GB2333700A

GB2333700A - Adjustable waste fitting for shower tray

Info

Publication number: GB2333700A
Application number: GB9901293A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Peter William Dimeloe
Original assignee: CORAM
Current assignee: CORAM
Priority date: 1998-01-30
Filing date: 1999-01-22
Publication date: 1999-08-04
Also published as: GB9901293D0; GB9801901D0

Abstract

A waste fitting 15 for a shower tray 10 or similar receptacle comprises a body 16 and a control member 21. The body 16 is of tubular form and has an external screw thread 19. This thread recieves a nut 20 which engages a portion 14 of the shower tray and compresses a sealing washer 18 to establish a water-tight connection between the waste fitting and the shower tray. The screw thread 19 also provides for connection in a watertight manner to a water outlet. The control member 21 which is provided with an inlet grille arrangement (26, figure 3a). The cylindrical wall (22, figure 3b) of the control member 21 is provided with outwardly projecting helical formations (27, figure 3b) in arrangement of a multi-start crew-thread of coarse pitch. These formations cooperate with helically extending recess formations 28 in the interior of the body 16. Rotating the the control member, which is received within the body, results in the control member moving upwards or downwards relative to the body.

Description

Title: WASTE FITTING FOR SHOWER TRAY OR THE LIKE Description of Invention This invention relates to a waste fitting which has been devised for use with a shower tray. It is described hereafter in relation to such use, but it will be appreciated that in being suitable therefor it will equally be suitable for use with other items of equipment where similar or analogous requirements arise.

A shower tray forms the base of a shower cubicle or shower area, and characteristically affords a shallow concave area in which the shower user stands and which receives shower water in use. A waste fitting provides a connection between a lowermost part of the concavity of the shower tray and a water trap leading to a waste water system, e.g. a sewer. Typically the waste fitting is in the form of a short tube having an external screw-thread and a flange at one end, the external screw-thread providing for connection to the water trap and also receiving a nut by which a part of the shower tray irirmediately surrounding an aperture therein can be clamped to the flange.

Water tightness is ensured by a sealing washer between the flange and shower tray. Typically there is a grille or the like to prevent objects greater than a certain size from passing through the fitting. The general appearance is very much like that of a waste fitting for a wash basin or bath, but without the ability to receive a plug for retaining water therein.

Although in general the idea behind a person's use of a shower (rather than taking a bath) is that used water should run to waste immediately, some people do like a certain depth of water to build up in the shower tray in order to soak their feet as they shower. To this end, it is not urinown for a shower user partially to block a shower waste fitting, e.g. with a wash-flannel, to cause such a build up of water. This is inconvenient and potentially troublesome if the partial blockage is too effective and the shower tray overflows.

It is one object of the present invention to provide a waste fitting which enables such a build up of water in the shower tray to be achieved in a convenient manner.

Further aspects of the invention are concerned with facilitating installation of waste fittings. Commonly waste fittings are made of plastics material which may be given a decorative finish such as chromium plating, but it is relatively easy to damage fittings of such material during installation by, for example, inappropriate use of tools or simply the requirement to exert more force than can be resisted by a fitting without damage. Such damage might detract from the appearance of the finished installation, and it is another object of the invention to provide a waste fitting in which any part which might suffer damage during installation is or can be hidden from view.

According to the present invention, we provide a waste fitting for a shower tray or the like, comprising a body adapted to be fitted in an aperture in the shower tray and to be connected to a water outlet, and a control member having an upper part extending or able to extend above said body and affording an inlet for flow of water from the shower tray and a lower part which cooperates with said body to provide for flow to said outlet.

Preferably the upper part of the control member includes grille means, which may be afforded by a number of ribs, vanes, or like formations.

In order to provide for a build-up if required of a depth of water in the shower tray in use, the control member may be adjustable upwardly and downwardly relative to the body.

Preferably the range of adjustment possible of the control member relative to the body is such that said inlet is able either to be substantially level with the bottom of the shower tray or else be spaced there above. In the former case, no significant depth of water can build up in the shower tray in use, while in the latter case the water can rise in the shower tray until it reaches the inlet of the control member which then acts as a weir over which excess water can flow to the outlet.

Preferably the control member has substantially sealing engagement with the body so that water cannot pass to the outlet other than by way of the control member and its inlet. However, in practice it will not be of great consequence if some water can escape to the outlet other than by way of the control member, as long as the majority of shower water cannot do so.

It is of course important that the control member should be able to retain an adjusted position in which it has been set, despite, for example, being kicked or trodden upon by a shower user. This may be achieved by friction between the control member and body, or by positively acting locking means therebetween.

Preferably at least the lower part of the control member is of tubular form and is movable within an internal generally cylindrical surface of the body. The body and control member may engage one another by cooperating screw-thread formations so that adjustment of the position of the control member is effected by rotating the control member within the body. Preferably such screw-thread formations are of coarse pitch so that, for example, one complete revolution or so.of the control member relative to the body effects movement of the former through its entire range of adjustment.

Alternative means by which adjustment of the control member may be provided for are described hereafter. For example, the control member may simply be linearly movable in the upwards and downwards direction relative to the body, with its position being retained by friction therebetx een.

The grille means of the control member may conveniently provide manually engageable formations by which rotation of the control member as referred to above may be effected.

The upper part of the control member may comprise a flange which overlies a mounting flange on the body. By virtue of this, any damage which might be done to the mounting flange of the body during installation can be concealed once the control member is fitted.

The installation of the body of the waste fitting in a shower tray without the control member present enables any debris which might collect in the shower tray during installation more easily to be flushed away through the waste fitting, without being impeded by the control member and the grille which will in almost all cases be provided therein.

The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which: Figure 1 is a section through part of a shower tray having a first embodiment of waste fitting in accordance with the invention, with its control member in a first position; Figure 2 is a view as Figure 1, with its control member in a second position; Figure 3 shows, in different views, the control member of the waste fitting of Figures 1 and 2; Figure 4 is a section through part of a shower tray having a further embodiment of waste fitting in accordance with the invention.

Referring firstly to Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings, these show part of a shower tray indicated generally at 10. The shower tray has an upstanding peripheral wall 11 beyond which there is a peripheral flange 12. A base 13 of the shower tray has an aperture therein surrounded by a downwardly extending frusto-conical portion 14, which receives and cooperates with a waste fitting indicated generally at 15 and described in greater detail hereafter.

The waste fitting 15 comprises a body 16 which is of tubular form with a flange 17 extending outwardly at its uppermost end. The flange 17 has a frusto-conical surface which faces the upwardly presented surface of the frusto conical portion 14 of the shower tray, and a sealing washer 18 is interposed between the flange 17 and portion 14. The tubular part of the body 16 has an external screw-thread where indicated at 19 and this receives a nut 20 which engages the portion 14 of the shower tray and is tightened to compress the sealing washer 18 so that a water-tight connection is established between the waste fitting and the shower tray. The screw-thread 19 also provides for connection in water-tight manner to a water outlet, usually by way of a water trap.

The body 16 of the waste fitting receives a control member indicated generally at 21 and shown in greater detail in Figure 3.

In Figure 3, Figure 3A is a plan view of the control member and Figure 3B a section on the line B-B of Figure 3A, whilst Figures 3C and 3D are side elevations of the control member in two directions at right angles to one another. The control member 21 is predominantly of tubular form with a hollow cylindrical wall 22 which at its upper end is flared outwardly at 23.

Ribs 24 extend radially inwardly from the rim of the part 23 to a central boss or hub 25, thus affording a grille arrangement with five circumferentially spaced apertures 26 leading to the interior of the control member. The cylindrical wall 22 is provided on its exterior with outwardly projecting helical formations 27 in arrangement of a multi-start screw-thread of coarse pitch. These formations cooperate with helically extending recess formations 28 in the interior of the body 16, so that rotation of the control member about its central longitudinal axis 29 results in adjustment of the position of the control member relative to the body in the direction of the axis 29, i.e. upwardly or downwardly according to the direction in which the control member is turned. The control member desirably fits by its external surface of the wall 22 within the body 16 sufficiently closely to provide a more or less water-tight fit (although in practice it will be appreciated that it does not matter if some leakage can occur therebetween) and with sufficient frictional resistance to turning of the control member for it to retain its adjusted position once placed therein. The apertures 26 provide convenient formations which can be gripped by a user of the waste fitting to facilitate turning of the control member.

Figures 1 and 2 show the control member in raised and fully lowered positions it can assume in use. The rim of the part 23 of the control member acts as a weir over which water can flow from the shower tray into the interior of the control member and thus to the waste outlet, and thus a level of water is established in the shower tray according to the position of the control member.

A high such water lever is shown in Figure 1, and a low or minimal such water level in Figure 2. The control member is also able to be removed completely from the body of the waste fitting, for access to the interior thereof, e.g. to clear a blockage in the outlet or water trap which normally will be provided thereat.

It will be appreciated that other means may be provided for enabling adjustrnent and setting of the position of the control member relative to the body of the waste fitting. The control member could simply fit within the body with sufficient friction to enable it to remain in any position in which it is set relative thereto, without the necessity for there being the screw-threaded engagement therebetween. A sealing member such as an O-ring could be used as a friction element for this purpose. A further possibility is that a type engagement between the control member and body could be utilised: suitable co-operating formations could be provided thereon so that the control member is able to be moved upwardly and downwardly without rotation but locked in a set position by a small angular movement.

The parts of the waste fitting may be of any suitable material, e.g. metal or plastics, with any required decorative finish, e.g. chrome plating.

Referring now to Figure 4 of the drawings, this shows a shower tray 40 with a base 41 having a downwardly extending frusto-conical portion 42 leading to an aperture therein. A waste fitting is indicated generally at 43 and comprises a body 44 which at its upper end has a mounting flange 45 and has screw-threaded cooperation with a nut 46 which is tightened to compress a sealing washer 47 between the flange 45 and the part 42 of the shower tray.

The body of the waste fitting is connected to a water outlet, all as above described in relation to the first embodiment of the invention.

The waste fitting further comprises a control member 48 which has an upper part 49 which extends outwardly into a flange 50 which completely covers the mounting flange 45 of the body of the waste fitting. The upper part 49 of the control member comprises ribs as indicated at 51, constituting a grille arrangement with apertures between the ribs for flow of water from the interior of the shower tray into the control member and thence to the body of the waste fitting.

The control member has a lower part 52 which is of cylindrical form and fits closely within the body 44. An O-ring 53 in a groove on the outside of the part 52 provides for frictional and sealing engagement between the control member and body, so that the control member when positioned as shown cannot accidentally be displaced from its cooperation with the body.

In the embodiment of Figure 4, the control member is not upwardly and downwardly adjustable relative to the body to provide the facility above described for retaining a desired level of water in the shower tray, but it could if desired be made to be thus adjustable, e.g. by adoption of any of the expedients above referred to. The embodiment of Figure 4 has the principal advantage that the covering of the mounting flange 47 of the body by the flange 50 on the control member means that if during installation the mounting flange 47 is damaged, any such damage, provided it does not have any detrimental functional effect, can be concealed from view.

The features disclosed in the foregoing description, or the following claims, or the accompanying drawings, expressed in their specific forms or in terms of a means for performing the disclosed function, or a method or process for attaining the disclosed result, as appropriate, may, separately, or in any combination of such features, be utilised for realising the invention in diverse forms thereof.

Claims

CLAIMS 1. A waste fitting for a shower tray or the like, comprising a body adapted to be fitted in an aperture in the shower tray and to be connected to a water outlet, and a control member having an upper part extending above said body and affording an inlet for flow of water from the shower tray, and a lower part which cooperates with said body to provide for flow to said outlet.
2. A waste fitting according to Claim 1 wherein said upper part of the control member includes grille means.
3. A waste fitting according to Claim 2 wherein said grille means is afforded by ribs, vanes, or like formations.
4. A waste fitting according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the control member is adjustable upwardly and downwardly relative to the body.
5. A waste fitting according to Claim 4 wherein the range of possible adjustment of the control member relative to the body is such that said inlet is able either to be substantially level with the bottom of the shower tray or else be spaced thereabove.
6. A waste fitting according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the control member has substantially sealing engagement with the body.
7. A waste fitting according to Claim 4 or any claim appendant thereto wherein the control member is able to retain an adjusted position by friction between the control member and body.
8. A waste fitting according to Claim 4 or any claim appendant thereto wherein the control member is adapted to retain an adjusted position by locking means acting between the control member and body.
9. A waste fitting according to Claim 4 or any claim appendant thereto wherein at least the lower part of the control member is of tubular form and is movable within an internal generally cylindrical surface of the body.
10. A waste fitting according to Claim 4 or any claim appendant thereto wherein the body and control member engage one another by cooperating screw-thread formations.
11. A waste fitting according to Claim 10 wherein said screw-thread formations are of coarse pitch.
12. A waste fitting according to Claim 10 or Claim 11, as appendant directly or indirectly to Claim 2, wherein the grille means affords manually engageable formations by which rotation of the control member may be effected.
13. A waste fitting according to any one of the preceding claims wherein said upper part of the control member includes a flange which overlies a mounting flange on the body.
14. A waste fitting substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures I to 3, or Figure 4 of the accompanying drawings.
15. Any novel feature or novel combination of features described herein and/or in the accompanying drawings.