Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
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PORTABLE BATHROOM AND KITCHEN FIXTURE DISPLAY
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The subject invention relates to a portable display, and more
particularly, to a
portable display for bathroom and kitchen fixtures.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Prior to constructing a new home or remodeling an existing home,
consumers and
designers frequently desire to observe kitchen and bathroom fixtures in a
functional display in
order to aid in their selection. Such a display may appear in a design
showroom or a tradeshow,
where a consumer is able to turn on a bath tub, shower, sink or bidet, or
flush a toilet to observe
the fixture in its functioning state. In addition to aiding consumers, such
displays may permit
fixture manufacturers to display an entire suite of fixtures designed to have
a similar appearance
in a single setting so that a consumer may observe the entire suit together.
For example, a fixture
suite may include a toilet (water closet), a bidet, a bath tub or a shower,
and a lavatory (sink).
[0003] To accommodate changes in consumer taste and market demand, fixture
manufacturers must develop new fixture designs. Prior art fixture displays do
not presently
allow a manufacturer to replace older design or outdated fixtures with new
fixtures without
performing extensive plumbing or remodeling of existing displays.
[0004] Prior art functional bathroom and kitchen fixture displays typically
include a single
fixture, for example a toilet or a sink, mounted on top of a reservoir for
containing water that is
passed through the fixture during demonstrations. One problem with these
displays is that the
supply of water is continually recycled through the display, from the fixture,
to the reservoir, and
back through the fixture during a multitude of cycles. As the water is
continually cycled through
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the display, it may become contaminated by soil and other contaminants as
individuals
interacting with the display place their hands in the water. This dirty water
diminishes the
attractiveness of the display and cause consumers to associate the fixture
manufacturer with the
dirty water/dirty display, thereby decreasing the likelihood that the consumer
will purchase that
manufacturer's fixture.
[0005] An additional problem in prior art functional displays is that as
the water becomes
contaminated, these water-recycling displays have no efficient means of
disposing of the
contaminated water and replacing the water with clean, fresh water. Typically,
this means that a
display must use the contaminated water for the duration of the display
period, until the display
can be moved to a location (if the display is even portable) where the water
can be siphoned or
poured from the reservoir into a suitable water disposal location, which may
include a floor
drain. In many instances, however, design showrooms or trade shows do not
contain easily
accessible floor drains, and the cost to install such a drain after a showroom
has been completed
is frequently prohibitive of such an installation.
[0006] Therefore, there is a need in the art for a portable bathroom and
kitchen fixture
display which permits a continuous supply of clean water to the displayed
fixtures, which
permits drainage of the display in response to the supply of the water to the
display. Also needed
is a display which permits display of an entire suite of fixtures, while
affording a manufacturer
the ability to replace older model fixtures with updated, newer model
fixtures.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] To overcome the disadvantages of the prior art, disclosed in one
embodiment is a
portable bathroom and kitchen fixture display comprising a base box having a
top, a bottom, and
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a perimeter wall connecting the top and the bottom, a first wall and a second
wall rising
vertically from the top of the base box, a canopy extending horizontally from
the top of the first
wall to the top of the second wall, a fluid supply conduit located within the
base box, a fluid
drain conduit located within the base box, a holding tank disposed within the
base box, a
plurality of fixtures selectively mounted to top of the base box, wherein the
plurality of fixtures
is in fluid communication with the fluid supply conduit and the holding tank,
and a fluid pump in
fluid communication with the fluid drain conduit and at least partially
disposed in the holding
tank, wherein the fluid pump includes a backflow prevention device and a fluid
level sensor.
[0008] In another embodiment, a portable bathroom and kitchen fixture
display comprises a
base box having a top, a bottom, and a perimeter wall connecting the top and
the bottom, a fluid
supply conduit and a fluid drain conduit located within the base box, a
holding tank disposed
within the platform, at least one fixture selectively mounted to top of the
box, wherein the at
least one fixture is in fluid communication with the fluid supply conduit and
the holding tank,
and a fluid pump in fluid communication with the fluid drain conduit and
partially disposed in
the holding tank, wherein the fluid pump includes a backflow prevention device
and a fluid level
sensor.
[0009] In still another embodiment, a portable bathroom and kitchen fixture
display
comprises a base box having at least a first wall and wall rising vertically
from the top of the
base box, a fluid supply conduit located within the at least first wall, a
fluid drain conduit located
within the at least first wall, a holding tank disposed within the base box,
at least one fixture
selectively mounted to top of the base box, wherein the at least one fixture
is in fluid
communication with the fluid supply conduit and the holding tank, a fluid pump
in fluid
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communication with the fluid drain conduit and partially disposed in the
holding tank, wherein
the fluid pump includes a backflow prevention device and a fluid level sensor,
and a second fluid
level sensor disposed in the holding tank at a height higher than the height
of the pump fluid
level sensor, wherein the second fluid level sensor activates the pump when a
fluid level in the
holding tank rises to the height of the second fluid level sensor.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a portable, functional display.
[0011] FIG. 2 shows a cross-sectional side view of the display of FIG. 1.
[0012] FIG. 3 shows a plan view of the base box of the display of FIG. 1
with canopy
removed for clarity.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0013] Referring now to FIG. 1, one embodiment of a portable bathroom and
kitchen fixture
display 10 is shown. The display 10 includes base box 20, having top 22,
bottom 24, and
perimeter wall 26 connecting top 22 and bottom 24. It is envisioned that
perimeter wall 26 may
include more than one wall, where each wall has a different perimeter from the
other wall. In
additional display 10 includes a first wall 30 and a second wall 32 rising
vertically from top of
base box 22, and canopy 34 extending horizontally from the top of first wall
30 to second wall
32. In one embodiment, walls 30, 32 may built to accommodate decorative panels
36.
Decorative panels 36 may be square in shape, although it is contemplated that
the panels 36 may
be one or more shapes and/or one or more sized, depending upon the desired
design of the panel
section of walls 30, 32. It is also envisioned that it may be desirable to
remove the panels 36
from the walls altogether such that walls 30, 32 may contain a void.
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[0014] In construction, it is envisioned that base box 20, first wall 30,
second wall 32, and
canopy 34 may be formed from wood, medium density fiber board, metal, or other
materials
suitable for construction of such a display.
[0015] In one embodiment, shown in FIG. 2, it is contemplated that a light
source 28 may be
mounted about the perimeter wall 26 of base box 20. Light source 28 may be
provided as a
safety feature, as there may be a difference in height between base box 20 and
the surface upon
which it rests. It is envisioned that light source 28 may be sufficiently
bright so as to indicate
that there is a change in height between base box 20 and its supporting
surface. In addition or in
the alternative, at least another light source 35 may be mounted within canopy
34 and/or to the
bottom surface of canopy 34. Light source 35 may be, for example, track
lighting to provide
general ambient lighting to the display, or recessed down lights designed to
spotlight individual
aspects of display 10. It is also envisioned that track lighting and recessed
down lights may be
used in combination to illuminate display 10.
[0016] Still referring to FIG. 2, display 10 may include fluid supply
conduit 40, fluid drain
conduit 42, and holding tank 44, which is disposed within base box 20. In one
embodiment,
fluid supply conduit 40 is located within first wall 30, canopy 34, second
wall 32, and base box
20. It is also envisioned that supply conduit 40 is disposed solely within
base box 20, or within
any combination of walls 30, 32, canopy 34, and base box 20, depending upon
the fluid supply
needs of display 10. Fluid drain conduit 42 may be located solely within base
box 20, within
base box 20 and in addition second wall 32, although it is also envisioned
that fluid drain conduit
42 may be located within any combination of walls 30, 32, canopy 34, and base
box 20,
depending upon the fluid draining needs of display 10. In construction, fluid
supply conduit 40
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and fluid drain conduit 42 may be formed from copper tubing, polyvinyl
chloride tubing, or other
materials known in the plumbing arts.
[00171 Display 10 may further comprise at least one bathroom or kitchen
fixture. In one
embodiment, the at least one plumbing fixture may be a plurality of plumbing
fixtures. For
example, the fixture may be a water closet or toilet, a bidet, a bath tub
and/or a shower, a
lavatory, or a sink. The fixture may be designed to receive fluid from a fluid
supply and drain
the received fluid through the fixture to a drainage location.
100181 As shown in the FIGS., a plurality of fixtures may be selectively
mounted to the top
of base box 22. As such, the plurality of fixtures may be mounted to display
10 depending upon
the desires of the user. In one instance, the plurality of fixtures may be
selected from the group
of fixtures including a water closet or toilet 50A, a bidet 50B, a bath tub
50C and/or a shower, a
lavatory 50E, or a sink. More specifically, the plurality of fixtures may be a
water closet 50A, a
bidet 50B, a bath tub 50C, and a lavatory 50E. Still more specifically, the
plurality of fixtures
may be a water closet, a bidet, a bath tub, and a lavatory selected from the
same suite of fixtures
manufactured by a single fixture designer. For the purposes of this
disclosure, a suite is defined
as a group of fixtures that are designed to have the same design features and
appearance.
100191 In one alternative, a manufacturer may utilize display 10 to display
the appearance of
a fixture suite with a bathroom. In another alternative, a fixture
manufacturer selectively mount
the fixtures such that the plurality includes a water closet from each suite,
so as to demonstrate
the entirety of the manufacturer's water closet offerings. In still another
alternative, a retailer
may choose to selectively mount water closets from a variety to display the
function of each
water closet available for purchase from the retailer. As can be seen, the
plurality of fixtures
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may include a multiplicity of combinations of fixtures, depending upon the
intent of the entity
utilizing display 10.
100201 Returning now to FIG. 2, fluid supply conduit 40 may be selectively
attachable to a
fluid supply source 60. It is envisioned that the fluid supply source 60 may
be a municipal water
supply, a pressured water tank, or a gravity fed water tank, although other
fluids and sources of
fluids may be similarly supplied to and used within display 10. The selective
attachability of
supply conduit 40 permits display 10 to be moved to a variety of locations
within a show room or
tradeshow, depending upon the availability of a fluid supply source.
Therefore, a show room or
trade show need not expend the time and expense to install a complete plumbing
system in order
to supply fluid to display 10.
[0021] As the plurality of fixtures may be in fluid communication with
fluid supply conduit
40, fixtures may be supplied with fluid after fluid supply conduit 40 is
attached to fluid supply
source 60. For example, once fluid has been supplied to fixtures, a toilet may
be flushed or a
bath tub filled with water to demonstrate how each fixture operates.
Similarly, the fixtures may
be in fluid communication with holding tank 44, so that fluid flowing through
the fixtures flows
into holding tank 44.
100221 As shown in FIG. 2, pump 80 may be at least partially disposed
within holding tank
44 Pump 80 may be in fluid communication with fluid drain conduit 42, which in
turn is
selectively attachable to drain 70. Pump 80 may contain a fluid level sensor
so that as the fluid
level rises within holding tank 44, fluid level sensor sends a signal which
activates pump 80,
thereby pumping fluid from holding tank 44 through fluid drain conduit 42 to
drain 70. To
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ensure fluid pumped into fluid drain conduit 42 does not flow through pump 80
back into
holding tank 44, pump 80 may be provided with a backflow prevention device,
which may
include without limitation an air gap, an atmospheric vacuum breaker, a check
valve, a double
check valve, a pressure vacuum breaker assembly, or a reduced pressure
assembly. Additionally,
it is envisioned that a second fluid level sensor may be disposed within the
holding tank 44 at a
position higher than the pump fluid level sensor. In instances where the pump
level sensor fails,
it is envisioned that the second fluid level sensor may activate the pump when
the fluid level in
the holding tank rises to the height of the second fluid level sensor, thereby
preventing the
holding tank from overflowing.
[0023] Drain 70 may be a floor drain, a ceiling or roof drain located a
position vertically
higher than display 10, or any other drain into which fluids which have passed
through display
may be pumped. Display 10 may be positioned at any location within a show
room,
tradeshow, or the like, where it is possible to selectively attach fluid drain
conduit 42 to a drain.
This portability of display 10 permits retailers and manufacturers of bathroom
and kitchen
fixtures to display their fixtures in a functioning manner without the need to
design for or to
install expensive drains at desired display locations. In one alternative, the
drain may be in fluid
communication with a municipal water treatment facility. In another
alternative, a retail store
may utilize a garden hose as a drain and use the water (or other fluid) pumped
from display 10 to
water the landscaping outside of the show room.
[0024] Now turning to FIG. 3, first wall 30 and second wall 32 may be used
to divide the top
of base box 20 into a first region 12, a second region 13, and a third region
14. In one instance, a
lavatory 50E may be selectively attached to the first region 12, a bath tub
50C may be selectively
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attached to the second region 13, and a water closet 50A and a bidet 50B may
be attached to the
third region 14. In an alternate embodiment (not shown), it is envisioned that
a first wall may
rise vertically upward from the top of base box, therein dividing the base box
into a first and
second region.
[0025]
The foregoing description of the preferred embodiments of the disclosure is by
way
of example only, and other variations of the above described embodiments are
provided by the
subject invention. The embodiments presented herein have been presented for
purposes of
illustration and are not intended to be exhaustive or limiting. Many
variations and modifications
are possible in light of the foregoing teaching.
