention are numerous, namely: through the process of dry and hot sweating to clean the skin; cleansing nasal passages by removing mucous membranes; by stimulating the production of endorphin ("feeling well") hormones to reduce stress and pain; improve body heat, reproduce high fever effect, resist virus and other microorganisms; stimulating the discharge of accumulated toxins or harmful metals present in the body, such as lead and mercury, as well as chemicals or mold.

Conventional sweating sessions provide countless health benefits. In addition to alleviating the pain associated with rheumatism, arthritis and other chronic diseases, they can alleviate cold, flu symptoms and congestion, alleviate discomfort and pain of various skin conditions, and generally make the enhanced immune system healthier.

Disclosure of Invention

It is a feature of the present invention to provide a therapeutic shower enclosure wherein hot dry air is circulated therein to a temperature range of up to 50F to 75F, thereby sweating the body of the individual user and providing a therapeutic effect of expelling toxins through the skin. The dry heat as opposed to a moist sauna will allow for a higher shower temperature of about 150F compared to 110F to 120F for a sauna.

Because it is dry and hot, there is no moisture covering the skin. Thus, the skin will sweat more through perspiration, as it is self-protecting. This will help calm the metabolism and clean the pores, expelling more toxins, grease, sebum.

Heat transfer from the air to the dermis and from the dermis to the epidermis will raise the body temperature by 2 to 4 ℃ because higher temperatures can be tolerated, which will cause artificial fever. This fever is the way the body weakens and kills viruses, bacteria.

Another feature of the present invention is to provide a therapeutic shower enclosure wherein the user's internal body temperature can approach 101F to 102F to stimulate the user's immune system to cause it to sweat thereby killing bacteria in the human system which are not resisted at such temperatures and which will undergo detoxification due to heavy sweating.

Another feature of the present invention is to provide a therapeutic shower enclosure having a hot air temperature distribution system for circulating hot dry air in the enclosure at temperatures ranging up to 50 ℃ to 75 ℃, and which is used in conjunction with a chromotherapeutic system consisting of colored light.

It is a further feature of the present invention to provide a therapeutic shower enclosure as described above and in combination therewith incorporating a luminescent therapeutic system consisting of intense clear light generated in the enclosure.

It is a further feature of the present invention to provide a therapeutic shower enclosure as described above wherein ions are injected into the hot dry air stream, the ions providing a negative charge in the air stream to subject the user to an energizing environment.

It is a further feature of the present invention to provide a therapeutic shower enclosure as described above wherein ozone is injected into the hot dry air stream to provide air purification and disinfection, destroying bacteria and other impurities.

The therapeutic shower enclosure of the present invention is essentially an improved shower stall in which a hot air heating and circulation system is provided in the top wall of the enclosure, which system is capable of heating air to temperatures in the range of up to about 50c to 75 c. In combination with a source of dry hot air to provide a therapeutic effect to an individual user, other devices are incorporated which are capable of providing chromotherapy, phototherapy and other treatments to the user by injecting ions and ozone into the stream of dry hot air.

It is well known that heat stimulates the human immune system and acts to kill a variety of microorganisms that cannot withstand the internal body temperature range of 101 ° to 102 ° f. In fact, when a person sweats, hot air penetrates the epidermis and dermis and causes an increase in body temperature, thus making it sweat to expel toxins. When the human body is subjected to the heat of dry heat, many benefits are obtained as described above. For example, the tissue may be made more stretchable, so that spasticity or cramping is reduced or treated, thereby reducing muscle pain due to vasodilation. Heat also causes the body to sweat and by expelling toxins and reducing excess acid, the blood stream cleanses itself, thereby ameliorating arthritis and rheumatism problems due to muscle joint relaxation. It has also been shown that raising the internal body temperature above normal causes hyperthermia, which provides an improvement for people with depressive sensations. This result may be due to the enhancement of endorphins, substances produced by the organism when subjected to physical activity.

Chromotherapy is also known as phototherapy. Light therapy provides physiological and therapeutic benefits, thereby improving quality of life. Light and dyed light have long been used to treat various diseases. The biochemistry of the human body relies on light. Colors are also light-derived and life-derived, each color having the property of a particular psychotherapeutic color. For example, red is known as a source of strength, health and vitality. Since red is irritating, it activates blood circulation and stimulates the liver. The red color is very active and has therapeutic effect on anemia because it is formed in hemoglobin of the human body. Because red light provides heat, they have excellent therapeutic effects on congestion, mucus and other diseases aggravated by cold weather.

Luminotherapy consists in emitting intense clear light of repeating solar spectrum and intensity to provide a therapeutic effect. Such a therapeutic effect may be provided by a light source using neon or halogen light having an intensity of at least 8,200lux per square meter. In the therapeutic shower enclosure of the present invention we utilized a halogen light source capable of producing 10,000lux per 61 cm, which simulates the light intensity we obtain in the morning of the spring at about 8 o' clock. When a human body is exposed to intense light, a series of chemical and physiological reactions occur. The therapeutic effect obtained from such a light source is numerous, especially when used in combination with a morning bath. Such light helps to reduce the production of melatonin (a hormone in a person's sleep) and thus helps to recover from the effects of nighttime sleep.

The effect of ion therapy to provide energy to the human body is also well known. Ions are formed from molecules which themselves are made up of a certain number of atoms having a positive nucleus and negative electrons. We add ions to the hot dry air circulation system to produce a therapeutic effect on the individual undergoing treatment in the shower cubicle. The negative charge of the air particles may provide an energizing effect, while the negative ions also provide benefits against diseases, in particular, may improve physical and intellectual abilities.

Ozone therapy provides excellent performance for purification and disinfection and treats air and water particles therein by destroying bacteria and impurities therein by injecting ozone into the hot, dry air stream of the therapeutic shower enclosure. Simultaneously or separately or in groups, with a flow of hot dry air and providing all of the above treatments in the therapeutic shower enclosure for a predetermined period of time.

In accordance with the above features, from one broad aspect, the present invention provides a therapeutic shower enclosure comprising: a bottom wall, side walls, a top wall, and a door assembly in the side walls for accessing the shower enclosure. An air distribution channel in communication with an air blower and one or more air return orifices and at least one air injection orifice in communication with the shower enclosure whereby to generate a circulating air flow in said shower enclosure. Heating means are provided in the air distribution channel for heating air convected therein to a temperature of up to about 50 ℃ to 75 ℃ to provide the air flow around a person's body in said enclosure as a stream of hot dry air circulating in the enclosure whereby to cause the person's body to increase its internal temperature to cause perspiration to thereby provide a therapeutic effect of shedding toxins through the skin.

The air in the shower enclosure is heated to a temperature preferably in the range of from about 31 c to 40 c and for a predetermined time range.

The shower enclosure of the present invention has a molded top enclosure incorporating two air distribution channels communicating with air return apertures in the top wall and wherein hot dry air is released in the shower stall in a downward air stream adjacent opposite side walls of the enclosure and returned upwardly adjacent a rear intersection region of the opposite side walls so that the air stream flows from the top wall to the bottom wall and then back to the top wall to subject the individual user to a hot dry air therapeutic air stream.

The therapeutic shower enclosure of the present invention also incorporates a light source and an ozone and ion generator, all of which are disposed above the top wall and are used to provide therapeutic benefits to a user standing in the enclosure. A nebulizer may also be used to inject a mist into the hot dry air stream to enhance perspiration. The shower enclosure also has one or two standard shower heads.

According to a further broad aspect of the present invention there is provided a therapeutic shower enclosure comprising: a bottom wall, side walls, a top wall, and a door assembly in the side walls for accessing the shower enclosure. One or more chromotherapeutic light sources secured to the enclosure subject the individual user to a colored light. Controller means are provided for powering the light source with a desired schedule to subject the individual user to a chromotherapeutic effect.

According to a further broad aspect of the present invention there is provided a therapeutic shower enclosure comprising: a bottom wall, side walls, a top wall, and a door assembly in said side walls for accessing said shower enclosure, one or more intense cleaning light sources in one of said top wall or side walls having an intensity of at least 2000lux, controller means for energizing said light sources for a desired predetermined period of time to subject an individual user to a phototherapy action, said enclosure having a shower head and water control valve.

According to yet another broad aspect of the present invention, there is provided a top wall assembly for converting a shower enclosure into a therapeutic shower enclosure. The assembly includes a top wall member having an air distribution passage in communication with an air blower. One or more air return apertures and at least one air injection aperture are provided and adapted to communicate with a shower enclosure whereby to generate a circulating air flow within the enclosure. Heating means are provided in the air distribution channel for heating air convected therein to a temperature of up to about 50 ℃ to 75 ℃ to provide the air flow around a person located in the shower enclosure as a stream of hot dry air circulating in the enclosure whereby to cause the person to increase its internal temperature to cause perspiration to thereby provide a therapeutic effect of shedding toxins through the skin.

Drawings

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a therapeutic shower enclosure of the present invention with a molded shell mounted on the top wall thereof and incorporating therein a hot dry air system and other therapeutic devices whereby a person standing in the enclosure is subjected to a therapeutic treatment;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the inner surface of the top wall of the therapeutic shower enclosure of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the top wall of the therapeutic shower enclosure of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the molded shell secured to the top wall of the therapeutic shower enclosure;

FIG. 5 is a partial view showing the location of the air heating elements and a portion of the air distribution duct;

FIG. 6 is a side view and partial sectional view of the housing;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a deflector plate disposed adjacent to the return orifice;

FIG. 8 is a further embodiment showing another water deflector cover for preventing water from penetrating into the return orifice when the user utilizes the shower spray in conjunction with the treatment system;

FIG. 9 is a plan view showing the configuration of the deflector and the location of the air injection holes;

FIG. 10 is a graph showing the effect of heat on the human body, dew point temperature and vapor pressure, and in which the operating region of the therapeutic shower enclosure of the present invention is identified; and

figure 11 is a further chart illustrating the variation in temperature and pressure of the therapeutic shower enclosure over a predetermined period of time when a 2kW fan generating 100cfm is used, and also illustrating the cooling effect of the shower enclosure side walls on the hot air and its effect on the hot dry air convected into the enclosure.

Detailed Description

Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to fig. 1, there is shown generally at 10 a therapeutic shower enclosure of the present invention. The shower enclosure includes a bottom wall 11, side walls 12 and 12', a top wall 13, and a door assembly 14 to allow access to the enclosure by an individual user 15.

A moulded housing 16 is secured over the top wall 13 of the enclosure and has moulded therein distribution channels 17, these channels 17 being in communication with an air blower 18 whereby an air stream 19 'is convected downwardly in the enclosure against its side walls 12 and 12' and returned through air return holes 19 in the top wall 13, as shown in figure 2, whereby the person 15 is exposed to a stream of hot and dry air to receive a therapeutic effect as described below.

There is no scientific study concerning the therapeutic effects obtained by exposing the human body to a therapeutic shower enclosure or sauna of the type disclosed herein. However, referring to fig. 10, there is scientific research to determine the level of comfort, discomfort or thermal stress caused by extreme heat from ASHRAE. These known studies relate to the amount of work that the human body can perform under certain thermal environmental conditions, so that people do not work excessively under these conditions that may cause thermal stress, i.e. heat stroke. A well-known study of comfort is to determine the neutral point in the function using physical parameters of the environment, including temperature, humidity radiation and velocity of the air in the environment of the worker. Reference numeral 20 in the closed chart indicates a region in which the therapeutic shower enclosure of the present invention serves to provide a safe environment for the user. This area takes into account that the individual in the therapeutic shower enclosure is naked relative to the parameters of the chart, which are constructed with respect to a wearer's individual. The area 20 is the ideal area for therapeutic effect, but it is needless to say that the individual can use endurance beyond the area within a short period of time, without any immediate effect.

In a sauna, an individual is exposed to a temperature (ASHRAE) that can rise to between 50 ℃ and 85 ℃. The heat felt by the individual originates from the radiation of the stone that has been preheated and from the heat radiation accumulated on the inner surface of the wood, which is usually cedar. To balance the high radiant heat, the body will sweat, evaporating water and cooling itself. In a sauna, care is taken to keep the humidity low, about 20%, to enhance sweating. As previously mentioned, the higher the humidity, the less the body will sweat, because the moisture at the skin surface will block the pores. There is little air flow in the air near the person in the sauna, and the estimated air velocity is usually between 0.05 and 0.20 m/s. At the highest temperature in the sauna, there may be a lack of humidity, but water can be added to the stone to increase the humidity. If too much water is added, the sauna becomes uncomfortable and the body cannot evaporate sweat containing moisture and fat. Therefore, there is little control over the air and temperature in the sauna.

Depending on the time the individual is exposed to the thermal conditions of dry heat, the following therapeutic effects can be achieved. The skin is cleaned by sweating when subjected to dry hot air. The sinus is unblocked at the nasal passage location. Individuals can also lose weight by sweating and by increasing heart rate during sweating. It is also known that when the body is subjected to the heat of dry heat, it has a stress-relieving effect, because endorphins are secreted by the body from the brain to combat pain, for example when an individual suffers a fracture. The rise in internal body temperature also causes fever, which prevents the effects of viruses or microorganisms inhaled by the individual in the air. Another benefit is the elimination of toxins accumulated in the human body, particularly for people exposed to heavy metals in the working environment, or to lead, mercury, b.p.c. or polychlorinated biphenyls, and mycotoxins produced by fungi.

As shown in fig. 10, the ideal area for therapeutic treatment is between 31 ℃ and about 35 ℃ for a population exposed to such hot dry heat for about 20 minutes, including a 5 minute pre-heat period. It is in this region that a therapeutic effect and a physiological response to heat can be achieved. For people who have exercised they wish to promote a higher range, for example 35 ℃ to 40 ℃. At the same time, after the individual user has adapted the therapeutic shower enclosure, they gradually increase the temperature range. It should be noted that the amount of air displaced in the shower enclosure should be close to 40% and the velocity of the air on the human body should not exceed 0.2 m/s.

Studies have determined that individuals experience heat stroke for temperatures of 38 ℃ and one hour exposure. At 46 ℃, the temperature of the skin will be high enough to begin to show burn rashes. More tolerant individuals can be able to spend more than 50 minutes at 52 ℃. In a sauna, an individual can obtain temperatures as high as 85 ℃, but should not be subjected to such temperatures for long periods of time, and the recommended time should be at most between 5 and 15 minutes.

Referring now also to figures 2 to 6, it can be seen that the therapeutic shower enclosure 10 of the present invention includes two channel-shaped injection orifices 21 and 21 ', communicating with the air distribution channels 17 and 17', respectively, provided in the top wall 13 of the moulded shell 16. It has been found from experimentation that the holes should be slot shaped holes of a predetermined size to produce the desired air velocity in the shower enclosure. The smaller the opening, the greater the air velocity and the higher the static pressure. However, for a 50cfm output of the air blower, the relationship between the return hole 19 and the injection holes 21, 21' is important in order not to generate excessive noise. It has been found from experiments that the return hole 19 should have a diameter of about 8 cm and the air injection holes 21, 21' should preferably be 17 cm slots. The size relationship of the return holes to the slot holes is shown in the graph of fig. 13. Experiments have also been carried out regarding the location of the return orifice 19 and the graph shown in figure 12 shows that the return orifice should ideally be arranged in a corner 22 of the shower recess 10, configured as shown in figure 2.

As shown in fig. 2 and 3, the shower enclosure is defined by opposed side walls 12 and 12' disposed at a predetermined angle to each other, here at right angles to a right angle corner region 22 in the enclosure. An air return aperture 19 is provided in the top wall in this corner region and air injection apertures 21 and 21 'are provided spaced adjacent the side walls 12 and 12' in front of the shower enclosure whereby a downward air flow, as indicated by arrow 19, is generated through the injection apertures 21 and 21 ', down the side walls 12 and 12' to the floor 12 and then up back against the user 15 to be expelled along the corner region through the return aperture 19. As previously described, the elongated slots 21 and 21' are dimensioned to provide an accelerated downward air flow adjacent the side walls at a pressure sufficient to cause the air flow to reach the bottom wall 11 and to create a comfortable air flow over the head of an individual user 19 who is typically standing in the center of the shower enclosure, as indicated by reference numeral 15 in FIG. 2.

As shown in fig. 3, an electric heater 23 is fixed within the main passageway in the straight portion of the passageway to heat the air. The channel also has a convolute shape 24 surrounding the air blower 18, thereby creating an accelerated air flow past a heating element 25, here a resistive heating element, disposed within the channel and exposed to the air flow created in the blower 18. The heating device is a 2kW electric heating device. Thus, dry hot air is generated in the air stream and reaches its set temperature with a time delay of about 5 minutes, depending on the temperature setting of the controller 27, as previously described. The outlet of the heating device 23 directs the heat flow to the forked portion 26 of the channel to split the air flow into the two channel portions 17 and 17 'associated with the air injection holes 21 and 21'.

It is noted that although a single return orifice 19 has been shown in the embodiments described herein, it is envisaged that a plurality of return orifices could be provided, but they would be of different sizes, thereby allowing the system to be balanced.

The heating means 23 are capable of heating the air convected therethrough to a temperature of up to about 50c to 65c to provide a stream of hot dry air circulating therein around a person standing in the shower stall. This air heat flow will cause the individual to sweat and provide a therapeutic effect of expelling toxins through the skin. However, a controller 27 is provided for selecting the desired temperature and operating time (treatment time) by controlling the fan and heating device arrangement. The controls 27 can be conveniently and preferably located on the exterior or interior wall of the shower enclosure ready for use by the individual user 15. As mentioned above, the individual user will start using the therapeutic shower enclosure at a low temperature and gradually increase the temperature and exposure time according to his tolerance. However, the ideal temperature is preferably in the range of about 31 ℃ to 40 ℃ and for a predetermined time range of about 20 minutes, which includes a delay of about 5 minutes from start-up for the temperature to reach its set point, and which is for a shower enclosure of about 1755654 cubic centimeters and a blower with a 65cfm ventilation to maintain ventilation on the user's skin below 0.2 m/s.

As shown in fig. 1, the shower enclosure is also provided with a conventional shower head 30 and control valve 30' whereby an individual user can use the enclosure as a standard shower enclosure. On the other hand, the shower head can be activated after or even during the therapeutic bath to place the body in the cooling shower spray. However, to prevent water from being raised by the blower 18 when the shower head is operated, a water deflector cover 31 is secured in front of the air return aperture 19 to prevent the impeller blades 18' from drawing water into the distribution channel and onto the resistive heating elements which would generate excess steam.

As shown in fig. 5, the distribution channels 17, 17', 17 "are covered with a thermally insulating material 32 to prevent excess heat loss through the top of the molded shell 16. As shown in fig. 5, the heating device 23 is shown pulled out of the main air distribution channel 17 ".

Fig. 6 is a transverse and partial sectional view of the heating device housing 16 showing the layout of the blower and the heating device.

Referring now to fig. 8 and 9, another embodiment of the construction of the water deflector cover 35 is shown and as shown therein, the cover is made of Velcro (Velcro @)^TM) The clip 36 is attached between the inner surfaces 13' of the top wall 13. The cover is necessary to prevent water from being drawn from the showerhead 30 into the air distribution passage or duct. A filter support frame 37 is also formed which has or is provided with the cover 13 therein and supports an air filter 38. The deflector cap 35 has a convection passage 39 for accumulating water and/or condensation in the return orifice 19 and directing the water toward the side walls 12 and 12', as best shown in fig. 9. Another velcro fastener 36 interconnects the water deflector cover 35 to the filter support frame 37. Thus, the water deflector cover can be easily moved for replacing the filter by simply applying a pulling force in reverse to separate the velcro fasteners 36 and 41'. These velcro fasteners are patches (patch) of the material and they constitute a detachable attachment means.

Referring now more particularly to figures 3, 4 and 6, it is noted that the hot dry air therapeutic shower enclosure of the present invention also includes in combination therewith a chromotherapeutic light source provided by at least one colored light source, here shown as three such light sources 40, formed of an integrated assembly of light emitting diodes. These lights are controlled by a control panel 27 and a timer circuit, not shown, and they may be activated via the control panel to illuminate the lights for a predetermined period of time, thereby subjecting the user to chromotherapeutic action. These integrated led modules are formed by a plurality of leds whose intensity is adjusted by a control device (not shown) to produce a composite color (colour). The leds may be controlled to emit different colors that are selected by the user or automatically generated as described in one of the co-pending patent applications with the present application, or the leds may be red leds. As shown in figure 3, these light sources are located to the side and in front of the shower enclosure, whereby the person's head and line of sight are exposed to the light sources.

The shower enclosure also includes a light emitting therapeutic light source to subject the individual user 15 to an intense cleansing light. The luminotherapeutic light source is also mounted in the top wall 13 and is here shown to be constituted by a halogen light source 41, where each of the two said light sources 41 is fed by a transformer 42 associated therewith. Such light sources are well known in the art. Neon light sources may also be suitable light sources for producing high intensity light, but due to their size, are not practical for use in this application. These light sources are also activated by the controller 27. The effect of such a light-emitting therapeutic light source is to generate a daylight intensity in the shower, thereby reproducing the daylight spectrum. This helps the metabolism to identify that it needs to stop producing melatonine (a sleep hormone) and helps the individual user to wake up in the early morning. The intensity of the artificial light generated by the light source 41 is 10,000lux (normal commercial light is between 100 and 500 lux). Usual external daylight intensity is between 8,200 and 60,000 lux.

Luminotherapy will help prevent discomfort and winter depression and help better sleep, and will also help produce vitamin D, which helps calcium absorption and calibrates the internal clock of an individual user by adjusting the sleep hormones. Such light therapy is particularly beneficial in winter when the light intensity decreases as the sun moves away from the earth. The daylight time is 1/3 days (in summer, the daylight time is 2/3 days) which are mostly spent indoors. The recommended treatment time is 20 minutes and is used regularly when the individual user takes a daily shower.

The therapeutic shower enclosure is also provided with an ozone generator 43 in communication with the air distribution channel 17 "at a suitable location between the blower 18 and the heating means 23. The ozone generator 43 is of a type well known in the art and its purpose is to inject ozone in the hot dry air stream. It is also controlled by the controller device 27 to operate it for a predetermined period of time, thereby purifying the hot dry air stream. In addition, these predetermined periods of time may be preprogrammed in the control circuit, whereby the lights can be turned on and off for a predetermined period of time.

As shown in fig. 3, an ion generator 44 may also be provided with heating means in front of the heating means 23 in the main distribution channel 17 ", thereby injecting ions in the air stream. The ion generator is also controlled by the controller 27 to produce the therapeutic effect of energizing, as previously described, during a desired expected period of time or a period of time of the individual user, as desired by the user.

In addition, as shown in figure 6, an atomizer 45 consisting of a spray nozzle is provided at the junction of the branch channels 17 or 17' for communicating with the air distribution channel or directly with the top wall 13 of the therapeutic shower enclosure for generating a fine mist in the flow of hot dry air to control the low percentage of humidity. It is also controlled by the controller 27 for a predetermined period of time. Temperature sensors, not shown, and other sensors monitor the air within the shower enclosure and feed signals to the circuitry of the controller 27. The controller 27 also controls the blower, heating element, generator and light source. It can therefore be appreciated that the therapeutic shower enclosure of the present invention incorporates a combined system which can provide a variety of therapeutic effects which can be used in conjunction with hot dry air therapeutic cleansing and which combinations are selected by the individual user to suit his habits.

The therapeutic shower enclosure of the present invention is a thermoformed enclosure having insulated sidewalls 12 and 12' with insulation 48 disposed on the outer surfaces of these sidewalls. As the air streams are injected and flow downwardly against the inner surfaces of the side walls 12 and 12', these hot air streams are first cooled by the side walls and, when returned into the corner regions 22, produce a cooling effect in the upper body region of the individual user. The aforementioned process occurs during start-up and last few minutes while the side walls absorb heat to heat up, thereby enabling the temperature in the shower enclosure to stabilize. A certain amount of heat is still lost through the door assembly 14, which door assembly 14 is shown here as being constructed of a glass panel 14' for safety reasons, thereby providing visibility within the shower enclosure. The insulating handle 14 "also provides access and movement of these sliding glass sheets 14'. The frame of the panels is preferably a polymeric material.

The control board 27 is only schematically illustrated here, but it preferably consists of push-button switches which can activate programmed control functions which will be activated for a predetermined period of time.

Fig. 10 is a graph illustrating various parameters of a thermal environment and regions that a human body can comfortably tolerate up to intolerable. Figure 11 is another graph illustrating the temperature gradient and rise time thereof as a function of heater power utilized in a therapeutic shower enclosure constructed in accordance with the present invention.

It is intended that any obvious modifications of the preferred embodiment described herein be covered by the scope of the present invention, provided they fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims (52)

1. A therapeutic shower enclosure comprising: a bottom wall, side walls, a top wall, and a door assembly in said side walls for accessing said shower enclosure; an air distribution channel in communication with an air blower, and an air return aperture and at least one air injection aperture in communication with said shower stall whereby a circulating air stream is generated in said shower stall, heating means in said air distribution channel for heating air convected therein to a temperature of up to about 50 ℃ to 75 ℃ to provide said air stream as a stream of dry hot air circulating in said shower stall whereby said human body increases its internal temperature to cause perspiration to provide a therapeutic effect of shedding toxins through the skin, wherein said side walls are arranged at a predetermined angle relative to each other to define a corner region in said shower stall, said air return aperture is arranged in said top wall in said corner region, two said air injection apertures are on respective said opposing side walls forward of said corner region, Is disposed in spaced adjacent relation to said side wall thereby creating said dry hot air stream having a downward path from opposite sides of said enclosure to said bottom wall and then upwardly along said corner region to said air return aperture to subject a personal user standing in said enclosure to said dry hot air stream.

2. A therapeutic shower enclosure as claimed in claim 1, wherein said air distribution channel is provided in said top wall of said enclosure, said air return aperture and at least one air injection aperture being provided in said top wall.

3. The therapeutic shower enclosure of claim 2 wherein said air blower is disposed in said air distribution channel adjacent a single one of said air return apertures.

4. The therapeutic shower enclosure of claim 1, wherein said air is heated to a temperature in the range of from about 31 ℃ to 40 ℃ and for a predetermined period of time.

5. The therapeutic shower enclosure of claim 4, wherein said predetermined period of time is approximately 20 minutes, said temperature being reached within a time delay of approximately 5 minutes from start-up for said enclosure having a capacity of approximately 1755654 cubic centimeters.

6. A therapeutic shower enclosure as claimed in claim 5 wherein said air blower has a ventilation of 65cfm and said air injection aperture has a predetermined size whereby the ventilation on the user's skin does not exceed 0.2 m/s.

7. The therapeutic shower enclosure of claim 1, wherein two of said side walls are disposed substantially at right angles to each other and have a juncture in said corner region to define a right angle rear corner of said enclosure, said air injection hole being disposed adjacent a front end of each of said two side walls.

8. The therapeutic shower enclosure as claimed in claim 7 wherein said air distribution channel is formed in a molded housing secured over said top wall of said enclosure, said air distribution channel having an inlet end surrounding at least part of the impeller of said blower and two branch channels leading to respective ones of said air injection holes, said air injection holes being elongated slots formed in said top wall in spaced proximity to respective ones of said two side walls.

9. The therapeutic shower enclosure as claimed in claim 1 wherein said air injection apertures are elongated slots dimensioned for providing an accelerated downward air flow adjacent said side walls at a pressure sufficient to reach said bottom wall and for creating a comfortable return air flow to the head of an individual user standing in said enclosure.

10. A therapeutic shower enclosure as claimed in claim 1 wherein each of said elongated slots has a dimension of approximately 17 cm, said air return orifice is a circular orifice having a diameter of 8 cm, and said blower has a 50cfm ventilation for approximately 91 cm x 102 cm x 203 cm of said enclosure, and wherein said heating means is a 2kW electrical resistance element.

11. The therapeutic shower enclosure of claim 1 wherein said air return orifice is comprised of a single air return orifice.

12. A therapeutic shower enclosure as claimed in claim 11, wherein there is further provided in said enclosure: a shower head and water control valve, and a water deflector cover secured in front of the single air return hole and having a collection passage for water droplets accumulated in the air return hole and directed toward the sidewall.

13. The therapeutic shower enclosure of claim 11 wherein an air filter support frame is disposed adjacent said air return aperture and is supported above said water deflector cover, said frame being adapted to retain an air filter adjacent said air return aperture, said filter being removable by movement of said water deflector cover.

14. The therapeutic shower enclosure of claim 13, wherein said water deflector cover is secured to said top wall and said filter support frame by separable attachment means.

15. The therapeutic shower enclosure of claim 14, wherein said detachable attachment means is a velcro tab.

16. A therapeutic shower enclosure as claimed in claim 1 wherein in combination with said hot dry air therapeutic air stream there is further provided: a chromotherapeutic light source for subjecting an individual user to a colored light, a luminotherapeutic light source for subjecting an individual user to a colored light, an ion generating light source for injecting ions in the air stream, and an ozone generator for injecting ozone in the air stream.

17. A therapeutic shower enclosure as claimed in claim 16 wherein there is further provided controller means having a plurality of programmed functions, and a push button switch and symbol associated with said switch for turning said programmed functions on or off.

18. A therapeutic shower enclosure as claimed in claim 1 wherein there is further provided: at least one colored light source disposed in said top wall, and controller means for energizing said light source for a desired predetermined period of time to subject the individual user to a chromotherapeutic effect.

19. A therapeutic shower enclosure as claimed in claim 18 wherein there are three said coloured light sources each comprising a plurality of red, blue and green light emitting diodes, said light sources being disposed at variable positions relative to the head of an individual user standing in said enclosure.

20. The therapeutic shower enclosure of claim 18 wherein said light source includes a plurality of light emitting diodes having three or more sets of different colored diodes, said sets of diodes being activated to produce a desired composite colored light source.

21. A therapeutic shower enclosure as claimed in claim 20 wherein said sets of coloured diodes are connected to light intensity control means to adjust the light intensity thereof for providing a colour mix to produce said desired resultant coloured light source.

22. A therapeutic shower enclosure as claimed in claim 1 wherein there is further provided: at least one intense cleaning light source in said top wall, and controller means for activating said intense cleaning light source for a desired predetermined period of time to subject an individual user to a luminotherapeutic effect.

23. The therapeutic shower enclosure of claim 22 wherein said intense light source is one of a halogen light source, a neon light source or the like.

24. The therapeutic shower enclosure of claim 23, wherein two or more halogen light sources are secured in said top wall.

25. A therapeutic shower enclosure as claimed in claim 1 wherein there is further provided: an ion generator in communication with said air distribution passage for injecting ions into said dry heated air stream, and controller means for activating said ion generator for a desired predetermined period of time to subject the individual user to an energizing therapeutic effect.

26. The therapeutic shower enclosure of claim 25, wherein said ion generator is secured to said air distribution channel between said air blower and said heating device.

27. A therapeutic shower enclosure as claimed in claim 1 wherein there is further provided: an ozone generator in communication with said air distribution passage for injecting ozone into said dry heated air stream, and controller means for activating said ozone generator for a desired predetermined period of time to subject an individual user to a purified dry heated air stream.

28. A therapeutic shower enclosure as claimed in claim 1 wherein there is further provided: a water sprayer nozzle in communication with the interior of the shower enclosure for injecting a fine mist into the enclosure, and controller means for controlling operation of the water sprayer for a predetermined period of time.

29. The therapeutic shower enclosure as claimed in claim 1 wherein said air return aperture is a single air return aperture of circular outline and an air blocking disk is secured to said top wall and is concentrically aligned with and spaced forwardly of said air return aperture by a predetermined distance.

30. A therapeutic shower enclosure as claimed in claim 1 wherein control means are provided for controlling operation of said air blower for a predetermined period of time within the time range of from about 5 to 30 minutes.

31. The therapeutic shower enclosure of claim 30 wherein said enclosure is a thermoformed enclosure having insulated sidewalls.

32. The therapeutic shower enclosure of claim 31 wherein said door assembly includes a plurality of glass panels retained between an upper rail and a lower rail, some of said panels slidably moving on said lower rail.

33. A therapeutic shower enclosure comprising: a bottom wall, side walls, a top wall, and a door assembly in said side walls for access to said shower enclosure, one or more chromotherapeutic light sources secured to one of said top wall or side walls of said shower enclosure for subjecting an individual user to chromotherapy, and controller means for energizing said light sources for a desired predetermined period of time to subject an individual user to chromotherapeutic action, wherein there is further provided an air distribution channel in communication with an air blower, and an air return orifice and at least one air injection orifice in communication with said shower enclosure, thereby to generate a circulating air flow in said shower enclosure, heating means in said air distribution channel for heating air convected therein to a temperature of up to about 50 ℃ to 75 ℃ to provide said air flow around a person in said shower enclosure, as a stream of hot dry air circulating in the shower enclosure whereby the human body increases its internal temperature to cause perspiration to thereby provide a therapeutic effect of shedding toxins through the skin, wherein the side walls are arranged at a predetermined angle relative to one another to define a corner region in the shower enclosure, the air return aperture is arranged in the top wall in the corner region, two of the air injection apertures are arranged on respective opposite side walls forward of the corner region, spaced adjacent the side walls, thereby creating the stream of hot dry air having a downward path from opposite sides of the shower enclosure to the bottom wall and then up the corner region to the air return aperture to subject the individual user standing in the shower enclosure to the stream of hot dry air.

34. The therapeutic shower enclosure of claim 33, wherein said one or more chromotherapeutic light sources are secured to said top wall of said enclosure in a position such that said chromo light is visible to an individual user.

35. The therapeutic shower enclosure of claim 34 wherein said light source includes a plurality of light emitting diodes having three or more different sets of colored diodes, said sets of diodes being activated to produce a desired resultant colored light source.

36. A therapeutic shower enclosure as claimed in claim 35 wherein said sets of coloured diodes are connected to light intensity control means to vary their light intensity for providing a colour mix to produce said desired resultant coloured light source.

37. The therapeutic shower enclosure of claim 33, wherein a shower head and water control valve are further provided in said enclosure and a water deflector cover is secured in front of said single air return aperture and said water deflector cover has a collection passage for accumulating water droplets in said air return aperture and directing said water droplets toward said side wall.

38. The therapeutic shower enclosure of claim 37 wherein an air filter support frame is disposed adjacent said air return aperture and supported above said water deflector cover, said frame adapted to retain an air filter adjacent said air return aperture, said filter being removable by movement of said water deflector cover.

39. A therapeutic shower enclosure as claimed in claim 34 wherein said air distribution channel is provided in said top wall of said enclosure, said air return aperture and at least one air injection aperture being provided in said top wall.

40. A therapeutic shower enclosure comprising: a bottom wall, side walls, a top wall, and a door assembly in said side walls for access to said shower enclosure, one or more intense cleaning light sources in one of said top wall or side walls having an intensity of at least 2000lux, controller means for energizing said light sources for a desired predetermined period of time to subject an individual user to a phototherapy action, said shower enclosure having a shower head and water control valves, wherein there is further provided an air distribution channel in communication with an air blower, and an air return aperture and at least one air injection aperture in communication with said shower enclosure, thereby creating a circulating air flow in said shower enclosure, heating means in said air distribution channel for heating air convected therein to a temperature of up to about 50 ℃ to 75 ℃ to provide said air flow around a person in said shower enclosure, as a stream of hot dry air circulating in the shower enclosure whereby the human body increases its internal temperature to cause perspiration to thereby provide a therapeutic effect of shedding toxins through the skin, wherein the side walls are arranged at a predetermined angle relative to one another to define a corner region in the shower enclosure, the air return aperture is arranged in the top wall in the corner region, two of the air injection apertures are arranged on respective opposite side walls forward of the corner region, spaced adjacent the side walls, thereby to generate the stream of hot dry air having a downward path from opposite sides of the shower enclosure to the bottom wall and then upwardly along the corner region to the air return aperture to subject a personal user standing in the shower enclosure to the stream of hot dry air.

41. A top wall assembly for converting a shower enclosure as claimed in claim 1 or 33 into a therapeutic shower enclosure, said assembly including a top wall member having: an air distribution channel in communication with an air blower, and one or more air return holes and at least one air injection hole adapted to communicate with a shower enclosure to thereby generate a circulating air flow in said enclosure, heating means in said air distribution channel for heating air convected therein to a temperature of up to about 50 ℃ to 75 ℃ to provide said air flow around a person positioned in said enclosure as a stream of hot dry air circulating in said enclosure to thereby cause said person to increase its internal temperature to cause perspiration to thereby provide a therapeutic effect of shedding toxins through the skin.

42. The top wall assembly of claim 41, wherein said top wall member defines a right angle corner region, said one or more air return apertures being disposed in said corner region, two of said air injection apertures being disposed forwardly of said corner region, spaced adjacent respective opposite side walls of said member, thereby to generate said dry hot air stream having a downward path from opposite sides of a shower enclosure to a bottom wall thereof, and then upwardly along said corner region to said air return apertures for subjecting an individual user standing in said shower enclosure to said dry hot air stream.

43. The top wall assembly of claim 41, wherein an air filter support frame is disposed adjacent to said air return aperture and is supported above a water deflector cover, said frame being adapted to retain an air filter adjacent to said air return aperture, said filter being removable by movement of said water deflector cover.

44. The top wall assembly of claim 41, wherein said top wall assembly is a molded housing, said air distribution channel being formed in said molded housing, said air distribution channel having an inlet end surrounding at least a portion of the impeller of said blower, and two branch channels leading to each of said air injection holes, said air injection holes being elongated slots formed in said top wall member in spaced proximity to each of the opposite side edges for positioning adjacent both side walls of a shower enclosure.

45. The top wall assembly of claim 41, wherein in combination with said hot dry air therapeutic air flow there is further provided: a chromotherapeutic light source for subjecting an individual user to a colored light, a luminotherapeutic light source for subjecting an individual user to a colored light, an ion generating light source for injecting ions in the air stream, and an ozone generator for injecting ozone in the air stream.

46. The top wall assembly of claim 45, wherein there is further provided: at least one colored light source disposed in said top wall member, and controller means for energizing said light source for a desired predetermined period of time to subject the individual user to a chromotherapeutic effect.

47. The top wall assembly of claim 41, wherein there is further provided: at least one high intensity cleaning light source in said top wall member, and controller means for activating said high intensity cleaning light source for a desired predetermined period of time to subject an individual user to a light therapy effect.

48. The top wall assembly of claim 47, wherein two or more halogen light sources are secured in said top wall.

49. The top wall assembly of claim 42, wherein there is further provided: an ion generator in communication with said air distribution passage for injecting ions into said dry heated air stream, and controller means for activating said ion generator for a desired predetermined period of time to subject the individual user to an energizing therapeutic effect.

50. The top wall assembly of claim 49, wherein said ion generator is secured to said air distribution passage between said air blower and said heating device.

51. The top wall assembly of claim 42, wherein there is further provided: an ozone generator in communication with said air distribution passage for injecting ozone into said dry heated air stream, and controller means for activating said ozone generator for a desired predetermined period of time to subject an individual user to a purified dry heated air stream.

52. The top wall assembly of claim 42, wherein there is further provided: a water spray nozzle in said top wall member communicating with the interior of a shower enclosure for injecting a fine mist therein, and controller means for controlling the operation of said water spray for a predetermined period of time.