BATH LINER

This invention relates to improvements in bath tub liners which can be generally used to protect a bather from harmful impacts with the walls of a bathtub. It in particular relates to a bath tub liner for use in the bathing of babies, toddlers and young children.

It is known to provide an inflatable bath liner, such as that disclosed in US2006/0075548A1 which conforms to the shape of the inner walls of a bathtub. Such liners are useful when bathing small children as they ensure that the child does not slip and strike his/her head against the wall of the bath which could cause harm. However, inflatable liners are inconvenient to use as it can take some time to inflate them correctly. The chambers could also be filled with water or soft padding material. However, it is thought by the applicant that this could be problematic as any water trapped in the chambers could become stale and unhygienic. The chambers would also be difficult to clean effectively.

According to a first aspect the invention provides a bath liner which comprises a liner portion conformable to the side walls of a bath, the liner portion having at least one cut-out formed therein, and a removable item of resilient material, such as a toy, which has an outline shape which is complimentary to the outline shape of the cut-out such that the removable item can be accommodated within the cut-out, and in which the liner portion comprises a resilient material whose resilience provides protection from impact against the side of a bath to which the liner is to be fitted.

The liner portion may comprise a rubber, soft plastic, silicon based, foam or sponge like or similar resilient material. It may comprise a solid core of material optionally coated with an outer layer, or a single solid form,

or may be of the same material throughout, eg with no separate outer skin layer.

The removable item may be accommodated wholly within the cut-out and preferably, when inserted, the item and the area of the liner surrounding the cut-out are flush with one another. Alternatively, the removable item may be designed to stand proud of the surface of the liner to allow easy removal from the cut-out. It may also be of a foamed plastic material.

The provision of such a bath liner with a removable item in a cut-out in the liner which both provides protection from impact means, due to the use of a resilient material (or combination of materials) , means that the liner is more likely to be accepted by a child using a bath - who can play with the toy- whilst the toy itself does not compromise the protection afforded by the liner. Because the toy is accommodated within a cut-out it does not present a potential hazard on which a child could harm themselves and also because it is made from foam it can help prevent harmful impacts.

The cut-out may comprise a blind opening in the liner material or may be an open ended opening (i.e. pass right through from one side to the other) .

In at least one arrangement, the liner portion may comprise a foamed plastic material and likewise the removable item may also comprise foamed plastic material. The impact absorbance of the material and its weight can be controlled by varying the amount of air or other gas trapped in the material.

By solid foamed material we may mean that the liner is solid throughout its thickness such that it is self supporting and contains no major voids. It

could, however, have a hollow core to save weight. This may trap a volume of air which may help it absorb impact.

Instead of using a foamed plastic material a suitable alternative may comprise a sponge-like material. By this we mean any porous plastics, rubber, cellulose, or other material, similar in absorbency to a natural sponge. The liner and/or the removable items (or at least one of the removable items) may be scented. This can be achieved with a porous material, for example, by the addition of an olfactory agent such as a perfume onto or into the liner material.

Most preferably the liner portion comprises a closed cell foamed plastic material. This is advantageous as will absorb impact like a sponge and yet it will soak up relatively little water when in use which makes it hygienic.

The removable item(s) may also be of a foamed plastic material, which could be closed cell or could be of an open cell material. It is not believed to be as important that the items are closed cell since they are relatively small and can easily be washed. Using open-cell material also allows them to be used as a cleaning sponge for use in a child's bath time cleaning routine if desired.

The liner portion may be of unitary construction and may be cut, stamped, pressed or otherwise made from a single portion of foam material. The removable items may be made from the same material, and perhaps even the same piece of material. They may be formed from or as the pieces of material removed when the recesses in the liner are formed. This makes the bath liner cost effective to make.

Of course, if preferred each side of the liner (when in its position of use within a bath) could be made from a respective separate portion of material or many individual portions fixed together to form a sheet.

The liner portion may be formed into a shape which better allows it to conform to the walls of a bath. For example, when located in a bath the liner may form walls which taper from top to bottom.

The use of a portion of foam to provide a bath liner portion of unitary construction means that the overall performance of the bath liner can be easily controlled in terms of its impact absorption properties. If an inflatable liner is used, it could be under-inflated which would compromise its performance.

Where desired, the removable item may be provided with surface pattern or ornamentation so that it stands-out from the rest of the liner and is easy for a child to see when it is located in the cut-out.

The liner portion may also be provided with surface decoration or ornamentation, such as a printed pattern or some printed words.

Examples of suitable removable items include stars, rectangles, circles, squares, triangles etc. More complex shapes having a general outline shape that compliments the shape of the cut-outs in two dimensions are also possible.

The liner shape may correspond with the four sides of a standard generally rectangular domestic bath which has a length of between 140 and 190cm. To wrap around all four sides the liner shape may therefore have a length of between 200cm and 500cm. It preferably has a length of around 440cm to fit within a standard 170cm long/45cm wide bath.

The liner may be of unitary construction (apart from the removable pieces) and may, for example, be cut or shaped from a single sheet of material. It may be solid in cross section.

The bath liner may include attachment means to enable it to be attached to a bath. This may comprise one or more hooks which fit around a top edge of a wall of a bath. It may be provided with one or more suction cups which can be attached to a wall of the bath. They may be removable from the liner portion so that the liner could be used without them to suit the bath it is being fitted to.

The bath bumper could be injection moulded out of many different materials i.e. rubber, silicon, plastic etc. The attachment means, such as suction cups, may also be injection moulded as an integral part of the liner portion so that it is all made of one material, i.e. plastic, rubber, silicon etc.

Also the liner portion can be injection moulded but it can still have a cut out area with a removable item (toy) made out of sponge, rubber, silicon or plastic. The toy can also be removed from the bumper and put back in and can be used by the baby as a toy.

Alternatively, the bath liner may be made of a material which is sufficiently rigid as to be self supporting when placed in its position of use.

According to a second aspect the invention provides a method of manufacture of a bath liner comprising: providing a portion of liner material;

stamping, cutting or otherwise removing a piece of the material to form an opening in the material; retaining the portion of material for re-insertion in the opening formed as the piece is removed; and forming the portion of material into a liner shape.

The method may include the step of re-inserting the removed piece into the opening.

The method may comprise stamping or otherwise removing more than one piece, each piece being reinserted into its original position within the opening left in the material. Alternatively, they may be placed in the openings formed when removing other pieces.

The method may comprise stamping, cutting or otherwise removing pieces which have simple geometric shapes such as stars, squares, circles or complex shapes such as animals or cars or people.

The method may comprise apply surface pattern to the removed pieces. This may be either before they are stamped, cut or otherwise removed, or may be after.

The skilled man will appreciate that the order of the method steps listed is not intended to be limiting in any way, and that the order can therefore be changed within the scope of the invention. For example, the shape of the liner may be cut or stamped or otherwise from the material before making the cut-out pieces.

There will now be described, by way of example only, one embodiment of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings of which:

Figure 1 is an overview of a first embodiment of a bath liner in accordance with the present invention fitted to a bath;

Figure 2(a) is a view of the complete liner prior to fitting when laid flat showing the location of various removable items such as a toy within cutouts in the liner and Figure 2(b) is an enlarged view of part of the liner;

Figures 3 is an enlarged view of part of the liner of Figure 2 which shows clearly different cut-outs in the liner;

Figure 4 shows several different removable items when removed from the liner; and

Figure 5 illustrates an alternative embodiment of a bath liner according to the invention.

The bath liner 100 shown in Figure 1 comprises a one-piece liner 110 that is generally rectangular in shape, with a length of around 450cm and thickness of between 5cm and 10cm and which can be folded to line the walls of a standard domestic bath. The liner 110 is made of a resilient material such as closed cell foamed plastic material so as to limit the amount of water that it absorbs, and has sufficient thickness to provide cushioning against impact from a bather, typically a small child. This absorption is predominantly determined by the resilience of the material and its thickness. The liner 110 is provided on its inner surface with an attractive pattern of markings, such as flowers 120, which is designed to make the liner more appealing to the child. Optional cut-outs 130 are provided to enable the liner to fit around any taps or waste fittings provided in the end of the bath.

As shown in Figures 2 (a) and (b) of the drawings, the liner 110 is also provided with cut-outs 140 at spaced locations. Here the cut-outs 140 are simple geometric shapes although they could be more complex as shown in Figure 1. The cut outs 140 may be of different shapes, and the cut-outs shown are circular, triangular and square. Of course other shapes can be provided if preferred. The cut-outs 140 may extend right through the liner from one side (facing away from the wall of the bath) to the other side (which contacts that wall of the bath) . This is shown in Figure 3. Alternatively, they may extend only partially through the wall to define a recess. A pattern of geometric shapes 120 is also printed onto the surface of the liner in between the cut-outs.

Within the cut-outs 140 are complimentary shaped items 150 which are a press-fit into the cut-outs. The fit should be snug enough that the shapes can be readily removed yet will not fall out on their own. In an alternative they may be a loose fit and may be held in place with a hook and loop fastener such as that sold under the trademark VELCRO ^® . The items 150 are shown fitted in Figure 2 and can be seen after they have been removed in Figure 4 of the accompanying drawings.

The removable items 150 in the example are made from the same material as the main liner, i.e. of foamed plastic material. They need not be closed cell foamed material, since it may be desirable for the items to act like a sponge and be able to absorb water, allowing them to be used as cleaning sponges.

If they are of the same material, then it is possible to form the removable items by punching, stamping or cutting them out of the liner portion so that the cut-outs and items are formed in one step.

The skilled person will, of course, realise that the invention is not to be limited to the embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 4 of the accompanying drawings. Many modifications and alternatives are possible. For example, as shown in Figure 5, a liner 200 may be made from several smaller sections 210 of closed cell foamed plastic material that are fastened together to form a larger portion that can be curved so that it fits round the inner walls of a bath. A cut-out 220 may be provided in each section or in less than all of the sections. In the drawing, only one cut-out is shown in each section. The cut out will receive a removable item, also of foamed plastic material.

In an alternative the liner portion may be an injection molded item by which we mean that it is formed by injection molding. It may included suction cups that are an integral part of the item formed during the molding process. The removable items may comprise foam items that fit within recesses in the liner portion.