US3193848A - Shower seat - Google Patents

Description

w. G. LEVY sHowER SEAT July 13, 1965 Filed March 29. 1965 United States Patent O FPce 3,193,848 SHWER SEAT William G. Levy, North Conway, NH., assigner to Yield House, Inc., North Conway, NH., a corporation of New Hampshire Filed Mar. 29, 1963, Ser. No. 263,939 1 Claim. (Cl. 4-185) The present invention relates to a shower seat.

The conned space normally allotted for a shower bath area in the conventional bathroom, and the usually uneven tloor level, which may be sloped for drainage purposes, make it impractical, or at the very least inconvenient, to provide a place to Sit while taking a shower.

It is a principal object of the invention to provide a novel and improved shower seat particularly constructed and arranged for shower use which can be supported firmly with relation to the irregular wall and the oor spaces frequently found, can be readily turned up out of the way when not in use, and which is also readily collapsible so that it can be put in position or entirely removed from the shower area as may be desired.

In the preferred form of the invention shown, a shower seat, adapted to be located in the corner of a shower-bath area, is provided comprising a ilat corner seat member with two edges intersecting at right angles and a curved outer edge, and a base comprising two supporting flat side panels which are hinged together, and to one of which the seat hinged to be moved upwardly to an inoperative outof-the-way position. One panel is formed with an inner corner leg and an outer leg, the other panel being formed with only an outer leg thus providing a three-point support for the seat which is readily adaptable to uneven or sloping oor surfaces of the bath area. When the Seat is set in position, the two side panels are supported with relation to one another by the hinge connection of one of them with the seat member `and by the engagement of a socket in the seat with a pin in the other of said panels. For further support the two side panels are secured rmly to adjacent wall portions of the bath by means of vacuum cups which are readily adjusted in accordance with the bath space in which the seat is to be placed.

With the above and other objects in view as may hereinafter appear, the several features of the invention will be readily appreciated by one skilled in the art from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in elevation of a shower seat embodying therein the several features of the invention with the two hinged leg supporting panels opened out and with the seat raised to an out of the way position;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the shower seat installed in a shower room and with the seat down;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 showing the manner in which the seat is raised to an out-of-the-way position; and

FIG. 4 is a view in side elevation of the seat installed in a shower room taken on a line 4-4 of FIG. 2.

The shower seat illustrated in the drawings is constructed and arranged to be titted into :a corner of any con- 3,193,848, Patented July 13, 1965 ventional shower area. The seat 10 which may be a flat member of wood or other suitable material has the shape of a quarter section of a disc including two straight edges which are fitted to the :adjacent walls of the shower. The base portion of the seat assembly comprises a llat panel 12 shaped to provide an inner corner leg 14, an outer leg 16, a top seat supporting edge 18, and a hinge receiving side edge 20, and a second flat panel 22 shaped to provide a single outwardly disposed leg 24, a top seat supporting edge 26, and an inner hinge receiving side edge 28 hinged to the rst mentioned panel 12. The two panels when opened out to a right angle position are self-supporting and are locked in position by the seat 10 which is hinged to the first panel 12 and is provided with a socket 30 to receive a locating pin 32 on the seat supporting edge of the second panel 22. The seat is further arranged to be secured rmly in its corner position in the shower by means of suction cups 34 adjustably supported on the outer faces of the respective panels. A series of holes 36 extending across the width of each panel into any of which the supporting screws for the respective suction cups can be inserted provide a convenient means for adjusting the positions of said cups to avoid obstructions or indentations in the shower walls which might interfere with the eective operation of said cups.

The seat herein shown has the advantage that it can be readily moved into or out of the shower area, and when installed is held firmly in its corner position without assistance from any permanent holding xture. The seat shown has the further advantage that the seat can be raised to the out-of-the-way position shown in FIG. 3, thus making the entire shower area available while the seat remains in its installed position.

The invention having been described what is claimed is:

A shower seat having, in combination, a fiat seat member having two edges disposed at right angles to one another forming a corner and a third edge connecting with side edges to form said seat, a at panel shaped to provide an outer leg and a corner leg spaced from one another, a top seat supporting edge, and a hinge receiving inner side edge, a second ilat panel shaped to provide an outer leg only, a top seat supporting edge, and a hinge receiving inner side edge, a hinge connecting said panels along said inner side edges, a seat hinge connecting said seat to the top edge of one of said panels for movement between down and up out-of-the-way positions, a pin and socket connection between the seat and the top edge of the other said panel for relatively positioning said seat and said panel in the down position, and vacuum cups on the outer face of each panel for engagement with adjacent shower area walls.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 484,240 10/92 Rieckert 297--44 2,162,804 6/ 39 Farnum. 2,886,277 5/56 Boham et al 248-206 3,096,067 7/ 63 OConnell 108-115 EDWARD V. BENHAM, Primary Examiner,

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