GB2214425A - Vapour cubicle - Google Patents

Abstract

A cubicle (10) has double-skinned or -layered walls (12), floor (14) and ceiling (16) and a door (18) forming a fully-enclosed enclosure (10a), with an internal boiler (24) having an electric heater element (32). The boiler (24) is thermally insulated so that scalding or burning is prevented. A control unit (40) is mounted externally, back-to-back with the boiler (24). The cubicle (10) may also have a hot-and-cold shower or spray.

Description

VAPOUR CUBICLE This invention relates to a vapour cubicle, meaning a cubicle for occupancy by a person or persons, with means for providing a hot vapour.

It is an object of the invention to provide a vapour cubicle of a design suitable for the domestic market, just as saunas are now available which are suitable for the domestic market. However, it is to be understood that the invention is not intended to be limited to a vapour cubicle for the domestic market alone.

The invention provides a vapour cubicle as claimed in each of the claims, to which reference is directed.

The invention will be described by way of example with reference to the drawings, wherein: Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a preferred vapour cubicle embodying the invention: Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the preferred vapour cubicle; Fig. 3 is a partial plan view and partial section on Ill-Ill of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a front elevation, enlarged, of a boiler assembly inside the cubicle, shown partly sectioned on IV-IV of Fig. 5; Fig. 5 is an end elevation, also enlarged, of the boiler assembly, shown partly sectioned on V-V of Fig. 4; and Fig. 6 is a still further enlarged, exploded, end elevational section of part of the boiler assembly and part of its control unit, showing mountings and inter-connections.

Referring to the drawings, the illustrated vapour cubicle 10 comprises walls 12, a floor 14, a ceiling 16 and a door 18, all of glass fibre-reinforced plastics material, forming a fully-enclosed enclosure 10a for a person (not shown) to occupy.

The walls 12 are formed in two sections 12a, 12b (Figs.

1 to 3) which fit together with a tongue-and-groove interlock along vertical seams 12c and are held together by being located in an annular channel 14a (Fig. 6) in the floor 14 and a corresponding annular channel (not shown) in the ceiling 16.

The floor 14 is in one piece. The channel 14a is intermediate an external rim portion 14b and an internal platform, or floor proper, 14c (Fig. 6).

The ceiling 16 is formed similarly to the floor 14.

Each wall section 12a, 12b is double-layered or double-skinned. Each layer or skin 12d, 12e is formed in the conventional way of glass fibre-reinforced plastics material by layering-up, to have a smooth: side and a rough side, as is usual. Each layer is not flat but has dished portions. After formation, the two layers are brought back-to-back, with their rough sides together, and are joined together, where they touch, in any suitable manner, leaving thermally insulating air spaces between the two layers 12d, 12e where they are not touching but are spaced apart due to the dished portions. The smooth side of the outer layer 12d forms the outside wall surface of the cubicle, whilst the smooth side of the inner layer 12e forms the inside wall surface of the enclosure lOa formed by the cubicle 10.

A seat 20 of glass fibre-reinforced plastics material is fixed to the back wall 12b of the cubicle 10, inside the enclosure 10a.

When occupying the enclosure 10a with the door shut, a person is completely shut-in there (unlike some known "steam-chambers" where the user's head sticks out through an opening to the outside).

For producing hot water vapour in the enclosure 10a, an internal boiler 24 is mounted therein on one wall 12.

The boiler 24 comprises an inner, water-holding, container 26 of plastics, an outer thermally-insulating cover 28 (not shown in Fig. 6), also of plastics, a two-part thermally-insulating lid 30 and an electric heater element 32. The cover 28 is not removable. The lower part 30a of the lid is fixed non-removably to the inner container 26. The upper lid part 30b can be removed. As shown by arrows in Fig. 4, hot water vapour passes from inside the container 26, through an opening 34 in the lower lid part 30a into a cavity 36 between the lid parts 30a, 30b and thence downwardly through a vapour outlet 38 formed between the lid parts 30a, 30b into the cubicle enclosure 10a.When the upper lid part 30b is removed, water can be poured into the container 26 through the opening 34, which is fitted with finger-guard means, not shown, to prevent a person, especially a child, from touching any hot or boiling water in the container 26.

The cover 28 and the upper lid part 30b provide thermal insulation, preventing exposure to accidental touch of any excessively hot surface of the boiler 24, particularly of the container 26 and lower lid part 30a.

An electrical control unit 40 is mounted externally of the enclosure 10a, back-to-back with the boiler 24, for controlling the operation of the boiler. The control unit 40 comprises a thermistor 42 mounted as shown in close proximity to the boiler 24 for sensing the water temperature and connected by electrical leads 44 to solid-state electrical circuitry in the control unit.

This circuitry, shown diagrammatically at 46, controls switching on and off of the heater element 32 in the boiler 24. The circuitry and the heater element 32 may be conventional.

As shown in Fig. 6, an electric socket 50 on a cable 52 plugs into a plug 54 on the boiler 24. Electrical power leads 56 interconnect the plug 54, the circuitry 46 and the heater element 32 via connectors 54a, 54b. The leads 44 interconnect the thermistor 42 and the circuitry 46 via connectors 56a, 56b.

A conventional mounting boss 58 of the heater element 32 extends through an aperture in the water container 26 and through a corresponding aperture in a mounting bracket 60, by means of which the container 26 is mounted on the wall 12. Water-tightness is maintained by means of a first elastomeric O-ring seal 62 inside the aperture of the bracket 60, compressed between the wall of the container 26 and the inner layer 12e of the wall 12. A collar nut 64 with a washer 66 screws onto the mounting boss 58, water-tightness being further enhanced by a second elastomeric O-ring seal 68, compressed between the washer 66 and the outer layer 12d of the wall 12. The second O-ring seal 68 is sufficiently yielding to fit around the leads 44 connecting the thermistor 42 of the circuitry 46.

The control unit 40 comprises a cover 70, secured in place conventionally by a fixing bolt 72 with a cap 74.

The circuitry 46, comprising a circuit board and components, not individually shown, is mounted on a base 76 which is supported by spacers 78 on the cover 70.

Although not shown, the cubicle 10 preferably includes a hot-and-cold mixer spray or shower, preferably thermostatically controlled, of conventional type.

To use the cubicle, the boiler 24 is filled with water, the upper lid part 30b (removed for the filling) is replaced, and the boiler 24 is switched on by means of an external electric switch, not shown. The water boils and produces vapour in the enclosure 10a. A person may wait until the vapour has been produced before entering the cubicle, if the person wishes, or may take a shower in the cubicle while waiting for the water to boil.

Because the boiler 24 is thermally insulated by the air spaces between the water container 26 and the cover 28 and between the two lid parts 30a, 30b, the occupant is protected form scalding or burning.

Claims (10)

Claims

1. A vapour cubicle comprising walls, a floor, a ceiling and a door forming an enclosure for at least one person to occupy, and means for providing a hot vapour in the enclosure, said means comprising a boiler mounted inside the enclosure, the boiler being able to be at least partly filled with water and having an electric heater element in it, to produce the vapour, said means also comprising an electrical control unit mounted outside the enclosure and connected electrically b the heater element, the boiler being thermally insulated to shield the person from touching any excessively hot surface of the boiler, the boiler having a vapour outlet into the enclosure.

2. A cubicle as claimed in claim 1 and also comprising a shower device.

3. A cubicle as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein the boiler comprises a casing of plastics material.

4. A cubicle as claimed in claim 3 wherein the casing encases a water container with air space between the casing and the water container.

5. A cubicle as claimed in any preceding claim wherein an inlet into the boiler for at least partly filling it with water is within the enclosure.

6. A cubicle as claimed in claim 5 wherein the boiler has a lid which is removable for filling of the boiler with water via said inlet.

7. A cubicle as claimed in claim 5 or 6 wherein the inlet for water into the boiler is provided with finger-guard means.

8. A cubicle as claimed in any preceding claim wherein at least one said wall is of double-skinned plastics material with at least one cavity between the skins.

9. A cubicle as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the walls interconnect interlockingly with each other.

10. A cubicle as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the boiler and the control unit are mounted back-to-back in relation to each other on a said wall.