Patent Application
20210219797
The present disclosure relates to a fitting assembly, and in particular a fitting assembly for attaching an elongate member, such as a rail, tube, or pipe to a surface, such as a wall, within or in the vicinity of a shower area.
Existing fitting assemblies for installing pipes and rails to walls or surfaces within shower areas, such as shower enclosures or shower cubicles, tend to require multiple component parts to be secured together by means of small grub screws which results in a cumbersome and time-consuming installation procedure. Furthermore, the screws may corrode over time or become lodged with debris or lime scale making it difficult to remove or adjust the fitting at a later time without damaging the fitting, pipe/rail or both.
It is an object of the present disclosure to provide an improved fitting assembly which makes it both easier and quicker to fit rails, tubes and the like within the confines of a bathroom, and more particularly within or in the vicinity of a shower or bath area, which may comprise a shower enclosure, a shower cubicle and/or a bathtub.
An exemplary embodiment relates to a fitting assembly for attaching an elongate member to a surface within a shower or bath area. The fitting assembly includes a clamp comprising a collar arranged to receive and abut the elongate member. The collar has an axially extending split, the clamp further comprising a finger extending outwardly from the collar adjacent one side of the split. The fitting assembly also includes a cover comprising an aperture arranged to receive the elongate member, the cover arranged to retain the clamp within such that the collar is axially aligned with the aperture and further arranged to prevent rotation of the clamp with respect to the cover. The fitting assembly also includes a bracket arranged to be fixed to the surface and to receive and retain the cover containing the clamp, the bracket comprising a receiving portion comprising one or more ribs arranged to urge the finger so as to compress the collar portion at the split, thereby clamping the elongate member within the collar.
Another exemplary embodiment relates to a fitting assembly for attaching an elongate member to a surface within a shower or bath area. The fitting assembly includes a clamp comprising a collar arranged to receive and abut the elongate member, the collar having an axially extending split. The clamp further includes a pair of opposing fingers extending outward from the collar adjacent either side of the split. A bracket is arranged to be fixed to the surface and to receive and retain the clamp, the bracket comprising a receiving portion comprising one or more ribs arranged to urge the opposing fingers towards each other to thereby compress the collar portion at the split and clamp the elongate member within the collar. The one or more fingers of the clamp comprise one or more outwardly facing recessed slots arranged to interlock with the receiving portion of the bracket.
Example embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
A first aspect provides a fitting assembly for attaching an elongate member to a surface within a shower or bath area, the fitting assembly comprising: a clamp comprising a collar arranged to receive and abut the elongate member, the collar having an axially extending split, the clamp further comprising a finger extending outwardly from the collar adjacent one side of the split; a cover comprising an aperture arranged to receive the elongate member, the cover arranged to retain the clamp within such that the collar is axially aligned with the aperture; and a bracket arranged to be fixed to the surface and to receive and retain the cover containing the clamp, the bracket comprising a receiving portion arranged to urge the finger so as to compress the collar portion at the split, thereby clamping the elongate member within the collar.
Advantageously, the elongate member, such as a rail or pipe, is held within the collar by friction, rather than with a screw, for example. When the cover, containing the clamp, is pushed onto the bracket the collar tightens around the elongate member as a result of the finger being urged by the receiving portion of the bracket in a manner so as to close or reduce the split in the collar—thereby tightening the collar around the elongate member. Therefore, in one single movement the cover is secured onto the bracket, which is mounted to the surface, and the elongate member is secured in the collar which is itself retained inside the cover. This results in the elongate member being secured to the surface, such as a wall of a shower or bath area.
The clamp may comprise a pair of opposing fingers extending outward from the collar adjacent either side of the split. The receiving portion of the bracket may be arranged to urge the opposing fingers towards each other thereby compressing the collar portion at the split and clamping the elongate member within the collar when the cover containing the clamp is engaged with the bracket.
By forming the clamp with a pair of opposing fingers arranged either side of the split, the clamp may be more stable in operation because lateral forces arising within the fitting assembly are inherently balanced. Further, this gives rise to a plane of symmetry in the fitting assembly which may provide advantages such as simplified manufacturing or assembly of the fitting assembly. The opposing fingers may extend approximately parallel to each other. There may be a separation, typically a small separation, between the opposing fingers as dictated by the split.
The receiving portion of the bracket may comprise one or more ribs. Ribs are well suited to abutting against the finger or pair of opposing fingers so as to tighten the collar around the elongate member. The ribs may be formed with a smooth, graded inclined surface so as to gently urge the fingers together (or the single finger to one side) as the cover containing the clamp is slid onto the bracket. In this manner a smooth insertion force of the cover containing the clamp onto the bracket may be allowed for, rather than a sudden snap fit.
The bracket may comprise one or more locking tabs arranged to engage with one or more corresponding notches provided on the cover, thereby locking the cover and the bracket together when the cover containing the clamp is engaged with the bracket. In this manner, once the cover containing the clamp has been pushed far enough onto the bracket that the notches align with the tabs the whole assembly may be locked together. This may prevent the assembly being unintentionally disassembled, and/or the elongate member being accidentally released, unless the tabs are deliberately depressed to enable the cover containing the clamp to be slid off the bracket.
The cover may comprise one or more projections or recesses located on opposing interior surfaces of the cover, which may be arranged to engage with one or more corresponding recesses/openings or projections of the clamp with a snap fit to thereby retain the clamp securely within the cover. In this manner, the clamp can be provided as a separate part which may be quickly and easily secured inside the cover and removed if required at a later stage, e.g. to replace the clamp. This also enables different sized clamps (e.g. collars having different radii in embodiments where the collar has a circular cross section) to be provided with a single cover and bracket and assembled in situ to suit a range of different elongate member radii.
The bracket may be arranged to be fixed to the surface by means of one or more mechanical fasteners, e.g. screws. In this manner the bracket may be secured to the surface, e.g. a wall of a shower area. Alternatively or additionally, the bracket may be adapted to be affixed to the surface by other means, such as adhesive pads, glue or a suction mount, which may be arranged for example to fix the bracket onto a surface such as shower enclosure or cubicle wall, glass screen, or mirror thereof.
The elongate member may be a pipe, such as a riser pipe, or a rail, such as a towel rail, an ornamental or decorative rail or a guide rail (e.g. a hand rail) to aid support for a user of the shower.
This fitting assembly may be modular in nature.
The one or more fingers of the clamp may comprise one or more outwardly facing recessed slots arranged to interlock with the receiving portion of the bracket. This may help to increase the load bearing capability of the fitting assembly once assembled.
A second aspect provides a fitting assembly for attaching an elongate member to a surface within a shower or bath area, the fitting assembly comprising: a clamp comprising a collar arranged to receive and abut the elongate member, the collar having an axially extending split, the clamp further comprising a pair of opposing fingers extending outward from the collar adjacent either side of the split; and a bracket arranged to be fixed to the surface and to receive and retain the clamp, the bracket comprising a receiving portion arranged to urge the opposing fingers towards each other to thereby compress the collar portion at the split and clamp the elongate member within the collar.
In the fitting assembly according to the second aspect, the clamp has a pair of opposing fingers extending outward from the collar adjacent either side of the split. In this aspect, a cover portion (as defined in other aspects) is not essential—since the clamp may be activated by, and retained in, the bracket without the presence of a cover. However, a cover may also optionally be provided for aesthetic purposes and to add additional stability to the fitting assembly.
A third aspect provides a kit of parts arranged to be assembled to form a fitting assembly according to the first aspect or the second aspect. The kit of parts may comprise the fitting assembly according to the first aspect or the second aspect, a means for fixing the bracket of the fitting assembly to a surface and an elongate member.
Said means for fixing the bracket of the fitting assembly to a surface may include a mechanical fastener such as a screw, an adhesive pad or a suction mount.
A fourth aspect provides a shower or bath area comprising an elongate member supported by one or more fitting assemblies according to the first aspect or the second aspect.
The shower or bath area may comprise a shower cubicle, a shower enclosure and/or a bathtub. One or more ablutionary fittings may be provided in the shower or bath area.
A fifth aspect provides a method of attaching an elongate member to a surface within a shower or bath area, the method comprising: providing a fitting assembly according to the first aspect; fixing the bracket to the surface in the shower or bath area; inserting the clamp into the cover; inserting the elongate member through the aperture of the cover and the collar of the clamp; and sliding the cover containing the clamp onto the bracket, thereby causing the collar to tighten around the elongate member to attach the elongate member to the surface.
The collar tightens around the elongate member because when the cover containing the clamp is installed/slid onto the bracket, the one or more fingers of the clamp are urged by means of the receiving portion of the bracket so as to reduce or close the split in the collar, thereby securing the collar around the elongate member and effectively clamping the elongate member.
A sixth aspect provides a method of attaching an elongate member to a surface within a shower or bath area, the method comprising: providing a fitting assembly according to the second aspect; fixing the bracket to the surface in the shower or bath area; inserting the elongate member through the collar of the clamp; and sliding the clamp onto the bracket, thereby causing the collar to tighten around the elongate member to attach the elongate member to the surface.
Except where mutually exclusive, any of the features of the first aspect may be employed mutatis mutandis in the second and other aspects.
Components of a fitting assembly 1 according to the present disclosure are illustrated in
The clamp 3 comprises a collar 10 which is arranged to receive and secure around the elongate member 5. The collar 10 has an axially-extending split 8 along the length of one side of the collar 10. The split 8 may run the full length of the collar 10 or only part of the length, e.g. 80% or 90% thereof. The clamp 3 also has a pair of opposing fingers 9a and 9b extending radially outward from the collar 10 adjacent either side of the split 8. In the absence of any inward force being applied to the fingers 9a and 9b, the collar 10 is loose enough to permit the elongate member 5 to be slid into the collar 10 in the axial direction without the elongate member encountering significant resistance, e.g. it may only be held loosely in the collar 10 at first. Once inserted into the collar 10, the elongate member 5 can be clamped tightly in place by imparting an inward force onto the two fingers 9a and 9b, in order to urge the fingers 9a and 9b together thereby substantially closing the split 8 and clamping the collar 10 tightly around the elongate member 5 by effectively reducing the radius of the collar 10 slightly at the split 8. In this manner the elongate member 5 is held in the collar 10 of the clamp 3 by friction, i.e. an interference fit is achieved.
With reference to
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Whilst the clamp 3 of the fitting assembly 1 described above with reference to the accompanying drawings has two opposing fingers 9a, 9b, other numbers of fingers are also envisaged as falling within the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the clamp 3 could alternatively be provided with a single finger extending radially outward from the collar 10 adjacent one side of the split 8. In this manner, when the cover 4 containing and retaining the clamp 3 is inserted onto the bracket 2, one of the ribs 15a, 15b of the bracket will urge the single finger so as to compress the collar portion 10 at the split 8, thereby clamping the elongate member 5 within the collar 10 in a similar manner to that described above with reference to the pair of fingers 9a, 9b. The single finger operation is aided if the clamp 3 is held securely inside the cover 4 by means of the snap fit resulting from the cooperation of the recesses/openings 11 of the clamp 3 with the projections 34 of the cover. Because of this snap fit, when a force is imparted onto the single finger, the clamp 3 cannot rotate within the cover 4 and therefore the force will instead cause the split 8 to close, thereby clamping the collar 10 around the elongate member 5. For the case where the clamp 3 has a pair of opposing fingers 9a, 9b as described above, the inwards forces imparted on the fingers 9a, 9b by the ribs 15a, 15b do not result in any significant rotational force due to the symmetry of the forces acting on the clamp 3 inside the cover 4.
The components of the fitting assembly 1, including the bracket 2, clamp 3 and cover 4 may be formed of any suitable, durable material, such as, but not limited to, an engineering plastic comprising, or consisting essentially of, polypropylene, polyethylene, or acetal (polyoxymethylene). The material should allow for expansion and contraction of the collar 10 about the split 8 over several use cycles without cracking.
The clamp 3 and cover 4 may be provided as a single, materially continuous component rather than two discrete components assembled together in the manner described above. The cover may be colored and/or at least partially coated. The cover may be at least partially painted or plated, e.g. chrome plated or plated with another metal or alloy. Accordingly, the cover may be provided so as to match or complement one or more other fittings within the shower area.
Whilst in the drawings the collar 10, aperture 12 and elongate member 5 are shown as having circular cross-sections it would be appreciated by one skilled in the art that other cross sections could be used. For instance, the elongate member may have a polygonal cross section and the collar may have a corresponding polygonal cross section with, for example, the split at one apex thereof. For example, the elongate member may have a triangular cross section and the collar may have a corresponding triangular cross section with the split at one apex thereof. Alternatively, the elongate member may have a rectangular cross section and the collar may have a corresponding rectangular cross section with the split on one edge or corner thereof. As such, the term “collar” as used herein is not to be understood as being limiting to a circular cross section.
It will be understood that the invention is not limited to the embodiments described above. Various modifications and improvements can be made without departing from the concepts disclosed herein. Except where mutually exclusive, any of the features may be employed separately or in combination with any other features and the disclosure extends to all combinations and sub-combinations of one or more features disclosed herein.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1816651.2 | Oct 2018 | GB | national |
This application is a Continuation of PCT/GB2019/052177, filed Aug. 2, 2019, which claims priority to United Kingdom Patent Application No. GB 1816651.2, filed Oct. 12, 2018, the disclosures of both of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | PCT/GB2019/052177 | Aug 2019 | US |
| Child | 17226858 | US |
