Patent Application
20220127836
This invention relates to a new and improved wall to wall linear drain assembly.
Drains are used throughout the world as a key component to showers. Linear shower drains have increased in popularity over the years. Linear drains allow for the capturing of the flow of water towards a single exit port to deliver liquid from a shower. Linear drains, however, affects the number of slopes that must be inserted in a shower flooring mechanism. The flooring mechanism may for example be ceramic tiles, natural stones, thin flooring, or vinyl. Linear drains require slopping of the floor tile to carry the water into the drain. Currently in the industry, at least four slopes are required. The slopes include a front slope, a back slope, a left side slope, and a right-side slope. The number of slopes that must be inserted into the flooring, limits the size of the tiles that can be used. Tiles must be cut into smaller sizes. Cutting or trimming tiles can be a difficult, costly, and time-consuming task for installers.
It is essential to the present disclosure, all embodiments are provided as illustrative and non-limiting representatives of various possible embodiments. In addition, the terms “is”, “can”, “will” and the like are herein uses as synonyms for an interchangeable with terms such as “may”, “may provide for”, and “it is contemplated that the present invention may” and so forth.
Furthermore, all elements listed by name, encompass all equivalents for such elements. Such equivalents are contemplated for each element named herein.
For purposes of summarizing, certain aspects, advantages, and novel features of the present invention are provided herein. It is to be understood that not all aspects, advantages, or novel features may be provided in any one particular embodiment. Thus, the disclosed subject matter may be embodied or carried out in a manner that achieves or optimizes one aspect, advantages, or novel features or group of features without achieving all aspects, advantages, or novel features as may be taught or suggested.
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known art, the present invention provides a novel wall to wall drain assembly. Drains are used throughout the world as a key component to showers. Linear shower drains have increased in popularity over the years. Linear drains allow for the capturing of the flow of water towards a single exit port to deliver liquid from a shower. Linear drains, however, affects the number of slopes that must be inserted in a shower flooring mechanism.
The flooring mechanism may for example be ceramic tiles, natural stones, thin flooring, or vinyl. Linear drains require slopping of the floor tile to carry the water into the drain. Currently in the industry, at least four slopes are required. The slopes include a front slope, a back slope, a left side slope, and a right-side slope. The number of slopes that must be inserted into the flooring, limits the size of the tiles that can be used. Tiles must be cut into smaller sizes. Cutting or trimming tiles can be a difficult, costly, and time-consuming task for installers. This invention provides a solution to this problem.
The present invention allows for a one-sided slope. A one-sided slope gives the installer the opportunity to install very large tiles on the shower floor without grout lines. This invention allows for easiness, flexibility in shower floor and drain installations. Most importantly this invention is a cost-efficient approach to linear shower drain installations.
The features of the invention, which are believed to be novel, are particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of the specification. These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings and detailed description.
In an embodiment the invention discloses a wall to wall drain assembly. The drain assembly comprise of a floor grill, a removable end cap, a drain channel, and a drain. The drain assembly may be affixed to a predetermined shower length. The shower dimensions may be of at least thirty inches in length and at most eighty-four inches in length. The drain assembly may require at most two slopes to be installed in a shower floor.
The embodiment of the invention described herein are exemplary and numerous modifications, variations, and rearrangements can be readily envisioned to achieve substantially equivalent results, all of which are intended to be embraced within the spirit and scope of the invention. Furthermore, while the preferred embodiment of the invention has been described in terms of the components and configurations, it is understood that the invention is not limited to those specific dimensions or configurations but is to be accorded the full breadth of the spirit of the invention.
These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying figures.
The present invention overcomes the limitations of the prior art by providing a novel wall to wall drain assembly.
It is essential to understand that the drawings and the associated descriptions are provided to illustrate potential embodiments of the invention and not to limit the scope of the invention. Reference in the specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” is intended to indicate that a particular feature, structure, or characteristics described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least an embodiment of the invention. The appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment” or “an embodiment” in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment.
As used in this disclosure, except where the context requires otherwise, the term “comprise” and various of the term, such as “comprising”, “comprises” and “comprised” are not intended to exclude other additives, components, integers or steps.
In the following description, specific details are given to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments. However, it will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that the embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. Well-known features, elements or techniques may be shown in detail in order not to obscure the embodiments.
The floor grille 101 may be positioned over the top of the drain channel 106 and the removable end caps 103 and 104. The floor grill 101 may include a plurality of grill inlet openings 102. The grill inlet openings 102 may serve to prevent objects of a predetermined size from reaching the drain channel 106 and the drain 105. The floor grill 101 may be formed as an independent component relative to the main assembly 100 or each individual component forming the assembly. Thus, the floor grill 101 may be an added-on component.
The floor grill 101 may be appropriately sized to counterpart the drain channel 106 and the removable end caps 103 and 104. The floor grill 101 may include a longitudinal dimension, referred to herein as L2, substantially equal to the length of the conjoined body of the drain channel 106 and the removable end caps 107 and 108. While the embodiment of
The drain channel 106 may include a longitudinal dimension, referred to herein as L3. The drain channel may comprise of a right body end 114 and a left body end 113, opposite the right body end. The drain channel may further include a vertical panel 109 and a horizontal panel 114, opposite said vertical panel 109. The vertical panel 109 may affix to the back portion of a shower wall, referred to herein as W3. The horizontal panel 114 may affix to a shower floor. The drain channel's a right body end 114 and a left body end 113 may couple to the end caps 103 and 104. The vertical panel 109 and the horizontal panel 114 provides waterproofing to a shower.
The drain channel 106 may comprise of a drain opening 112 to allow for the coupling of the drain 105 to the system 100. As shown in
The removable left end cap 103 may include a longitudinal dimension, referred to herein as L1. The removable left end cap's elevated panel 107 may affix to the back portion of a shower wall, referred to herein as W3. The left end cap's mid elevated panel 111 may affix to a left portion of a shower wall, referred to herein as W4. The left end cap's flat front panel 118 may affix to a shower floor.
The removable right end cap 104 may include a longitudinal dimension, referred to herein as L1. The removable right end cap's right panel 108 may affix to the back portion of a shower wall, referred to herein as W3. The right end cap's mid panel 110 may affix to a right portion of a shower wall referred to herein as W4. The right end cap's flat front panel 119 may affix to a shower floor.
The removable right end cap 104 and the removable left end cap 103 may removably couple to the drain channel 106. The removable end caps may be adjusted to allow for the system 100 to be at least thirty inches and at most eighty inches. The system 100 may be readjusted to fit within a predetermined shower length, and attach to the showers walls, herein referred to as W2, W3, and W4.
The current invention is novel in that it requires at most two slopes in a shower drain flooring installation. The draining assemblies currently in market requires at least four slopes in a shower drain flooring installation. This invention allows for the input of bigger tiles. With bigger tiles, flooring specialist will save time and money in installing tile floors. As shown in
Although the present invention has been described with a degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure has been made by way of example and that other versions are possible. As various changes could be made in the above description without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be illustrative and not used in a limiting sense. The spirit and scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the description of the preferred versions contained in the disclosure.
All features disclosed in the specification, including the claims, abstracts, and drawings, and all steps in any method or process disclosed, may be combined in any combination, except combinations where at least some of such features and/or steps are mutually exclusive. Each feature disclosed in the specification, including the claims, abstract, and drawings, can be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or some similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is one example only of a generic series of equivalent or similar features.
While the present invention generally described herein has been disclosed in connection with a number of embodiments shown and described in detail, various modifications should be readily apparent to those of skill in the art.
