AU2005232332B2 - Shower Screen Arrangements - Google Patents

Description

AUSTRALIA Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT ORIGINAL Name of Applicant: Allen House Mirror & Glass Pty Limited Actual Inventor: Allen Joseph HOUSE Address for Service: FRASER OLD & SOHN Patent Attorneys Level 6, 118 Alfred Street MILSONS POINT NSW 2061 Invention Title: Shower Screen Arrangements Details of Basic Application(s): Australian Provisional Patent Application No. 2004 906 528 Filed 15 November 2004 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me.

2 Field of the Invention The present invention relates to the doors for shower recesses and, in particular, to sliding doors for such recesses. 5 Background of the Invention Because tiled areas such as bathrooms are relatively expensive to fabricate, the area of such bathrooms is normally kept to a minimum. Because of the small size of bathrooms, sliding doors are popular for shower recesses since they utilize a minimum of space in that the arc through a pivoting door must swing, is not required. 10 Furthermore, sliding doors are able to be fabricated from panels of standard sizes and fitted into a relatively wide range of shower recess openings. This is because so long as the opening is less than some predetermined maximum dimension, the difference in the opening width can be accommodated by the degree of overlap of the doors. 15 The most common arrangement is to have three panels, one of which is fixed and two of which slide so that the available door width through which the person showering may enter or leave the shower recess approaches two thirds of the width of the shower recess. The alternative is to have a single fixed panel and a single sliding panel in which case the maximum door width available for the person entering or leaving the 20 shower recess approaches only half of the width of the shower recess. For a variety of reasons, the panels of shower screen doors are traditionally fabricated from glass. The term "glass" is used herein is understood to include not only conventional glass but also substitutes for glass such as Perspex or polycarbonate. 25 Some of the reasons for this choice of material include a desire for the panel to be translucent or transparent so that other family members can tell whether the shower recess is occupied, the inert nature of glass in that it is completely impervious to moisture, is easily able to be cleaned, and so on. 30 However, glass suffers from the disadvantage that it is relatively difficult to physically secure fixtures to glass. The traditional way of securing a fixture is to use a fastener such as a screw, preferably with a self tapping thread. However, such screws are unable to be used with glass. As a consequence, in order to attach the sliding panels, in particular, to the overhead rail which supports the sliding panels, it has been 3111E-AU 3 necessary to provide a peripheral frame for each of the panels made from extruded aluminum channel section. The frame is glued to the glass and an aluminum plate is fixed by means of screws or bolts to the frame and projects above the upper edge of the sliding panel. A roller or wheel assembly is then fixed to the plate and runs in a 5 track formed in the overhead rail. Thus, the upper edge of the sliding panel is normally below the lower edge of the rail. A pair of such plates and roller assemblies are provided and the panel "hangs" from the two aluminum plates. These plates also enable the left-right tilt of the panel to be adjusted so that it runs smoothly on the overhead rail. 10 The lower edges of the panels are constrained by a glide mechanism to run in a slot in a base rail positioned on the hob of the shower recess. Again, the glide mechanism is traditionally secured to the frame by means of screws or like fasteners. 15 Although extruded aluminum is relatively inexpensive, the total perimeters of the three panels when added together constitutes a substantial lineal extent. It would be desirable, if possible, to save on the cost of this aluminum by eliminating it as much as possible. In addition, elimination of the aluminum frame would provide an aesthetically more pleasing arrangement. 20 Object of the Invention It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide shower screen arrangements which enable the above described aluminum frame to be in large part avoided. 25 Summary of the Invention In accordance with the first aspect of the present invention there is disclosed a frameless 2 or 3 panel shower screen having a fixed panel and 1 or 2 sliding panels respectively, the or each of said sliding panels being fabricated from glass and having 30 a pair of horizontally spaced apart through apertures positioned adjacent the upper edge of the panel, each of said apertures having a support member for a roller assembly passing therethrough, and a head rail positioned above said panels and providing a track for said roller assemblies. 3111E-AU 4 In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention there is disclosed a head rail for a frameless 2 or 3 panel shower screen having a fixed panel and 1 or 2 sliding panels respectively, said sliding panels each having a pair of roller assemblies positioned adjacent, but below, the top edge of the panel, said head rail having an 5 inverted U or V shaped configuration with two opposed side walls, a track for said roller assemblies being formed on the interior of at least one of said side walls, and the arch formed by said head rail having an extent sufficient to accommodate said roller assemblies and said sliding panel top edge(s) whereby said roller assemblies are obscured from view. 10 In accordance with a still further aspect of the present invention there is disclosed a base rail for a frameless 2 or 3 panel shower screen having a fixed panel and 1 or 2 sliding panels respectively, said base rail comprising a base dimensioned to sit on a hob of a shower recess, and 2 or 3 upwardly directed channels, the outermost one of 15 said channels being shaped to receive said fixed panel, and the or each remaining channel having an upwardly directed slot dimensioned to receive a glide member fixed to a lower edge of the corresponding sliding panel, said remaining channel(s) overhanging said base and each having at least one drainage opening therein located to the interior of said hob, whereby shower water entering said remaining channel(s) 20 via said slot(s) can drain via said opening(s) into the shower recess. Brief Description of the Drawings Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the drawings in which: 25 Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a U-shaped shower recess having a three panel sliding door in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a perspective view of an L-shaped shower recess having a three panel sliding door in accordance with the second embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the arrangements for mounting 30 the roller assemblies on the sliding panels, Fig. 4 is a similar exploded perspective view but illustrating the arrangements at the lower edges of the panels, Fig. 5 is a vertical cross-sectional view through a two panel sliding door in accordance with a further embodiment of the present invention, 3111 E-AU 5 Fig. 6 is a vertical cross section similar to Fig. 5 but illustrating the embodiment of Figs. 3 and 4, Fig. 7 is a vertical cross-sectional view through the lower edge of a sliding panel of a still further embodiment, 5 Fig. 8 is a top view of the sliding door of Fig. 3, and Fig. 9 is an end view of an alternative head rail for the sliding panels of Fig. 3. Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments As seen in Fig. 1, a U-shaped shower recess 1 has a pair of opposite walls 2 which are 10 spanned by a head rail 3, and a base rail 4 which is mounted on a hob 5. Between the head rail 3 and base rail 4 is installed a three panel sliding door 6 which has a single fixed panel 7 and two sliding panels 8, 9. It will be observed that the three panels 7, 8 and 9 are essentially frameless and present a pleasing aesthetic appearance to the observer. 15 An alternative embodiment in the form of an L-shaped shower recess 10 is illustrated in Fig. 2. It will be seen that the head rail 3, base rail 4 and hob 5 are all substantially L-shaped and that two fixed panels 7 are provided. The sliding panels 8, 9 are as before. 20 The arrangements for mounting the sliding panels are best illustrated in Figs. 3 and 6. In Fig. 3 it will be understood that the arrangements at the upper edge and adjacent the right-hand side of each of the sliding panels 8, 9 are illustrated and that an equivalent arrangement is provided adjacent the upper edge and at the left-hand side of each of 25 the panels 8, 9 but is obscured from view in Fig. 3. Adjacent each upper corner of the sliding panel 8, 9 is mounted a roller assembly 13. The assembly 13 is mounted in a "figure of eight" aperture 14 which is formed by cutting two overlapping holes through the corner of the sliding panels 8, 9. The assembly 13 is formed from two opposing plates 15, 16. The plate 15 carries a "figure of eight" shaped boss 17 which 30 is a neat frictional fit with the aperture 14, whilst the plate 16 carries two hollow cylindrical protrusions 18. 3111E-AU 6 Each of the plates 15, 16 is provided with an inclined slot 20. The assembly 13 includes a stepped stub axle 21 on which is rotatably mounted a roller or wheel 22. Three screw fasteners 24, 25 and 26 complete the arrangement. 5 As schematically illustrated in Fig. 3, the "figure of eight" boss 17 is pressed into the aperture 14 from one side of the panel 8, 9 and the cylindrical protrusions 18 are forced into correspondingly shaped central openings (not illustrated in Fig. 3) in the boss 17. The fasteners 24 and 26 are then screwed into the cylindrical protrusions 18 in order to clamp the two plates 15, 16 against the panel 8, 9. Then the stepped stub 10 axle 21 is pushed through the two slots 20 and clamped in position by means of the fastener 25 passing into the axle 21. By moving the position of the axle 21 relative to the slots 20 prior to finally securing the fastener 25, the height of the stub axle 21 relative to the upper edge of the panel 8, 9 can be adjusted. This allows the left-right tilt of the panels 8, 9 to be adjusted. As best appreciated from Fig. 6, the orientation 15 of the roller assemblies 13 on the panel 8 is opposite to that on the panel 9. As also seen in Figs. 3 and 6, the head rail 3 is provided with a downwardly directed channel 28 which receives the fixed panel 7 and two upwardly directed channels 29 which each form a track for the rollers 22. As best appreciated in Fig. 6, the base of 20 the upwardly directed channels 29 is preferably curved so as to provide a surface which mates with the circumference of the rollers 22. The channels 29 are located on opposite side walls 31, 32 of the head rail 3 which has an arched roof 34 thereby providing the head rail 3 with an inverted U or V-shaped appearance. 25 It will be best appreciated from Fig. 6 that the arrangement of the head rail 3 and apertures 14 means that the upper edges of the sliding panels 8, 9 are located well within the head rail 3 and these upper edges, and the roller assemblies 13 are obscured from view by the side walls 31, 32 of the head rail 3. 30 A modified form of head rail 33 is illustrated in Fig. 5 for use with a two panel sliding door 60 having a single fixed panel 7 and a single sliding panel 8 as illustrated in Fig. 5. The side wall 31 of the head rail 33 is as before, however, the side wall 32 of the head rail 33 is absent the upwardly directed channel 29 since there is no need for a second track for the head rail 33. 3111 E-AU 7 The arrangements at the lower edges of the panels 7, 8 and 9 are illustrated in Figs. 4 7. As illustrated in Fig. 5, the base rail 40 for the two panel door 60 is provided with a flat base 41 which rests on the hob 5. An upwardly directed channel 42 receives the 5 fixed panel 7 and is therefore located on the exterior side of the base rail 40. Located on the interior side of the base rail 40 is a drainage channel 44 which has an upwardly opening slot 45 in its inclined upper surface 46. The stem 48 of a Y-shaped member 49 is retained in the slot 45 and prevents the sliding panels 8, 9 from moving sideways relative to the hob 5. As indicated by broken lines in Fig. 4, the Y-shaped members 10 49 can be of substantially the same left-right dimension as each of the panels 8, 9, or can be relatively short members as illustrated in Fig. 4 in solid lines. It is apparent that the base rail 40 is fabricated from extruded metal, preferably aluminum. After being fabricated, a series of drainage holes 51 are drilled into the 15 drainage channel 44 to permit water which enters the drainage channel 44 via the slot 45 to drain back into the shower recess 1, 10. In this connection it is apparent that the drainage channel 44 overhangs the base 41 and thus also overhangs the hob 5. Furthermore, the drainage hole 51 is obscured from the view of a person showering in the shower recess 1, 10. 20 The modification to the base rail 40 required for two sliding panels 8, 9 is illustrated in Figs. 4 and 6. The base rail 54 illustrated in Figs. 4 and 6 has the base 41 and upwardly directed channel 42 as before. However, a second drainage channel 55 is provided for the sliding panel 9 which is positioned above the drainage channel 44 for 25 the sliding panel 8. The drainage channel 55 has a slot 45 in the same manner as the slot 45 of the drainage channel 44, both slots 45 being formed in the sloping upper surface 46. It will be apparent that any water falling whilst showering on the inner surfaces of the 30 panels 7, 8 and 9 will flow downwardly and impinge upon the upper surface 46. Thereafter the water flows over the surface 46 and into either one of the slots 45. The base rail 54 is also extruded from metal, preferably aluminum, and in a single drilling operation, two drainage holes 51 and 52 are able to be simultaneously drilled 3111E-AU 8 into the base of the drainage channels 44, 55. As a consequence, water entering into the drainage channel 55 drains via the drainage hole 52 into the drainage channel 44. This water and water draining directly into the drainage channel 44 via its slot 45, are able to exit the base rail 54 via the drainage hole 51. 5 If the Y-shaped member 49 is fabricated from aluminum, this results in the aluminum stem 48 gliding within the slots 45 also formed from aluminum which can result in substantial wear and also excessive noise. In order to overcome this problem, it is desirable to fabricate the Y-shaped member 49 so as to have a plastic stem 48 and this 10 is illustrated in Fig. 7. The stem 48 is fabricated from a T-shaped member 59 which is preferably adhered to the lower edge of the sliding panel 8, 9 and retained in position by two opposed L-shaped aluminum brackets 57 which are also to the panel 8, 9. If desired, the T-shaped member 59 and L-shaped brackets 57 can extend along the entire length of the lower edge of the sliding panels 8, 9 in order to provide increased 15 strength for the stem 48. Alternatively, the T-shaped member 59 and L-shaped brackets 57 can be only of a short length as illustrated in Fig. 4 in relation to the Y shaped members 49. A number of substantial advantages flow from the above described arrangements. 20 Firstly, the prior art peripheral frame for the sliding panels 8, 9 (in particular) can be eliminated. As a consequence, the panels 7, 8 and 9 are frameless and have an improved aesthetic appearance. Furthermore, the roller assemblies 13 are both hidden from view within the head rail 3, 33 and are securely fixed to the panels 8, 9. As a consequence, the weight of panels 25 8, 9 is well supported and the rolling action is easy with there being good clearance between the Y-shaped members 49 and the upper surface 46 of the base rail 4. In addition, good drainage is provided by means of the drainage holes 51, 52 and any soap scum, loose hairs and like detritus which may protrude from the drainage hole 51 30 is obscured from the view of a person showering in the shower recess 1, 10. Furthermore, the base rail 40, 54 can be fabricated easily from extruded aluminum and the sloping surface 46 provides a convenient footrest and a relatively smooth and unobstructed surface which is aesthetically pleasing. 3111 E-AU 9 Referring to Fig. 8, there is shown a top view of the roller mounting assembly of the sliding door 8 of Fig. 3. As can be seen, the roller assembly 13 is formed from opposing plates 15 and 16. As in the case of Fig. 3, the plate 15 includes a boss 17 in the shape of a "figure of eight" which fits in the aperture 14 in the panel 8. The plate 5 16 includes two spaced apart cylindrical projections 18 which are retaining received by the plate 15. Although not shown in Fig. 8, each plate 15 and 16 includes an inclined slot (numeral 20 in Fig. 3) and a roller wheel 22 is rotatably mounted to the assembly 13 via an axle 10 21. In this embodiment, screw fasteners are used and the boss 17 is pressed into the aperture 14 from one side of the panel 8, 9 and the cylindrical protrusions 18 are forced into correspondingly shaped central openings (not illustrated in Fig. 3) in the boss 17. The fasteners 24 and 26 are then screwed into the cylindrical protrusions 18 in order to clamp the two plates 15, 16 against the panel 8, 9. Then the stepped stub 15 axle 21 is pushed through the two slots 20 and clamped in position by means of the fastener 25 passing into the axle 21. By moving the position of the axle 21 relative to the slots 20 prior to finally securing the fastener 25, the height of the stub axle 21 relative to the upper edge of the panel 8, 9 can be adjusted. This allows the left-right tilt of the panels 8, 9 to be adjusted. As best appreciated from Fig. 6, the orientation 20 of the roller assemblies 13 on the panel 8 is opposite to that on the panel 9. Referring now to Fig. 9, there is shown an alternative embodiment of the head rail 3. The head rail 3 includes a downwardly facing channel 28 configured to receive the fixed panel 7. Two upwardly directed channels 29 are configured to form a track for rollers 22, and are radiussed or curved to best facilitate engagement with the rollers 25 22. One channel 29 is located on each side wall 31 and 32. The head rail 3 includes an arched roof 34 providing an inverted U-shaped appearance. The foregoing describes only some preferred embodiments of the present invention and modifications, obvious to those skilled in the art, can be made thereto without 30 departing from the scope of the present invention. The term "comprising" is used herein is used in the inclusive sense of "including" or "having" and not in the exclusive sense of "consisting only of'. 3111 E-AU

Claims (14)

1. A frameless 2 or 3 panel shower screen having a fixed panel and 1 or 2 sliding panels respectively, the or each of said sliding panels being fabricated from glass and having a pair of horizontally spaced apart through apertures positioned adjacent the upper edge of the panel, each of said apertures having a support member for a roller assembly passing therethrough, and a head rail positioned above said panels and providing a track for said roller assemblies.

2. The shower screen according to claim 1 wherein said head rail has an inverted U or V shaped configuration with two opposed side walls, a track for said roller assemblies being formed on the interior of at least one of said side walls, and the arch formed by said head rail having an extent sufficient to accommodate said roller assemblies and said sliding panel top edge(s) whereby said roller assemblies are obscured from view.

3. The shower screen according to claim 1 or 2 and having a base rail comprising a base dimensioned to sit on a hob of a shower recess, and 2 or 3 upwardly directed channels, the outermost one of said 2 channels being shaped to receive said fixed panel, and the or each remaining channel having an upwardly directed slot dimensioned to receive a glide member fixed to a lower edge of the corresponding sliding panel, said remaining channel(s) overhanging said base and each having at least one drainage opening therein located to the interior of said hob, whereby shower water entering said remaining channel(s) via said slot(s) can drain via said opening(s) into the shower recess.

4. The shower screen according to any one of claims 1-3 wherein said head rail is straight.

5. The shower screen according to any one of claims 1-3 wherein said head rail is substantially L-shaped and includes two fixed panels.

6. A head rail for a frameless 2 or 3 panel shower screen having a fixed panel and 1 or 2 sliding panels respectively, said sliding panels each having a pair of roller assemblies positioned adjacent, but below, the top edge of the panel, said head rail having an inverted U or V shaped configuration with two opposed side walls, a track for said roller assemblies being formed on the interior of at least one of said side walls, and the arch formed by said head rail having an extent sufficient to accommodate said roller assemblies and said sliding panel top edge(s) whereby said roller assemblies are obscured from view.

7. The head rail according to claim 6 wherein said track comprises an upwardly opening trough.

8. The head rail according to claim 7 wherein the base of said trough has a curved profile to match a circular wheel or roller. 3111E-AU 11

9. A base rail for a frameless 2 or 3 panel shower screen having a fixed panel and 1 or 2 sliding panels respectively, said base rail comprising a base dimensioned to sit on a hob of a shower recess, and 2 or 3 upwardly directed channels, the outermost one of said channels being shaped to receive said fixed panel, and the or each remaining channel having an upwardly directed slot dimensioned to receive a glide member fixed to a lower edge of the corresponding sliding panel, said remaining channel(s) overhanging said base and each having at least one drainage opening therein located to the interior of said hob, whereby shower water entering said remaining channel(s) via said slot(s) can drain via said opening(s) into the shower recess.

10. The base rail according to claim 9 and extruded with a constant cross-sectional shape, said drainage opening(s) being formed by drilling said rail after extrusion thereof.

11. The base rail according to claim 9 or 10 and having an upper surface which slopes downwardly towards said shower recess.

12. A frameless 2 or 3 panel shower screen being substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

13. A head rail for a frameless 2 or 3 panel shower screen, said head rail being substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

14. A base rail for a frameless 2 or 3 panel shower screen, said base rail being substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Dated this 14 'h day of November 2005 ALLEN HOUSE MIRROR & GLASS PTY LIMITED By FRASER OLD & SOHN Patent Attorneys for the Applicant 3111 E-AU