The present invention relates to a towel rail support, a towel rail, and a method of mounting a towel rail. In particular, but not exclusively, the present invention relates to a support for mounting an electric towel rail on a tiled wall.

Electric heated towel rails have one or more towel rail bars with heating elements passing through them. When the power to the towel rail is turned on, current flows through the heating element, heating the bar. This is different to water heated towel rails, which are plumbed into a hot water system, such as a central heating system, and dual fuel towel rails, which operate on the same principle as an immersion heater. Electric towel rails are simple to manufacture and install, since they do not require plumbing or water tight seals, and can be operated separately from a hot water system. In wet rooms, and other tiled environments, it is desirable to mount towel rails onto the tiled surface. However, the cabling to provide power to the heating element, can make this difficult, as the heating element must be electrically connected before the wall is tiled, or the towel rail bar is fixed to the wall. Furthermore, especially with towel rails having a single bar, it is desirable to fix a number of separate towel rails, in different, but related, positions.

According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a towel rail support including: a chassis having: a front face, with a plurality of holes provided through the front face; and means for securing the chassis to a wall of a room, the means for securing the chassis arranged such that, in use: a channel is formed between the front face and the wall, the holes opening into the channel; and a mounting member having: an anchor portion configured to be received in the channel; and a support portion configured to project through one of the plurality of holes and a wall covering, the support portion for supporting a towel rail bar, wherein in use, the channel formed between the front face and the wall may be arranged to receive a cable for providing power to a heating element passing through the towel rail bar, and the plurality of holes are arranged such that, in use, a first end of the cable passes from inside the channel to outside the channel through one of the plurality of holes. The towel rail support provides a simple and quick way of installing a towel rail on a tiled wall, and can be used to install a towel rail in a variety of different positions. The towel rail support also provides a uniform surface for tiling over, and for fixing the towel rail to, and provides a channel that can be used to provide an electrical cable .

The mounting member may comprise a through passage extending from the anchor portion to the support portion, the through passage arranged to receive the cable for providing power to the heating element.

The towel rail support may have means for securing the mounting member to the chassis. The plurality of holes may comprise: one or more holes having a first diameter; and one or more holes having a second diameter, wherein the support portion of the mounting member is arranged to project through a hole of the first diameter, to support a towel rail bar of a first size, or the support portion of the mounting member is arranged to project through a hole of the second diameter, to support a towel rail bar of a second size.

The chassis may comprise an elongate body including the front face, the plurality of holes being distributed along the length of the body. The chassis may include sides extending away from the front face, the sides arranged to determine the spacing of the front face from the wall.

The means for securing the chassis to the wall may comprise flanges, extending from the sides, parallel to the front face.

The towel rail support may include a covering washer, the support portion of the mounting member arranged to receive the washer, such that, in use, the washer is provided between the wall covering and the towel rail bar. The towel rail support may include two or more mounting members, each having an anchor portion configured to be received in the channel; and a support portion configured to project through a different one of the plurality of holes and the wall covering, each support portion for supporting a separate towel rail bar.

According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a towel rail system including: the towel rail support of the first aspect, and a towel rail bar for mounting on the support portion of the mounting member of the towel rail support. The towel rail system is simple and quick to install on a tiled wall, and can be located in a number of different positions. The support for the towel rail, formed by the chassis and the mounting member, can be tiled over to provide a neat appearance.

The towel rail system may include: a heating element passing through the towel rail bar; and a cable for providing power to the heating element, and ending in a plug. The heating element may be configured to connect to the plug on the cable.

The towel rail bar may be arranged to fit over and be secured to the support portion of the mounting member.

The towel rail bar may be arranged to overlie one or two of the plurality of holes.

The towel rail bar may be arranged to overlie a first and second of the plurality of holes, the first and second holes adjacent to each other, and wherein, in use, the cable may pass through the first hole and the support portion of the mounting member passes through the second hole .

The towel rail may include a support for securing a second end of the towel rail bar to the wall, the support comprising a projection extending from the wall, the towel rail bar arranged to fit over the projection.

Where the towel rail support includes two or more mounting members, the towel rail system may include two or more towel rail bars. According to a third aspect of the invention, there is provided a wall including the towel rail system of the second aspect installed on the wall, wherein: the chassis is mounted on the wall; and the wall includes a base for a wall covering secured to the wall adjacent the chassis, a front face of the base being flush with the front face of the chassis.

The wall may further include a wall covering provided over the base and the front face of the chassis, wherein the towel rail bar is provided on the wall covering. The base for a wall covering may be cladding board, and the wall covering may be tiles.

The system may be provided in the form of a kit of parts for the towel rail of the second aspect.

According to a fourth aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of mounting a towel rail including: providing a chassis having a front face with a plurality of holes provided through the front face; providing a mounting member having an anchor portion and a support portion projecting from the anchor portion; securing the mounting member to the chassis, such that the support portion of the mounting member projects through one of the pluralities of holes; securing the chassis to the wall, such that a channel is formed between the front face and the wall, the anchor portion received in the channel; providing a power cable in the channel; passing a first end of the power cable through one of the plurality of holes, such that the cable passes from inside the channel to outside the channel; providing a base for a wall covering adjacent the chassis, the base being flush with the front face of the chassis; providing a wall covering over the base and the front face of the chassis, such that the support portion and cable project through the wall covering; securing a towel rail bar over the support portion; and connecting a heating element passing through the towel rail bar to the first end of the power cable .

The method provides a simple and quick way of installing a towel rail on a tiled wall, and can be used to install a towel rail in a variety of different positions. The method may include : providing the cable through a through passage formed in the mounting member, or through one of the plurality of holes, adjacent the hole that the support portion of the mounting member passes through. The method may include : securing a second end of the towel rail bar to the wall.

According to a fifth aspect of the invention, there is provided a towel rail support including: a chassis having: a front face, with a plurality of holes provided through the front face; and means for securing the chassis to a wall of a room, the means for securing the chassis arranged such that, in use: a channel is formed between the front face and the wall, the holes opening into the channel; and the front face is flush with a base for a wall covering; and a mounting member having: an anchor portion configured to be received in the channel; and a support portion configured to project through one of the plurality of holes and a wall covering, the support portion for supporting a towel rail bar.

It will be appreciated that any feature described in relation to any of the above aspects can also be applied to any of the other aspects. It will also be appreciated that the steps of any method described above may be performed in any suitable order.

The towel rail support, towel rail, and method of mounting a towel rail will now be explained, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 illustrates a plan view of a towel rail bar mounted on a tiled wall by a towel rail support;

Figure 2 illustrates an exploded plan view of the towel rail bar and a towel rail support; and

Figure 3 illustrates the front face of the chassis of the towel rail support.

Figures 1 and 2 illustrate the components of an electric heated towel rail 1. The towel rail 1 includes a towel rail bar 3, over which towels, or other items can be hung, and a towel rail support 5, for fixing the towel rail to a wall 7. Figure 1 shows the towel rail 1 fixed to the wall 7 in plan view. The towel rail support 5 includes a chassis 9, and a mounting member 1 1. The mounting member 1 1 is held in place by the chassis 9, and the towel rail bar 3 is in turn held in place by the mounting member 1 1.

The chassis 9 is formed from an elongate body, having a cross section as shown in Figures 1 and 2. The chassis 9 has of a planar front face 13, with side walls 15a, 15b extending from each of the elongate sides of front face 13, so that a space 19 is defined between the sidewalls 15a, 15b and the front face 13. Flanges 17a, 17b, extend from the side walls 15a, 15b, away from the space 19, and parallel to the front face 13.

Figure 3 shows a section of the chassis 9 from the front. Each of the flanges 17a, 17b has mounting holes 21. On the front face 13, a number of support holes 23 are provided down the centre of the face 13. The support holes 23 alternate between holes of a first size 23a, and holes of a second size 23b. Fixing holes 33 are provided either side of each support hole 23, in line with the centre of the support holes 23.

The chassis 9 is formed from metal, such as steel or aluminium, or a composite material.

The mounting member 1 1 is formed from an anchor portion 25, and a support portion 27. The anchor portion 25 is formed from a disc. The support portion 27 is in the form of a hollow cylindrical projection, extending away from the anchor portion 25. The anchor portion 25, includes a pair of fixing holes 29, on either side of the support portion 27. The spacing of the fixing holes 29 on the mounting member 1 1 is the same as the spacing of the fixing holes 33 on the front face 13 of the chassis 9. An aperture 3 1 in the anchor portion 25 is aligned with the hollow part of the cylindrical projection.

There are two different types of mounting member 1 1 , which can be used to support different size towel rail bars 3. The different types of mounting member 1 1 have the same size anchor portion 25. The projecting support portion 27 is the same length in both types of mounting member 1 1 , but the diameter of the support portion 27 is varied for co-operation with the different size support holes 23 and towel rail bars 3. The anchor portion is also formed of metal, such as steel or aluminium, or a composite material. The surface of the support portion 27 may be treated to improve a frictional grip on the towel rail bar 3.

In use, one or more towel rail bars 3 can be supported using the towel rail support 5. A mounting member 1 1 of the correct size is provided for each towel rail bar 3 to be mounted on. Depending on the desired number and spacing of towel rail bars 3, one or more chassis 9 may be used, and the chassis 9 may be cut to reduce its size .

The support portion 27 of each mounting member is then fitted through the correct size support holes 23 on the chassis 9, at the desired spacing of the towel rail bar 3. The anchor portion 25 is positioned so the fixing holes 29 in the anchor portion 25 align with the fixing holes 33 in the chassis 9, and machine screws or bolts 35 are used to fix the mounting member 1 1 to the chassis 9.

The chassis 9 is then fixed to the wall 7 using screw fixings 37 through the mounting holes 21 , and wall plugs 39 in the wall 7. The chassis 9 is mounted so that the front face 13 is spaced away from the wall 7, and the space 19 formed by the front face 13 and sides 15 forms a channel 45. A cable 41 is threaded from a mains supply (not shown) through the channel 45.

In one example, the cable 41 is provided through the mounting member 1 1. The cable 41 passes through the aperture 3 1 in the anchor portion 25, and through the hollow support portion 27. In another example, the cable 41 is threaded through the support hole 23 directly above or below the support hole 23 that the mounting member 1 1 is provided through.

The cable 41 ends in a plug 43. Each towel rail bar 3 has an associated cable 41 in the channel 45.

Once the chassis 9 is fixed to the wall 7, the wall 7 is covered with tile board 47, which can be used to provide a uniform surface for tiling. The depth of the sidewalls 15 of the chassis 9 is such that the front face 13 is flush with the tile board 47. The tile board 47 is fixed over the flanges 17, to minimise the gap between the front face 13 and the tile board 47, providing a near continuous surface .

The wall 7 is then tiled, using tiles 5 1 secured by adhesive 49. The tiles 5 1 are cut tight around the projecting support portion 27 of the mounting member 1 1. Where the cable 41 is provided through a separate support hole 23 to the mounting member 1 1 , the tile 5 1 is also cut around the cable 41.

The plug 43 of the cable 41 is then connected to a corresponding plug 53 on a heating element 55 passing through towel rail bar 3, and the towel rail bar 3 is located over the support portion 27 of the mounting member 1 1 , and pushed against the tile surface 5 1 , so it completely covers the support portion 27 of the mounting member 1 1. The towel rail bar 3 is secured to the mounting member 1 1 using machine screws 57, which press against the surface of the projection 27.

Optionally, a washer 57 may be provided over the support portion 27 of the mounting member 1 1 before the towel rail bar 3. The washer 57 allows the cutting of the tiles 5 1 to be less exact, as it covers a greater area of the tiles 5 1 than the towel rail bar 3. The towel rail bar 3 may be of any suitable shape or size in cross section, for example it could be rectangular or circular. It may also be any shape or size in plan and front view, and be any suitable construction. Typically, it will include a small portion 59 extending away from the wall 7, and then an elongate portion 61 extending parallel to the wall, in any direction, or at any angle . The elongate portion 61 may be the same cross section as the portion 59 extending away from the wall, or different cross section. The towel rail bar 3 may be a single bar, or multiple bars.

For embodiments where the cable 41 is threaded through a separate support hole 23 to the mounting member 1 1 , the towel rail bar 3 should cover the support portion 27 of the mounting member 1 1 , and the cable 41.

In some examples, the towel rail bar 3 is fixed at only one end. In other examples, the towel rail bar 3 is fixed at both ends. In these cases, the towel rail bar 3 will have a second portion (not shown) extending away from the wall, at the second end of the elongate portion 61. In some cases, the mounting system 5 described above is used at both ends, although the cable 41 is only provided at one end. In other cases, the mounting system 5 described above is used at one end, and a simple stud or other fixing means may be fixed to the wall at the second end, and the towel rail bar 3 fixed over the stud.

It will be appreciated that the towel rail 1 described above is given by way of example only.

The chassis 9 may be fixed to the wall in any other suitable manner. In some examples, the flanges 17a, 17b may be omitted. Instead, the chassis 9 is fixed to the wall through mounting holes 21 provided through the front face 13.

Furthermore, in the above examples there are two different size of support hole 23. However, in some examples, there may only be one size of support hole 23. In other examples, there may be more than two different sizes of support hole 23.

The fixing holes 33 and mounting holes 21 may be countersunk, to allow a smooth surface on the chassis 9. The chassis 9 and front face 13 may be formed of any suitable material, and may be any suitable size. The mounting holes 21 and fixing holes 33 may also be of any suitable size spacing, position and number. Similarly, there may be any suitable number of support holes 23, and any suitable spacing between support holes 23. The fixing holes 33 may also be of any suitable size and shape .

By way of example only, the chassis 9 is lm in length, and 1 10mm wide . The side walls are 12mm deep, and the front face 13 is 70mm wide . The larger support holes 23a have a diameter of 24mm, and the spacing between two large holes 23a, measured from the centre, is 50mm. The smaller holes 23b have a diameter of 15mm, and the spacing between two small holes 23b, measured from the centre, is also 50mm. The fixing holes 33 are spaced 24mm from the support holes 23 (either size), measured from the centre, and the spacing between fixing holes is 25mm, also measured from the centre. The fixing holes 29, 33, and mounting holes 21 are 6mm in diameter, and the mounting holes 21 are placed centrally along the width of the flanges 17a, 17b. In another example, the chassis 9 is again lm in length. The front face is 76mm wide, and the side walls are 8mm deep. The larger support holes 23a may have a diameter of 30mm, and the spacing between the support holes 23a, measured from the centre, is 62mm. The vertical spacing between the fixing holes 33, measured from the centre, is also 62mm.

In some examples, the support portion 27 may be detachable from the anchor portion 25 for example by screwing or separate fixings. Furthermore, in some examples, where the cable 41 is not provided through the mounting member 1 1 , the support portion 27 is not necessarily hollow and the anchor portion 25 does not include an aperture 3 1.

The surface treatment of the projecting support portion 27 is optional. Furthermore, the projecting support 27 may include holes to receive machine screws or fixings to secure the bar 3 to the projection 27.

There may only be one type of mounting member 1 1 , or more than two types . Different types of mounting member 1 1 may be used in different size support holes 23, or a single type of mounting member 1 1 may be used in any size support hole 23.

The mounting member 1 1 may also be any suitable size, and may be made from any material. In some examples, the diameter of the projection 27 may be smaller than the support hole 23. This may allow the cable 41 to be fed through the same hole 23 as the projection 27, but not through the projection 27.

The fixing holes in the mounting member 1 1 may be any suitable size and spacing, to match the fixing holes 33 in the chassis.

Again, by way of example only, the anchor portion has a diameter of 62mm and a depth of 2mm, and the projection has a length of 60mm. In the first type of mounting member 1 1 , the projection has a diameter of just below 24 mm, so that it forms a tight fit with the larger support holes 23a. In the second type of mounting member 1 1 , the projection has a diameter of just below 15mm, so that it forms a tight fit with the smaller support holes 23b. In another example, the projection may have a diameter of 14mm. The mounting member 1 1 may be fixed to the chassis 9 in any suitable manner. In some examples, the anchor portion 25 may include captive or blind bolts for the machine screws 35. In other examples, completely different fixing means, such as friction fit, snap fit, or interengaging projections may be used.

Any suitable means may be used to secure the towel rail bar 3 to the mounting member 1 1. For example, more or less machine screws 57 could be used. As with the means for fixing the mounting member 1 1 to the chassis 9, in other examples, completely different fixing means, such as friction fit, snap fit, or interengaging projections may be used.

There may be any number of towel rail bars 3. In some examples, there may only be one. However, in other examples, there may be two, three or more .

Any type of cladding board, such as plaster board, or any suitable means for raising the surface of the wall, may be used instead of tile board 47. The cladding board can be considered as a base for the tiles. The size of the side walls 15a, 15b may be varied for different size cladding boards 47, so the cladding board 47 is flush with the front face 13 of the chassis 9.

Alternatively, the chassis 9 may be mounted in a recess formed in the wall.

Any suitable wall covering may be used instead of tiles, such as, for example, wall paper, or plaster.

It will be appreciated that the method of mounting the towel rail 1 discussed above is also given by way of example only, and any suitable method may be used. In particular the order, of providing the mounting member 1 1 , fixing the mounting member 1 1 to the chassis 9, and fixing the chassis 9 to the wall may be carried out in any suitable order.

It will also be appreciated that the support 5 and method discussed above could be used with dual fuel type towel rails, or even water towel rails, if a water pipe is provided in the channel 45 formed by the chassis 9.