Sun bed

This invention relates to sun beds.

In this country it is sometimes possible to sunbathe outside, but for regular treatment the tendency is to rely on indoor installations using electrically powered sun lamps. These have their dangers and, of course, expense.

It is the aim of this invention to provide sun beds for use outside, which can take advantage of the natural rays of the sun throughout the year.

According to the present invention there is provided a sun bed comprising a base and a clear plastics dome which is closable over said base, the dome having a vent adjustable from the interior at or near its highest point, and the base having venting at its periphery, whereby solar action generates convection currents within the dome which draws air in through the base venting as hotter air escapes through the dome vent.

For efficient weather-proofing the dome vent may be on a protruding blister.

The dome is preferably made of a clear acrylic plastics reinforced around its base by a tubular frame. The dome may be overblown so that it slightly overhangs the frame and base, giving more room and a sense of freedom for the occupant. The frame may be used to secure part of a hinge by which the dome can be attached to the base.

The base is conveniently a generally flat plastics moulding with an inverted U-shaped rim. The outer flange of this rim may be clear of the ground and its upper portion facing into the dome may be formed with slots providing the venting. Thus air can enter the dome from substantially all around the base via the inverted U-channel and those slots.

For a single occupant the dome and base will be elongated, with the dome larger and higher at the head end. It will be possible to have larger versions for two or more people.

The occupant may lie on a mattress on the base and this may be canted up at one end to form an inclined back and head rest.

In order to conserve heat in the colder months, a black water bed may be preferred, since this will absorb and conserve a great deal of solar energy while the bed is not in use, and keep the interior at a comfortable temperature even during periods of no sun.

For a better understanding of the invention one embodiment will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

• Figure 1 is a side view of a sun bed,
• Figure 2. is a plan view of the base of the bed of Figure 1,
• Figure 3 is a section on the line III-III of Figure 1, and
• Figure 4 is a detail showing a hinge.

The bed has a base 1 which is generally flat but with a rim 2 of inverted U-form. In plan it is elongate, with rounded ends and with one end portion (for the head) being slightly wider than the other. Instead of these end portions having a recognisable transition with a shoulder, the sides may be straight throughout but divergent from the narrow end as indicated by the broken line. The base can be moulded in plastics or be a metal pressing, and the shallow tray formation thus provided can be used to locate a mattress 3 (Figure 3).

This base 1 is covered by a dome'4 of clear acrylic plastics material. Such material is known which has 95% permeability to the sun's radiation. The dome is reinforced around its base by a tubular frame 5, its rim portion 6 bending around, inside and under this frame. The dome is formed by a blowing process and it is distended to overhang the frame slightly, which is therefore made captive. The frame 5 follows the plan contour of the base and is used as shown in Figure 4 as a means by which the dome is hinged to the base, the other part of the hinge being entered through a slot 7 and secured to the Underside of the flat top 8 of the rim 2.

The dome 4 is formed somewhat higher and wider at the head end and it is here provided, near its highest point, with a blister 9 which forms a base for a vent. The blister has a number of apertures and a clear vent cap 10 in the same plastics material shields it on the outside. However the cap 10 can be moved by the occupant from inside the dome to control the amount of closure of those apertures.

The flat top 8 of the rim 2 is formed with series of slots 11 which remain open to the inside of the dome when the latter is closed onto the outer edge portion of that top 8. The outer flange 12 of the rim 2 does not extend right down to the plane of the main portion of the base and so will be just clear of the ground. Thus air can enter under that flange into the inverted U-channel and thence via the slots 11 into the dome, as indicated by the arrowed line in Figure 4.

In use, the action of the sun will rapidly heat up the air inside the dome, and the occupant can open the vent cap 10 to allow it to escape by convection. This draws in further air via the slots 11 and a continual flow is maintained. The rate of this can be governed by the occupant to maintain a comfortable temperature. The occupant has only the highly permeable clear plastics material between him or herself and the sun, and any feeling of claustrophobia is unlikely.