EP2179103A1

EP2179103A1 - Built-in mounting system for a sanitary device

Info

Publication number: EP2179103A1
Application number: EP07793831A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Jan Van Walraven
Original assignee: J van Walraven Holding BV
Current assignee: J van Walraven Holding BV
Priority date: 2007-08-01
Filing date: 2007-08-01
Publication date: 2010-04-28
Also published as: WO2009017391A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a built-in mounting system for a sanitary device. The built-in system comprises a mounting frame for a sanitary device, which mounting frame is to be placed on a floor in front of a rear wall. The built-in system furthermore comprises a casing made of constructional foam material which casing covers the lateral sides, the upper side and the front side of the mounting frame.

Description

BUILT-IN MOUNTING SYSTEM FOR A SANITARY DEVICE

The present invention relates to a built-in mounting system for a sanitary device comprising a mounting frame for a sanitary device, which mounting frame is to be placed on a floor in front of a rear wall. The sanitary device can be for example a toilet, a bidet, a urinal or a washbowl.

Such built-in mounting systems for mounting toilets are known and available on the market. In CH 694 487 an example of such a built-in mounting system for a toilet is disclosed. The known mounting frame is made of profiled section elements and is attached to the floor and/or to the rear wall. A built-in cistern is secured to a mounting frame. A toilet bowl can be secured to the frame as well.

It is common to place a front wall in front of the mounting frame to hide the mounting frame and to provide surface for a finishing layer like tiles, paint, plaster or otherwise. The built-in mounting system is thus positioned between the front wall and the rear wall, the latter usually being an already existing wall of a room. The front wall is commonly made of plasterboard or a wooden board that is often screwed to the mounting frame. It is also known to build a front wall of bricks or cellular concrete blocks or other suitable builiding material. Typically some cutouts are provided in the front wall to lead through a flushing pipe extending between the cistern and the toilet bowl, a discharge pipe for chanellling away flushing water from the toilet bowl and threaded rods or the like for mounting the toilet bowl. Furthermore also an opening for an actuating button or plate for operating the flushing mechanism and for providing access to the cistern in case of technical malfunction is ususally provided in the front plate. When the front wall has been built the front surface can be finished by tiling, plastering, painting or otherwise after which the toilet bowl can be mounted.

The covering boards like plaster boards or the wooden boards to be placed in front of the mounting frame are heavy and it is time consuming to saw them down to size. Moreover the sawing of the boards creates dust that spoils the environment. Furthermore screwing the boards to the frame is labour-intensive and takes a lot of time. It is the sort of work which is generally not carried out by a plumber or installer. Therefore most plumbers/installers leave this kind of work to a contractor after which the plumber/installer returns to finish the work by, if necessary tiling the front wall, and installing the toilet bowl, which consequently introduces an additional logistic and working complication.

The invention has for an object to provide a built-in system of the type mentioned at the outset which can be assembled quickly without much effort, such that the built-in system is immediately ready for finishing, e.g. tiling. further comprising a casing made oτ constructional τoam material wnicn casing covers me lateral sides, the upper side and the front side of the mounting frame.

By making a casing of constructional foam it is possible to prefabricate the casing with the correct size and enwrapping the mounting frame. The casing can without further modification be placed around the mounting frame by the installer/plumber. It is not necessary to cut or saw whereby the forming of dust is prevented. The use of foam material results in the casing being lightweight and therefor easy to handle. The outside faces of the casing can be finished in the common manner, e.g. by tiling, plastering or other suitable finsihing methods. Furthermore the casing made of foam material provides a sound absorbing layer, which absorbs the noise when for example the toilet is flushed or the cistern is filled.

Preferred embodiments of the invention are laid down in the dependent claims.

The invention will be elucidated in the following detailed description with reference to the drawing, in which: Fig. 1 shows a rear view in perspective of a preferred embodiment of built-in mounting system for a toilet, according to the invention,

Fig. 2 shows a perspective front view of a casing of the mounting system of Fig. 1 ,

Fig. 3 shows a perspective rear view of the casing of Fig. 2,

Fig. 4 shows a front perspective view of a mounting frame with a cistern of the built-in mounting system of Fig. 1,

Fig. 5 shows a rear perspective view of the mounting frame with a cistern of the built-in mounting system of Fig. 1 ,

Fig. 6 shows the casing of Fig. 2 with filling blocks and side panels in a exploded view,

Fig. 7 shows a front view of a covering plate for the built-in system of Fig. 1 , Fig. 8 shows a front view in perspective of the built-in mounting system of Fig. 1 in a lavatory room, and

Fig. 9 shows an alternative for interlocking a casing with filling blocks or side panels by means of recesses and lugs.

In Figs. 4 and 5 is shown a mounting frame 1 of a built-in mounting system for a toilet.

The mounting frame 1 is made of vertical members 2. In the shown preferred embodiment the vertical members 2 are constituted by an upper profiled section 2b and a lower profiled section 2a. The lower profiled section 2a and the upper profiled section 2b are staggered with respect to each other and are lying against each other side by side in an overlapping region 2c, where they are interconnected, preferably by means of welding, or possibly by a screwing attachment or the like. The lower profiled section 2a lies in front of the upper profiled section 2b. Cross members 3 and 4 interconnect the lower portions 2a of the vertical members 2. The profiled section elements with a square or rectangular cross section. I ne pronieα section elements 2 could be open on one side and have a U- shaped or C-shaped cross section. The upper cross member 3 is in the example made of a metal profiled section with a C-shaped cross section, but could just as well be have a U-shaped or closed hollow profile. The C- shaped cross member 3 is provided in its bottom, facing the front side, with through holes 13, 14 where threaded rods can run through to which the toilet bowl (not shown) can be attached. The front face of the lower profiled section 2a of the vertical members 2, the front face of the C-profiled cross member 3 and the front face of the lower cross member 4 are lying in one single plane.

The mounting frame 1 is to be placed on a floor surface 82 and can be attached thereto by flanges 9 with through holes 9a, which flanges 9 are connected to the lower end of the vertical members 2. The frame 1 can be attached to a rear wall 80 (see Fig. 8) by means of rod shaped members 11 , which on the end to be placed against the rear wall 80 have a mounting plate 12 with a through hole. On the other end the rod shaped member 11 is attached to the C-profiled cross member 3.

A cistern 5 for flushing water is mounted to the frame 1 in an upper region thereof by means of attachment brackets 6. The cistern 5 has an operating button or plate 5a for operating the flushing mechanism. From a lower side of the cistern 5 a flushing pipe 7 extends downwardly and bends towards the front such that it can be coupled to the toilet bowl. A discharge pipe 8 is arranged which at its upper end bends towards the front such that it can be coupled to the toilet bowl. The other end of the discharge pipe 8 can be coupled to the sewerage. The upper end of the discharge pipe 8 is connected to the frame 1 by a pipe clamp 10 which is attached to the cross member 3. In Figs. 2 and 3 a casing 20 is shown for the built-in system according to the invention.

The casing 20 shown in the figures is made in one piece from a constructional foam. However, it is also possible to make the casing out of more parts, fitting together. In particular expanded polystyrene can be used as foam material, because it is easily processed for example by moulding to obtain the desired shape and size. Furthermore this material is lightweight and has a sufficient strength. Also polyurethane is an applicable foam material. It is even conceivable to use gas concrete. To obtain a sufficient strenght the foam material preferably has a density of from 30 to 400 kg/m³, more preferably of from 30 to 100 kg/m³, most preferably of 50 kg/m³. Of course also other suitable foam materials can be used.

The casing 20 comprises a pair of side walls 22, an upper wall 23 and a front wall 21. In use the side walls 22 cover the lateral sides of the mounting frame 1 , the upper wall 23 covers the upper side of the mounting frame 1 and the front wall 21 covers the front side of the mounting frame 1, as is illustrated in Fig. 1 where the casing 20 is placed against the front some play is present in the upper part of the casing 2ϋ such that the trarne i can De set levei. This play or additional space can also allow to adjust the height of the cross members 3, 4 with respect to the vertical members 2 to adjust the height of the toilet bowl. By adjusting the height of cross members 3, 4 also the height of the cistern 5 varies, which is possible due to the extra space in the upper side of the casing 20. The frame 1 with the cistern 5 is thus enclosed by the casing 20, the floor 82 and the rear wall 80 of the room. At the front side of the casing 20 below the front wall 21 a cutout 24 is provided. The cutout 24 extends in the vertical direction from the lower edge of the front wall 21 to the floor and in the horizontal between the side walls 22.

In Fig. 7 a covering plate 70 is shown for covering the cutout 24. The edges 25 and 26 of the front wall 21 and of the side walls 22 respectively at the cutout 24 are recessed with respect to the front wall 21 and the front face of the side walls 22, as is clearly visible in Fig. 2. When the covering plate 70 rests with its rear side on the recessed edges 25, 26, the front face of the covering plate 70 lies flush with the front face of the casing. As mentioned already in the above the front face of the lower profiled section 2b of the vertical members 2, the front face of the bottom of the C-profiled cross member 3 and the front face of the lower cross member 4 are lying in one single plane. The recessed edges 25, 26 also lie in this plane, thus in the mounted state the covering plate 70 lies with its rear side against said front faces of the profiled sections 2a, 3, 4.

Preferably the covering plate 70 is made of plaster board, plaster-fibreboard (Fermacell) or water resistant multi-ply board or medium density fibreboard (MDF), but any other suitable board material can be used. The covering plate is provided with cutouts 71 and 72 for running through the pipe ends of the flush pipe 7 and the discharge pipe 8 of the toilet assembly. Furthermore the covering plate 70 is provided with through holes 73 and 74 which in a mounted state are aligned with the holes 13 and 14 in the cross member 3 of the frame 1 , such that the threaded ends 83 (see Fig. 8), which are connected to the holes 13 or 14 and on which the toilet bowl can be mounted, can pass. When the toilet bowl is arranged it is positioned against the covering plate 70 which at its rear side is supported by the casing 20 and the profiled sections 2a, 3, 4 of the mounting frame 1. The toilet bowl is clamped against the frame 1 by tightening nuts that are screwed on the threaded rod 83 that is connected to the cross member 3 of the mounting frame 1. The covering plate 70 is thereby clamped between the toilet bowl and the frame 1. Furthermore it is possible to attach the covering plate 70 to the profiled sections 2a, 3, 4 by screws or the like. The preferred embodiment shown in the figures comprises a mounting frame 1 where the vertical members 2 are constituted by interconnected upper profiled section 2b and lower profiled section 2a, wherein the lower section 2a lies in a plane in front of the upper section also conceivable to have the section 2b to extend over the whole height of the frame, where the sections 2a are omitted and where the cross members 3, 4 extend between the vertical members 2b. In that case metal filling members for instance profiled sections extending vertically between the cross members 3, 4 can be provided to bridge the distance between the front face of the casing 20 and the front side of the cross members 3, 4. Furthermore, it is noted that also another frame can be used where the vertical members are constituted of vertical profiled sections extending over the whole height of the frame, where the front side of the frame lies in one plane, as is for example disclosed in CH 694 487. In that case a thicker covering plate should be used to overcome the distance between the front face of the frame and the front face of the casing 20.

The upper wall 23 has at the rear side an abutment face 23a and the side walls 22 have at the rear side an abutment face 22a, which in use, when the casing 20 is placed against the front of the frame 1 (see Fig. 1 ) are preferably in abutment with the rear wall 80 of the (lavatory) room. At the rear side in the lower region of the front wall 21 and partly on the rear side of the edge 25 are provided two supporting lugs 28 which have a rear face 28a which preferably also abuts the rear wall of the room, which provides an additional support when the covering plate 70 is positioned against the edges 25, 26.

In a mounted state the flushing pipe 7 extends between the supporting lugs 28 as can be seen in Fig. 1. The edge 25 is in the centre provided with a cutout 29 where the connection end of the flush pipe 7 bends to the front.

In a preferrred embodiment these abutment faces 23a and 22a can be adhered to the rear wall 80 of the room so as to secure the casing 20 in an easy manner to the wall. In a similar manner the bottom face of the side walls 22 can be adhered to the floor surface of the room. As an adhesive a polyurethane (PUR) glue can be used, but also other suitable bonding agents can be applied.

In the front wall 21 through holes 27 are arranged, preferably provided with plastic bushings in them through which bolts, threaded rods or the like can extend by which the casing 20 can be fixed to the mounting frame 1. On the front side the region 27a surrounding the through holes 27 is recessed with respect to the front face of the front wall 21 , such that nuts or bolt heads lie countersunk with respect to said front face.

In the front wall 21 a cutout 30 is provided for the operating plate 5a of the cistern 5. In the side walls 22, preferably in a lower region are provided regions 31 where the foam material is easy to remove such that, if desired a discharge pipe 8 can pass through the side wall 22.

In the preferred embodiment the casing 20 on the outer side of the side walls is provided with a plurality of recesses 32 at the edges of the side walls 22. As is shown in Fig. constructional foam material. One or more side panels 60 can be fitted to one or doth side walls 22 of the casing. Thereto the side panels 60 are provided on one side with a plurality of lugs 61 which are matingly engageable with the recesses 32 on the edges of the sidewalls 22 of the casing 20. The side panels 60 on the side facing away of the casing 20 have a flat face

62. The side panel 60 could have a thickness of for example 20 mm. Instead of providing the recesses 32 and lugs 61 on the edges of the casing 20 and the side panel 60, a lug 91 and a recess 90 could also be provided for instance at the center (see Fig. 9). This has the advantage that the side wall 22 of the casing 20 can be more easily tiled if no covering plates 60 are used.

Preferably the mounting system also comprises filling blocks 63, 64, 65, which can be arranged between the side panel 60 and the side wall 22 of the casing 20. The filling blocks

63, 64, 65 have the same depth and height as the casing 20. In Fig. 6 filling blocks 63, 64, 65 of three different thicknesses are shown. By way of example they could have a thickness of 30, 50 or 100 mm. The filling blocks 63, 64, 65 on one side are provided with lugs 66, which can cooperate with the recesses 32 or 67 of the casing 20 or another filling block 63, 64, 65. On the other side the filling block 63, 64, 65 are provided with recesses 67 to cooperate with the lugs 61 or 66 of the side panels 60 or another filling block 63, 64, 65. Alternatively, the lugs 91 and recesses 90 can also be provided in the center of the filling blocks as was described above for the casing 20 and the side panel 60 (see Fig. 9). The filling blocks 63, 64, 65 are made of constructional foam material, preferably expanded polystyrene. It is envisaged to use these filling blocks to build a wall with a flat front face over the whole width of a lavatory room as is illustrated in Fig. 8. The built-in system is placed on the floor 82 in front of a rear wall 80 of the room. The space between the side walls 81 of the room is filled with the casing 20, filling blocks 63 - 65 and side panels 60. It is noted however that the side panel 60 is not always necessary if the space between two side walls 81 is filled.

The side panels 60 and the filling blocks 63, 64, 65 are provided preferably in a lower part, with regions where the foam material is easy to remove comparable with the region 31 of the side wall of the casing 20, such that, if desired a discharge pipe 8 can pass through the side panel 60 and or the filling block 63, 64, 65.

The built-in system can also comprise other filling blocks (not shown) , preferably of constructional foam material, which preferably have a similar depth as the casing and can be positioned next to or above the casing 20 to build a wall of foam material, which can be tiled, plastered or finished otherwise. The filling blocks can in particular be used to fill up the space between two sanitary devices mounted on built-in mounting frames. The other filling blocks can also be provided with recesses and lugs to interlock them with the casing and with each other. Furthermore, the casing 20 can also be provided with recesses or lugs on the upper upper wall 23 of the casing 20 in a similar manner as the filling blocks 63, 64, e>5 ana tne siae panel 60 are arranged on the side walls 22 of the casing 20.

The system can also comprise filling pieces for filling a gap between the underside of the casing 20 and the floor. When the mounting frame 1 is adjustable in height and is raised a gap will result between the underside of the casing 20 and the floor. The filling pieces provide then possibility to fill the gap. Alternatively, the casing can be manufactured with a height which is adapted for the greatest height that the mounting frame can adopt. Near the lower side the casing 20, in the shown embodiment in particular the side walls thereof, are provided with removable parts to shorten the casing in case the frame is set to a lower height. This can be done by providing parts that can be broken away easily. An other option is to provide marks on the casing indicating the height where the parts can be cut to a suitable height. Of course the side panels 60 and filling pieces 63, 64, 65 can also be provided with such removable parts. The embodiment of the mounting system described with reference to the drawing is described for the sole purpose to exemplify the invention. It is to be understood that variations and modifications that are within the normal skills of a skilled person are within the scope of the present invention.

Furthermore it is noted that the present invention is exemplified with reference to a built- in mounting system for a toilet. However, it is noted that also other sanitary devices like for example a urinal, bidet, or a washbowl can be mounted against a suitable mounting frame. It is to be understood that the invention also covers such built-in systems.

Claims

1. Built-in mounting system for a sanitary device comprising a mounting frame for a sanitary device, which mounting frame is to be placed on a floor in front of a rear wall, characterized in that the built-in system further comprises a casing made of constructional foam material which casing covers the lateral sides, the upper side and the front side of the mounting frame.

2. Built-in system according to claim 1 , wherein the casing comprises a pair of side walls covering the lateral sides of the mounting frame, an upper wall covering the upper side of the mounting frame respectively, and a front wall covering the front side of the mounting frame.

3. Built-in system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the casing is provided with one or more openings to run through the plumbing necessary for the sanitary device.

4. Built-in system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the casing is provided with one or more weakened regions which can be broken out to provide openings to run through the plumbing necessary for the sanitary device.

5. Built-in system according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the casing is made in one piece or comprises a plurality of interconnectable pieces.

6. Buiit-in system according to anyone of the preceding claims, wherein the constructional foam material has a density of from 30 to 400 kg/m³, preferably of from 30 to 100 kg/m³, more preferably of 50 kg/m³.

7. Built-in system according to anyone of the preceding claims, wherein the constructional foam material is expanded polystyrene.

8. Built-in system according to anyone of the preceding claims, wherein the constructional foam material is polyurethane.

9. Built-in system according to anyone of the preceding claims, wherein the casing at the location where it abuts the floor or the rear wall has abutment faces which are adapted to be adhered to the floor or rear wall. provided with bores through which rod shaped fixing elements for securing the casing to the mounting frame, such as bolts or threaded rods, can run through.

11. Built-in system according to anyone of the preceding claims, wherein the outwardly directed faces of the casing are flat.

12. Built-in system according to anyone of the preceding claims, wherein the casing on the front side is provided with a cutout and wherein the system comprises a covering plate for covering said cutout.

13. Built-in system according to claim 12, wherein the cutout has edges which are recessed with regard to the front face of the casing in such a manner that when the covering plate rests with its rear side on the recessed edges, the front face of the covering plate is flush with the front face of the casing .

14. Built-in system according to claim 12 or 13, wherein the covering plate is provided with holes for running through one or more supply pipes and/or discharge pipes of the sanitary device.

15. Built-in device according to any of the claims 12 -14, wherein the covering plate is provided with holes for running through threaded rods for attaching the sanitary device to the mounting frame.

16. Built-in system according to any of the claims 12 - 15, wherein the covering plate is made of plaster board, plaster-fibreboard or water resistant multi-ply board.

17. Built-in system according to anyone of the preceding claims, wherein the casing on the outer side of the side walls is provided with one or more lugs and/or recesses and the system furthermore comprises one or more side panels, preferably of constructional foam material, which side panels are provided on one side with one or more recesses and/or lugs which are matingly engageable with the one or more lugs and/or recesses on the sidewalls of the casing so as to be able to fit the side panel to the side walls of the casing, and which side panels on the other side have a flat face. constructional foam material, which are provided with one or more lugs and/or recesses so as to be able to be fitted to the casing, to other filling blocks and/or the side panels.

19. Built-in system according to anyone of the preceding claims, further comprising filling blocks of constructional foam material which preferably have a similar depth as the casing and can be positioned next to or above the casing to build a wall of foam material.

20. Built-in system according to anyone of the preceding claims, wherein one or both of the side walls of the casing is provided with a region where the foam material is easy to remove to provide a space to run through a pipe.

21. Built-in system according to claim 18, wherein the filling blocks are provided with a region where the foam material is easy to remove to provide a space to run through a pipe.

22. Built-in system according to anyone of the preceding claims, wherein the frame has a frame part, where the sanitary device is attached to the frame and supported by the frame, which frame part has a front face that lies in a plane between the front of the remainder of the frame and the front face of the casing.

23. Built-in system accoding to claims 13 and 22, wherein the recessed edges of the cutout in the front side of the casing and the front face of said frame part are in one plane, such that the covering plate in the mounted state rests with its rear side against said frame part and the recessed edges of the cutout.

24. Built-in system according to claim 22 or 23, wherein the mounting frame has two vertical members extending substantially parallel at a distance from each other, which vertical members comprise an upper section and a lower section, wherein the lower section is staggered with respect to the upper section, such that the lower section lies in front of the upper section, and wherein the frame comprises at one or more cross members which extend between the lower sections and are connected thereto, which cross members are adapted to support at least a part of the sanitary device.

25. Built-in system according to anyone of the preceding claims, wherein the system further comprises one or more filling pieces for filling a gap between the underside of the casing and the floor. the lower side has one or more removable parts for reducing the height of the casing so as to adjust the height of the casing to the height of the mounting frame.

27 . Built-in device according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the casing is provided with an outcut for an operating member for the sanitary device.