AU783920B2 - A shower screen installation door stop and door seal and a shower screen installation incorporating same - Google Patents

Description

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT Applicant(s): CRANE ENFIELD METALS PTY LTD A.C.N. 008 408 151 Invention Title: A SHOWER SCREEN INSTALLATION DOOR STOP AND DOOR SEAL AND A SHOWER SCREEN INSTALLATION INCORPORATING SAME The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us: 2 A SHOWER SCREEN INSTALLATION HAVING A DOOR STOP AND DOOR SEAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a shower screen installation having a door stop and door seal and relates 10 particularly, but not exclusively to a semi-frameless shower screen installation.

DESCRIPTION OF PRIOR ART 15 In the shower screen installation arts it has been a problem, particularly with semi-frameless shower screen installations to provide an effective door stop for holding the door of the installation closed and,.

to provide an effective seal at the bottom or top of the door when the door is closed.

The first problem is usually attempted to be solved by providing complicated bulky and physically obtrusive mechanical door stop means such as detent pins or balls or the like that locate in appropriate apertures in either the head track seal or top or bottom of the door or by providing a flange that extends from the upright frame member 7 that interferes with the swinging of the door and provides a stop. Thus, when the door is closed, the detent pins on balls hold the door closed and can be manually overridden when the door is to be opened. The retention of these door stop means into the installation requires sufficient space to accommodate the necessary mechanical components and this tends to make for an unsightly physical appearance to the installation and for unnecessarily bulky and complicated parts to the frame of the installation. In the case of the flange that \\melbflles\homS\Priyank\Keep\spec \SHOWEP SCREEN CRANE CM31546.doc 7,03102 3 interferes with the swinging of the door it is unsightly, and it also inhibits full swinging of the door either inwardly or outwardly during user access into or out of the installation.

The second problem is attempted to be solved by providing a splash shield which is attached to either the bottom of the door or the sill of the installation. This is unsightly and also is subject to interfering with user access into the shower screen installation.

In another proposal the second problem is attempted to solved by minimising the gap space between the bottom of the door and the sill. This often leads to interference of the bottom of the door and the sill over an extended time when the door hinging wears. This interference is to be avoided and therefore the gap cannot be set too fine.

OBJECT AND STATEMENT OF THE INVENTION Whilst the invention has been designed primarily j "for use with semi-frameless shower screen installations its use is not limited exclusively thereto and can be applied equally well to framed shower screen installations and is to be considered extending into that art.

Therefore, according to a first broad aspect of the present invention, there is provided a shower screen ooooo 30 installation having a door stop and door seal, said door stop and door seal being provided by an elongate magnetic strip being retained with the sill or the head track or the top or bottom of the door of the installation, the magnetic strip extending substantially along the whole of the length of the sill or the head track or top or bottom of the door, the retention being such that the magnetic strip can move in a direction outwardly from the sill or H:\Priyanka\Keep\speci\SHOWER SCREEN CRANE GM31546.doc 8/11/05 4 the head track or the top or bottom of the door, said door stop and door seal permitting stopping of the door for locating the door of the installation closed and simultaneously closing the gap between the sill and the bottom of the door or the top of the door by being extendable outwardly when magnetic means carried by the opposite of the sill or head track or bottom or top of the door influences the magnetic field of the door stop and door seal when the door is in the closed position, thereby permitting movement of the door stop or door seal by magnetic forces so that said gap is closed and said door is magnetically held in a door closed stop position and wherein, the door stop and door seal and the magnetic means are magnetically polarised north and south across the width thereof, said width being in a direction of swinging of the door so that when the door is closed, the south and north poles of the door stop and door seal will be aligned with the north and south poles respectively of 20 the magnetic means, and when the door is moved from the closed stop position the north or south poles of the door stop and door seal will be influenced by the like "polarised magnetic pole of the magnetic means thereby S•causing magnetic repulsion and magnetic assisted movement of the door stop and door seal away from contact with the .magnetic means, as the door swings.

Most preferably said door stop and door seal is plastics coated to inhibit corrosion by liquids attributable to use of the installation.

Most preferably said door stop and door seal is retained within the sill head track or top or bottom of the door by flange means that extend from a main body of the door stop or door seal, said flange means locating behind arms that close a cavity in which the door stop or door seal is retained.

H:\Priyanka\Keep\spec1\SHOWER SCREEN CRANE GM31546.doc 8/11/05 5 Most preferably the flange means is flexible to permit manual removal and insertion of the door stop and door seal from and into the cavity by flexing out of the way of the arms of the cavity.

Most preferably the transverse cross section of the door stop and door seal is generally of "top hat" shape.

Most preferably the magnetic means is of the same transverse cross section as the door stop and door seal and is also retained in a cavity carried by the opposite of the head track, sill or top or bottom of the door.

Most preferably, in one embodiment, the door stop and door seal is carried by the bottom or top of the door, and the magnetic means is carried by the respective sill or head track of the installation.

According to a further broad aspect of the present invention there is provided a shower screen installation incorporating a door stop and door seal of :the above type.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In order that the invention can be more clearly ascertained reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings wherein: Figure 1 is a front perspective view showing a H:\Priyanka\Keep\speci\SHOWER SCREEN CRANE GM31546.doc 8/11/05 6 typical semi-frameless shower screen installation; Figure 2 is a transverse cross section of one example of the invention fitted to a sill and a bottom of the door of the installation; Figure 3 is a view similar to that of Figure 2 showing the door in the open position; 10 Figure 4 is a transverse cross sectional view of the door stop and door seal; Figure 5 is a transverse cross sectional view similar to that of Figure 2 showing a different example; Figure 6 is a transverse cross sectional view similar to Figure 3 of the example shown in Figure Figure 7 is a transverse cross sectional view, 20 similar to that of Figure 2 showing a still further different example; and Figure 8 is a transverse cross sectional view similar to that of Figure 2 showing a still further different example.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now to Figure 1, a semi-frameless shower screen installation 1 is shown fitted in a corner of a bathroom. Installation 1 typically comprises an aluminium extruded frame 3 that has upright members 5 and 7, a head track 9 and a sill 11. A return panel 13 having its own peripheral frame 15 provides one end wall of the installation 1. The door 17 is a glass panel which is suitably hinged relative to the head track 9 and sill 11 by known suitable hinging means which have not been shown %melb-f i 1eshonrPryank8%\KeD\spe- \SHOWERSCR.EEN CANE GM31546 doc 7/03i',2 7 in order to aid clarity. The door 17 has a channel member 19 fitted to the top and further channel member 21 fitted to the bottom. Typically both channel members 19 and 21 are held to the top and bottom by silicon adhesive or a suitable glazing rubber. The door hinging means is associated with the respective channel members 19 and 21 and the respective head track 9 and sill 11. Because the door 17 does not have vertical upright metal channels fitted thereto, it is referred to as semi-frameless and 1 0 has the physical appearance of being a single glass sheet as the channel members 19 and 21 are generally small in size and do not influence the appearance of the door 17.

Installations of the type shown in Figure 1 have been known in the shower screen arts for many years.

A problem exists with such shower screen installations as the gaps between the bottom of the door .17 and the sill 11, and the top of the door and the head track 9 are such that water can often escape. Generally, 20 the tolerances of the gaps must be carefully selected in order to not permit mechanical interruption to the swinging of the door, yet at the same time to inhibit escape of water or other liquids from the installation during normal use. In order to hold the door in the door closed position detent means have been provided between the sill 11 and the channel member 21, and the head track 9 and the channel member 19. These have tended t6 be bulky in physical size and have inhibited reduction in the transverse cross sections of the respective sills 11 and head tracks 9. Further, the upright frame part 7 has a protruding flange which acts as a physical stop for the door. This prevents swinging of the door both inwardly and outwardly past the stop position.

Figure 2 shows a first example of the invention applied to a sill 11 and channel member 21. It should be understood that the example can be applied to the head \\melb-ile\hoaS\Pr7anka\Keep\specl \SHOWER SCP.EEN CRANE GM31546.doc 7/03/02 8 track 9 and the channel member 19 or to both the sill 11 and the channel member 21, and the head track 9 and channel member 19, and is not limited to use solely at the sill 11.

The Sill 11 is an aluminium extrusion which has a cavity 23 provided therein. The cavity 23 is formed with *arms 25 that partly close the cavity from the top of the sill. In other words, the cavity 23 is open from the top 10 and runs the whole length of the sill 11.

A door stop and door seal 27 is retained within the cavity 23. The door stop and door seal 27 is an elongate magnetic strip which has a magnetic core 29 and is surface coated with a plastics material 31 to inhibit corrosion. This is clearly shown in Figure 4. The transverse cross section of the door stop and door seal 27 is typically "top hat" shaped as shown and has flange means 33 extending from the lower-most bottom corners.

20 Typically, the plastics material coating 31 is a vinyl which is semi-flexible. The core can typically be some ferrous material or indeed a plastics material impregnated with a ferrous material so that it can be magnetised.

Figure 2 clearly shows that the door stop and door seal 27 is retained with the cavity 23 by the flanges 33 locating underneath arms 25. The cavity 23 has a depth substantially equal to the thickness (height) of the door stop and door seal 27. The flanges 23 are therefore made to be slightly flexible and this permits manual removal and insertion of the door stop and door seal 27 from and into the cavity 23 by the flanges 33 flexing to allow passage past the arms 25. Thus, as shown in Figures 2 4, the door stop and door seal 27 can move in an up and down direction. In normal use, when the door is open, the door stop and door seal 27 will fall by gravity and be held at the bottom of the cavity 23 as shown. Thus, the %\mlbfl les\homeS\\Priynnk&\Keep~speci\SHO'r(SCPEEN CPAUIE GM31S6 doc 7,03/02 9 top of the sill 11 will be substantially flush as the top of the door stop door seal 27 will align with the top of the sill 11.

The door 17 carries a lower channel member 21 of an aluminium extrusion which is held to the bottom of the door 17 by a suitable adhesive such as a silicon adhesive 37 or glazing rubber. Magnetic means 39 is carried by the door 17 so that when the door 17 is in the intended closed 10 position, the magnetic means will influence the door stop and door seal 27 and magnetically attract the door stop and door seal 27 upwardly from the cavity 23 to preferably engage with the magnetic means 39, thereby stopping the door in the door closed position and providing a seal at the bottom of the door 17.

The magnetic means 39, in this example, is of the same transverse cross sectional shape as the door stop and door seal 27. The lower-most portion of the channel 20 member 21 is provided with a cavity 41 and with arms 43 that retain the magnetic means 39 to the bottom of the door 17. Typically, the cavity 41 is of only sufficient size to receive the magnetic means 39 so the magnetic means 39 does not move up and down relative to the channel member 21 during normal operation. Thus, when the door 17 is in the closed position, the magnetic means 39 does not move relative to the door 17, but attracts the door stop and door seal 27 from the sill 11 so that it engages with the magnetic means 39.

Typically, the magnetisation of the door stop and door seal 27 is such that there are north and south poles on opposite edges i.e. so that the door stop and door seal 27 is magnetically polarised north and south across the width thereof. This is clearly shown in Figure 4. The magnetic means 39 is arranged so that when the door 17 is in the closed position the south pole of the magnetic \\melb-fileshomeS\Priyank\Keep\spec\SHOWER SCREEN CRANE CM31546 doc 7/O),t2 10 means 39 will be directly above the north pole of the door stop and door seal 27, and similarly the north pole of the magnetic means 39 will be directly above the south pole of the door stop and door seal 27. Thus, there will be good attraction and effective holding of the door 17 in the door closed stop position.

As the door is moved to the open position there will be sliding movement of the magnetic means 39 relative 1 0 to the door stop and door seal 27 and a point will be reached where like magnetic poles of the magnetic means 39, and door stop and door seal 27 are directly above one another. This will cause magnetic repulsion and magnetically force the door stop and door seal 27 into the cavity 23. Thus, it will move the door stop and door seal 27 away from contact with the magnetic means 39.

The door may now be installed without the use of detent pins or the protruding flange that provides a stop 20 for the door. Thus, the door can now be hinged and fitted so that it can swing both inwardly and outwardly of the installation. In fact, the vertical leading edge of the door may now closely abut with an edge or side of a glass return, and thus the upright frame part 7 need no longer be used, thereby further enhancing the appearance of the whole installation, as the corner of the installation where the upright frame pad 7 is otherwise provided will be glass-to-glass.

Referring now to the second example shown in Figure 5 and 6 it can be seen that the profiles of the sill 11 and the channel member 21 have been minimised in height and are more streamlined. The arrangement shown in Figures 5 and 6 is identical to that shown in Figures 2 4 except the transverse cross section of the sill 11 and the channel members 21 are different. Operation is the same.

\\melb-f les\hoS\Pri/anka\Keep\spec \SHOWF-P. SCP.EEN CPANE GM31546.doc 7103/02 11 It should be appreciated that the concepts shown at the sill or bottom of the door 17 as shown in these two examples can be applied to the top of the door 17 and to the head track 9.

If desired, slots 45 may be machined in the bottom of the cavity 23 (see Figure 2) and similar slots 47 may be provided on the inner side wall of the sill 11.

10 The slots may be machined after extrusion of the sill 11 and provided at various locations along the length of the sill 11. The slots 45 and 47 will facilitate draining of fluids that may pass into the cavity 23 and otherwise inhibit operation of movement of the door stop and door seal 27 within the cavity 23.

Such an arrangement is shown in Figure 7. It should be noted that the flanges 33 are relatively flexible and permit manual removal of the door stop and door seal 27 from the cavity 23 by applying a considerable manual force to the door stop and door seal 27 thereby permitting it to be removed, and cleaning of the cavity 23 if required. Such flexibility will also facilitate replacement of the door stop and door seal 27 and similarly the magnetic means 39 should there be a need to do so after prolonged usage where there maybe part failure of operation due to wear and tear. In a further embodiment which is similar to that shown in Figure 7, the slot 45 under the door stop and door seal 27 may be extruded as a void in the extrusion process, thereby avoiding the need to machine the slots 45 under the door stop and door seal 27.

Figure 8 shows a further example where the door stop and door seal 27 and the magnetic means 39 are reversed in position. In this arrangement, the door stop and door seal 27 is retained in the channel member 21 of \\Belb_fLles\homeS\Priyanka\Keepspeci\SHOWER SCREEN CRANE GM31546 doc 7/03/02 12 the door 17 and can move upwardly and downwardly therein within the cavity 47 formed in the channel member 21. The cavity 47 is partly closed by arms 49 to hold the door stop and door seal 27 therein in a manner similar to the way in which it was held in the sill 11 in the previous examples. In this example, the sill 11 is shaped to hold the magnetic means 39 so that its uppermost surface is e generally flush with the upper surface of the sill 11.

The magnetic means 39 locates within a cavity 51 in the 10 sill 11 as shown. Suitable sealant may be provided to prevent ingress of water into the cavity 51. This has not been shown in order to aid clarity of the drawing. In this example, the magnetic polarisation is identical to that shown in the previous examples and as the door swings past the closed position shown in Figure 8, like magnetic poles of the door stop and door seal 27 and the magnetic means 39 cause magnetic repulsion and lifting of the door stop and door seal 27 so that the door stop and door seal 27 rises into the cavity 47.

When the door 17 is in a fully opened position, the position of hinging of the door is such that at least a part of the door stop and door seal 27 adjacent the hinging will lie directly above the magnetic means 39 in the sill. Thus, even though the free end of the door 17 may be sufficiently remote from the magnetic means 39, so that the door stop and door seal 27 falls downwardly in the cavity 47 at the free end, as the door swings to the closed position the magnetic forces will lift the door stop and door seal 27 above the magnetic means 39 thereby allowing free and uninterrupted movement without the door stop and door seal 27 fouling with either the sill or the magnetic means 39. When the door 17 reaches the fully closed position, the magnetic forces of the poles between the door stop and door seal 27 and the magnetic means 39 will cause the downward movement of the door stop and door seal 27 onto the magnetic means 39 thereby providing not \\Ielb-files\homeS\?ryanka\Keep\specl\SHOWER SCREEN CRANE Cf31546.doc 7/03102 13 only a door stop position but also sealing.

Throughout the various examples it has been disclosed that the door stop and door seal 27 should abut with the magnetic means 39 when the door is in the door closed position. Whilst this is desirable to effect good o*o. waterproof sealing, it is not absolutely essential and so long as only a minimum gap is maintained then there will be effective sealing and minimal transfer of water under 10 the door in the gap between the bottom of the door 17 and the top of the sill 11. Even if the door stop and door sill 27 does not touch the magnetic means 39 the magnetic forces between the two members will be such that the door will be held in a substantially door stop closed position.

These and other modifications may be made without departing from the ambit of the invention the nature of which is to be determined from the foregoing description.

\\melbta e.\hoeS$Pr.anka\Keep\speci\SHOWER SCREEN CRANE GM31546 doc 7/03/02

Claims (6)

1. A shower screen installation having a door stop and door seal, said door stop and door seal being provided by an elongate magnetic strip being retained with the sill or the head track or the top or bottom of the door of the installation, the magnetic strip extending substantially along the whole of the length of the sill or the head track or top or bottom of the door, the retention being such that the magnetic strip can move in a direction outwardly from the sill or the head track or the top or bottom of the door, said door stop and door seal permitting stopping of the door for locating the door of the installation closed and simultaneously closing the gap between the sill and the bottom of the door or the top of the door by being extendable outwardly when magnetic means carried by the opposite of the sill or head track or bottom or top of the door influences the magnetic field of the door stop and door seal when the door is in the closed 20 position, thereby permitting movement of the door stop or door seal by magnetic forces so that said gap is closed .and said door is magnetically held in a door closed stop S.position and wherein, the door stop and door seal and the magnetic means are magnetically polarised north and south across .the width thereof, said width being in a direction of swinging of the door so that when the door is closed, the south and north poles of the door stop and door seal will be aligned with the north and south poles respectively of .:o.oi 30 the magnetic means, and when the door is moved from the closed stop position the north or south poles of the door stop and door seal will be influenced by the like polarised magnetic pole of the magnetic means thereby causing magnetic repulsion and magnetic assisted movement of the door stop and door seal away from contact with the magnetic means, as the door swings. H:\Priyanka\Keep\speci\SHOWER SCREEN CRANE GM31546.doc 8/11/05 15

2. An installation as claimed in claim 1 wherein said door stop and door seal is plastics coated to inhibit corrosion by liquids attributable to use of the installation.

3. An installation as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein said door stop and door seal is retained within a cavity in the sill head track or top or bottom of the door by flange means that extend from a main body of the door stop or door seal, said flange means locating behind arms that close said cavity.

4. An installation as claimed in claim 3 wherein the flange means is flexible to permit manual removal and insertion of the door stop and door seal from and into the cavity by flexing out of the way of the arms of the cavity. An installation as claimed in any one of the 20 preceding claims wherein the transverse cross section of the door stop and door seal is generally of "top hat" shape. An installation as claimed in claim 3 or claim 4 wherein the magnetic means is of the same transverse cross section as the door stop and door seal and is also retained in a cavity carried by the opposite of the head track, sill or top or bottom of the door. o

7. An installation claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the door stop and door seal is carried by the bottom or top of the door, and the magnetic means is carried by the respective sill or head track of the installation. H:\Priyanka\Keep\speci\SHOWER SCREEN CRANE GM31546.doc 8/11/05 16

8. An installation as claimed in any one of the preceding claims and substantially as herein described with reference to any one of the examples in the accompanying drawings. Dated this 8t" day of November 2005 CRANE ENFIELD METALS PTY LTD By their Patent Attorneys GRIFFITH HACK Fellows Institute of Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys of Australia S 0 0*0 0 S 0.06. H:\Priyanka\Xeep\speci\SHOWER SCREEN CRANE GM31546.doc 8/11/05