Patent Grant
11375858
Not Applicable.
Not Applicable.
The present invention relates to a splashguard for a bathtub, and more particularly to a splashguard for a bathtub that does not interfere with entry and exit from a bathtub.
Splashguards have long been used for preventing water from spilling out of bathtubs while simultaneously providing additional play area for children and increased storage surface area for an adult when taking a bath. During bath time children routinely play on the top edge of the bathtub. This causes water to pour over the side of the bathtub, making a wet slippery floor that can be dangerous to children when they get out, and the person giving them the bath. It can also lead to water damage in the bathroom, or other parts of the house depending on where the bathroom is located. There is also the headache of constantly cleaning up the water, as well as trying to train children to not play on the edge of the bathtub. Similarly, adults often take baths for cleaning and relaxation and while doing so may light candles around the bathtub, read a book, or would prefer to have a surface close by for holding items that they do not want to get wet. Accordingly, there is a desire to those in the art to provide a play or storage area that also doubles as splashguard to prevent water from spilling out of the tub.
Most prior art devices teach or suggest a splashguard that extends between the sidewalls of the shower stall in which the bathtub sits. Although effective at preventing water from spilling from the bathtub and providing an increased surface area for play or storage, these devices interfere with entry and exit from bathtubs wherein a person must step over the splashguard or the splashguard must be removed when entering and existing. Accordingly, there remains a desire to those having an ordinary skill in the art to provide an improved splashguard that effectively expands the surface area of the edge of the bathtub and prevents spilling while simultaneously allowing uninterrupted entry and egress from the bathtub while the splashguard is attached thereto.
An example of a splashguard which extends the entire length of the bathtub is described in US Pat. Pub. No. 2011/0258768. As noted in the '768 publication, there is a particular desire for splashguards that can be used with children who play during bathing. Often children are excited by what they see as an opportunity to play in the bathtub and use the time to splash around in the water or to play with toys. This frolicking can lead to large volumes of water being thrown onto a supervising caregiver or onto the floor. Excess water on a bathroom floor can result in hazardously slick conditions for children and caregivers alike. Further still, bathtubs are not inherently designed to provide play surfaces for children or for increased storage surfaces for adults who may also benefit from an expanded bathtub edge as explained below. Accordingly, there is a desire to provide such expanded surfaces while simultaneously preventing water from spilling out of the bathtub.
To combat spilling, the '768 publication describes a splashguard that is placed along the edge of a bathtub allowing the supervisor to remain in clear sight of a bathing child, while providing an extended deflecting surface for keeping water in a bathtub. Although effective at preventing splashing onto the floor, the splashguards described by the '768 publication have several drawbacks. One drawback of the '768 publication's splashguards is the lack of any space between at least one end of the splashguards and the walls at either end of the tub. The space is important to allow uninterrupted entry and egress from the bathtub. Rather than providing for any such space, the '768 publication teaches that the splashguards should include wall members that extend the length of the bathtub all the way to the walls. Even when the splashguard's wall terminates in an L-shaped enclosure when viewed from above, the '768 publication teaches that the sides are flushly mounted against the shower walls to prevent water from getting out of either side of the splashguard. Although the lack of any space between the sides of the splashguards and the shower walls at the ends of the tub would prevent water from splashing around the splashguards' sides, it makes accessibility to the tub much more difficult, such as for entry and egress, and it makes it impossible for an adult to sit on the side of the tub and help wash a child's hair, thereby increasing the inconvenience of splashguards that are based on the teaching of the '768 publication (i.e., “'768-type splashguard”). Therefore, the '768-type splashguard interferes with entering and exiting the tub and renders the side of the tub inaccessible for a parent to use when helping to wash a child. Accordingly, there remains a need for a splashguard that allows for freely entering and exiting the tub without having to climb over the splashguard and that allows a person to sit on the side of tub proximate to at least one of the walls at the end of the tub.
It will be recognized that although the '768 publication states that the splashguard can prevent water from getting around either side of the wall when the L-shaped enclosure is flushly mounted against the shower walls, there would be nothing from preventing water from getting underneath the enclosure's sides because the lip terminates where the inner wall of the tub curves at the ends of the tub which is necessarily before the end of the enclosure due to the thickness of the tub's rim. There is nothing in the '768 publication that suggests how the lip might be modified to seal between the shelf and the top of the rim at the ends of the enclosure. Therefore, although the '768 publication suggests that it provides a complete seal over the entire length of the bathtub's rim between both ends of a tub and the shower wall at the ends, the '768-type splashguard cannot provide a complete seal according to the teaching of the '768 publication. Accordingly, for those splashguards that have a wall extending the entire length of a tub and forming an enclosure over the bathtub's rim, there remains a need for a modified lip or other seal for the enclosure's ends between the shelf and the rim.
The '768 publication also explains that the splashguard should have a lip that extends downward from the shelf and overhangs the bathtub's inner wall so that when water splashes up against the wall and onto the shelf, the lip directs the water back into the tub. However, although the lip may be in contact with the inner wall, it is not in any way fastened to the inner wall of the tub. According to the teaching of the '768 publication, the only fastening means between the splashguard and the tub is on the underside of the shelf, such as with a series of suction cups. The lack of any fasteners between the lip and the bathtub's inner wall also limits the use of '768-type splashguard to only those tubs that have a rim that is flat enough and wide enough for the suction cups to be secured to the surface. Therefore, the lack of fasteners between the lip and the bathtub's inner wall prevents '768-type splashguard from being used with many freestanding bathtubs that have relatively narrow rims and which may be rounded rather than flat, such as the style of many clawfoot bathtubs. Accordingly, there remains a need for a splashguard that is not limited in its use with particular bathtub shapes and is better suited to be removably fastened to bathtubs with rims that are not as wide as the shelves of the splashguards.
The '768 publication particularly teaches that the horizontal supporting shelf member extending from the wall is approximately the width of a bathtub rim which means that the wall does not extend much past the bathtub's outer wall. Since there is no fastener or other attachment between the lip and the bathtub's inner wall, the '768-type splashguard's wall cannot extend much past the outer wall without risking the splashguard tipping over the bathtub's outer wall. The lack of any attachment between the lip and the bathtub's inner wall for the '768-type splashguard allows the shelf to rock on the rim of the sidewall to which it is fastened so that the splashguard's wall rotates outward over the bathtub's outer wall and the lip rotates upward from the bathtub's inner wall. Since the '768-type splashguard can rock around the longitudinal axis of the shelf, the back wall cannot be cantilevered any significant distance beyond the tub's outer wall or it will create a moment arm that causes the wall to tip outward over the outer wall and splashed water will either leak between the sides of the shelf and the tub's walls or will collect between the angled back shelf and the surrounding wall, thereby adding more weight into the cantilevered section causing it to tip further back and ultimately tipping off the rim. Accordingly, the width of the shelf being limited to the width of the bathtub rim according to the teaching of the '768 publication is an important feature of the invention that cannot be modified without changing the principle of operation of the 768-type splashguard. Therefore, there remains a need for an improved splashguard that prevents rocking on bathtub rims to avoid leaks and/or failure of the connection to the bathtub rim, especially when splashguards are desired with shelves that are wider than the bathtub rims.
The splashguard lip disclosed by the '768 publication is so narrow that it does not provide sufficient surface area between the underside of the shelf and the end of the lip to accommodate suction cups like the ones used on the underside of the shelf nor does it provide significant counterbalance to a shelf that is cantilevered on the bathtub's rim past the outer wall. Accordingly, a different structure than the narrow lip would be necessary to attach suction cups sufficiently distanced from the underside of the shelf that they can be secured to the inner wall, and more mass from the structure would also help to counterbalance a cantilevered shelf. Therefore, there also remains a need for an improved splashguard that has a structure that can be releasably attached to the bathtub's inner wall as well having fasteners on the underside of the shelf that can be releasably attached to the bathtub's rim.
Other splashguards are permanently mounted to the edge of a bathtub which is inconvenient for adults getting in and out of the shower who must step over the barrier. Further, other removable splashguards are made from shields that connect to the edge of the bathtub, such as shown and described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,791,696 and 5,365,619. In these embodiments the shields prevent water from splashing out of the bathtub but are limited to a vertical splashguard and therefore do not provide any additional surface area for playing or storage. Further, as with the '768 publication, these splashguards extend the length of the bathtub and similarly do not provide an easy means of entry and exit when the guard is attached.
Another problem with known splashguards which extend between the sidewalls of the shower stall is that they are not easily used with bathtubs that are not situated within a shower stall. For example, the ends of the splashguard described in the '768 publication are flush to the walls of the shower stall to assure that water does not spill from the bathtub between the ends of the guard and the walls of the shower. Accordingly, this splashguard is not intended to function with freestanding bathtubs and is also particularly sized for specific bathtubs. Considering this limitation, there remains a desire to those in the art to provide a splashguard that can be used with multiple bathtub sizes in addition to bathtubs that are not situated within a shower stall.
Another type of bathtub tray and bracket assembly is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,444,564 (i.e., “'564-type splashguard”). As with the '768-type splashguard, the '564-type splashguard does not have any lip, flange, or other wall that extends downward from the ends of the shelf to the bathtub's rim which would prevent water splashed underneath the shelf from collecting on the rim and spilling over onto the floor adjacent to the bathtub. This problem in the '564-type splashguard is exacerbated because, unlike the '768-type splashguard which has a lip that extends downward from the front of the shelf to the bathtub's rim, there is no such lip, flange, or other wall, in on the front section of the '564-type splashguard that extends over and is spaced from the bathtub's inner sidewall so there is no structure that could prevent splashes underneath this front section. Accordingly, there is a need for some structure between the front section of a splashguard and the bathtub's inner sidewall as well as the sides of the splashguard and the bathtub's rim.
The '564-type splashguard has a number of advantages over the '768-type splashguard, including its improved accessibility for the bathtub at either side of the assembly, its use of suction cups to hold the brackets to the bathtub's inner sidewall as well as suction cups to hold the brackets to the bathtub's rim which reduces the rocking and provides for a more secure connection to the bathtub (at least for the bracket portion of the assembly), and its lip that is wider than the height of the back wall provides a counterbalance to the shelf when it is a cantilevered on the bathtub's rim and extends beyond the outer sidewall. The '564 Patent particularly teaches that its bracket is separate from the splashguard tray which allows for changes in the orientation of the bracket and the tray with respect to the bathtub. The '564 Patent also teaches that the bracket has multiple threaded openings that are spaced along the length of the bracket which allow the mounting location of the suction cups to be varied along the length of the bracket depending on the particular orientation of the assembly and the space available for the assembly on different sides of the bathtub.
Although the '564-type splashguard has some advantages over the '768-type splashguard, it's use of a bracket that is separate from the splashguard tray is detrimental because it adds complexity to the assembly and can result in an unintentional premature separation of the tray from bracket when a child is using it while bathing. The separate bracket and tray assembly is an important feature of the '564 Patent's invention which is necessary for its proper operation; therefore, the separate bracket and tray assembly cannot be modified without changing the principle of operation of the '564 Patent. One of the orientations taught by the '564 Patent is a reversed position in which the wall around the shelf is rotated so that it is positioned within the tub, and the back wall is horizontal so it serves as a shelf within the bathtub. Since the back wall extends into the bathtub space from the inner sidewall, the height of the back wall is kept rather low as compared to other splashguards. The back wall height is less than one-half the width of the shelf. Accordingly, there remains a need for a splashguard with a more simplistic structural assembly in which the tray will not become unintentionally separated from the mounts that hold the splashguard in place on the bathtub. Additionally, it would also be preferably for an improved splashguard to have a back wall height that is larger than what is taught by the '564 Patent when evaluated relative to width of the shelf.
Another problem with the '768-type splashguard and the '564-type splashguard is their lack of any reinforcement on the bottom of the shelf between the suction cups. As evident from both of these references, the bottom side of the shelf is spaced away from the bathtub's rim with no structural support between the shelf and the rim. Therefore, not only is there no barrier to water spilling over the rim from water that may splash between the bottom of the shelf and the rim, there is nothing to prevent the shelf from bending or bowing when pressure is applied to it, such as when a child may be playing with a toy on the surface. Such bowing and bending could result in pooling of water and could result in the growth of mold and mildew and may also result in one side of the suction cups being deflected away from the rim, thereby losing the suction and any holding power and causing the splashguard to topple off of the rim. Similarly, in the '564-type splashguard which has suction cups and a space between the front surface and the bathtub's inner sidewall without any support structure therebetween, a similar bending and bowing could cause these suction cups to lose their holding power. Accordingly, there remains the need for a more sturdy shelf structure and front section that will help prevent bending and bowing of the shelf and front section and help maintain suction between the suction cups and the rim and the sidewall, respectively.
The splashguard described herein relates to bathtub utility device and more particularly to a water splashguard mountable on a bathtub's rim for the purpose of expanding the surface area of a portion of the rim for storage or playing while also preventing water from spilling out of the bathtub onto the floor. Further, it is an aspect of the splashguard described herein to effectively expanded the surface of the bathtub's rim and prevent spilling while also allowing uninterrupted entry and egress from the bathtub while the splashguard is connected thereto.
The splashguard according to the preferred embodiment includes a rectangular shelf surface with a back wall and a pair of sidewalls that keep water from spilling over the side edges and rearmost edge of the shelf and getting on the floor. A flap is connected to the shelf along the forward edge of the shelf, and the flap extends downward from the forward edge of the shelf into the bathtub, generally parallel to inner sidewall of the bathtub. Water on the surface of the planar shelf portion, which sits on the top rim of the bathtub, can therefore only run off the forward edge of the shelf and down the flap back into the bathtub.
To secure the splashguard to the bathtub, suction cups are provided on the underside of the shelf as well as on the backside of the flap that suction onto the rim of the bathtub and the inner sidewall in one easy step. Subsequently, the releasable connection provided by the suction cups allows the splashguard to be quickly removed and stored for later use.
In operation, the splashguard provides children an enlarged play area along the rim of the bathtub they can play with anything wet or dry, without spilling onto the bathroom floor. Alternatively, the splashguard can be used by adults who want to take a bath and have a large surface area for materials they do not want to get wet. For example, an adult may place a towel, candles books, drinks, food, electronic devices or similar items that they use in a bathtub on the surface of the splashguard and keep these items dry.
Regardless of whether a child or adult is using the splashguard, it is also an aspect of the invention to provide easy and uninterrupted entry and egress from the bathtub while the guard is attached. To provide such access to the bathtub, the guard is sized to be less than the length of the bathtub with spaces provided on each end of the splashguard between the sidewalls of the guard and the walls of the shower stall in which the bathtub is situated. Alternatively, the splashguard described herein can be used in free standing bathtubs that are not situated within a shower stall wherein a child or adult can easily enter or exit the bathtub on either end of the splashguard.
Further areas of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating the preferred embodiment of the invention, are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.
The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:
The following description of the preferred embodiment(s) is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention, its application, or uses.
The splashguard 10 described herein provides a place for the children to play while helping to prevent water from being splashed onto the floor adjacent to the bathtub 100 and can also be a convenient place for holding items while bathing. Generally, as shown in
The shelf 12 has a planar surface 20 with a topside 20a, an underside 20b, a forward edge 22a, a rearmost edge 22b, and a pair of side edges 24a and 24b extending between the forward edge and the rearmost edge. The shelf width (WS) extends between the forward edge and the rearmost edge, and the shelf length (LS) extends between the pair of side edges. The topside of the shelf's planar surface functions as a play area or storage surface, and the underside of the shelf's planar surface faces the bathtub's rim and has a set of integral mounts 40a which hold the fasteners 18a that are used to releasably connect the shelf to the rim. The underside of the shelf is spaced by a distance (DS) from the rim of the bathtub by the fasteners but is preferably supported by a frame 42 around the fasteners and the mounts which provides support to the shelf so that it has rigidity and does not bend or bow when in use. The shelf's underside also preferably includes a set of integrally formed standoffs 50a that protrude downward from the underside of the shelf, and the shelf's integral mounts are formed as a part of the standoffs.
The forward edge of the shelf is aligned with the bathtub's rim, and as described in detail be below, the flap extends downward from the forward edge. The rearmost edge and the pair of side edges are closed off by the wall as explained in more detail below. In comparison, there is no wall section above the flap so the front of the splashguard is open towards the interior of the bathtub. When the splashguard is attached to the bathtub, a portion of the shelf's forward section along the forward edge is positioned over and is attached to the bathtub's rim while the shelf's rearward section 36 extends past the bathtub's outer sidewall and is cantilevered over the rim as particularly shown in
Although the preferred embodiment shown in
As indicated above, the wall 14 partially encloses the shelf. In particular, the shelf is partially surrounded along its rearmost edge and around its side edges by a back wall 32 and a pair of side end walls 34a and 34b, respectively. The back wall and side end walls extend upward from the concave radii of curvature at the rearmost edge and at the side edges, respectively, preventing water from spilling over the rearmost edge and the side edges of the shelf and directing water that is contained by the splashguard back into the bathtub. The wall attaches to the pair of side edges and the rearmost edge at its lower end 26b, and the wall extends upward to its top end 26a. The height (H) of the wall's top end as measured from the topside of the shelf is preferably less than the shelf width (H<WS) and is greater than one-half the shelf width (H>½*WS). The water that splashes onto the walls and the shelf during use drains back into the bathtub over the forward edge which is situated over the rim of the bathtub. To help direct the water from the shelf back into the bathtub, the flap is connected to the shelf along the forward edge and extends downward into the bathtub along the inner bathtub's sidewall.
For the rectangular shelf of the embodiment shown in
The flap 16 is attached to the forward edge of the shelf at its upper end 28a and extends downward from the convex radius of curvature along the bathtub's inner sidewall to its bottom end 28b within the bathtub, below its rim. The flap has a front face 30a over which the water flows when it drains back into the bathtub, a back face 30b which faces the inner sidewall, and a lip 38 that protrudes backward at each side of the flap. The flap's back face has another set of integral mounts 40b which hold the fasteners 18b that are used to releasably connect the flap to the sidewall. To help with draining water from the shelf, the flap's front face preferably includes drainage channels 52 extending downward from the upper end at the forward edge by a distance (DD) that is partway toward the bottom end. The flap's back face is spaced by a distance (DL) from the bathtub's inner sidewall by the fasteners so that the flap is cantilevered over the rim into the interior space of the bathtub. Additionally, the back face preferably includes another set of standoffs 50b that protrude backward from the back face toward the inner sidewall, and the flap's integral mounts are formed as a part of the standoffs. The flap width (WF) between its upper end and its lower end is preferably greater than the height of the wall plus the distance that the shelf is spaced from the rim (WF>H+DS). The flap length (LF) is at least as long as the shelf length (LF≥LS) and is preferably equal to total wall length for the top end of the wall (LF=LT).
The standoffs can be molded with or permanently attached to the shelf's underside and the flap's back face as particularly shown in
Given the space created by the fasteners and standoffs between the flap and the inner sidewall of the bathtub, it will be understood that the forward edge of the shelf and flap extended therefrom is along a different longitudinal plane than the inner sidewall of the bathtub and the inner bathtub rim. Accordingly, a gap exists between the side edges of the flap and the bathtub sidewall wherein water could splash there thru and over the rim of the bathtub, beneath the splashguard. The lip extends most or all of the distance (DL) between the flap and the inner sidewall which blocks block water from splashing into the space at the sides of the flap. The lip extending back from the flap connects with the side lip extending back from the side flanges of the side walls so that there is a continuous lip from the side ends of the flap up extending to and continuing around the entire wall.
As generally described above, the flap may include drainage channels along the front face to further facilitate drainage from the planar surface into the bathtub basin. As shown in
The splashguard described herein is sized to fit most bathtubs and to provide easy entry and exit from the bathtub while the splashguard is connected thereto. In particular, the splashguard is designed to have a length that is less than the length of the bathtub and cover a portion of the bathtub's rim so that it will fit on most bathtubs and provide an uninterrupted accessibility space on at least one end.
The splashguard is sized to only cover a portion of the bathtub's length and does not extend the entire length of the bathtub. As shown in
Although the dimensions of the splashguard are not intended to be limiting, the preferred embodiment includes a wall length and a flap length that are approximately equal. Furthermore, the width of the splashguard between the forward edge and the rearmost edge is less than the length of the shelf. Further still, the splashguard can be manufactured to various lengths for particular uses. A larger splashguard may provide more space on one side of the bathtub for entry and exit on that side, whereas a smaller splashguard may provide sufficient space for entry and exit on both sides or for the parent to sit on either side of the bathtub's sidewall. A smaller splashguard that covers less than half the length of the tub may be used by adults who merely want a smaller surface to hold a book, candle or electronic device. Although the larger splashguard could also be used for holding these items, the larger splashguard with a length greater than half the length of the tub, such as shown in
The splashguard according the preferred embodiment is rectangular in shape as described above but it will be appreciated that the shape of the splashguard is not intended to be limiting. For example, the shape of the shelf portion may be curved and match the shape of a curved bathtub wherein the inventive aspect of the splashguard is the planar shelf, walls, and flap. In particular, the shelf may have a have an oval shape with the rearmost edge being cantilevered over the bathtub's rim and the straight edge extending along the rim as shown in
Further still, the shape of the shelf could be altered to fit around uniquely shaped bathtubs. For example, a splashguard may include a curved forward edge and corresponding flap that mirrors the end of a curved bathtub as shown in
Preferably, the splashguard is made out of silicone so it will not rot or collect bacteria but may also be made from other material types, such as plastic. In addition, the splashguard is made from a single molded piece product without any connecting fasteners that may tend to break or rust in wet environments. Accordingly, it is also preferred that the suctions cups that releasably connect the splashguard to the bathtub are molded within the single piece splashguard.
The embodiments were chosen and described to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application to persons who are skilled in the art. As various modifications could be made to the exemplary embodiments, as described above with reference to the corresponding illustrations, without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the foregoing description and shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative rather than limiting. For example, although suction cups are the preferred fasteners used for connecting the splashguard to the bathtub, it will be appreciated that there are numerous releasable and reusable fasteners that could be used in place of or in combination with the suction cups. For example, if it is desired to have a flap that is narrower than the diameter of the suction cups located at the underside of the shelf, it is possible that magnets could be used. The use of magnets to help secure splashguards to bathtubs is well-known and is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,888,835 which is incorporated by reference herein. Similarly, one or both of the suction cup surfaces shown in
This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/915,722 filed Oct. 16, 2020, which is hereby incorporated by reference.
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| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62915722 | Oct 2019 | US |
