EP1604599A1

EP1604599A1 - Shower assembly

Info

Publication number: EP1604599A1
Application number: EP05011554A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Carl Fillingham; Ian Shores; David Cowling
Original assignee: American Standard Europe BVBA
Current assignee: Ideal Standard International BVBA
Priority date: 2004-06-04
Filing date: 2005-05-28
Publication date: 2005-12-14
Also published as: GB0412534D0

Abstract

The invention is related to a shower assembly comprising a shower tray (24) and an enclosure comprising one or more panels (26), mountable on the tray, so that in use the panels rest generally on the perimeter of the tray and extend vertically from the shower tray. The shower assembly is further comprising attachment means (29, 30) for slidably attaching the enclosure to the wall of the room, so that in use the panel or panels can slide vertically with respect to the wall of the room if the level of the tray changes.

Description

The present invention relates to a shower, or other article of sanitary ware, in particular to showers to be installed into newly built houses.
Known showers comprise a shower tray, resting on or fitted to the floor, and a series of panels fitted to the walls and the shower tray to form an enclosed area. The panels on the fixed walls of the room may be simply in the form of tiles, or a plastics sheet, fixed directly to the wall, while the free-standing walls of the enclosure stand on the tray. A typical shower is shown generally at 10 in Fig. 1. The shower enclosure 10 is fitted against two walls 12 of a room, such as a bathroom, in this example. It comprises a shower tray 14 and wall panels 16. A column 17 is present inside the shower enclosure and a shower head 18 is fitted to the column. A waterproof seal is usually effected between the tray and the wall panels. The fixed wall panels 16a, such as tiles, are fixed to the walls 12 of the room. The shower tray may be fixed to the floor 19 of the room, or may just rest on the floor. It is usually sealed to the tiles, as shown for instance in GB 2357963. There are two free-standing wall panels 16b (one of which usually comprises a door for entry into the shower). Alternatively, the shower could have a different number of fixed wall panels; one suitably shaped panel could be used against one or more walls, or three panels could be used in an alcove, for example.
Showers are often fitted into newly built houses. However, often the floor of such houses will drop by a small amount, perhaps ½ inch (approx 1¼ cm). Typically, the shower tray will drop with the floor, whereas the tiling panels of the shower will remain in place, since it is fixed to the wall. This leads to a gap forming between the shower tray and the walls of the room or a panel otherwise fixed to a wall, through which water can escape. This can lead to flooding and/or damage to the floor, and is in any event unsightly.
The present invention aims to overcome these problems associated with the prior art.
One aspect of the present invention provides a shower assembly comprising: a shower tray, an enclosure comprising one or more panels, mountable on the tray, so that in use the panels rest generally on the perimeter of the tray and extend vertically from the shower tray; and attachment means for slidably attaching the enclosure to the wall of a room, so that in use the panel can slide vertically with respect to the wall.
The invention is also directed to a method of installing a shower enclosure in a room, composing the following steps, not necessarily in this order: installing a shower tray; fastening sliding guide members to walls of the room above the tray; and fitting frame components of an enclosure to the guide members so that they can slide vertically and rest on the tray adjacent to the wall.
It has surprisingly been found that it is possible to have the entire shower enclosure.floating, as it were, on the shower tray, so that it can follow the tray down if the floor sinks, whilst still being attached to the walls of the bathroom. The attachment means preferably includes interlocking aluminium extrusions aligned vertically so as to form sliding guides. The enclosure itself, or rather the sides that are adjacent to the walls of the room, stands spaced from the wall by the attachment means. Preferably the enclosure is in several pieces so that it can be assembled in situ. To this end a typical shower enclosure to be fitted in the corner of a room would have a column in the corner for the water fittings, at each side of which there would be at least one vertical sliding guide arrangement, and there would be a further such slide arrangement near the opposite edge of the respective wall panel. The remaining two sides of the enclosure rest on the shower tray in the usual way.
For a better understanding of the invention embodiments of it will now be described with reference to the following drawings, in which:
Fig. 1 shows a shower according to the prior art;
Fig. 2 shows a shower according to embodiments of the present invention;
Fig. 3 shows a mounting for fixing a column of the shower to the wall;
Fig. 4 shows a cross section through the mounting in Fig. 3;
Fig. 5 shows a mounting for fixing a wall panel to the wall;
Fig. 6 shows a cross section of the mounting shown in Fig. 5;
Fig. 7 shows a shower tray with an attachment for engagement with the column of the shower;
Fig. 8 shows a shower tray with an attachment on which the column of the shower can rest;
Fig. 9 shows the fit of a mounting to the shower tray;
Fig. 10 shows the fit of the column to the mounting shown in Fig. 9;
Fig. 11 shows a fitting for fitting the wall panel to the shower tray;
Fig. 12 shows a wall panel .assembled on the shower tray;
Fig. 13 shows the top of the wall panel and column, with a seal between the wall panel and the wall of the bathroom;
Fig. 14 shows the top of two wall panels and the seal shown in Fig. 13; and
Fig. 15 shows an alternative seal.
Fig. 2 shows generally at 20 a shower enclosure. The shower 20 is fitted in the corner against two walls 22 of a room, such as a bathroom, though with suitable adaptation it could stand against only one wall, or against three, i.e. in a recess. The shower comprises a shower tray 24, and a wall assembly including wall panels 26, which rest on the shower tray with co-operating profiles (not shown in Fig. 2). A column 27 is present inside the shower enclosure and a shower head 28 is fitted to the column. The column forms or is fixed to part of the frame of the enclosure, having vertical enclosure frame members 41, and two further vertical enclosure members 56 which stand at the opposite sides of the two panels adjacent to the wall of the room. Two of the panels 26, which are opaque and take the place of the more usual tiling, are fitted to these three vertical members, while the other two panels 26 may be conventional glass panels, for instance (one of which may be, or include, a door). The column is mounted to the walls with column mountings 29, and the wall panels 26 are fixed to the walls 22 of the room by panel mountings 30. In contrast to previous shower assemblies the column and panel mountings allow the column and the panels to slide vertically, when assembled, but prevent the column and panels from moving horizontally. As is usual, the shower tray may be fixed to the floor of the room, or may just rest on the floor. If the floor of the bathroom falls (as a result of the building settling, for example) the shower tray will fall with the floor. The wall panels 26 will slide with respect to the walls of the bathroom, and will therefore fall with the shower tray and floor, thus ensuring that no gap is created between the shower tray and the wall panels. The panels may slide vertically independently of each other to accommodate a "tilt" of the shower tray.
Fig. 3 shows the sliding column mounting 29 for fixing the column to the wall of a bathroom. In this example the mounting comprises a bracket 35, which is fixedly mounted on a wall 22 of the bathroom, and a key guide 38, which is fixed to the bracket 35. The key has a profile designed to engage slidably with the profile of an enclosure frame piece 41 facing the wall. Further, the frame piece 41 is provided with a recess 42 into which a wall panel may be inserted. The frame piece will typically extend for the height of the shower assembly, whereas a single key guide might be 20cm in height along part of the length of the column. A further guide and bracket may be provided, spaced horizontally from the first, to aid stability of the column. The sliding mounting allows the column and any attached wall panels to rest on the shower tray, regardless of the level of the floor on which the shower tray stands.
Fig. 4 shows a cross-section through the mounting shown in Fig. 3, showing the bracket 35, the key guide 38, and the enclosure frame piece 41 attached to the column. This diagram further shows a wall panel 26, flanked by a panel frame 44, which has been inserted into the recess 42 in the frame piece 41. The frame 44 may be attached to the recess 42 by any suitable method. Sealing members 47 and 50 are disposed between the wall panel and the column, in this example. These sealing members prevent water from entering the space between the respective parts of the shower enclosure.
Fig. 5 shows a mounting 30 for fixing a wall panel to the wall 22. The mounting comprises a bracket 53, for fixing to the wall, and a key guide 38', which is fixed to the bracket 53. The profile of the key guide is designed to engage slidably with the profile of an enclosure frame piece 56 similar to the pieces 41 associated with the column. The frame piece 56 shown in this example comprises a panel recess 59 for housing a wall panel, and a door recess 62 for housing the hinge of a door for entry into the shower. The enclosure frame piece 56 extends along the whole length of the panel, and engages with the key guide along part of the length of the panel. A pair of such mountings, upper and lower, are usually used to mount each enclosure frame piece to the wall of the bathroom. Obviously the enclosure frame piece 56 could also be arranged to house two wall panels, or a door and the shower column.
Fig. 6 shows a cross section of the mounting shown in Fig. 5, showing the bracket 53, the key guide 38', and the enclosure frame piece 56. Fig. 6 also shows a wall panel 26, flanked by a frame piece 44 housed in the panel recess 62, and a door panel unit 65 having a hinge 68 housed in the door recess 62 (these can be secured in their respective recesses with any suitable method). A sealing member 50' similar to that shown in Fig. 5 is disposed between the panel frame 44 and the enclosure frame piece 56. The co-operating key guide and frame pieces of the enclosure 41, 56 may be made of any suitable material, such as aluminium, and may be extruded.
Fig. 7 shows a shower tray 24 with a corner attachment 71 on which the column (not shown) of the shower rests, in the assembled shower. The perimeter of the shower tray has a ledge 70 itself surrounded by a lip 72. Where the tray is against the wall this lip is extended upwards, as it were, by the rear walls of the corner attachment 71, which are continued along the sides by backing pieces 77. Similar, but smaller, end attachments 74 rest on the respective corners. The attachment 71 can be made of the same material as the shower tray, for instance, or of other plastics material.
Fig. 8 shows the shower tray with an attachment 74 on which the enclosure frame pieces 56 holding the wall panels and/or door panels rest in the assembled shower. Fig. 8 also shows the backing pieces 77, which in the assembled shower sit between the wall panels and the wall of the bathroom (not shown) and prevent water from escaping from the shower enclosure beneath the wall panels.
Fig. 9 shows a further key guide 78, similar to the wall-fixed guides 38, the profile of which engages with the profile of the edge of the column. The purpose of this key-shaped piece is to locate the column on the attachment 71 on the shower tray 24, via the upstanding lug 80. The backing pieces 77 can also be seen from this Figure, engaging with the corner attachment 71. This avoids the need for an extruded shape running the entire height of the column, simply to locate on the lug at the bottom. The fitting on the lugs 80' is similar.
Fig. 10 shows the fit of the enclosure frame piece 41 of the column to a key guide 78 (here on the opposite side to that shown in Fig. 9) when in position on the tray attachment 71.
Fig. 11 shows a fitting 83 on which the lower frame pieces 44 of the wall panels (see inset) rest in the assembled shower. These fittings 83 in turn rest on the backing pieces 77 on the rim of the tray, held by a suitable profile. Fig. 12 shows a wall panel 26 assembled on the fitting 83 on the shower tray 24. It can be seen from these Figures that the wall panel itself sits on the shower tray via its seal. This ensures that no water can rest in the attachments or fittings, and that the attachments are hidden from view when the shower is assembled.

Assembly

The shower according to embodiments of the invention can be fitted in the following way: first, the shower tray 24 (having the fittings 83 and attachments 71, 80 already fitted to it) is placed on or fitted to the floor. The column 27, having enclosure frame pieces 41 attached to it, is then held in place on the shower tray, with the key guides 38, 78 slidably engaged with the enclosure frame pieces 41 and, in the case of the lower guides 78, located on the lugs 80 of the attachments 71. Brackets 35 are fixed to the wall at suitable heights for the key guides between the shower and the wall 22. The upper key guides 38 are slid up the enclosure frame pieces 41 until they are at the same height as the brackets, and are then fixed onto the brackets by screws, for example.
The panel walls next to walls of the bathroom can then be fitted in place: the base of the panel frame 44 must first be located in the fittings 83 of the shower tray 24. The enclosure frame pieces 56 are then presented to the panel walls; the panel walls 44 are fitted into the recesses 59 in the enclosure frame, and are attached as necessary.
In a third step, key guides 38, 78 are slidably engaged on the outer frame pieces, the frame pieces being located at their lower ends by engagement of the lower guide 78 with the lugs 60' on the end attachments 74. The upper key guides 38 are then slid up the outer frame pieces and attached to brackets at a suitable height above the shower. Assembly is now basically complete, but certain finishing steps may then be taken, such as fitting other "free-standing" shower panels or a door for the shower and fitting optional seals to the tops of the wall panels.
Fig. 13 shows the top of the wall panel 26 and column 27, with.a seal member 86 disposed between the wall panel 26 and the wall of the bathroom 22. The seal member engages with the top of the wall panel 26, with suitable engaging profiles. The seal comprises a lip 87 which can lie against the wall 22 of the bathroom, even if the shower pulls away from the wall 22 slightly as the wall panels move with the floor. From this Figure a perspective view of the seal 47 seen in Fig. 4 can be seen. Fig. 14 shows the seal of Fig. 13 in use with two wall panels 26 joined together.
Fig. 15 shows an alternative seal 89 which is flexible and "Z" shaped. If necessary the seal can flex, thereby always ensuring a waterproof seal between the wall panels 26 of the shower, and the wall 22 of the bathroom. The seals 86 and 89 prevent any water that escapes over the wall panels of the shower from dropping between the shower panel and the wall, and into the attachment between the wall panel and the shower tray. Obviously, seals having other shapes could be used.
Although in the above examples specific components for slidably attaching the wall panels and the column to the walls have been recited it would be obvious to the skilled man that any components having a suitable co-operating sliding engagement could be used, and that any co-operating profiles could be used. The fixture could conceivably be on a ceiling rather than a wall. Furthermore, these components could be integrated into, or be part of, the wall panels or the column themselves. In principle, the entire enclosure could be made of one wall panel, suitably shaped to form the enclosure itself, though this would be more difficult to fit except when a house was being built.

Claims

A shower assembly comprising:

a shower tray (24),

an enclosure comprising one or more panels (26), mountable on the tray, so that in use the panels rest generally on the perimeter of the tray and extend vertically from the shower tray; and

attachment means (29, 30), for slidably attaching the enclosure to the wall of a room, so that in use the panel or panels can slide vertically with respect to the wall of the room if the level of the tray changes.
A shower assembly according to claim 1, in which the attachment means includes a set of profiled key members (38) to be fixed to the wall, and corresponding profiled frame pieces (41, 56) supporting or being part of the panels.
A shower assembly according to claim 2, in which the profile of the key members comprises a double T-rail.
A shower assembly according to claim 2 or 3, in which the key members and/or the frame pieces are made of extruded sections, preferably of aluminium.
A shower assembly according to any of claims 2 to 4, in which the individual panels comprise a panel frame (44) and a panel sheet (26), vertical parts of the panel frame (44) being locatable in the vertical frame pieces (41, 56).
A shower assembly according to any of claims 2 to 5, in which the assembled enclosure is polygonal, preferably rectangular, in horizontal cross-section, and has a frame piece at each corner that is adjacent to a wall.
A shower assembly according to any preceding claim and further including support pieces (74, 83) for mounting on the shower tray, on which the panels rest in use.
A shower assembly according to claim 7, in which the support pieces include elements (80, 80') which are slidably engagable with the key guides.
A shower assembly as claimed in any preceding claim, further including a column for conveying water to the shower, the column being slidably attachable to the wall by at least one attachment means, in use.
A shower assembly as claimed in any preceding claim, further including an upper seal (86, 87, 89) for extending from the top edge of the wall panels to adjacent walls, for preventing water from collecting between the panel and the wall, in use.
A method of installing a shower enclosure in a room, composing the following steps, not necessarily in this order:

installing a shower tray;

fastening guide members to walls of the room above the tray; and

fitting frame components of an enclosure to the guide members so that they can slide vertically and rest on the tray adjacent to the wall.