1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to shower bar assemblies and more particularly to a kit for mounting a shower bar in a shower stall to expand the usable space within a shower stall in a secure manner.
2. Background of the Related Art
In the construction of most bathrooms, it is common to position a shower nozzle mounted on the wall at an enclosure above a bath tub to thereby provide the option of a shower for the resident using the bathroom facility. In defining such enclosures, splashing water out of the enclosure is limited by the use of a sliding door, typically a translucent plastic or shatter proof glass, or more conveniently, a shower curtain supported by a shower bar or rod. The shower curtain is ordinarily constructed and arranged to drape loosely from a set of eyelets or curtain rings, which slide along the shower bar. A set of such rings is normally mounted slidably on the shower bar, which is positioned normally at the height of the sprinkler head or other nozzle. The shower curtain is draped in the bath tub below so that water is not splashed out of the bath tub. Because the bath tub is below the shower nozzle, the bath tub functions to collect water which drains from the bath tub during the shower.
However, it is also desirable in the art to create a shower bar or rod that expands the usable area inside the shower stall. For oval and other differently-shaped bath tubs, prior art inventors have created shower bars having different shapes, such as arcs or having S-shaped curves in them, not only to capture shower spray, but also to ensure that the resident user is not crowded by the closeness of the shower curtain. Not only does this feature prevent the resident user from feeling claustrophobic in the shower, but it also gives them a larger degree of freedom of movement within the shower stall proper. However, creating a shower bar that is other than a straight bar creates its own new problems. In particular, the bar cannot be allowed to rotate within its mounting brackets or the desired expanded area would be compressed and water from the shower spray may exit the enclosure creating an undesirable mess. U.S. Pat. No. 6,216,287, issued to Wise, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,022,104, issued to Miller, are two prior art examples that have attempted to solve these problems.
The '287 patent discloses a shower curtain rod having two end portions with angled fittings to enable the shower curtain rod to be attached between a pair of parallel walls at a bath tub enclosure or shower stall. The '287 shower curtain rod is constructed with a central portion curving to follow the edge or profile of an oval or elliptical bath tub. This curving central portion enables the shower curtain to hang into the bath tub. Because the fittings are angled and the shower bar itself is curved, the shower curtain rod is kept in a fixed rotational position.
The '104 patent discloses a shower curtain support that has a shower curtain rod mounted by opposing wall brackets on parallel end walls of a shower stall. The rod has S-shaped ends to expand the useable space within the shower stall and slidably suspends a conventional shower curtain across the front opening of the shower stall. “Spiders” on the terminal ends of the rod are indexably received by “spider plates” of the wall brackets to dispose the rod in a number of radial orientations relative to the wall brackets, and are referred to as “spider means.” Because the “spiders” interlock with the “spider plates,” the rod is kept in a fixed rotational position.
Although both the '287 and '104 patents present solutions to the aforementioned problems of expanding the usable space within a shower stall and also holding the shower bar in a fixed rotational plane, it is believed that there is still a need in the industry for yet another means for mounting a shower bar within a shower stall or bath tub enclosure that solves these problems.
Additionally, there is a perceived need for a shower bar assembly that can be installed easily by homeowners. In particular, because many homeowners maintain their own households, they require a shower bar assembly that can be installed with few or only basic tools and with minimal skill.
The present invention solves this need within the industry by providing a shower bar assembly that includes a pair of mounting brackets configured and arranged to be mounted to a wall of a shower stall. Each of the mounting brackets has a base portion with a first shelf and a second shelf projecting from the base portion. The first shelves and the second shelves each have a retaining peg projecting from each shelf, respectively. A tubular shower bar is included and has two opposing ends. Each of the ends of the tubular shower bar has a pair of surfaces in which each defines an aperture through the tubular shower bar. Each end of the tubular shower bar is configured and arranged to slide onto the first and second shelves of the mounting brackets, with the apertures interlocking with each of the retaining pegs, respectively, to suspend the shower bar between the mounting brackets and to prevent the rotation thereof.
Accordingly, among the objects of the present invention is the provision for a shower bar assembly that expands the usable space within a shower stall.
Another object of the present invention is the provision for a shower bar assembly that suspends a shower bar in a fixed rotational position within a shower stall.
Yet another object of the present invention is the provision for a mounting bracket that can suspend a shower bar in a shower stall in a fixed rotational position.
Yet another object of the present invention is the provision for a shower bar assembly that requires few or basic tools to install it properly.
Yet another object of the present invention is the provision for a shower bar assembly that can be installed with little training and/or skill.
These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings where:
Referring to
Specifically, the tubular shower bar portion 14 is preferably formed from two halves 16, 18 that may couple together to allow the overall length of the shower bar 14 to be adjusted telescopically to the desired size. Although a cylindrical shower bar is preferred, any tubular shape may be used. A compression fitting 20 is provided to fix the shower bar at the desired length. The shower bar portion 14 has “S”-shaped ends to enable the shower bar 14 to expand the usable space within the shower stall. Although S-shaped ends are shown, other configurations could be used, such as a uniformly curved shower bar, for instance.
Referring now to
Referring now to
Preferably, the user attaches the mounting brackets 12 to the shower stall wall or bath tub enclosure wall using plastic anchors 36 and screw-type fasteners 38 (shown in
As shown in
Referring to
Referring to
Because the two retaining pegs 30 cooperate with the apertures 22 of the end 18 of the tubular shower bar 14, respectively, the shower bar 14 is held in a fixed rotational position between the mounting brackets 12.
One skilled in the art would appreciate the fact that a shower bar 14 formed with a uniform diameter could be configured to rest on both the lower and the upper shelves 26, 28.
With the shower bar 14 suspended in the brackets 12, decorative cowlings 42 (best seen in
Therefore, it can be seen that the present invention provides a unique solution to the problem of providing a shower bar assembly that expands the usable space within the shower bar and suspends the shower bar in a secure manner. Moreover, the shower bar assembly of the present invention requires few tools and little skill to install. In fact, the only tools required are those to install the fasteners for attaching the mounting brackets to the shower stall, which may be as little as a cordless drill and a screwdriver. As can be appreciated, cordless drills and screwdrivers are easy for most individuals to operate safely and effectively.
It would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made to the illustrated embodiments without departing from the spirit of the present invention. All such modifications and changes are intended to be within the scope of the present invention except as limited by the scope of the appended claims.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
839959 | Richards | Jan 1907 | A |
1953450 | Thompson | Apr 1934 | A |
2215331 | Marsh | Sep 1940 | A |
5022104 | Miller | Jun 1991 | A |
D397928 | Wise | Sep 1998 | S |
5894610 | Winter | Apr 1999 | A |
D426142 | Moore | Jun 2000 | S |
6216287 | Wise | Apr 2001 | B1 |
6263523 | Moore | Jul 2001 | B1 |
6845955 | Hsu | Jan 2005 | B1 |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20080078018 A1 | Apr 2008 | US |