IE911663A1 - Liquid receptacles, especially shower trays - Google Patents

Abstract

A shower tray 1 has a basin of castable resin material and a seal 15 of plastics material extending around at least some of the sides of the rim 6 of the basin. The seal has a head portion 16 which is embedded in the basin and a sealing lip portion 17 which extends substantially vertically upwardly to sealingly engage surrounding wall tiles or the like. The shower tray 1 is formed by mounting the seal 15 in a mould, coating the mould and the head portion 16 of the seal 15 with a skin forming material and then casting the basin in the mould.

Description

Liquid receptacles, especially shower trays The invention relates to liquid receptacles such as shower trays and the like of castable material.

Liquid receptacles such as shower trays of castable material are well known.

Typically shower trays are floor mounted against a wall which is usually tiled above the shower tray. A difficulty arises in providing a water-tight seal where the tiles meet an upper rim of the tray. It is known to use an L-shaped plastic sealing strip mounted between the rim of the shower tray and the tile to provide a seal. The strips are relatively expensive and somewhat awkward to fit. Further, leakage can occur past the strips if for example floor settling occurs and a gap appears between the tray and the plastic strip.

Due to the moulding process used to form shower trays many shower trays are produced with a sidewall which flares outwardly and downwardly of the rim. Thus to closely fit the - 2 shower tray against a wall the wall has to be chased out. This makes the procedure for fitting the shower tray more difficult and time consuming.

It is known to provide an acrylic shower tray having an 5 upstanding lip around portion of a rim of the tray to provide a seal with tiling on a wall against which the trays are mounted in use. There are, however, a number of problems with acrylic shower trays. They can be relatively easily damaged.

Further due to the fact that they are light-weight and fairly flexible they need considerable support during use. Even when supported the acrylic tray tends to flex somewhat which can damage the seal between the upstanding lip and the adjacent wall tiling. Furthermore the aesthetic look of the acrylic shower trays is unappealing to many people.

The present invention is directed towards providing a liquid receptacle and a method of making such receptacles which will overcome at least some of these problems.

According to the invention there is provided a liquid receptacle comprising: a basin of castable material, the basin having an upper rim, and - 3 a seal having a head portion embedded in the basin and a sealing lip portion extending around at least portion of the rim for sealing engagement with wall means adjacent the rim of the basin.

In one embodiment of the invention the seal is of a different material than that of the basin. Preferably the seal is of a plastics material.

In one embodiment of the invention the head portion of the seal includes retaining means to assist in retaining the head portion in position in the basin. Preferably the retaining means comprises one or more ridges or grooves in the head portion of the seal.

In another embodiment of the invention the receptacle includes an outer skin, the head of the seal being embedded in the outer skin. Preferably the skin is of a gelcoat material.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention the basin is cast from a casting resin. Typically the resin includes inorganic fillers .

In a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention the sealing lip portion of the seal projects substantially vertically upwardly at an outer edge of the rim. Typically a - 4 sidewall of the basin beneath the sealing lip portion of the seal has a substantially vertical outer face.

In one embodiment of the invention the head portion of the seal projects inwardly at a subtended angle of between 140° and 170° with the sealing lip portion of the seal, most preferably at an angle of between 150° and 17 0°.

In a preferred arrangement the basin comprises a shower tray.

The invention also provides a method for making a liquid receptacle comprising the steps of:10 preparing a mould; placing a seal having a head portion and a sealing lip portion in the mould; pouring a castable material into the mould to embed the head portion in the castable material; forming the castable material into a desired shape; and removing a receptacle thus formed from the mould.

Preferably the castable material is formed into a desired shape by pressing a contramould into the castable material in the mould.

In one embodiment of the invention prior to pouring the 5 castable material into the mould, the surface of the mould and the head portion of the seal are coated with a skin forming material which may be dried before pouring the castable material into the mould. Preferably the skin forming material comprises a gelcoat material.

The invention further provides a receptacle, particularly a shower tray whenever made by the method of the invention.

The invention will be more clearly understood by the following description of an embodiment thereof, given by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:15 Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a shower tray according to the invention; Fig Fig Fig is a front elevational view of the shower tray; is a plan view of the shower tray; is a side elevational view of one side of the shower tray; - 6 Fig. 5 is a side elevational view of another side of the shower tray; Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail sectional view of portion of the shower tray, taken along the line V-V of Fig. 2; Fig. 7 is an enlarged detail sectional view of portion of the shower tray, taken along the line VI-VI of Fig. 2; Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 5 showing the tray in use; and Fig. 9 is an enlarged sectional elevational view of a sealing lip forming portion of the shower tray.

Referring to the drawings there is illustrated a liquid receptacle, in this case a shower tray according to the invention indicated generally by the reference numeral 1. The shower tray 1 has a basin of castable material formed by a base 2 surrounded by an upstanding sidewall 3. The sidewall 3 is of inverted U-shape construction having an inner wall 4 connected to the base 2 and a spaced-apart outer wall 5 connected to the inner wall 4 by a rim 6 extending between upper ends of the inner wall 4 and outer wall 5. Upstanding ribs 10 are provided on the base 2 for improved grip. A drain hole 11 is provided adjacent one corner of the base 2. - 7 10 A seal 15 has a head portion 16 embedded in the rim 6 and an upstanding sealing lip portion 15 extending around portion of the rim 6. The seal is preferably of a slightly flexible material such as a plastics material, for example P.V.C. The sealing lip portion 17 of the seal 15 extends substantially vertically upwards at an outer edge of the rim 6. The head portion 16 is inclined at an angle a which is typically between 150° and 170° to the sealing lip portion 17. A groove 18 is provided adjacent a free end of the head portion 16 (see Fig. 8) for positive gripping of the head portion 16 by the castable material of the rim 6.

The outer surfaces of the basin are coated with a coating material which also coats the head portion 16 of the seal 15 prior to casting of the basin.

In this case the seal 15 extends around three sides of the shower tray 1 (see Figs. 1 and 3). The tray 1 being thus arranged for mounting in an alcove in a bathroom or the like. However in other cases the seal 15 may only extend around two sides of the tray where the tray is for mounting in a corner; or the seal 15 may only extend along one side of the tray where the tray is for mounting intermediate the ends of a wall. - 8 It will be noted that outer side faces 19, 20 and a rear face 21 of the sidewall 3 beneath the seal 15 are substantially vertical. This is to ensure a close fit against walls adjacent the tray 1 without having to chase out the wall. An outer front face 22 of the sidewall 3 has a decorative step 23 adjacent its lower end.

Referring now in particular to Fig. 7 the tray 1 is shown in use, the tray 1 resting on a floor 24 with the rear face 21 of the tray abutting a wall 25. Lowermost tiles 26 on the wall overlap the lip portion 17 of the seal 15 to provide a water-tight seal between the tiles 26 and shower tray 1. It will be noted that an upper surface 27 of the rim 6 inclines downwardly and inwardly so that water running down the tiles 26 is directed into the basin of the shower tray 1.

A process for making the shower tray will now be described.

A mould is first prepared for spraying by cleaning and waxing. The seal 15 is then placed in the mould. The seal 15 is continuous. It can be moulded in the required C, U, L or straight shape. Alternatively to achieve the necessary C, U or L shape for fitting around three or two sides of the tray 1 shallow vertical grooves can be cut in a continuous strip of plastic which is then bent into the required shape. Solvent may be optionally added to the grooves prior to bending. - 9 A mix of the gelcoat colour required is prepared and is sprayed under pressure along with a catalysing agent onto the mould. This catalysing agent ensures that the gelcoat obtains an enamel type skin.

After drying the gelcoat the required quantity of a filling mix is poured into the mould. The mix is a combination of a polyester casting resin and various sands and calcium carbonate based fillers. Differing combinations and quantities of fillers are used to adjust the weight/density ratio of the tray and to increase/decrease the viscosity of the mix for flow purposes. A catalyst is added to the mix before pouring to ensure that the mix sets in the mould. A contramould is then pressed into the mould thereby forming the sides and base of the tray forcing the material to find its own level. After approximately 45 minutes the contramould is removed and the tray is allowed to contract and fully cure. The tray is removed approximately 5 hours after pouring. It is then trimmed to remove excess gelcoat below the base of the tray, and polished if necessary and packed.

To enable the production of trays with vertical sidewalls, split moulds are used, that is moulds with removable side panels. The provision of vertical sidewalls facilitates ease of installation of the shower tray. - 10 The shower tray according to the invention is of relatively rigid construction and can be quickly and easily fitted against a wall. The upstanding sealing lip portion provides a good seal between the tray and wall tiles, directing dripping water into the tray. The. enamel effect surface of the tray is also aesthetically appealing.

It will be appreciated that the integral seal may extend around any required number of sides of the tray. Further the provision of vertical sidewalls on the tray beneath the seal greatly facilitates easy installation of the tray which can be positioned close to a wall without having to chase out the wall.

It will also be appreciated that while the invention has been described in the particular embodiment herein for a shower tray, it can also be applied to sinks, baths, and the like in similar fashion. It is also envisaged that the invention could be applied to worktops to provide a liquid seal between the worktop and an adjacent wall.

The invention is not limited to the embodiments hereinbefore described which may be varied in both construction and detail.

Claims (19)

1. A liquid receptacle comprising: a basin of castable material, the basin having an upper rim, and 5 a seal having a head portion embedded in the basin and a sealing lip portion extending around at least portion of the rim for sealing engagement with wall means adjacent the rim of the basin.

2. A receptacle as claimed in claim 1 wherein the seal is of 10 a different material than that of the basin.

3. A receptacle as claimed in claim 2 wherein the seal is of a plastics material.

4. A receptacle as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the head portion of the seal includes retaining means to assist in retaining the head portion in position in the basin .

5. A receptacle as claimed in claim 4 wherein the retaining means comprises one or more ridges or grooves in the head portion of the seal. - 12

6. A receptacle as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the receptacle includes an outer skin, the head of the seal being embedded in the outer skin.

7. A receptacle as claimed in claim 6 wherein the skin is of 5 a gelcoat material.

8. A receptacle as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the basin is cast from a casting resin.

9. A receptacle as claimed in claim 8 wherein the resin includes inorganic fillers.

10. 10. A receptacle as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the sealing lip portion of the seal projects substantially vertically upwardly at an outer edge of the rim.

11. A receptacle as claimed in any preceding claim wherein a 15 sidewall of the basin beneath the sealing lip portion of the seal has a substantially vertical outer face.

12. A receptacle as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the head portion of the seal projects inwardly at a subtended angle of between 140° and 170° with the sealing 20 lip portion of the seal. -

13. 13. A receptacle as claimed in claim 12 wherein the angle is between 150° and 170°.

14. A receptacle as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the basin comprises a shower tray. 5 15. A receptacle substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. 16. A method for making a liquid receptacle comprising the steps of:preparing a mould; 10 placing a seal having a head portion and a sealing lip portion in the mould; pouring a castable material into the mould to embed the head portion in the castable material; forming the castable material into a desired shape;

15. And removing a receptacle thus formed from the mould. - 14 17. A method as claimed in claim 16 wherein the castable material is formed into a desired shape by pressing a contramould into the castable material in the mould.

16. 18. A method as claimed in claim 16 or 17 wherein, prior to pouring the castable material into the mould, the surface of the mould and the head portion of the seal are coated with a skin forming material before pouring the castable material into the mould.

17. 19. A method as claimed in claim 18 wherein the skin forming material comprises a gelcoat material.

18. 20. A method substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

19. 21. A receptacle whenever made by a method as claimed in any of claims 16 to 20.