|
(11) | EP 0 958 775 A2 |
| (12) | EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION |
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
| (54) | Shower cubicle with retractable walls |
| (57) Shower cubicle (1) comprising at least one wall consisting of a roll-up curtain (9)
extending between two parallel vertical fixed uprights (4,5), one of which comprises
the roller about which the curtain (9) is roiled, these being joined together at their
top and bottom by two identical opposing parallel horizontal guides (6,6') having
a groove for receiving the upper and lower edges of the curtain (9), and on which
there slides a rigid operating bar (12) provided on the front edge of the curtain
(9) and able to maintain this latter taut even where its upper and lower edges are
not secured to the horizontal guides (6,6'). |
[0001] This invention relates to the cubicles used to define a shower compartment separated and isolated from the surrounding environment, to prevent the outer environment becoming wet during the use of the shower. The most widely used methods of isolating the shower compartment from the surrounding environment are those which utilize waterproof curtains or shower cubicles.
[0002] Waterproof curtains are generally suspended from an upper frame by rings slidable on the frame. This arrangement has the advantage of low cost but does not ensure complete sealing of the shower compartment (from the outer environment). In this respect, as the waterproof curtains are not lowerly retained in any way, water undesirably escapes from the shower compartment to the outer environment.
[0003] Total sealing of the shower compartment from the surrounding environment is instead ensured by shower cubicles, which in the case of a three-wall shower cubicle consist of a support frame for two fixed walls of rigid material and a movable wall, openable on hinges or by sliding, which provides access to the shower compartment.
[0004] Although this arrangement well satisfies the purposes for which it is designed, it has the drawbacks of an access space to the shower compartment limited by the two fixed walls, together with a rather high cost depending on the material of construction of said walls, which is generally glass or a transparent synthetic material.
[0006] To obviate this later drawback while maintaining good sealing characteristics, shower cubicles are known consisting of a frame comprising two vertical uprights joined together at their top and bottom by profiled guide rails for a waterproof curtain. In these shower cubicles the curtain has a row of buttons or equivalent means along its upper and lower edges, to slidingly retain the edges in the respective guides.
[0007] When the cubicle is open the curtain is rolled up about a roller at one end of the guide, whereas when the shower cubicle is in use the curtain is unrolled from the roller and remains taut between its upper and lower edges which are slidingly retained in the guides.
[0008] However when the curtain is required to form at least two consecutive walls of the the cubicle the known guide systems have proved totally inadequate.
[0009] The object of the present patent is to provide a shower cubicle of the curtain type which ensures complete sealing of the shower compartment, occupies the smallest possible space when the shower is not in use, enables the curtain to be opened and closed in a comfortable and practical manner, and is of low cost.
[0010] This object is attained according to the invention by a shower cubicle comprising at least two vertical uprights fixed to a rear wall and joined together at their top and bottom by opposing parallel guides within which the upper and lower edges of a retractable curtain slide, there being provided, if the curtain is to form at least two walls, at least one movable upright fixable in a predetermined position to cause the curtain to follow the path of said guides.
[0011] Specifically, when not in use, said waterproof curtain is normally rolled up about a roller of vertical axis supported by one of the two uprights, the other upright being provided with means for locking a vertical operating bar rigid with the free vertical end of said curtain. It should be noted that said roll-up roller is provided with usual elastic means for rolling-up said waterproof curtain, and with means for fixing one end of the curtain to the roller.
[0012] The characteristics of the invention which enable said objects to be attained are defined in the claims.
[0013] The functional and constructional characteristics of the invention will be more apparent from the ensuing description of a preferred embodiment thereof given by way of non-limiting example and illustrated on the accompanying drawings.
Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the invention in its open configuration, seen from the outside.
Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the invention in a nearly closed configuration, seen from the outside.
Figure 3 is a section on the plane III-III of Figure 1, showing the respective upright associated with the connector for the upper guide.
Figure 4 is a section on the plane IV-IV of Figure 1, showing the respective upright associated with the connector for the upper guide.
Figure 5 is a section on the plane V-V of Figure 1.
Figure 6 is a section on the plane VI-VI of Figure 1.
Figure 7 is a section on the plane VII-VII of Figure 1.
Figure 8 is a perspective view showing the top of the invention.
Figure 9 is a partly sectional perspective view showing the top of a component of the invention.
[0014] Figures 1 and 2 show the shower cubicle 1 installed on a shower tray 2 having one side adjacent to a rear-standing wall 3.
[0015] The shower cubicle 1 involves three walls and hence comprises two vertical uprights 4 and 5 fixed to the wall 3 by usual fixing plugs, and joined together at their top and bottom by two identical opposing parallel guides 6 and 6' which delimit the cubicle perimeter.
[0016] As shown in Figure 7, the upright 5 consists of a profiled vertical section 50 provided at its top and bottom with two closure plugs 51 and 52, each of which has a stem 510 and 520 respectively, on which there is idly mounted the roll-up roller 8 for the waterproof curtain 9 which is to form the movable walls of the shower cubicle 1.
[0017] More specifically, the roller 8 is provided with three angularly equidistant identical channels 80 defining three slots, into one of which there is inserted the sleeve-shaped rear edge 90 of the curtain 9 and is retained therein by virtue of a flexible core 10 having a size preventing it from passing through the slot, as shown in Figure 9.
[0018] In contrast, an operating bar 12 provided with knobs 120 is similarly connected to the likewise sleeve-shaped front edge of the curtain 9, by virtue of a flexible core 11, as shown in Figure 6.
[0019] The interior of the roller 8 contains the elastic means which enable the curtain 9 to be automatically rolled up. Said means comprise a helical spring 13 the lower end of which is locked to the fixed stem 520, in the example it being screwed onto the threaded part, not shown, of the stem 520, the other end of the spring 13 being likewise fixed to a bush 14.
[0020] The bush 14 is free to wove vertically within the roller 8, but is torsionally locked to it by virtue of three angularly equidistant identical apertures 140 provided in its vertical wall, and each receiving the external profile of one of the three channels 80.
[0021] The two guides 6 and 6' are arranged to receive the upper and lower edges respectively of the curtain 9, and the end slides 121 of the operating bar 12, which enable the bar to slide along the guides as shown in Figure 5.
[0022] When the curtain 9 is completely closed, the bar 12 abuts against the upright 4 and is retained in position by snap-closure means of known type or the like.
[0023] On the guides 6 and 6' there also slide two movable uprights 15 and 16 positioned between the fixed upright 5 and the operating bar 12. The uprights 15 and 16 are movable and can be fixed in the positions shown in Figure 2 by means described hereinafter, to compel the curtain 9 to follow the path defined by the guides 6 and 6'.
[0024] Each of the guides 6 and 6' comprises three identical rectilinear rail portions 60, 61 and 62 of profiled cross-section, they being joined together by two curved connection pieces 63 and 64.
[0025] As shown in Figure 5, said rail portions 60, 61, 62 have an internally hollow box body provided on its front with a flange 601 spaced to define a groove 602 for slidingly receiving the slides 121 of the bar 12, the upper and lower edges of the curtain 9 and the ends of the uprights 15 and 16.
[0026] At least the rail portions 60, 61 and 62 of the lower guide 6' comprise slits 650 for discharging the water which accumulates in said groove 602 during the use of the shower.
[0027] The profiled curved connection pieces have a substantially U-shaped cross-section and, as in the case of the rail portions 60, 61, 62, have a front flange 631 which defines a groove 632 for slidingly receiving the end slides 121 of the bar 12, the upper and lower edges of the curtain 9 and the ends of the uprights 15 and 16, as shown in Figure 3.
[0028] The groove 632 has a transverse wall 633 provided with an aperture 634. The front flange 631 is also provided with an aperture 635, the purpose of which is explained hereinafter.
[0029] The connection pieces 64 are substantially identical to the connection pieces 63, the relative details being indicated by corresponding numerals from 641 to 645. The only difference is that the wall 643 of the connection pieces 64 does not comprise an aperture corresponding with the aperture 643 of the connection pieces 63.
[0030] At its upper and lower ends the upright 15 presents a plug 150, which is centrally holed to receive and fix the stem 151 of a component 152.
[0031] Said component 152 comprises a latch 153 positionable between a position in which it fixes the upright 15 to the connection piece 63 by engaging in the aperture 635, and a position in which it allows the upright to slide along the guides 6 and 6'.
[0032] The component 152 has a vertical front wall 155 arranged to slide in the groove of the connection pieces 63 and 64 and rail portions 60 and 61, and provided upperly with a tooth 154 the purpose of which is to lock the upright 15 against the wall 633 in the position shown in Figure 2.
[0033] The upright 16 presents at its ends two identical components 160 which are totally similar to the components 152 with the exception of the position of the tooth 154. In this respect the tooth 154 is positioned such as to pass through the aperture 634 in the connection pieces 63 to lock the upright 16 in the position shown in Figure 2, ie when it encounters the wall 643 of the connection pieces 64.
[0034] As shown in Figure 8, the rail portion 60 of the guide 6 is fixed to the upright 5 by the L-shaped plate 65, which has a front projection 650 on which the left end of the box body 600 of the rail portion 60 is mounted. The plate 65 also has a slot 651 for receiving the stem 511 of the cover 51 for the upright 5. The upright 5 is then fixed rigidly to the plate by the small plate 66 and screw 67.
[0035] The same figure also shows how the connection piece 63 of the guide 6 is joined to the rail portions 60 and 61. This is achieved by virtue of the projections 630 and 629 with which the connection piece 63 is provided, these being inserted into the box bodies 600 of the rail portions 60 and 61 respectively, and the screws 68 and 69 which prevent their withdrawal.
[0036] It should be noted that the connections for all the guide portions are totally similar to those described. Moreover the manner of fixing the rail portions 62 to the upright 4 is not shown as this is achieved by totally usual means, such as screws or the like.
[0037] Figure 9 shows how the curtain 9, for its replacement or washing, can be removed from the roller 8 in a quick, simple and practical manner. To achieve this the curtain 9 is firstly closed, then the roller is locked in position by inserting the pin 300 into one of the two free channels 80. At this point it is sufficient to withdraw the core 10 from that channel 80 into which the rear edge 90 of the curtain 9 is fixed.
[0038] Mounting the curtain 9 on the roller 8 is likewise simple, it being sufficient to insert a part of the sleeve-shaped rear edge 90 into the channel 80, and then insert the core 10 into the edge sleeve. The core 10 and the pin 300 are inserted through holes, not shown, in the cover 51.
[0039] On pushing the core downwards, the entire rear edge 90 of the curtain 9 is drawn into the channel.
[0040] The front edge of the curtain 9 can be removed from the operating bar 12 by simply removing the upper slide 121 of the bar 12 and withdrawing the flexible core 11 from the bar. Subsequent fitting is achieved by carrying out the aforedescribed operations in the reverse order.
[0041] If the shower tray is adjacent to two walls the shower cubicle of the invention will comprise only two sides and only the movable upright 15.
[0044] While standing on the shower tray the user drags the bar 12 so that the uprights 15 and 16 slide on the guides until the upright 15 stops against the walls 633 of the connection pieces 63. At this point the user locks the upright 15 in position by means of the latches 153 and continues to extract the curtain until the upright 16 stops at the connection pieces 64, to be locked in a manner similar to the upright 15.
[0045] When the curtain has been completely extracted the bar 12 can be locked against the fixed upright 4.
1. A shower cubicle comprising at least one wall consisting of a roll-up curtain extending
between two parallel vertical fixed uprights, one of which comprises the roller about
which the curtain is rolled, these being joined together at their top and bottom by
two identical opposing parallel horizontal guides having a groove for receiving the
upper and lower edges of the curtain, characterised in that on said guide there slides
a rigid operating bar provided on the front edge of the curtain and able to maintain
this latter taut even where its upper and lower edges are not secured to the horizontal
guides.
2. A cubicle as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the two vertical end edges
of the curtain are formed as a sleeve which is inserted into a vertical slot provided
in the curtain roll-up roller and in the operating bar respectively, and is maintained
in said slot by a flexible core of such dimensions as to prevent it from passing through
said slot.
3. A cubicle as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the curtain roll-up roller
is provided with elastic pulling means for automatically rolling-up the curtain.
4. A cubicle as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the upper and lower guides
extend through at least one right-angled bend.
5. A cubicle as claimed in claims 1 and 4, characterised in that at least one movable
upright is slidingly mounted between said upper and lower guides, it being positioned
between the fixed upright comprising the curtain roll-up roller and the operating
bar.
6. A cubicle as claimed in claims 1, 4 and 5, characterised in that said upper and lower
curtain guides comprise, in correspondence with each bend, a wall for the stoppage
of said at least one movable upright in a predetermined position.
7. A cubicle as claimed in claims 1 and 5, characterised by comprising two movable uprights
slidingly mounted between said upper and lower guides, and positioned between the
fixed upright comprising the curtain roll-up roller and the operating bar.
8. A cubicle as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that each guide comprises rectilinear
portions in the form of an internally hollow box body provided on its front with a
vertical flange spaced to define a groove for slidingly receiving the ends of the
operating bar, the upper and lower edges of the curtain, and the ends of the movable
uprights.
9. A cubicle as claimed in claim 8, characterised in that said rectilinear portions are
joined together by curved connection pieces having the same cross-section as the rectilinear
portions and provided with a transverse stoppage wall for the movable uprights, and
a latch for locking said movable uprights in position.
10. A cubicle as claimed in claim 1, characterised by comprising an extractable pin for
locking the curtain roll-up roller in position to prevent the curtain elastically
rolling up when in its completely extended state and is required to be removed from
said roller.