EP0759402B1 - Corner protector for a bath tub, useable as a mounting fixture - Google Patents

Abstract

The protectors are in the form of sets of triangular plates (6,7) with interlocking sets of prongs along the edges either side of the rectangle. The triangles are mounted on the four corners of the bath and fit over protective strips (2) while at the same time holding a foil (4) in position which covers the bath. The triangles have a number of holes so that they can be fixed on a wall and used to clamp the bent-over edge of the bath against the wall. One of the triangles has an angled edge (9) which can be used to support the edge of the bath.

Description

The invention relates to a corner protection of a bathtub packaging, which can also be used as a so-called secondary use as a fastening element for assembling the bathtub.

The corner protection is characterized according to the invention by two triangular, right-angled plate-shaped basic elements, at least one basic element being provided at least in the three corner areas with locking elements projecting beyond the plane of the basic element and the other basic element being provided with corresponding counter-detents, and the basic elements being provided with Means for fixing as a fastening element on the building are provided and at least one side of a basic element serves as a support for the tub edge. So far, the corner protection of a bathtub packaging could only be used as packaging material and was therefore put into the waste after the packaging was removed, since a return system from the craftsman to the wholesaler or hardware store to the manufacturer is practically not feasible. The fact that at least one basic element of the corner protector is provided with means for fixing it to the building and at least one side of this basic element is designed such that it serves as a support for the tub rim, now gives the craftsman the opportunity, at least after unpacking the tub to use part of the corner protection elements at the same time as a so-called wall bracket to fix the tub edge on the building wall. In addition to reducing waste, this solution also has the advantage that the wall brackets previously to be added to each bathtub in its own bag packaging can be dispensed with. The craftsman only needs the required number of commercially available for assembly Dowels and screws. The means attached in the base element for fixing as a fastening element can be arranged in a simple manner in the form of bores and / or elongated holes in the base element. In the simplest way, the locking elements themselves can serve as a support for the tub edge.

In an embodiment of the invention it is provided that the latching elements are designed in the form of a web in at least one base element and extend with their web surface parallel in each case along the sides of the base element forming the cathete. This arrangement has the advantage that the locking elements also form the protective elements covering the tub edge in the corner region.

In an embodiment, it is expedient here that a plurality of latching elements are offset along a catheter side and arranged in such a way that when used as corner protection, the latching elements of one basic element engage with the latching elements of the other basic element. If three locking elements are used for each side of the catheter, the arrangement can be such that on the one side of the catheter the two outer locking elements lie flush with the outer edge and the locking element in between is offset inwards, while on the other side of the catheter the arrangement is exactly the opposite, ie the middle locking element is flush with the outer edge, while the other two locking elements are arranged offset inwards. The particular advantage here is that when the two corner protection elements are pressed together, they interlock. The surfaces of the web-shaped latching elements that come into contact with one another here can be provided with projections and / or depressions that run parallel to the plane of the basic elements, so that locking at different distances between the two basic elements is possible and thus with a pair of corner guards a corner guard for tub edges with different Height is present. If such a corner protection element with its surface is screwed to the building wall in such a way that the locking elements protrude into the room, then the edge of the tub to be assembled can be placed on the locking elements, with the contact surfaces or contact edges of the locking elements correspondingly in the assembly Height on the building floor must be adjusted in the usual way.

In another embodiment of the invention it is provided that a first basic element is provided with latching elements projecting beyond its plane and a second basic element is provided with recesses into which the latching elements of the first basic element can be inserted in a latchable manner. In this embodiment, two different basic elements are present, the latching elements of the one basic element in turn encompassing the tub edge as corner protection, while the second basic element only serves as a closure element. When used as a fastening element, this embodiment offers the advantage that the basic element provided with the locking elements can in turn be connected to the building wall and can be adjusted in such a way that the locking elements project into the space and serve as a support for the tub edge. The other basic element can then be pushed back onto the latching elements to such an extent that it comes into contact with the inner surface of the tub rim after the bathtub has been inserted.

In a further embodiment of the invention it is provided that at least one basic element has a standing zone delimited by at least one delimiting element for receiving a tub base. Since two basic elements are required for the corner protection of the packaging per corner, in this configuration there is the possibility of using the corner protection elements not required for the wall fastening as floor fastening elements. It is expedient here if the basic element designed in this way is again provided with means for fixing on the building, ie here on the building floor. In the simplest form, these means can be formed by bores and / or elongated holes, with which the base element can in turn be screwed onto the floor and positioned in its orientation. This enables the position of the tub in the room to be determined exactly, so that the tub can then be removed from the installation site again, so that the additional work required in this area, for example attaching tiles or the like, without the risk of Damage to the tub can be done. After completing this work, the tub is then placed in the position specified by the fasteners on the wall and floor, so that the remaining work is possible without any problems.

In an embodiment of the invention it is provided that a delimiting element or at least part of a delimiting element is designed like a spike. This arrangement has the advantage that this thorn-like part can be pressed into the outer packaging of the edge area from the bottom when used as corner protection and thus fixes the corner protection overall on the bathtub without additional holding means.

In a further embodiment of the invention it is provided that the area of the delimiting element is provided with a support made of an elastic material. Since the corner protection elements are expediently made of a plastic that has a certain elasticity and / or sound-insulating properties can already be specified according to the invention with a corresponding shape of the surface of the standing zone, it is provided in a special embodiment of the invention to improve the sound insulation the area of the stand zone is provided with a pad made of an elastic material. This is particularly advantageous if, for reasons of strength, a plastic is used for the corner protection elements is used with less soundproofing properties. The arrangement, for example by gluing a plate made of an elastic material with appropriate sound insulation properties, can thereby improve the usability as a fastening means for the tub feet.

Fig. 1

eine Badewanne in Verpackung,

Fig. 2

einen Eckenschutz der Verpackung in größerer Darstellung, teilweise im Schnitt,

Fig. 3

eine Aufsicht auf ein erstes Grundelement,

Fig. 4

eine Schnittdarstellung durch das Grundelement gem. Fig. 3 in seiner Anwendung als Befestigungselement,

Fig. 5

eine Aufsicht auf ein zweites Grundelement,

Fig. 6

einen Schnitt gem. der Linie VI-VI in Fig. 5,

Fig. 7

eine Aufsicht auf eine andere Ausführungsform eines Grundelementes für einen Eckenschutz,

Fig. 8

eine Aufsicht auf das zugehörige Gegen-Grundelement zur Ausführungsform gem. Fig. 7,

Fig. 9

einen Schnitt gem. der Linie IX-IX in Fig. 8,

Fig. 10

einen Schnitt gem. der Linie X-X in Fig. 7 durch das erste Grundelement dieser Ausführungsform in der Verwendung als Wandbefestigungselement,

Fig. 11

die Anordnung eines Grundelementes als Halter für einen Wannenfuß,

Fig. 12

eine andere Ausführungsform eines Grundelementes in der Verwendung als Wannenfuß.

The invention is explained in more detail with reference to schematic drawings of exemplary embodiments. Show it:

Fig. 1

a bath tub in packaging,

Fig. 2

a corner protection of the packaging in a larger representation, partly in section,

Fig. 3

a supervision of a first basic element,

Fig. 4

a sectional view of the basic element acc. 3 in its application as a fastener,

Fig. 5

a supervision of a second basic element,

Fig. 6

a cut acc. the line VI-VI in Fig. 5,

Fig. 7

a supervision of another embodiment of a basic element for corner protection,

Fig. 8

a supervision of the associated counter-basic element to the embodiment acc. Fig. 7,

Fig. 9

a cut acc. the line IX-IX in Fig. 8,

Fig. 10

a cut acc. the line XX in FIG. 7 through the first basic element of this embodiment in use as a wall fastening element,

Fig. 11

the arrangement of a basic element as a holder for a tub base,

Fig. 12

another embodiment of a basic element in use as a tub base.

1 shows a bathtub 1, for example a plastic bathtub, in its storage and transport packaging. This packaging essentially consists of a protective profile 2, for example of appropriate corrugated cardboard strips or foam strips with corresponding deformation resistance, which are placed around the tub edge 3, and a plastic film of corresponding strength with which the tub opening is covered and which is placed around the protective profile 2 on the tub edge 3 is. A corner protector 5 is attached to each of the tub corners, which overlaps the plastic film 4 in this area and defines the plastic film 4 and the protective profile 2 on the tub edge.

In Fig. 2, this arrangement according to an embodiment in a section. the line II-II shown in Fig. 1 in more detail. The corner protection 5 consists essentially of an upper plate-shaped base element 6 and a lower plate-shaped base element 7, both of which have a right angle. In the catheter areas of the basic elements, locking elements 8 are provided which overlap the tub edge 3 and which laterally cover the tub edge and which cooperate with corresponding counter-latches on the other basic element. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the basic structure of which will be explained in more detail with reference to FIGS. 3 to 6, the catch elements 8 and the associated counter catches 8 formed on both basic elements 6 and 7 in the form of a web and aligned with their web surface parallel in each case along the sides of the basic element forming the cathets and so designed that they can be locked together, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

Like supervision. 3 shows the base element 7, the web-shaped locking elements 8 are each arranged in parallel along the sides of the base element forming the cathets, namely three locking elements on each side of the catheter. Here, the locking elements are arranged such that the locking elements 8.1 run directly along the edge on one side of the catheter, while the locking element 8.2 located therebetween is arranged at a distance from the edge. On the other cathete, only the central locking element 8.1 is arranged on the edge, while the two outer locking elements 8.2 are arranged at a corresponding distance from the edge.

How the supervision of the basic element 6 acc. 5 shows, the catch elements 8.1 and 8.2 are arranged in the same way in this basic element. This makes it possible to put essentially identical basic elements on top of each other, since the locking elements 8.2 of one catheter side can be inserted next to the locking elements 8.1 of the other catheter side of the counter element. Corresponding latching means in the form of webs are provided on the surfaces then facing one another, so that the two basic elements can be positively connected to one another when plugged into one another, as shown in FIG. 2.

As can be seen from the top view in FIG. 3 and the sectional view in FIG. 4, in this exemplary embodiment, at least on the base element 7, a strip-shaped region 9 is angled at the edge forming the hypotenuse of the triangle, in the same direction in which the web-shaped one is Show locking elements. In the remaining flat area there are still means for determining the The relevant basic element is provided on the building, for example in the form of two elongated holes 10. Between these two elongated holes 10, a standing zone 11 for receiving a trough base is defined, for example by a ring-shaped molded bead 12. The elongated holes 10 and the standing zone 11 are also arranged on the associated counter element 6 in the same way.

If the bathtub 1 is now unpacked from its transport packaging at the construction site, then the individual elements 6 and 7 of the corner protector 5 of all four corners can be used to fasten the tub to the building. If you screw the basic elements 7, as shown in the sectional view. Fig. 4, at the predetermined height on the associated building wall 13, then the folded area 9, as shown, can be used as a support for the downward-facing edge 14 of the tub edge 3. The remaining four elements 6 are screwed into position on the building floor at the location specified by the bath feet, so that the position of the bath is fixed both in height and in the orientation in the room. Then the bathtub can first be removed from its location so that the remaining work to be carried out in this area, for example laying wall tiles or the like, can be carried out without the risk of damaging the bathtub. The bathtub is then inserted into the position specified by the fastening elements and fixed there. The use of the base element 6 as a positioning element for a tub base 15 is shown in FIG. 11.

7 to 10 show a modified embodiment of the corner protection according to the invention. In this modified embodiment, the base element 6 is in turn provided with web-shaped locking elements 8, but in this embodiment on both Catheter sides are aligned. Corresponding fastening means 10 in the form of elongated holes and a standing zone 11 are also provided here for any use as a positioning element for the tub feet.

The associated counter element 7 is, however, only in the form of a plate and has corresponding recesses 16 for the web-shaped latching elements 8 of the base element 7 as counter latches, through which the web-shaped latching elements 8 can be inserted. With the arrangement of correspondingly projecting webs on the flat sides, but also on the end edges of the latching elements 8, a latching of the two elements with one another is again possible here when the counter element 7 is pressed on, so that the corner protection in turn, as shown in FIG. 2 in section , can be pressed onto the tub rim. By appropriately grading the catches, it is possible to provide corner protection with the same elements for different heights of the tub edge.

As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the base element 7 is provided with, for example, a thorn-like extension 17, which can also protrude, for example, from the bulge which defines the standing zone 11. If the two elements are pressed onto the corner in the manner shown in FIG. 2, then the spike-shaped extension 17 penetrates from below through the film, so that the corner protector 5 is held in a form-fitting manner in the same way as for the embodiment according to FIG. Fig. 2 happens through the bend 9.

In this embodiment, the edges 18 of the web-shaped latching elements 8 facing the hypotenuse side serve as supports for the lower edge 14 of the tub rim 3, as is shown in FIG. 10. In this exemplary embodiment, the base element 6 is screwed to the building wall 13, with the edges 18 forming the support be adjusted accordingly. The associated base element 7 can then be pushed onto the associated web-shaped latching elements to such an extent that, in accordance with the intended orientation, the base element 7 encompasses the edge 14 of the tub rim 3 from the inner edge side, so that the tub rim 3 is also connected to the wall in a form-fitting manner is. An additional bore 21 can be provided in the element 7, to which a corresponding bead 22 with a bore extension 23 is assigned, so that the element 7 can be secured in addition to the latching by means of a fixing screw 24, as shown in FIG. 10.

In Fig. 11, the use as a fastening and positioning means for a tub base 15 is shown in a sectional view. In this case, a corresponding element is placed on the building floor 25 from the elements 6 or 7 that are not required for wall mounting in such a way that the tub base 15 stands up in the intended position in the standing zone 11. In this position, the element 6 or 7 used can then be sprayed with the building floor, so that the alignment in the room is fixed. If you now give the stand zone 11 in accordance with the sectional view. Fig. 11 cross-sectional structure shown, then this area of the base element used in the direction of loading by the tub base 15 is flexible, taking advantage of the material elasticity of the base elements preferably made of plastic, so that there is a sound-absorbing effect.

Instead of such a shape, it is also possible to glue a corresponding stand element 26 made of an elastic plastic onto the elements of the corner protector to be used as the positioning element, which can then otherwise be smooth. The stand element 26 can be provided with a corresponding pressure-sensitive adhesive which is covered with a protective film. This stand element can be just as necessary Screws in a small parts pack are added to the overall packaging and, when used, are glued to the elements required for floor positioning.

The design of the individual components of the corner protection according to the invention is not limited to the illustrated and described embodiments. For example, if there is no need to protect tub edges of different thicknesses, it is possible to design the locking elements, which at the same time form the lateral protection of the corner, in the form of a pin. The basic elements can then be locked together in the manner of a push button. In the same way, it is possible to design the latching elements along the catheter side as a continuous, closed wall which is provided with corresponding recesses into which the counter-latches of the other basic element then engage. The design can also be made such that the support for the tub rim, when a basic element is used as a wall fastening element, is also formed by the latching elements on the catheter side. A continuous wall can then also be designed such that its outer surface already has a channel or the like for receiving the edge 14 of the tub edge.

The corner protection not only protects the respective corner of the tub from damage. It also serves as a stacking aid if several trays are stacked into one another for storage purposes. The tubs are then supported on each other at the four corners only via the respective corner protector, while the rest of the tub body remains unloaded. The plastic film is inserted into the trough in the form of a bag.

Claims (7)

1. A corner protector for bath tub packaging, which can be used for fastening a bath tub, wherein two triangular plate-shaped basic elements (6; 7) having a right-angle are provided and at least one basic element (6; 7) is provided, at least in the three corner regions, with catch elements (8) which project beyond the plane of the basic element, and the other basic element is provided with mating catches (8; 16) and the basic elements (6; 7) being provided with means (10) for fixing as a fastening element to the building, the region (9; 18) of at least one side of a basic element (6) serving as a rest for the tub edge (3).
2. A corner protector according to Claim 1,
   characterised in that the catch elements (8) are formed in the shape of bars on at least one basic element (6; 7) and extend with their bar surface parallel in each case along the sides of the basic element which form the catheti.
3. A corner protector according to Claim 1 or 2,
   characterised in that a plurality of catch elements (8.1, 8.2) are offset and arranged relative to each other along one cathetus side such that when used as a corner protector the catch elements (8.1, 8.2) of one basic element (6) engage with the catch elements of the other basic element (7).
4. A corner protector according to Claim 1 or 2,
   characterised by a first basic element (6) which is provided with catch elements (8) which project beyond its plane and by a second basic element (7) which is provided with recesses (16) as counter-catches, into which the catch elements (8) of the first basic element (6) can be introduced in locking manner.
5. A corner protector according to one of Claims 1 to 4, characterised in that at least one basic element (6; 7) has a standing zone (11) defined by at least one defining element (12) for receiving a foot (15) of the tub.
6. A corner protector according to one of Claims 1 to 5, characterised in that the defining element is formed by an at least partially circumambient bead (12).
7. A corner protector according to one of Claims 1 to 6, characterised in that the region of the standing zone (11) is provided with a layer (26) of an elastic material.

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