US2907048A

US2907048A - Pre-assembled bath room unit

Info

Publication number: US2907048A
Application number: US668689A
Authority: US
Inventors: Gould Thelma
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1957-06-28
Filing date: 1957-06-28
Publication date: 1959-10-06
Anticipated expiration: 1976-10-06

Description

Oct. 6, 1959 T. GOULD PRE-ASSEMBLED BATHROOM UNIT INVENTOR.

QKmSA W wmmm Filed June 28, 1957 ATTORNEYS Oct. 6, 1959 T. GOULD 2,907,048

PRE-ASSEMBLED BATH -ROOM UNIT Filed June 28, 1957 2 Sheets-:Sheet 2 [Ill 20 COLD IZ, 63 7 m w INVENTOR- 38 lg 0 l0! 1/9 AT TOR NE Y5 PRE-ASSEMBLED BATH. ROOM UNIT Thelma Gould, New York, N.Y.

Application June 28, 1957, Serial No. 668,689

Claims. (Cl. 42)

This invention relates to complete bathroom units and more especially to a pre-assembled unit which can be placed in any room to provide a shower with seat for submerged bath, wash basin, medicine chest and Water closet facilities. The unit is designed to conserve space.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved compact bathroom unit which can be pre-assembled at the factory and moved into an apartment or home with no additional work necessary except to connect the unit with water supply pipes and with a waste pipe.

Another object of the invention is to provide a compact bathroom unit including a shower stall with a high enough sill to enable the shower stall to be used as a bathtub, and with a wash basin and water closet attached to the outside of one Wall of the shower stall, and preferably to a double wall in which all of the pipe connections are enclosed. Features of the construction reduce the amount of piping so that both the cost and weight of the unit are low. In accordance with one feature of the construction, space is saved and the unit made more compact by locating the wash basin above the water closet and providing means whereby the basin can be folded out of the way. A folding seat covers the Water closet, when not in use the construction and appearance being similar to the covers provided in roomettes and drawing rooms of Pullman cars for hiding the water closet.

This invention can be used in apartments and private homes to provide additional bathroom facilities, and in single rooms of hotels or boarding and rooming houses which do not have private baths. It is especially useful for providing bathroom facilities in older dwellings which are converted to apartments, and many other existing buildings where additional bathroom facilities would be provided if it were possible to do so at moderate cost.

The unit can be made of various materials, such as porcelain and stainless steel to obtain a lasting and attractive appearance.

Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will appear or be pointed out as the description proceeds.

In the drawing, forming a part hereof, in which like reference characters indicate corresponding parts in all the views;

Figure 1 is an isometric view showing a compact bathroom unit made in accordance with this invention;

Figure 2 is a top plan view taken on the plane 2-2 of Figure 1, and with the wash basin in'its lowered position ready for use;

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view of the bathroom unit shown in Figure 1; and

Figure 4 is a piping diagram for the bathroom unit shown in the other views.

Figure 1 shows a bathroom unit having a shower stall 10, a wash basin 11 and a water closet 12. For small 2,907,048 Patented 6, 1959 ice units a urinal may be considered the equivalent of a" water closet. There is a doorway 14, in the front wall of the shower stall 10, through which persons may enter and leave the shower. There are hand rails 15 on both sides of the doorway on both the inside and outside of the wall for greater convenience getting into and out of the shower stall. This doorway is closed by a' shower curtain 16 when the shower is in use. There is a'sill' 18 at the bottom of the doorway 14. This sill is pref.- erably as high as a low bath tub so that the shower can be filled with sufficient water to serve as a bath tub when desired. Special models with a water-tight door instead of the sill 18 can be made for use by handicapped persons, the door being the full length of the doorway 14, or as high as desired. There are steps 19' on the wall for use, if desired, in stepping over the sill 18. These are preferably shaped'to fit a foot or bathing shoe, and these steps can be folded up against the sill when not in use.

The interior of the shower stall is shown in Figure- 3 A shower head 20 is connected by a ball and socket joint 21 to a shower head supply 'pipe 22 which extends through a sidewall 24 of the shower stall. There is a built-in seat 26 in one corner of the shower stall, prefer ably a recessed or grooved seat, and there is a hand rail 28 attached to the other sidewall 30. Additional hand rails can be provided if desired.

The shower stall has a bottom 32 which is elevated above the level of a floor 34 on which the unit is intended to be supported. The bottom 32 'slopestoward the side wall 24 and toward a back wall 36 to a drain outlet 38 located in one corner of the shower stall, as best shown in Figure 2. This location of the showerdrain reduces the amount of piping within the unit. A stopper is used to close this drain when the unit is to be filled with water for use as a bath tub. I

The shower stall has a top wall 40; This top wall and the bottom 32, together with the front and back and side walls of the shower stall are preferably constructed as an integral unit, welded or otherwise-securedtogether for maximum strength and light weight. One side Wall of the unit is double to enclose a hollow cham her in which all of the piping is concentrated. This double wall' enclosing the chamber comprises the side wall 24 of the shower stall and an outer wall 44 parallel to but spaced from the shower stall wall 24. The chamber between the

walls

24 and 44 is indicated by the ref erence character 46.

The shower head supply pipe 22 extends downwardly within the chamber 46 and connects with a mixing valve 48.

Cold water is supplied to the mixing valve 48 through a cold water valve 51 operated by a handle 52 which extends through the wall 24 and into the shower stall. Hot water is supplied to the mixing valve 48 through a hot water valve 54 operated by a handle 56 in the shower stall. Even though the hot and

cold water valves

51 and 54 are open to supply water to the mixing valve 48, water to the shower head can be cut off by a shut off valve 58 located in the chamber 46 above the mixing valve 48 and operated by a handle of valve 58 extending through the side wall of the shower stall. The mixing valve 48 also supplieswater to a spigot 60 for filling the unit with water when used as a bath tub, and a hose and shampoo attachment 62 can be connected to the spigot 60. The hose is preferably a flexible metal hose of stainless steel, and otherfittings of the unit are preferably made of stainless steel also. v V 7,

.The wash basin 11 is attached to the outsidew'all 44 by hinge connections 71. This 'wash basin is of the folding type such as used. on Pullman car's amt. en

ships. When folded upward into the dotted line position shown in Figure 3, the contents of the wash basin 11 run out of the back of the basin into a funnel 73 which connects-with a wastepipe. There are cold and hot water faucets 76 and 77 respectively, located above the wash basin ll'when the basin is in its lowered position, and these faucets are covered by the wash basin when it is inits folded position.

The pipes which supply water to the

faucets

76 and 77 are preferably in line with the corresponding supply pipes for the cold and

hot water valves

51 and 54, respectively. The valve 51 and faucet 76 connect with a common fitting 78 to which a main cold water supply pipe 79 is connected. In like manner, the valve 54 and faucet 77 are connected with a common fitting 80 to which a main hot water supply pipe 81 is connected. These

main supply pipes

79 and 81 lead downwardly to the lower back corner of the unit where they project out from the wall 44 for connection with water supply pipes or tubes led to the room in which the bathroom unit is to be used.- These two

pipes

79 and 81 supply all of the water to all of the valves and fittings in the unit.

The water closet 12 is of the wall-supported type, being connected to the wall 44. Flush water for the water closet 12 is supplied from a tank 85 located in the charm ber 46 between the

walls

24 and 44. The water closet is connected with this tank 85 by a pipe 87 leading downwardly within the chamber 46 and then outwardly to the upper part of the bowl of the water closet 12. The flush tank 85 is of conventional construction with a float 89 (Figure 4) operating a valve 91 which controls the entrance of water into the flush tank 87 from a pipe 93 connected to the fitting 78. This fitting 78 is the one that connects the valve 54 and the faucet 77 with the main cold water supply pipe. The outlet valve to supply water from the flush tank 85 to the water closet is controlled by a handle 97 located in front of the wall 44 and operating in the same manner as on the conventional flush tanks.

In the preferred construction, the compact bathroom unit of this invention is also equipped with a spray 101 supplied with water through a mixing chamber and from a cold water valve 103 and a hot water valve 104. These valves are adjusted to obtain the desired water temperature, and the spray 101 is located in the water closet 12 and directed upwardly for washing the lower part of the body. The spray is supported for pivot movement about a vertical axis and can be swung out of the way when not in use. The valve 103 is connected by pipe or tubing with the fitting 78 in the cold water supply line; and the valve 106 is connected with the fitting 80 which connects valve 51 and faucet 76 with the main hot water supply line 79.

A seat 108 is supported from the wall 44 and extends forwardly over the water closet 12. There are side walls 110 around the toilet bowl and these may be stainless steel sheet material such as the shower stall is made of, so that the water closet is hidden from view when the seat 108 is down. This seat also provides a support on which small children can kneel or stand to use the wash basin 11; and the seat 108 can be swung upwardly on hinges 111 to leave the space above the water closet unobstructed when desired.

, A waste pipe 115 from the water closet 12 is enclosed within the lower part of the chamber 46 and leads to the lower back corner of the unit where it turns and 7 ing any necessary repairs.

4 tank 85, is utilized as storage space and is shown with a medicine cabinet 120. This cabinet 120 includes shelves 121; and there is a door 123 hinged to the wall 44 over an opening through which access may be had to the interior of the medicine cabinet 120.

Most of the front wall 44 is removable, and it includes panels 124 connected to the fixed parts of the wall by screws 126 which are representative of detachable fastening means for holding the removable panels of the walls in assembled relation with the rest of the unit. By removing these panel portions of the wall, access may be had to the interior of the chamber 46 for mak- The medicine cabinet 120, being located above the flush tank 85, is connected to the upper removable panel 124 so that the medicine cabinet is removed as a unit with the panel when necessary to gain access to the flush tank 85.

If the unit is placed in living room or studio, an ornamental concave door (opaque glass and wrought iron) can be afiixed to the unit or to the wall of the room and can be swung into position to enclose the entire unit.

The preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, but changes and modifications can be made, and some features can be used in different combinations without departing from the invention as defined in the claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A pre-assembled bathroom unit for installation in a room,,said unit comprising a shower stall having side walls and a bottom, a wash basin supported from a wall of the shower stall on the opposite side of the wall from the shower stall, a water closet located outside of the shower stall and secured in fixed relation to the outside of a wall of the stall, and means for supplying water to the shower stall, the basin and water closet including a common supply pipe and connecting piping and fittings carried by said stall.

2. The bathroom unit described in claim 1 and in which one wall of the shower stall is a double wall and the water closet extends outwardly from the side of the wall opposite the shower stall, the water closet having its discharge outlet opening into said double wall and other connecting piping and fittings for the shower and water closet enclosed in the double wall extending through the inner and outer surfaces, respectively, of said double wall.

3. The bathroom unit described in claim 2 and in which the double wall has a thickness less than the height of the water closet, and said wall encloses a compartment and the connecting piping and fittings are located in the lower part of the compartment, and there is a flush tank for the water closet in said compartment above the connecting piping and fittings and extending across most of the thickness of the double wall, shelves in the compartment above the flush tank, and a door on the outer side of the wall in position to provide access to the shelves from outside the shower stall for storage purposes.

comes forwardly through the wall 44 for connection drain pipe 119-connects the shower drain 38 with the basin drain 117.

The upper part of the chamber 46 above the flush 4. .The bathroom unit described in claim 2 and in which the basin is a folding basin with hot and cold water faucets projecting from thedouble wall at 10- cations above that occupied by the basin when the basin is in its operative position, the basin being located on the wall above the water closet andextending outwardly over the .water closet when the basin is inits operative position, the basin having a hinged connection to the wall and about which said basin swings upwardly into a position covering the faucets and out of the space directly over the water closet, shower faucets on the side of the wall opposite the basin faucets, direct connections through the double wall between corresponding faucets of the basin and shower, and a water supply pipe communicatingwith each of said connections at a location intermediate said corresponding faucets.

5. A pre-assembled bathroom unit for installation in a room, said unit comprising a shower stall having a bottom and side walls, a wash basin supported on a side wall of said stall and on the opposite side of said wall from the shower stall, a water closet adjacent to the outside of the wall of the shower stall having the basin thereon, a cover that extends over the top and down the front and sides of the water closet to conceal the water closet from view, a hinge connection between the cover and said wall below the level of the basin, and on which the cover swings upwardly against said wall and back from the water closet, to leave unobstructed space above the water closet,

6. The pre-assembled bathroom unit described in claim 5 and in which one wall of the shower stall is a double wall enclosing a space therein, and both the wash basin and the water closet are carried by the double wall and extend outwardly therefrom, and there are a waste pipe and a flush tank for the water closet also enclosed within the double wall, a common water supply pipe with fittings and connections, to the shower stall, wash basin, and flush tank, also enclosed within the double wall.

7. The pre-assembled bathroom unit described in claim 6 and in which there are faucets in the shower stall, other faucets over the wash basin having direct connections through the double wall to the shower stall faucets, water supply lines communicating with the connections between the shower stall and basin faucets, a shower head in the stall, a mixing chamber for the shower head and to which water is supplied by the faucets in the shower stall, a water connection on the outside of the double wall near thewater closet, piping through which water from said supply lines is supplied to said water connection, a spray within the water closet connected to said water connection, manually-operated valve means for controlling flow of water from said water connection to said spray, the water supply lines of the unit extending through the double wall to a bottom corner of the unit for connection with water pipes at a wall of a room in which the unit is to be installed, a common waste pipe from the water closet, shower stall and wash basin and also extending through the double wall to a bottom corner of the unit, a flush tank within the double wall, a medicine cabinet in the double wall above the flush tank, and a panel forming a part of the outside of the double wall, said panel being removable for access to the flush tank and piping in the wall and the cabinet being carried by said panel and removable from the wall as a unit with the panel.

8. A pre-assembled bathroom unit for installation in a room, said unit including a shower stall having a double wall, a wash basin supported from the side of the wall opposite the shower stall, shower fittings on the other side of the wall within the shower stall, faucets over the wash basin and connected directly through said wall with the shower fittings, water supply piping communicating with the direct connections at locations intermediate the faucets and the shower fittings, one of the faucets comprising a hot water faucet and the other a cold Water faucet, and the piping commum'cating with said connections comprising hot and cold water supply piping.

9. A pre-assembled bathroom unit for installation in a room, said unit including a shower stall having a bottom and side walls, a spray attachment in the shower stall on one side wall thereof, a water closet outside of the shower stall and attached to the outside of the same wall as the spray attachment, another spray attachment adjacent to the outside of the shower stall and adjacent to the water closet, hot and cold water supply valves and a mixer for each spray attachment, and common supply means for the hot and cold water for both spray attachments.

10. A pre-assembled bathroom unit comprising a shower stall having a bottom and having side walls, one of which is a double wall, a water closet secured to the double wall at a fixed location thereon, a flush tank for the water closet located in the double wall, a storage cabinet in the wall immediately above the upper end of the flush tank, the covering of the wall above the basin being detachable from the wall and the cabinet being carried by the removable covering so that the cabinet is withdrawn from the wall to provide access to the interior of the flush tank.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,076,403 Geerlings Apr. 6, 1937 2,084,793 Denison June 22, 1937 2,396,992 Evans Mar. 19, 1946 2,552,546 Fergusson May 15, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 746,427 France Mar. 7, 1933