EP0492147B1 - Shower floor element - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a floor element for use in shower baths and other shower areas. According to the invention, the floor element is a moulding with a square, circular or other base, in which the standing area (1) for the user is surrounded and bounded by the drainage channel (2) for the waste water and the water outlet (4) is integrated in the drainage channel (2). Adjoining the drainage channel (2) on all sides is a drainage area (3). The latter and the standing area (1) for the user are sloped towards the drainage channel (2). In a further development of the invention, a standing/sitting device (6') is provided, which is connected either to the water outlet/siphon trap (4) or is inserted in the drainage channel (2) and which has a leaning/sitting bar (11') at the upper end or is designed as a solid support. Consequently, the object is achieved of providing, for easier use, a shower which has no outer walls like conventional shower baths and of obtaining more reliable collection of the shower water and more cost-effective production than in the case of shower planes produced manually with tiles and integrated into the floor. <IMAGE>

Description

The invention relates to a component for the floor of shower areas in shower rooms or shower cubicles.

Shower cubicles or shower levels are known in various embodiments. The most widespread embodiment is the shower trays, which are used as prefabricated fittings made of metal or plastic and walled in at the place of use. They have an approximately 20-40 cm high, approximately vertically rising wall on the outer edge; Depending on the type of installation, its floor is at a level with the floor of the room or higher and runs horizontally over its entire surface. However, these shower trays have the disadvantage that the users have to climb the wall, which is particularly difficult for people with walking difficulties. They also have aesthetic disadvantages because they visually divide and reduce the space in their area of application.

From GB-A-1 574 433 a prefabricated floor unit for use in furnishing a bathroom is known, in which the base part has raised peripheral areas all around and, in one embodiment, additionally runs inside the base part, which are lower than the aforementioned walls of the shower trays, so that they are easier for the user to climb. An embodiment of the floor unit according to GB-A-1 574 433 also has a slope towards the outside in the direction of the water drain arranged there, so that the water obtained during showering runs quickly and more completely than in the shower trays with a horizontally extending floor. However, there remains the disadvantage of an edge area of the shower base element to be exceeded by the user and the impossibility of transitioning the floor area of the adjoining room without changing the level into the shower area. In addition, the lower edge area has the disadvantage of not being carefully perceived by the user, similar to low levels, so that he can trip over it and be brought down. The one-sided gradient mentioned has the disadvantage that the entire shower water is gushing to the channel part with the water outlet and there causes the risk of water backlogs up to overflow into the surrounding room.

GB-A-1 532 953 discloses a shower cubicle for the disabled, in which the floor is slightly conical or arched towards the center of the standing surface. The standing area goes directly into a vertical ascending wall in the form of a three-quarter cylinder, which is closed by a door in the form of a cylinder segment when in use. The shower water runs from the floor through a side opening in the pump sump, which is located outside the shower room and from which the pump is used. This shower cubicle according to GB-A-1 532 953 is not suitable from the outset as a component for the floor of shower areas in shower baths because it is not intended and possible to let it into the floor of the bathroom or other room. The design of the floor in the cylindrical shower cubicle, in particular the lack of a drainage channel, has the further considerable disadvantage that the shower water runs unhindered into the surrounding space if the door of the cubicle is not closed carefully. The same applies to residual water that is on the standing surface of the shower cubicle, at least if the user opens the door prematurely. In the absence of a slope in the area of the transition from the standing area into the cabin wall in the direction of the opening to the pump sump, the drainage of the residual water when opening the door into the surrounding space is to be expected in any case, which has remained in the area of the door.

The aforementioned disadvantages are avoided by the also known shower levels, in which tiles in the shower room are produced either at the same level in the shower area only How to lay the adjacent floor or pull the floor into the shower area with tiles, whereby a slightly lower water drain is embedded in the floor in the shower area and the tiles are accordingly laid with a slight slope towards the drain. However, these shower levels require the respective individual craftsmanship by tilers in coordination with the installer, special care being necessary to achieve the correct gradient for water drainage. Experience has shown that proper water drainage is often not achieved. Another disadvantage is - also compared to the aforementioned shower trays - that inevitably water gets into the adjacent room when showering and only partially or slowly runs down the slope to the drain.

Many users of showers, especially those with walking difficulties, wish or even need to lean on and / or sit. Such is missing in the known embodiments of the shower areas. Since the leaning against boundary walls regularly brings the user out of the area of the shower head and also creates the risk of slipping, the user must place separate seats (stools or similar) in the shower.

The invention has for its object to provide a shower area in which, while avoiding the disadvantages of the known shower trays and shower levels, the shower area in one level with the adjoining floor of the room, the user does not have to climb a wall or an elevated edge area and at the same time the shower water can no longer run from the shower area into the adjacent room.

This object is achieved by the features listed in the characterizing part of claim 1. In a continuation of the invention, advantageous configurations with integrated standing / sitting devices are carried out according to the subclaims.

Fig. 1

das erfindungsgemäße Duschbodenelement mit ringförmiger Abflußrinne und integriertem Abfluß in Aufsicht:

Fig. 2

das Duschbodenelement gemäß Fig. 1 als Längsschnitt in der Seitenansicht;

Fig. 3

das erfindungsgemäße Duschbodenelement mit quadratisch umlaufender Abflußrinne und integriertem Abfluß in Aufsicht;

Fig. 4

das Duschbodenelement gemäß Fig. 3 in Längsschnitt und Seitenansicht;

Fig. 5

das Duschbodenelement gemäß Fig. 1 mit im Abfluß intergrierter und befestigter Steh-/Sitzvorrichtung;

Fig. 6

als Detail den Abfluß des Duschbodenelements gemäß Fig. 5 mit der Befestigung der Steh-/Sitzvorrichtung vor der Zusammenfügung;

Fig. 7

das Duschbodenelement gemäß Fig. 1 mit Steh-/Sitzvorrichtung in anderer Ausführungsform zum Einsatz in die Abflußrinne;

Fig. 8

das Duschbodenelement mit Steh-/Sitzvorrichtung gemäß Fig. 7 als Längsschnitt/Seitenansicht;

Fig. 9

das Duschbodenelement gemäß Fig. 1 mit Steh-/Sitzvorrichtung in weiterer Ausführungsform zum Einsatz in die Abflußrinne;

Fig. 10

das Duschbodenlement mit Steh-/Sitzvorrichtung gemäß Fig. 9 in Längsschnitt/Seitenansicht.

The following is a description of exemplary embodiments of the invention with reference to drawings. Show

Fig. 1

the shower base element according to the invention with an annular trough and integrated drain in supervision:

Fig. 2

1 as a longitudinal section in the side view;

Fig. 3

the shower floor element according to the invention with square drainage channel and integrated drain in supervision;

Fig. 4

3 in longitudinal section and side view;

Fig. 5

the shower base element of Figure 1 with integrated in the drain and attached standing / sitting device.

Fig. 6

as a detail, the drain of the shower base element according to Figure 5 with the attachment of the standing / sitting device before assembly;

Fig. 7

the shower base element of Figure 1 with a standing / sitting device in another embodiment for use in the trough.

Fig. 8

the shower base element with standing / sitting device according to FIG 7 as a longitudinal section / side view.

Fig. 9

1 with standing / sitting device in a further embodiment for use in the trough;

Fig. 10

the shower base element with standing / sitting device according to FIG. 9 in longitudinal section / side view.

The shower base element according to the invention is a prefabricated fitting. In the representations of the figures it has a square base; however, it can also have the shape of rectangles with different side lengths, circles, or triangles and ovals. The shower base element has the standing surface 1, 1 ', which is surrounded and limited by the trough 2, 2' and from its center on all sides to the trough 2, 2 'a slightly tes, advantageously 1.5% gradient Has. In the embodiment of Figures 1 and 2, the standing surface 1 is circular with an annular trough 2; 3 and 4, the standing surface 1 'is substantially square with a trough 2' running at right angles. Following the trough 2, 2 ', the shower base element has the run-off slope 3, 3', which slopes slightly opposite to the direction of inclination of the standing surface 1, 1 'and also advantageously with a gradient of 1.5% to the trough 2, 2'. At one point of the trough 2, 2 ', expediently in one of the corner areas, the water drain 4 is integrated, which leads to an underlying siphon 10 known per se.

The shower base element is inserted into the floor of the shower room in such a way that, with the outer limitation of the drainage slope, it merges flatly into the adjacent floor area at the same level, as can be seen from FIGS. 5, 7 and 9.

In a continuation of the invention, the standing / sitting device 6 is attached to the water drain 4, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. This consists of the two height-adjustable vertical supports 7, which are attached with their lower ends 8 to the annular disc 9 of the water drain 4 above the siphon 10 by means of screwing, welding or in some other way. At their upper end, the supports 7 carry the leaning / seat posts 11.

Also in a continuation of the invention, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the standing / sitting device 6 'attached. This consists of the two supports 7 ', which are also adjustable in height and have the leaning / seat posts 11' at their end. At their lower ends, the supports 7 'pass into the cross member, which is adapted in shape to the trough 2 or 2' and is inserted into the trough 2, 2 '. Advantageously, the cross member 13 has at its outer ends a suction cup 14 for releasable attachment in the trough. As an additional improvement, suction cups 15 can also be attached to the two outer ends of the leaning / seat spar 11 'for the additional detachable fastening of the standing / seat device to the adjacent side wall.

9 and 10 finally show, in a modification of the above-mentioned standing / sitting devices, a standing / leaning device 6 ″, which consists of a uniform board-like support 16 and, moreover, is inserted into the trough 2 as in the embodiment according to FIG. 7, also advantageously with suction cups 14 on both sides. Also in this embodiment 16 suction cups 15 'can be arranged at the upper end of the support for further fastening.

The shower base element according to the invention has the practical advantages in use and the aesthetic advantages of a shower level in that a circumferential side wall as in the known shower trays is missing. There is no need for the user to exceed before and after showering The floor area of the adjoining room merges into the shower area without changing the level. At the same time, compared to the known shower level, which is made by hand using individual tiles, the advantage is achieved that it consists of a single component, thus ensuring the correct inclination of the surfaces and connection to the water drainage from the outset, and also considerable cost savings. Due to the environment and all-round limitation of the standing surface of the shower base element by the circumferential drainage channel, the further disadvantage of the tiled shower levels described above is avoided by the draining water being absorbed by the channel and being fed directly to the water drain integrated therein.

The shower base element according to the invention also allows in the development according to FIGS. 5 to 10 a further use advantage for the user and greater safety through the standing / sitting device with a fixed but detachable connection to the shower base element.

Claims (5)

1. Shower floor element for shower areas of bathrooms and other rooms where the standing area for the user is surrounded and limited continuously by a drain channel for waste water and the standing area has a slope characterized in that the shower floor element is a shaped piece with a surface area in the form of a square, a rectangle, a triangle, a circle, an oval shaped element or another surface area, and the standing area (1, 1') for the user slopes on all sides from its center toward the drain channel (2, 2'), with the water drain (4) being positioned in the drain channel (2, 2') for connection to the trap (10), and that the drain channel (2, 2') is joined on all sides by the beveled drain section (3, 3') which reaches up to the exterior edges of the shower floor element and which also slopes toward the drain channel (2, 2'), with the slope of the standing area (1, 1') and of the beveled drain section (3, 3') being preferrably 1.5 % to 2 %, and that the standing area (1, 1') and the beveled drain section (3, 3') are not higher in their marginal areas than the adjoining areas.
2. Shower floor element in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that a standing and sitting device (6) with heightadjustable vertical supports (7) and a lean-on and sitting rail (11) at its top end is mounted at the water drain (4), with the supports (7) being linked with the water drain (4) by welded connection, screw-threaded union or by other means, preferrably at its ring disk (9) above the trap (10).
3. Shower floor element in accordance with claim 2, characterized in that the standing and sitting device (6') with the heightadjustable vertical supports (7') and the lean-on and sitting rail (11') at its top end is inserted in the drain channel (2, 2') by means of a cross supporting element which in shape is adapted to that of the drain channel (2, 2').
4. Shower floor element in accordance with claim 3, characterized in that the cross supporting element of the standing and sitting device (6') has suckers at its extreme ends (14) by which it is tightly but detachably mounted in the drain channel (2, 2').
5. Shower floor element in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that in the drain channel (2, 2') the standing and sitting device (6'') with the support (16), having an entire surface, is inserted.

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