Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02638548 2008-08-07
SHOWER DOOR TRACK
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
The invention relates to shower doors and, more particularly, to tracks
provided on the
shower frame to allow displacement of the shower doors.
2) Description of the Prior Art
Rectangular ccshowers typically have slidable shower doors along the longest
length of
the shower. The showers doors are held in a rail at the top and the bottom of
the
shower and a handle is provided on the door(s) to slide them and create a
passageway
to enter the shower. They can alternatively have hinged doors which open
towards the
exterior of the shower. Rectangular showers are typically provided within a
bathtub and
take up considerable space in the bathroom.
Corner showers, adapted to be installed in a corner of the room, typically
have hinged
doors which open toward the exterior of the shower, thereby creating a
passageway to
enter the shower. Corner showers are more space-efficient since they only take
up a
typically vacant space in the bathroom. However, the hinged door requires a
considerably large empty space facing the corner shower.
In some corner showers, there are two fixed panels and two sliding panels
forming
doors which are held in a rail or track at the top and the bottom of the
shower and a
handle is provided on the door(s) to slide them and create a passageway to
enter the
shower. Other corner showers have four sliding panels with two fixed panels
for wide
and easy central access to the shower. The four sliding panels are provided as
two
hinged panels for each side and the opening is created in the middle. Rollers
are
typically mounted on the sliding panels and are inserted in the rail or track.
Corner
showers can have a round frame or an angled frame.
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In prior art doors, the shower frame is typically made of aluminum. When
bending the
aluminum tracks to create the round track portion for the round corner shower,
care
must be taken since the aluminum may bend in inappropriate directions under
the
pressure, especially if a strong angle (small radius) is wanted. This crimping
of the rail
impedes the proper displacement of the shower doors via the rollers.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
One aspect of the invention provides a shower door track for a shower having
at least
one displaceable door panel. The shower door track comprises a longitudinal
exterior
track portion having an exterior surface, an interior surface and at least one
exterior
connector; a longitudinal interior track portion having an exterior surface,
an interior
surface, a displacement channel for receiving a displacement assembly
connected to
the door panel and at least one interior connector; the interior connector
being
engageable with a corresponding one of the exterior connector to secure the
exterior
track portion to the interior track portion to form the shower door track.
According to a general aspect, there is provided a shower door track for a
shower,
comprising: a first track member having at least one first connector; and a
complementary second track member having at least one second connector
engageable with the at least one first connector for securing both track
members
together and having at least one panel displacement assembly receiver for
slidably
receiving a panel displacement assembly therein.
According to another general aspect, there is provided a shower comprising: at
least
one slidable door panel having a panel displacement assembly mounted thereto;
and a
shower frame having at least one door track for slidably mounting the at least
one door
panel to the shower frame, the at least one door track having an exterior
track member
having at least one exterior connector and a complementary interior track
member
having at least one interior connector engageable with the at least one
exterior
connector for securing both track members together and having at least one
panel
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displacement assembly receiver for slidably receiving the panel displacement
assembly
therein.
According to a further general aspect, there is provided a shower frame kit,
comprising:
a first track member having at least one first connector; a complementary
second track
member having at least one second connector engageable with the at least one
first
connector for securing both track members together and having at least one
panel
displacement assembly receiver for slidably receiving a panel displacement
assembly
therein.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Further features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent
from the
following detailed description, taken in combination with the appended
drawings, in
which:
Fig. 1 comprises Fig. 1 A and Fig. 113, wherein Fig. 1 A shows a round corner
shower
having two fixed panels and four sliding panels and Fig. 1 B shows an angled
corner
shower having two fixed panels and two sliding panels;
Fig. 2 comprises Fig. 2a and Fig. 2b, wherein Fig. 2a shows a round corner
shower in
which the sliding panels are in the closed position and Fig. 2b shows the
corner shower
of Fig. 2a with the sliding panels in the open position;
Fig. 3 comprises Fig. 3A and Fig. 3B, wherein Fig. 3A shows a track used in a
round
corner shower and Fig. 3B shows a track used in an angled corner shower;
Fig. 4 comprises Fig. 4A and Fig. 4B, wherein Fig. 4A is a side perspective
view of a
double roller of the prior art inserted in the prior art rail of a corner
shower frame and
Fig. 4B is a side perspective view of the sliding panel inserted in the top
and bottom
prior art rails of a corner shower frame using the double roller of Fig. 4A at
the top and
single rollers of the prior art at the bottom;
Fig. 5 shows the integral piece which forms the track header of the prior art;
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Fig. 6 shows an embodiment of the two-piece track header comprising Fig. 6A
and Fig.
6B, wherein Fig. 6a is the exterior portion of the track header and Fig. 6B is
the interior
portion of the track header;
Fig. 7 shows the assembled two-piece header of Fig. 6A and Fig. 6B forming a
rail in
which is inserted a prior art roller;
Fig. 8 comprises Fig. 8A, Fig. 8B and Fig. 8C, wherein Fig. 8A shows an
alternative
embodiment of the exterior portion of the track header with a locking plug and
Fig. 8B
shows an alternative embodiment of the interior portion of the track header
with a
locking clip and Fig. 8C shows the assembled two-piece header of Fig. 8A and
Fig. 8B
forming a rail;
Fig. 9 comprises Fig. 9A and Fig. 9B, wherein Fig. 9A shows an alternative
embodiment
in which the exterior portion of the track header does not have any C-shaped
portions
and Fig. 9B shows the assembled two-piece header which uses the exterior
portion of
Fig. 9A;
Fig. 10 comprises Fig. 10A, Fig. 10B and Fig. 10C which show examples of
alternative
embodiments for the C-shaped portion of Fig. 6B; and
Fig. 11 comprises Fig. 11A, Fig. 11 B, Fig. 11 C and Fig. 11 D, wherein Fig.
11A shows
an alternative embodiment of the exterior portion of the track header which
has a central
locking plug and an extrusion at each end, Fig. 11 B and Fig. 11 C each are a
complementing half of the interior portion of the track header with
complementing
extrusions at one end and a half of a locking clip at the other end, and Fig.
11 D shows
the assembled three-piece header.
It will be noted that throughout the appended drawings, like features are
identified by
like reference numerals.
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The track header of a preferred embodiment is made of at least two pieces
which are
held together using connectors. The separation of the track into at least two
pieces
which can be assembled into one track allows bending of the exterior piece of
the track
to a required angle without deforming the track.
Fig. 1A shows a round corner shower 10 having two fixed panels (front walls)
12 and
four sliding panels (doors) 14. In this round corner shower, the walls and
doors are
made of glass in an aluminum frame and are translucid. As shown in Fig. 2, the
four
slidable panels (doors) 14 are adapted to be rolled in a closed position (Fig.
2A) and in
an open position (Fig. 2B) by being guided in top 16 and bottom 18 round
tracks using
double rollers 20 and single rollers 22. The user uses door frame 24 to slide
the doors.
The shower can further have two back walls 26 making up the corner which are
typically
affixed to existing walls 19 of the room. These back walls can be omitted if
the existing
walls of the room are covered in an appropriate water-proof material, such as
tiling, for a
shower. If they are omitted, appropriate seals should be provided at the
junction of the
fixed walls of the shower with the existing walls. The corner shower has a
bottom
recipient 11 for draining the water. The shower can have a roof (not shown) or
can be
roofless. Fig. 1 B shows an angled corner shower having two fixed panels 12
and two
sliding panels 14'. The sliding panels 14' are guided in top 16' and bottom
18' angled
tracks.
In the preferred embodiment illustrated in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, the total height
of the
shower could vary between 170 cm to 185 cm. The sliding panels of the doors
could
have a height which varies between 175 cm to 170 cm. All the glass panels used
for
these doors could vary from 3 mm to 10 mm of thickness. The width of the
shower can
vary from 32 in to 42 in.
Fig. 3A shows a track 16 used in a round corner shower and Fig. 3B shows a
track 16'
used in an angled corner shower. The round track 16 comprises three portions,
namely
two straight portions 16A (a right-side insert and a left-side insert) and one
curved
portion, namely curved front side insert 16B. The track 16 has an exposed
surface 30
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on the exterior of the shower and an interior surface (not shown) on the
interior of the
shower. The track 16 is preferably equipped with bumpers 32 affixed to the
track
portions 16B to prevent the rollers holding the sliding doors from reaching
the end of the
track 16 and prevent bumping of the sliding panels on the side walls of the
shower.
In the preferred embodiment shown in Fig. 3A, straight portions 16A each have
a length
varying from 12 to 17 inches depending on the width of the shower. Curved
portion 16B
has a length varying from 15 to 22 inches. Curved portion 16B creates an angle
of
about 45 degrees.
The angled track 16' comprises three straight portions, namely a left side
insert 16'A, a
front side insert 16'B and a right side insert 16'C. The track 16' has an
exposed surface
(not shown) on the exterior of the shower and an interior surface 36 on the
interior of the
shower. U-Shaped portion 38 is visible. Bumpers 34 are affixed to the track
portions
16'C and 16'A to prevent the rollers holding the sliding doors from reaching
the end of
the track 16' and prevent bumping of the sliding panels on the side walls of
the shower.
In the preferred embodiment shown in Fig. 3B, left side insert 16'A and right
side insert
16'C each have a length varying from 13 to 17 inches depending on the width of
the
shower. Front side insert 16'B has a length of about 25 inches. The left and
right side
inserts 16'A and 16'C are placed at an angle of about 247,5 degrees to the
front side
insert 16'B.
Fig. 4A is a side perspective view of a double roller of the prior art
inserted in the prior
art rail of a corner shower frame. The double roller 20 is inserted in the
interior portion of
the track 16. It comprises a roller body 40 and two wheels 42. The roller body
40 is
adapted to protrude from rail 16 and the wheels are retained within track 16
to let the
roller slide in the track. Roller body 40 is provided with a female member 44,
in this
case, a vertical cylindrical passage, to fasten it to the shower door using a
male
member, typically a screw which is inserted in both the female member 44 and a
female
member of door roller adapter 46, in this case, a vertical cylindrical passage
which may
be threaded, provided on the sliding panel 14. Fig. 4B is a side perspective
view of the
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sliding panel 14 inserted in the top 16 and bottom 18 prior art rails of a
corner shower
frame using the double roller of Fig. 4A and prior art single rollers 22.
Fig. 5 shows one end of the integral piece which forms the top track header 16
of the
prior art. Two C-shaped portions 50 are used to insert screws to secure the
track to the
wall of the shower frame. A U-shaped portion 52 receives the wheels 42 of the
rollers
20. The exposed surface 30 of the shower track and the interior surface 36 of
the
shower track are shown.
Fig. 6A is the exterior portion of an embodiment of the two-piece track header
and Fig.
6B is the interior portion of an embodiment of the two piece track header
adapted to be
connected to the embodiment of Fig. 6A. The exterior portion of the two-piece
header of
Fig. 6A comprises an exterior surface 60 of the track, two C-Shaped portions
61 (top C),
62 (bottom C) used to insert screws to secure the track to the wall of the
shower frame
which are provided on the interior surface 67 of the exterior portion and two
connectors
or extrusions 63 at the ends of the exterior portion. Extrusions 63 are used
to secure the
exterior portion to the interior portion of Fig. 6B. Complementing connectors
or
extrusions 64 are provided at the ends of the interior portion. The interior
portion also
comprises an interior surface 65 and a U-shaped portion 66 which receives the
wheels
42 of the rollers 20 which can be the rollers of the prior art or any other
roller. An
exterior surface 68 of the interior portion ensures stability and strength of
the assembled
top track 70.
As shown in Fig. 7, once assembled, the exterior portion and the interior
portion form
the top track 70 of the shower. Extrusions 63 and 64 have gripped to securely
assemble
the top track 70. In use, the U-shaped portion 66 of the assembled top track
70 of the
shower receives the wheels 42 of the roller 20.
Extrusion 63 is shown to be a hook on the exterior surface 60 of the track
which extends
towards the center of the exterior portion. The tip of extrusion 63 is sloped,
with the
larger width towards the inside of the portion and the smaller width towards
the outside
of the portion. Complementing extrusion 64 is therefore shown to be a
complementing
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hook on the exterior surface 68 of the interior portion of the track which
extends towards
the outside and the side wall 69 of the interior portion. The tip of extrusion
64 is also
sloped, with the larger width towards the inside of the portion and the
smaller width
towards the outside of the portion. The extrusions are sufficiently wide to
have strength
and retain the track portions together but sufficiently flexible to allow
assembly.
Alignment of the extrusions 63 and 64 is such that, during assembly, as the
two track
portions are pushed one against the other, the sloped tips contact and the
extrusions
bend slightly away from each other until the larger width of the extrusions
grip one
another. The track is then assembled.
The extrusions 63 and 64 can be provided along the whole length of the track
portion,
for increased strength, or only at the end of it, for reduced material costs.
The
extrusions 63 can be provided at the end of the exterior surface so that the
appearance
of the exterior surface is not affected by the assembly mechanism of the
track.
Preferably, top and bottom extrusions 63 are identical in shape and top and
bottom
extrusions 64 are identical in shape. However, all connectors could be
differently
shaped as long as top connector 63 is made to be connected with top connector
64 and
similarly for bottom connectors.
In the preferred embodiment of Fig. 6A, the exterior track portion has a
length of
1.975 in. The exposed surface of the track 60 comprises a straight portion and
two
curved portions having radiuses of about 16 mm. The C-shaped portions 61 and
62
have an inside radius of about 1.778 mm and an outer radius of about 3.048 mm.
The
opening is about 1.8 mm. The extrusions 63 have an angle of 45 and a depth of
0.889 mm.
In the preferred embodiment of Fig. 6B, the interior track portion has a
length of
1.975 in. The extrusions 64 have a depth of 0.635 mm and a length of 2.790 mm.
The
U-shaped channel 66 has a radius of 3.429 mm. The superior lip 69 that covers
the
groove has a length of 11.049 mm. The distance between the superior lip and
the top of
the U-shaped channel is 25.273 mm.
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As will be understood by one skilled in the art, many variants of the
connectors 63 and
64 can be provided without departing from the invention. As shown in Fig. 8,
the exterior
track portion 82 can be provided with a locking plug 84. Then, the interior
track portion
86 is provided with a corresponding locking clip 88 which is adapted to
receive and grip
the locking plug 84. Fig. 8C shows the assembled two-piece header of Fig. 8A
and Fig.
8B forming a rail, in which the locking plug 84 is received in the locking
clip 88. Other
alternatives for the extrusions of Fig. 6A and 6B will be apparent to one
skilled in the art.
Fig. 9A shows an alternative embodiment in which the exterior portion of the
track
header does not have any C-shaped portions and Fig. 9B shows the assembled two-
piece header which uses the exterior portion of Fig. 9A. In this embodiment,
the track is
affixed to the wall of the shower and to the other track portions in another
way, such as
by inserting the end of the track in an opening of the wall.
Also shown in Fig. 9B is a modified U-shaped portion which does not have a
round
bottom. This rectangular U-shaped portion could receive a displacement
assembly
which allows to slide the doors without the use of wheels, for example through
the use
of legs on the door roller adapter covered in a material allowing continuous
displacement of the roller assembly. The U-shaped portion can therefore take
on many
different shapes and can be replaced by other means which allow displacement
of the
displacement assembly within the track.
Fig. 10 shows examples of alternative displacement channels which can be used
to
receive the displacement assembly. Fig. 10A shows a U-shaped portion 100 which
is
located near the top of the interior portion and the side wall 69 of the
interior portion has
been omitted. Fig. 10B shows a 0-shaped channel 102 with an opening at the
bottom to
facilitate engagement of the displacement assembly with the door panel. Fig.
10 C
shows a C-shaped channel 104 which is created within the wall of the interior
portion
and is adapted to receive a displacement assembly.
All previous examples of the track header are shown with an exterior track
portion and
an interior track portion. The track header is therefore a two-piece track
header. As will
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be readily understood to one skilled in the art, even though it may be
preferable to keep
the exterior track portion in a single piece for aesthetic purposes (the
exterior surface 60
of the exterior portion 82 being apparent to the user), the interior and the
exterior track
portions could be made of a plurality of pieces.
Fig. 11 shows an example of an alternative track header which comprises three
pieces
instead of two as shown in the previous examples. Fig. 11A shows an
alternative
embodiment of the exterior portion 82 of the track header which has a central
locking
plug 84 and an extrusion 63 at each end. Fig. 11B and Fig. 11 C each are a
complementing half 110, 112 of the interior portion of the track header which
can be
called interior sections with complementing extrusions 64 at one end to
connect to
extrusions 63 on the exterior portion and a half of a locking clip 1 14a, 1
14b at the other
end to connect to the locking plug 84. Fig. 11 D shows the assembled three-
piece
header. When assembled, the extrusions 63 and 64 have connected and each half
of
the locking clip 114a, 114b has connected with the locking plug 84 to secure
each half
110, 112 of the interior portion to the exterior portion 82 of the track
header.
In Fig. 11 D, the displacement channel is shown to be provided partly by both
sections of
the interior portion. As will be readily understood, depending on the shape of
the
sections, the displacement channel could be provided solely by one of the
sections.
In the present description, all female members can be replaced by male members
and
corresponding male members modified accordingly and vice-versa.
The embodiments of the invention described above are intended to be exemplary
only.
The scope of the invention is therefore intended to be limited solely by the
scope of the
appended claims.
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