Chisholm, James Edwards (Safety Harbor, FL)
Hicks, Clark Thomas (Ft. Thomas, KY)
Buonaura, Anthony (Baldwinsville, NY)

05/246618

09/11/1973

04/24/1972

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Formica Corporation (Cincinnati, OH)

4/610

52/34

A47K3/28; A47K3/23; A47K3/22

4/146,147-156,111,115,116,119,160 52/34,35,71

3447167

PORTABLE TOILET CABANA

June 1969

Harding

Artis, Henry K.

I claim

1. A shower stall comprising:

2. A shower stall according to claim 1 including

3. A shower stall according to claim 1 wherein said header includes a wall surround support member positioned atop the three upper side edges of said surround.

4. A shower stall according to claim 1 wherein said bottom floor has a connected, substantially upright four-sided splash wall circumscribing the periphery thereof, three sides thereof extending upwardly above the fourth side, an upwardly turned lip connected to the outer portion of said three higher sides of said splash wall, said lip extending about a major peripheral portion of said splash wall and forming a wall surround-receiving trough between said splash wall and said lip.

5. A shower stall according to claim 4 wherein said splash wall defining said fourth side terminates in a laterally turned flange extending outwardly therefrom to define a ledge, the outer marginal edge of said ledge terminating in a connecting flange extending downwardly beyond the level of said floor.

6. A shower stall according to claim 1 wherein said upwardly open and downwardly open stile-receiving members each have slightly tapering inner sides and a plurality of knob-like members positioned equidistant from the inwardmost tapered portion of said tapered sides at the bottom interior of said stile-receiving members.

7. A shower stall according to claim 1 wherein said upwardly open and downwardly open stile-receiving members are bullet-shaped.

8. A shower stall according to claim 5 wherein said ledge is sloped inwardly toward said drain.

9. A shower stall according to claim 1 wherein the underneath of said receptor has supporting ribs extending below said bottom floor in spaced relationship with one another, and a circular member circumscribing the periphery of said drain opening, said ribs radiating outwardly from said circular member to the outer edges of said bottom floor in spoke-like arrangement.

10. A shower stall according to claim 1 wherein said stiles, receptor, header and wall surround are plastic.

11. A shower stall according to claim 1 wherein said header has an elongated middle section of substantially V-shaped cross-section between and connected to said downwardly open stile-receiving members.

12. A shower stall according to claim 1 wherein said header has a curtain rail running length wise along the rear portion of the section thereof between said downwardly open stile-receiving members, said rail being adapted to detachably receive thereon slideable shower curtain support means.

13. A shower stall according to claim 12 wherein said rail extends beyond the interior vertical sides of said downwardly open stile-receiving members.

14. A shower stall according to claim 1 wherein said header has a wall surround support member in the shape of a "U" running from the outside rear edge of one downwardly open stile-receiving member to a similar position on the other downwardly open stile-receiving member, said support member being substantially clothespin-like cross-section, the free ends of said "U" being atached to said downwardly open stile-receiving members.

15. A shower stall according to claim 1 wherein said wall surround has a control panel formed in one side thereof.

16. A shower stall according to claim 15 wherein said control panel is positioned substantially in the center of said side of said wall surround.

17. A shower stall according to claim 1 wherein a shower arm bracket is positioned atop one side of said wall surround.

18. A shower stall according to claim 1 wherein sections of each of the sides of said wall surround are slightly thermoformed.

19. A shower stall according to claim 1 wherein said stiles are hollow.

20. A shower stall comprising:

21. A shower stall according to claim 20 including

22. A shower stall according to claim 20 wherein said rail extends beyond the interior vertical sides of said downwardly open stile-receiving members.

23. A shower stall according to claim 20 wherein said rail is of substantially circular axial cross-section.

24. A shower stall according to claim 20 wherein said stile-receiving members are bullet-shaped.

25. A shower stall according to claim 20 having a wall surround support member in the shape of a "U" running from the outside rear edge of one downwardly open stile-receiving member to a similar position on the other downwardly open stile-receiving member said support member being substantially of clothespin-like cross-section, the free ends of said "U" being attached to said stile-receiving members.

26. A shower stall according to claim 20 wherein said lip extends above the level of said splash wall.

27. A shower stall according to claim 20 wherein said ledge is sloped inwardly toward said drain.

28. A shower stall according to claim 20 wherein each of said receptor wall surround, header and stiles are plastic.

29. A shower stall according to claim 20 wherein the underneath of said receptor has supporting ribs extending below said bottom floor in spaced relationship with one another and a circular member circumscribing the periphery of said drain opening, said ribs radiating outwardly from said circular member to the outer edges of said bottom floor in spoke-like arrangement.

30. A shower stall according to claim 20 wherein said wall surround has a control panel formed in one side thereof.

31. A shower stall according to claim 30 wherein said control panel is positioned substantially in the center of said side of said wall surround.

32. A shower stall according to claim 20 wherein sections of each of the sides of said wall surround are slightly thermoformed.

33. A shower stall according to claim 20 wherein said stiles are hollow.

34. A shower stall according to claim 20 wherein a leg extends downwardly from said lip to beyond the level of said bottom floor.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The construction of shower stall units of the free-standing variety i.e. unsupported by and unattached to the walls of the dwelling in which it is installed, has increased materially in recent years. The earliest of the commercially available showers of this type were prepared from metal and necessitated intricate attaching means for the various sections or components of the shower i.e. walls, hand rails, headers, floors etc. In most instances, the attaching means were also constructed of metal and, as a result, the showers were susceptible to corrosion etc. at the attached surfaces or other areas where any protective coatings on the metal were damaged or otherwise removed or disrupted.

More recently, shower stalls have been prepared from non-corrosive materials such as plastics, see U.S. Pat. No. 3,609,773. Even these predominantly plastic showers, however, rely basically upon metal fasteners to secure the shower components together and therefore, while relieving some of the corrosion problems, are still beset with corrosion problems of their own.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

We have now discovered a novel free-standing shower stall which is constructed entirely of plastic and contains no metal parts whatsoever in attaching the components of the unit to one another. Furthermore, our novel shower stall unit has no leaking joints in the wall surround since one piece forms both the back and side portions, the surround having small, substantially rounded interior corners. Our shower, being entirely of plastic, is not noisy and is not cold to the touch. Since the components are, individually, not heavy, the whole unit is easily stored in easily handleable packages for shipping. The assembly, since the unit has substantially no fasteners, is easily assembled at the construction site. In its preferred form, our novel shower is so constructed that the user is protected from hard, sharp edges which oftimes are present due to the particular design and construction of the shower stall hardware, e.g. taps, handles, nozzles, etc. Additionally, the one-piece wall surround, in its preferred configuration, is reversible i.e. either wall can be utilized to house the control panel and is devoid of any reinforcing medium, e.g. so-called hand rails which are, in reality, wall supports.

A further feature of our novel shower assembly is the fact that the entranceway or threshold thereof will always overflow when the receptor fills due to drain stoppage etc. before the sides or back.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of the shower stall unit of the instant invention with an oversized caulking strip shown;

FIG. 2 is a view of the header component of the shower as seen from the plane indicated by line 2--2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view of the header from the same plane as FIG. 2 but including the U-shaped surround support;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the header as viewed from the plane indicated by line 4--4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a side view of a shower curtain support means which may be utilized in conjunction with the header unit;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the surround support as seen from the plane indicated by line 6--6 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 is an end view of a stile member as seen from the plane indicated by line 7--7 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a top view of the receptor component of the instant invention showing the upwardly open stile-receiving members and the wall surround-receiving trough on three sides thereof;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the receptor taken along line 9--9 of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a front view of the receptor as viewed from the plane indicated by line 10--10 of FIG. 8;

FIG. 11 is a bottom view of the receptor of FIG. 8;

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of a stile-receiving member of the receptor as taken along line 12--12 of FIG. 8;

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of a rib and foot of the receptor taken along line 13--13 of FIG. 11;

FIG. 14 is a view of the assembled shower stall showing the control panel, shower hardward and thermoformed side panels;

FIG. 15 is a front view of the assembled shower stall as viewed from the plane indicated by line 15--15 of FIG. 14, the control panel being shown at the opposite side wall;

FIG. 16 is a top view of the assembled shower stall unit as viewed from the plane indicated by line 16--16 of FIG. 14 with the shower nozzle and control panel again in the opposite side;

FIG. 17 is a representation of a shipping crate showing the packageability of the one-piece wall surround of the instant shower unit;

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION INCLUDING PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 depicts an exploded view of our novel shower stall assembly with no particular component thereof being represented in specific detail except caulking strip 1 which is shown in an exploded view as being of elongated triangular shape with the two longer sides of the triangle being of beveled design in order to grip and remain in secured, water-tight contact with the receptor 2 and wall surround 3. Although the caulking has been shown as a strip herein, any type of caulking can be used herein including that dispensed from a tube or gun without departing from the scope of our invention.

As mentioned above, our novel shower stall unit is constructed completely of plastic. The receptor 2 and header 4, including surround support 5, are preferably integrally molded components of the assembly and generally can be prepared from any material which is known to be moldable and has such properties so as to provide rigid, impact resistant molded products. A preferred construction material which may be used is that generally known as "pre-mix compression molding compound," "gunk-molding compound," "bulk-molding compound" etc. and which is composed of an unsaturated polyester resin, various fillers such as clay, calcium carbonate, etc., fibers such as fiberglass, nylon, asbestos, etc., pigments and a cross-linking agent such as styrene. The composition is a putty-like material which is formed into the molded receptor and header by adding catalyst thereto and compression molding the resultant mixture in a molding press with downwardly or upwardly acting matched metal dies. When the header unit represented by FIG. 3 is prepared, as mentioned above, it may be constructed of the same material, however, it must be injection molded.

The other components of the novel shower unit of the instant invention can be prepared from any known plastic materials which have the properties most favorable for the specific function or feature which the particular component is to provide. For example, we have found that the caulking 1 is most advantageously prepared from flexible polyvinyl chloride while the stiles 6 and 7 and wall surround 3 are preferably prepared from an impact resistant polymer such as a modified acrylic, e.g. see U.S. Pat. No. 3,354,238. Other moldable impact materials such as rigid polyvinyl chloride, polyphenylene oxide, impact polystyrene, butadiene modified polymers such as ABS polymers etc. may also be used for the production of the various components hereof without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, the header unit 4 (FIG. 1) includes an elongated, middle section 8 of substantially "V" shaped cross-section (FIG. 4). The middle section has hollow, bullet-shaped, downwardly open, stile-receiving members 9 and 10 at both ends thereof each with slightly inwardly tapering sides which terminate at bottom interiors 11 and 12. A plurality of knob-like members 13 are positioned equidistant from the innermost tapered portions of said sides at said bottom interiors of the stile-receiving members. The stile-receiving members are adapted to receive the stile portion of the entranceway of the shower stall. The stiles are maintained in locked contact with the stile-receiving members by virtue of having slightly larger width walls than the space between the header walls 14 and 15 and members 13 at the bottom interiors 11 and 12. A shower curtain rail 16 runs lengthwise along the rear portion of middle section 8 and is adapted to detachably receive slideable shower curtain support means as more fully discussed below.

The header unit is one piece and is of molded construction, the inside portion of the stile-receiving members of which is best seen in FIG. 4. As can be seen from FIGS. 1-3, the members are of bullet-shaped appearance. The rear portions of walls 14 and 15 extend rearwardly to form flap-like wings 18. The underside of rail 16 is shown extending beyond the interior vertical sides of the stile-receiving members and terminating at stops 17.

Wing 18 is specifically shown in FIG. 4. As can be seen, it is of flap-like shape and is adapted to receive the wall surround 3 of the shower stall, which surround may be attached thereto with available fastening means such as plastic screws through hole 19. The rail 16 is depicted as substantially circular in axial cross-section and is adapted to receive shower curtain support means. A typical shower curtain support means 20 is shown in FIG. 5. Portion 21 of the support means is of substantially the same inner configuration as rail 16 and is detachably received by the rail. Since the rail is of substantially the same cross-sectioned shape as the area 22 formed by portion 21 of the support means, the means is free to slide easily along the rail in either direction before being halted by stops 17. Portion 23 of the support means 20 is adapted to receive a shower curtain thereon, the curtain being intermittently grometted across its upper edge as is the custom. Projection 24 of the support means protrudes outwardly to an extent such that it contacts the rear wall 25 (FIG. 4) of the middle section 8 and thereby prevents the shower curtain from moving in any direction but laterally across the rail.

FIG. 3 depicts an improved header unit which also may be used as a component in formation of the shower unit of the present invention and which combines the features discussed above regarding the header 4 with the surround support 5. The surround support is part of the one-piece header unit and is shaped like the letter "U" in its preferred configuration with the open or free ends of the "U" constituting replacements for wings 18 of FIG. 4. In this modification, the U-shaped member preferably runs from the outside upper rear edge of wall 14 of stile-receiving member 9 to wall 15 of the opposite stile-receiving member 10. Framing member 5 is of substantially a clothespin-like cross-section, best shown in FIG. 6. The member is composed of a body portion 26 and two legs 27 and 28, the space between said legs forming an opening adapted to receive the wall surround of the shower stall. The framing member 5 of FIG. 3 is shown as substantially square in configuration but may be rectangular in shape if desired. The shower stall will, of course, conform in shape to the shape of the framing member which rigidifies the wall surround 3 and holds the shape thereof consistent.

The upper edge of stile 6 is shown in FIG. 7. As can be seen, the stile is of hollow configuration and conforms in shape to both the downwardly open stile-receiving members 9 and 10 of the header and the upwardly open stile-receiving members of the receptor, more fully discussed hereinbelow. The outer rear corner of outer wall 29 of the stile possesses means for receiving one front edge of wall surround 3 and to become securely contacted in a water-tight relationship therewith. The wall surround receiving means is composed of two legs 30 and 31 which are adapted at the inner edges thereof with nodes 32 which tightly grip and seal the wall surround 3 to the stile. The wall surround receiving means can be spaced intermittently along the rear edge of the stile but are preferably positioned along the entire length thereof. Stile 7 is of similar shape and receives the other front edge of wall surround 3 in the same manner and with the same effect.

Referring now to FIG. 8, the receptor 2 comprises an integrally molded shell adapted to constitute the floor of the shower stall. The shell includes sides 33, 34 and 35 with the remaining side comprising the entranceway portion of the receptor and having upwardly open stile-receiving members 36 and 37 at each end thereof. The stile-receiving members are comprised of outer walls 38 and 39 and inner walls 40 and 41 which preferably taper slightly (shown as an angle in FIG. 12) terminating at bottom interiors 42 and 43, respectively. A plurality of knob-like members 44 are positioned equidistant from the innermost tapered portions of said inner and outer walls at said bottom interiors of the upwardly open stile-receiving members 36 and 37. As above described with regard to the header component, stile-receiving members 36 and 37 are adapted to receive the stiles of the entranceway of the shower unit. The stiles are maintained in locked contact with the stile-receiving members 36 and 37, as mentioned above, by the combination of being of slightly larger wall width than the space between the walls 38, 39, 40 and 41 and the members 44 at the bottom interiors 42 and 43.

A substantially upright section forms a splash wall 45 around the three edges of the bottom floor 46 at sides 33, 34 and 35, of the receptor while a second section forms splash wall 47 on the fourth edge of the bottom floor. Wall 45 extends upwardly above wall 47 as best seen in FIG. 9. A drain opening 48 is positioned in the floor 46 at the lowest point thereof, said floor being sloped in the direction of said drain. An upwardly turned lip 49 is connected to the outer portion of the three sides of the splash wall 45 and extends about a major peripheral portion thereof thereby forming a trough 50 between said spalsh wall and said lip, the lip 49 preferably being higher than wall 45. Trough 50 preferably has tapered sides, as shown in FIG. 9 by an angle, in order to tightly receive the wall surround 3 of the shower stall. A downwardly extending leg 51 (see FIG. 9) is connected to the bottom portion of said trough in the area of said lip. The leg also extends about a major peripheral portion of the splash wall in conformance to sides 33, 34 and 35. The leg terminates at a point beyond the lowest level of the floor 46 and aids in supporting the receptor while also comprising an apron or skirt therearound which conceals the underpinnings thereof and also prevents foreign objects from becoming jammed under the receptor floor.

Wall 47 which begins the formation of the threshold of the entranceway of the shower stall terminates in a laterally turned flange 52 extending outwardly therefrom. Flange 52 comprises the threshold upper of the shower stall. The outer marginal edge of said flange 52 terminates in a connecting flange 53 which also extends downwardly beyond the lowest level of the floor 46 as does leg 51, preferably to the same point as leg 51.

The walls 38, 39, 40 and 41 of stile-receiving members 36 and 37 blend in to form a contoured surface wherever they meet flanges 52 and 53, lip 49 and leg 51 as best seen in FIGS. 10 and 11.

As seen in FIG. 9, a cross-sectional view along line 9--9 of FIG. 8, lip 49 preferably extends above the level of splash wall 45 and flange 52 is preferably sloped inwardly toward the drain opening 48 of the floor 46. As a result, all water which reaches the threshold flows back into the shower unit and out the drain rather than onto the floor around the exterior of the shower stall.

A further feature, fully depicted by FIG. 8, again is the bullet-shaped configuration of the stile-receiving members 36 and 37. This configuration, although not critical, is preferred in that it lends to the strength and rigidity of the shower stall.

Cut-outs 54 of FIG. 8 provide a widened sector for receipt of the wall surround receiving means (FIG. 7) of stiles 6 and 7 of the shower stall which, in turn, engage and securely connect the shower wall surround 3 which, in turn, fits snuggly into the trough 50 of the receptor 2 and surround support 5 of the header 4. As can be seen clearly in FIG. 9, floor 43 of the stile-receiving member is slightly lower than the floor of the trough. This deeper recess enables a more secure attaching of the stiles in the upwardly open stile-receiving members of the receptor.

FIG. 12 depicts a cross-sectional view of stile-receiving member 36 taken along line 12--12 of FIG. 8. The outer wall 38 is clearly shown, as are knob-like members 44. The tapered sides of the stile-receiving members are shown as an angle, as mentioned above. The difference in height of the floor of the trough 50 and the floor 43 of the stile-receiving member is clearly shown, as is cut-out 54.

The bottom of the receptor 2 is shown in FIG. 11. The blending of the stile-receiving member sides 38 and 39 and lip 49 into a contoured surface is best shown here. As can be seen, leg 51 extends around three sides of the receptor and also blends into the sides of the stile-receiving members. A series of supporting ribs 55 extend below the floor 46 of the receptor and are integral therewith in spaced relationship with one another. The ribs radiate outwardly from circular member 56, which circumscribes the periphery of drain 48 and is of the same depth as said ribs, in a spoke-like configuration. Each of said ribs have positioned thereon a set of feet 57 the height of which extend beyond the height of the ribs. The height of each successive foot in each set proceeding outwardly from the drain increases diametrically proportionally to the slope of the floor 46, as best seen in FIG. 9. FIG. 13, a view taken along line 13--13 of FIG. 11, best depicts the relative size of said feet in comparison to the ribs.

The receptor is illustrated as being of substantially square configuration, however, rectangular etc. shapes could also be employed. In such instances, of course, the wall surround 3 and wall surround support 5 would also be made so as to conform to the shape of the receptor.

A series of stacking bosses, not shown, can be added about the receptor along the outer edge of leg 51 in order to allow stacking of a series of receptors inside one another in a nesting arrangement for shipping and storage.

The interior side of the floor 46 may be formed such that a non-skid surface, tiles etc. may be added thereto or molded therewith during the production of the receptor.

FIG. 14 depicts the assembled shower stall of the instant invention and includes various modifications and features which are not critical but are generally to be preferred. As can be seen, stiles 6 and 7 are shown as inserted into the respective upwardly open and downwardly open stile-receiving members of the receptor 2 and header 4 respectively. Caulking strip 1 has been tightly compressed into the narrow opening between the receptor wall 45 and the wall surround 3 which has been inserted into trough 50 of the receptor. Similarly, the front edges of the wall surround 3 have been inserted into the opening between legs 30 and 31 of the stiles 6 and 7 while wall surround support 5 has been placed atop wall surround 3 by sliding the surround into the space between legs 27 and 28 thereof. Wing 18 of the header has been attached via a plastic screw through threaded hole 19 to the surround support, a feature not necessary if the header of FIG. 3 is employed.

As mentioned above, wall surround 3 is one piece and forms the back and side portions of our novel shower assembly. The surround is self-sustaining i.e. needs no attachment to studding etc. when assembled into the shower unit. It has substantially rounded interior corners which are formed therein during thermoforming thereof.

The wall surround 3, being constructed of a thermoplastic material, can be produced by thermoforming methods well known to those skilled in the art. The surround must have the corners thermoformed into it when it is conformed to the shape of the receptor and wall surround support because the initial sheet from which the surround is formed is flat. If no corners were formed into the surround, when the sheet was bent to conform to the receptor shape, the sides would bow and tend to bulge and pop out of the trough 50.

The wall surround 3 is produced by setting an appropriately sized sheet into a mold and clamping it thereto. We have found that modified acrylic sheet such as that set forth in the above-specified patent and from 0.060 inch to 0.150 inch thick gives optimum results.

The thermoplastic sheet, of appropriate color, is then heated in the areas thereof which are to be thermoformed. The whole sheet may be heated, if desired. Heating at from about 300°F to about 375°F for from about 2 to 6 minutes has been found effective for the acrylic material. Other materials, of course, will necessitate other thermoforming conditions. The mold is then made operational and the corners are formed into the surround. During the molding of the corners, any other features desired in the surround may be vacuum formed, stamped, compression molded etc. thereinto such as the side panels 58 and the control panel 59 of FIG. 14. The finished wall surround is then allowed to cool, removed from the mold and packages for shipping as is shown in FIG. 17.

We have found that side panels 58 not only improve the stability and rigidity of the shower unit but also increase the aesthetic appearance thereof. We prefer to form the control panel 59 in approximately the vertical center of one side of the surround so that upon assembly of the shower the surround can be utilized with either end thereof being the top or bottom and the control panel 59 being either positioned at the left or right of the entranceway. The control panel depicted enables the shower handles 60 to be placed between the two thermoformed projections 61 and 62 and thereby prevents the user from striking any hard or sharp surfaces during use of the shower.

Shower nozzle 63 can be attached to bracket 64 and snapped over the top of surround support 5. The shower is then ready for connection to the water supply means available.

The stiles 6 and 7 and surround support 5 may also be prepared in any manner known in the art. It is preferred, however, to extrude both of these components under appropriate conditions depending upon the material being used, into the specified configuration.

FIG. 15 is a front view of our novel shower stall assembly taken along line 15--15 of FIG. 14. The figure clearly shows the aesthetic appearance of our shower and depicts the control panel 59 on the right side of the unit rather than the left. FIG. 16 is a top view of the shower as seen from above long line 16--16 of FIG. 14. The clamped shower nozzle 63 is clearly depicted as is rail 16 of the header 4.

Although my invention has been described above with some degree of particularity and generally in its preferred forms, it is to be understood that said preferred forms have been presented by way illustration only and that many modifications of both the construction and arrangement of parts thereof may be made without departing from the scope of the instant invention.