Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02622043 2008-02-21
METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR
ATTACHING GRAB BAR TO WALL FLANGE
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to a bar that is utilized in bathrooms, such as a grab
bar
for example, where the bar is installed to have an unobstructed front face.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Grab bars are utilized in bathroom applications to provide support for an
individual during exit or entry in a bathtub or shower, for example. Typical
grab
bars include a linear/straight body member that is spaced apart from, and
parallel to,
a wall. The grab bar has end mounts that extend toward the wall such that the
grab
bar can be mounted to the wall. In some configurations, the linear/straight
body
member may include angled portions such that the grab bar can be gripped at
different orientations.
These known grab bars are typically installed using an end mount assembly
at each end of the bar to provide a two-point mount configuration. In one
known
example, in order to securely attach the grab bar to the wall, through holes
are
machined at each end of the body member. The through holes extend entirely
through the body member from a front facing side to a wall facing side. The
end
mount assemblies include fasteners, which are installed in these through holes
to
secure the body member to the wall. Covers or caps are then used to cover the
through holes on the front facing side. Such caps and covers do not provide a
smooth, uninterrupted surface, and as such, are not aesthetically pleasing.
Thus, there is a need to provide a more aesthetically pleasing two-point
mount configuration that can still securely attach the grab bar to the wall
without
adversely affecting overall cost.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A grab bar for use in a bathroom structure such as a shower or tub, for
example, includes a mount assembly having a sleeve, a base flange, and a set
screw.
The mount assembly is generally hidden from view from a front side and allows
the
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grab bar to be secured to a wall mount surface without affecting a front
facing
surface of the grab bar.
In one example, the sleeve is attached to a wall facing side of the grab bar.
The base flange has a base portion to be associated with the wall mount
surface and
a wall portion extending outwardly from the base portion. Once the sleeve is
attached to the grab bar, and once the base flange is attached to the wall
mount
surface, the sleeve is then received over the wall portion of the base flange
in an
overlapping relationship. The set screw is then used to secure the sleeve to
the base
flange.
In one example, the sleeve includes a first central bore and the base flange
includes a second central bore that is aligned with the first central bore.
The wall
portion of the base flange comprises a first wall that extends partially
around the
second central bore and a second wall that extends partially around the second
central bore. The first and second walls are separated from each other by an
air gap.
In one example, each of the first and second walls includes a threaded hole.
The set screw is inserted through a wall of the sleeve and into the first and
second
threaded holes to secure the sleeve and the base flange together.
In one example, only one of the first and second walls includes a threaded
hole. The set screw is inserted through a wall of the sleeve and into the
single
threaded hole to secure the sleeve and the base flange together.
In one example, the first wall includes a threaded hole and the second wall
includes an opening that receives an insert. The set screw is inserted through
a wall
of the sleeve and into the threaded hole until a distal end of the set screw
is received
within the insert.
The subject grab bar mount assembly and method of attaching the grab bar to
a bathroom wall surface provides a secure attachment interface while
additionally
providing an aesthetically pleasing appearance for a front facing side of the
grab bar.
These and other features of the present invention can be best understood from
the
following specification and drawings, the following of which is a brief
description.
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 is a schematic view of a grab bar with first and second mount
assemblies for attachment of the grab bar to a bathroom wall structure.
Figure 2 is an enlarged perspective view of one mount assembly for a grab
bar.
Figure 3 is an exploded view of one mount assembly.
Figure 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the mount assembly of Figure
3.
Figure 5A is a side view of an insert used in the mount assembly of Figure 4.
Figure 5B is an end view of the insert of Figure 5A.
Figure 5C is a cross-sectional side view of the insert of Figure 5A.
Figure 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of another example of a mount
assembly.
Figure 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view of another example of a mount
assembly.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
A grab bar 10 for attachment to a bathroom wall structure 12 is shown in
Figure 1. The grab bar 10 includes first 14 and second 16 ends. Mounting
assemblies 18 are positioned near each of the first 14 and second 16 ends such
that
the grab bar 10 can be secured to the bathroom wall structure 12 in a two-
point
mount configuration. In the example shown in Figure 1, the grab bar 10 is a
generally straight configuration; however, the grab bar 10 could include one
or more
angled portions (not shown) or could have a non-linear configuration, such as
an
oval shape that is partially shown in Figure 2.
The grab bar 10 is formed from a body structure that includes a wall facing
side 20 and a front facing side 22 that is opposite the wall facing side 20.
Each
mounting assembly 18 is attached to the wall facing side 20 such that the
front
facing side 22 comprises a continuous, uninterrupted and unobstructed surface.
As
such, the mounting assemblies 18 are generally hidden from view from a front
side
such that the front facing side 22 of the grab bar 10 provides an
aesthetically
pleasing appearance.
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Each mounting assembly 18 includes at least a base flange 24, a sleeve 26,
and a set screw 28. The set screw 28 is used to secure the sleeve 26 to the
base
flange 24. This will be discussed in greater detail below. Before the set
screw 28 is
installed, the sleeve 26 is first attached to the wall facing side 20 of the
grab bar 10
to form a grab bar and sleeve assembly. The sleeve 26 is installed onto the
wall
facing side 20 of the grab bar 10 by inserting a fastener 30 into a threaded
post
portion 32 of the sleeve 26 as shown in Figure 3. A washer 42 may also
optionally
be used in the assembly.
Next, the base flange 24 is attached to the wall structure 12 with a fastener
34 and washer 36 as shown in Figure 3. Because the base flange 24 is a
separate
piece from the grab bar 10, it is important to provide a proper way to help re-
align
the base flange 24 to the grab bar 10 during installation. This is
accomplished by
providing an alignment notch 38 in the base flange 24 as shown in Figure 2.
Once the base flange 24 is attached to the wall structure 12, and once the
sleeve 26 is attached to the grab bar 10, the sleeve 26 is then slid over the
base
flange 24. Finally, the set screw 28 is inserted through an access hole 40 in
the
sleeve 26 and is threaded into the base flange 24 to secure the sleeve 26 and
grab bar
10 to the base flange 24.
The sleeve 26 and base flange 24 are shown in greater detail in Figure 4.
The base flange 24 has a base portion 44 that is associated with the wall
structure 12
and a wall portion 46 that extends outwardly from the base portion 44. An o-
ring 48
is associated with the base portion 44 to provide a sealed interface at the
wall
structure 12. The base flange 24 also includes a central bore 50 that has an
axis Al
that is perpendicular to a surface of the wall structure 12. The central bore
50 is also
concentric to an outer diameter of the base portion 44 and the o-ring 48. This
assures a uniform distributed load over an entire surface of the o-ring 48
once the
fastener 34 is installed.
As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the wall portion 46 of the base flange 24 is
comprised of a first wall 46a that extends partially about the central bore 50
and a
second wall 46b that extends partially about the central bore 50. In the
example
shown, the first 46a and second 46b walls are curved members that are
separated
from each other by an air gap 52. The air gap 52 allows material to be removed
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from the mount assembly 18 without having any significant reduction in overall
strength of the attachment joint, which accordingly provides a cost reduction.
Further, the air gap 52 allows the second wall 46b to flex slightly during
tightening
of the set screw 28. This will be discussed in greater detail below.
The sleeve 26 also includes a central bore 60 that is aligned with the central
bore 50 of the base flange 24, and as such, also has an axis A2 that is
perpendicular
to a surface of the wall structure 12. The sleeve 26 includes a wall with an
outer
surface 62 and an inner surface 64 that defines the central bore 60. When the
sleeve
26 is installed onto the base flange 24, the first 46a and second 46b walls
are
inserted into the central bore 60 of the sleeve 26 in an overlapping
relationship, such
that an outer surface of the wall portion 46 contacts or abuts against the
inner surface
64 of the sleeve 26. The access hole 40 extends through the wall of the sleeve
26 as
shown in Figure 4.
In the example of Figure 4, the first wall 46a includes a first threaded hole
70
that is aligned with the access hole 40 in the sleeve. The second wall 46b
includes
an opening 72 that receives an insert 74. The first threaded hole 70 and the
opening
72 are axially aligned with each other along a direction that is perpendicular
to the
axis Al. The set screw 28 is inserted through the access hole 40 and is
threaded into
the first threaded hole
70 until a distal end 76 of the set screw 28 is received within the insert 74.
During assembly, reaction forces are such that the first wall 46a is forced
against the inner surface 64 of the sleeve 26. Conversely, the set screw 28,
which is
being threaded through the first threaded hole 70, is forced against a conical
shaped
inside face 78 (Figure 5C) of the insert 74.
In one example, the insert 74 (Figures 5A-5C) comprises a brass insert that is
press-fit into the opening 72 in the second wall 46b. The insert 74 has an
outside
face with a plurality of grooves cut at right angles to form a diamond pattern
80 as
shown in Figure 5B. These grooves, i.e. the grooves forming the diamond
pattern
80, engage with the inner surface 64 of the sleeve 26 as indicated at 82. Once
the set
screw 28 is fully tightened, the diamond pattern 80 becomes slightly embedded
into
the inner surface 64 and locks the entire assembly from movement.
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Another example of a wall portion configuration of the base flange 24 is
shown in Figure 6. This example is similar to that of Figure 4 but instead of
using
an insert, two threaded holes are utilized. As such, the first wall 46a
includes the
first threaded hole 70 and the second wall 46b includes a second threaded hole
90,
which is aligned with the first threaded hole 70.
The reaction forces are such that the first wall 46a is forced against the
inner
surface 64 of the sleeve 26. Further, during assembly, while the set screw 28
is
being threaded through the first 70 and second 90 threaded holes, the distal
end 76 is
forced against the inner surface 64 of the sleeve 26 as indicated at 92. In
one
example, the point style of the set screw 28 is oval in shape to eliminate
high stress
concentrations on the inner surface 64 of the sleeve 26 that would be
generated by
using other point styles. As the set screw 28 is tightened, the second wall
46b flexes
slightly toward the first wa1146a and locks the set screw 28 in place, which
prevents
set screw movement during normal use.
Figure 7 shows another example of a wall portion configuration for the base
flange 24. This example is similar to Figure 6 but uses only one threaded hole
instead of two threaded holes. As such, the first wall 46a includes the first
threaded
hole 70 and the second wall 46b does not include any holes or openings. The
reaction forces during assembly are such that the first wall 46a is forced
against the
inner surface 64 of the sleeve 26. Further, the set screw 28 is threaded
through the
first threaded hole 70 and is forced against an inner surface 100 of the
second wall
46b. As the set screw 28 is further tightened, the second wall 46b flexes
outwardly
and comes to rest on the inner surface 64 of the sleeve 26, indicated at 102,
which
secures the assembly from movement.
Each mounting configuration allows the grab bar 10 to be installed into a wet
environment with a two-point mount configuration. The concentrically placed
mounting fastener 34 provides even pressure on the o-ring seal. Further, the
use of
the separate sleeve and base flange combination allows for a clean,
obstruction free
front face of the grab bar, which is aesthetically pleasing. Additionally, the
use of
two walls separated by an air gap provides a cost saving without adversely
affecting
strength of the assembly.
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Although a preferred embodiment of this invention has been disclosed, a
worker of ordinary skill in this art would recognize that certain
modifications would
come within the scope of this invention. For that reason, the following claims
should be studied to determine the true scope and content of this invention.
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