US3394412A - Heat bath apparatus - Google Patents

Description

T. oLssr-:Nf

July 30, 1968 HEAT BATH APP ARATUS 5 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR T00* 0/55917 ATTORNEYS July 30, 1968 T. oLssEN HEAT BATH APPARATUS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 8, 1965 INVENTOR Mew@ ATTORNEYS T. OLSSEN HEAT BATH APPARATUS July 30, 1968 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Nov. 8, 1965 INVENR 753' /sssn ATTORNEYS United States Patent O 3,394,412 HEAT BATH APPARATUS TorOlssn, Enkoping, Sweden, assignor, by mesne asslgnments, to Viking Sauna Company, a partnership Filed Nov. 8, 1965, Ser. No. 506,798

Claims priority, application Sweden, Sept. 3, 1965,

Claims. (Cl. 4-160) ABSTRACT 0F THE DISCLOSURE A sauna bath unit with an electrical heater mounted in a vertical plane in a rectangular recess of the door. The heater is characterized by a vertically mounted sheet-metal flat rectangular inner housing surrounding the heating elements contained therein and spaced from the walls thereof. The heater is fully open at the top and is further enclosed by yan outer housing which is -spaced from the inner housing to maintain an annular space therebetween in direct communication with the atmosphere surrounding the Iassociated room by way of lower port means whereby the air in the interior of the room circulates by convection past the -heating elements to heat said room.

The present invention relates to a heat sauna and especially an apparatus for generating warm air in a heat room of limited volume.

The present invention generally comprises a heating element, an inner jacket surrounding the heating element, and an outer jacket surrounding the inner jacket in spaced relationship. The inner jacket is open at its upper end and on the front wall near its lower end and is in direct communication with the heat suana room. The outer jacket is open on the front wall near it-s upper andlower ends to communicate with the heat room and is also provided with means at its lower end, providing direct communication with the outer atmosphere.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for generating heat in a heat sauna room of relatively small volume which does not reduce the available space within the room.

Another object of the invention is to provide a heatgenerating device which the user of the room can contact without the danger of injury due to burns.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus which will enable the maintenance of the desired air humidity in a heat sauna room.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a heat-generating device which may be readily and economically produced.

According to the lpresent invention, the 4above objects are achieved by situating the inventive heat-generating apparatus in the door of the heat room. The annular space between the two jackets of the apparatus is placed in direct communication with the atmosphere surrounding the heat room. An access port is located in such a way that the surrounding atmosphere is caused to flow through the annular space into the heat room and to thereby cool the outer jacket. Further, in the upper and lower portions of the annular space, the atmospheric air is caused to be mixed with the -air flowing from the heat room through the inner jacket so that the maintenance of the desired air humidity in the heat room is ensured.

The means for accomplishing the foregoing objects and other advantages, which will be yapparent to those skilled in the art, are set forth in the following specification and claims and .are illustrated in the accompanying drawings dealing with a basic embodiment of the present invention. Reference is made now to the drawings in which:

3,394,412 Patented July 30, 1968 ICC FIG. 1 shows an exterior view of a heat room fitted with the present invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates the heat room with the door open revealing the inventive apparatus; and

FIG. 3 shows the inventive heat apparatus in perspective View and partly in section.

Referring to the drawings, a heat sauna room 1 is constructed of a permanent or a suitably portable cabinet provided with a door 2 and shelves 3. As is more readily apparent in FIG. 2, the inventive heat-generating apparatus is mounted in the lower portion of the door 2. The inventive apparatus is shown in further detail in FIG. 3.

The inventive heat apparatus generally comprises an electrical heater element 9 contained within an inner jacket 4. The inner jacket is of a generally rectangular cross section and has, adjacent its lower end, an inlet opening 5 while the upper end is completely open.

An outer jacket 6 is so situated as to surround the inner jacket while being spaced therefrom. The .outer jacket has on the interior side lower and upper openings 7 and 8, respectively, which may lbe suit-ably covered with grids or the like. The dimensions of the outer jacket` 6 determine the size of the apparatus and are chosen sov that a major portion of the apparatus will be accommodated within the thickness of the door 2.

When the apparatus is mounted in the door, the electrical heating element 9 will heat the air in the heat room by convection with the air flowing from the room, through the openings 7 and 5, upwards through the inner jacket past the heating element and back to the room through the upper opening 8.

As seen in FIGS. 1 and 3 the outer jacket 6 has adjacent the lower end on the side opposite the opening 7 at least one port 10 which is in direct communication with the outer atmosphere. When the apparatus is mounted in the door, the ports 1t) open on the outer side as may be seen in FIG. 1. By virtue of the above-described arrangement of the outer ports 10, the cool outer air will flow into and through the annular space between the jackets 4 and 6 thereby cooling the outer jacket 6 and preventing excessive heating of the door material surrounding the apparatus. The bather will thus be insured against burns from accidental contact with the portion of the apparatus which is exposed on the inside of the door.

The air supplied through the ports 10 is mixed with the air entering from the heat room particularly at the opening 8 wherethe warmed air flows back into the room after passing through the inner jacket. The humidity of the air can be maintained at a desired value by controlling the mixture of air by any suitable means such as controlling the opening of port 10 or controllable flap means in opening 8. A further humidity control such as adjustable port 11 in the upper portion of the door 2 may be provided to place the room in communication with the ambient air. By controlling the passage of air through the port, the bather himself may control the air humidity to some extent.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiment is therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore to be embraced therein.

1. A sauna comprising in combination a room,

a door leading into said room and having inner and outer sides with a generally rectangular recess on said means .leading through said door near the top thereof well above said recess,

' a heater mounted'in said recess and comprising,

l :1L-rear wan, imperforafsid walls 'joiniiigthe fi-ofii and rear walls, a closed imperforate bottom wall and fully 'Openat the tO'p; m an outer vertically mounted sheet metal housing for lling a said recess and projecting therefrom, surrounding said inner housing and spaced therefrom an electrical heating element mounted in a vertical to denne a verticallyextending annular space thereplane, j between, said outer housing having` a rear'lwall that a vertically mounted sheet-metal flat rectangular inner is'rimpe'rforatet except for lower opening. means, im-

housing surrounding said heating element and spaced 'perforate side and ,botto-m walls anda front wall therefrom and having a front wall facing the room, having alower grille portion -at the' bottom and an an imperforate rear wall facing away from the room, upper grille portion at the top, said top wall being imperforate side walls joining the front and rear imperforate asto the portion in said recess and havwalls, a closed imperforate bottom wall, and fully ing a grille portion outside said recess, open at the top, said inner housing having an opening in its front wall an outer vertically mounted sheet metal housing filling facing' said lower grille and having its open top adsaid recess and projecting into said room therefrom jacent the lowervextremity of said upper grille, said and surrounding said inner housing and spaced thereinner housing having an inclined baille integral with from to define a vertically extending annular space `said rear wall extending at an angle over said open therebetween, said outer housing having a rear wall top toward the corner edge 'where said upper grille vthat is imperforate except for openings aligned with meets the grille portion of the tOp Wall Of the Outer said lower port means, imperforate side and bottom housing, t

walls, and a `front wall having a lower grille portion the annular space between said housings being adapted at the bottom and an upper grille portion at the top, y for direct, communication with the atmosphere surf said top wall being imperforate as to the portion in rOllnding the Sauna rOOInihfOuL'h Said IOWCI Opensaid'recess and having a grille portion outside said ing means, "recess and in said room where said door is closed, said heater circulating the air in the interior of said said inner housing having an opening in its from wall room by convection through said lower grille, said facing and one the same level as said lower grille and v inner housing PaSt Said hiaiing elements and through having its open top adjacent the lower extremity of Said Outer grille t0 heat Said rOOm. said upper grille, said inner housing having an in- 4. The heater of claim 3 havingV means for controlling clined bafe integral with said rear wall extending at the amount 0f aii Passing through Said annular SPaC- j an angle over said open top toward the corner edge 5. The heater of claim 3 having means for controlling where said upper grille meets the grille portion of theheating of the air in said heater, including means for the top wall of the outer housing, controlling said heating element and means for controlthe flat annular space between said housings being in ling the iiOW 0f air through Said inner llOuSing, Said tWO direct communication with the atmosphere surround- Ineans for Controlling being adjustable boul individually ing vthe room through said lower port means, and in Combination. the air in the interior of said room circulating by convection through said lower grille, said inner housing 40 past said heating element and through said outer grille to heat said room,

References Cited UNITED STATESv PATENTS Y 4Said all fIOm4 the SurIOunding atmosphere passing 2,450,561 10/1948 Ria 219--366 through said lower port means into the space be- 2,552,837 5/ 1951 Blazer 219-3'66 tween said housing rear walls and through said grille 2,590,336 3/ 1952 Mast 219-3 67 portion of said outer housings top wah into the in- 2,606,992 8/1952 MacDonald 219;-367 terior of said room, said air from the atmosphere 2,815,431 12/ 1957 Paley 219-366 cooling said outer housings rear wall and Side Walls, 2,914,648 11/ 1959 Allander 219-367 said upper port means freeing said room from excess Y 2,995,644 8/ 1961 Zellers 219--368 pressure. 3,271,786 9/1966` Joy 4-160 2. A sauna according 'to claim 1 wherein said upper l FOREIGN PATENTS port means 1s adjustable 1n area.

3. A sauna heater for mounting in a recess in a wall 414,475 8/1934 Great Britainor door of a sauna room, comprising: 884,956 12/1961 Great BritainanA electrical heating element mounted in a vertical 732713 4/1966 Canada' plane, 1,149,493 3/ 1963 Germany.

a vertically mounted sheet-metal flat rectangular inner housing surrounding said heating element and spaced therefrom and having a front wall, an imperforate LAVERNE D. GEIGER, Primm Examiner. `H. K, ARTIS, Assistant Examiner,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE 0F CORRECTION Patent No 3 ,394 ,412 July 30 1968 Tor Olssen It is certified that error appears :In the above identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column l, lines 27, Z8, 35, 37, 4l, second occurrence, 49, 55 58 60 63 and 65 and column 2 lines l 3 5 7 14, 28

and 47, cancel "heat", each occurrence. Column second occurrence, 3 line 27 "where" should read when line 29 0ne" should read on Signed and sealed this 24th day of February 1970.

(SEAL) Attest:

WILLIAM E. SCHUYLER, JR.

Commissioner of Patents Edward M. Fletcher, Jr.

Attesting Officer

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