GB2297898A - Fixing device - Google Patents

Abstract

A fixing bracket, particularly for use with sanitary ware, comprises a base 12 from which extends a threaded arm 14 which passes through fixing holes in sanitary ware. The arm is flexible to allow it to absorb stresses caused by overtightening a nut on the arm and thereby avoid damage to the sanitary ware.

Description

FIXING BRACKET This invention relates to a fixing bracket which is particularly suitable for securing brittle articles, such as sanitary ware, to a surface such as a floor or ceiling.

Articles of sanitary ware such as toilets, bidets and washbasins are normally provided with fixing holes through which are passed screws or bolts to secure the article to a floor or wall. However as sanitary ware is relatively brittle it is quite easily broken if a screw or bolt is over-tightened or is not properly aligned with its fixing hole. Moreover, modern building methods make extensive use of weak walls such as stud partition walls and it is difficult to obtain a satisfactory attachment of a heavy object such as a washbasin to such a weak wall.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a fixing bracket which obviates or mitigates the problems mentioned above.

The present invention is a fixing bracket comprising a base, means for cooperating with securing means for securing the base to å surface, and a semi-flexible arm extending from the base.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawing in which: Fig.l is a side elevation of a fixing bracket according to the present invention: Fig.2 is a plan view of the bracket shown in Fig.l; Fig.3 is a side elevation of a cap used with the bracket shown in Fig.l; and Fig.4 is a plan view of the cap shown in Fig.3.

Referring now to the drawing, a fixing bracket according to the present invention is shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and comprises a base 12 from which projects a threaded arm 14. The base 12 has a peripheral wall 16 within which a pair of countersunk holes 18 and 20 are formed at the intersection of a wall 22 and a pair of walls 24 at right angles to the wall 22. The ends of the walls 22 and 24 are integral with the peripheral wall 16. The upper surface 28 of the base 12 is generally parallel to its bottom surface 30, but at one end of the base there is provided a downwardly inclined portion 32 of the upper surface. A third boss 34 is provided on the inclined portion 32, and from the boss 34 there extends the threaded arm 14. As the axis of the arm 14 is perpendicular to the plane of the inclined portion 32 the arm is inclined away from the base 12.

The inclined arm 14 is semi-flexible, i.e. it is made of a material that allows the arm to flex slightly while retaining the strength and rigidity necessary to secure sanitary ware in position. A preferred material is a synthetic resin, in particular a polyoxymethylene copolymer.

The arm 14 may be formed integrally with the base 12, as in this embodiment, or it may be made as a separate component which is secured in position in the boss 34 by a collar or flange at the bottom of the arm engaging the underside of the boss.

In Figs. 3 and 4 is shown a cap 40 into which a tapped hole 42 extends from one end, the bottom of the cap, while at the other end of the cap, its top, is provided a recess 44 for an Allen key and a slot 46 for a screwdriver running across the recess 44. The caps 40 are preferably made of the same material as the arms 14.

To secure a toilet to the floor using a fixing bracket according to the present invention, the toilet is first placed in its intended position and the floor is marked at the points where the axes of the inclined fixing holes on the base of the toilet meet the floor. The toilet is removed and for each fixing hole a bracket is then secured to the floor by securing means, in this embodiment screws, in the holes 18 and 20 so that the axis of the arm 14 meets the floor at the appropriate marked point. Of course, the fixing brackets are oriented so that the axes of each arm 14 will be coincident with the axis of the toilet fixing holes when the toilet is replaced. Proper orientation in this way also ensures that the brackets will lie wholly within the base of the toilet.

The toilet is then replaced, an arm 14 extending up through each fixing hole in the toilet. The arms are then cut off flush with the tops of the fixing holes in the toilet, and a cap 40 is screwed onto each arm to engage the toilet and secure it to the fixing brackets and thus to the floor. Because the caps 40 are semi-flexible they are much less likely to damage the toilet than metal screws, and small misalignments of the arms 14 relative to the axes of the toilet's fixing holes can be taken up by the flexibility of the arms 14 without damaging the toilet.

When used to fix a washbasin to a wall the bracket according to the present invention exhibits the same advantages as are outlined above together with the additional advantage that the holes 18 and 20 allow two strong fixings such as spring toggles to be used for each fixing hole in the washbasin thus greatly increasing the security of the fixing in weak walls.

Claims (6)

1. A fixing bracket comprising a base, means for cooperating with securing means for securing the base to a surface, and a semi-flexible arm extending from the base.

2. A fixing bracket as claimed in claim 1, in which the semi flexible arm is threaded.

3. A fixing bracket as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, in which the means for cooperating with securing means comprises holes in the base.

4. A fixing bracket as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the arm is at one end of the base and is inclined outwardly away from the base.

5. A fixing bracket as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the arm is integral with the base.

6. A fixing bracket substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.