Walk-in bathtub with water-proof door and sealing mechanism

Abstract

A walk-in bathtub has an outward swinging door mounted on a door jamb. The door is provided with a latching mechanism that includes an extendible latching pin for receipt within a latch receiver in the door jamb. The latching pin has a contoured face for guiding the latching pin into the latch receiver, and for drawing the door close to the door jamb to compress a gasket provided between the door and the door jamb. A push button lock selectively locks the latching mechanism in the latched position.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A walk-in bathtub comprising:
 a bathtub frame including an interior tub portion;   a door jamb within the frame, the door jamb defining an opening through the frame to the tub portion, the door jamb having a pin receiving passageway;   a door hingedly attached to the jamb for adjustment between an open position wherein the door is swung outwardly away from the tub portion to allow access to the tub portion through the opening and a closed position wherein the door blocks the opening;   a gasket disposed between the door and the doorjamb;   a handle pivotally mounted to an upper portion of the door at a first pivot member, the handle having a grip portion located above the first pivot member and a lower portion located below the first pivot member, the handle movable between a latching position wherein the grip portion is located on a first side of the first pivot member and an unlatched position wherein the grip portion is rotated to a second side of the first pivot member, the handle having an over center position when the grip portion is located directly above first pivot member, and further wherein gravity tends to urge the handle towards the latched position when the grip portion is on the first side of the over center position and gravity tends to urge the handle towards the unlatched position when the grip portion is on the second side of the over center position;   a pivoting bar pivotally mounted to the door at a second pivot member, the second pivot member being below the first pivot member, the pivoting bar having an upper portion located above the second pivot member and a lower portion located below the second pivot member, the upper portion of the pivoting bar being pivotally and slidably connected to the lower portion of the handle by a slot and a connection member that slides and pivots within the slot;   a linkage member having a first end portion pivotally connected to the lower portion of the pivoting bar by a third pivot member and a second end portion opposite from the first end portion; and   a latching pin pivotally connected to the second end portion of the linkage member, the latching pin being in alignment with the pin receiving passageway when the door is in the closed position, whereby when the door is in the closed position, adjustment of the handle to the latching position extends the latching pin beyond the door into the pin receiving passageway, and adjustment of the handle to the unlatched position retracts the latching pin out of the pin receiving passageway.   
     
     
         2 . The walk-in bathtub of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a flange mounted to the handle, a first portion of the flange contacting the upper portion of the door when the handle is in the latching position to prevent the handle from moving past the latching position, a second portion of the flange contacting the upper portion of the door when the handle is in the unlatching position to prevent the handle from moving past the unlatching position.   
     
     
         3 . The walk-in bathtub of  claim 2 , wherein the first portion of the flange contacts a downward facing surface of the upper portion of the door when the handle is in the latching position. 
     
     
         4 . The walk-in bathtub of  claim 3 , further comprising a locking member mounted to the upper portion of the door below the downward facing surface and close enough to the first pivot member to selectively capture the first portion of the flange between the downward facing surface of the upper portion of the door and the locking member when the handle is in the latching position. 
     
     
         5 . The walk-in bathtub of  claim 4 , wherein the locking member is provided on a locking mechanism with a push button located on an exterior surface of the door, the push button toggling the locking member between an extended locking position and a retracted position that does not interfere with rotation of the handle. 
     
     
         6 . The walk-in bathtub of  claim 1 , wherein the latching pin has a tapered face that engages the pin receiving passageway as the handle is adjusted towards the latching position when the door is near the closed position to draw the door towards the door jamb and compress the gasket between the door and the doorjamb. 
     
     
         7 . The walk-in bathtub of  claim 1 , wherein the door jamb includes a U-shaped bottom portion between two uprights; and wherein the bottom portion has a generally upwardly facing surface. 
     
     
         8 . The walk-in bathtub of  claim 7 , wherein the upwardly facing surface of the bottom portion of the door jamb has a drain hole formed therein, and wherein a nipple is provided at the drain hole, the nipple being adapted for connection to a drainage tube. 
     
     
         9 . A walk-in bathtub comprising:
 a bathtub frame including an interior tub portion;   a door jamb within the frame, the door jamb defining an opening through the frame to the tub portion, the door jamb having a pin receiving passageway;   a door hingedly attached to the jamb for adjustment between an open position wherein the door is swung outwardly away from the tub portion to allow access to the tub portion through the opening and a closed position wherein the door blocks the opening;   a gasket disposed between the door and the doorjamb;   a handle pivotally mounted to an upper portion of the door at a first pivot member, the handle having a grip portion located above the first pivot member and a lower portion located below the first pivot member, the handle movable between a latching position wherein the grip portion is located on a first side of the first pivot member and an unlatched position wherein the grip portion is rotated to a second side of the first pivot member, the handle having an over center position when the grip portion is located directly above the first pivot member, and further wherein gravity tends to urge the handle towards the latched position when the grip portion is on the first side of the over center position and gravity tends to urge the handle towards the unlatched position when the grip portion is on the second side of the over center position;   a linkage assembly connecting the lower portion of the handle to a latching pin, the latching pin being in alignment with the pin receiving passageway when the door is in the closed position, whereby when the door is in the closed position, adjustment of the handle to the latching position extends the latching pin beyond the door into the pin receiving passageway, and adjustment of the handle to the unlatched position retracts the latching pin out of the pin receiving passageway.   
     
     
         10 . The walk-in bathtub of  claim 9 , wherein the linkage assembly comprises:
 a pivoting bar pivotally mounted to the door at a second pivot member, the second pivot member being below the first pivot member, the pivoting bar having an upper portion located above the second pivot member and a lower portion located below the second pivot member, the upper portion of the pivoting bar being pivotally and slidably connected to the lower portion of the handle by a slot and a connection member that slides and pivots within the slot; and   a linkage member having a first end portion pivotally connected to the lower portion of the pivoting bar by a third pivot member and a second end portion opposite from the first end portion, the second end portion of the linkage member being connected to the latching pin.   
     
     
         11 . The walk-in bathtub of  claim 9 , further comprising:
 a flange mounted to the handle, a first portion of the flange contacting the upper portion of the door when the handle is in the latching position to prevent the handle from moving past the latching position.   
     
     
         12 . The walk-in bathtub of  claim 11 , wherein first portion of the flange contacts a downward facing surface of the upper portion of the door when the handle is in the latching position. 
     
     
         13 . The walk-in bathtub of  claim 12 , further comprising a locking member mounted to the upper portion of the door below the downward facing surface and close enough to the first pivot member to selectively capture the first portion of the flange between the downward facing surface of the upper portion of the door and the locking member when the handle is in the latching position. 
     
     
         14 . The walk-in bathtub of  claim 13 , wherein the locking member is provided on a locking mechanism with a push button located on an exterior surface of the door, the push button toggling the locking member between an extended locking position and a retracted position that does not interfere with rotation of the handle. 
     
     
         15 . The walk-in bathtub of  claim 9 , wherein the latching pin has a tapered face that engages the pin receiving passageway as the handle is adjusted towards the latching position when the door is near the closed position to draw the door towards the door jamb and compress the gasket between the door and the doorjamb. 
     
     
         16 . A walk-in bathtub comprising:
 a bathtub frame;   a door hingedly attached to the bathtub frame for rotation around a hinge between an open position and a closed position; and   a movable handle mounted on the door adjustable between a latching position and an unlatching position and operably connected to a latching pin to selectively extend the latching pin when in the latching position and retract the latching pin when in the unlatching position, and wherein the movable handle has an over center position between the latching position to the unlatching position such that gravity urges the handle away from the over center position and towards the latching position and towards the unlatching position.   
     
     
         17 . The walk-in bathtub of  claim 16 , further comprising:
 a door jamb within the threshold, the door jamb having a pin receiving passageway; and   a gasket disposed between the door and the doorjamb; and   a tapered face on the latching pin that engages the pin receiving passageway as the handle is adjusted towards the latching position when the door is near the closed position to draw the door towards the door jamb and compress the gasket between the door and door jamb.   
     
     
         18 . The walk-in bathtub of  claim 16 , wherein:
 the movable handle is pivotally mounted to an upper portion of the door at a first pivot member, the movable handle having a grip portion above the first pivot member and a lower portion below the first pivot member; and   the walk-in bathtub further comprises a linkage assembly connecting the lower portion of the handle to the latching pin, the latching pin being in alignment with the pin receiving passageway when the door is in the closed position, whereby when the door is in the closed position, adjustment of the handle to the latching position extends the latching pin beyond the door into the pin receiving passageway, and adjustment of the handle to the unlatched position retracts the latching pin out of the pin receiving passageway.   
     
     
         19 . The walk-in bathtub of  claim 18 , wherein the linkage assembly comprises:
 a pivoting bar pivotally mounted to the door at a second pivot member, the second pivot member being below the first pivot member, the pivoting bar having an upper portion located above the second pivot member and a lower portion located below the second pivot member, the upper portion of the pivoting bar being pivotally and slidably connected to the lower portion of the handle by a slot and a connection member that slides and pivots within the slot; and   a linkage member having a first end portion pivotally connected to the lower portion of the pivoting bar by a third pivot member and a second end portion opposite from the first end portion, the second end portion of the linkage member being connected to the latching pin.   
     
     
         20 . The walk-in bathtub of  claim 19 , further comprising:
 a flange mounted to the handle at the first pivot member, a first portion of the flange contacting a downward facing surface of the door when the handle is in the latching position to prevent the handle from moving past the latching position;   a locking member mounted to the upper portion of the door below the downward facing surface and close enough to the first pivot member to selectively capture the first portion of the flange between the downward facing surface of the upper portion of the door and the locking member when the handle is in the latching position; and   a locking mechanism with a push button located on an exterior surface of the door, the push button toggling the locking member between an extended locking position and a retracted position that does not interfere with rotation of the handle.