Patent Application
20240417963
The present application claims priority of DE 10 2023 115 325.0, filed Jun. 13, 2023, the priority of this application is hereby claimed, and this application is incorporated herein by reference.
The invention relates to a sanitary facility, comprising
A sanitary object, such as a toilet, a urinal or a bidet, can be fastened either upright or to the wall in suspended fashion. For the fastening in suspended fashion, use is made of a fastening device which is fastened releasably to the sanitary object during the mounting operation. This fastening device has two retaining bolt receptacles, wherein a retaining bolt which is secured on the wall engages in each retaining bolt receptacle. This retaining bolt may be either a hanger bolt provided on the wall or a retaining sleeve screwed onto such a hanger bolt. For the securing, use is made of a respective retaining screw which is screwed into a threaded bore assigned to the respective retaining bolt receptacle and is screwed against the retaining bolt, and therefore the fastening device and, via the latter, the sanitary object which is connected thereto are fixedly connected to the hanger bolt on the wall.
An example of such a fastening device or a corresponding sanitary facility is described in DE 10 2009 055 977 A1. The fastening device therein is designed in the manner of a strut and has two retaining bolt receptacles in the form of through-holes. In the installation position, the two lateral ends of the fastening device engage in corresponding receptacles formed on the sanitary object, via which receptacles the fastening device is fixed to the sanitary object. In the installation position, thus when the sanitary object is pushed onto the retaining bolts on the wall and the latter reach through the retaining bolt receptacles, the threaded bores face downward, i.e. the retaining screws are acted upon by a tool from below and are tightened. This requires, on the one hand, the sanitary object to be correspondingly open in the lower region such that the fitter can reach into the sanitary object from below with the tool. On the other hand, this type of installation is relatively awkward and time-consuming.
The invention is therefore based on the problem of specifying a sanitary facility which has been improved in comparison.
To solve the problem, in the case of a sanitary facility mentioned above, it is provided according to the invention that
The sanitary facility according to the invention permits a very simple suspended installation of the sanitary object, which is usually made of sanitary ware, and provides a completely new installation concept. On the one hand, the first fastening device is configured and designed in such a way that, in the fixed state of the fastening device, i.e. when the latter is already secured on the sanitary object, the two threaded bores are directed upward in the direction of an upper wall bearing a seat or lid fitting in the installation position, when the sanitary object is fastened on the wall. Two wall openings are provided in this wall, permitting access to the interior of the sanitary object from above. These two wall openings are used to accommodate a second fastening device, which serves for the fastening of the seat or lid fitting in the context of the subsequent installation. In contrast to the prior art, the two threaded bores of the first fastening device are thus accessible from above via the two wall openings in the sanitary facility according to the invention.
This accessibility is provided throughout the entire installation of the sanitary object since, according to the invention, use is made of two specifically configured second fastening devices, which enable the fastening of the seat or lid fitting. Each of the second fastening devices is realized in multiple parts and comprises, on the one hand, a sleeve with a through-hole passing through it, wherein said sleeve reaches through the respective wall opening and is fixed via suitable fastening means to the wall having the wall opening. These sleeves are already fastened to the wall of the sanitary object before the installation of the sanitary object on the hanger bolts. Every second fastening device furthermore comprises a retaining pin which is connectable releasably to the sleeve. This retaining pin is fastened only when the sanitary object is fixed in suspended fashion, i.e. immediately before the fastening of the seat or lid fitting, which is fixed on the two retaining pins.
This multi-part construction according to the invention of the second fastening devices, each comprising a sleeve and the separate retaining pin, affords a series of advantages. Firstly, as described, the two sleeves are already fastened to the upper, rear wall before the sanitary object is installed on the wall. This allows these two sleeves to be precisely positioned and aligned in the respective wall openings, since the sleeves are fixedly connected to the wall and determine the subsequent installation position of the two retaining pins. These wall openings have a correspondingly large diameter of 1-2 cm in order to allow a corresponding seat or lid alignment. This is because the seat or lid, when mounted, has to be aligned precisely with the sanitary object, so that it is positioned symmetrically, rather than being offset to the front or to the side. For this purpose, the two sleeves are, on the one hand, precisely positioned in their position within the respective wall opening by displacement since the diameter of the sleeves is smaller than the diameter of the wall openings. On the other hand, the two sleeves are also brought to a precise distance from each other. However, the precise positioning of the position-determining sleeves is easily possible using the second fastening devices according to the invention and can already be carried out in the factory, i.e. the two sleeves are already fixed in a precise alignment in the factory, and therefore the installer is not occupied by this. The installer has only to fix the two retaining pins to the sleeves when the sanitary object is suspended, in order to then place the seat or lid fitting thereon.
Via the axial through-holes in the sleeves, the installer is thus provided with the possibility of accessing the interior of the sanitary object from above through the upper wall and, consequently, of acting on the retaining screws with a suitable tool, such as a screwdriver, which retaining screws, since the threaded bores are directed toward the upper wall, are of course also aligned toward the upper wall. Consequently, if the first fastening device is pushed onto the two retaining bolts, the installer can easily tighten the retaining screws from above through the two sleeves and fix the sanitary object on the retaining bolts on the wall. At the same time, the installer does not have to worry about the precise alignment of the seat or lid fitting during the subsequent installation, since the two separate sleeves are either preferably already precisely aligned at the factory or are already aligned by the installer on site during their pre-installation work. All that the installer has to do is fix the two retaining pins to the sleeves and place the seat or lid fitting thereon, the latter then being automatically optimally aligned.
Overall, the sanitary facility according to the invention therefore provides very simple installation, since the installer no longer has to reach awkwardly into the interior of the sanitary object from below in order to tighten the retaining screws, since this installation step is carried out in a simple way from above through the two sleeves. In addition, it is also easier for the installer in the context of the installation of the seat or lid fitting since, when the fitting is mounted, the installer does not have to carry out any awkward alignment work.
In a further refinement of the invention, provision may be made that the sleeve has an external threaded portion, wherein a first and a second abutment element, which, in the installation position, receive a portion of the sanitary object between them and are braced against said portion, and at least one nut, which is to be screwed onto the external threaded portion, for bracing the abutment elements and the sleeve, are provided. For the installation of the fastening device, first of all the sleeve is pushed through the wall opening in the sanitary object and a first abutment element is positioned on the inside of the sanitary object and a second abutment element is positioned on the outside or top side, after which a nut is screwed onto the external threaded portion of the sleeve, which is accessible from the inside of the ceramic, via which nut the ceramic portion between the abutment elements is braced between the abutment elements. In the installation position, the sleeve lies almost flush with the second abutment element, which in turn rests on the top side of the ceramic and ultimately only slightly protrudes over it or ends flush with it. In any case, the sleeve mounted in such a way does not protrude significantly from the top side of the ceramic. This is undertaken while the sanitary object is not yet assembled and, as described, preferably already at the factory.
As described, the retaining pin is connected to the sleeve only at the end of the installation. In order to facilitate this in a simple manner, provision may be made, in a further development of the invention, that the through-hole of the sleeve is provided at least in sections with an internal thread, and that the retaining pin has an external threaded portion to be screwed into the internal thread of the through-hole. This screw connection makes it possible to fasten the respective retaining pin very easily, with the retaining pin, as described, being optimally positioned because of the precise alignment of the two sleeves in the respective wall openings and with respect to each other. Thus, only when the seat or lid fitting is actually to be mounted is the retaining pin screwed by its external thread into the internal threaded bore of the sleeve, which is accessible from the top side of the ceramic, and therefore ultimately the second fastening device is completed and, with the retaining pin, a fastening portion protruding on the top side is obtained onto which the fastening element on the fitting can then be plugged.
In a further development of the invention, the sleeve can have a support portion with which it can be clamped against the second abutment element when the nut is screwed into place. This support portion is used to mount and support the sleeve on this side on the second abutment element. The second abutment element is therefore a separate component. Alternatively, the second abutment element can be formed integrally with the sleeve. The sleeve thus has an end collar or a shoulder, which protrudes radially and which, forming the second abutment element, is supported on the top side of the sanitary object in the installation position.
The first abutment element, or the first and the second abutment element, is or are preferably either in the form of a disk or a plate. They are appropriately dimensioned in their diameter or in their width or length to ensure that, regardless of the final position in which the sleeve is arranged, sufficient support on the sanitary object is always provided.
The first and/or the second abutment element can also be held captively on the sleeve. This allows for easy installation since the respective, captively held abutment element does not have to be handled and positioned separately. In particular, the second abutment element, which lies on the top side of the wall, is expediently held captively, which can be undertaken, for example, by clinching or adhesive bonding. However, it is also conceivable, as described, for the second abutment element to be formed integrally with the sleeve, i.e. to be in the form of a protruding collar, so that in this case a separate abutment element would not need to be secured.
In any case, the first abutment element is a separate component. The latter can be, as described, in the form of a separate disk or plate and, during the installation, when the sleeve is inserted through the through-hole, can also be plugged onto the sleeve from the inside of the ceramic and fixed with the nut. An expedient alternative of the invention makes provision for this purpose that the first abutment element has a longitudinal slot through which the sleeve reaches, and therefore the abutment element is tiltable toward the sleeve. This configuration as a type of toggle fastener makes it possible for the first abutment element to be pushed onto the sleeve before the sleeve is put into position and to be secured with the nut. For the installation, the first abutment element has to be brought into an installation position in which it is tilted toward the sleeve. In this position, the arrangement of sleeve and first abutment element has a narrow shape and can be guided through the through-hole. Subsequently, the first abutment element automatically tilts outward again, i.e. then protrudes from the sleeve on both sides and grips behind the sanitary object such that it is tensioned when the nut is tightened against it. The tilting possibility is achieved by the formation of the corresponding longitudinal slot.
If a support portion is provided on the sleeve, i.e. a separate second abutment element is used, said support portion is expediently realized by means of a radially protruding and circumferential shoulder or collar which is provided on the end side of the sleeve and with which the sleeve lies against the second abutment element. This shoulder can be made relatively thin, as it serves only for support, but does not absorb any other load during operation. Particularly preferably, in this connection, the second abutment element has a recess for the recessed accommodation of the shoulder. It can thereby be ensured that, in the end-side arrangement of the shoulder on the sleeve and with the recessed accommodation, the sleeve ultimately ends flush with the second abutment element, i.e. the disk or plate, and consequently does not protrude over the abutment plane at all. For example, the shoulder may be conical, while the recess comprises a compatibly shaped depression. A stepped recess into which the shoulder or the collar engages in a form-fitting manner is also conceivable.
As described, the fastening device is countered on the bottom side or inside by the nut screwed onto the external threaded portion. In order to be able to brace the elements correspondingly axially, an expedient further development of the invention makes provision that the sleeve has a receptacle for attaching a tool, via which receptacle it is possible to act with a tool, on the one hand, on the nut, and with a further tool on the sleeve, in order either only to hold the latter in place while the nut is being screwed in place, or to hold the nut in place and actively to screw the sleeve in place, or to screw both in place correspondingly. For this purpose, the receptacle may be designed as a slot which is provided on the end face of the sleeve and in which a screwdriver can be engaged. Alternatively, the receptacle may also be designed as a polygonal recess extending into the internal threaded bore, i.e., for example, as a hexagon socket for receiving an Allen key. The polygonal recess extends into the cylindrical through-hole or bore, i.e., if provided, into the internal threaded bore.
The second abutment element, whether in the form of a separate component or in the form of an integral sleeve component, is arranged on the surface of the sanitary object, which is usually covered with a glaze. In order to avoid scratching the glaze during the installation, it is conceivable to provide surface protection. For this purpose, the second abutment element can have a contact portion which lies against the sanitary object and is made of a softer material, such as a plastics material. The second abutment element can thus be provided on one side with a plastics coating, which is, for example, sprayed on or adhesively bonded on. This significantly softer plastics portion, compared to the metal of which the second abutment element consists, effectively prevents direct metal-glaze contact, and scratches are avoided. Alternatively, the second abutment element can also be supported against the sanitary object by means of a contact washer, e.g. made of a plastics material. That is to say that first of all the soft contact washer sits on the glaze surface, followed by the second abutment element. This consequently also avoids direct metal-glaze contact.
As described, the respective retaining pin is fixed to the sleeve only during the final installation of the seat or lid fitting, e.g. is screwed by its external thread into the internal threaded bore. In order to be able to tighten the retaining pin sufficiently so that unintentional release is prevented, the retaining pin expediently has a receptacle for attaching a tool. Such a receptacle may, for example, be a slot which is provided on the end face of the retaining pin and in which a screwdriver can be engaged. It is also conceivable that the retaining pin has a polygonal pin portion, which can be acted upon with an open-ended spanner.
The retaining pin itself advantageously has one or more clamping or latching elements for clamping or latching holding of the seat fitting. Such a clamping or latching element may, for example, be a plastics or metal clamping ring which is snapped into a groove on the retaining pin and has a somewhat larger outside diameter than the through-bore or blind bore on the fastening element of the seat fitting. However, it is also conceivable to provide, as such a clamping or latching element, only a groove which is on the pin and into which a latching element provided on the fastening device of the seat or lid fitting snaps when placed thereon.
Furthermore, a cover may be provided which, in the installation position, is placed onto the second abutment element, in a manner covering the latter, and is reached through by the retaining pin. This cover which, when the second abutment element is in the form of a round disk or round collar, is likewise correspondingly round therefore covers the second abutment element. It is conceivable that the cover also has a corresponding sleeve-like portion in which the retaining pin engages in sections, and therefore the retaining pin is also virtually concealed, as long as it does not engage in the fastening device of the seat fitting. The fastening device of the seat fitting may furthermore also be supported on the cover, for which purpose the cover may, for example, be rounded at the upper end, if the plugged-on portion of the fastening device on the fitting side has a cylindrical outer shape, and therefore a form-fitting receptacle is virtually produced.
In a further development of the invention, provision may be made that the first fastening device has two retaining portions, with which it are fixed or fixable in or on one or more retaining receptacles provided on the sanitary object. By way of the first fastening device, a corresponding retaining geometry is therefore realized via the two retaining portions, which interacts with correspondingly designed or shaped retaining receptacles in order to fix or secure the first fastening device to the sanitary object. The retaining portions can be designed as plug-in portions or else as clamping portions, with a corresponding plug-in or clamping geometry on the retaining receptacles.
According to a first variant of the invention, provision may be made that the first fastening device is designed in the manner of a strut, wherein a retaining portion is provided at each of the two ends, said retaining portions each engaging in a retaining receptacle provided on the sanitary object. In this case, the fastening device is thus a component which is in the manner of a strut and on which the two retaining portions, which are preferably designed as simple plug-in portions with an in particular cylindrical cross section, are provided on the end side. The retaining receptacles on the sanitary object are correspondingly compatible in shape, and therefore the end-side retaining portions can be inserted or pushed into the retaining receptacles. Preferably, the retaining receptacles are blind holes without an opening to the outside, that is to say that the side walls of the sanitary object are not pierced, and instead the fixing of the first fastening device is carried out exclusively in the interior and thus invisibly. Since the weight of the sanitary object is supported via the first fastening device on the retaining bolts, whether directly on the hanger bolts or retaining sleeves screwed onto the hanger bolt, it is expediently manufactured from metal.
It is particularly expedient if the first fastening device consists of at least two strut portions which are fastenable to each other in different positions, wherein each strut portion has a retaining portion. The fastening device in the manner of a strut is therefore telescopic and can thus be changed in length, which is expedient for the installation. If, for example, the retaining portions are designed as cross-sectionally round, cylindrical ends and the retaining receptacles as cylindrical blind holes, then in the case of a telescopic design of the strut-like first fastening device, for the installation first of all the corresponding strut portions can be pushed together such that the fastening device is correspondingly short. During the installation, it is positioned and pushed apart so that the retaining portions are inserted into the retaining receptacles, after which the strut portions are fastened to each other again. For this purpose, for example, use is made of one or more screw connections which grip through corresponding slots or the like provided in the strut portions.
Furthermore, the first fastening device can comprise two spring elements via which it is braced in the retaining receptacles. These two spring elements are used, on the one hand, to brace the fastening device on both sides but, on the other hand, also to center same.
According to a second variant of the invention, the first fastening device can comprise two separate fastenings, each of which is fixed or fixable separately to the sanitary object and each has a retaining bolt receptacle. Whereas, in the case of the first variant of the invention, virtually one single component is provided as the first fastening device, according to the second variant the first fastening device is in multiple parts, comprising the two separate fastenings, each of which is fastened separately to the sanitary object. Each fastening has a corresponding retaining portion, optionally also a plurality of retaining portions, with corresponding retaining receptacles being formed on the sanitary object. Also, each retaining device has a separate retaining bolt receptacle into which the retaining bolt engages or through which it reaches. Of course, each retaining bolt receptacle is also assigned here a corresponding threaded bore for receiving the retaining screw, wherein, of course, in this variant too, the threaded bores are directed to the upper wall or to the wall openings in the installation position.
In this variant, each fastening has, as a retaining portion, a guide portion with which it engages, in the installation position, in a guide receptacle which forms the retaining receptacle and is provided on the sanitary object. The installation here is carried out by simple pushing-in, with torsion protection also being realized at the same time via this fastening in the manner of a linear guide. In the final pushed-in position, the threaded bores are then automatically aligned upward.
Finally, provision may be made that the first fastening device comprises two guide sleeves in which the retaining screws are received in the installation position. These guide sleeves, on the one hand, protect the retaining screws during the installation of the fastening device on the sanitary object, wherein the retaining screws are of course screwed, expediently already pre-assembled, into the threaded bores, since they, as explained, are directed upward to the upper wall or the wall openings when the fastening device is mounted and subsequent introduction may be awkward. In addition, these guide sleeves can also serve to guide the tool inserted through the respective sleeve, i.e. the screwdriver, so that it is guided virtually automatically to the screw head and can grip the latter. Each guide sleeve may have a region of narrow diameter that engages around the screw shaft and an adjoining, funnel-shaped portion, in which the screwdriver engages and via which it is guided to the screw head.
The various features of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of the disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages, specific objects attained by its use, reference should be had to the drawings and descriptive matter in which there are illustrated and described preferred embodiments of the invention.
In the drawings:
Every second fastening device 6, of which only one with some of the device components are shown in
Furthermore, a first abutment element 10 is provided in the form of a plate-like disk, and a disk-shaped second abutment element 11, which has a recess 12, in which a radially protruding shoulder 13, which serves as a support portion of the sleeve 7 and is supported against the wall 4 or the abutment element 11, engages in a form-fitting manner in the installation position. The diameter of the two abutment elements 10, 11 is greater than the diameter of the respective wall opening 5, and therefore they can brace the wall 4 between them.
For the installation of the respective fastening device 6 which, as is also discussed below, includes a retaining pin 25 that is to be connected to the sleeve 7, first of all the sleeve 7 is inserted through the second abutment element 11 until the shoulder 13 engages in the recess 12. The sleeve 7 is then guided with the external threaded portion 8 through the wall opening 5, after which the first abutment element 10 is placed onto it and then the nut 9 is screwed onto the external threaded portion 8 until the device parts are firmly braced against the wall 4. The first abutment element 10, which is designed as a plate-like disk, is deformed in the process and generates a preload, via which the screw connection is secured. The installation position is shown in
The second fastening device 14 has, at each of its ends, a retaining portion 16 which, in the installation position shown in
The second fastening device 14 is used to fix the sanitary object 2 to two retaining bolts provided on the wall, which will be discussed below. For this purpose, the strut-like second fastening device 14 has two retaining bolt receptacles 18, for example, of round cross section, in which, in the installation position, a retaining bolt in each case engages, to which the first fastening device 14 is fixedly connected. Each retaining bolt receptacle 18 is assigned a threaded bore 19, the respective threaded bore 19 ending in the respective retaining bolt receptacle 18. In the installation position shown in
The alignment of the two threaded bores 19 and of the retaining screws 20 to the upper wall 4 and the parts of the second fastening devices 6 that are already braced there can be gathered from
If the sanitary object 2 is fixed to the retaining bolt 24 on the wall, the two second fastening devices 6 are completed in the next step. Each fastening device 6 comprises a retaining pin 25 which has a widened collar 26 with an external threaded portion 27 at one end. The respective sleeve 7 is provided in the region of its through-hole 22 with an internal thread 28, into which the external threaded portion 27 of the respective retaining pin 25 can be screwed. This installation step is shown in
A plastics disk may also be provided which is placed between the top side of the wall 4 and the bottom side of the second abutment element 11 in order to protect the surface of the wall 4. Instead of a separate plastics disk, a plastics coating of the bottom side of the second abutment element 11 may also be provided.
Furthermore, it is conceivable to realize the second abutment element 11 also integrally with the sleeve 7, that is, to correspondingly increase the diameter of the shoulder 13, such that the shoulder 13 serves as a second abutment element and sits on the top side of the wall 4. The diameter of the second abutment element 11, whether it is a separate abutment element or whether is is integral with the sleeve 7, is, however, always dimensioned in such a way that it is significantly larger than the diameter of the respective wall opening 5, and therefore the position of the sleeve 7 in the wall opening 5 can be correspondingly aligned, and also the two fastening devices 6 in the two wall openings can be correspondingly aligned relative to each other and the wall opening 5 is always covered. This is because it has to be ensured that the two retaining pins 25 are precisely positioned in such a way that the seat or lid fitting placed thereon is positioned precisely with respect to the sanitary object 2.
Furthermore, a cover can be provided, which is placed on top of the respective second fastening devices after completion thereof and which covers the second abutment element 11 on the one hand and also receives the retaining pin 25 with a sleeve portion such that they are no longer visible.
Finally, it is possible to provide two additional guide sleeves, which are arranged in an extension of the threaded bores 19 and serve to guide the tool. These guide sleeves are expedient whenever the fastening screws 20 are relatively short and are designed, for example, as grub screws. The guide sleeves allow the tool to be guided to the respective retaining screw in the best possible way.
While specific embodiments of the invention have been shown and described in detail to illustrate the inventive principles, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 2023 115 325.0 | Jun 2023 | DE | national |
