AU723960B2 - Fixed frame members and method for installation of pivot door shower enclosures - Google Patents

Description

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X0o3114 5 2 5 0997 This invention relates generally to pivot assemblies for aluminium framed, glass-panelled doors such as those installed in shower enclosures or recesses as part of shower screens and relates in particular to improved or modified versions of fixed frame members of our patent No. 702152 granted on application 62,050/96 lodged 13th August, 1996 (associated with Provisional Patent Application PN 5068, filed 28th August, 1995 both entitled "Shower Door Pivot Assembly" for mounting a pivot door as part of the shower enclosure by means of sets of pivot assembly blocks slidably adjustably mountable within mating two piece channel frame sets. The description claims and drawings of to patent No. 702152 are imported in to the present specification by cross o: reference.

The invention disclosed and claimed in our patent No. 702152 comprises a swing door pivot assembly for pivotally mounting the door between a doorway sill and door frame jamb head member of a shower enclosure; the I- sill and head jamb are formed by a pair of mating channel members the assembly includes two sets of blocks wherein a first or lower set is, when in :II: use, made up by a pivot pin block and a bearing block each with a hole for the Spin of the pivot pin block; one of those blocks was designed to be carried within a groove formed within a channel of a sill frame member while the other block was designed to be carried within a channel formed in the bottom rail of an aluminium-framed, glass-panelled swing door, a second or upper set of blocks is arranged in a similar way after installation one block is mounted in a groove of the head channel member while the other block which is elongated is mounted within the channel of the door top rail and has a slot for adjusting the 2- door position during installation the other blocks as well as the sill and head jamb frame channel sets are interchangeable and the pivot blocks are adapted to be slidably and adjustably inserted into and then fixed within a respective -2channel of a door sill, door bottom rail, doorway head frame member (head jamb) and door top rail.

In a practical arrangement in the invention of patent 702152, during installation assembly of the above pivot block and door system to construct a shower enclosure, the top and bottom frame members comprising sill and head jambs which in this instance may be identical, are used as a set of opposed mating aluminium extrusion channel members the flat bottom of one channel of each set is first fixed to a shower base or ceiling or side frame members and the other channel is then sleeved and locked into the first channel.

e to The same sets of the same pivot pin and pivot pin bearing blocks p. 0 "idisclosed in our patent No. 702152 are used in all embodiments of the invention of the present specification.

o In the fixed frame assembly of this present specification, at least one of the grooved channel frame member sets of patent 702152 and preferably both doorway fixed frame head and sill member channel sets is replaced by a single, self-supporting tubular member which has its own flat base and one or more steps, preferably two steps formed in it instead of a o000•* groove. In one form both sill and head jamb are identical stepped tubular members but in special circumstances for easier installation from inside a 2o shower recess the head channel is modified by having one of the steps, namely a lower outer step channelled by being provided with a vertical flange.

In a first embodiment of the present invention, the tubular sill and head frame members are identical and are interchangeable and each is provided with two steps comprising a lower step and an upper step, the lower step forms a rebate for the swinging shower pivotal door bottom or top rail respectively and also supports a pivot pin or pivot pin bearing block fixed to it by means of fastening members such as screws passed vertically ti irough non-central holes formed in the blockswhile the upper step 6'cording to second embodiment or application with a narrower swing door forms a supporting surface for a fixed, aluminium-framed glass panel the bottom the bottom and top frame members respectively of which panel are fixed to the lower and outer step also by fastening members passed vertically through S- non-central holes formed in the blocks. It being understood that "inner" means facing towards the shower enclosure interior while "outer" means facing towards the shower enclosure exterior.

In an alternative arrangement the mounting positions of the fixed panel and pivot door are reversed with the fixed panel on the lower or outer Sstep and the pivot door mounted to swing on the upper or inner step.

Another modification of a subsidiary and illustrated aspect of the main S "invention which is incorporated in the present application for use as a side frame wall jamb member as a preferred feature of the fixed framework of the shower enclosure is a redesign of the two-member channel set parts 29,30 Figs. 13 to 15) of our patent 702152 whereby it works in reverse wherein instead of a first or inside and flat-based channel member 30 of lesser lateral dimensions being first fixed to a vertical support surface such as a shower wall o.o* :and then a second or outside member 29 of greater lateral dimensions than the first member being fixed over and to it in opposed relationship as an outside or oversleeve, a first channel member 24 is fixed as an outside member to the vertical support surface such as a wall and the second channel member 29 which is now of lesser width than the first channel member is then fixed to it in opposed relationship as an inside member.

The present invention also provides a modified method of on-site 21S installation of a swing door pivot assembly within a glass-panelled aluminium extrusion framed shower recess using sets of pivot pin blocks with pins inserted into a central hole of pivot pin bearing blocks which comprises the following X steps: 1) inserting a pin into the central hole of a lower set piano-convex pivot pin block as the lowermost block and placing the block-onto the doorway sill lower step of the stepped sill frame member and with the pin upstanding from the block; S2) inserting a pin into an upper set lower pIano-concave pivot pin block with a flat top surface and concave bottom surface and placing the said upper set lower pivot pin block into the door top rail channel with the pin upstanding from the block and with the concave bottom of the upper set pivot pin block lowermost and facing the door top rail channel; S3) inserting the narrower concave top of a doubly-concave, triple-holed, bottom set pivot bearing block up into the channel of the door :bottom rail and aligning it horizontally with the bottom set lowermost piano-convex pivot pin bearing block and fixing the pivot pin bearing block into the door bottom rail channel; So 4) positioning the door in vertical longitudinal alignment with shower doorway sill and head frame member lower steps and the fixing the bottom set lower pivot pin block onto the sill lower step by passing fastening mebers through non-central holes formed in the block, placing a central hole of the bottom set pivot pin bearing block onto the pin of the bottom set pivot pin 2- block; placing the piano-convex upper set pivot pin bearing block with its convex side down upon the flat surface of the piano-concave upper set pivot block with its concave surface already inserted down into the door top rail channel and inserting the central aperture of the bearingblock over the pin of the pivot pin block and fitting the upward facing saddle side of the bearing block onto the lower step of the stepped head jamb frame member, then R, levering the door into position and the door and also fitted upper-set blocks are all knocked into correct door-swing plumb position and adjusted for correct swing in a horizontal arc and the upper set blocks are fixed into a respective door rail channel or onto a head jamb step by passing fixing screws vertically through non-central holes formed in the blocks.

Some non-limiting examples of shower enclosure pivot door modified fixed frame members of the main invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figures 1 to 10 are views of the same pivot pin blocks and pivot pin bearing blocks as in our patent 702152 and which are used in conjunction with modified fixed frame members of the present application t o Figures 1 to 3 are views of an embodiment of the pivot pin block used for mounting upon the modified door sill fixed frame member of the Spresent application.

"Figures 4 to 6 are views of the pivot pin bearing block used for mounting in an unmodified door bottom rail in the assembly of the present application.

Figures 7 and 8 are perspective views of the same pivot pin bearing 9oo block for mounting upon a modified overhead fixed frame member according to 9 the present application.

Figures 9 and 10 are perspective views of a pivot pin block for mounting upon a door top rail which is the same as in patent 702152 Figure 11 is a perspective view of one embodiment of an assembled shower enclosure according to the invention with a pivot door spanning the entire doorway.

Figure 12 is a profiled partial view of another embodiment of fixed 2 s frame stepped head member aCcording to the present invention with a pivot door mounted upon a pivot block set and for use in the enclosure of Figure 1.

Figures 13and 13A are end pre-assembly views of the pivot pin Sblock of Figures 1 to 3 mounted upon a first embodiment of the stepped doorway sill and head fixed frame member of the present application and the bearing block of Figures 4 to 6 mounted within the same pivot door bottom rail.

Figure 14 is a vertical end assembly view of a shower pivot door in fully-closed position installed between the first embodiment of the fixed frame stepped sill and jamb head frame members using same pivot blocks as in Figure 13.

Figure 15 is a top or vertical partial view of the part-assembly of Figure 14 in a pivot door-closed position.

.Figure 16 is a horizontal sectional view showing corner assembly •I o structure incorporating pivot return jamb, fixed side panel and door doublehandle stile.

Figure 17 is a perspective view of a shower enclosure with a doorway having a fixed panel and pivot door extending partly across the doorway.

Figure 18 is a vertical sectional assembly view of a door and fixed Is panel assembly with stepped sill and head fixed frame members for the enclosure of Figure 17.

4 Figure 19 is a perspective view of a neo shower enclosure with fixed angled side panels.

Figures 20 and 21 are left-hand and right-hand plan views respectively of the neo-shower enclosure of Figure 19.

Referring to the drawings there is shown several embodiments of a swing door pivot assembly for pivotally mounting the door between a doorway sill and door frame jamb head member of a shower enclosure; the assembly includes two identical sets of pivot blocks Referring to Figures 1 to 6 a first 2- or lower set is, when in use, made up by a pivot pin block 10 and a bearing block 11, a steel pin 12 is force fitted into a central hole pre-formed in the lowermost block and this pin sockets into a centrla hole 13 preformed in the Sbearing block 11 during installation and use. The block 10 (referring to 7- Fiqures 1 to 3) is designed to be supported on and fixed to the horizontal surface of a lower step 14a formed in sill member 14 via fastening members passed verically through non-central holes pre-formed in block 10, while the other block 11 (referring to Figures 4 to is mounted and fixed within the S channel of the bottom rail 15a of the door 15 by fastening members passed vertically through non-central holes pre-formed in block 11. Referring to the upper set of blocks in Figures 7 to 10) one block 16 of similar shape to block on the sill 14 but without the pin inserted and which is inverted) is the pivot pin bearing block and is mounted and fixed to a "lower" step 17a of an upper I o stepped head jamb overhead frame member 17 by means of fastening members passed vertically through non-central holes pre-formed in the block 16 while the other block 18 which has a pin 19 inserted becomes a pivot pin a° block which is mounted and fixed within the channel 20a of a door top rail 20 by passing fastening members vertically through non-central holes pre-formed in I the block 18. All of the blocks are adapted to be adjustably positioned for fixing to a respective doorway sill, bottom rail, head jamb overhead frame member and top rail.

In the modification of the above-described assembly of this present oo" application, the grooved channel sill (frame) member of our patent 702152 which was identical to the head frame member is replaced by or is interchangeable with a stepped, hollow, tubular extruded sill and identical overhead frame member, each sill and head jamb of the present application has two steps instead of a groove formed within the channel member but is recessed from the upper surface thereof for fixture to the flat horizontal surface 2 2 of the lower step of the flat bottom surface of a pivot pin or pivot pin bearing block. As in our patent 702152 and according to one embodiment the sill and head fixed frame members are identical and interchangeable but in another S_\1 embodiment suitable for installation from within a shower recess the head jamb is provided with a channel 114a formed by a flange 114 upstanding from the upper surface of a lower step of the tubular, stepped fixed frame member 110.

Referring to the first embodiment of the present invention shown in larger scale in Figures 13, 14 and 18, the sill and head jamb frame members each incorporate two steps comprising in the case of the sill, a lower step 14a and an upper step 14b, the lower step 14a forms a rebate for the pivot door bottom rail 15a and has a flat surface for supporting the flat bottom surface of the lower pivot pin block 10 when fixed to it while upper step 14b forms a .tO supporting surface for a fixed, aluminium-extrusion framed glass front panel 21 the bottom frame member 21b of which is fixed to the upper step 14b as shown in the shower enclosure assembly view of Figure 18 which also shows upper pivot bearing block 16 mounted onto the step 17a of overhead tubular stepped member 17 and upper pivot block 18 is mounted in the channel 20a of door top Srail 20. The top of the fixed panel 21 is mounted within top frame member 21a mounted to inner upper step 17b of headframe member 17. In this arrangement, when in closed position the shower pivoting door extends only partly across the opening of the recess.

Referring to Figure 16 the doorway inside flanged tubular frame 2.o member described as the door return jamb which was a single part 53 in Figure 9 of patent 702152 has been modified in the present application into two separate parts comprising the triple, externally channelled, snap-on pivot return jamb 27 and double-channelled door sill joiner pivot door jamb 28 with door buffer 28b. A seal 28a is provided between jambs 27 and 28. There is also a 2 g- pivot door double-handle and panel-mounting stile 29 for opening the door from inside and outside the enclosure; shower enclosure fixed side wall 30 is mounted within front panel stile 31 in turn mounted within channel 27a of pivot return jamb 27 and within return side wall rear panel stile 32 in turn mounted within wall channel 33 mounted to wall 34.

Referring to the embodiment of Figure 12, installation of a head frame member or head ja mb from inside a shower enclosure is facilitated by modifying the stepped member 14 of Figures 13, 14 and 18 to a new member 110 by enclosing the lower step 11 4a with an integral flange 11 4a near the outside edge to form a channel 1 14b.

Figure 15 shows a modified two-member fixed side frame channel member set of patent 702152 wherein instead of a first or inside channel 10 member 30 (Figure 4 of patent 702152) of lesser lateral dimensions being first 04 fixed to a vertical support surface such as a shower wall 25 and then a second 9 9achannel member 29 of greater lateral dimensions than the first member being *fixed to it or over it in opposed relationship as an outside or oversleeve, a non-grooved adjustable wall channel member 24 modified or different to that 15 of patent 702152) is first fixed as an outside member to the shower wall vertical a support surface 25 and the second or square-grooved channel member which is a pivot wall jamb 26 (of the same configuration as the one 29 in patent No.702152) is now fixed to the adjustable wall channel outside member 24 in opposed relationship as an inside channel for fixed frame member 26 as shown 2O in Figure 19. The groove of the channel inside member pivot wall jamb 26 is provided with a jamb adaptor water seal 24a.

Referring to Figures 15, 16, 20 and 21 there is shown gasket members 26a and 28a and 1 26a and 1 28a respectively between structural members 14 (sill) and 26, 127 (pivot wall jamb) and between structural 2 members 14 and 28 (pivot door jamb).

The pivoting door is provided on its outer'Vertical edge with a frame panel stile with integral double handle stile 29 for internal and external opening ~A of the door.

'0 In the embodiment of Figures 19, 20 and 21 there is shown a neo shower enclosure with left-hand side and right-hand side fixed angled side panels 35, 36 respectively attached to sill frame member 14 on the left-hand side by a variable-angle jamb 37 snap-fitted to closing jamb 38 and on the right hand side by a variable angle jamb 37a snap-fitted to jamb 26.

The method of assembly and installation of the shower enclosure using frame members of this invention is as follows; 1) Lengths of aluminium extrusions are cut to length using an appropiate cutting guide sheet and the front and return 'O S(side) fixed frame members and off cut of the sill/head frame member 14 is used to establish location of 4mm holes to be drilled to align jambs with head and sill 14.

S. Backing is removed from both sides of gasket 28a and apply to both ends of sill/head 14.

S2) using a frame joining screw vertical frame member pivot jamb 26 and pivot return jamb 27 extrusions are connected to the horizontal sill/head extrusion 14 using countersunk holes on pivot return jamb 28 to ensure it clips Icorrectly onto 27. It is not necessary to countersink holes 0 on closing jamb 38, but necessary to pop rivet jamb at 300mm spacings waterseal 24a to the pivot jamb 26 from the rear of the pivot jamb, 3) fixed panels are assembled using vinyl glazing strips for glass applied to the whole perimeter of the glass panel and joined at thd head of the panel, then, 3a) panel stile and top and bottom rail extrusions are applied to the glass panel and over the glazing strip, -1'3 4 a a

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9 -11- 4) the pivot door is assembled using steps 3 and 3a but using glazing channel of pivot double handle stile 29, install fixed panel(s) namely front panel 21 and side (return panel) 121 into the outer frame by fixing fixed panel anchor pieces 122 onto the sill and head from the top edge of sill/head 14, 17 and 40mm from the estimated final position of the fixed panel leading edge, 6) two piano-convex pivot blocks (16) are each respectively fixed onto the lower step of the sill/head 14, 17, using 13mm x 6g pivot block fixing screws passed vertically through noncentral, recessed fixing holes moulded into the blocks- the centre of each block should not be spaced more than 780mm from the pivot door leading edge, the top pivot block is taped to the head for later installation, 7) the shorter double-concave pivot block 11 is positioned and fixed to the underside of the door bottom rail 15a using 13mm x 6g self-tapping screws passed vertically through non-central recessed fixing holes moulded into the block, 8) the long pivot block 18 with its concave surface inward and facing downward and flat surface out and up is positioned and fixed onto the sill lower step by passing a screw vertically through non-central recessed hole in the block ensuring that the elongated fixing slot 19a is to the front of. the door panel and using only one screw at this stage to allow adjustment -preferably a 13nm x 6g self-tapping screw should be positioned at mid-point of this slot, 9) slip one of two stainless steel pivot pins 12 into the piano -convex pivot block 16 previously fitted to the sill 14 and slip 0 f2 the second pivot pin into the door top rail (piano-concave) elongated pivot block 19 and place the piano-convex top pivot block 16 over the pin, position the double-concave pivot block 11 fixed on the door bottom rail upon the convex block 16 (fitted to sill 14) ensuring that the pin 12 engages securely in the pin hole 13 of block 11, 11) swing the door into a vertical position and align and insert the 13mm x 6g screws, 12) make final adjustments using the top long pivot block 18 and its elongated adjustment slot 19a and insert one 13mm x 6g screw into one of the two remaining holes to lock the pivot block to the door top rail but do not overtighten, 13) place screw cap covers into all block screw holes, S 14) adhere a pre-adhesived buffer strip to pivot double handle stile 29 to complete the installation.

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Claims (8)

1. A fixed frame member or members for a doorway of a pivot door frame assembly of a shower enclosure, the frame members being adapted to form a shower enclosure doorway head and/or sill frame member and comprising a single, self-supporting tubular member having a flat base and two steps integrally formed in a top or upper wall, one of said steps being adapted to support one each of a set of associated door pivot pin and door pivot pin bearing blocks.

2. The frame member according to claim 1 wherein the steps comprise a lower step and an upper step.

3. The frame member according to any claim 1 or 2 wherein the frame member comprises a shower door frame sill. S•4. The frame member according to any preceding claim wherein the frame member is adapted to form both a shower door frame sill and a head :jamb.

5. The frame member according to claim 3 or 4 wherein the sill and head jamb are identical and interchangeable.

6. The frame according to any one of claims 2 to 5 and wherein the lower step forms a rebate for the bottom rail of a pivoting shower door and also supports a pivot block fixed to it via fastening members passed vertically through non-central holes formed in the block.

7. The frame member according to any one of claims 2 to 6 wherein for use with a narrower shower swing door, the upper step of each sill and head forms a supporting surface for bottom and top frame members of a fixed, aluminium-framed glass panel.

8. The frame member according to claim 7 wherein the narrower S shower swing door is adapted to be pivotally mounted upon the lower and outer '~tep.

414-- 9. The frame member according to any one of claims 1 to 6 wherein for use with a narrower shower swing door, the upper step forms a supporting surface for a bottom frame member of a fixed, aluminium-framed glass panel. The frame member according to claim 9 wherein the narrower shower swing door is adapted to be pivotally mounted upon the upper and inner step. 11. The frame member according to any preceding claim wherein a modified ungrooved flat-base frame member is used as a wall-fixing outside base member for fixing the sill and head jamb internal frame member as part of o a channel member fixed frame assembly for side jambs. 12. The frame member according to any preceding claim wherein :the external lateral dimension of an internal, grooved, channel jamb frame S" member fixing as a side frame jamb is less than the external lateral dimension of a non-grooved internal channel frame flat base member of a two-member channel set, wherein the external member is adapted during installation to be first fixed to a vertical support surface such as a shower wall and wherein the grooved channel frame member is adapted to be fixed as an inside member to the flat-base external channel member, both members being when installed in mutual opposed relationship. 13. A frame member according to any one of claims 1 and 2, 4 to 6, 9 and 10, wherein for easier installation from inside a shower recess the stepped tubular channel is modified for use as a head jamb by having one of the steps, namely a lower outer step channelled by a vertical integral flange upstanding from the upper surface of the lower and outer step. 14. A method of on-site instaliation of a swing door pivot assembly within a glass-panelled aluminium extrusion framed shower recess using sets of pivot pin blocks each with a pin inserted into a central hole of a respective pivot pin p bearing block and which comprises the following steps: 1) inserting a pin into the central hole of a lower set piano-convex pivot pin block as the lowermost block and placing the block onto the doorway sill lower step of the stepped sill frame member and with the pin upstanding from the block; 2) inserting a pin into an upper set lower piano-concave pivot pin block with a flat top surface and concave bottom surface and placing the said upper set lower pivot pin block into the door top rail channel with the pin upstanding from the block and with the concave bottom of the upper set pivot pin block lowermost and facing the door top rail channel; I:i 3) inserting the narrower concave top of a doubly-concave, triple-holed, bottom set pivot bearing block up into the channel of the door :bottom rail and aligning it horizontally with the bottom set lowermost *o C o piano-convex pivot pin bearing block and fixing the pivot pin bearing block into the door bottom rail channel via fastening members passed vertically through t non-central holes formed in the pivot pin block. 4) positioning the door in vertical longitudinal alignment with shower doorway sill and head frame member lower steps and the fixing the C bottom set lower pivot pin block onto the sill lower step via fastening members passed vertically through non-central holes formed in the pivot pin block, placing a central hole of the bottom set pivot pin bearing block onto the pin placed within and projecting from the bottom set pivot pin block. placing the piano-convex upper set pivot pin bearing block with its convex side down upon the flat surface of the piano-concave upper set pivot block with its concave surface already inserted down into the door top rail channel and inserting the central aperture of the bearing block over the pin of the pivot pin block and fitting the upward facing saddle side of the bearing block onto the lower step of the stepped head jamb frame member, then levering the d-or into position and the door and also fitted upper-set blocks are 1 1 all knocked into correct door-swing plumb position and adjusted for correct swing in a horizontal arc and the upper set blocks are fixed into a respective door rail channel or onto a head jamb lower step by fixing screws passed vertically through the non-central holes formed in the blocks. A doorway fixed head and sill frame member for a pivot door shower enclosure assembly substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 13, 14, 17 and 18 of the accompanying drawings. 16. A doorway fixed head-frame member for a pivot door shower enclosure assembly substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figure 12, of the accompanying drawings. 17. A fixed frame jamb member for a pivot door shower enclosure assembly substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 19 to 21 of the accompanying drawings. 18. A method of on-site installation of a pivot door shower enclosure assembly substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Dated this 14th day of January, 2000 SDIAS ALUMINIUM PRODUCTS PTY.LTD. By Our Patent Attorney JOHN L.DAVIES CO.