Hydrotherapy apparatus

Claim 1

HYDROTHERAPY APPARATUS COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, AN OPEN TOPPED TANK INCLUDING GENERALLY UPRIGHT SIDE WALLS AND A GENERALLY HORIZONTAL BOTTOM, THE SIDE WALLS OF THE TANK EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY BEYOND THE BOTTOM THEREOF TO SUPPORT THE TANK AND TO PROVIDE AN ENCLOSURE FOR MECHANISM ASSOCIATED THEREWITH; A SEPARATOR PLATE COMPRISING A HORIZONTAL BAFFLE SPACED ABOVE THE BOTTOM OF THE TANK TO DIVIDE THE INTERIOR THEREOF INTO A QUIESCENT FLUID CHAMBER BELOW THE BAFFLE AND A TURBULENT FLUID CHAMBER THEREABOVE, SAID SEPARATOR PLATE BEING SPACED FROM THE UPRIGHT WALLS OF THE TANK AROUND ITS PERIPHERAL EDGES TO PROVIDE NARROW RESTRICTED PASSAGES ADJACENT THE TANK WALLS AND INTERCONNECTING SAID CHAMBERS; A DRAIN APERTURE IN THE BOTTOM OF THE TANK LOCATED AT A POSITION BENEATH THE SEPARATOR PLATE AND REMOTE FROM SAID RESTRICTED PASSAGE; A SUMP COMPRISING A RELATIVELY LARGE LIQUID CONTAINER BELOW THE QUIESCENT FLUID CHAMBER TO PREVENT PUMP SUCTION AT THE OUTLET FROM SAID CHAMBER AND CONNECTED THERETO BY THE AFOREMENTIONED DRAIN; A LIQUID INLET LINE EXTENDING FROM THE SUMP TO A CIRCULATING PUMP CONSISTING OF A MOTOR DRIVEN ROTARY IMPELLER HAVING SPIRALLY CURVED BLADES ENCLOSED WITHIN A HOUSING HAVING INLET AND OUTLET FITTINGS THEREON, AN OUTLET DUCT FROM SAID CIRCULATING PUMP EXTENDING TO AN AIR INJECTOR CONSISTING OF AN UPRIGHT NOZZLE AND A HORIZONTAL CONDUIT INLET OF SAME DIAMETER REDUCED IN DIAMETER WITH RESPECT TO THE OUTLET DUCT OF THE PUMP AND POSITIONED SUBSTANTIALLY BELOW THE BOTTOM OF THE TANK, WITH AND AERATING TUBE OF DIAMETER SUBSTANTIALLY GREATER THAN THE DIAMETER OF THE NOZZLE EXTENDING DIRECTLY UPWARDLY THEREFROM THROUGH THE BOTTOM OF THE TANK AND THE SEPARATOR PLATE THEREOF AND TERMINATING IN AN OUTLET FITTING HAVING DEFLECTING MEANS TO DIRECT THE FLOW OF AERATED FLUID LATERALLY ABOVE THE SURFACE OF THE SEPARATOR PLATE, SAID INJECTOR INCLUDING AN AIR INLET PASSAGE ENTERING THE INJECTOR TUBE CENTERING WITH THE AFOREMENTIONED NOZZLE, AN AIR SUPPLY DUCT EXTENDING FROM SAID INLET PASSAGE TO A POINT ABOVE THE FLUID LEVEL OF THE TANK; AND A MOTOR DRIVEN CENTRIFUGAL PUMP IN SAID AIR SUPPLY DUCT WHEREBY THE AIR SUPPLY DUCT MAY FUCTION AS A POWER OPERATED DRAIN FOR THE APPARATUS.