JP2005296185A - Bathtub - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a bathtub provided with a grip part which can be easily held without slipping even by a small hand. <P>SOLUTION: The bathtub comprises a bathtub body provided with a flange roughly horizontally extended from an inner tub to the outer part and a rim suspended continuously from the flange and an apron freely attachably and detachably erected on a bank part which separates the bathtub mounting part of a waterproof pan and a place outside the bathtub for masking the front surface of the bathtub body. The bathtub is provided with a rib suspended roughly in parallel with the rim from the lower surface of the flange and a gasket fitted between the upper end of an apron abutting on the side face on the front surface side of the rib and the back surface of the rim for pressurizing and fixing the upper end of the apron to the rib. The grip part to be held by a bather is formed of a flange, rim and gasket. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a bathtub, and more particularly, to a bathtub having a handrail function that assists in standing up and sitting in the bathtub and over the side wall of the bathtub. The present invention also belongs to the technical field of such an apron mounting structure for a bathtub.

  Even in the bathrooms of ordinary houses in recent years, handrails are provided around the bathtub as a safety measure against the slipperiness caused by soapy water spreading on the floor etc., as the idea of barrier-free has begun to enter the aging society. A lot has been happening.

  However, the conventional handrail attached to the wall of the bathtub opposite to the washing area is effective when sitting in the bathtub or standing up, but cannot reach far when straddling the side wall of the bathtub when entering or leaving. It was unusable. Furthermore, if it is provided on the upper part or side part of the side wall of the washing place, the protrusion of the handrail interferes with normal use.

  Therefore, a bathtub having a detachable apron has been proposed in which a grip portion formed in a concave shape that is recessed in the direction of the side wall of the bathtub and opens the front surface is provided on the front surface of the apron (for example, a patent) Reference 1). However, since there is a distance from the top of the bathtub to the recess, there is a problem that it is difficult for a small person such as a child to grasp. Moreover, since the edge of the rim of the bathtub is exposed to the clue part, the touch is bad and the usability is impaired.

  As a solution to the former problem, there has also been proposed a grip part structure of a bathtub part provided with a chamfering part for narrowing a grip width with respect to a recessed part constituting surface on a surface of a hot water reservoir side in a side wall part (for example, , See Patent Document 2). However, when the top of the bathtub is narrow, the feeling of stability is lacking, and the surface of the bathtub or apron is usually finished smoothly, so that there is a difficulty that it is slippery when grasped.

  On the other hand, rattling of the apron can also occur in such handrails and bathtubs with grips. The conventional apron mounting method is generally as shown in FIGS. That is, I) First, the apron between the back surface of the rim 100b of the bathtub 100 to which the packing 104 is attached and the rib 100c that hangs substantially parallel to the rim 100b from the flange 100a of the bathtub 100 on the back side of the rim 100b. The upper end of the apron 101 is inserted from an oblique direction. II) Next, the apron 101 is rotated upright with the upper end of the inserted apron 101 as a fulcrum, and the apron 101 is erected. III) The lower end of the apron 101 and the bank are raised. The apron lock 102 is inserted between the parts 103 and is slid until it stops.

  Among these, although there are various variations in the apron upper end and the shape around the bathtub rim and the fixing method of the lower end, the mounting structure and the mounting method are almost common in that the upper end is first inserted and fixed while being lifted. Since the upper end is inserted, rotated, lifted, etc. at the back of the rim in this way, a gap is generated between the rim and the rib, and this gap causes a rattling.

  As a solution to this problem, one using a joint material has been proposed. One is to screw the apron upper end to the rib and coat the screw with a covering member (see, for example, Patent Document 3), and the other is to act as a wedge between the rim lower end and the apron upper end. A spacer is inserted and the apron is pushed down and fixed (for example, refer to Patent Document 4).

  However, in any case, since the joint material is inserted in the horizontal direction, there is a tendency that it is located in front of the field of view and lacks in design. Especially, this tendency becomes prominent when stains and fading occur due to long-term use. .

Also, lifting and attaching the apron forces the worker to take an unreasonable posture, and there is also a problem in workability.
JP 2000-354554 A (FIG. 1B, FIG. 3) Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-51110 (FIG. 1) JP 2001-161580 A (FIG. 3) Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-143013 (FIGS. 2 and 3)

  The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-described circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a bathtub having a grip portion that is easy to grip even with a small palm without slipping.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide a bathtub that is easy to attach and detach without rattling of the apron.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, a bathtub according to the present invention includes a flange extending substantially horizontally outward from an inner tank and a rim continuously suspended from the flange, as described in claim 1. In a bathtub comprising a main body and an apron that is detachably installed on a bank portion that separates the bathtub mounting portion of the waterproof pan and the washing place, and covers the front surface of the washing body side of the bathtub body. A rib that hangs down substantially in parallel, and a gasket that is fitted between the apron upper end contacting the rib front side surface and the rim back surface and presses and fixes the apron upper end to the rib are provided. With this configuration, as described in claim 2, a grip portion for holding a bather is formed by the flange, the rim, and the gasket.

  The gasket is preferably formed of a flexible elastic body as described in claim 3.

  Further, as described in claim 4, the gasket includes a gasket body having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped cross section, and a plurality of internal lips projecting from both side surfaces of the gasket body. The apron upper end is pressed against and fixed to the rib in contact with the apron upper end.

  Further, as described in claim 5, the gasket further includes a rim-side external lip that extends to the rim side and covers and covers the small edge of the rim, and an apron side that extends and contacts the apron side. An external lip, and the gasket surface gently descends from the rim-side external lip toward the apron-side external lip to form the grip portion that is easy to grip.

  On the other hand, in order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the apron according to claim 6 is configured such that the apron lower end is placed on the bank portion from the oblique direction of the washing area on the bank portion, and the apron is arranged around the lower end. It is rotated in the direction of standing upright and upright and is brought into contact with the rib. More preferably, as described in claim 7, the apron includes a leaf spring on the lower end back surface that holds the bank portion in cooperation with the apron lower end back surface.

  Furthermore, in order to solve the above-described problem, the apron intermediate portion according to claim 8 is formed to bend so that the lower end of the apron bulges toward the washing area, and a recess is formed under the rim. .

  According to the bathtub according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a bathtub having a grip portion that is easy to grip even with a small palm without slipping.

  In addition, the present invention has an effect of obtaining a bathtub that is easy to attach and detach without the rattling of the apron.

  1st Embodiment of the bathtub which concerns on this invention is described with reference to figures. FIG. 1 shows an outline of a main part of a unit bath 1 including a bathtub 10 according to this embodiment, and the bathtub 10 is placed on the waterproof pan 2.

  The waterproof pan 2 is integrally formed of a resin material, and as shown in FIG. 1, the waterproof pan 2 is composed of a washing place part 3 where a person can wash a body and a bathtub placing part 4 on which a bathtub 9 is placed, These are separated by a bank portion 5 that is rising upward.

  The washing section 3 is formed such that the upper edge of the outer periphery is formed at the same height, and the floor surface where the drainage flows is inclined so as to descend in a mortar shape toward the drainage pit section 6 provided in the middle part in the longitudinal direction of the bathtub 9. It has become a running water surface.

  The bathtub mounting part 4 is formed one step lower than the washing place part 3, and the floor surface on which the drainage flows is a flowing water surface that is inclined so as to fall in a mortar shape toward the draining pit part 6.

  The bathtub 9 is erected over the concave bathtub main body 10 placed on the bathtub placing portion 4 of the waterproof pan 2 and the bank portion 5 via the lower leg 10 a and covers the side of the bathtub 9. It comprises a detachable apron 20. The apron 20 has a substantially rectangular shape, and side ribs 20a are formed on both side surfaces to reinforce against twisting and the like.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the bathtub body 10 includes a flange 10 b that extends substantially horizontally outward from the inner tank 10 f at the upper end, and a rim 10 c that continuously hangs downward from the flange 10 b is formed. Further, a rib 10d for fixing the upper end of the apron 20 is provided between the side ribs 20a and 20a on both sides of the apron 20 at the lower portion of the flange 10b.

  Similarly, a stopper 10e for preventing the later-described gasket 30 from entering more than necessary is provided between the rim 10c and the rib 10d. The stopper 10e is not essential, and instead of this, a backup material or the like may be inserted in advance to prevent the gasket 30 from entering.

  The upper end of the apron 20 abuts on the rib 10d and is pressed and fixed by the gasket 30 inserted between the rim 10c and the apron upper end.

  Lower end ribs 20b and 20c are projected at the lower end of the apron 20, and a plurality of leaf springs 21 are screwed to the upper lower end rib 20c by screws 22 at predetermined positions. The lower end of the apron 20 is fixed by the leaf spring 21 and the lower end rib 20b at the lower end of the apron 20 pinching the protrusion 5a on the bank portion 5 and the protrusion 5a on the washing area side.

  The gasket 30 is formed of a soft elastic body such as rubber or elastomer. The gasket 30 includes a gasket main body 30a having a substantially rectangular cross section, a fin-like rim side internal lip 30b, a rib side internal lip 30c, an apron side internal lip 30d, which are provided over the entire length of the gasket main body 30a. An apron side external lip 30e, a rim side external lip 30f, and a hollow portion 30g are provided.

  The rim side internal lip 30b is pressed against the back surface of the rim 10c, the rib side internal lip 30c is pressed against the surface of the rib 10d, and the apron side internal lip 30d is the upper end of the apron 20 that is in contact with the rib 10d. Is pressed against.

  At this time, since the hollow portions 30g and 30g formed between the rim side internal lip 30b and the rib side internal lip 30c of the gasket main body 30a can be easily deformed in this portion, the gasket 30 becomes the apron side internal lip. The pressure applied between the rim side internal lip 30b and the rim side internal lip 30b is larger than the pressure applied between the rim side internal lip 30b and the rib side internal lip 30c. Therefore, the apron 20 is strongly pressed against the rib 10d, and the apron 20 There is no backlash.

  Since the lower end of the rim 10c is located higher than the upper end of the apron 20, the surface of the gasket 30 is gently lowered from the rim side external lip 30f to the apron side external lip 30e. However, from the normal line-of-sight height, the surface of the gasket 30 rarely enters the field of view, and the aesthetic appearance is not impaired.

  The rim side external lip 30f covers and covers the fore edge of the rim 10c. Therefore, even if the bather puts his palm on the fore edge of the rim 10c, the finger does not hit the sharp fore edge and be injured.

  On the other hand, the apron-side outer lip 30e not only helps the rib-side inner lip 30c press the upper end of the apron 20, but also visually checks whether the end of the apron-side outer lip 30e forms a straight line on the apron 20. By doing so, it is possible to confirm whether or not the gasket 30 is inserted into a regular position, and therefore, it also serves as a guide member for fixing to the regular position.

  Thus, the portion formed by the flange 10b, the rim 10c, and the gasket 30 protrudes horizontally from the upper end of the bathtub 9 over the entire length of the side surface of the washing section 3 of the bathtub 9, and when the bather sits in the bathtub 9, A grip portion 11 that can be gripped when standing up or straddling the side wall of the bathtub 9 is formed.

  At this time, the grip portion 11 is formed over the entire length of the side surface of the bathtub 9 on the washing section 3 side, so that the bather can hold the grip portion 11 at an arbitrary position according to his / her physique.

  Further, since the height or thickness of the grip portion 11 itself is limited to the height of the rim 10c, the grip portion 11 can be easily grasped even with a small palm such as a child's palm. The surface of the gasket 30 is gently lowered from the rim-side external lip 30f to the apron-side external lip 30e, and thus has a shape that is particularly easy to grip.

  Furthermore, since the flange 10b on the upper surface of the bathtub 9 can also have a sufficient width, an operation such as putting a hand on the top of the bathtub 9 and stretching the arm is less likely to be accidentally slipped off. it can.

  In addition, even if the surface of the bathtub body 10 or the apron 20 is smooth and slippery, the surface of the gasket 30 is rough because of its material. There is little loss of balance. In order to prevent slipping more reliably, a plurality of grooves or protrusions may be provided on the surface of the gasket 30.

  The bathtub 9 according to the present embodiment is configured as described above, and the procedure for attaching the apron 20 will be described below. For attachment, first, the lower end of the apron 20 is placed diagonally forward so that the leaf spring 21 is hooked on the ridge 5a as indicated by I in FIG. Then, since a force is applied to the leaf spring 21 in the direction in which the tip is lifted, a force for clamping the ridge 5a acts in cooperation with the lower rib 20b of the apron lower end 20 by the restoring force of the spring. Thereby, the lower end of the apron does not fall from the bank portion 5.

  Subsequently, as shown by II in FIG. 2, the apron upper end is rotated toward the bathtub body 10 side with the apron lower end as a fulcrum. At this time, since the upper end of the apron 20 is lower than the lower end of the rim 10c, the rotation of the apron 20 is not blocked by the rim 10c, and the upper end of the apron 20 contacts the rib 10d.

  While maintaining this state, the gasket 30 is inserted between the upper end of the apron 20 and the rim 10c from the lower surface of the flange 10b. At this time, the back surface of the gasket 30 abuts against the stopper 10e, so that the gasket 30 is prevented from entering more than necessary. Thereby, since the upper end of the apron is pressed and fixed to the gasket, the gap between the upper end of the apron and the bathtub rim is not generated, and rattling is prevented.

  Moreover, in this attachment procedure, since the operation | work which lifts the apron 20 and hold | maintains the posture is not required, workability | operativity improves without forcing an operator into an unreasonable attitude | position.

  Next, 2nd Embodiment of the bathtub which concerns on this invention is described with reference to figures. As shown in FIG. 4, the bathtub 9A according to the present embodiment is formed by bending the apron 20A so that the lower part of the upper end of the apron 20A bulges toward the washing area, and the recess 23 is formed below the rim 10c. The first embodiment is basically different from the first embodiment, and the other configurations are substantially the same as those of the first embodiment.

  Since the apron 20 in the first embodiment is formed in a flat shape and is suspended from the upper end contacting the rib 10d to the bank portion 5, the apron 20 actually retreats from the grip portion 11 to the bathtub body 10 side. Nevertheless, on the contrary, the impression that the grip portion 11 protrudes toward the washing place 3 is given, which is not preferable from the viewpoint of beauty, and there is a possibility that the bather may hit the body. In this regard, if the apron 20A is bent and formed so that the lower end of the apron 20A bulges toward the washing area, the aesthetic appearance is improved, and the risk of the bather hitting the body is reduced.

  Moreover, when the drain plug of the bathtub main body 10 is a pop-up type by remote control, as shown in FIG. 5, the operation part 40 of the remote control drain plug apparatus is attached to the apron 20A below one end of the grip part 11. You can also. In this case, the release wire 41 is connected to a drain plug (not shown) from below the side surface of the bathtub body 10 through the lower side. Thereby, every time the operation button 41 of the operation unit 40 is pressed, the opening / closing of the drain plug is repeatedly toggled.

  Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 5, the operation button 41 may be protruded from the switch guide 42. In the case where the operation part is attached to the upper surface of the conventional bathtub body, a bather accidentally puts his hand on the operation button or prevents an object from falling down and being pushed unintentionally. Therefore, the operation button is configured flush with the upper surface of the bathtub body. For this reason, bathers can only press with their fingertips, which is not always convenient.

  However, if the operation unit 40 is arranged at the position in this embodiment, even if the operation button 41 is protruded from the switch guide 42, the possibility that the operation button 41 is accidentally pressed is considerably low, and unexpected drainage is prevented. In addition, the operation button 41 can be pushed with a palm or a fist, and the usability is greatly improved.

  The embodiments described above are for illustrative purposes and do not limit the scope of the invention. Accordingly, those skilled in the art can employ embodiments in which each or all of these elements are replaced by equivalents thereof, and these embodiments are also included in the scope of the present invention.

The figure which shows the outline | summary of the principal part of a unit bath provided with the bathtub concerning 1st Embodiment. The enlarged view which shows the positional relationship of the bathtub main body and apron which were shown by FIG. The elements on larger scale around the upper end of the apron shown in FIG. The figure which shows the bathtub which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. The figure which shows the modification of 2nd Embodiment. The figure which shows the conventional apron mounting structure. The figure explaining the conventional apron attachment procedure.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Unit bath 2 Waterproofing pan 3 Washing part 4 Bath place part 5 Bank part, 5a, 5b Rib 6 Drain pit part 9, 9A Bath 10 Bath body 10a Leg 10b Flange 10c Rim 10d Rib 10e Stopper 10f Inner tank 11 Grip part 20, 20A Apron 20a Side rib 20b, 20c Bottom rib 21 Leaf spring 22 Screw 23 Recess 30 Gasket 30a Gasket body 30b Rim side internal lip 30c Rib side internal lip 30d Apron side internal lip 30e Apron side external lip 30f Rim side external lip 30g Cavity 40 Operation Unit 41 Operation Button 42 Switch Guide 43 Release Wire

Claims (8)

Stands detachably on the bathtub body, which has a flange extending substantially horizontally outward from the inner tub and a rim that continuously hangs from the flange, and on the bank that separates the bathtub mounting section of the waterproof pan and the washing area In the bathtub provided with an apron that covers the front surface of the washing area of the bathtub body,
A rib that hangs substantially parallel to the rim from the lower surface of the flange;
A gasket that is fitted between the apron upper end contacting the rib front side surface and the rim back surface and presses and fixes the apron upper end to the rib;
A bathtub characterized by comprising. Stands detachably on the bathtub body, which has a flange extending substantially horizontally outward from the inner tub and a rim that continuously hangs from the flange, and on the bank that separates the bathtub mounting section of the waterproof pan and the washing area And an apron that covers the front of the bathtub body,
A rib that hangs substantially parallel to the rim on the lower surface of the flange;
A gasket that is fitted between the apron upper end contacting the rib front side surface and the rim back surface and presses and fixes the apron upper end to the rib;
A bathtub for gripping a bather is formed by the flange, rim and gasket. The bathtub according to claim 1, wherein the gasket is formed of a flexible elastic body. The gasket includes a gasket body having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped cross section, and a plurality of internal lips projecting from both side surfaces of the gasket body,
3. The bathtub according to claim 1, wherein the inner lip is in contact with the rib and the apron upper end to press and fix the apron upper end to the rib. 4. The gasket includes a rim-side external lip that extends to the rim side so as to cover and cover the small edge of the rim, and an apron-side external lip that extends and contacts the apron side on the surface, 5. The bathtub according to claim 4, wherein the grip portion is formed so as to be gently lowered from the rim side external lip toward the apron side external lip so as to be easily grasped. The apron has a lower end of the apron placed on the bank portion on the bank portion from a substantially oblique direction on the washing place side, and is rotated upright in a direction in which the apron stands up around the lower end and comes into contact with the rib. The bathtub according to claim 1, wherein the bathtub is provided. The bathtub according to claim 6, wherein the apron is provided with a leaf spring on the lower end back surface for holding the bank portion in cooperation with the apron lower end back surface. The bathtub according to any one of claims 1 and 2, wherein the apron intermediate part is formed to bend so that a lower end of the apron bulges toward the washing area, and a recess is formed under the rim.

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