GB2586846A

GB2586846A - Hidden access hatch

Info

Publication number: GB2586846A
Application number: GB1912804.0A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Hooley Mark
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2019-09-05
Filing date: 2019-09-05
Publication date: 2021-03-10
Anticipated expiration: 2039-09-05
Also published as: GB201912804D0; GB2586846B

Abstract

The access hatch, particularly for a tiled wall or partition 6, comprises an aperture formed by omitting one tile, suitable for accessing e.g. plumbing, and a closure tile 1 with two stainless steel rods or pins 2,3 fixed to the back between one third and three quarters up so as to protrude beyond opposing edges of the tile by at least 10 mm. The closure tile can be rotated, inserted and straightened to pivot into and close the aperture. The rods may be elastic and shaped to bias the closure tile into the aperture, may be fastened to stainless steel mesh 4 bonded to the back of the tile e.g. with cement 5, and may protrude by 10–25 mm. The closure tile edges may be prepared to appear grouted. The closure tile may abut a narrow interior ledge around part of the aperture and may be removable by pushing against the top part, causing the bottom part to tilt outwards.

Description

Hidden Access Hatch In today's kitchens and bathrooms, pipework, such as drain and supply pipes, is invariably hidden behind some form of false walls or partitioning. This applies particularly to built-in bath tubs and toilet cisterns.

Standard access hatches for such niches consist of a metal frame, usually the size of four tiles, which are arranged in a square. The frame is subdivided into four equal sized squares, each the exact size of one tile.

At the centre of the frame sits a threaded nub into which a screw can be inserted. When the four tiles are set into the metal frame, the centre screw will hold the whole in place by means of an enlarged head, or large diameter washer, covering the corners of all four tiles where 20 they meet.

This system works reasonably well when the chosen tiles are of the 100 x 100 mm size, but still has a number of drawbacks. One is that the frame is invariably of inexpensive metal since for each access the length of metal strip is twelve times the size of the tile.

Meaning that an access panel in a wall covered with 100 mm tiles requires a metal frame consisting of 1200 mm metal strip, of L-cross section shape, to hold the four tiles in place. Hence the tendency is to select a material as inexpensive as possible for the frame.

However, the frame needs to be sturdy enough to withstand the opening of the access hatch by a plumber for the purpose of tracing and fixing possible sources of leakages. That process requires unscrewing of the centre screw and the removal of the loose tiles.

Since it is impossible to push one of the tiles out from behind, an implement, such as a screw driver, is used to flip one of the tiles out of the frame, hopefully without breaking neither the tile nor the frame.

Once the loose tiles are removed and the access hatch open, there is still the problem of the four cross struts obstructing the hatch and making hand insertion hazardous. Thus the cross struts are frequently broken or bent out of shape making re-assembly difficult if not impossible.

The inventor realised that, being a plumber himself and having personally suffered the drawbacks of the established system, has come up with an ingenious and advantageous solution to this problem.

Statement of the invention

A hidden access hatch in a tiled wall or partition wherein said hatch comprises an aperture in said wall or partition formed by the absence of one tile of the same size as the ones around said missing tile, which aperture serves as access to installations behind said partition, such as drainage plumbing, which hatch is to be closed off by a closure tile, which closure tile is prepared for acting as closure by the fixing of two stainless steel rods to the back of said closure tile, wherein said rods are attached to said tile in such a way that each stainless steel rod sticks out beyond an edge of said tile by at least 10 mm, wherein further said two rods stick out beyond opposing edges of said tile and wherein said rods are attached to the back of said tile between one third and three quarters along said tile edge such that by rotating said tile it can be introduced into said aperture with said rods at a level higher than mid-point of tile such that upon straightening said closure tile and pushing it into said aperture it pivots into the aperture and effectively closes said aperture.

Description of the invention

The invention simplifies arrangements necessary for obtaining a post-installation access to sanitary equipment such as toilet cisterns or bath tub drains.

Such equipment is frequently built in and the partitions covered by ceramic tiling to match 75 the rest of the bathroom colour scheme. Thus means need to be provided for a plumber to access said plumbing without having to destroy part of the bathroom.

These arrangements need to be sturdy so that they can be opened, give access to the installation behind said partition and be reclosed without any visible trace of said access having been used.

To achieve that, the partition around a sanitary installation is built in the standard way, leaving an aperture whose lower part is slightly larger than one closure tile, such that when the partition is tiled, the tiles surrounding said aperture leave an untiled rim of around 2 or 3 mm exposed such that the closure tile, when fitted, rests against said rim with its lower part.

The size of the upper part of the aperture is of such dimension that when the closure tile is fitted, it can tilt into the aperture and hence raising the lower part of said closure tile out of the plane of the aperture.

The closure tile is prepared for insertion into said aperture by cementing a stainless steel mesh onto the back of said tile, which mesh holds two steel pieces of stiff but flexible wire, which are positioned such that they stick out over the edge of said closure tile, one on each opposing side of said closure tile.

This configuration leads to the closure tile being larger that the aperture at its lower half and smaller at its upper half than the aperture. In this way, when the closure tile is fitted, pressure can be exerted on the upper half of said closure tile to raise the lower half out of the plane of the aperture, with said tile then pushed into the aperture, twisted and lifted out altogether.

List of items on the drawings: I -Closure tile 2 -lsi steel pin 3 -2"d steel pin 4 -Steel mesh -Tile cement 6 -Aperture surround or false wall 7 -Pivot point of closure tile

Brief description of the drawings

Figure 1 shows the back of closure tile (I) with the steel rods (2, 3) sticking out left and right.

These steel rods are fastened to the wire mesh (4), which may cover a large part of the back of the tile (1).

The mesh (4) is cemented to the back of tile (1) by means of specialised adhesive (5). Both the rods (2, 3) and the wire mesh (4) need to be of high grade stainless steel which can resist the necessarily damp environment which both inhabit.

Figure 2 is a cross-sections through figure 1 at C-C. It shows closure tile (1) in the inserted position, closing the aperture and in dotted lines, a partially open position, pivoting around pivot point (7), ready to be lifted out of the aperture and hence making it available for maintenance work on the piping behind the panelling.

The figure shows clearly the overlap of the aperture surround (6) at the bottom of the closure tile (I) which keeps the tile in a positon closing off the aperture. It further shows no overlap at the top of said tile (1) so that it may be pushed into the aperture, tiling it such that it may be gripped at its lower part, twisted in the aperture to disengage steel rods (2) and (3) and then lifted out completely.

Figures 3 and 4 are cross-sections through AA and BB respectively on figure 1. Figure 3 shows steel rods (2) and (3) hooked behind the aperture surround, holding closure tile (1) in position whilst figure 4 clearly shows the overlap of the aperture surround, at the lower end of closure tile Cl). ).

Thus a simple solution to pressing problem of accessing sanitary piping behind false walls is created.

It is resistant to being damaged since no weak parts are exposed to efforts to open the aperture and the simple push to tilt said closure tile allows unrestricted access to the niche.

160 165 170 175 180

Claims

Claims.1. A hidden access hatch in a tiled wall or partition wherein said hatch comprises an aperture in said wall or partition formed by the absence of one tile of the same size as the ones around said missing tile, which aperture serves as access to installations behind said partition, such as drainage plumbing, which hatch is to be closed off by a closure tile, which closure tile is prepared for acting as closure by the fixing of two stainless steel rods to the back of said closure tile, wherein said rods are attached to said tile in such a way that each stainless steel rod sticks out beyond an edge of said tile by at least 10 mm, wherein further said two rods stick out beyond opposing edges of said tile and wherein said rods are attached to the back of said tile between one third and three quarters up along said tile edge such that by rotating said tile it can be introduced into said aperture with said rods at a level higher than mid-point of tile such that upon straightening said closure tile and pushing it into said aperture it pivots into the aperture and effectively closes said aperture.
2. A hidden access hatch in a tiled wall or partition according to claim I wherein said stainless steel rods are elastic and shaped in such a way that they exert a tension which pulls said tile, when properly inserted, firmly into said aperture.
205 3. A hidden access hatch in a tiled wall or partition according to claims I and 2 wherein said closure tile is backed by a sheet of stainless steel mesh to which said steel rods are fastened before said mesh is glued to the back of said tile.
4. A hidden access hatch in a tiled wall or partition according to claims Ito 3 wherein 210 said stainless steel rods stick out beyond the edge of said closure tile by between 10 and 25 mm.
5. A hidden access hatch in a tiled wall or partition according to claims 1 to 4 wherein said closure tile has its edges prepared to appear to have been grouted in the same colour as 215 the rest of the tiles on said partition.
6. A hidden access hatch in a tiled wall or partition according to claims 1 to 5 wherein a part of said aperture comprises an interior narrow ledge against which said closure tile abuts when inserted into said aperture.
7. A hidden access hatch in a tiled wall or partition according to claims 1 to 6 wherein said closure tile can easily be removed by gentle pressure on at the top of said tile and thus tilting out the bottom part of said closure tile.