Technical Field

The invention relates to a shower partition or enclosure, more particularly for use with a corner or circular shower tray or tub.

Traditionally, shower trays have been of rectangular shape, and enclosed within an enclosure or cubicle which is also rectangular in plan. Doors are provided at the front or corner of the cubicle. However, shower trays are known which are designed to be positioned in 3 corner of a room. Typically, such corner shower trays have, in plan, a rear portion consisting of two sides disposed perpendicularly to each other, which abut, respectively, the adjacent room-walls forming the corner. The front of the shower tray is of part-circular or polygonal in shape. The invention provides a partition for use with such a corner shower tray, and which is intended to be mounted on the front part-circular or polygonal wall of the shower tray.

Partitions for this purpose are known. European Patent No. 0119514 (Baus) discloses a partition for a corner shower or circular shower with an upper sectional rail having a guide track, and also a lower sectional rail with a guide track. At least two flat, mutually hinged door elements slide in the guide tracks by means of guide elements in order to open or shut off an entry opening. A flat wall element is arranged at each side of the entry opening. It is characterised in that only the sectional rail is adaptable to the bent shape of the shower tray in the region of the entry opening and has, in a horizontal plane, a curved region which is essentially the same size as the entry opening. The sectional rail has, at least on one side, a

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straight region adjoining the curved region and is firmly connected, at each end, to the flat wall elements by means of the straight end region. The door elements are disposed one behind the other in series, and are arranged essentially parallel behind the flat wall element when the entry opening is opened up and are arranged polygonal ly therein when the entry opening is closed. The upper edges and/or the lower edges of the door elements lie behind the sectional rail, and the vertical pivot axis of the respective door element is arranged behind the sectional rail. Such partitions having a plurality of hinged door elements require a large number of parts which increases production costs. They are also complicated to assemble, and the constant hinging of the door elements causes wear and can lead to damage.

United States Patent No. 4,882,795 (Baus) discloses a partition for a shower tub, said partition including door-elements and two wall-elements defining an entrance into which said door-elements are slideable mounted to close and open said entrance, each of said wall-elements adapted to be arranged between said door-elements and a room-wall, the improvement comprising; an upper curved guide-rail connected to said wall-elements, and in which said door elements are displaceably mounted, said guide-rail comprising curved end-parts located behind said wall-elements, each end-part having a free end located at a predetermined distance from a corresponding wall-element, and a guide-element for the lower edge of each door element, the guide-element being located laterally of the entrance.

The guide-rail is curved over its entire length, and when the door elements are opened, they slide into the curved end-parts of the guide-rail. To enable this, the door elements are themselves curved. This has the disadvantage that if the door elements include glass panels, which is desirable, the glass must also be curved. Curved glass panels are very difficult and expensive to manufacture.

Object of the Invention

It is an object of the invention to provide a shower partition, particularly for use with a corner or circular shower tray, which is simple to manufacture and assemble, and which involves the use of less

construction material than with the prior art assemblies. It is also an object of the invention to provide a shower partition which is robust in use and less susceptible to wear and damage than the prior art. It is also an object to provide a shower partition which is easy to clean due to a reduction in the number of moving parts.

Summary of the Invention

Accordingly, the invention provides a partition for a corner shower tray, or a circular shower tray having at least one moveable door element by means of which an entry opening may be opened or closed, a fixed flat wall element positioned at each side of the entry opening, and an upper rail having a guide track in which the moveable door element(s) is/are displaceably mounted, the upper rail being connected to the flat wall panels by means of straight end sections of the rail, characterised in that the guide track is comprised of a plurality of straight sections each disposed at an obtuse angle to each other, at least one of said straight sections being located in the region of the entry opening, and in that the door element(s) is/are moveable along the track and is/are positioned at least partly behind a fixed wall element when the entry opening is opened.

Preferably, there are two door elements and two corresponding straight sections of the guide track located in the region of the entry opening, and the door elements are disposed side by side, at an obtuse angle to each other, when the entry opening is closed. Suitably, the door element(s) move(s) along the guide track by means of guide elements connected to the door element(s) and engaging in, and sliding along the guide tracks, wherein the or each door element has at least two guide elements, one of which is positioned in the straight end section of the guide rail and the other positioned in the adjacent straight section of the guide rail in the region of the entry opening, such that when the entry opening is opened the or each door element is positioned at least partly behind a respective fixed wall panel, and wherein the guide elements are free to swivel about a vertical axis.

Preferably, the invention includes a lower rail having a guide track in which the lower ends of the door elements are displaceably

mounted, the lower guide track being substantially of the same shape and configuration as the upper guide track.

By means of the invention the flat moveable door elements can each move around a corner between adjacent straight sections of the guide rail without bending the flat door elements or making them curved. This is achieved by locating the guide elements, which suitably are in the form of wheels which swivel about a vertical axis, at either end of the flat door element. Thus, one wheel bogey is located in one straight section of the track, and the other wheel bogey is located, to the other side of the corner, in the adjacent straight section of the track. The wheel bogeys move only in the straight sections and do not need to negotiate the corner. The wheel bogeys pivot to allow the flat door elements to negotiate the corner. The width of each door element is greater than the length of the corresponding straight sections of the guide track.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Some embodiments of the invention are hereinafter described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a front view of a first embodiment of a shower partition of the invention mounted in the corner of a room, with entry doors closed; Figure 2 is a front view of the shower partition of Figure 1 showing the entry doors partly opened;

Figure 3 is a plan view of the shower partition of Figure 1, showing one entry door open;

Figure 3a shows a detail of Figure 3; Figure 4 is a view corresponding to Figure 3 showing the entry doors closed;

Figure 4a is a detail of Figure 4;

Figure 5 is a plan new of a guide track showing dimensions and relative angles; Figure 6 is a rear view of the partition of Figure 1;

Figures 6a and 6b are details of Figure 6;

Figure 7 is an exploded view of the partition of Figure 6;

Figure 8 and 9 are enlarged views of portions of the guide track;

Figure 10 is a plan view of a shower tray of polygonal shape; Figure 11 is a plan view of a shower tray of part-circular shape; Figure 12 is a plan view showing a lower rail of polygonal shape fitted to a part-circular shower tray; Figure 13 is a plan view of a second embodiment of partition of the invention with a single door in the open position; and Figure 14 is a view similar to Figure 13 showing the door in a closed position.

Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiments

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 shows the shower tray 1 fitted within a corner defined by room walls 2, 3 which extend at right angles to each other. As shown more clearly in Figure 3 the shower tray 1 has a rear portion defined by adjacent sides 4,5 which abut at right angles. The front 6 of the shower tray is of polygonal shape, as shown in Figure 10, comprising four straight sections. Alternatively, as shown in Figure 11 the front 6 of the shower tray may be of part- circular shape, such that in plan the shower tray resembles a quadrant of a circle. The partition of the invention extends between the adjacent room walls 2,3 to enclose the shower tray and to form a shower enclosure.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the partition comprises an upper rail 7 and a lower rail 8. The lower rail 8 is mounted on the top of the front wall 6 of the shower tray. The joint between the lower rail 8 and the top edge of the shower tray is sealed by means of a silicone sealant in well-known manner. The upper and lower rails 7, 8 extend horizontally.

Extending vertically between the upper rail 7 and the lower rail 8 are flat wall elements 9,10.

The wall elements 9, 10 are each comprised of a panel comprising a sheet of transparent or translucent plastics or glass 11, 12 mounted within a rectangular frame 13, 14.

The fixed flat wall elements 9, 10 are each connected at the top to straight end sections 15, 16 respectively of the upper rail 7. The flat wall elements 9, 10 are connected to the lower rail 8 by means of corresponding straight end sections 19, 20 of the lower rail 8.

The free ends of the upper and lower rails 7, 8 and the vertical end edges of the flat wall elements 9, 10 are fixed to the room walls 2,3 by means of upright channel members 23 which are attached to the walls by screw fasteners in well-known manner. An exploded view of the assembly is shown in Figure 7. A silicone seal is also provided between the channel members 23 and the wall surface.

The partition includes two moveable door elements 24, 25 by means of which an entry opening 26 of the partition may be opened or closed. The extent of the entry opening 26 is indicated by broken lines on Figure 3.

The upper and lower rails 7, 8 each contain, an integral guide track 27, 28. The moveable door elements 24, 25 are hung from the upper guide rail 7 by means of guide elements 29 which move along the guide track 27. The guide elements comprise wheels 34 which are attached to the door elements 9, 10 adjacent to the top outer corners therof. As shown in Fig. 6b, slides 30 are provided adjacent to the lower corners of door elements 24, 25, which slide in the lower guide track 28. In this way, door elements 24, 25 may be moved sideways to open and close the entry opening 26.

As shown most clearly in Figures 3 and 4, the upper and lower guide tracks 27, 28 and the corresponding upper and lower rails 7, 8 are comprised of four straight sections, a, b, c, d_, disposed at an obtuse angle to each other. In the embodiment shown, each section of the guide track is disposed at an obtuse angle to the adjacent section. The guide tracks 27, 28 follow the general configuration of the front wall of the shower tray 1. In Figure 3 and 4 this is of polygonal shape and a straight section of the track is located on a straight section of the shower tray. As shown in Figure 12, where the front 6 of the shower tray is of part-circular shape, the angle between the straight sections is chosen such that the guide rail can follow the

general curvature of the front wall 6 of the shower tray. The end sections a., d , of the guide track correspond in length to the width of the fixed flat wall elements 9, 10. The intermediate sections b, c essentially define the entry opening 26 of the partition. The length of the intermediate section b , c is slightly less than the width of the moveable door elements 24, 25. Suitable dimensions and angles are shown in Figure 5, but these are exemplary and the invention is not limited thereto.

The position of the guide elements 29 positioned at each top corner of the door elements 24, 25, and the width of the door element 24, 25 is such that when the doors are closed, as shown in Figure 3, one guide element 29 is located in the straight section a. of the upper guide track 27 near its intersection with the adjacent section b. The guide element 29 is located in section b of the guide track.

Similarly, in door element 25, guide elements 29 is located in section d and the other guide element 29 is located in section c of the guide track 27.

Thus, when the door elements 24, 25 are opened (see Figure 4) the positioning of the guide elements 29 in the adjacent sections of the upper guide track 27 enables the door element to negotiate the corner between the adjacent sections a, b of the guide track 27 without difficulty.

As shown in Figure 3, when the door element 24 fully opened, it is positioned behind the flat wall element 10, and extends at an acute angle to the flat wall element 10. Because the width of the door element 24 is greater than the width of the flat wall element 10 a portion of the door element 24 extends beyond the end of the flat wall element 10. The door element 25 opens in a similar manner.

The guide elements 29 are pivotally connected to the door by means of a pivot which pivots about a vertical axis as the doors move back and forth along the upper guide track 27. The vertical axis of the pivots is located behind the upper and lower rails 7, 8. The upper rail 7 extends downwardly in front of the upper edge of the door elements 24, 25, and the lower rail 8 extends upwardly in front of the lower edge of the door elements, to act as splash guards.

Details of the method of attachment of the guide elements 29 to the door elements 24, 25 and their engagement in the guide track 27 are shown in Figures 3a, 4a, 6a, 8 and 9.

As shown, the guide elements 29 comprise a wheel bogey 31, which suitably is moulded from a plastics material. A wheel bogey 31 is fitted to each end of a top rail 32 forming a frame for the door elements 24, 25. As shown most clearly in Figures 3a, 4a, and 6a, the wheel bogey has a sleeve 33 which swivels about a vertical axis defined by an interior boss (not shown). A freely rotatable wheel 34 is attached to the sleeve 33 by an arm 35. The wheel 34 is free to move along the upper guide track 27. The upper guide track 27 is of channel shape, opening to the inner side as shown in Figure 7. A stop 36 may be provided in the track 27 to control the extent of movement of the wheel 34 (see Fig. 6a).

As shown in Fig. 6a, a lower rail 37, forming a lower frame member for for the door elements has attached thereto slides 30. The slides 30 are of inverted u-shape and engage with the lower track 28, which is of similar shape as upper track 27. The slides 30 can slide freely along the track 28, but are controlled by stops 38, fitted to the lower track 28.

In an alternative arrangement (not shown), the wheel bogeys 31 may be fitted to the bottom of the door elements 24, 25 such that the wheels 34 move along the lower track 28, and the slides 30 engage with the upper track 27. The advantage of having the wheels at the top is that damaged wheels may be replaced more easily, but a more stable arrangement may be achieved with the wheels at the bottom.

Magnetic strips 39 may be provided on the abutting edges of door elements 24, 25, as shown in Figures 6 and 7.

A second embodiment of the invention is shown in Figures 13 and 14, and like numbers denote like parts. The construction of the partition essentially is the same as with the previous embodiment, and includes two fixed flat wall elements 9, and 10. The difference between this embodiment and the previous embodiment is that there is a

single moveable door element 24 by means of which the entry opening 26 is open as closed. Consequently, the upper and lower rails and tracks 7,8,27, 28 have one less straight section than with the previous embodiment.

All of the parts making up the partition of the invention, except for the translucent or transparent wall and door panels, may be extruded from aluminium or moulded in rigid plastics material. As previously mentioned, the transparent or translucent panels are made preferably of glass but they may also be made from a plastics material.

It will be appreciated that the partition of the invention is of simple design which is easy to manufacture and assemble. It results in savings in materials of up to 10% as compared to prior art constructions. Because the partition of the invention does not utilise mutually hinged door panels and because the moving parts are reduced to two movable door elements, the construction is more robust and less susceptible to wear and damage than prior art partitions. Also, the reduction in the number of moving parts makes it easier for the user to clean the partition in use.