Shower enclosure

Abstract

 A shower enclosure comprises wall fixings, wall panels and a door arrangement (12) fitted between two of said wall panels characterised in that each wall panel (10) adjacent to the door arrangement (12) is provided with a post (14). The door arrangement (12) has a glazed portion (16) set in a frame comprising at least two uprights (18), one upright (18) on each lateral side of the glazed portion (16). The door arrangement (12) is hung to one of the posts (14) and is for closure against the second of the posts (14). Each post (14) has a bottom insert provided with at least one downwardly-extending pillar to engage in an aperture provided in a surface above which the shower enclosure is to be erected.

Description

[0001] This invention relates to a shower enclosure for fitment around a shower.

[0002] Accordingly, the present invention is a shower enclosure comprising wall fixings, wall panels and a door arrangement fitted between two of said wall panels characterised in that each wall panel adjacent to the door arrangement is provided with a post, the door arrangement having a glazed portion set in a frame comprising at least two uprights, one upright on each lateral side of the glazed portion, the arrangement being hung to one of the posts and being for closure against the second of the posts, each post having a bottom insert provided with at least one downwardly-extending pillar to engage in an aperture provided in a surface above which the shower enclosure is to be erected.

[0003] Preferably, each upright rail is tubular and has a determined profile including part circular section with each post also having a determined profile including a complementary concave section.

[0004] Preferably also, the post and upright at the closure side are of non-magnetic material, the post being tubular at least at or near to its top and to its bottom, each having a magnet positioned therein, the upright having a piece of metal positioned to be opposed to each magnet to provide a catch to secure the door arrangement against the post.

[0005] In the instance where the shower enclosure is to be used between two walls, wall fixings each in the form of a vertical compensating building component are used to compensate for off vertical walls so that the posts of the wall panels can be made vertical. Such shower enclosure can be erected above a shower tray or on a floor in a wet room. Also, the building components can be used to compensate for off square walls.

[0006] The vertical compensating building component can be of the type the subject of our co-pending European Patent Application No.

[0007] In the instance where the shower enclosure is to be used with a shower tray set between two walls, the shower tray having a basin with an outwardly extending ledge is provided with two sets of two apertures in the ledge each set being positioned where the bottom of the two posts of the wall panel are to be located, each post having a bottom insert having two downwardly-extending pillars spaced apart complementarily with the same spacings between the two apertures in a respective set of two apertures. In the instance where the shower enclosure is to be used in a wet room, the two sets of two apertures are provided by the entries of blind bores drilled into the floor surface of the wet room at the required spacings.

[0008] An embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:-

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of one side of a shower enclosure according to the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of substantially the view shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the other side of a shower enclosure;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the same view as in Fig. 3 and showing also a cap on a post;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of one rail of a door arrangement of the shower enclosure;

Fig. 6 is a plan view of a second rail of the door arrangement of the shower enclosure;

Fig. 7 is a plan view of a vertical compensating building component unit with a wall panel fitted,

Fig. 8 is a plan view of a post of a wall panel; and

Fig. 9 is a plan view of a shower tray showing a set of apertures.

[0009] Referring to the drawings, a shower enclosure is provided in which each wall panel 10 adjacent to a door arrangement 12 is provided with a post 14. The door arrangement 12 has a glazed portion 16 (which may be flat or curved) set in a frame comprising at least two uprights 18 provided, one upright 18 on each lateral side of the glazed portion 16. The arrangement is hung to one of the posts 14 using rise and fall hinges and being for closure against the second of the posts 14.

[0010] Each upright 18 has a determined profile including a part-circular section 20 with each post 14 also having a determined profile including a complementary concave section 22.

[0011] In the instance where the shower enclosure is to be used between two walls, wall fixings each in the form of a vertical compensating building component is used to compensate for off-vertical walls so that the posts 14 of the wall panels 10 can be made vertical. The vertical compensating building component comprises an elongate U-shaped extrusion 28 having holding means internally on each limb 30. The two holding means are opposed to each other and between them hold opposed sealing surfaces to abut and provided seating against a vertical or an angled side of a panel 10 to be fitted thereinto. Each holding means is to seat a respective gripping profile 32 on the reverse of a resilient member 34. Each holding means comprises the outer end of each limb 30 being reflexively bent inwardly as shown to define a channel 36 to receive a tongue 38 of the resilient member 34. The reverse of the profile 32 has the tongue 38 at one end and has a square end 40 as shown at the opposite end to seat against an inwardly extending ridge 43 which is one side of an arcuate formation to which a screw to secure a cap 46 is fitted. The obverse face of each member 34 has one outwardly-extending seal 42. The seals 42 form the opposed sealing surfaces and each has a width to provide seating against a vertical or an angled side of a panel 10 to be fitted thereunto. The seals 42 each consists of a series of spaced apart fins as shown in Fig. 2 or serrations as shown in Fig. 8 as shown or alternatively the seals may be of substantially half moon shape.

[0012] The walls 58 may be at an angle or parallel to each other.

[0013] A waterproof edging is provided to be between the respective panel 10 and the outer edges of the limbs 30 of the extrusion 28.

[0014] The extrusion 28, posts 14 and uprights 18 may be of aluminium, aluminium alloy or plastics material and the resilient members 34 may be of artificial rubber or material having similar resilient and waterproof characteristics. If plastics material is used, it may be provided with an aluminium foil outer skin.

[0015] A compressible element (not shown) is normally used on the wall side of the infil or upright member to fill in the unevenness in the wall to which it is fitted.

[0016] After the panel is fitted, a piece of thin rubber sheeting (not shown) is placed over the top of the panel 10 adjacent to the top of the extrusion 28 and a cap 46 is fitted and secured to the extrusion 28 and an integral cap extension 48 overlies the sheeting and has two downwardly-extending elements 50 which forces the sheeting to abut against the sides of the panel 10 and provide a locking grip between the extrusion 28 and the panel 10.

[0017] In the instance where the shower enclosure is to be used with a shower tray 8 set between two walls at an angle to each other, the shower tray having a basin with an outwardly extending ledge is provided with two sets of two apertures 56 (Fig. 9) in the ledge. Each set of apertures 56 is positioned where the bottom of the two posts 14 of the wall panel 10 are to be located. Each post 14 has a bottom insert having two downwardly-extending pillars (not shown) spaced apart complementarily with the same spacings between the two aperatues 56 in a respective set of two apertures. Wall panels 10 on each side of the door arrangement 12 are secured to the respective walls by stays 44 and to projecting arms 54 of caps 52 inserted into the top of the posts 14, the caps 52 on the hinged side of the door arrangement also providing for the rise and fall movement.

[0018] A waterproof flexible sealing member (not shown) is provided to seat around part of the post 14 on the inside of the enclosure to seal against the open end of the upright 18 and prevent any water being expelled through any opening between the upright 18 and post 14.

[0019] The extrusion 28 is provided with an internal spacing between the holding means and a web wall 60 between the limbs 30 to accommodate the vertical or angled side of the panel 10.

[0020] The extrusion 28 is also of use where the walls at an angle to each other and one of the walls is off square to the other, the seals 42 and internal spacing allowing the vertical plane of the panel 10 to be at an angle to the vertical place of the extrusion 28.

[0021] In use, with a shower tray having its ledge horizontal, a component is fixed to each angled wall irrespective of whether the wall is vertical or off vertical and one straight edge of a panel 10 is then located in the extrusion 28 between the seals 42. The opposite edge of the panel 10 with its post 14 is mounted with its pillar in respective apertures 56 in the edges of the shower tray 8 and is confirmed as vertical using a spirit level or equivalent. If the wall 50 is vertical then the straight edge in between the seals 42 is vertical. However if the wall is off vertical then the straight edge in the seals 42 is angled in the seals 42. The width of the seals 42 and the internal spacing provides the vertical compensation so that no additional infil parts are required and no shaping of the panel is required. The door arrangement 12 is then hung to the right hand side or the left hand side post 14 as prepared for and the door arrangement 12 is securable against the left hand side or right hand side post 14 respectively

[0022] In a first modification, the part 14 and upright 18 are each tubular at the closure side and are both of non-magnetic material. A magnet is positioned internally near to the top and bottom of the post, and each upright is provided with a piece of metal positioned to be opposed to each magnet and attracted to its respective magnet to provide a catch to secure the door arrangement 12 against the post 14. In this modification, the door closes with the influence of the magnetic pieces of metal whose attracting magnetic fields operate through the material of the posts and uprights.

[0023] In a second modification, the concave section 22 is provided with a seating 24 for an elongate wiper blade 26 of artificial rubber or material having similar resilient waterproof characteristics.

[0024] Variations and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention described above and as claimed hereinafter.

Claims

1. A shower enclosure comprising wall fixings, wall panels and a door arrangement (12) fitted between two of said wall panels characterised in that each wall panel (10) adjacent to the door arrangement (12) is provided with a post (14), the door arrangement (12) having a glazed portion (16) set in a frame comprising at least two uprights (18), one upright (18) on each being lateral side of the glazed portion (16), the arrangement (12) being hung to one of the posts (14) and being for closure against the second of the posts (14), each post (14) having a bottom insert provided with at least one downwardly-extending pillar to engage in an aperture (56) provided in a surface above which the shower enclosure is to be erected.

2. A shower enclosure as claimed in Claim 1, characterised in that each upright (18) is tubular and has a determined profile including part circular section (20) with each post (14) also having a determined profile including a complementary concave section (22).

3. A shower enclosure as claimed in Claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the post (14) and upright (18) at the closure side are of non-magnetic material, the post (14) being tubular at least at or near to its top and to its bottom with each having a magnet positioned therein, the upright (18) having a piece of metal positioned to be opposed to each magnet to provide a catch to secure the door arrangement (12) against the post (14).

4. A shower enclosure as claimed in Claim 1, 2 or 3, characterised in that where the shower enclosure is to be used between two walls, wall fixings each in the form of a vertical compensating building component is used to compensate for off vertical walls so that the posts (14) of the wall panels can be made vertical.

5. A shower enclosure as claimed in Claim 4, characterised in that each vertical compensating building component comprises an elongate U-shaped extrusion (28) having holding means internally on each limb (30), the two holding means being opposed to each other and each being to seat a respective gripping profile on the reverse of a resilient member (34), the obverse face of which having one or more outwardly-extending seals (42), the members (34) each having a width to provide seating against a vertical or an angled side of a panel (10) to be fitted thereinto.

6. A shower enclosure as claimed in Claim 5, characterised in that after the panel (10) is fitted, a piece of thin rubber sheeting is placed over the top of the panel (10) adjacent to the top of the extrusion (28) and a cap (46) is fitted and secured to the extrusion (28) and an integral cap extension (48) overlies the sheeting and has two downwardly-extending elements (50) which forces the sheeting to abut against the sides of the panel (10) and provide a locking grip between the extrusion (28) and the panel (10).

7. A shower enclosure as claimed in Claim 5 or 6, characterised in that the or each seal consists of a series of spaced apart fins or serrations.

8. A shower enclosure as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims characterised in that where the shower enclosure is to be used with a shower tray (8) set between two walls (60) at an angle to each other, the shower tray (8) having a basin with an outwardly extending ledge is provided with two sets of two apertures (56) in the ledge, each set being positioned where the bottom of the two posts (14) of the wall panel (10) are to be located, each post (14) having a bottom insert having two downwardly-extending pillars spaced apart complementarily with the same spacings between the two apertures (56) in a respective set of two apertures (56).

9. A shower enclosure as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims, characterised in that the extrusion (28) is provided with an internal spacing between the holding means and a web wall (60) between the limbs (30) to accommodate the vertical or angled side of the panel (10).

Drawing