EP0990411A1

EP0990411A1 - A shower cubicle provided with means capable of permitting the movement thereof for maintenance or the like

Info

Publication number: EP0990411A1
Application number: EP99203126A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Livio Furlan; Adriano Carrara
Original assignee: Jacuzzi Europe SpA
Current assignee: Jacuzzi Europe SpA
Priority date: 1998-09-28
Filing date: 1999-09-23
Publication date: 2000-04-05
Also published as: ITTV980038U1; IT245532Y1

Abstract

A shower cubicle which comprises a series of generally known operative equipment for the supply and circulation of water and which has, in the region of its base (28), stationary support means (26) for its frame (12) which are deactivatable in such a manner that its frame (12) is alternatively supported by means (34) which enable it to slide and therefore to be moved from the place of use for maintenance and overhauling operations and the like.

Description

The present invention relates to a shower cubicle which is provided with means enabling it to be moved whenever it is necessary or required to carry out maintenance work on it or, additionally and equally, whenever it is necessary to overhaul it or replace one or more parts.
Shower cubicles are widely known in the field and it is known that, when sanitary equipment of this type is installed, it is difficult to move it and therefore the necessary or at any rate foreseeable operations of maintenance and/or overhauling or replacing parts must at present be prepared for and carried out with the cubicle in the position in which it was installed.
The overall weight of a shower cubicle is known to be very substantial and therefore it is impossible to move it in order to gain access to the region where it has its equipment and its hydraulic, electrical and the like control and actuating circuits which are generally provided in its rear wall.
The equipment and circuits indicated above are normally arranged outside the shower cubicle in the region of its rear wall which is generally against or close to a wall.
The prior art has therefore provided various arrangements and palliatives permitting access to the above-mentioned equipment, those solutions all generally being aimed at making the rear wall of the cubicle removable from its interior so as to be able to carry out actions on the above-mentioned equipment.
It will be appreciated that those various solutions have not inconsiderable disadvantages, the majority of which are attributable to a loss of sealing along the contour of the rear wall. It is widely known that the interior of a shower cubicle is subjected to substantial stress owing to the presence or generation of hot and/or super-heated steam (hydromassage, Turkish bath, cascade and the like) which, owing to the fact that the rear wall can be removed, jeopardises the sealing conditions of the shower cubicle.
It is well known that the degree of closure of a shower cubicle is a parameter fundamental to the functioning of this apparatus, lack of closure leading to a substantial reduction in its efficiency to the detriment of the work it is intended to perform.
A shower cubicle which enables the above-mentioned disadvantages to be removed has now been devised and constitutes the subject-matter of the present invention.
One of the main objects of the present invention is to provide a shower cubicle as mentioned above, which enables its conditions of sealing from the outside to be maintained unchanged over time even if checking, inspection, overhauling and similar operations are carried out on it.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a shower cubicle as just indicated which, according to one of its basic features, is produced in such a manner that its entire rear or back wall is unitary, apart of course from the sliding or swing doors for opening and closing it, thus providing an optimum state of sealing of its internal environment.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a shower cubicle which, when it is not being utilised, is movable from the use position in order to be able to gain access to its rear portion for normal and foreseeable operations of maintenance, overhauling or replacement of parts.
The present invention therefore relates to a shower cubicle which is of a generally known type as regards its operative equipment for supplying and circulating water and which is characterised in that it has, in the region of its base, stationary support means for its frame which are deactivatable in such a manner that its frame is alternatively supported by means which enable it to slide and to be moved from the place of use.
The features and advantages of the shower cubicle according to the present invention will become clear from the following detailed description of a non-limiting embodiment thereof which is given with reference to the appended drawings in which:
Figure 1 is a sectional diagrammatic side view of the shower cubicle according to the invention in the state of normal use, that is to say, stationary, and
Figure 2 is a view analogous to Figure 1 showing, limited to the lower portion of the cubicle, one of the possible states into which the cubicle can be brought by simple movement.
With reference to the above-mentioned drawings, the cubicle according to the invention is generally indicated 10 and its frame is indicated 12.
In the present description, the components constituting the cubicle and normally provided for its operation, that is to say, for the performance of the traditional functions of a shower cubicle, that is to say, hydromassage, shower, cascade jet, Turkish bath and the like, are neither illustrated nor described in detail because they may be of any traditional type and do not form subject-matter of the present invention.
The appended drawings also show that, when the cubicle 10 is in use, it is arranged in a fixed and stationary position close to a wall 14. In that case, its rear wall 16 is in the vicinity of the wall 14 at a predetermined distance therefrom.
Arranged on the outside of the wall 16 are some operative components of the cubicle 10, such as, for example, hydromassage nozzles 18, a nozzle for the outflow of a cascade jet 20, nozzles for supplying super-heated steam 22 for a Turkish bath and also, in the lower portion of the wall 16, a feed and control pump 24 for the circulation of water and its introduction into the interior of the cubicle 10 by way of the nozzle 20 and the nozzles 18 and 22 supplied by other means.
It will be appreciated that the embodiment that has just been briefly described is not to be regarded as limiting because the outside of the rear wall 16, in strict conformity with the type of cubicle 10, may lack some of the above-mentioned nozzles or may be provided with other components necessary for correct functioning of the shower cubicle. In any case, the innovative nature of the present invention has no bearing on the arrangement and number of the above-mentioned components and its features will be described briefly hereinafter. The frame 12 of the shower cubicle 10 is supported, in the region of its base, by substantially stationary first support means which can be made operative as an alternative to second support means which are designed to enable the shower cubicle to be moved away from the wall 14 in addition to enabling the first stationary means to be deactivated.
In the illustrated embodiment, the first, stationary, support means are constituted by support feet 26 which are unitary at one of their ends with the base 28 of the shower cubicle 10 and, at the other end, are provided with bearing feet 30 which can, for example, be screwed into the body 27 of the foot 26, thus being capable of being brought to the desired length, which is equal for all the feet 26, for the fixed support of the frame 12 of the cubicle 10.
The appended drawings show only two feet 26 but it will be appreciated that at least a third foot (not visible in the Figures) or more feet may be provided as a function of the weight and bulk of the cubicle.
The second means for supporting the shower cubicle 10, in particular its frame 12, are constituted by arms 32 which are secured at one of their ends to the base 28 of the cubicle 10 while, at their other end, they are provided with a sliding roller 34 which is freely rotatable about its rotation pin. When the rollers 34 are brought into contact with the floor, suitable means, shown only schematically, will be provided which deactivate the feet 26, that is to say, raise them relative to the floor, while, at the same time, causing the rollers 34 to engage with the floor. Those means may be, for example, a threaded shank of the feet 26 which is screwed into a corresponding seat in the body 27 of the foot 26.
Figure 2 shows in particular the second operating state, in which the support means of the cubicle 10 enabling it to be moved are activated and the cubicle, which is shown in this Figure in one of the possible positions in which it can be easily moved when the cubicle 10 is not being used and it is necessary to provide for its normal maintenance or for other necessary operations, such as specified above.
It will be appreciated that the shower cubicle according to the present invention therefore permits, by activation ofthe rollers 34, that is to say, by engagement of the rollers 34 on the floor, easy and rapid movement of the cubicle to the extent that access can easily be gained to the outside of its rear wall 16 in order to carry out all the operations deemed necessary to restore the correct functioning of the cubicle 10.
It will also be appreciated that, once the above-mentioned operations have been completed, the cubicle 10 can be returned to the initial position of Figure 1 by reactivating the stationary feet 26 at this point and by deactivating the rollers 34, that is to say, by disengaging them from the floor.
Finally, it will be appreciated that the shower cubicle according to the invention may be varied and/or modified without thereby departing from the protective scope of the invention.

Claims

A shower cubicle which is of a generally known type as regards its operative equipment for supplying and circulating water, characterised in that it has, in the region of its base (28), stationary support means (26) for its frame (12) which are deactivatable in such a manner that the frame (12) is alternatively supported by means (34) which enable it to slide and to be moved from the place of use.
A shower cubicle substantially as described above and represented in the appended drawings.