EP0749716A1

EP0749716A1 - A method for installing a bath tub, and support device to be used therewith

Info

Publication number: EP0749716A1
Application number: EP96201719A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Robert Van Den Hoed; Deborah Nas; Michiel Oudakker; Tim Selders
Original assignee: J van Walraven BV
Current assignee: J van Walraven BV
Priority date: 1995-06-21
Filing date: 1996-06-20
Publication date: 1996-12-27
Also published as: NL1000625C2

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for installing a bath tub and the like, wherein a four points support structure is formed to support the bottom of the bath tub. According to the invention use is made of at least two supports, each comprising a supporting leg to be positioned against a wall, with a bracket mounted thereto for vertical adjustment, a supporting arm extending from said wall being pivotally mounted to said bracket about a horizontal axis, said supporting arm having at its free end an adjustable supporting foot, said supports being applied with the respective supporting legs against the mounting wall, said brackets being then adjusted at the desired height, after which the bath tub is put onto the two supporting arms extending from said mounting wall and the bath tub is finally set by adjusting the supporting feet at the free ends of the support arms at the correct height.

Description

The invention relates to a method for installing a bath tub and the like, wherein a four points support structure is formed to support the bottom of the bath tub. More particularly "bare" bath tubs are envisaged rather than so-called whirl pool baths which are equipped with a support frame in the manufacturing process.
When installing bath tubs, which are often designed to be built in, the usual procedure comprises the initial step of inverting the bath tub at the installing site so as to attach an assembly of four adjustable supporting legs (which is supplied in addition with the bath tub) onto the underside of the tub bottom, the latter being usually strengthened by a core of wood. As an example of a supporting leg assembly reference is made to DE-U-9420783. Apart from the circumstance, that the available space for such a procedure is usually far too small, the proper adjustment of the bath tub thus provided with a support assembly is a difficult and time consuming job. For those of the supporting legs which become located adjacent the wall are mostly hardly accessible for repeated adjustments.
It is an object of the invention to meet this advantage of the usual method.
Accordingly the method proposed by the invention is characterized in that use is made of at least two supports, each comprising a supporting leg to be positioned against a wall, with a bracket mounted thereto for vertical adjustment, a supporting arm extending in a direction away from said wall being pivotally mounted to said bracket about a horizontal axis, said supporting arm having at its free end an adjustable supporting foot, said supports being applied with the respective supporting legs against the mounting wall, said brackets being then adjusted at the desired height, after which the bath tub is put onto the two supporting arms extending from said mounting wall and the bath tub is finally set by adjusting the supporting feet at the free ends of the support arms at the correct height.
The method according to the invention avoids the need for the bath tub to be initially placed upside down for fastening an assembly of adjustable supporting legs thereunder. The necessary adjustments adjacent the mounting wall may be carried out before placing the bath tub and hence in a simple manner, whereas the adjustments which are still necessary after placing the bath tub may be carried out at easily accessible locations, viz. at the freely accessible front side of the tub.
According to a further feature of the invention a vibration damping and thus sound absorbing support is obtained by applying a vibration damping layer of rubber or similar material between the supporting arms and the bottom of the bath tub.
The invention also relates to a support for use when installing a bath tub against a wall, comprising a supporting leg adapted for placement against a wall and provided with a longitudinally adjustable bracket, a supporting arm extending from said wall being pivotally mounted to said bracket about a horizontal axis, said supporting arm having at its free end an adjustable supporting foot.
In a preferred embodiment the supporting arm is provided with a self-adjusting seating surface. A support device thus constructed assures, that when supporting a bath tub on a set of two of such support devices, a uniform support is obtained under all circumstances.
In a practical embodiment the self-adjusting seating surface is constituted by the web of an inverted channel section, that is straddlingly placed with internal clearance on top of the supporting arm, the opposite flanges of said channel iron being provided at each end with mutually aligned slots, wherein the slots at one end are placed symmetrically and at an angle relative to those at the other end and said slots engaging guide pins which extend from the opposite vertical sides of the supporting arm and have their axes positioned in a common plane.
The supporting device according to the invention may be advantageously combined with a bracket for supporting the usually inverted U-shaped edge of the bath tub, e.g. the bracket forming the subject of the Dutch Patent Application no. 1000626 filed the Applicants on the same date.
The invention will be hereinafter further explained by way of example with reference to the drawing.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of two mutually spaced supports according to the invention, for supporting a bath tub thereon;
fig. 2 is an enlarged side view of a support according to fig. 1 and
fig. 3 shows an enlarged perspective view of a detail of a support according to fig. 1.

The supports shown in fig. 1 and 2 each comprise a supporting leg 1 to be applied against the mounting wall. In the example shown the supporting leg is in the form of a sliding rail channel section that is closed at its lower end by a foot la that rests on the floor and is made of rubber or similar material.
A bracket 2 is mounted for adjustment along the supporting leg 1. A nut 3 is slidably mounted within the space of the sliding rail channel section and cooperates with a screw bolt 5 to be inserted through a hole 4 in the bracket. A supporting arm 6 is pivotally mounted to the bracket 2 about a horizontal axis 7. A threaded rod piece 8 is provided adjacent the free end of the supporting arm 6 and a foot 9 to be coated by vibration damping material is screwed on said rod piece.
10 designates a self-adjusting seat member that has an inverted U-shaped cross-section and straddles the supporting arm 6 with internal clearance. A pair of slots 12 is provided in the two opposite flanges 11 of the seat member 11 adjacent each end of the same, said pairs of slots being positioned symmetrically and at an angle (of 90° in the example shown in the drawing) relative to one another. Guide pins 13, having their axes positioned in a common plane, extend from both sides of the supporting arm 6 and through said four slots. The guide pins may be constituted by bolt/nut assemblies extending through the supporting arms 6. Under the heads and nuts of these assemblies slide pieces may be provided to slide within the slots.
The guide pin/ slot connections 12, 13 allow the self-adjusting seat member 10 to carry out a certain swinging movement on the respective supporting arm, whereby one end of the seat member is moving with the respective pair of slots on the respective guide pins downwardly, while the opposite end of the bearing member is moving upwardly through the same distance.
The seat members of two supports mounted in spaced relationship will thus automatically and mutually adjust themselves when a bath tub is placed onto the two seat members, so that a uniform seating of the bath tub is secured under all circumstances. The seating members are covered at the seating side with a vibration damping material 18.
Furthermore, in the example shown in the drawing, the upper end of the supporting leg 1 is adapted to support the generally inverted U-shaped upper edge of the tub. For this purpose a downwardly extended version of the tub edge supporting and fastening device according to Dutch Patent Application No. 1000626 of the Applicants is applied onto the upper end portion of the supporting leg 1. The latter device is designated at 15 and its channel section embraces the upper end portion of the sliding channel section of the supporting leg 1. For a detailed description of the device 15 reference is made to said patent application.
The adjustable connection between the supporting leg 1 and the tub edge supporting device 15 is formed by a screw bolt 16 that may be inserted through a hole in the channel section of the device 15 and screwed into a second nut 17 that is slidably received in the space of the sliding channel section of the supporting leg 1.

Claims

Method for installing a bath tub and the like, wherein a four points support structure is formed to support the bottom of the bath tub, characterized in that use is made of at least two supports, each comprising a supporting leg to be positioned against a wall, with a bracket mounted thereto for vertical adjustment, a supporting arm extending in a direction away from said wall being pivotally mounted to said bracket about a horizontal axis, said supporting arm having at its free end an adjustable supporting foot, said supports being applied with the respective supporting legs against the mounting wall, said brackets being then ad-justed at the desired height, after which the bath tub is put onto the two supporting arms extending from said mounting wall and the bath tub is finally set by adjusting the supporting feet at the free ends of the support arms at the correct height.
A method according to claim 1, characterized in that a vibration damping layer of rubber or similar material is provided between the supporting arms and the bottom of the bath tub.
A support for use when installing a bath tube or the like against a wall, comprising a supporting leg adapted for placement against a wall and provided with a longitudinally adjustable bracket, a supporting arm extending from said wall being pivotally mounted to said bracket about a horizontal axis, said supporting arm having at its free end an adjustable supporting foot.
A support according to claim 3, characterized in that the supporting arm is provided with a self-adjusting seating surface.
A support according to claim 4, characterized in that the self-adjusting seating surface is constituted by the web of an inverted channel section that straddles the supporting arm with internal clearance, the opposite flanges of said inverted channel section being provided at each end with opposite slots, the slots at one end being positioned symmetrically and at an angle relative to those at the other end, guide pins being provided which extend from the opposite vertical sides of the supporting arm, have their axes positioned in a common plane and are each engaging one of said slots.
A support according to claims 3-5, characterized in that the supporting leg is adapted at its upper end as a bracket for the inverted U-shaped upper edge of a bath tub.
A support according to claim 6, characterized in that said bracket is constituted according to the claims of Dutch Patent Application No. 1000626 of the same date.