AUSTRALIA Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT ORIGINAL Name of Applicant(s): Allen House Mirror & Glass Pty Limited Actual Inventor(s): Allen House Address for Service: FRASER OLD & SOHN Patent Attorneys PO Box 560 MILSONS POINT NSW 1565 Invention Title: SHOWER SCREENS AND RECESSES The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us:
IA
3111I-AU Field of the Invention The present invention relates to shower recesses and, in particular, to shower recesses provided with shower screens. 5 Background Art Bathrooms are normally tiled areas and thus relatively expensive to fabricate. As a consequence, the area of such bathrooms is normally kept to a minimum. Because of the small size of bathrooms, sliding doors are popular for shower recesses since they utilize a minimum of space. This is because a pivoting door must swing through an 10 arc and such an arc is not required for a sliding door. In addition, sliding doors are able to be fabricated from panels of standard sizes and fitted into a relatively wide range of shower recess openings. That is, a variable degree of overlap between the various panels can be utilized to accommodate different size shower recess openings. 15 The panels of shower screen doors are traditionally fabricated from glass for a variety of reasons. The term "glass" as used herein is understood to include not only conventional glass but also substitutes for glass such as PERSPEX or POLY CARBONATE (trade names). This choice of material is desired because if the panels are translucent or transparent other family members can easily tell whether or not the 20 shower recess is occupied. In addition, the inert nature of glass means that it is completely impervious to moisture, is able to be cleaned easily, and so on. Heretheto the panels used for shower screens have been able to be divided into two categories, The first category is where the panel has a frame, typically of extruded 25 aluminium which extends around the periphery of the panel and which secures the glass within the panel the frame, enables the entire panel to be secured within the shower recess by means of engagement between the frame and supporting brackets, or the like. Thus the provision of a frame has many mechanical advantages. 30 However, modem fashion trends are such that frames are considered to be passe and thus modern trends in the market indicate that future demand will be for frameless panels for both aesthetic reasons and because frameless panels are easier to clean, and keep clean.
I
3111I-AU It is also thought that aesthetic considerations play a major part in customers deciding which shower screen of various competing types or varieties, should be installed in their particular shower recess. In this connection, it is desirable that the shower recess with the shower screen installed therein should be as uncluttered as possible in its 5 appearance. Australian Patent Application No. 2005 232 332 by the present applicant and which has not hitherto been used commercially as of the priority date of the present application, discloses a two or three panel shower screen which is frameless and has 10 both a headrail and a baserail. The baserail necessitates the use of a conventional hob of substantial vertical height and substantial horizontal width, such a hob represents a possible trip hazard, especially for elderly persons taking a shower, and also constitutes an obstacle for possible wheelchair access to the shower recess. In addition, the baserail often provides an unintended environmental niche in which 15 mould can grow, hair can be trapped, soap scum or fat or grease shed during a showering process can accumulate, and the like, Genesis of the Invention The genesis of the present invention is a desire to provide a shower screen which 20 when installed in the shower recess provides an uncluttered appearance. In particular, it is desired to provide a frameless shower screen which does not utilize a baserail. The absence of a baserail makes it easier to also dispense with, or minimise the size of, a hob. 25 Summary of the Invention In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention there is disclosed a3 or 4 panel shower screen having two sliding panels and I or 2 fixed panels respectively, a headrail positioned above said sliding panels and providing a track for a roller assembly mounted adjacent the upper edge of each said sliding panel, wherein each 30 panel is substantially rectangular, has no vertical frame member, and the lower edge of each said sliding panel does not engage with a baserail extending along substantially the locus traced out by the sliding movement of each said sliding panel, whereby the floor of a shower recess having said frameless shower screen is uncluttered. 2 3111I-AU In accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention there is also disclosed a shower recess incorporating the abovementioned shower screen. A method of erecting a shower screen is also disclosed. 5 Brief Description of the Drawings Two embodiments of the invention will now be described, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. I is a perspective view of a shower recess having a shower screen of a 10 first embodiment installed therein, the door being closed, Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the shower recess of Fig. 1 but illustrating the door open, Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the three doors of Figs. I and 2 illustrating the operation thereof, 15 Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the three doors of Figs. I to 3 illustrating a stop mechanism, Fig. 5 is a vertical cross sectional view taken along the line V-V of Fig 3, Fig. 6 is a cross sectional view similar to Fig. 5 but illustrating a hobless stepped shower recess floor, 20 Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but illustrating a shower screen of a second embodiment, and Figs. 8 to 12 are geometric diagrams from which the width of the shower screen panels and passageway can be calculated. 25 Detailed Description As seen in Figs. I and 2, a shower recess I has a rear wall 2 upon which is mounted a shower rose 3 and taps 4. In addition, the shower recess 1 includes a side wall 5 and a floor 8. Both the rear wall and the side wall 5 are tiled, as is the floor 8. 30 In the arrangement of Figs. I and 2, the shower recess 1 is also provided with a glass wall 7 which is fixed. The glass wall 7 could, for example, be replaced by a masonry wall which is tiled. However, the glass wall 7 is, in general, much less expensive to fabricate than a masonry wall. 3 31111-AU The side of the shower recess 1 through which access to, and egress from, the shower recess is achieved is formed from three substantially co-planar panels in the form of a fixed panel 10, a first sliding panel 11, and a second sliding panel 12 which includes a handle 13. 5 As seen in Figs. I and 2, the glass wall 7 and the panels 10, 11 and 12 are provided with a headrail 15 which is substantially L-shaped having two portions 15A and 15B. As indicated in Fig. 2, the headrail 15 can consist only of the straight portion 15A, the portion 15B being deleted, in which case an end cap 15C is provided to finish the 10 headrail 15A in an aesthetic manner. Under these circumstances, the glass wall 7 has no headrail at all. The inter engagement of the fixed panel 10, the first sliding panel 11 and the second sliding panel 12 with the headrail 15A is substantially as disclosed in the specification 15 of Australian Patent Application No. 2005 232 332 the contents of which are hereby incorporated into the present specification for all purposes. As a consequence, the upper edges of the panels 10, 11, and 12 are substantially as described in relation to the corresponding panels 7, 8 and 9 in the abovementioned patent specification. 20 The arrangement of the lower edges of the panels 10, 11 and 12 which enable the baserail of the abovementioned patent specification to be eliminated, will now be described with reference to Fig. 3. The fixed panel 10 is secured directly to the rear wall 2 and floor 8 of the shower recess, for example, by means of silicon rubber, or similar adhesive. In the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 3 a mini-hob in the form of a 25 bar 18 (typically 10mm x 10mm) extends between the left hand edge of the fixed panel and the glass wall 7 of Figs. I and 2 (which is not illustrated in Fig. 3). Only a portion of the mini-hob or bar 18 is illustrated in Fig. 3 so as not to overburden the drawing. 30 Adjacent to the corner formed by both the lower edge and the left hand edge of each of the fixed panel 10 and the first sliding panel 11 is a corresponding one of two upwardly opening U-shaped channels 20 and 21 respectively. The channels 20 are preferably formed from metal and are typically chromed or otherwise provided with 4 3111I-AU an attractive appearance. If desired a plastic liner (not illustrated in Fig. 3) can be inserted into each of the channels 20, 21 so as to prevent glass sliding upon metal. Each of the channels 20, 21 is adhered by means of transparent glue to the 5 corresponding inner surface of the fixed panel 10 and first sliding panel 11 respectively. The channel 20 which is mounted on the fixed panel 10 receives the lower edge of the first sliding panel 11. The channel 21 which is mounted on the first sliding panel I I receives the lower edge of the second sliding panel 12. 10 During the installation of the rollers within the headrail, it is possible to manipulate the lower edges of the two sliding panels 11 and 12 so as to engage same with the channels 20 and 21 respectively. Turning now to Fig. 4, the fixed panel 10 and sliding panels 11, 12 are illustrated in 15 front elevation. Preferably glued to the lower edge of each of the sliding panels 11, 12 is a stop block 31, 32 respectively which has a width less than, or equal to, the width of the pane of glass but is sufficient to prevent the sliding panels 11, 12 sliding out of the corresponding channels 20, 21. 20 It is necessary for the shower screen to prevent water generated within the shower recess wetting the floor of the bathroom outside the shower recess. As illustrated in Fig. 5 this desirable result can be achieved by means of the mini-hob 18 which, in the embodiment of Fig. 5, is a downwardly opening channel 38 which is aligned with the fixed panel 10. It will be seen in Fig. 5 that the sliding panels 11, 12 do not reach to 25 the floor 8 of the shower recess but do extend below the level of the mini-bob 18. In this way an effective water seal is provided. In the alternative arrangement illustrated in Fig. 6, the floor 8 of the shower recess is stepped downwardly from the floor 48 of the bathroom. In this arrangement, the fixed 30 panel 10 is mounted directly to the floor 48 of the bathroom and the lower edges of the sliding panels 11, 12 extend inwardly of the step 49 and between the different floor levels. This therefore provides an effective water seal. 5 311 11-AU A further embodiment is illustrated in Fig. 7 in which a shower recess 101 is provided with two fixed panels 110, 210 and two sliding panels 111 and 211 respectively. Each of the sliding panels 111 and 211 has a corresponding handle 113 and 213 by means of which the sliding panels may be easily manipulated. The sliding panels slide in the 5 direction indicated by arrows in Fig. 7 so as to open and close the entrance to the shower recess 101. An important element of modem bathroom design is to ensure that the expensive tiled area of a bathroom does not increase the total prince of an apartment or other 10 dwelling. For this reason there is substantial commercial pressure to minimise the size of shower recesses, A commercially acceptable minimum area for a shower recess is 900mm x 900mm. If the arrangement of one fixed panel 110 and one sliding panel 210 as illustrated in 15 Fig. 7 were used together with the glass wall 7 of Fig. 1, then the dimensional situation which would arise is as illustrated in Fig. 8. The overall dimension A is 900mm. The two panels (which should be of equal width for aesthetic reasons so as to provide a balanced arrangement) each have a width indicated by the dimension B. The width of the glass wall 7 is indicated by C and is typically 8mm. An allowance D 20 is made for the position of the handle 113 and this is typically 50mm. An overlap between the two panels 110 and 210 is illustrated as E and is typically 30mm. It will be apparent that the overall length A is equal to the width of the glass wall C plus twice the width B of the panels less the overlap E between the panels, that is A = C+2B-E and so B = %/ (A-C+E), or 461mm. 25 As illustrated in Fig. 9 with the sliding panel 211 open, and with the width of the passage available for entry and exit being X, then A = C+X+D+B and so X - A-C-D-B. Utilizing the numbers given above, X = 900 50 - 461 = 38 1mm. This passageway is too small for a person to walk straight 30 through with the line between the shoulders of the person being perpendicular to the direction of motion of the person. As a consequence, it is necessary for a person to turn side on to step through an opening having a width of only 380mm approximately. 6 31] I-AU However, as illustrated in Figs. 7 and 10, with the two sliding panels 111 and 211, the width of the passageway is not X but is Y instead. From the Pythagorean relationship that for the right angle triangle illustrated in Fig. 10
X
2 + X 2 = y and thus Y = 2 X 2 . 5 Thus Y equals the square root of two times X. That is, Y = 1.414X. This means that the 381mm passageway provided by means of a single sliding panel, is converted into a passageway of 539mm by virtue of the arrangement illustrated in Fig. 7. This width of passageway is in excess of 520mm which is thought to be the minimum width required to enable a person to walk straight through the passageway without turning 10 sideways. Turning now to Fig. 11, the geometric relationship for the arrangement of Fig. I with a single fixed panel and two sliding panels 11, 12 is illustrated. Again for aesthetic reasons each of the three panels should be of equal width B. Using the same lettering 15 scheme as used in Figs. 8 and 9, it follows that the overall width A = C+3B-2E and thus B=1/3 (A-C+2E), which utilizing the numbers given above is a panel width, B, of 317mm. With reference to Fig. 12, in order to determine the width of the passageway X with 20 both sliding panels 11 and 12 open to their maximum extent, it needs to be understood that the left hand edge of the first sliding panel 11 when slid open to its maximum extent is displaced from the left edge of the fixed panel 10 by a distance F which is typically 5mm. It follows therefore from Fig. 12 that A = C+X+D+F-B. Consequently, X = A-C-D-F-B = 520mm. It follows that again with the arrangement 25 of Figs. I and 2 a person is able to walk through the passageway formed by the sliding panels 11 and 12 being slid past the fixed panel 10 to a maximum extent, without having to turn sideways, The arrangements of Figs. 1 and 7 provide an enormous advantage in bathroom 30 design because they enable vanities, lavatory pans, and the like, to be placed closely adjacent to the shower recess. This thereby enables the overall size of the bathroom to be minimised to the maximum possible extent. 7 31111-AU The foregoing describes only some embodiments of the present invention and modifications, obvious to those skilled in the shower recess art, can be made thereto without departing from the scope of the present invention. 5 The term "comprising" (and its grammatical variations) as used herein is used in the inclusive sense of "including" or "having" and not in the exclusive sense of "consisting only of'. 8