EP1520501A2

EP1520501A2 - Shower box

Info

Publication number: EP1520501A2
Application number: EP03104991A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Cosimo Secco
Original assignee: Vismaravetro Srl
Current assignee: Vismaravetro Srl
Priority date: 2003-09-30
Filing date: 2003-12-30
Publication date: 2005-04-06
Also published as: EP1520501A3

Abstract

A shower cabinet comprises a space defined by side walls (5, 6). Advantageously, a dividing partition (8) defining together with a portion (9) of the said side walls an area (4a) which is protected from any spray is inserted within the space (4), the said dividing partition (8) being supported within the space (4) in which it can move from an operating position in which it forms the said protected area (4a) with the said portion (9) of the side walls and a retracted position in which access is possible to the said protected area (4a), and vice versa.

Description

This invention relates to a shower cabinet according to the precharacterising clause of claim 1.
As is known, these days the use of showers has become much more widespread than that of baths, because of the smaller dimensions of a shower cabinet in comparison with a bath and for reasons of practicality. In fact the time required to take a shower is very much less than that necessary to fill a bath and wash.
It should however be pointed out that users complain of the nuisance of catching cold after a shower, especially during the cold season, when they have to leave the shower cabinet when still wet in order to dry themselves. In addition to this the operation of opening the shower cabinet door to reach for a towel or a bathrobe is not an operation which offers the user any protection from draughts and undesirable air flows.
There is therefore a greatly felt need to make it possible for users to shower without catching cold and avoiding undesirable feelings of coldness after taking one.
The solution often adopted in these circumstances, particularly by more elderly persons, is that of heating the room in which the shower cabinet is installed, for example by switching on electrical warmers or air heaters.
However this solution is unsatisfactory because of the greater energy consumption and the time which the operation of heating the bathroom requires. Also not negligible is the fact that the presence of electrical equipment, like a heater, in close proximity to the shower cabinet is itself anything but recommendable and safe for the user.
The problem underlying this invention is that of devising a shower cabinet which has structural and functional characteristics such as to satisfy the abovementioned requirement while at the same time overcoming the disadvantages mentioned with reference to the known art.
This problem is resolved by a shower cabinet in accordance with the features in claim 1.
Further features and advantages of the shower cabinet according to this invention will be apparent from the following description of some preferred embodiments thereof provided by way of a non-restrictive indication with reference to the appended figures, in which:

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a shower cabinet according to the invention,
Figure 2 shows a plan view of the shower cabinet in Figure 1,
Figure 3 shows a plan view of the shower cabinet in Figure 1 in a different operating configuration,
Figure 4 shows a plan view of a shower cabinet according to the invention in accordance with a variant embodiment.

With reference to Figures 1 to 3, 1 indicates as a whole the shower cabinet according to the invention in accordance with one possible embodiment.
Shower cabinet 1 illustrated in the drawings is of the comer type, that is suitable for installation in the comer of a bathroom.
Shower cabinet 1 is installed on a shower pan 2 fitted with a drain 3 and comprises a space 4 defined by side walls which extend vertically. In the example the side walls comprise two masonry walls 5, more specifically 5a and 5b, and a plurality of side panels 6. Side panels 6 comprise two side panels 6a which are connected together by an intermediate panel 6b which in the example considered is curved in such a way as to match the front edge of shower pan 2 through its corresponding curved profile.
In a wholly conventional way side panels 6 extend vertically from an upper edge of shower pan 3 and are supported by a loadbearing frame 7 which comprises two uprights 7a fixed to masonry walls 5 and a lower connecting cross-member 7b which extends between the two uprights 7a. Frame 7 may also comprise an upper cross-member which confers greater rigidity upon the loadbearing frame structure itself.
The two side panels 6a are supported by frame 7 in such a way as to be fixed. Intermediate panel 6b is hinged along one vertical side to one of fixed side panels 6a so as to form a door through which it is possible to gain access to the interior of shower cabinet 1, or space 4.
Side panels 7 may be constructed of glass, sheets of plastics material and the like, in such a way as to be more or less transparent according to need and the aesthetic finish required.
As an alternative to what has been described above, the side panels may differ in number and shape according to need and the aesthetic appearance which the shower cabinet should have. Thus, for example, in the case of a square shower having three masonry walls it is obvious that it will be possible to have only one side panel located on the front side of the shower, this panel also performing the function of an access door to the shower cabinet.
Furthermore, the shower cabinet may be wholly constructed with side panels of glass, plastics material and the like, such as for example in the case of a shower cabinet which is not intended to be backed by masonry walls.
For simplicity, and as it is not necessary for an understanding of the invention, the conventional devices with which a shower cabinet is provided, such as taps, the hot and cold water mixer and so on are omitted from the drawings. In Figure 2 spray head 13 for the delivery of water is indicated by dashed lines.
Advantageously, shower cabinet 1 comprises a dividing partition 8 inserted within space 4 to define, together with a portion 9 of the side walls of the shower cabinet itself, a protected area 4a which is protected from any spray. As shown in Figure 2, area 4a which is protected from spray is bounded by dividing partition 8 and the two comer portions, 5a and 5b respectively, of masonry walls 5 which constitute aforesaid portion 9.
Advantageously, dividing partition 8 is supported within space 4 in such a way that it can be moved from an operating position (Figures 1 and 2), in which it forms protected area 4a together with the aforesaid portion 9 of side walls 5a and 5b, and a protected position (Figure 3) in which access to the protected area is possible. For this purpose shower cabinet 1 comprises guide and support means 10 which are capable of supporting dividing partition 8 and allowing it to move between the operating position and the retracted position, and vice versa.
In the example guide and support means 10 comprise a track 11, located at the top of shower cabinet 1, and a plurality of slides 13, numbering two in the example, which are slideably associated with track 11 and are connected to dividing partition 8 in order to support it.
Preferable track 11 is supported by two opposite side walls of shower cabinet 1, in the example masonry wall 5b and a side panel 6a. It is possible to provide other forms or means for fixing the track while not changing the latter's feature of being supported conveniently so that it can in turn slideably support dividing partition 8.
In connection with dividing partition 8 it should be pointed out that this does not need to be supported or guided from the bottom, although it is however possible to do this.
As shown in the Figure, track 11 takes the form of a cylindrical rod on which two slideable handles acting as slides 12 are mounted.
Preferably track 11 extends parallel to masonry side wall 5a of shower cabinet 1 at a predetermined distance bounded by the same, for example 20 - 25 cm. Dividing partition 8 therefore faces masonry side wall 5a and is at a distance from it.
Advantageously, the width L of dividing partition 8 is less than the width of masonry side wall 5a so that dividing partition 8 can be slideably moved along track 11 between the operating position (Figure 1) in which it prevents access to area 4a which is protected from the spray and the retracted position (Figure 2) in which access can be gained to that area. Purely by way of example track 11 and masonry wall 5a which constitutes the part of the side walls of shower cabinet 1 have a dimension of 80 cm, while the dividing partition has a width of 40 cm.
The portion of the side walls of shower cabinet 1 which bounds protected area 4a is equipped with clothes hanging means 14 capable of supporting towels, bathrobes and clothing. In the example masonry wall 5a comprises two clothes hangers 14 positioned in such a way as to be protected from the delivery of water by dividing partition 8 with respect to shower head 13 when the dividing partition is in the operating position (Figures 1 and 2).
Clothes hangers 14 make it possible to hang a bathrobe, a towel and/or clothing within space 4, more specifically within the protected area 4a thereof, while the user is washing without these becoming wet from the water spray issuing from shower head 13 delivering water.
Advantageously, masonry wall portion 5 which does not bound protected area 4a can be equipped with brackets, shelves and the like to support soap, bottles and sponges.
Dividing partition 8 may also be constructed in a different manner from that described above. Thus, for example, with reference to Figure 4, dividing partition 8 may comprise a plurality of panels, two in number in the example and indicated by 8a and 8b respectively. Panels 8a and 8b are associated with one another in such a way as to form a hinged concertina wall which can move between an extended position (represented by the continuous line in Figure 4) and a folded position (represented by the dashed line in Figure 4) in which dividing partition 8 is in operating position and an unfolded position respectively.
As an alternative the dividing partition may comprise a plurality of flat parallel panels associated together in such a way that they can move with respect to each other in a corresponding straight seat in the track.
Furthermore it is possible to use two curvilinear or straight dividing partitions which can move along curvilinear guides.
Movement of the dividing partition may also be a rotatory and translational movement or a rotation instead of the translational movement considered above.
When shower cabinet 1 is in use, the user may gain access to space 4 through door 6b. Advantageously, the user may gain access to shower cabinet 1 whilst still closed, for example while wearing a bathrobe, and equipped with a towel.
Subsequently, after the dividing partition has been moved to the extended position (Figure 3) the user can undress and hang the bathrobe and the towel on clothes hangers 14.
After having returned dividing partition 8 to the operating position (Figure 2) the user can cause water to be delivered from shower head 13 without any danger of the bathrobe and the towel becoming wet.
After finishing the shower and having returned the dividing partition to its open position the user can dry himself and get dressed without any need whatsoever to open the door 6b of shower cabinet 1, thus at the same time avoiding catching cold and dripping over the exterior.
As may be appreciated from what has been described, the shower cabinet according to this invention makes it possible to satisfy the abovementioned requirement and at the same time overcome the disadvantages mentioned in the introductory part of this description.
Another advantage of the shower cabinet according to this invention lies in the possibility that the shape and dimensions of the dividing partition, and those of the guide support means can be adapted to the special functional and/or aesthetic needs of an individual shower cabinet.
Obviously a person skilled in the art may in order to satisfy contingent and specific requirements apply many modifications and variants to the shower cabinet described above, all of which are however included within the scope and protection of the invention as defined by the following claims.

Claims

Shower cabinet comprising a space defined by side walls, characterised in that it comprises a dividing partition (8) inserted within the said space (4) to define together with a portion (9) of the said side walls an area (4a) which is protected from any spray, the said dividing partition (8) being supported within the said space (4) in such a way as to move from an operating position in which it forms the said protected area (4a) with the said portion (9) of the side walls and a retracted position in which access to the said protected area (4a) is possible, and vice versa.
Shower cabinet according to claim 1, comprising guide and support means (10) to support the said dividing partition (8) and to allow it to move between the operating position and the retracted position.
Shower cabinet according to claim 1 or 2 in which the said guide and support means (10) comprise a track (11), the said dividing partition (8) being moveably associated with the said track (11).
Shower cabinet according to claim 3, in which the said track (11) is positioned at the top of the said dividing partition (8).
Shower cabinet according to any one of claims 1 to 4, in which in the said operating position the said dividing partition (8) substantially faces said portion (9) of the side walls at a predetermined distance from the said portion (9) in order for towels, bathrobes and/or clothing to be housed within the said protected area (4a).
Shower cabinet according to claim 5, in which the said dividing partition (8) is a solid panel which is moveably supported along the side wall of the shower cabinet, the width of the dividing partition (8) being less than the width of the said side wall.
Shower cabinet according to claim 5, in which the said dividing partition (8) comprises a plurality of panels (8a and 8b) associated with each other in such a way as to constitute an articulated wall which can move between an unfolded position and a folded position in which the dividing partition (8) is in the operating position and the unfolded position respectively.
Shower cabinet according to claim 5, in which the said dividing partition comprises a plurality of parallel panels alongside each other in such a way that one can move with respect to another.
Shower cabinet according to any one of claims 1 to 5, in which the said side walls comprise a masonry wall (5a, 5b).
Shower cabinet according to any one of claims 1 to 6, in which the said side walls comprise one or more side panels (6a, 6b).
Shower cabinet according to any one of claims 1 to 10, in which the said portion (9) of the side walls is equipped with clothes hanging means (14) capable of supporting towels, bathrobes and/or clothing within the protected area (4a).