EP1252850A1

EP1252850A1 - Multifunction shower booth

Info

Publication number: EP1252850A1
Application number: EP02425239A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Luca Baldinini
Original assignee: Titan Bagno SA
Current assignee: Titan Bagno SA
Priority date: 2001-04-27
Filing date: 2002-04-17
Publication date: 2002-10-30
Also published as: ITRN20010010U1

Abstract

A multifunction shower booth (7), of the type comprising panels (1, 2) for delimiting the user compartment, whereof at least a first angular panel (1) and at least a second lateral panel (2), at least the first angular panel (1) being destined to house, in the rear, hydraulic organs and, in the front part, the instruments (5) for usage and any accessories (6). The main characteristic resides in the fact that the panels (1, 2) are able to be mutually superposed, in correspondence with two vertical sides (11, 21) thereof facing each other and in the transverse sense, in such a way as to be adapted, at least along the transverse direction of a side (71 or 72) of the booth (7), to the different measures of width that the side (71 or 72) of the booth (7) may have.

Description

The present invention relates to a multifunction shower booth, of the type comprising panels for delimiting the user compartment, whereof at least a first angular and at least a second lateral panel, at least the first angular panel being destined to house, in the rear, the hydraulic organs and, in the rear part, the instruments for usage and any accessories.
As is well known, multifunction booths and boxes for home use or for spaces destined for Turkish bath use, which can more simply defined, hereinafter, as booths, are normally involved, at least partially and peripherally, by panels generally obtained by thermoforming of sheets of plastic materials made of metacrylate or are co-extrusions of ABS and PMMA or PST, or are obtained by injection moulding.
Such panels are in any case always manufactured in such a way as to provide exactly defined measures, suitable for covering only the measure for which they were designed. For each environment of the booth, therefore, specific panels are required, of exactly defined and predetermined measures, which are assembled one next to the other. Therefore, to cover the different measures of multifunction booths, also due to the different geometry of the base area and hence of the booth, which can be square or rectangular or according to a circular sector, an equal number of corresponding panels is required to cover the various measures of the sides of the booth.
Therefore, manufacturers store the finished panels in many distinct spaces, each occupied by groups of panels having the same geometry and size.
This same need also forces retail sellers to have many distinct spaces available according to the various different types of booths required. Moreover, if the retail seller wishes to meet its customers' requirements in optimal fashion, it is forced to purchase a high number of panels, of different measures, to cover all dimensions and geometries which may be required. Retail sellers are thus forced to make considerable investments not only in terms of space, but also of money.
The aim of the present invention is to eliminate the aforementioned drawbacks.
At the basis of the invention is the solution illustrated in the accompanying claims, aimed at the technical need to reduce the number of panels necessary to constitute the booths of various dimensions and types.
The invention allows drastically to reduce the different sizes of the panels, necessary to cover all different measures and geometries of existing multifunction booths.
Further characteristics and advantages of the invention shall become more readily apparent from the detailed description that follows, illustrated purely by way of non limiting indication in the drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a multifunction shower booth according to the invention, with a rectangular shower plate;
Figure 2 shows a partial view of a booth that would comprise a square shower plate;
Figure 3 shows a partial view of a booth that would comprise a rectangular shower plate, still using the same panels as per the previous figure.

With reference to the aforesaid figures, in general, the multifunction shower booth of the invention is of the type comprising panels 1, 2 for delimiting the user compartment, whereof at least a first panel 1 is angular (normally a single central angular panel 1, as in the drawings) and at least a second panel 2 is lateral (normally two panels 2, as in the drawings).
The first angular panel 1 is destined to house, in the rear, the hydraulic organs and, in the front part, the instruments 5 for usage and any accessories 6.
The subject innovation, in general, provides for at least the first and the second panel 1, 2 to be at least partially able of being mutually superposed, in correspondence with two vertical sides thereof 11, 21 facing each other and in the transverse direction, in such a way as to be adapted, at least along the transverse direction of a side 71 or 72 of the booth 7, to the different measures of width which the side 71 or 72 of the booth 7 may have.
At least one of the sides 15 of the angular panel 1 has such transverse measures as to allow it to be superposed to a predetermined transverse segment 22 of the lateral panel 2 located at the same side. Said transverse segment is variable in such a way that the lateral panel can be inserted more or less deeply and transversely, relative to the angular panel 1, according to the measures of the side 71, 72 of the booth 2.
Each angular panel 1 anteriorly has a substantially concave base surface 12, whilst, in the rear, it delimits, along the sides 15, corresponding surfaces 13 arranged angularly.
Each lateral panel 2 instead has a part 23 destined to be specifically equipped and a consecutive part 24 destined to be specifically superposed from the angular panel 1. The lateral panel 2, at least anteriorly and along said part 24, identifies a base surface which shall be substantially compatible with the angularly arranged surfaces 13 of the angular panel 1, which are preferably planar.
Each lateral panel 2 has at least in its rear such a conformation as to provide a free space able to allow the placement of hydraulic organs. Moreover, the panels 1 and 2 are mutually assembled in secure and watertight fashion, once they are placed in the proper position.
The invention therefore fully achieves the proposed aim.
Purely by way of example, considering the different measures of small-medium multifunction booths, which may range (in centimetres) from 65X65, to 65X90 and from 70X70 to 70X90 and so on, up to 90X90 booths, and considering that the angular panel (normally used as the symmetrical central panel) has its side measuring 35 cm and that the lateral panels 2 can be inserted, below the central one for a variable measure ranging from 25 cm down to only 5 cm, the production of lateral panels 2 of a single transverse dimension of 60 cm could cover all the various aforesaid dimensional requirements.
Naturally, the invention may also be subject to modifications and/or variations relative to the description above, without thereby departing from the scope of the claims set out below.
For instance, the angular panel may also have a side whose dimension is equal to that of a corresponding whole side of the booth and the other side of traditional dimensions to those of the central angular panels.
Moreover, all watertight coupling systems between the various panels are possible. The lateral panels 2 may also be shaped in their parts 24, still comprising coupling areas compatible with the surfaces 13 of the angular panel 1.

Claims

Multifunction shower booth, of the type comprising panels (1, 2) for delimiting the user compartment, whereof at least a first panel (1) is angular and at least a second panel (2) is lateral, at least the first angular panel (1) being destined to house, in the rear, the hydraulic organs (4) and, in the front part, the instruments (5) for usage and any accessories (6), characterised in that at least said first and second panels (1, 2) are able to be at least partially superposed transversely to each other, at least in correspondence with their two vertical sides (11, 21), facing each other, in such a way as to be adapted, at least along the transverse direction of a side (71 or 72) of the booth (7), to the different measures that the side (71 or 72) of the booth (7) may have.
Booth as claimed in claim 1, or the type comprising at least a central angular panel (1) and at least a lateral panel (2), characterised in that at least one of the sides of the angular panel (1) has such transverse measures as to allow it to be superposed to a predetermined transverse segment (22) of the lateral panel (2) located at the same side, the latter being able to be inserted more or less deeply and transversely, relative to the angular panel (1), according to the measures of the side (71, 72) provided by the booth (7).
Booth as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterised in that each lateral panel (2) has a part (23) destined to be specifically equipped and a consecutive part (24) destined to be specifically superposed by the angular panel (1).
Booth as claimed in claim 3, in which the angular panel (1) anteriorly has a substantially concave base surface (12), whilst, in the rear, it has angularly arranged surfaces (13), characterised in that each lateral panel (2), at least anteriorly and along the part (24) destined to be superposed by the angular panel (1), identifies a base surface (25) that is substantially compatible with said angularly arranged surfaces (13) of the angular panel (1).
Booth as claimed in claim 4, characterised in that the surfaces (13) of the rear of the angular panel (1) and the front surface (25) of the lateral panel (2) are substantially planar.
Booth as claimed in any of the previous claims, characterised in that at least each lateral panel (2) has at least in the rear such a conformation as to identify a free space able to allow the placement of hydraulic organs.
Booth as claimed in any of the previous claims, characterised in that the panels (1) and (2) are mutually assembled in a solid and watertight fashion, once they are placed in the proper position.