Claims
- 1. A shower cubicle comprising:
a stationary compartment having a shower enclosure defined between a floor and sidewalls that extend from side edges of the floor, and an entry space defined between two side walls or extending through at least one of the side walls, the entry space providing access to the shower enclosure; a moveable compartment having a closure panel, an entry door pivotally mounted to the closure panel and a connector for pivotally connecting the moveable compartment to the stationary compartment, the moveable compartment being pivotally moveable with respect to the stationary compartment when connected thereto such that the moveable compartment is moveable between a standby configuration and an in-use configuration;
wherein in the standby configuration the entry door is substantially stowed within the shower enclosure and the closure panel closes off the entry space; and wherein in the in-use configuration, the moveable compartment pivots about the connector into an open position and the entry door extends beyond the enclosed space of the shower enclosure to define an entry opening to the shower enclosure.
- 2. A shower cubicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the moveable compartment further comprises a moveable floor.
- 3. A shower cubicle as claimed in claim 2, wherein the moveable compartment further comprises a moveable ceiling opposite to the moveable floor and connected to or about an upper portion of the moveable compartment.
- 4. A shower cubicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the stationary compartment includes a ceiling panel opposite the floor and connected to the top edges of the sidewalls.
- 5. A shower cubicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein a brace is connected to the stationary compartment, the brace being adapted to receive a pivot member located on or about an upper or lower part of the closure panel.
- 6. A shower cubicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein a spring is mounted within the stationary compartment, and a pivot member is located on or about an upper or lower part of the closure panel, the pivot member being adapted to engage with the spring, wherein in use, the spring is adapted to bias the moveable compartment and thereby support at least a portion of the weight of the moveable compartment.
- 7. A shower cubicle as claimed in claims 1, wherein at least a portion of the stationary compartment floor is recessed to form a drainage pan.
- 8. A shower cubicle as claimed in claim 2, further comprising a lifting mechanism adapted to lift the movable compartment as it pivotally moves from the in-use configuration to the standby configuration and thereby allow the moveable floor to raise above and travel over the floor of the stationary compartment.
- 9. A shower cubicle as claimed in claim 8, wherein the lifting mechanism comprises a ramp track located under the moveable floor and a roller or wheel located at or near a front edge of the stationary compartment floor, the ramp track being adapted to co-operate with the roller to thereby lift the moveable compartment as it pivotally moves from the in-use configuration to the standby configuration.
- 10. A shower cubicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the stationary compartment is an integral unit formed from plastic.
- 11. A shower cubicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the moveable compartment is an integral unit formed from plastic.
- 12. A shower cubicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the closure panel is curved.
- 13. A shower cubicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the entry door is curved.
- 14. A shower cubicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the connector comprises a lower bracket for mounting to a lower part of the shower cubicle, the lower bracket including a pivoted mount for pivotally mounting the compartment to the shower cubicle.
- 15. A shower cubicle as claimed in claim 14, wherein the lower bracket includes a false floor that extends into the shower cubicle when said lower bracket is mounted to the shower cubicle.
Priority Claims (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
PP6989 |
Nov 1998 |
AU |
|
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a divisional of co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 09/831,015 filed Jul. 30, 2001, which is a U.S. National filing under 37 CFR 371 from PCT/AU99/00970 filed Nov. 5, 1999, which claims priority from Australian Application No. PP6989, filed Nov. 6, 1998.
Divisions (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09831015 |
Jul 2001 |
US |
Child |
10461856 |
Jun 2003 |
US |