[0001] The present invention relates to a multifunction shower booth, of the type comprising
panels for delimiting the user compartment, whereof at least a first angular and at
least a second lateral panel, at least the first angular panel being destined to house,
in the rear, the hydraulic organs and, in the rear part, the instruments for usage
and any accessories.
[0002] As is well known, multifunction booths and boxes for home use or for spaces destined
for Turkish bath use, which can more simply defined, hereinafter, as booths, are normally
involved, at least partially and peripherally, by panels generally obtained by thermoforming
of sheets of plastic materials made of metacrylate or are co-extrusions of ABS and
PMMA or PST, or are obtained by injection moulding.
[0003] Such panels are in any case always manufactured in such a way as to provide exactly
defined measures, suitable for covering only the measure for which they were designed.
For each environment of the booth, therefore, specific panels are required, of exactly
defined and predetermined measures, which are assembled one next to the other. Therefore,
to cover the different measures of multifunction booths, also due to the different
geometry of the base area and hence of the booth, which can be square or rectangular
or according to a circular sector, an equal number of corresponding panels is required
to cover the various measures of the sides of the booth.
[0004] Therefore, manufacturers store the finished panels in many distinct spaces, each
occupied by groups of panels having the same geometry and size.
[0005] This same need also forces retail sellers to have many distinct spaces available
according to the various different types of booths required. Moreover, if the retail
seller wishes to meet its customers' requirements in optimal fashion, it is forced
to purchase a high number of panels, of different measures, to cover all dimensions
and geometries which may be required. Retail sellers are thus forced to make considerable
investments not only in terms of space, but also of money.
[0006] The aim of the present invention is to eliminate the aforementioned drawbacks.
[0007] At the basis of the invention is the solution illustrated in the accompanying claims,
aimed at the technical need to reduce the number of panels necessary to constitute
the booths of various dimensions and types.
[0008] The invention allows drastically to reduce the different sizes of the panels, necessary
to cover all different measures and geometries of existing multifunction booths.
[0009] Further characteristics and advantages of the invention shall become more readily
apparent from the detailed description that follows, illustrated purely by way of
non limiting indication in the drawings, in which:
- Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a multifunction shower booth according to the
invention, with a rectangular shower plate;
- Figure 2 shows a partial view of a booth that would comprise a square shower plate;
- Figure 3 shows a partial view of a booth that would comprise a rectangular shower
plate, still using the same panels as per the previous figure.
[0010] With reference to the aforesaid figures, in general, the multifunction shower booth
of the invention is of the type comprising panels 1, 2 for delimiting the user compartment,
whereof at least a first panel 1 is angular (normally a single central angular panel
1, as in the drawings) and at least a second panel 2 is lateral (normally two panels
2, as in the drawings).
[0011] The first angular panel 1 is destined to house, in the rear, the hydraulic organs
and, in the front part, the instruments 5 for usage and any accessories 6.
[0012] The subject innovation, in general, provides for at least the first and the second
panel 1, 2 to be at least partially able of being mutually superposed, in correspondence
with two vertical sides thereof 11, 21 facing each other and in the transverse direction,
in such a way as to be adapted, at least along the transverse direction of a side
71 or 72 of the booth 7, to the different measures of width which the side 71 or 72
of the booth 7 may have.
[0013] At least one of the sides 15 of the angular panel 1 has such transverse measures
as to allow it to be superposed to a predetermined transverse segment 22 of the lateral
panel 2 located at the same side. Said transverse segment is variable in such a way
that the lateral panel can be inserted more or less deeply and transversely, relative
to the angular panel 1, according to the measures of the side 71, 72 of the booth
2.
[0014] Each angular panel 1 anteriorly has a substantially concave base surface 12, whilst,
in the rear, it delimits, along the sides 15, corresponding surfaces 13 arranged angularly.
[0015] Each lateral panel 2 instead has a part 23 destined to be specifically equipped and
a consecutive part 24 destined to be specifically superposed from the angular panel
1. The lateral panel 2, at least anteriorly and along said part 24, identifies a base
surface which shall be substantially compatible with the angularly arranged surfaces
13 of the angular panel 1, which are preferably planar.
[0016] Each lateral panel 2 has at least in its rear such a conformation as to provide a
free space able to allow the placement of hydraulic organs. Moreover, the panels 1
and 2 are mutually assembled in secure and watertight fashion, once they are placed
in the proper position.
[0017] The invention therefore fully achieves the proposed aim.
[0018] Purely by way of example, considering the different measures of small-medium multifunction
booths, which may range (in centimetres) from 65X65, to 65X90 and from 70X70 to 70X90
and so on, up to 90X90 booths, and considering that the angular panel (normally used
as the symmetrical central panel) has its side measuring 35 cm and that the lateral
panels 2 can be inserted, below the central one for a variable measure ranging from
25 cm down to only 5 cm, the production of lateral panels 2 of a single transverse
dimension of 60 cm could cover all the various aforesaid dimensional requirements.
[0019] Naturally, the invention may also be subject to modifications and/or variations relative
to the description above, without thereby departing from the scope of the claims set
out below.
[0020] For instance, the angular panel may also have a side whose dimension is equal to
that of a corresponding whole side of the booth and the other side of traditional
dimensions to those of the central angular panels.
[0021] Moreover, all watertight coupling systems between the various panels are possible.
The lateral panels 2 may also be shaped in their parts 24, still comprising coupling
areas compatible with the surfaces 13 of the angular panel 1.
1. Multifunction shower booth, of the type comprising panels (1, 2) for delimiting the
user compartment, whereof at least a first panel (1) is angular and at least a second
panel (2) is lateral, at least the first angular panel (1) being destined to house,
in the rear, the hydraulic organs (4) and, in the front part, the instruments (5)
for usage and any accessories (6), characterised in that at least said first and second panels (1, 2) are able to be at least partially superposed
transversely to each other, at least in correspondence with their two vertical sides
(11, 21), facing each other, in such a way as to be adapted, at least along the transverse
direction of a side (71 or 72) of the booth (7), to the different measures that the
side (71 or 72) of the booth (7) may have.
2. Booth as claimed in claim 1, or the type comprising at least a central angular panel
(1) and at least a lateral panel (2), characterised in that at least one of the sides of the angular panel (1) has such transverse measures as
to allow it to be superposed to a predetermined transverse segment (22) of the lateral
panel (2) located at the same side, the latter being able to be inserted more or less
deeply and transversely, relative to the angular panel (1), according to the measures
of the side (71, 72) provided by the booth (7).
3. Booth as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterised in that each lateral panel (2) has a part (23) destined to be specifically equipped and a
consecutive part (24) destined to be specifically superposed by the angular panel
(1).
4. Booth as claimed in claim 3, in which the angular panel (1) anteriorly has a substantially
concave base surface (12), whilst, in the rear, it has angularly arranged surfaces
(13), characterised in that each lateral panel (2), at least anteriorly and along the part (24) destined to be
superposed by the angular panel (1), identifies a base surface (25) that is substantially
compatible with said angularly arranged surfaces (13) of the angular panel (1).
5. Booth as claimed in claim 4, characterised in that the surfaces (13) of the rear of the angular panel (1) and the front surface (25)
of the lateral panel (2) are substantially planar.
6. Booth as claimed in any of the previous claims, characterised in that at least each lateral panel (2) has at least in the rear such a conformation as to
identify a free space able to allow the placement of hydraulic organs.
7. Booth as claimed in any of the previous claims, characterised in that the panels (1) and (2) are mutually assembled in a solid and watertight fashion,
once they are placed in the proper position.