Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
8~l
SHOWER DOOR
This invention relates to doors. It particularly relates to doors
for showers or the like, althoLogh it is not limited thereto~
In tracked doors, the doors are normally supported by a frame.
The frame has several functions in terms of clearly defining the plane of shut
of the doors, and in the case of suspension doors, in terms of transferring the
weight of the doors, generally ohto the edge of a bath or shower stall. The
width of the frame is readily adjusted to accommodate bath enclosures of
different widths; it is not required to adjust the width of the doors as such, as
they are intended to overlap, and the degree of overlap is not of concern.
In hinged doors, particularly in folding doors of a frameless type,
the plane of shut of the doors is less readily defined. Since adjacent edges of
the doors are normally intended to be in abutment to provide a seal against
the escape of water, the varying widths encountered between the walls of bath
or shower enclo~ures such as are normally found create a problern for the
installation of this type of door. Additional problems are encountered where
the wall of the bath or shower enclosure is hollow; such walls cannot normally
withstand the stress created by the direct attachment of hinges to the hollow
sections thereof.
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Many ~ these pr oblems may be overcome by providing highly
engineered, expensive structure. However, this type of door would not then be
economically cc~rnpetitive with other door types.
In folding shower doors it is often desired that the folded door be
5storable either inwardly~ which is to say over the bath side thereof, or
outwardly, which is to say on the room side thereof. Known shower doors do
not appear to permit this choice.
It is a broad object of the invention to provide improvements in
folding doors.
10It is a further object of the invention to provide doors of the
foregoing type which are frameless.
It i9 a still further object of the invention to provide such doors
that may be easily secured to lightly structured walls.
It is another object of the invention to provide doors which have
15provision for adjustment as to the plane of shut, and as to the width of the
doors.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide doors of
modular component construction, and which are simply assernbled by unskilled
labour.
20It is still another object of the invention to provide folding doors
which may swing either inwardly or outwardly in an open position.
It is another object of the invention to provide an economically
competitive, easily installable shower door.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, a door comprises
25a vertically elongated panel having obverse and reverse faces. A pair of
vertically spaced apart tubular rails open at the laterally opposed ends thereofare disposed on the obverse face of the panel. A cap having a tongue is
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telescopically received within the tubolar rail to close each end thereof; a
plurality of caps at one lateral side of the panel include a hin~e element
portion which may for example combine wi~h an identical hinye element portion
of an adjacent p~nel and a hinge-pin to form a hinge for rotatably securing the
adjacent panels together. The caps are secured by fastening means insertible
into the tongue from the reverse face to retain the tonguP in its telescoped
position while simultaneously securing the rall to the panels.
Preferably, the panels are each provided with an upper and a
lower pair of relatively large openings therethrough, and the fastening means
includes a diametrically enlarged body portion closely surrounded by a panel
openings, and a stalk of reduced diameter in comparison to the body projecting
therefrom at one axial end thereof in axial alignment therewith. The stalk has
an enlarged end adapted to snap fit behind an opening in the tongue to thereby
retain the tongue in the telescoped position.
Desirably, the door includes at least one rail including a cap
therefor horizontally disposed on the reverse face of a panel in opposition to arail disposed on the obverse face thereof, and the fastening means, where used
for securing the opposed rails, includes a second stalk of reduced diameter
projecting from the other sxial end of the body in axial opposition to the firststalk, the second stalk also having an enlarged end adapted to snap fit behind
an opening in the tongue of the cap of the opposing rail.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a folding
door comprises a support column having a plurality of support elements of
adjustable length extending generally horizontally there~rom. A hinge means is
provided for rotatably supporting the door from each support element, such
hinge means including indexing means defining the plane of shut of the door.
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Preferably, the hinge means includes means For adjusting the
indexing means relative to the suppnrt elements.
Suitably the means for adjus~ing the indexing means includes a
sleeve rnounted in fixed relation to each support element, a bushing mounted in
the sleeve in interfering fit therewith, and means for rotating the bushing
relative to the sleeve.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a frameless
shower door comprises a pair of hingedly interconnected panels, each panel
comprising a pair of parallel, transversely spaced apart axially elongated
sheets interconnected by a plurality of axially extending spacer walls to form
a hollow structure, and a resilient gasket extending about the periphery of
each panel to provide a seal therearound. The sasket has in transverse
cross-section a U shape in which the bight portion of the U shape is hollow, to
thereby ~prnvide~. a readily. compressible sealing .surface between adjacent
panels.
Preferably~ the panels are hingedly interconnected by
demountable hinges, and the hinyes are secured to the panels by means which
delocalizes the stress forces over a relatively wide area of said panel.
The foregoing objects, aspects and advantages, together with
others that will be explained or which will occur to those skilled in the art,
will become apparent frorn a consideration of the following description of a
preferred ernbodiment thereof, taken in conjunction with the accornpanying
drawings.
FIGURE 1 - shows a shower donr constructed in
25 ` accordance with the invention, as seen from
the left, upper obverse face;
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FIGURE 2 - is similar to Figure 1, but shows the door
f~om the r~verse face;
FIGURE 3 - shows the right hand half of the door of
Figure 1, exploded to reveal detail;
FIGURE 4 - shows the upper portion of one of ths door
,oanels and hinge portion, exploded to reveal
detail;
FIGURES 5, 6 and 7 are views taken on lines 5-5, 6-6 and
7-7 respectively of Figure 1 in the direction of
the arrows with Figure 5 being
foreshortened;
FIGURE 8 - is a side elevational view of a single ended
fastener;
FIGURE 9 - is a side elevational view of a double ended
fastener;
FIGURE 10 - i3 a side elevational view of a hinge-pin;
FIGURE 1I- is a mid section taken through a hinge
support element;
FIGURE 12 - is an elevational view of a bushing used with
the hinge support element of Figure 11;
FIGURE 13- is a plan view of the bushing of Figure 12,
and
FIGURE 14- is a section on line 14-14 of Figure 4.
Referring to the drawings in detail, a shower door is identified
25 generally therein by the numeral 10. Door 10 comprises a right hand section 12
and an left hand section 14. These sections 12,14 are mirror images; most of
the components of which the sections are comprised are ~ymmetric, and are
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used on both the left hancl and right hand sections, herlce door 10 will be
described with reFerence to only one section. Those components that are
asymetric will be defined.
Section 12 comprises a pair of paneis 16,18, with panel 16
locating nearest to a support for the section. As illustrated in Figure 1, the
major surface of panels 16 and 18 is identified as the obverse face 20, and the
opposed major surface as reverse face 22. The obverse face is considered in
this embodiment to be outward facing, which is to say outwardly of a bath or
shower to be enclosed by door 10. However, this arrangement is somewhat
arbitrary, and the reverse face could equally be outwardly facing. Panels 16,18
10 have longitudinal edges 24,26 28,30.
On the obverse facs of panels 16,18 there is horizontally disposed
an upper, box like tubular rail 32, a lower rail 34 and a mid rail 36, these rails
being of generally identical cross section, and open at each axial end thereof.
Rails 32 and 34 are each closed at the end thereof adjacent panel edge 30 by
an end cap 38, and rail 36 by an interlock cap 40. Rails 32, 34, 36 are closed
at the ends thereof adjacent the other longitudinal panel edges by hinge caps
42. Caps 3B, 40, 42 each include a rail closure portion 44 at one end thereof
and a tongue 46 projectiny therefrom having a rece3~ed opening 4B
therethrough. Tongues 46 are snugly receiveable in the respective ends of rails
20 32, 34, 36 each have openings 50 on the face thereof contacting obverse face
20 of panels 16,18, in register with tongue opening~ 48. Panels 16,18 are
provided with a plurality of openings 52 therein, in register with openings 48
and 50. Rails 32 and 34 are fastened to panels 16,18 by the use of single
ended connectors 54. Connectors 54 comprise a relatively large head 56, a
body 58 which is snug fit in a panel opening 52, and a stalk 60 which is of
reduced diametric dimension in comparison with body 58, and which is coaxial
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therewith. StaJk 60 terminates with a tip 62 having a diametric dirnension
interlnediate that Df body 58 and stalk 60. An axially aligned slot 63 is
provided in ~ip 62 and stalk G0. Rail openings 50 are dirnensioned to permit thefree passage of Rp 62, while recessed tongue openings 4B are adapted to
capture the tip upon it being forced therethrough under pressure. In this
manner hinge caps 42 are secured to panels 16,18 so as to delocalize the
forces transmitted to the pansls over a relatively wide area, and thereby
reduce the incidence of stress cracking of the panels, which may thus be
relatively light structured~ Mid-rails 36 serve an additional purpose as handlesfor door 1û, and for this purpose a similar mid-rail 36' is fastened to the
reverse face 22 of panels 16,18 in opposition to rail 36. Double ended
connectors 64 are provided for this purpose; such connectors comprise a body
58' from which there projects coaxially at each side thereof a stalk 60' having
a tipped end 62', which are slotted at 63' in an analagous arrangement to
single ended connector 54. Rail 36' is closed with snd caps 38 at the ends
thereof adjac0nt the hinged panel edges 24,26,28 and by an~ interlocking cap 4û
at the end thereof adjacent the non-hinged panel edge 3û.
Hinge cap 42 includes a cup 66 having a vertical axis which is
forwardly offset from the plane of tongue 46, so as to locate the hinge axis in
2û a plane more remote from both the obverse face 2û and the reverse face 22 of
panel 16. It will be appreciated that hinge caps 42 have an asymmetry, and
that the corresponding hinge caps used in the left hand section 14 will be a
mirror image of those used in the right hand section. Cup 66 has a rim 68
which locates in the medial axial horizontal plane of a rail into which a hinge
25 cap 42 is secured, whereby the hinge caps locating at adjat ent panel edges
26,28 will have their rims 68 in abutment and the rails in horizontal alignment.Adjacent hinge caps are mated by a hinge-pin 70 having an upper end 72 which
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is an interference fit in upper cup 66, and a lower ~nd 74 which is ftsely
rota~able in a lower cwp 66, so as to hingedly interconnerted panels 16,1B in a
dernountable manner. Hinge-pins 70 cc~uld equally be reversed, which is to say
the interfering end 72 thereof could be located in a lower cup 66, and the
5 freely rotatable end 74 in an upper cup.
Rim 68 is provided with a pair of opposed V notches 77 therein
located on a diameter of cup 66 such that the notches of mating cups are
coincident when panels 16,18 are in their shut coplanar position. Hinge-pin 70
is provided with a pair of diametrically opps)sed projections 7a having a square
10 on-edge cross section; the interfering end 72 of hinge-pin 70 is located in a
cup 66 with projections 78 seated in notches 76, so as to be in register
th0rewith, the notches of the opposed cup then providing a seating for
projections 78 when the panels are in the shut position, to thereby provide an
index for the door.
Panels 16,18 suitably comprise a hollow construction formed by
spaced apart major surfaces presenting themselves as obverse and reverse
faces 2n,22 interconnected by spacer strips 80, conveniently molded as a
unitary sheet extrusion. Panels l6,l8 are planar in the upper portions thereoF,
but it will be remarked that the lower portion is rearwardly downwardly
20 inclined at 90 to direct water flowing down the reverse face 22 of door lû
inwardly into a bath or shower pan. Panels 16,18 are sealed about their
periphery with a resilient gasket 92 which has a U shaped cross-section. The
bight portion 94 of the gasket i8 hollow at 96, thereby perrnitting the abutting
faces of the gaskat between adjacent panels 16,1~, and also between adjacent
25 sections 12,14, to be easily compressed and sealed together when door 10 is
shut, so as to restrict the passage of water between the panels. Sùch
compression is facilitated by locally reducing the wall thickness of gasket 96
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in the bight portion 9~ and adjacent thereto, as at 9B. A breathing channel lO0
is formed in the inner wall of gasket 92 defining bight portion 94.
I~oor 10 further comprises a support column lOn which presents a
relatively large surface area for the convenient securement of the column to a
5 hollow support wall, using standard fixing techniques. The lower end of support
column 100 will normally abut the edge of a bath or a shower pan, thereby
receiving much of the load formed by the weight of the door carried by the
support column. Door support rods 102 are provided which screwingly connect
to support column lûO, whereby the effective length of the support rods may
10 be easily varied.
Mounted on the distal end of each support rod 102 and secured
thereto by a machine screw ln3 is a hinge element 104 comprising a saddle 106
and a sleeve 108 having a vertical axis offset from the plane containing the
support rod in a direction opposed to the offset of cups 6~, which is to say in
15 a direction towards obverse face 2û. Sleeve 108 has a somewhat larger axial
opening therein than cup 66, and accommodates a bushing 110 in interfering fit
therewith. Bushing 110 has the same internal diameter as cup 66, and a rim
112 which mounts an opposed rirn 6a of a cup. Rim 112 has a first pair of
diametrically opposed V notches 114 therein, and a second pair of V notches
20 116 in a diameter orthogonal to that on which the first psir reside. A
hinge-pin 70 interconnects sleeve lOa and its mating cup 66, with the
projections 78 seated in notches 114. Sleeve 108 has a pair of flats 118 on the
external wall thereof adjacent rim 112, to permit the sleeve t~ be rotated
about its axis by a wrench. Accordingly, the plane of shut of door 10 can be
25 easily adjusted relative to the horizontal angle of support column 100 and any
enclosure wall to which it is secured~
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Voor 10 further includes a side panel 12n, one longitudinal edge
of which is floating and i9 recessed in a contiouous slot l22 provided in
support column 100. l he opposed longitudinal edge of side panel 120 is
supported from the distal ends of suppor~ rods lû2 by a baffle 124 which
connects to the support rods by machine screws 126, screwed axial bores being
provided in the support rods for this purpose. The floating arrangement thus
permits the adjustment in length of support rods 102 to be automatically
accommodated. Accordingly, the oversll width of door 10 may be regulated to
provide for differently sized wall enclosures to which the doors are to be
fitted, and also to accomrnodate variations in the verticality of the walls and
support columns lOû secured thereto.
While the door indexing means provided by V notches 76 and 114,
and coacting projections 78 on hinge-pin 70 defines the plane of shut of door
10 reasonably well, small variations are magnified over the width of the door,
and this makes it desirable to provide an interlock for sections 12 and 14.
Interlock caps 40 are formed with a claw 130 extending therefrom in a
direction opposed to tongue 46 on one lateral side of the cap, so as to overlap
an adjacent panel whsn door 10 is closed. Each pair of panels 12,14 along the
longitudinal edge 30,30L thereof remote from a support column is provided
with a similar pair of claws 130 which together retain the door 10 in a closed
position.
In order to permit panel 1~ to overlay panel 16 when door 10 i9
opened, the width of panel 18 is made somewhat less than that of panel 16.
The offset of panels 16,18 from support rods 102 perrnits panels 16,18 when in
their folded po3ition, to rotate inwardly, in which position they would project
over a bath or shower pan, or outwardly, in which position they would project
outwardly frorn the bath or shower pan, in 1~0 opposition to their inwardly
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rotated position. When in either the inwardly or outwardly rotated position
door 10 will be retained in position by the indexing means provided by V
notches l 16 formed on bushing llO.
While the invention has been described in relation to a presently
preferred embod;ment thereof, such ernbodiment is exemplary only and not
5 limitative of the inv~?ntion. Many departures to the described structure will
occur to those skilled in the art, and it is intended that these fall within the
scope of the claims appended hereto.
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