AU766590B2 - Shower base - Google Patents

Description

Regulation 3.2 -1-

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT :6*.e 00 0* 0 0.*

APPLICANT:

NUMBER:

FILING DATE: RODERICK HENRY VINCE Invention Title: SHOWER BASE The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me: *,n,~wwrwn~A*atAl*~v*'. SHOWER BASE Technical area This invention relates to a shower base, and, in particular, to a shower base which is suitable for persons with disabilities and, particularly persons in wheel chairs.

Outline of the Invention It is often desirable to retrofit a shower for a person with disabilities into an already built bathroom, either because the person is moving into the home or has become disabled after already being in the home.

it will be appreciated that for a person with physical disabilities to comfortably shower there should be no lip or obstruction to prevent the person moving'-into the shower or being wheeled into the shower whilst, at the same time, the shower has to be structurally sound, and be properly sealed around its periphery, to ensure that there is no unwanted leakage of water or the like, around the shower.

There have been proposed shower bases which address these problems but none of these has been fully satisfactory in use.

It is an object of the invention to provide a shower base which meets the desiderata set out hereinbefore and a method of locating such a shower base.

K:WP51\SPEC\VINCEA2AP.26 October. 1999 Summary of the Invention The invention is a shower base having at least one access side and a body portion which slopes towards an outlet aperture within the body portion, which shower base is capable of being located in an aperture formed in a floor and being provided with an external step at any access side equivalent to the thickness of a floor covering, the arrangement being such that an access side is flush with the floor covering.

The shower base of the invention, on at least the access side or sides, includes a step of a height effectively equal to the thickness of a floor covering, the arrangement being such that the shower base is capable of being located in an aperture formed in the floor, with a peripheral member externally of the step being continuous with the original floor so that when tiling or other floor covering is placed on the floor, this terminates flush with the body of the shower base.

In a first aspect of the invention, the shower base may be of fibreglass or metal, being a relatively thin sheet, having a Sbody portion which slopes down to an aperture to which the outlet from the shower is to be connected and, on at least the access sides, a step by means of which the body is connected to an outward peripheral flange which is adapted to be located at the same height as the original floor.

It is preferred that at the end of this outward flange there S is a downwardly directed flange by means of which the base can be connected to a floor joist or the like.

K:WPS I\SPEC\VINCE.CAP.20 August, 2003 i It is preferred that at the end of this outward flange there is a downwardly directed flange by means of which the base can be connected to a floor joist or the like.

In this form of the invention, it is preferred that the nonaccess sides of the base have an upwardly directed flange which can be located against the adjacent wall and sealed there against.

In a second form of the invention, a base is provided which is of a solid material and has a body which slopes downwardly to an outlet aperture and which on at least the access side(s) has a downward step, and an outwardly extending portion which is adapted to be located flush with the existing floor, the base being adapted to rest on support members normally connected to the floor joists or the like, the arrangement being such that when a floor covering is provided the base is flush with the surface of the floor.

It may be preferred that all sides of the base be provided with the step and the peripheral portions on the non-access sides are adapted to co-operate with an insert, which may be of fibreglass or the like, which is of an angle formation with one arm of the angle resting on the peripheral portion and the other extending upwardly to act as a flashing with the adjacent wall.

K:WP51\SPEC\VINCE.CAP.26 October, 1999 In order that the invention may be more readily understood, we shall describe by way of non limiting example different embodiments of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawing Figures In these drawings: Fig. 1 is a plan view of a shower base; Fig. 2 is a side view of an edge of a shower base abutting a wall: Fig. 3 is a cross-section through the shower base of the invention when installed in a floor and abutting a wall; .a In this specification, where I make use of the terminology "access side" I am referring to a side or sides of the shower at which the base can be entered. Normally there is a single S access side but it can be convenient, on occasions to have two, or even three access sides.

The first embodiment of the invention as shown in Figures 1 to 3 is for a shower base 10 made of a relatively thin material and can be either of a synthetic material such as a moulded fibreglass reinforced epoxy resin or could be a sheet metal, such as stainless steel.

K:WP51\SPEC\VINCECAP.26 October, 1999 -iin~ In each case, there size of the recess, square, but this is falls downwardly to be in the centre of therefrom.

The outlet aperture waste outlet or the is a body portion 12 which defines the and in one practical form could be 1,100mm not limiting, and this body portion all an outlet aperture 11 which may generally the body portion but could be displaced 11 is adapted to receive a conventional like commonly used in the plumbing art.

C V

V

V

Vt.

*5 V C

V.

In this particular embodiment on two adjacent sides 22,23 which we will call the access sides, there is a downward step 15 from the base which can have a height which is of the thickness of a floor covering, say, vinyl tiling or the like, which is to be used on the floor of the bathroom.

Extending outwardly from this step is a flat portion 16 which could be of the order of 50mm wide and exteriorly of this, there is a downwardly extending portion.

On the two non-access sides 20,21, we can provide an upwardly directed flange 17, the purpose of which will be described hereinafter.

In use, if there are floor joists spaced so that the base can be located between these, use is made of them, if not, an additional support structure 18 would have to be provided.

K:WPSI\SPEC\VINCE.CAP.26 October, 1999 The shower base is located in position and on the access sides, the downwardly directed portions abut the adjacent joists and a support member 19 which can have a width of approximately equal to the length of the outwardly extending portion is connected, through the downwardly extending portion into the joist so that there is effectively support right along the access side. The wheel chair or disabled person will be moving over this and it needs to be solidly located.

On the other two sides there can be a timber frame 25 located inwardly from the side, against which the base rests and the peripheral edge of the base is preferably supported on a joist or the like with the upwardly directed portion 17 being close to the original recess wall.

These can act as flashing and a seal can be made between the "upwardly directed portions 17 and the wall to ensure no S leakage.

When the base is so positioned then the floor of the bathroom can be tiled or otherwise finished with the covering material abutting the steps 15 on the access side and with its upper level being effectively at the same level as the edge of the recess.

This means that there is no restriction against access by a wheel chair or a person. Further the arrangement is such that K:WP51\SPEC\VINCECAP.26 October, 1999 8 there is a coverage of the joint between the shower base and the floor to seal this junction.

In a second embodiment of the invention, we provide a solid base which may be poly-marble which can be a stone filled epoxy resin or a concrete based material and this again has a base portion which falls to an outlet aperture as is known in the art.

on each edge of the base there is a step and an outwardly extended portion, with the step and outwardly extended portion effectively serving the same purpose as in the previous embodiment.

In this case the base is adapted to rest on members attached to the-original joists, or otherwise located in the aperture in the floor which provide the required support..

in this case the access sides, and there may be one, two or three of these, are all adapted to have the new floor covering 9:::located over the floor, and the peripheral portions of the .*:base with the floor covering terminating at the level of the top of the step and, in the other sides, we can use inserts for flashing.

It will be seen that both embodiments serve the same purpose, in that the bathroom floor when completed, and whilst we have K:WP51\SPEC\VINCE.CAP.26 October, 1999 -n~erMr~ vwwr~ mentioned tiles or the like, this could be finished in any other way, such as a layer of material being placed there over and worked, finishes in line with the body of the base portion so that there is ready access by a disabled person.

The arrangement is such that the base is sealed so there can be no leakage of unwanted water, it can be readily accessed for cleaning and provides a neat and attractive shower recess.

Whilst we have described two particular embodiments it will be understood that the basic concept could be applied with other materials and in other ways without departing from the invention.

*S*SS

S

*5 S 55 K:WP51\SPEC\VINCECAP.26 October, 1999 i~*N~~~~uir:wd~~Crclma*~

Claims (8)

1. A shower base having at least one access side and a body portion which slopes towards an outlet aperture which shower base is capable of being located in an aperture formed in a floor and being provided with an external step at any access side equivalent to the thickness of a floor covering, the arrangement being such that an access side is flush with the floor covering.

2. A shower base as claimed in clai~m 1 in which the step is provided with an outward peripheral flange which is adapted to be located at the same height as the floor.

3. A shower base as claimed in claim 2 in which the outward peripheral flange is provided with a downwardly directed flange by means of which the base can be connected to a floor member.

4. A shower base as claimed in claim 3 in which the floor member is a joist.

A shower base as claimed in claim 3 having non access sides provided with an upwardly directed flange which can located against an adjacent wall.

6. A shower base as claimed in claim 5 manufactured of I\SPEc\VINCE.CAP.20 August, 2003 S 11 relatively thin synthetic or metal sheet being provided with support members below the body of the shower base and below its periphery.

7. A shower base as claimed in claim 5 wherein the shower base is of a solid material and is adapted to rest on support members connected to floor joists or bearers.

8. A shower base substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. DATED this 26 day of October, 1999 RODERICK HENRY VINCE By his Patent Attorneys A TATLOCK ASSOCIATES K:WP51\SPEC VINCECAP.26 October, 1999