Patent Application
20170183900
Aspects relate, in general, to a shower door hinge mechanism, and more particularly, although not exclusively, to a shower door hinge mechanism for lifting a shower door of a shower installation.
Various types of shower door are known, which include sliding shower doors, bi-fold shower doors, hinged shower doors and pivot shower doors. A shower door may be used with a shower tray or in a wet room, and typically extends from the floor upwards. Although different sizes of shower door are available, they are usually classed as either full-height (for example in the range 1850 mm-1950 mm), which may be used in an installation in a standard bathroom, reduced height (for example 1750 mm), which may be used in an installation in a loft or cellar, or half-height (for example 750 mm-900 mm), which may be used in an installation for a person with reduced mobility for example.
A known type of installation for a person with reduced mobility includes a half-height hinged shower door with a seal element at the bottom that contacts the shower area floor to prevent leakage when the shower is in use. Contact between the seal element and the shower area floor can prevent the shower door from pivoting freely. Friction arising from contact between the seal element and the shower area floor can cause resistance to rotation, inhibit smooth opening and closing of the shower door, and cause the seal element to be dragged along the shower area floor as the shower door is swung open and closed. Consequently, easy operation of the shower door is impeded and the seal element can become damaged leading to unwanted seepage or leakage of water from underneath the shower door to the outside of the shower area. Thus, contact between the shower door and the shower area floor during rotation of the shower door makes the shower door difficult to move and impairs the reliability and working life of the seal element.
A first known proposed solution involves the use of a rising butt hinge as the lower pivot hinge of the half-height shower door, which is arranged such that the shower door rises upwards as it is opened. However, with this arrangement, the seal element is brought into contact with the shower area floor before the shower door is fully closed and is not lifted clear of the shower area floor until the shower door has been partly opened. This issue is more prominent when a compressible bottom seal element is used on the shower door. As the shower door is brought into the fully closed position, the compressible seal element is squashed against the shower area floor, resulting in resistance to rotation of the shower door. Further, rise gained during opening of the shower door is not directly translated to lift of the lower edge of the compressible seal element above the shower area floor until the seal element has returned to its uncompressed state. Thus, this first proposed solution does not fully address the problem of contact between the bottom seal element of the shower door and the shower area floor during opening and closing of the shower door.
A second known proposed solution utilises a lever-activated gas strut, which is arranged to lift the half-height shower door upon manual operation of the lever. In the arrangement of this second proposed solution, the shower door is subsequently lowered by pushing the shower door vertically back down, to a position at which the shower door is then held in the lowered position until the lever is again operated. However, the required pushing action to lower the shower door is difficult for some users of impaired mobility, in particular for users who are in a seated position when applying a downward force onto the shower door such as those using a wheelchair.
It is therefore desirable for the seal element to be clear of the shower area floor before the shower door is rotated, and for the shower door to be easy for persons with reduced mobility to open and close.
According to an aspect there is provided a hinge mechanism for a half-height shower door, said hinge mechanism comprising first and second co-operable hinge parts mountable to a shower door, and a manually-operable element engageable with at least one of said first and second parts of said hinge mechanism such that operating said manually-operable element causes one of the first and second parts of said hinge mechanism to be moved into a raised position relative to the other of the first and second parts of said hinge mechanism, whereby, in use, operating said manually-operable element causes said shower door to be lifted.
In an embodiment, the second part of the hinge mechanism comprises a pin member rotatable within the first part of the hinge mechanism, and the manually-operable element comprises a rotatable handle element engageable with the second part of said hinge mechanism such that rotating the rotatable handle element rotates the pin member of the second part of the hinge mechanism within the first part of the hinge mechanism and causes the first part of the hinge mechanism to be moved into a raised position relative to the second part of the hinge mechanism, whereby, in use, rotating the rotatable handle element causes the shower door to be lifted.
According to a further aspect, there is provided shower door apparatus comprising a shower door provided with a bottom seal element, and a shower hinge mechanism according to an aspect.
In an embodiment, the shower door is a half-height shower door provided with upper and lower pivot hinges, and the upper pivot hinge is provided by the shower door hinge mechanism. In an embodiment, the lower pivot hinge is provided by a rising butt hinge.
According to a further aspect there is provided a shower door installation comprising shower door apparatus according to an aspect, assembled for use. In an application, the shower door installation is installed in a wet room.
According to a further aspect there is provided a method of enabling a shower door to be lifted to enable rotation of the shower door free of contact with the shower area floor, the method comprising the step of providing the shower door with a shower door hinge mechanism according to an aspect.
The shower door hinge mechanism enables the shower door to be lifted to remove any contact between the bottom seal element of the shower door and the shower floor area so that the shower door can be freely rotated into, and from, the closed rotational position of the shower door. The shower door hinge mechanism allows the shower door to be rotated into the closed rotational position and then lowered, and raised and then rotated into an open rotational position.
According to a further aspect, there is provided a hinge mechanism for a half-height shower door, said hinge mechanism comprising first and second co-operable hinge parts mountable to a shower door, and a manually-operable element engageable with at least one of said first and second parts of said hinge mechanism such that operating said manually-operable element causes one of the first and second parts of said hinge mechanism to be moved into a lowered position relative to the other of the first and second parts of said hinge mechanism, whereby, in use, operating said manually-operable element causes said shower door to be lowered.
The first and second parts can include a cooperating notch and protrusion respectively, whereby to cause the handle to hold in a closed configuration when the notch and protrusion are brought together so that the protrusion rests in the notch.
According to a further aspect, there is provided a shower door apparatus comprising a shower door provided with a bottom seal element, and a shower hinge mechanism as described herein, in which the hinge mechanism is an upper hinge mechanism, the apparatus further comprising a lower hinge mechanism including a spring element so arranged as to bias the door apparatus in an upwards direction against the action of the upper hinge mechanism. The upper hinge mechanism can be a rising butt hinge mechanism operable, upon rotation of a handle from a closed to an open configuration, to cause the door apparatus to move in a downwards direction against the action of the spring.
Accordingly, a shower door apparatus can be biased in an upwards direction using a spring mounted in cooperation with a lower hinge. The door can be temporarily fixed in a lowered position using the handle in a closed configuration. When the handle is rotated to an open configuration, the hinge mechanism of the upper hinge can be arranged to enable the spring to raise the door apparatus clear of the floor.
Different aspects and embodiments of the invention may be used separately or together.
Further particular and preferred aspects of the present invention are set out in the accompanying independent and dependent claims. Features of the dependent claims may be combined with the features of the independent claims as appropriate, and in combination other than those explicitly set out in the claims.
The present invention will now be more particularly described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Example embodiments are described below in sufficient detail to enable those of ordinary skill in the art to embody and implement the systems and processes herein described. It is important to understand that embodiments can be provided in many alternate forms and should not be construed as limited to the examples set forth herein.
Accordingly, while embodiments can be modified in various ways and take on various alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown in the drawings and described in detail below as examples. There is no intent to limit to the particular forms disclosed. On the contrary, all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of the appended claims should be included. Elements of the example embodiments are consistently denoted by the same reference numerals throughout the drawings and detailed description where appropriate.
The terminology used herein to describe embodiments is not intended to limit the scope. The articles “a,” “an,” and “the” are singular in that they have a single referent, however the use of the singular form in the present document should not preclude the presence of more than one referent. In other words, elements referred to in the singular can number one or more, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,” and/or “including,” when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, items, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, items, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.
Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein are to be interpreted as is customary in the art. It will be further understood that terms in common usage should also be interpreted as is customary in the relevant art and not in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.
Features of a prior art shower door apparatus are shown in
The bottom of the shower door 102 is provided with a seal element 108, which contacts the shower floor to prevent the escape of water from the shower. Contact between the seal element 108 and the floor causes resistance to rotation and hinders easy operation of the shower door 102. Furthermore, contact between the seal element 108 and the floor causes the seal element 108 to be dragged along the shower area floor as the shower door is swung open and closed and can lead to the seal element 108 becoming damaged, resulting in undesirable leakage of water.
A shower door hinge mechanism 201 according to an example is illustrated in
The shower door hinge mechanism comprises first and second co-operable hinge parts mountable to a shower door, and a manually-operable element engageable with at least one of the first and second parts of the hinge mechanism such that operating the manually-operable element causes one part of the first and second parts of the hinge mechanism to be moved into a raised position relative to the other of the first and second parts of the hinge mechanism, whereby, in use, operating the manually-operable element causes the shower door to be lifted.
Hinge mechanism 201 is suitable for use with a half-height shower door 203, as shown in
As can be seen most clearly in
The rotatable handle element 206 is engageable with the second part 205 of the hinge mechanism 201 such that rotating the rotatable handle element 206 in a first direction rotates the pin member 207 of the second part 205 of the hinge mechanism 201 within the first part 204 of the hinge mechanism 201 and causes the first part 204 of the hinge mechanism 201 to move into a raised position relative to the second part 205. In this embodiment, rotating the rotatable handle element 206 in a second, opposite direction rotates the pin member 207 of the second part 205 of the hinge mechanism 201 within the first part 204 of the hinge mechanism 201 and causes the first part 204 of the hinge mechanism 201 to move into a lowered position relative to the second part 205.
The first and second parts 204, 205 of the hinge mechanism 201 are shown mounted to the shower door 203 in
In an example, the first and second parts 204, 205 of the hinge mechanism 201 are in the form of a rising butt hinge mechanism. As can be seen in
As typical with such rising butt type mechanisms, the two parts sit together with their respective ramped surfaces flush to one another, and relative movement of one part against the other causes the surfaces to move relative to one another thereby provoking rotational and translational movement of the hinge mechanism. In the example of
The shower door 203 comprises a bottom seal element 209, and as the shower door 203 is lifted, the seal element 209 is also lifted. Operating the hinge mechanism 201 thus lifts the seal element 209 upwards, to raise the seal element 209 clear of the shower area floor. The shower door 203 may then be opened or closed without the seal element 209 being in contact with the shower area floor. By removing all contact between the seal element 209 and the surface that the seal element 209 abuts against to provide a waterproof seal to prevent leakage when the shower is in use, effortless and smooth opening and closing of the shower door 203 is facilitated and the risk of the seal element 209 being damaged is reduced. According to the illustrated arrangement of
In operation, the hinge mechanism 201 lifts the shower door 203 to raise the seal element 209 above the shower floor surface in preparation for the shower door 203 being manually pivoted open or closed with the seal element 209 free of any contact surface. Preferably, and in this embodiment, the seal element 209 is a compressible seal element. In a specific arrangement, the compressible seal element is of the same type as seal element 108 shown in
In this illustrated embodiment, the shower door 203 comprises a frame element 210 that supports a shower door panel 211, and the first and second parts 204, 205 of the hinge mechanism 201 are mounted to the frame element 210 of the shower door 203. In this illustrated example, frame element 210 is arranged to extend along the inner edge of opposed depth-direction edges of the shower door panel, extending vertically in use. In an alternative example, the frame element is arranged to extend along the upper of opposed width-direction (horizontal) edges of the shower door panel, extend horizontally in use. It is to be appreciated that the frame element 210 may be the only frame element the shower door is provided with, or be part of a semi-frame or full frame of the shower door. Alternatively, the hinge mechanism 201 may be used with a frameless type shower door.
According to an embodiment, the shower door apparatus 202 comprises a guide element 212 that is locatable around the pin member 207 of the second part 205 of the hinge mechanism 201, and into which a base part 213 of the rotatable handle element 206 extends and within which the base part 213 is rotatable.
The shower door 203 may be hinged, directly or indirectly to, to a support post or a wall. In
As illustrated in
In an alternative embodiment, the lower pivot 305 is provided by a simple pivot pin arrangement.
In an embodiment, the shower door apparatus comprises door rotation inhibiting means for inhibiting rotation of the shower door during operation of the hinge mechanism to lift the shower door. In the example of
As shown in
With reference to
In an example, rotating the rotatable handle element 206 in a first direction of rotation, indicated by arrow 310, operates the hinge mechanism 201 to lift the shower door 203 upwards, in the direction indicated by arrow 311, and rotating the rotatable handle element 206 in the second, opposite direction of rotation, indicated by arrow 312, operates the hinge mechanism 201 to lower the shower door 203 in the downward direction indicated by arrow 313. It will be appreciated that rotation of the handle in either direction may result in rise or fall of the door 203.
In an embodiment, the hinge mechanism 201 is operable to raise the shower door 203 by approximately 10 mm. It is to be appreciated however that the magnitude of rise of the shower door effected by operation of the hinge mechanism 201 may vary and may be selected depending, for example, on the installation environment. As such, a larger or smaller rise magnitude may be selected, and there may therefore be multiple different hinge mechanisms with respective different rise magnitudes that may be selected. For example, the first and second hinge parts 204, 205 can be provided with multiple different inclinations and/or ramp sizes, whereby to effect different rise magnitudes. According to an embodiment, the rotatable handle element 206 of the hinge mechanism 201 is rotatable through a travel of approximately 90 degrees rotation to lift the shower door 203 from a most lowered condition into a most raised position condition. For example, the rotatable handle element 206 is rotatable from a position in which it extends in substantially the same direction as the lowered, closed shower door 203 into a position in which it extends substantially perpendicularly to the raised shower door 203. In an alternative arrangement, the rotatable handle element 206 is rotatable from a position in which it extends in substantially perpendicularly to the direction of the lowered, closed shower door 203 into a position in which it extends in substantially the same direction as the raised shower door 203. In the raised position, the shower door can be manually opened by rotating the door about the hinge 305, 201.
It is to be appreciated that the rotatable handle element 206 may be rotated through a maximum travel of approximately 90 degrees rotation (for example, so that it can be turned only one of clockwise and anti-clockwise to effect lifting of the shower door) or a maximum travel of approximately 180 degrees rotation (for example, so that it can be turned either clockwise or anti-clockwise to effect lifting of the shower door). It is to be understood that the degree rotation of the travel of the rotatable handle element 206 of the hinge mechanism 201 to effect full lifting and lowering of the shower door 203, and the degree rotation of the maximum travel of the rotatable handle element 206 may vary.
The hinge mechanism and/or the shower door apparatus can include position holding means for selectively holding one or more positions of the rotatable handle element. For example, the position holding means may be configured to hold the rotatable handle element in the position it is in when the shower door is fully opened. This serves to prevent undesired closing of the shower door as a person is entering or leaving the showering area. In an embodiment, holding means in the form of a notch, such as a V-shaped′ notch, is provided for retaining the rotatable handle element in the rotational position it is in when the shower door is fully opened and raised.
Preferably, the hinge mechanism and/or the shower door apparatus comprises shower door condition indicating means for indicating whether the shower door is in a lowered condition or in a raised condition. The shower door condition indicating means may take any suitable form. In an embodiment, a window is presented in which an indicator is visible, the indicator changing display as the shower door is opened (raised) and closed (lowered). The indicator display may include one or more different colours, text and graphics associated with the different heights of the shower door. For example, a transparent window or opening may be provided in the first hinge part 204. An indicator can be provided on the shaft of the pin member 207, which may be a coloured portion for example. As the handle is rotated, and the first hinge part 204 rises relative to the pin member 207, the indicator on the shaft can be positioned thereon so as to come into view through the window or opening on the part 204. A similar arrangement can be provided in connection with part 212 for example.
The described shower door hinge mechanism thus enables the shower door to be lifted to remove contact between the bottom seal element of the shower door and the shower floor area so that the shower door can be freely rotated into, and from, the closed rotational position of the shower door. The shower door hinge mechanism allows the shower door to be rotated into the closed rotational position and then lowered, and raised and then rotated into an open rotational position.
Components of the hinge mechanism and the shower door apparatus as described herein may comprise one or more pieces, be fabricated from any suitable material or combination of materials, and may be manufactured using any suitable process or combination of processes. The hinge mechanism may be fabricated from one or more metal and/or plastics materials. With reference to the embodiment illustrated in
It is to be appreciated that the shower door hinge mechanism may have any form suitable to provide the described functionality. In an embodiment, the hinge mechanism comprises a rising butt hinge arrangement as described above, in which the first and second parts of the hinge 201 comprise respective ramps/ramp follower portion or portions to effect translation/movement of the door up/down. In an alternative embodiment, the hinge mechanism can comprise a lever and cam arrangement.
As can be seen in
Inside the cap portion 515 of the part 511 of the hinge 501 are provided corresponding internally profiled ramp followers that engage with ramps 507a, b in order to provide the rising butt functionality. That is, in use, when handle 503 is turned, the ramps 507a, b rotate relative to the part 511, which is fixed to the wall channel portion 517 using arm 519 for example, which includes protrusions to engage into corresponding channels in the wall channel 517 and which can be fixed in place using screws for example.
As will be noted with respect to
In this connection,
From a position in which the handle 503 is parallel to door 513, the spring is in a compressed state, and the door is biased in an upwards direction. A user can rotate the handle 503 through 90 degrees for example, and in doing so, the central lock position provided by notch 509 and the corresponding protrusion on part 511 can be manually overcome which in turn allows the compressed spring 613 to return to a relaxed position causing the door to rise up in the process of doing so. Accordingly, the action of the spring is such as to cause the door 513 to be lifted up by a predetermined amount, such as 15 mm for example, which allows the bottom seal 619 of the door 513 to become clear of the floor which allows the door to pivot freely thereby eliminating the risk of damage to the bottom seal if dragged over the showering area. A seal can be provided around the base of the retaining portion between it and the portion 603 to prevent ingress of water.
To lower the door, the user rotates the handle through 90 degrees back to the 0 degree position in which the handle is parallel to the door 513. In doing so, the upper hinge portion 501 drives the door downwards compressing the spring 613 within the spring retainer 615, pushing the bottom seal 619 down into the showering area.
As shown in
The present invention thus provides a hinge mechanism for a shower door, a shower door apparatus comprising the hinge mechanism, and a shower door installation comprising the shower door apparatus. A shower door lifting mechanism is provided that beneficially operates to facilitate opening and closing of the shower door and to reduce damage to the shower door bottom seal as the shower door is opened and closed. Further, a method of enabling a shower door to be lifted to enable rotation of the shower door free of contact with the shower area floor is provided, the method comprising the step of providing the shower door with the shower door hinge mechanism.
The present invention provides a manually-operable lifting hinge mechanism for a shower door. The present invention provides a half-height shower door having upper and lower hinges in which at least the upper hinge comprises a manually-operable lifting hinge mechanism.
Although illustrative embodiments of the invention have been disclosed in detail herein, with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is understood that the invention is not limited to the precise embodiments shown and that various changes and modifications can be effected therein by one skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1405578.4 | Mar 2014 | GB | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/EP2015/056932 | 3/30/2015 | WO | 00 |
