JP7681471B2 - Bath lid - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to a bathtub cover.

Patent Document 1 discloses a conventional bathtub cover. This bathtub cover is plate-shaped and is placed on the top of the bathtub so that it can be easily attached and detached to cover the opening of the bathtub. This bathtub cover has a handle with a recess on the outer periphery. The handle can be used to attach and detach the bathtub cover.

An outer edge covering member is attached to the outer periphery of the bathtub cover in Patent Document 1. The outer edge covering member has a different shape for the handle portion and the portion other than the handle portion.

JP 2013-70829 A

In Patent Document 1, an outer edge covering member is attached to the outer periphery of the bathtub lid. The outer edge covering member has a different shape for the handle portion and the portion other than the handle portion. Therefore, in the case of the bathtub lid in Patent Document 1, two types of outer edge covering members with different shapes are required.

For the bath lid in Patent Document 1, it is also possible to attach an outer edge covering member with groove-shaped recesses for handles formed around the entire outer circumference. In this case, however, when multiple bath lids are butted together for use, the recesses of each bath lid may interlock and get caught, and when one is lifted to attach or remove it, the other may also lift up, resulting in a so-called "co-lifting" problem. It is difficult to say that such bath lids are easy to handle.

This disclosure was made in consideration of the above-mentioned conventional situation, and aims to provide a bathtub cover that is easy to handle.

The bathtub cover of the present disclosure is a plate-shaped bathtub cover that, when placed on a bathtub, has a first surface extending downward from the upper edge of the outer circumferential surface, a second surface extending upward from the lower edge of the outer circumferential surface, and a recess provided between the first surface and the second surface, and the vertical length of the recess is smaller than the vertical length of the second surface.

A plan view showing the bath cover of embodiment 1 placed on a bathtub. An enlarged cross-sectional view showing a main part of the bath cover of embodiment 1. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a coating material according to a first embodiment. This is a diagram for explaining the function of the bath cover of embodiment 1, and shows a schematic diagram of the state in which the outer peripheral surfaces of two bath covers are in contact with each other when placed on a bathtub. This is a diagram for explaining the operation of the bath lid of embodiment 1, and shows diagrammatically the state in which one of the bath lids is lifted from the state shown in Figure 4.

<Embodiment 1>
The bathtub cover 1 of embodiment 1 is placed on the bathtub 100 as shown in Figure 1. When viewed from above in a plan view, the bathtub 100 has a rectangular shape that is long in one direction. The bathtub cover 1 is a plate-like shape that is rectangular in plan view and smaller than the rectangular shape of the bathtub 100. Two bathtub covers 1 are placed side by side in the longitudinal direction of the bathtub 100. The two bathtub covers 1 are placed side by side on the bathtub 100 with one side of each of their outer circumferential surfaces 2 butted against each other, and can cover the top opening of the bathtub 100.

In the following description, the up and down directions of the bath cover 1 are defined as the directions when it is placed on the bathtub 100. The Z axis shown in each figure represents the up and down direction. The positive direction on the Z axis is upward.

As shown in FIG. 2, the bath lid 1 has a lid body 10 and a covering material 20. The lid body 10 has a plate-shaped core material 11 that is rectangular in plan view, and a surface material 12 that is provided on both sides of the core material 11 in the thickness direction. The core material 11 is made of expanded resin such as expanded polystyrene, and functions as a heat-insulating material. The core material 11 is about 14 mm thick. The surface material 12 is a thin plate of fiber-reinforced resin (FRP) in which glass fibers are impregnated with synthetic resin. A sheet material (not shown), such as a polypropylene sheet, is attached to the surface of the surface material 12 as a protective film. The surface material 12 has a thickness of about 0.5 mm overall. The thickness of the entire lid body 10 is about 15 mm.

The covering material 20 covers the outer peripheral edge of the lid body 10. The covering material 20 forms the outer peripheral surface 2 of the bath lid 1. The covering material 20 is made of an elastic resin material such as an olefin-based elastomer. The covering material 20 is formed by extrusion molding and has a uniform cross-sectional shape in the longitudinal direction. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the covering material 20 is provided around the entire outer periphery of the lid body 10. The covering material 20 has a first surface 21, a second surface 22, a recess 23, a plate surface covering portion 24, and a fitting portion 25.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the first surface 21 constitutes the upper end of the outer peripheral surface 2 of the bathtub lid 1. The second surface 22 constitutes the lower end of the outer peripheral surface 2 of the bathtub lid 1. The recess 23 is provided between the first surface 21 and the second surface 22. The recess 23 is formed by being recessed inward from the first surface 21 and the second surface 22 in a cross-sectionally concave shape.

The first surface 21 is the entire surface of the outer peripheral surface 2 of the bath lid 1 that faces outward above the recess 23. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the first surface 21 has a flat surface 21A. At the lower end of the flat surface 21A, the first curved surface 21B is formed, which smoothly connects to the inner surface of the recess 23 in an R-chamfered shape. At the upper end of the flat surface 21A, the second curved surface 21C is formed, which smoothly connects to the upper surface of the upper plate surface covering portion 24 in an R-chamfered shape. The radius of curvature of the second curved surface 21C is set to be larger than the radius of curvature of the first curved surface 21B.

The second surface 22 is the entire surface of the outer peripheral surface 2 of the bath lid 1 facing outward below the recess 23. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the second surface 22 has a flat surface 22A. On the second surface 22, a first curved surface 22B is formed at the upper end of the flat surface 22A, which smoothly connects to the inner surface of the recess 23 in an R-chamfered shape. On the upper end of the flat surface 22A, a second curved surface 22C is formed at the upper end of the flat surface 22A, which smoothly connects to the lower surface of the lower plate surface covering portion 24 in an R-chamfered shape. The radius of curvature of the second curved surface 22C is set to be larger than the radius of curvature of the first curved surface 22B.

In this embodiment, the first surface 21 and the second surface 22 are formed symmetrically in the vertical direction with the recess 23 in between. In detail, the plane 21A of the first surface 21 and the plane 22A of the second surface 22 are arranged on the same vertical plane. In other words, the plane 21A and the plane 22A are each a surface along the vertical direction. The plane 21A of the first surface 21 and the plane 22A of the second surface 22 have the same length in the vertical direction. The first curved surface 21B of the first surface 21 and the first curved surface 22B of the second surface 22 are formed with the same curvature. Similarly, the second curved surface 21C of the first surface 21 and the second curved surface 22C of the second surface 22 are formed with the same curvature.

2 and 3, a pair of plate surface covering parts 24 are provided on the top and bottom. The pair of plate surface covering parts 24 respectively cover the upper and lower surfaces of the outer peripheral edge part of the lid body 10 so as to sandwich them. The upper plate surface covering part 24 extends from the upper end of the first surface 21 toward the inside of the bath lid 1. The lower plate surface covering part 24 extends from the lower end of the second surface 22 toward the inside of the bath lid 1. The fitting part 25 protrudes inward from the covering material 20. A pair of fitting parts 25 are provided on the top and bottom. The pair of fitting parts 25 are formed so as to protrude inward from the inside of the first surface 21 and the second surface 22 toward the inside of the bath lid 1. The fitting part 25 fits into the fitting recess 13 formed on the end surface of the lid body 10 to ensure the connection strength between the covering material 20 and the lid body 10.

As shown in FIG. 3, the covering material 20 has an overall vertical length of L. Specifically, the vertical length L of the covering material 20 is set to approximately 17.5 mm. This length L corresponds to the vertical width of the outer peripheral edge of the bath lid 1. In other words, in this embodiment, the bath lid 1 is a thin plate with a maximum thickness of 17.5 mm.

As shown in FIG. 3, the covering material 20 has the vertical lengths L1, L2, and L3 set for the first surface 21, the second surface 22, and the recess 23, respectively. The vertical length L3 of the recess 23 is set to be smaller than the vertical lengths L1 and L2 of the first surface 21 and the second surface 22, respectively.

In this embodiment, the cross-sectional shape of the covering material 20 is symmetrical in the vertical direction across the recess 23. The vertical length L1 of the first surface 21 and the vertical length L2 of the second surface 22 are set equal, with L1 = L2. Specifically, in this embodiment, the vertical length L1 of the first surface 21 and the vertical length L2 of the second surface 22 are each approximately 6.25 mm.

As shown in FIG. 3, the recess 23 has an inner surface 23A and a rear surface 23B. The inner surface 23A is a surface that extends in the depth direction of the recess 23. A pair of inner surfaces 23A are formed facing each other vertically. Each of the pair of inner surfaces 23A is a flat surface that extends horizontally and is perpendicular to the flat surface 21A of the first surface 21, which is a vertical surface, and the flat surface 22A of the second surface 22. The rear surface 23B is a surface that extends vertically so as to connect the rear ends of the pair of inner surfaces 23A. The rear surface 23B forms a gently concave curved surface that has an arc-shaped cross section.

3, the recess 23 has an opening side corner 23C and a back side corner 23D. The opening side corner 23C is located between the first surface 21 and the second surface 22 and a pair of inner surfaces 23A in the recess 23. That is, the opening side corner 23C is a portion where the first curved surface 21B in the first surface 21 and the first curved surface 22B in the second surface 22 are formed. The opening side corner 23C is formed in a so-called R-chamfered shape and forms a convex curved surface. The curvature radius R1 of the opening side corner 23C is set to a relatively small value of about 0.2 mm. The back side corner 23D is located between the upper and lower ends of the back surface 23B in the recess 23 and a pair of inner surfaces 23A. The back side corner 23D forms a concave curved surface. The curvature radius R2 of the back side corner 23D is set to a relatively large value of about 1.0 mm.

The recess 23 is formed in a groove shape with a depth D. As described above, the recess 23 has a vertical length L3, which is smaller than the vertical lengths L1, L2 of the first surface 21 and the second surface 22. Specifically, in this embodiment, the vertical length L3 of the recess 23 is approximately 5.0 mm. The depth D of the recess 23 is smaller than the vertical length L3 and is set to approximately 2.5 mm.

The function of the bath lid 1 configured as above will be explained. When the two bath lids 1 are placed on the bathtub 100, their outer peripheral surfaces 2 are butted against each other as shown in FIG. 4. At this time, the first and second surfaces 21 and 22 of each bath lid 1 are in contact with each other, thereby closing the top opening of the bathtub 100. In this way, the bath lid 1 keeps the inside of the bathtub 100 warm. The bath lid 1 has the same vertical lengths L1, L2 of the first and second surfaces 21 and 22, and is symmetrical in the vertical direction. Therefore, the user of the bath lid 1 can place the bath lid 1 on the bathtub 100 without worrying about the front and back directions.

When removing the bath cover 1 from the bathtub 100, the user of the bath cover 1 places their fingers on the outer peripheral surface 2 of the bath cover 1 other than the butt surface, for example, the outer peripheral surface 2 on the front side as seen from the user. At this time, the user places the tips of their fingers in the recess 23. The opening side corner 23C of the recess 23 is formed with a relatively small radius of curvature R1 of 0.2 mm. Therefore, the user's fingers can be conveniently placed on the recess 23, and the bath cover 1 can be easily lifted.

At this time, the user's fingers placed on the outer surface 2 of the bath lid 1 are likely to bite into the recess 23 because the vertical length L3 of the recess 23 is relatively small, about 5.0 mm. The radius of curvature R1 of the opening side corner 23C of the recess 23 is 0.2 mm, and the inner surface 23A continuing from the opening side corner 23C is perpendicular to the plane 21A of the first surface 21 and the plane 22A of the second surface 22. Therefore, the entire pad of the user's finger is preferably inserted inward and is preferably placed on the opening side corner 23C and the inner surface 23A. Therefore, the bath lid 1 can be lifted very easily. The bath lid 1 is thin with an overall thickness of 17.5 mm, yet easy to handle.

In the bath lid 1, the vertical length L3 of the recess 23 is 5.0 mm, which is set to be smaller than the vertical lengths L1, L2 of the first surface 21 and the second surface 22, which are 6.25 mm. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, when the bath lid 1 is lifted by an operator, the unevenness formed by the first surface 21, the second surface 22, and the recess 23 on the outer peripheral surface 2 does not get caught on other bath lids 1 that are butted against this bath lid 1 on the bathtub 100. Therefore, the bath lids 1 do not rise together, and can be easily lifted individually.

The depth D of the recess 23 is 2.5 mm. In the bath lid 1, this depth D is sufficient for finger placement, while also allowing for ease of cleaning inside the recess 23 and ease of molding the recess 23.

When used in a bathroom, the bathtub cover 1 is expected to have water seep into the recess 23. The recess 23 is formed by curving the rear corner 23D. The radius of curvature R2 of this rear corner 23D is set to a relatively large value of approximately 1.0 mm. Therefore, even if water seeps into the recess 23, the bathtub cover 1 is prevented from accumulating at the rear corner 23D.

As described above, the bath lid 1 of embodiment 1 is a plate-shaped bath lid and includes a first surface 21, a second surface 22, and a recess 23. The first surface 21 extends downward from the upper edge of the outer peripheral surface 2 of the bath lid 1. The second surface 22 extends upward from the lower edge of the outer peripheral surface 2 of the bath lid 1. The recess 23 is provided between the first surface 21 and the second surface 22. The vertical length L3 of the recess 23 is smaller than the vertical lengths L1, L2 of the first surface 21 and the second surface 22. With this configuration, the bath lid 1 can be easily handled.

For example, assume that the vertical length of the recess is greater than the vertical length of the first and second surfaces. In this case, when the outer circumferential surfaces of the two bath covers are butted against each other, there is a risk that the unevenness formed by the first surface, the second surface, and the recess may interlock with each other. When trying to lift one bath cover with the outer circumferential surfaces of the two bath covers interlocked in this way, the other bath cover will also be lifted, making it difficult to use. In contrast, in the bath cover 1 of embodiment 1, when the outer circumferential surfaces 2 of the two bath covers 1 are butted against each other, the vertical length L3 of the recess 23 is smaller than the vertical lengths L1 and L2 of the first and second surfaces 21 and 22, so that the bath covers cannot interlock with each other and do not get caught. Therefore, the bath covers 1 can be reliably lifted one by one without causing them to rise together. As a result, the bath covers 1 can be easily handled.

In the bathtub lid 1, the vertical lengths L1, L2 of the first surface 21 and the second surface 22 are equal. Therefore, the bathtub lid 1 can be used without regard to the vertical direction.

In the bathtub lid 1, the radius of curvature R1 of the opening side corner 23C of the recess 23 is set to 0.2 mm. Therefore, when the fingers are placed on the recess 23 of the bathtub lid 1, the fingers are easy to grip and do not slip. As a result, the bathtub lid 1 can be easily handled.

In bathtub lid 1, the sum of the vertical length L1 of first surface 21, the vertical length L2 of second surface 22, and the vertical length L3 of recess 23, i.e., the vertical length L of covering material 20 constituting the outer peripheral edge, is 17.5 mm. With such a thin bathtub lid, it is generally difficult to lift it by placing your hands on the outer peripheral surface. In contrast, bathtub lid 1, although thin, can be easily handled by placing your fingers in recess 23.

In the bathtub lid 1, the depth D of the recess 23 is 2.5 mm. Therefore, the bathtub lid 1 is easy to clean and easy to manufacture while providing sufficient ease of use for hands and fingers.

In the bathtub cover 1, the rear corner 23D of the recess 23 is curved. This makes it difficult for water to accumulate at the rear of the recess 23, and the bathtub cover 1 can be kept clean.

In the bathtub lid 1, the angle between the plane 21A on the first surface 21 and the plane 22A on the second surface 22 and the inner surface 23A, which is a surface that continues to either the first surface 21 or the second surface 22 and extends toward the back of the recess 23, is a right angle. Therefore, the bathtub lid 1 has good grip when the fingers are placed on the recess 23, making it easy to handle.

<Other embodiments>
The present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above and illustrated in the drawings, and for example, the following embodiments are also included within the technical scope of the present disclosure.

The configuration of the bathtub cover in this disclosure is not limited to the configuration of the above embodiment. For example, the bathtub cover may be integrally formed with the cover body and the covering material, or may be configured with other components.

When the bath lid is configured with a lid body, the configuration, material, etc. of the lid body are not limited to the above embodiment. The lid body can be, for example, a plate material made of hard resin that forms an air layer inside. It is preferable that the lid body has a configuration, material, shape, etc. that have excellent heat retention.

The vertical lengths of the first surface and the second surface may be different. However, even in this case, it is preferable that the vertical lengths of the first surface and the second surface are both set to be greater than the vertical length of the recess.

The first surface and the second surface do not have to have a flat surface. For example, the first surface and the second surface may be formed only with a curved shape that is somewhat curved overall, as long as the heat retention inside the bathtub can be ensured by contact when they are butted together. The first surface and the second surface may be formed only with a flat surface, or may be formed by a combination of one or more flat surfaces and one or more curved surfaces.

The vertical length L3 of the recess is not limited to the above embodiment. The vertical length L3 of the recess can be, for example, in the range of 4.0 mm≦L3≦5.5 mm, and preferably in the range of 5.0 mm≦L3≦5.2 mm. If the vertical length L3 of the recess is within this range, it is possible to realize sufficient ease of hanging the fingers.

The radius of curvature R1 of the opening side corner of the recess is not limited to the above embodiment. The radius of curvature R1 of the opening side corner can be, for example, in the range of 0.2 mm ≦ R1 ≦ 0.4 mm, and preferably in the range of 0.2 mm ≦ R1 ≦ 0.3 mm. If the radius of curvature R1 of the opening side corner is within this range, it is possible to realize sufficient ease of hanging the fingers.

The size of the radius of curvature R2 of the rear corner of the recess is not limited to the above embodiment. The radius of curvature R2 of the rear corner can be, for example, in the range of 1.0 mm ≦ R2 ≦ 2.0 mm, and preferably in the range of 1.0 mm ≦ R2 ≦ 1.5 mm. If the radius of curvature R2 of the rear corner is within this range, it can sufficiently suppress water retention.

The size of the depth D of the recess is not limited to the above embodiment. The depth D of the recess can be, for example, in the range of 2.0 mm≦D≦3.0 mm, and is preferably in the range of 2.0 mm≦D≦2.5 mm. If the depth D of the recess is within this range, it is possible to realize ease of hanging the fingers while also realizing ease of cleaning and ease of manufacturing.

The vertical length L of the outer peripheral edge of the bath cover is not limited to the above embodiment. The vertical length L of the outer peripheral edge can be, for example, in the range of 17.0 mm≦L≦18.0 mm, and preferably in the range of 17.0 mm≦L≦17.5 mm. If the vertical length L of the outer peripheral edge is within these ranges, a bath cover that is both sufficiently thin and has good heat retention can be realized. In other words, in this disclosure, a thin (thin) bath cover is intended to mean a bath cover with a thickness in the range of 17.0 mm to 18.0 mm.

1...bath cover, 2...outer surface of bath cover, 21...first surface, 22...second surface, 23...recess, 23C...opening side corner, 23D...rear side corner, 100...bathtub, D...depth of recess, R1...radius of curvature of opening side corner, R2...radius of curvature of rear side corner

Claims (7)

A plate-shaped bathtub cover,
When placed in the bathtub,
a first surface extending downward from an upper edge of the outer circumferential surface;
a second surface extending upward from a lower edge of the outer circumferential surface;
a recess provided between the first surface and the second surface;
Equipped with
A vertical length of the recess is smaller than a vertical length of the second surface,
A bathtub lid , wherein the first surface, the second surface, and the recess are provided around the entire outer circumferential surface . The bathtub cover according to claim 1, wherein the first surface and the second surface have the same vertical length. The bath lid according to any one of claims 1 and 2, wherein the radius of curvature of the corner on the opening side of the recess is 0.4 mm or less. The bath lid according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the sum of the vertical length of the first surface, the vertical length of the second surface, and the vertical length of the recess is 18.0 mm or less. The bath lid according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the depth of the recess is 3.0 mm or less. A bathtub lid according to any one of claims 1 to 5, in which the rear corner of the recess is curved. The first surface and the second surface each have a plane extending in a vertical direction,
A bath lid as described in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the angle between a plane on the first surface and a plane on the second surface and a surface extending toward the rear of the recess and continuing from either the first surface or the second surface is a right angle.

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