GB2407976A

GB2407976A - Shower tray assembly and shower enclosure

Info

Publication number: GB2407976A
Application number: GB0422580A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Poolin Shah
Original assignee: SHOWERING INNOVATIONS Ltd
Current assignee: SHOWERING INNOVATIONS Ltd
Priority date: 2003-10-09
Filing date: 2004-10-11
Publication date: 2005-05-18
Also published as: GB0323704D0; GB0422580D0

Abstract

A shower tray assembly (14) that can be fitted substantially level with a floor surface such that there are no discernible steps either into or out of the shower, comprises a lower tray member (32) and an upper tray member (34). The internal surfaces of the lower tray (32) all incline towards a drain (36). The upper tray rests on the lower tray with a gap around its perimeter. Also disclosed is a shower enclosure including at least one shower door (16) formed of upper (62) and lower (64) parts each provided with a respective handle (22,24) such that one of the parts can be opened independently of the other, whereas pulling the handle on said other part opens both parts of the door.

Description

SHOWER AND TRAY ASSEMBLY

The present invention relates to a shower tray assembly, to a shower cubicle and to a shower cubicle tray and assembly. In the preferred embodiment, there is provided a level access shower tray and shower assembly.

A shower provides a particularly convenient system for washing people who need assistance, such as the disabled and infirm, as it is generally possible to avoid the need to lift the person into a bathtub or the like.

It has been known to provide level access shower trays, in which the top surface of the shower tray is substantially even with the room floor within which the shower assembly is located, so that access to the shower is facilitated, even for wheelchair access.

One known type of level access tray provides a one-piece configuration with a tray surface which slopes at 1 to 1.5 towards a waste gully. The problem with this system is that the tray surface is very shallow and it is therefore prone to flooding and not suitable for use with modern power shower systems.

Another system provides a two-part arrangement in which there is a lower tray sloping at approximately 1.5 to the waste gully and a grill which rests over the lower tray and provides a foot plate upon which a person stands or sits. The problem with such an arrangement is that the grille can act as a dirt trap and the arrangement can also be particularly difficult to clean.

The present invention seeks to provide an improved shower tray, shower enclosure and shower cubicle.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a shower tray assembly including a lower tray member and an upper tray member, wherein lower tray member includes a discharge opening for coupling to a discharge pipe and one or more tray surfaces inclined towards the discharge opening, the upper tray member being designed to locate over the lower tray member, with one or more fluid paths provided from an upper surface of the upper tray member to the lower tray member; wherein the tray assembly presents a substantially continuous and substantially flat upper surface when assembled.

Advantageously, the fluid path or paths are provided at one or more edges of the upper tray member.

In the preferred embodiment, a plurality of spacing means is provided between the upper and lower tray members so as to space the upper tray member from the lower tray member when located thereon.

The advantage of the assembly described herein is that it can provide a substantially flat and smooth surface and therefore a level entry shower system, in which not only is the speed of water discharge unaffected and in some circumstances increased but also the assembly can be easy to clean.

The features contributing to this is that the upper tray member can provide a substantially smooth upper surface which can be cleaned by simple wiping. On the other hand, the lower tray member need not affect the characteristics of the upper surface of the tray assembly (these being substantially provided by the upper tray member), so the design of the elements of the lower tray assembly can be optimised for maximising fluid discharge. For example, the angle of inclination of the discharge surfaces can be made substantially steeper than in prior art shower trays.

In the preferred embodiment, the assembly includes at least one rib member extending upwardly in use and beyond the perimeter of the fluid paths to the lower tray assembly. The rib member or members of the preferred embodiment are formed of rubber or a rubberised material. Alternatively, they could be made of any water impermeable material which is preferably compressible. The rib member or members provide a barrier to fluids exiting the shower tray assembly. While the rib member or members are flexible or otherwise deformable, this enables a person to depress the rib member or members towards the ground surface when accessing the shower cubicle.

This is particularly advantageous in seeking to provide level access to inside the shower enclosure, for example, by wheelchair or the like.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a shower enclosure including at least one shower door, which shower door is formed of at least two separate door elements, an upper element and a lower element, wherein one or the other of the upper and lower elements can be opened independently of the other. In the preferred embodiment, it is the upper door element which can open independently of the lower door element.

The advantage of this shower enclosure is that it enables access by a helper, for example a nurse, to help a person washing in the shower, without needing to open the entirety of the shower door. This is particularly advantageous for helping with the infirm or disabled.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a shower assembly including a shower tray assembly as herein specified and a shower enclosure as herein specified.

Embodiments of the present invention are described below, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a front elevational view of the preferred embodiment of shower assembly; Figure 2 shows in partial cross-section a detail of the shower assembly of Figure 1; Figure 3 shows an exploded view of the preferred embodiment of shower tray assembly; Figures 4 and 5 show schematic diagrams of the preferred embodiments of the upper and lower tray members of the assembly of Figure 3; Figure 6 shows a perspective view of the tray assembly of Figure 3 in assembled form; Figure 7 shows an enlarged view of a part of the door of the shower assembly of Figure 1; Figure 8 shows a perspective view of part of the shower assembly of Figure 1 with an upper portion of the shower door open; and Figure 9 is a front elevational view of the assembly of Figure 8 with the door fully open.

Referring to Figure 1, there is shown an embodiment of shower assembly 10 provided with a shower enclosure 12 and a shower tray assembly 14. The assembly 10, in this example, is of a type which can be located in a corner of a room and provides a rounded front surface. The enclosure 12 is provided with a door 16 hinged at four points 18 to a side member 20 and includes a handle 22, 24 for opening and closing the door 16, described in detail below.

With reference also to Figure 2, the shower tray assembly 14 is designed so that it can be fitted substantially level with a floor surface 26, such that there are no discernible steps either into the shower or out of it. The shower tray assembly 14 includes a front portion 28 which extends beyond the door 16 when the door 16 is closed. In this position, the door 16 sits over a water drain gap (described in further detail below) of the tray assembly 14 in order to allow water running off the glazing of the door 16 to drop straight into the water drain gap and then to a water drain, as described below. In the preferred embodiment, the side panels of the enclosure at either side of the door 16 also sit directly above a water drain gap.

The front portion 28 of the shower tray assembly 14 is provided with a protruding rib 30 which extends, in this example, across the entirety of the front surface of the enclosure 12 but which in some embodiments could extend over only the opening area of the door 16 and/or could be formed of several parts. The protruding rib 30 extends above the upper surface of the shower assembly 14 to provide a water barrier to prevent IS any water seepage into the room. In the preferred embodiment, the protruding rib 30 is made of a resilient material so that it is pressed downwardly so as to become flush with the floor surface when pressure is applied onto it, for example by the person's foot or by the wheels of a wheelchair. For this purpose, the rib 30 may be made of a rubber or rubberised material. Any arrangement which allows the rib 30 to be compressed downwardly would be satisfactory.

Referring now to Figure 3, there is shown an exploded view of the principal components of the preferred embodiment of shower tray assembly 14. The assembly is formed of a lower tray member 32 and an upper tray member 34. The lower tray member 32 is provided with a water discharge opening or drain 36, conveniently located at a central forward position. The internal surfaces of the lower tray 32 all incline towards the drain 36 and at the edges of the lower tray 32, the walls are inclined at a steep angle.

Internal ribs 38 extending upwardly of the lower tray 32 act not only in directing water towards the drain 36 but also support the upper tray 34. Although Figure 3 shows the ribs 38 being relatively low, in practice they would be as high as necessary to support the upper tray 34 as appropriate.

First and second substantially oval depressions 40 are provided in the lower tray 32, as are first and second support members 42.

Proximate its front perimeter, the lower shower tray 32 is provided with a channel (not shown) for receiving a part of the rib 30. In place of a channel, there may be provided a plurality of apertures into which feet (not shown) of rib member 30 can be placed to locate the rib member 30 in the position shown. Any other coupling arrangement, including adhesive, could be used.

The upper tray 34 has a substantially smooth upper surface 44, which in this example is gently undulating to assist directing water to the edges of the upper tray 34 and also to provide a more stable surface for a person to stand on.

The upper tray member 34 is also provided with first and second substantially oval protrusions or feet 46 which extended downwardly from the upper tray 34 and which fit into the recesses 40 of the lower tray 32. These protrusions or feet 46 support the upper tray 34 on the lower tray 32 and also ensure that it is properly aligned on lower tray 32 and remains in that position in a stable manner.

The upper tray 34 has slightly smaller dimensions than the lower tray 32 and, in the preferred embodiment, rests on the lower tray 32 with a gap round its outer perimeter. The gap, in the preferred embodiment, is around 8 mm and extends around the entirety of the perimeter of the tray 44. This gap provides fluid paths for waste water to pass from the upper tray 44 to the lower tray 32 and therefrom out of the drain 36.

Of course, in other embodiments, it may be envisaged that one or more gaps may be provided discontinuously along the outer perimeter of the upper tray member 34 and/or that one or more gaps may be provided along only a part of the perimeter of the upper tray member 34, for example at its front edge. However, it is preferred that the upper tray 34 is substantially horizontal when in use, so it is advantageous to provide a gap along the entirety of its outer perimeter.

With reference now also to Figures 4, 5 and 6 the upper tray member 34 is provided with first and second front recesses 48 for accommodating the protrusions 42 of the lower tray member 32 and a rear cut out 50. This rear cut out 50 accommodates a raised portion 52 of the lower tray portion 32. This raised portion 50 is in use located in a redundant area of the shower assembly and raises the lower tray floor through the foot plate again an increase in tray angle and thereby faster water removal to the drain 36.

This also creates an interesting aesthetic design feature and reduces the size of the upper tray 34 to facilitate cleaning.

Of course, the upper tray member 34 provides a surface 44 giving 100% foot contact, thereby substantially improving stability for people using the shower assembly.

The protrusions 42 of the lower shower thy member 32 provide support for the vertical support struts 54, 56 (see Figure 1) of the shower enclosure 12. They also assist in locating the glass surfaces of the enclosure 12 directly over the gap (identified as 58 in Figure 6) formed between the perimeter of the upper tray member 34 and the lower tray member 32. For this purpose, the recesses 48 in the upper tray member 34 act in ensuring such precise location. Thus, any water on the glass surfaces of the enclosure 12 will flow down the surface of the enclosure and then directly into the fluid gap and hence into the lower shower tray 34 for drainage.

In practice, the lower tray member 32 would be installed in a room by cutting and removing floorboards and fixing plyboard between the joists to create a level surface.

The tray is placed into position and the drain plumbed to the outlet. The side walls of the tray 32 are preferably slightly tilted outwardly so as to seal against a wall and a threshold plate 60 (see Figure 2 and 3) is provided at the front of the tray 32 to seal against the flooring and to hide the fixings (such as screws and the like).

Referring now to Figure 7 there is shown an enlarged view of a part of the shower door 16. The door 16 is formed of two parts, an upper part 62 and a lower part 64. Hence, as can be seen in Figure 1, the door 16 is fixed to the upright 56 by 4 hinges 18, two for the lower part 64 and two for the upper part 62.

As will be apparent from a consideration also of Figure 8, the handle 22, 24 of the door 16 is formed in two parts, the first part 22 being substantially vertical and resting over the substantially horizontal lower handle part 24. The handle part 22 is provided with a recessed portion (seen best in Figure 8) which wraps around the contour of the lower handle part 24 for stability purposes and also for aesthetic purposes.

As will be apparent from Figure 8, the upper part 62 of the door 16 can be opened independently of the lower part 64 by pulling on the handle 22. On the other hand, as can be seen in Figure 9, the entirety of the door 16 can be opened at one time, by pulling on the horizontal handle 24, which will pull with it the handle 22. The recessed member 66 assists in this operation and also will add stability of the door 16 when fully opened.

The arrangement of the handles 22,24 could be reversed, for example in case it may be desired to open the lower part of the door 16 independently while keeping the upper part closed.

The disclosures in British patent application no. 0323704.7, from which this application claims priority, and in the abstract incorporating this application are incorporated herein by reference.

Claims

1. A shower tray assembly including a lower tray member and an upper tray member, wherein lower tray member includes a discharge opening for coupling to a discharge pipe and one or more tray surfaces inclined towards the discharge opening, the upper tray member being designed to locate over the lower tray member, with one or more fluid paths provided from an upper surface of the upper tray member to the lower tray member; wherein the tray assembly presents a substantially continuous and substantially flat upper surface when assembled.

2. An assembly according to claim 1, wherein the fluid path or paths are provided at one or more edges of the upper tray member.

3. An assembly according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a plurality of spacing means is provided between the upper and lower tray members so as to space the upper tray member from the lower tray member when located thereon.

4. An assembly according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the assembly provides a level entry shower system.

5. An assembly according to any preceding claim, wherein the assembly includes at least one rib member extending upwardly in use and beyond the perimeter of the fluid paths to the lower tray assembly.

6. An assembly according to claim 6, wherein the rib member or members are formed of rubber or a rubberised material.

7. An assembly according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the rib member or members are made of a water impermeable material.

8. An assembly according to claim 7, wherein the rib member or members are compressible.

9. A shower enclosure including at least one shower door, which shower door is formed of at least two separate door elements, an upper element and a lower element, wherein one of the upper and lower elements can be opened independently of the other and the other of the door elements can open both door elements.

10. A shower enclosure according to claim 9, wherein the upper door element can open independently of the lower door element.

11. A shower enclosure according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the one of the door elements includes an elongate member extending over a part of the other door element, whereby the other of the door elements is urged open by the elongate member upon opening of the one door element.

12. A shower enclosure according to claim 11, wherein the elongate member forms part of a handle of the one of the door elements.

13. A shower enclosure according to claim 12, wherein the elongate member is profiled to engage a part of a handle of the other door element the other of the door elements.

14. A shower assembly including a shower tray assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 8 and a shower enclosure according to any one of claims 9 to 13.

15. A shower tray assembly substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

16. A shower enclosure substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

17. A shower assembly substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.