DE29504715U1 - Shower partition - Google Patents

Description

Patent attorney Karl OlbricmY;·;;· .-.-^oio^. ^, Weinberg is

Graduate Physicist State-certified translatorj£ _# J * · · _# *. . *.eJ-5£C96 Niederweimar

EUROPEAN PATENT ATTORNEY *" «« *··".&eegr;?^. _{(Q6421) ?} ggg

Fax: (06421) 71

24, March 1995 G 758 - Ot/Bu

Günter Reiche!, 35232 Dautpheta!

Shower partition Description

The invention relates to a shower partition according to the preamble of claim 1.

Shower partitions usually have a profile frame that surrounds the shower area and is attached to a wall using adjustable side profile elements, for example, and sits firmly on the edge of a shower tray or bathtub using a base profile. The doors are designed as sliding or swing doors and have glass or plastic panes that are surrounded on all sides by frame profiles. Sealants between the door profiles and the frame profiles prevent water from escaping from the inside of the shower or bathtub.

The frame profiles and the door profiles are sometimes very wide, which can be unsatisfactory from an aesthetic point of view and reduces the opaque areas. In order to allow as much light as possible to enter the shower compartment from the outside and to make the frame construction as unobtrusive as possible, attempts are made to reduce the profile frame to a few frame profile elements and to avoid the need for a door frame by using the glass or plastic panes themselves as wall or door elements. For example, a glass pane with a side profile attachment is hinged to a wall profile. A narrow

Sealing profile with a magnetic strip, and the lower edge is provided with a splash guard profile. To ensure the stability of the shower partition, especially the side walls, additional support elements are required. If two swing doors are arranged opposite each other, they must support each other at their closing edges. The risk of glass breakage is very high.

Other designs do not have any profiles on the glass door at all and instead use a hinge on the top and bottom edges, which is pivotally mounted on the bottom floor profile and on an upper bracket. In order to protect the outside area against splashes and running water, the wall profiles have sealing lips that the closed door must rest against, although this is not always guaranteed. In addition, the sealing lips optically widen the frame profiles and only allow the doors to be opened in one direction, usually outwards.

Therefore, there is still a need for further development. The aim of the invention is to create a shower partition with a simple mechanical structure, the door profiles of which are not visually visible compared to the frame profiles when closed. Furthermore, the doors should be able to open both outwards and inwards and be almost completely sealed against splash water.

Main features of the invention are specified in the characterizing part of claim 1. Elaborations are the subject of claims 2 to 23,

In a shower partition for a shower tray or tub with a floor profile element placed on the edge of the tray or tub, with at least two vertical frame profile elements and with at least one door pivotably mounted between the frame profiles with a glass or plastic pane, which is framed by profile elements at the sides and bottom and whose axis of rotation is shifted towards the middle of the door, the invention according to claim 1 provides that the door profile elements on the one hand and the floor and frame profile elements on the other have cross-sections and external contours that complement each other to form an overall profile. The door profile elements therefore do not initially appear as independent profiles when the door is closed. Only when the shower partition is opened do they separate from the frame profile elements and become visible as independent profile elements.

• *

In the special design according to claim 2, the door profile elements form cross-sectional segments of the floor and frame profile elements, which are connected to them in a force-fitting and/or form-fitting manner when the door is closed, providing a seal. While maintaining a closed appearance, this also provides reliable protection against splash water.

According to claim 3, the door profile elements are assigned to the frame profiles on the front side so that they can be pivoted sideways. This enables the doors to be opened both outwards and inwards.

Claim 4 opens up a wide range of design options for a shower partition, if, for example, a side wall connection profile in the form of a cross-sectional segment can be connected to a frame profile. These profile elements also blend inconspicuously into the overall picture and do not appear as independent profiles, especially if, according to claim 4, the outer contours of the profiles flow into one another. The individual profiles appear as a uniform profile frame with a self-contained design, which can in particular be egg- or nut-shaped. Various cross-sectional variants of the profile frame emerge from claims 6 to 8. Even individual design wishes can be easily realized.

To ensure that no splashing or running water can escape from the interior of the shower, claim 9 provides that sealing means, e.g. elastic sealing strips, are provided between the mutually associated end faces of the profiles. These can be attached to one of the frame profiles according to claim 10, whereby a magnetic strip is present in the sealing strip according to claim 11

The advantageous development of claim 12 consists in that a magnetic strip in a sealing strip is assigned a corresponding strip in a leaf profile. In this way, the door leaves are securely and reliably locked in the closed state. The door can only be pivoted after the magnetic forces exerted by the magnetic strips have been overcome. Alternatively, the profiles can be locked together at the end, as provided in claim 13.

From a structural point of view, it is advantageous if, according to claim 14, the door profiles are connected to the glass or plastic pane in a force-locking manner. Additional fastening

elements are therefore not necessary, which significantly reduces the manufacturing effort.

Due to the advantageous design according to claim 15, the lower door profile has an inward-facing drain shield as a foot profile, which according to claim 16 is integral with the foot profile. This reliably prevents splashing or running water from escaping from the shower and allows a narrow design of the floor profile.

An important measure of the invention consists in claim 17 in that an upper pivot bearing is fixed to a cross member located above the door, e.g. a tube, and a lower pivot bearing is located under the foot profile. It is advantageous if, according to claim 18, the tube is supported by brackets placed on the vertical frame profiles and is designed to be split according to claim 19.

The axis of rotation of the door is formed, as provided in claim 20, by two pivot pins placed on its edges, which are detachably guided in the bearings according to claim 21. The upper bearing is formed, in accordance with claim 22, by a bearing block attached to the pipe, while the lower pivot bearing according to claim 23 is formed by a bearing bush arranged in the floor profile. This allows the door to be removed and inserted even after the profile frame has been installed, which can be advantageous, for example, if the door is damaged and simplifies the installation of the shower partition. By offsetting the axis of rotation towards the middle of the door, the side profiles can be made narrow and adapted to the frame profiles as cross-sectional segments. In addition, the wing profiles are designed identically so that they are interchangeable, which has a positive effect on storage costs.

Further features, details and advantages of the invention emerge from the wording of the claims and from the following description of embodiments with reference to the drawings. They show:

Fig. 1 a front view of a shower enclosure,

Fig. 2 is a partial sectional view of an upper rotary bearing,

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line I-I in Fig. 1,

Fig. 4 an exploded view of a rotary bearing,

Fig. 5a a top view of a pivot bearing between two floor profile sections,

Fig. 5b is a sectional view along the line H-II in Fig. 5a, Fig. 6 is a partial cross-section along the line Π-Π in Fig. 1,

Rg. 7 a shower partition for a corner shower with rectangular shower tray and side entry,

Rg. 8 another example of a shower partition for a semi-circular corner shower and

Rg. 9 a partial cross-section along the line IV-IV in Rg. 8.

Fig. 1 shows an example of a shower partition, designated as 10 in total. It has a profile frame 12 with at least two frame profiles 14 attached vertically, e.g. to a wall (not shown), and a lower floor profile 30 placed horizontally on the edge of a shower tray (also not shown). Between the profile frames 12, a swing door 60 with a glass or plastic pane 61 is mounted so as to pivot about an axis 62 offset towards the center of the door. It can be brought into a tightly closed position with the frame profiles 14 using wing profiles 67 placed on the edges 64 of the pane 61. A profile 75 placed on the lower edge 65 of the pane covers the relatively narrow base profile 30. It has an inward-facing drain shield 79, preferably in the form of a one-piece drain leg, so that no splash water can penetrate to the outside.

The upper end of the frame profiles 14 is formed by two brackets 50, which are preferably aligned at an angle to one another and which are inserted into the profile cross-section with a base 53 and cover it completely. They carry a pipe 54 running parallel to the floor profile 30, which, as shown in Fig. 2, can be split and carries a bearing block 82 for an upper pivot bearing 80 for holding the swing door 60. The ends 56 of the pipe sections 54 are slidably inserted into holes 52 in the brackets 50 or in the bearing block 82 and are secured using screws 58. This enables the pipe length to be quickly adjusted to different installation dimensions, which can also change later, e.g. when moving the shower partition 10 to a shower tray with different dimensions.

In the bearing block 82 there is a cylindrical recess 84 into which a receiving head 87 with a pivot pin 85 engages. A

The screw 86 passing through the block 82 ensures that the pivot pin 85 is seated centrally in the recess 84. The receiving head 87 is made in two parts, with the two halves of the head forming a longitudinal groove that is open at the bottom (not visible) and is preferably slightly wedge-shaped. With this groove, the head 87 overlaps the upper edge 66 of the glass or plastic pane 61 and is clamped to it using screws (also not shown). By additionally gluing the receiving head 87 to the pane 61, a firm and permanent connection is achieved. An upper end profile for the swing door 60 is not required.

The recess 84 in the bearing block 82 can be exposed by an inwardly removable cover plate (not shown), so that the pivot pin 85 can be removed from the bearing block 82 after loosening the axle screw 86. This makes it easy to remove a damaged door 60, for example, from a fully assembled profile frame 12 and quickly replace it with a new one. The cover plate is conveniently screwed to the bearing block 82 and is not visible from the outside.

A lower pivot bearing 81 is provided in the base profile 30, aligned below the upper pivot bearing 80 (see Fig. 3 and Fig. 4). It has a bearing bush 90, preferably made of plastic, which is inserted into a hole 32 in the base profile 30 and secured, for example, by means of a sheet metal screw 91. The latter can be screwed in from above as shown in Fig. 3 or from below as shown in Fig. 4, whereby the screw 91 inserted from above enables the bearing bush 90 to be replaced at any time. A locking edge 34 prevents the bush 90 from twisting in the base profile 30.

In the bearing bush 90 there is a pivot pin 92 with a one-piece plate attachment 93, on which a clamping profile 95 made of aluminum is fastened with a countersunk screw 99. The clamping profile 95 engages from below in the foot profile 75, which is placed on the lower edge 65 of the pane 61 and is made of elastic material, e.g. polyurethane. It has a longitudinal groove 76 that is still open at the top, into which the pane 61 of the swing door 60 is pressed firmly with its lower edge 65. Nose edges 78 are provided on the inner surfaces 77 of the groove 76. It is also enclosed by two legs 96 of the clamping profile 65, which also have locking lugs 97 at their ends. This ensures that the pane 91 is reliably seated in the foot profile 75; no other fastening elements are required. Lateral offsets 98 of the

Clamping profiles 95 reliably prevent twisting or jamming of the end profile 75 relative to the pivot bolt 85.

The lower bearing 81 is almost completely covered by the foot profile 75. It bears the entire weight of the swing door 60, which is inserted into or lifted out of the bearing bush 90 from above with its pivot pin 92 during installation and removal. Between the plate attachment 93 and the bearing bush 90, locking elements 94 are preferably arranged at an angle offset in order to hold the swing door 60 in defined locking positions; for example in a certain open position or in a closed position. The pivot bearings 80, 81 arranged offset towards the middle of the door make it possible to open the door 60 even if, due to limited space, furnishings such as cupboard parts, wash basins or the like cover part of the door front. The rotation axis 62 of the door is determined before installation by arranging the bearing block 82 along the pipe sections 54 and the hole 32 in the floor profile 30 according to the ambient conditions

In order to enable easy disassembly of the shower partition 10, which is preferably pre-assembled on delivery, and to be able to adjust the width of the floor profile 30, as well as the pipe sections 54, to a specific installation dimension, this is divided at the level of the hole 32, as shown in Fig. 5a. The hole 32 for receiving the bearing bush 90 is located in a connecting piece 100 (Fig. 5b), which is inserted into the floor profile ends 36 with two arms 101 and locked in place using screws 102. The screws 102 are located in elongated holes 103, so that subsequent adjustment of the installation width is possible at any time. The pivot pin 92 is attached to the bearing bush 90 as already described. A cover (not shown) placed over the connecting piece 100 covers the fastening screws 102 and the gaps 104 remaining between the connecting piece 100 and the profile ends 36. For aesthetic reasons, the cover can have the same width as the bearing block 82, so that an overall symmetrical image is created. The lower bearing 81 itself is nevertheless not visible.

Fig. 6 shows a cross-section along the line Λ-Λ in Fig. 1 and along the line V-V in Fig. 7. Two vertical frame profiles 14 that delimit the door opening have a substantially oval partial cross-section. One of the profiles 14 is attached to a wall W, e.g. a tiled wall, with an inner adjustment profile 16.

The second profile 14 is connected to a side wall connection profile 42 via an inner adjustment profile 16. This forms, together with a glass or plastic pane 41 and a wall connection profile 43 attached to the wall, a side wall 40 of the shower partition 10. The two adjustment profiles 16 can be moved in sections relative to the frame profiles 14 using an adjustment device 17 known per se in order to compensate for, for example, uneven walls or angular inaccuracies within the shower partition 10. To do this, the threaded screws 18 only have to be screwed in or out accordingly. For the same reason, the pane 41 of the side wall 40 is firmly inserted into lateral edge profiles 45, which are slidably mounted within the wall connection profile 43 and the side wall connection profile 42. The locking of the pane 41 in a desired position is carried out by means of screws 48 guided in elongated holes 47. Elastic plastic strips 46 attached to the inner edges 44 of the profiles 42, 43 seal the pane 41 towards the outside.

The locking or adjusting screws 18, 48 are covered with snap-in cover profiles 20, 49, which at the same time prevent water and dirt from penetrating the hollow spaces in the profiles. The cover profile 20 placed on the frame profiles 14 is trough-shaped and has an elastic sealing strip 22 with a pocket 24 for accommodating a magnetic strip 26.

The offset rotation axis 62 of the swing door 60 makes it possible to make the wing profiles 67, which are placed laterally on the edges 64, 65 of the pane 61, extremely narrow. They have a longitudinal groove 70 that extends to a rear wall 69 and has a separate chamber 71 at the end, which accommodates a magnetic strip 73. A side edge 64 of the glass or plastic pane 61 is firmly inserted into the outer part of the groove 70 by means of a clamping profile (not shown), so that no fastening screws are required for this either. In addition, a defective pane can be replaced quickly and easily by removing the door profile elements 67, 75 from the old pane and placing them on a new one.

It can be seen in Fig. 6 that the wing profiles 67 together with the associated frame profiles 14 and the side wall connection profiles 42 that may be adjacent to the frame profiles 14 form an almost uniform oval overall profile. This is achieved by the wing and side wall profiles 67, 42 each forming a cross-sectional segment of a frame profile 14.

form, i.e. the outer contours of the profile elements 14, 42, 67 flow smoothly into one another. When the swing door 60 is closed, the cross-sectional area of the frame profile elements 14 is completed to form an oval or a lens surface, namely because the wing profiles 67 rest against the frame profiles 14 on the front side in a form-fitting manner. The magnetic strips 26, 73 attract one another, whereby the elastic sealing strip 22 of the cover profile 20 nestles against the back surface 69 of the wing profile 67. The magnetic forces acting on both front edges of the profiles 14, 67 hold the swing door 60 securely in the closed position. The sealing strip 22 ensures a watertight closure of the closed shower partition 10.

The baseboard 75 of the door 60 is a cross-sectional segment of the floor profile 30 and together with it also forms an essentially oval overall profile. However, due to the ledge 79 formed on the inner edge of the base profile, only the visible front edges of the profiles 30, 75 merge smoothly into one another.

To an outside observer, the frame profiles 14, 30 and the adjacent, form-fitting wing or side wall profiles 67, 42, 75 appear as a uniform frame for the panes 41, 61. The door profiles 67, 75 are not visible when closed; only when the door 60 is opened do the wing profile elements 67 and the base profile 75 become apparent as independent profile elements.

In order to prevent the wing profiles 67 from hitting each other when opening and closing the swing door 60, the back surfaces 69 of the wing profiles 67 associated with the frame profiles 14 are slightly convex. This also makes it possible to open the door 60 both outwards and inwards without any problems. Sealing lips or stop edges on the frame profiles 14 are not necessary.

The profile frame 12 of a shower partition 10 can be designed to be extremely unobtrusive. Due to the uniform design of the individual profile elements, they can also be easily exchanged and combined with one another as desired. In this way, a wide variety of shower partitions 10 can be constructed quickly and inexpensively, as storage costs are significantly reduced.

Another embodiment of a shower partition 10 is shown in Fig. 8 and 9. The front edge of the shower tray D is rounded and closed by two swing door wings 60, so that a wide and comfortable entry is possible. The door 60 is mounted in accordance with the embodiments described above. Only the side leaf profiles 67 of the swing doors 60, which are opposite one another in the middle of the profile frame 12, have a different cross-sectional shape.

The invention is not limited to one of the previously described embodiments, but can be modified in many different ways. The profiles can therefore be easily adapted to other tub shapes, e.g. tubs with a pentagonal or round basic shape.

It can be seen that a shower partition 10 has a floor profile element 30, at least two vertical frame profile elements 14 and at least one door 60 which can be pivoted on pivot bearings 80, 81 and whose axis of rotation 62 is shifted towards the middle of the door. The door 60 is formed by a glass or plastic pane 61 which is framed at the sides and bottom by profile elements 67, 75. According to the invention, the latter form front cross-sectional segments of the floor and frame profile elements 14, 30 and are connected to them preferably in a force-fitting and/or form-fitting manner when the door 60 is closed, with sealing means 22 being provided between the mutually associated front surfaces of the profiles 14, 67. A side wall connection profile 42 can also be connected to a frame profile 14 in the form of a cross-sectional segment. The outer contours of profiles 14, 42, 67 and 30, 75 flow seamlessly into one another and form an overall profile of, for example, an oval cross-section.

All features and advantages arising from the claims, the description and the drawing, including structural details, spatial arrangements and method steps, can be essential to the invention both individually and in a wide variety of combinations.

List of reference symbols

W Shower partition * ··· * *
* * · * Wall Bottom edge D Profile frame Shower tray Top edge 10 Frame profile 65 Wing profile 12 Adjustment profile 66 Back wall 14 Adjustment device 67 Longitudinal groove 16 Threaded screw 69 chamber 17 Cover profile 70 Magnetic strip 18 Sealing strip 71 Foot profile 20 Bag 73 Longitudinal groove 22 Magnetic strip 75 Inner surface 24 Soil profile 76 Nose edge 26 drilling 77 Expiry sign 30 Locking edge 78 Pivot bearing 32 Soil profile end 79 Bearing block 34 Side wall 80.81 Recess 36 disc 82 Pivot bolt 40 Side wall connection profile 84 screw 41 Wall connection profile 85 Recording head 42 Inner edge 86 Bearing bush 43 Edge profile 87 Sheet metal screw 44 Plastic strip 90 Pivot bolt 45 Long hole 91 Divider attachment 46 screw 92 Locking elements 47 Cover profile 93 Clamping profile 48 console 94 leg 49 drilling 95 locking lug 50 base 96 Bending 52 Pipe/pipe section 97 Countersunk screw 53 Pipe end 98 Connector 54 screw 99 boom 56 Swing door 100 screw 58 disc 101 Long hole 60 axis 102 gap 61 Side edge 103 62 104 • 64 · * · · I
♦ f··· · m

Claims (23)

Protection claims 1. Shower partition (10) for a shower tray or tub (D) with a floor profile element (30) placed on the edge of the tray or tub, with at least two vertical frame profile elements (14) and with at least one door (60) pivotably mounted between the frame profiles (14) with a glass or plastic pane (61) which is framed at the sides and bottom by profile elements (67, 75) and whose axis of rotation (62) is shifted towards the middle of the door, characterized in that the door profile elements (67, 75) on the one hand and the floor and frame profile elements (14, 30) on the other hand have cross-sections and external contours which complement one another to form an overall profile. 2. Shower partition according to claim 1, characterized in that the door profile elements (67, 75) form cross-sectional segments of the floor and frame profile elements (14, 30) and are connected to them at least in a force-fitting manner with a seal when the door (60) is closed. 3. Shower partition according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the door profile elements (67, 75) are assigned to the frame profiles (14, 30) on the front side. 4. Shower partition according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that a side wall connection profile (42) in the form of a cross-sectional segment can be connected to a frame profile (14). 5. Shower partition according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the outer contours of the profiles (14, 42, 67) or (30, 75) merge smoothly into one another. 6. Shower partition according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the frame profile elements (14, 30, 42) and the door profiles (67, 75) together have a substantially oval or lens-shaped cross-section. &iacgr;&ogr;* · · &iacgr;&iacgr; · &iacgr;&idigr; * * 7. Shower partition according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the frame profiles (14, 30, 42) and the door profiles (67, 75) together have a substantially rectangular cross-section. 8. Shower partition according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the frame profiles (14, 30, 42) and the door profiles (67, 75) together have a substantially diamond-shaped cross-section. 9. Shower partition according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that sealing means, e.g. elastic sealing strips (22), are provided between the mutually associated end faces of the profiles (14, 67). 10. Shower partition according to claim 9, characterized in that the sealing strip (22) is attached to a frame profile (14) 11. Shower partition according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that a magnetic strip (26) is present in the sealing strip (22). 12. Shower partition according to one of claims 9 to 11, characterized in that a magnetic strip (26) is assigned a respective opposite-pole strip (73) in a wing profile (67). 13. Shower partition according to one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that the profiles (14, 67) can be locked together at the end faces. 14. Shower partition according to one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that the door profiles (67, 75) are connected in a force-fitting manner to the glass or plastic pane (61). 15. Shower partition according to one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that the lower door profile (75) has an inwardly directed drain plate (79) as a foot profile. 16. Shower partition according to claim 15, characterized in that the drain plate (79) is integral with the foot profile (75) · ■ ♦« ♦·♦* 17. Shower partition according to one of claims 1 to 16, characterized in that an upper pivot bearing (80) is fixed to a cross member located above the door (60), e.g. a tube (54), and that a lower pivot bearing (81) is located under the base profile (75). 18. Shower partition according to claim 17, characterized in that the pipe (54) is supported by brackets (50) placed on the vertical frame profiles (14). 19. Shower partition according to claim 17 or 18, characterized in that the pipe (54) is divided. Shower partition according to one of claims 17 to 19, characterized in that the door (60) has two pivot pins (85, 92) placed on the edges (65, 66). 21. Shower partition according to one of claims 17 or 20, characterized in that the bolts (85, 92) are releasably guided in the bearings (80, 81). 22. Shower partition according to one of claims 17 to 21, characterized in that the upper pivot bearing (80) is formed by a bearing block (82) fastened to the pipe (54). 23. Shower partition according to one of claims 17 to 22, characterized in that the lower pivot bearing is formed by a bearing bush (90) arranged in the base profile (30).