DE20308455U1 - Sanitary unit with a bath-tub or a shower tray comprises a support frame which is provided with side walls leaving a space between themselves and the bath-tub wall - Google Patents

Abstract

The sanitary unit (10) with a bath-tub or a shower tray comprises a support frame which at least over certain sections is provided with side walls (16) extending from bath-tub rim to the frame support surface, and leaving a space (40) between the side wall and the bath-tub wall (13). At least one side wall is provided with an openable and closable door.

Description

BUSE · MENTZEL '·' LÜDEWIG " patent attorneys

EUROPEAN PATENT AND TRADEMARK ATTORNEYS

PO Box 2014 62 Kleiner Werth 34 Dipl.-Phys. Mentzel

D-42214 Wuppertal D-42275 Wuppertal Dipl.-Ing. Ludewig

Wuppertal-Wuppertal,

Password: "Storage tub"

Karl Lenz GmbH & Co. KG, Scheffelstr. 12-14, 58636 Iserlohn

Sanitary appliance with a tub, such as a bathtub or a shower tray

The invention relates to a sanitary device of the type mentioned in the preamble of claim 1. Examples of tubs that can be used for this purpose are bathtubs, corner bathtubs, sit-down tubs, shower trays or whirlpools. These tubs can be made of a wide variety of materials, such as enamel, acrylic, etc.

In the known sanitary facilities of this type, the tubs are usually walled in and/or covered with tiles. In the area of the masonry, only a relatively small so-called inspection opening is provided to make the drain pipes accessible.

The disadvantage of such an arrangement is that the sanitary facility takes up much more space than the actual tub, and that this space is then no longer available for other uses. In addition, the tub must first be bricked in and clad on site, which is a laborious and expensive process, which also makes any subsequent replacement of the tub, for example during renovation, very complicated and expensive.

STADTSPARKASSE WUPPERTAL·f 656CT.· BLZi305Qft00 .JBAN: RE50340500.000OQJD.7,6,5 6.7.7. . TELEPHONE +49(0)202/25535-0

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COMMERZBANK AG WUPPERlALi 4^129805 · Bi!z 3004^401 &iacgr; IBJVNJIIE ie33(WBJ)fll041J9805<)0 ; ; ; e-mail: PAe@patbumelu.de

POSTBANK KÖLN 72634506 · &Bgr;*£&zgr; 37Vlo7l5O - !ÖÄft: ÜE91370 1005U072SS45060 ·· ·&iacgr;· http://www.patbumelu.de

VAT No. DE 121035 988

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The object of the invention is therefore to develop a sanitary device that can be set up quickly and has new functions. This is achieved according to the invention by the measures mentioned in claim 1, which have the following particular significance.

The frame is provided with peripheral surfaces, at least in some areas, which start from the tub outline and run downwards to the base of the frame, with the frame acting as a support for the peripheral surfaces. The space delimited by the side walls of the tub and the peripheral surfaces is made accessible for additional use. This is done by attaching one or more doors. If the doors are in an open position, the space is now accessible and can be used as storage space, for example. If the doors are in their closed position, the storage space is closed. This creates a completely new function for the sanitary device, as the previously unusable area between the walls of the tub and the outer surfaces of the sanitary device is now available.

The design according to the invention also avoids the previously usual, laborious bricking in of the tub. Instead, such a sanitary device is set up in the desired location in a simple and cost-effective manner and provided with the necessary connections. This eliminates the need for time-consuming and costly bricking in and cladding of the device. This also makes replacing the tub much easier if necessary.

It is advisable to design the doors as sliding doors that are guided in guides. This has the advantage that no additional space is required to open the doors, for example a pivoting area in the case of a hinged door, which is particularly advantageous in small bathrooms or where furniture and bathroom fittings are located close together. The sliding doors can be guided in sliding rails or in ball bearings that are located in the running profiles. Sliding rails have the advantage that they are particularly easy and

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are inexpensive to manufacture. Ball bearings in running profiles are more complex, but they allow the doors to be operated with less effort, which can be particularly advantageous for heavier doors, e.g. on the long side of the device. The doors can be made of acrylic glass, which can be any color or color combination, or aluminum. These materials are particularly resistant to moisture and are also hygienic and easy to clean, which is essential for use in a sanitary device. This also makes it possible to adapt the design of the device to the user's liking. Furthermore, the doors can have handle strips, which can be made of aluminum profiles, for example, which make it easier to operate the doors, especially when moving them from the open to the closed position.

In one embodiment, the tub includes a drain opening associated with an end side wall of the tub, the end side wall being free of doors, and a storage space that can be closed with at least one door being provided on each of the other sides, with the exception of the side having the end side wall. The drain opening can then be connected to the drain pipe in the wall via a pipe, with the side having the end side wall being mounted on a wall. The end side wall is advantageously located on a narrow side in a more rectangular or oval tub. This provides a particularly large amount of storage space. In addition, it is recommended to arrange two sliding doors on each side of the device on which a storage space is provided, offset in depth from one another and sliding one behind the other. This makes the storage space easily accessible across its entire width, while when the doors are closed the storage space is completely closed. In order to protect the objects in the storage space from water that might spill out of the tub, a downward-pointing collar can be formed on the tub rim on its outer edges that form the tub outline. In addition, the upper guides of the doors can be attached to the underside of the tub rim or the

upper part of the supports. Water sloshing or splashing out of the tub can no longer penetrate into the storage space from above through the guides of the sliding doors, as the upper guides are covered by the collar and thus protected.

The frame advantageously includes supports that engage under the edge of the tub and support the tub, and a frame to which the supports are attached. Because the tub is supported by the supports, it is no longer necessary to provide feet on the tub. This is particularly advantageous for tubs made of acrylic, as is increasingly the case today. Such tubs are often made using a deep-drawing process, with the feet being attached in a later step. If the tub is simply placed on the floor, it is difficult to achieve the slight gradient required for the water to drain.

The supports of the frame can run parallel to the side walls of the tub at a distance from them. Since the side walls of tubs usually slope inwards towards the bottom of the tub, a vertical design of the supports would "waste" a lot of space in these cases. To counteract this, the supports are designed so that they run parallel to the side walls of the tub in order to make as much of the available space as possible usable as storage space.

It is advantageous if the frame of the rack has at least two longitudinal bars and at least two cross braces. This design gives the frame sufficient stability. Depending on the tub, it is useful to equip the frame with additional cross braces. The lower guides of the doors can be provided on the longitudinal bars and / or outer cross braces of the frame. This proves to be advantageous because the frame represents the outer limit of the usable storage space. By equipping the

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Frame with guides for the doors, this storage space is used to the maximum on the outside.

In a special design, the frame is supported on feet. The feet can be enclosed by a panel on the visible side. The feet give the frame a good and safe support surface. The panel prevents anyone from seeing underneath the device and forms a visible finish to the floor.

It is advisable to make the frame and/or the feet out of weldable steel tubing. This material is very robust. In addition, the frame and/or the feet are easy and inexpensive to manufacture. This is very important for a mass-produced item such as a sanitary device in order to minimize manufacturing costs.

It is advisable for the frame to have a shelf facing the respective storage space, which serves as a shelf for the objects that can be stored in the storage space. Such a shelf serves to store the objects more hygienically, as they would otherwise end up lying on the bathroom floor. The supports facing the respective storage space can also have an inner lining. This is advantageous as it prevents the stored objects from sliding down towards the supports, which in the worst case could fall into the gap between the supports and the side walls of the tub and would then be difficult to retrieve again. In one embodiment, the shelf of the frame and the inner lining of the supports form an insert with an L-shaped cross-sectional profile (L-insert). This makes it easy to install both the inner lining and the shelf. When connecting the tub or in the event of a defect where the drain pipes must be accessible or when replacing the tub, the L-insert can be quickly and easily removed and then reinserted. It has proven to be advantageous if the L-insert is made of angled aluminum sheet. This makes the L-insert easy and quick to manufacture and the material

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offers numerous options to give the L-insert the desired appearance by painting, coating or anodizing.

In one embodiment, the tub is made of colored acrylic, especially with glass fiber reinforcement. The wall thickness of the tub can be about 4-8 mm, preferably 5 mm. Acrylic is a modern material that is now preferred in the production of sanitary devices. It can be easily colored in a wide variety of colors. Such a tub can be manufactured using a simple deep-drawing process. In addition, the finished tub is significantly lighter than conventional tubs, which are usually made of enamel. The glass fiber reinforcement ensures that the tub is sufficiently stable. Particularly good results in relation to the requirements of a tub have been achieved with glass fiber reinforced acrylic with a wall thickness of 4-8 mm, especially 5 mm.

The subject matter of the invention is shown in several embodiments in the drawings. They show:

Fig. 1: a sanitary device with a bathtub in front view

Fig. 2: a sanitary facility with bathtub in perspective with the doors in the closed position

Fig. 3: a sanitary facility with bathtub in perspective as in Fig. 2, but the doors are in the open position

Fig. 4: a sanitary facility with bathtub and doors in open position from a different perspective

Fig. 5: the lower guide of the doors as sliding rails

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Fig. 6: the lower guide of the doors as ball bearings in running profiles
Fig. 7: a bottom view of a sanitary device with bathtub

The sanitary device 10 has a tub 11 with a tub base 12, side walls 13 and a tub rim 14. The tub rim 14 extends outwards like a flange on the top side 22 of the side walls 13, in this embodiment approximately horizontally. The outer edges 17 of the tub rim 14 determine the outline of the tub 11 (tub outline 15) and are designed as a downward-pointing collar 18. The tub 11 is mounted on a frame 50 which supports the tub 11. The frame 50 consists on the one hand of supports 51 and on the other hand of a frame 52 which supports the supports 51. The supports 51 run parallel to the side walls 13 of the tub 11 and at a distance 21 from these and engage the tub 11 on the underside 23 of the tub rim 14. The frame 50 is mounted on feet 56, which are enclosed on the visible side 58 by a cladding 57.

Between the downward-facing surface 16 defined by the tub outline 15 and the side walls 13 of the tub 11 there is a space 40 which can be used as storage space 41. In Fig. 1 these storage spaces 41 are located on both sides 20 of the tub 11. The storage spaces 41 are closed by doors 30 which are designed as sliding doors 33.

The frame 52 has a shelf 61 facing the storage space 41, while the supports 51 have an inner lining 62 facing the storage space 41. The shelf 61 of the frame 52 and the inner lining 62 of the supports 51 are made in one piece and form an insert with an approximately L-shaped cross-sectional profile (L-insert 60). If repairs are necessary on the tub 11, the L-insert 60 can simply be removed so that the tub 11 is accessible from the outside.

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Fig. 2 shows the sanitary device 10 with storage spaces 41 on two sides 20, with the doors 30 in the closed position 32. The storage spaces 41 are thus closed. The doors 30 are designed as sliding doors 33. Each side 20 is equipped with two doors 30, which are arranged offset in depth from one another so that they can be moved one behind the other.

Fig. 3 shows the sanitary device 10 from Fig. 2 in the same perspective, but the doors 30 are in the open position 31. The sliding doors 33 are shifted so that they are at least partially offset in depth one behind the other. The storage spaces 41 are now accessible so that objects 43 can be placed on the shelf 42 of the L-insert 60 or removed from it.

Furthermore, one of the peripheral surfaces 16, which start from the tub outline 15 and run downwards to the base of the frame 50, is shown schematically by hatching. The frame 50 serves as a support for the peripheral surfaces 16.

In Fig. 4, both doors 30 on each side 20 of the sanitary device 10 are in the open position 31. Both storage spaces 41 and the objects 43 located therein, shown as examples, are accessible. Only on the end side wall 24 is no storage space provided.

Fig. 5 shows the lower guide 34 of the sliding doors 33. In this embodiment, the guides 34 are designed as slide rails 35 in which the sliding doors 33 can be moved. In order to transfer the sliding doors

33 from the open position 31 to the closed position 32 easier, the sliding door 33 can be operated using the handle bar 38.

Another embodiment is shown in Fig. 6. Here the guides

34 of the sliding doors 33 as ball bearings 36, which are in a running profile 37

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The sliding doors 33 in turn have handle strips 38 for easier operation.

A view of the underside of the sanitary device 10 is shown in Fig. 7. The frame 52 of the rack 50 shown in this embodiment has two longitudinal webs 53 and five cross braces 54. There are storage spaces 41 on three sides 20 of the tub 11. The drain opening 19 is assigned to the right narrow side of the tub 11, which represents the end side wall 24, which has no storage space 41. Each of the storage spaces 41 has L-inserts 60, the shelves 61 of which can be seen in the illustration. The sanitary device 10 also has feet 56, which are enclosed on the visible side 58 by a panel 57.

The embodiments shown here are merely examples of implementations of the invention. This is not limited to this, but rather a wide variety of modifications are possible. The invention does not just relate to a bathtub, but rather a wide variety of tubs are conceivable, such as corner bathtubs, sit-down tubs, shower trays and whirlpools. The tubs can also be mounted on a wall with a side other than that assigned to the drain opening, as well as with more than one side, or they can be located freely in the room. The tubs do not have to have an essentially rectangular shape. Rather, many different shapes of tub are possible, which can also have curved sides. It is also possible to create a storage space on these sides, and the doors on these sides can also be curved. The doors can also be designed with hinges, as roller doors or in any other way. It is also possible for only one or more than two doors to be provided on each side of the sanitary device. Instead of handles, the doors can also have buttons, levers or other operating devices. The frame can also be designed in a different way, for example the tub can be stored directly on a frame or a base plate or the

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Supports can be placed directly on the floor without the use of a frame with feet. Finally, other materials are also conceivable, especially for the tub, the doors, the frame and the L-inserts.

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List of reference symbols:

10 Sanitary equipment 11 Tub 12 Tub bottom 13 Side wall 14 Bath rim 15 Tub outline 16 Circumferential area 17 Outer edges of 15 18 collar 19 Drain opening 20 Page of 11 21 Distance between 11 and 51 22 Top of 13 23 Bottom of 14 24 End side wall 30 door 31 Publication 32 Closing position 33 sliding door 34 guide 35 Slide rail 36 ball-bearing 37 Running profile 38 Handle bar 40 Space 41 Storage space 42 Filing 43 Item that can be stored in 41

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50 frame 51 support 52 Frame 53 Longitudinal bridge 54 Cross brace 55 Upper part of 51 56 Foot 57 Blindness 58 Visible side 60 L-insert 61 Storage shelf 62 interior panelling

Claims (25)

1. Sanitary appliance ( 10 ) with a tub ( 11 ), such as a bathtub or a shower tray,
wherein the tub ( 11 ) has a tub bottom ( 12 ), side walls ( 13 ) and a tub rim ( 14 ) extending outwardly in a flange-like manner on the upper side ( 22 ) of the side walls ( 13 ), the outer edges ( 17 ) of which determine the outline of the tub ( 11 ) (tub outline 15 ),
and with a frame ( 50 ) supporting the tub ( 11 ),
characterized ,
that the frame ( 50 ) is provided at least in some areas with peripheral surfaces ( 16 ) which start from the tub outline ( 15 ) and run downwards towards the base of the frame ( 50 ),
whereby a space ( 40 ) is created between the side walls ( 13 ) of the tub ( 11 ) and the peripheral surfaces ( 16 ),
that at least one of the peripheral surfaces ( 16 ) has at least one door ( 30 ),
wherein the door ( 30 ) can be transferred from an open position ( 31 ), in which the space ( 40 ) is accessible as a storage space ( 41 ), into a closed position ( 32 ), in which the storage space ( 41 ) is closed. 2. Sanitary device ( 10 ) according to claim 1, characterized in that the doors ( 30 ) are designed as sliding doors ( 33 ) which are guided in guides ( 34 ). 3. Sanitary device ( 10 ) according to claim 2, characterized in that on each side (20) of the device ( 10 ) on which a storage space ( 41 ) is provided, there are two sliding doors ( 33 ) which are arranged offset in depth from one another and can be moved one behind the other. 4. Sanitary device ( 10 ) according to one of claims 2 or 3, characterized in that the guides ( 34 ) of the sliding doors ( 33 ) are designed as slide rails ( 35 ). 5. Sanitary device ( 10 ) according to one of claims 2 or 3, characterized in that the guides ( 34 ) of the sliding doors ( 33 ) are designed as ball bearings ( 36 ) in running profiles ( 37 ). 6. Sanitary device ( 10 ) according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the doors ( 30 ) have handle strips ( 38 ). 7. Sanitary device ( 10 ) according to claim 7, characterized in that the handle strips ( 38 ) of the doors ( 30 ) consist of aluminum profile. 8. Sanitary device ( 10 ) according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the doors ( 30 ) consist of acrylic glass. 9. Sanitary device ( 10 ) according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the doors ( 30 ) are made of aluminum. 10. Sanitary device ( 10 ) according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that a downwardly pointing collar ( 18 ) is formed on the tub rim ( 14 ) at its outer edges ( 17 ) forming the tub outline ( 15 ). 11. Sanitary device ( 10 ) according to one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the tub ( 11 ) includes a drain opening ( 19 ) which is associated with an end side wall ( 24 ) of the tub ( 11 ),
that the end side wall ( 24 ) is free of doors ( 30 )
and that on each of the remaining sides (20) there is provided a storage space ( 41 ) which can be closed with at least one door ( 30 ), except for the side (20) having the end side wall ( 24 ). 12. Sanitary device ( 10 ) according to one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the frame ( 50 ) has, on the one hand, supports ( 51 ) which grip the underside ( 23 ) of the tub edge ( 14 ) and support the tub ( 11 ), and, on the other hand, includes a frame ( 52 ) on which the supports ( 51 ) are fastened. 13. Sanitary device ( 10 ) according to claim 12, characterized in that the supports ( 51 ) of the frame ( 50 ) run approximately parallel to the side walls ( 13 ) of the tub ( 11 ) at a distance ( 21 ) from these. 14. Sanitary device ( 10 ) according to claim 12, characterized in that the frame ( 52 ) of the rack ( 50 ) has at least two longitudinal webs ( 53 ) and at least two transverse struts ( 54 ). 15. Sanitary device ( 10 ) according to one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that the upper guides ( 34 ) of the doors ( 30 ) are provided on the underside ( 23 ) of the tub edge ( 14 ) and/or the upper part ( 55 ) of the supports ( 51 ). 16. Sanitary device ( 10 ) according to one of claims 1 to 15, characterized in that the lower guides ( 34 ) of the doors ( 30 ) are provided on the longitudinal webs ( 53 ) and/or the outer cross struts ( 54 ) of the frame ( 52 ). 17. Sanitary device ( 10 ) according to one of claims 1 to 16, characterized in that the frame ( 52 ) has a storage shelf ( 61 ) towards the respective storage space ( 41 ), which serves as a shelf ( 42 ) for the objects ( 43 ) that can be stored in the storage space ( 41 ). 18. Sanitary device ( 10 ) according to one of claims 1 to 17, characterized in that the supports ( 51 ) have an inner lining ( 62 ) towards the respective storage space ( 41 ). 19. Sanitary device ( 10 ) according to claims 17 and 18, characterized in that the storage shelf ( 61 ) of the frame ( 52 ) and the inner lining ( 62 ) of the supports ( 51 ) form an insert with an L-shaped cross-sectional profile (L-insert 60 ). 20. Sanitary device ( 10 ) according to claim 19, characterized in that the L-insert ( 60 ) consists of angled aluminum sheet. 21. Sanitary device ( 10 ) according to one of claims 1 to 20, characterized in that the frame ( 50 ) is mounted on feet ( 56 ). 22. Sanitary device ( 10 ) according to claim 21, characterized in that the feet ( 56 ) are enclosed on the visible side ( 58 ) by a cladding ( 57 ). 23. Sanitary device ( 10 ) according to one of claims 1 to 22, characterized in that the frame ( 50 ) and/or the feet ( 56 ) consist of weldable steel tube. 24. Sanitary device ( 10 ) according to one of claims 1 to 23, characterized in that the tub ( 11 ) consists of colored acrylic, in particular with glass fiber reinforcement. 25. Sanitary device ( 10 ) according to one of claims 1 to 24, characterized in that the wall thickness of the tub ( 11 ) is approximately 4-8 mm, preferably 5 mm.