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(11) | EP 3 786 403 A1 |
| (12) | EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION |
| published in accordance with Art. 153(4) EPC |
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| (54) | FITTINGS FOR SUPPORTING AND GUIDING A SLIDING PANE OF A SHOWER SCREEN |
| (57) The invention relates to fittings for supporting and guiding a sliding pane of a
shower screen, characterized in that it comprises a horizontal guide, a hollow support,
a set of guide magnets having a rectangular cross section, a set of support magnets
having a rectangular cross section, a plurality of lateral stabilizers and two top
stabilizers. |
Object of the invention
[0001] The object of the invention is a new fitting for supporting and guiding a sliding pane of a shower screen by means of the magnetic repulsion generated by a set of magnets located in a guide and another set of magnets located in the pane supports which slide along that guide and the system which comprises at least one of the mentioned fittings.
Background
[0002] A shower screen consists in a dividing structure made by panes that totally or partially close the area defined by the bathtub or the shower tray. The main function of the shower screen is to isolate the wet area where the shower is located from the rest of the bathroom. There are several types of shower screens, fixed panes attached to the walls, hinged panes that rotate around a vertical axis by means of hinges, folding panes and sliding panes that slide along one or more horizontal guides.
[0003] In the case of sliding panes, there are multiple fittings that allow the sliding of the pane along the guides, but all the fittings can be divided in those which includew bearings that rotate on a rail or those having at least one element low friction coefficient, that slides along some type of grooves usually arranged in the guides.
[0004] The two systems briefly described in the previous paragraph have a series of disadvantages, among which it is considered appropriate to mention the wear suffered by the parts that slide against each other, the wear of the rail along which the bearings rotate and the possible breakage of the bearings. Another inconvenience that adds to the previous one is that this type of fittings is not standardized but are either designed specifically for a screen model or the screen is designed around the fittings, usually imported from Asian countries. In both cases it is exceedingly difficult, if not impossible, to find the same fittings over time to replace the damaged, or the consumables, or spare parts with which they could be repaired.
[0005] The present invention refers to a fitting for supporting and guiding a sliding pane of shower screens in which the weight of the sliding pane is supported by two groups of magnets facing each other and in which the parts that establish contact between the supports and the guides have the sole purpose of stabilising the position of the two groups of magnets and preventing the swinging of the sliding pane.
Description of the invention
[0006] The fitting for supporting and guiding a sliding pane of a shower screen, which is one of the objects of the present invention, comprises:
- a horizontal, elongated guide with a rectangular cross-section, which has a rectangular guide hole in its upper portion along the entire length of the aforementioned guide, and also has a rounded longitudinal groove on its upper face and one or more second rounded longitudinal grooves on each of its lateral faces;
- a hollow support, which is intended to embrace at least partially the aforementioned guide and to slide along it, and which has a support hole at the top, facing the guide hole, has on its inner side faces a plurality of notches facing the aforementioned grooves on the side faces of the guide and also has means of attachment to the sliding pane;
- a set of guide magnets with a rectangular cross-section, the said guide magnets are intended to be inserted into the guide hole arranged in a row and this set of guide magnets has a length equal to the length of the said guide hole;
- a set of supporting magnets with a rectangular cross-section, the said supporting magnets are intended to be inserted into the supporting hole, arranged in a row, and this set of supporting magnets has a length equal to the length of the said supporting hole. The guide magnet set is in a parallel position in relation to the supporting magnet set, and this magnet set is arranged horizontally and the magnets are facing each other by their opposite poles;
- a plurality of lateral stabilisers, housed in the notches on the inner side faces of the supports, intended to slide along the rounded longitudinal grooves on the side faces of the guides in order to keep the position of the supporting magnets constant in relation to the guide magnets and
- two upper stabilizers, one at each end of the support hole, designed to slide along the longitudinal rounded groove on the upper face of the guide and prevent the sliding pane from swinging in the horizontal plane and along the perpendicular axis to the guide.
[0007] The upper and side stabilizers do not support the weight of the sliding pane, they are only intended to keep the relative position of the support magnet set to the guide magnet set constant and to prevent the swinging of the sliding pane in the horizontal plane and in the perpendicular axis to the guide.
[0008] The system for supporting and guiding a sliding pane of a shower screen, which is another object of the present invention, comprises at least one fitting for supporting and guiding a sliding pane of a shower screen arranged on at least one of the horizontal edges of the sliding pane.
Brief description of the figures
[0009]
Figure 1: shows a side elevation of the set of parts from a first preferred embodiment of the fitting for supporting and guiding a sliding pane of a shower screen.
Figure 2: shows a side elevation of a set of parts from a second preferred embodiment of the fitting for supporting and guiding a sliding pane of a shower screen.
Figure 3: shows a cross section of a first preferred embodiment of the fitting for the upper support and guidance of a sliding pane of a shower screen.
Figure 4: shows a cross section of a second preferred embodiment of the fitting for the lower support and guidance of a sliding pane of a shower screen.
Figure 5: shows a cross section of a first preferred embodiment of the system for support and guidance of a sliding pane of a shower screen.
Figure 6: shows a view from a perspective of the first preferred embodiment of the system for support and guidance of a sliding pane of a shower screen.
Figure 7: shows a cross section of a second preferred embodiment of the system for support and guidance of a sliding pane of a shower screen.
Figure 8: shows a view from a perspective of the second preferred embodiment of the system for support and guidance of a sliding pane of a shower screen.
Figure 9: shows a cross section of a third preferred embodiment of the system for support and guidance of a sliding pane of a shower screen.
Figure 10: shows a view from a perspective of a third preferred embodiment of the system for support and guidance of a sliding pane of a shower screen.
Figure 11: shows a longitudinal section of the first preferred embodiment of the fitting for supporting and guiding a sliding pane of a shower screen.
Figure 12: shows a longitudinal section of the second preferred embodiment of the fitting for supporting and guiding a sliding pane of a shower screen.
Figure 13: shows a perspective of a partially exploded view of a detail of the fitting intended to be attached to the upper edge of the sliding pane and its corresponding guide.
Figure 14: shows a perspective of a partially exploded view of a detail of the fitting intended to be attached to the lower edge of the sliding pane and its corresponding guide.
Preferred embodiments.
[0010] Figures 5 y 6 show a first preferred embodiment of the system for the support and guidance of a shower screens sliding pane, which is one of the objects of the present invention, in which there is a support (4) attached to the upper edge of the sliding pane (9) by means of attachment (8), another support (13) attached to the sliding pane lower edge (9) by means of attachment included in the support itself (13) and its corresponding, upper (3) and lower (12) guides.
[0011] Figures 7 and 8 show a second preferred embodiment, wherein the system for supporting and guiding a sliding pane of a shower screen can consist of a support (4) attached to the upper edge of the sliding pane (9) by the complementary means of attachment (8) and its corresponding guide (3). In this second preferred embodiment, any type of guiding fitting of those existing in the market (14) must be placed on the lower edge of the sliding pane (9), either by sliding or rolling, whose only mission is to keep the sliding pane vertical, since the entire weight of the panel is supported by the magnetic repulsion generated by the upper guide magnets and support (1 and 2).
Figures 9 and 10 show a third preferred embodiment, wherein the support and guidance system of a sliding pane of a shower screen can consist of a support (13) attached to the lower edge of the sliding pane (9) by means of attachment included in the support itself (13) and its corresponding guide (12). In this third preferred embodiment, any type of guiding fitting of those existing in the market (15) must be placed on the upper edge of the sliding pane (9), either by sliding or rolling, whose only mission is to keep the sliding pane vertical, since the entire weight of the panel is supported by the magnetic repulsion generated by the lower guide magnets and support (10 and 11).
[0012] As explained in the preceding paragraphs, the weight of the sliding pane is supported only by the magnetic repulsion generated by the two groups of parallel magnets, horizontally arranged, and facing each other. The existence of the upper stabilizers (6) only serves to prevent the swinging, in the horizontal plane and in the perpendicular axis to the guide, of the sliding pane and the existence of the side stabilizers (5) only serves to maintain constant the position of the group of support magnets (2 and 11) with respect to the group of guide magnets (1 and 10) in application of Earnshaw's theorem, the consequence of which is that one or more pairs of static parallel magnets, facing each other and supporting a body, do not reach the balance, but would slide between each other. This is what can any person experience when bringing about two magnets together without them coming into contact and notices how they tend to slide between each other. Therefore, even though the weight of the glass is compensated by the magnetic repulsion, the final design of the screen must include some mechanical support which retains the screen against perpendicular displacements to the line of magnets, what in this invention is done by means of the lateral stabilizers (5) which are housed in the inner side faces of the support and which contact in the longitudinal rounded grooves of the lateral faces of the guide.
[0013] In the first preferred embodiment shown in Figures 5 and 6 accompanying this description, the differences between the upper support and guide and those arranged on the lower edge of the sliding pane, is first of all that the means of attachment of the support to the sliding pane, although in both cases it is a clamp, in the case of the upper support the clamp is an independent piece (8) which embraces the support (4) and in the case of the lower support the clamp is included in the same support (13) and has the same length of the lower support itself.
[0014] Another difference is the number of side stabilizers arranged on the inner side faces of the supports and the longitudinal rounded grooves on the side faces of the guides. In the case of the upper support/guide set there would be at least two stabilizers on each side face and in the case of the lower support/guide assembly there is only one stabilizer on each side face.
• a horizontal, elongated guide with a rectangular cross-section, which has a rectangular guide hole in its upper portion along the entire length of the aforementioned guide, and also has a rounded longitudinal groove on its upper face and one or more second rounded longitudinal grooves on each of its lateral faces
• a hollow support, which is intended to embrace at least partially the aforementioned guide and to slide along it, and which has a support hole at the top, facing the guide hole, has on its inner side faces a plurality of notches facing the aforementioned grooves on the side faces of the guide and also has means of attachment to the sliding pane
• a set of guide magnets with a rectangular cross-section, the said guide magnets are intended to be inserted into the guide hole arranged in a row and this set of guide magnets has a length equal to the length of the said guide hole
• a set of supporting magnets with a rectangular cross-section, the said supporting magnets are intended to be inserted into the supporting hole arranged in a row and this set of supporting magnets has a length equal to the length of the said supporting hole
• a plurality of lateral stabilizers, housed in the notches on the inner side faces of the supports, intended to slide along the rounded longitudinal grooves on the side faces of the guides in order to keep the position of the supporting magnets constant in relation to the guide magnets and
• two upper stabilizers, one at each end of the support hole, intended to slide along the longitudinal rounded groove on the upper face of the guide and prevent the sliding pane from swinging in the horizontal plane and along the perpendicular axis to the guide
such that the position of the guide magnet set is in a parallel position in relation to the supporting magnet set, and the magnets of the guide magnet set are arranged horizontally and facing each other by their opposite poles.