The present application relates generally to a door assembly for a bathing enclosure (e.g., a shower enclosure, etc.), and in particular to a door assembly having an adjustable hinge assembly.
Shower door assemblies typically include a fixed wall member, a door and at least one hinge assembly pivotably coupling the door to the fixed wall member. Conventional hinge assemblies have fixed mounting points on both the door and the fixed wall member. Due to this limitation, standard sized doors using conventional hinge assemblies cannot be installed in custom bathing enclosures having non-standard sized door openings. Furthermore, doors must be built to different widths to accommodate door openings of different sizes. Mass producing doors with different widths and/or modifying doors to accommodate different sized door openings can be time consuming and costly.
One embodiment relates to a shower door assembly including a wall member, a door and a hinge assembly. The wall member is configured to be coupled to a fixed portion of a bathing enclosure. The door is pivotably coupled to the wall member by the hinge assembly, and is positioned such that at least a portion of the door overlaps with at least a portion of the wall member when the door is in a closed position. The door is configured to pivot about a pivot axis relative to the wall member between an opened position and a closed position. The door is also configured to translate in a direction normal to the pivot axis to selectively adjust a relative distance between a side edge of the door and a side edge of the wall member such that the door fits in a door opening of the bathing enclosure.
Another embodiment relates to a hinge assembly including a pivot member, an arm and a rail. The pivot member has a first end and a second end. The arm is pivotably coupled to the first end of the pivot member. The rail is slidably coupled to the second end of the pivot member. The rail is configured to slide relative to the pivot member to selectively adjust a translational position of the rail relative to the pivot member.
Yet another embodiment relates to a hinge assembly including a rail, an arm and a pivot member. The rail is configured to be coupled to a shower door. The arm is configured to be coupled to a stationary portion of a bathing enclosure. The pivot member has a first end pivotably coupled to the arm and a second end slidably coupled to the rail. The hinge assembly is configured to allow selective translational adjustment of a position of the shower door relative to a door opening of the bathing enclosure.
Referring generally to the FIGURES, disclosed herein are door assemblies for bathing enclosures (e.g., shower enclosures, showers, baths, etc.) and the like including one or more adjustable hinge assemblies. The adjustable hinge assemblies pivotably couple the door to a fixed wall member, such as a wall of a bathing enclosure (e.g., shower enclosure, etc.) or a fixed portion of a building (e.g., floor, wall, ceiling, joists, etc.). The adjustable hinge assemblies are configured to allow a user to adjust the position of the door relative to the fixed wall member such that the door can fit in door openings having different sizes (i.e., different widths). In addition, the adjustable hinge assemblies are independently adjustable to allow a user/installer to correct for out-of-plumb conditions of the door relative to a door opening/floor. In this manner, the door can be selectively adjusted to properly fit in different door opening configurations. Furthermore, the adjustable hinge assemblies eliminate the need for measuring and cutting standard sized doors to fit in custom bathing enclosures having non-standard sized door openings.
Referring to
For example, according to an exemplary embodiment illustrated in
As shown in
According to the exemplary embodiment of
Referring to
As shown in
According to an exemplary embodiment, the front member 221 and the rear member 222 are made from a substantially rigid material or combinations of rigid materials to provide strength to structurally support the wall assembly 200. For example, the front member 221 and/or the rear member 222 may be made from a rigid, metallic material (e.g., aluminum, steel, brass, etc.), from a plastic, a composite, or from any other suitable material that is substantially rigid.
As illustrated in the exemplary embodiment of
According to the exemplary embodiment shown in
As shown in
For example, the door 400 can be selectively adjusted via the adjustable hinge assemblies 300 by selectively translating the door 400 toward or away from the pivot axis 323a along rail 310 in a direction normal to the pivot axis 323a. The door 400 can be moved such that a relative distance between the side edge 400c of the door 400 and the side edge 210c of the wall member 210 is approximately equal to the width W of the door opening of the bathing enclosure formed between side edge 210c and stationary structure 500. In this way, the door 400 can be selectively adjusted to fit in the door opening of the bathing enclosure.
As shown in
According to an exemplary embodiment, the rail 310 and/or the plate 350 may be made from a substantially rigid material to provide strength to structurally support the door 400. For example, the rail 310 and/or the plate 350 may be made from a rigid, metallic material (e.g., aluminum, steel, brass, etc.), a plastic, a composite, or any other suitable material that is substantially rigid. A gasket, a seal, or other suitable element may be provided between the interface of the rail 310 and the door 400, and/or the plate 350 and the door 400 to protect a surface or surfaces of the door 400 (e.g., a glass panel surface, etc.).
As illustrated in
According to other exemplary embodiments, the arm 320 may be coupled directly to a surface or an edge of the wall member 210 (e.g., the front surface 210a, the back surface 210b, the side edge 210c, etc.) by one or more fasteners (e.g., bolts, screws, adhesive, etc.). According to another exemplary embodiment, the arm 320 may be integrated into the wall member 210.
As illustrated in
According to other exemplary embodiments, the interface between the first portion 311 of the rail 310 and the slide end 331 of the pivot member 330 may be configured such that the rail 310 can move relative to the pivot member 330, but is substantially supported by and retained within the slide end 331 of the pivot member 330. For example, according to an exemplary embodiment, the pivot end 332 includes a protrusion (e.g., a ball, etc.) extending from an upper surface of the pivot end 332. The protrusion is configured to be received within the free end 322 of the arm 320. That is, the free end 322 has a profile that is complementary to a profile of the protrusion of the pivot end 332 (i.e., the pivot end 322 has a contour that is substantially the same as the protrusion of the pivot end 332) to form a pivoting joint (e.g., a ball and socket joint, etc.). According to other exemplary embodiments, the rail 310 does not include a channel, but is configured to be received within a channel of the pivot member 330 such that the rail 310 can move relative to the pivot member 330 within the channel.
As illustrated in
According to the exemplary embodiment illustrated in
Referring to
One or more arms 320 are coupled to wall member 210 of the wall assembly 200. In the embodiment shown, a first arm 320 is coupled to an upper portion of the wall member 210 and a second arm 320 is coupled to a lower portion of the wall member 210. Each of the arms 320 includes a pivot member 330 pivotably coupled to a free end 322 of each of the arms 320. One or more rails 310 are coupled to the door 400. In the embodiment shown, a first rail 310 is coupled to an upper portion of the door 400 and a second rail 310 is coupled to a lower portion of the door 400. Each of the rails 310 is positioned on the door 400 to correspond to the positions of the first and second arms 320 on the wall member 210.
The door 400 is positioned in the door opening of the bathing enclosure such that a portion of the door 400 is behind the wall assembly 200 and offset a distance away from the wall assembly 200. Each of the pivot members 330 are slidably coupled to the respective rails 310 by inserting each of the rails 310 into the slide ends 332 of each of the pivot members 330. The door 400 can then be adjusted by moving (e.g., sliding, rolling, translating, etc.) the door 400 along a length of the rail 310 to a desired position relative to the wall assembly 200 and the door opening of the bathing enclosure. For example, the door 400 can be translated along rail 310 such that the distance between side edge 400c of the door 400 and side edge 210c of the wall member 210 is approximately equal to the width W of the door opening. That is, the door 400 can be translated along rail 310 in a direction normal to the pivot axis 323a such that the door 400 properly fits in the door opening of the bathing enclosure.
In one embodiment, the door 400 is translated to a relative position with the side edge 400c abutting a portion of the stationary structure 500 (e.g., a wall, a portion of a bathing enclosure, a striker plate, etc.). Once the door 400 is moved to a desired position, each of the lock members 370 on the pivot members 330 can be adjusted to engage the respective rails 310 to set the relative position of the door 400. According to an exemplary embodiment, the door 400 includes a seal extending along a length of the side edge 400c. The seal is configured to engage a portion of the stationary structure when the door 400 is in a closed position to prevent water from passing between the door 400 and the stationary structure 500. According to an exemplary embodiment, the door assembly 100 includes another element or member coupled to the stationary structure 500 to receive side edge 400c of door 400 when the door 400 is in a closed position, such as, for example, a striker plate, a seal, a frame member, or the like.
According to an exemplary embodiment, the adjustable hinge assemblies 300 are independently adjustable to allow a user/installer to adjust a relative position of the door 400 to correct for out-of-plumb conditions. For example, if the door 400 is positioned out-of-plumb (i.e., out of vertical alignment) in the door opening of the bathing enclosure, a user/installer can selectively disengage one of the lock members 370 from a rail member 310 (e.g., first or second rail members 310) and translate the door 400 to adjust the relative position of the door in the door opening. In this manner, the door 400 can be selectively adjusted to fit various door opening configurations. Moreover, the adjustable hinge assembly 300 eliminates the need for measuring and cutting standard sized doors to fit in custom built bathing enclosures having non-standard sized door openings.
Referring now to
As shown in
As utilized herein, the terms “approximately,” “about,” “substantially”, and similar terms are intended to have a broad meaning in harmony with the common and accepted usage by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the subject matter of this disclosure pertains. It should be understood by those of skill in the art who review this disclosure that these terms are intended to allow a description of certain features described and claimed without restricting the scope of these features to the precise numerical ranges provided. Accordingly, these terms should be interpreted as indicating that insubstantial or inconsequential modifications or alterations of the subject matter described and claimed are considered to be within the scope of the invention as recited in the appended claims.
It should be noted that the term “exemplary” as used herein to describe various embodiments is intended to indicate that such embodiments are possible examples, representations, and/or illustrations of possible embodiments (and such term is not intended to connote that such embodiments are necessarily extraordinary or superlative examples).
The terms “coupled,” “connected,” and the like as used herein mean the joining of two members directly or indirectly to one another. Such joining may be stationary (e.g., permanent) or moveable (e.g., removable or releasable). Such joining may be achieved with the two members or the two members and any additional intermediate members being integrally formed as a single unitary body with one another or with the two members or the two members and any additional intermediate members being attached to one another.
References herein to the positions of elements (e.g., “top,” “bottom,” “above,” “below,” etc.) are merely used to describe the orientation of various elements in the FIGURES. It should be noted that the orientation of various elements may differ according to other exemplary embodiments, and that such variations are intended to be encompassed by the present disclosure.
It is important to note that the construction and arrangement as illustrated for the various exemplary embodiments are illustrative only. Although only a few embodiments have been described in detail in this disclosure, those skilled in the art who review this disclosure will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible (e.g., variations in sizes, dimensions, structures, shapes and proportions of the various elements, values of parameters, mounting arrangements, use of materials, colors, orientations, etc.) without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of the subject matter described herein. For example, elements illustrated as integrally formed may be constructed of multiple parts or elements, the position of elements may be reversed or otherwise varied, and the nature or number of discrete elements or positions may be altered or varied. The order or sequence of any process or method steps may be varied or re-sequenced according to alternative embodiments. Other substitutions, modifications, changes and omissions may also be made in the design, operating conditions and arrangement of the various exemplary embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention.
This application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/898,118, filed on Oct. 31, 2013, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein.
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20150113724 A1 | Apr 2015 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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61898118 | Oct 2013 | US |