US3420021A - Knock-down shower unit enclosure - Google Patents

Description

9 r J.IR. ANGHINETTI ETAL T 3, 20

KNOCK-DOWN SHOWER 'UNIT ENCLOSURE Filed Oct. 10, 1967 Sheet of 6 INVEN TORS'. JOSEPH mama/w ANGH/NETT/ DAV/D ABBOTT BURDEN ALBERT EUGENE PELLET/ER ATTORNEY Jan. 7, 1969 J. R. ANGHINETTI ETAL KNOCK-DOWN SHOWER UNIT ENCLOSURE.

Filed Oct. 10. 19 67 Sheet .2

ALBERT EUGENE PELLET/ER A TTORNE Y Jan. 7,-1 969 J. R. ANGHINEYTTI ETAL 3,420,021

KNOCK-DOWN SHOWER UNIT ENCLOSURE Filed Oct. 10, 1967 Sheet 3 of e mlllllllf 1/2 GYPSUM WALLBOARO WALLBOARD TAPE CAP MOLD/N6 GROU 7' W6 COMPOUND PEEL GREEN LINER OFF ADHESIVE TAPE INVENTORS. F 7 JOSEPH RICHARD ANGHl/VETT/ 041 10 ABBOTT BURDEN ALBERT EUGENE PELLETIER ATTORNEY Jan. 7, 1969 J. R. ANGHINETTI ETAL 3,420,021

KNOCK-DOWN SHOWER UNIT ENCLOSURE Sheet Fild Oct. 10, 1967 IN VE'N T 0R5 JOSEPH RICHARD A/VGH/NETT/ 04 W0 ABBOTT BURDEN ALBERT EUGENE PELLET/ER ATTORNEY Jan. 7, 1969 J. R. ANGHINETTI ETAL 3, ,021

KNOCK-DOWN SHOWER UNIT ENCLOSURE Filed Oct. 10. 1967 Sheet s are INVENTORS. JOSEPH RICHARD A/VG'Hl/VETT/ DA V/D ABBOTT BURDEN 1 ALBERT EUGENE PELLET/ER A rrORNEY United States Patent KNOCK-DOWN SHOWER UNIT ENCLOSURE Joseph Richard Anghinetti and David Abbott Burden,

Kennebunkport, and Albert Eugene Pelletier, Springvale, Maine, assignors to Formica Corporation, Cincinnati, Ohio, a corporation of Delaware Filed Oct. 10, 1967, Ser. No. 674,164

US. Cl. 52-264 Claims Int. Cl. E04b 2/08 ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A knock-down shower unit enclosure suitable for assembling into a unit comprising a floor unit with central drain, raised walls and a vertical flange along the sides and back portions which fit with a back panel and right and left side panels. The panels are of sandwich form with thermoset resin laminate surfaces and a central core of light, water resistant material, such as polystyrene foam, and are provided with a metal grooved portion in the bottom fitting on the flange of the floor element and metal side moldings on the vertical edges, the molding comprising a channel of panel thickness extending out from the two vertical edges and a smaller channel next to it on the inside and forming an integral portion of the molding. Side panels of the same material with the same channel in the polystyrene foam at their bottom are applied on the flanges of the floor element and slid back into the channel in the moldings on the corresponding side of the back panel. The side panels are provided with a metal molding having an extending flange on the front vertical edge and capable of being nailed into a building stud. Corner moldings of extruded metal such as aluminum, preferably clad with decorative laminate, are provided with a toothed leg extending their full length which can be forced into the small channel on each side molding of the back panel. This locks the metal molding, which appears as a quarter round. Cap moldings are provided on the top of each panel and are nailable to studs and capable of receiving wallboard or other material so that the panels appear flush into the Wall of the final built shower. All elements, including the shower floor and the panels, are relatively flat and shippable in compact units. Assembly of the panels can be effected by first installing the back panel and then sliding the side panels into the channels of its two side moldings without the use of any fastening or special equipment. If desired, the front wall may be provided with a suitable hanger for receiving slideable plastic or glass enclosures or curtains.

Background of the'inventz'on In the past shower stalls or enclosures were either built on the spot, for example with ceramic tile, prefabricated knock-down types, and one-piece Fiberglas reinforced plastic. The first type sufiered from the disadvantage of high cost and the last from great difficulty in shipping, because a complete stall is a very large object in comparison to its weight. Not only did this add greatly to the shipping cost, but sometimes it could not be moved through doorways or narrow passageways. Also, the polyester surface of the unit is susceptible to staining, fiber blooming, and scratching.

While the knock-down prefabricated types were easy to ship, they were complicated to install, consisted of many parts, and required cutting of parts on the job, all of which increased the cost.

Summary of the invention The present invention is a shower unit made up of "Ice knock-down parts which fit together without cutting and do not require highly skilled workmen for installation. The final result, however, is a beautiful shower enclosure which is leakproof and durable. In the present specification the term enclosure will be used in a broad sense to include both shower stalls, which is the principal field of utility of the present invention, and also enclosures including a tub. The modifications for the latter enclosure will be mentioned further below. It should be noted that when a shower enclosure includes a tub, essentially the tub is a floor element which is concave with watertight sides. The only real difference is that the tub is much deeper than is the concave fioor element of a stall and, of course, normally has its drain at one end instead of in the center. Therefore, in the present specification the term concave floor element or concave shower base will be used in a broader sense to include a tub and will not be limited to a shower stall floor, which constitutes a much shallower container or pan-shaped element. In a more restricted aspect of the invention, however, the preferred embodiment is a shower stall rather than an enclosure around a tub.

Essentially the present invention requires a concave floor element which has a flange extending upwardly from its raised sides on three edges with a flat, relatively wide edge on the fourth side. In the case of a shower stall floor, this fourth side constitutes a raised threshold, whereas in the case of a tub it is one of the walls of the tub. Cooperating with the concave floor element there are three panels, a back panel and two side panels, the latter being mirror images of each other. The panels are in sandwich form with thermoset resin laminates on either side of a central core of light material unaffected by moisture, such as polystyrene foam. The decorative laminates are usually of fibrous sheet material impregnated with phenolic resin core sheets and melamine resin surface sheets which are then thermoset in a heat and pressure consolidation step and are commercially available from a plurality of sources. The sandwich is formed by use of a suitable contact adhesives and pressed in conventional presses. The bottom of each panel carries a channel, usually of metal, completely recessed in the panel and fitting on the flange of the corresponding side of the floor element.

The back panel is provided on each vertical edge with a metal molding, usually of aluminum, which is L-shaped, preferably presenting a wider channel on the outside and a narrower channel on the inside. The wider channel is dimensioned so that the inner edge of a side panel fits in snugly. The narrow inner channel in a preferred form accepts a corner molding with a serrated leg. In its broader aspects the invention is not limited to corner moldings attached in this manner, but the advantages in rapidity of assembly, watertightness and appearance make this preferred form desirable; and as its cost is quite low, ordinarily the preferred construction is used. The other vertical edge of each side panel, that is to say the edge that is at its forward end, is also provided with a molding which can be recessed into the panel and which carries a protruding thin flange which can be nailed to studding when the enclosure has been assembled. Suitable cap moldings can be provided where the enclosure is to be recessed into walls, for example drywall. This, however, is not an essential feature of the invention.

The panels can have highly decorative colors or designs on their inner surfaces and, of course, a less perfectly finished laminate on their outer surfaces which are against the wall studding. In the preferred modification the extruded metal corner moldings may be clad with a very thin coating of laminate so that the molding blends into the panels themselves. However, the invention also includes moldings which are not so clad, and with some metals the resulting contrast is even sometimes desired.

Installation of the shower enclosure can be done without requiring highly skilled craftsmen and is rapid and simple. It will be described generally with a more detailed description of an illustrative enclosure set out in more detail below. Essentially, the floor element is first mounted in the conventional manner, of course the drain being suitably lined up with the bathroom plumbing. The back panel is then lowered until its recessed channel fits over the raised flange of the concave floor element. After the back panel is fitted into place, the two side panels are fitted into place and then the metal or laminate clad corner moldings are applied. An extruded metal or laminate clad metal corner molding is then applied and its serrated leg then forced into the narrow inner channel of the two side edge moldings of the back panel. This is effected by hammering with a suitable soft pad to prevent marring of the finish of the molding, and when completed the molding is snapped into a tight fit at each corner. It is possible to use other kinds of moldings and so in its broader aspects the invention is not limited to the preferred form described below. However, the preferred type of molding is cheap and can be made very decorative and so ordinarily the preferred form will be used.

Brief description of the drawings FIGURE 1 is an isometric view of a finished enclosure recessed into drywall;

FIGURE 2 isa similar isometric view without wallboard and showing panels attached to studding on only one side;

FIGURE 3 is an isometric of studding with a concave floor element and a rear panel being lowered onto it;

FIGURE 4 is a detail on an enlarged scale of the recessed channel on the bottom of a panel fitted on the floor element flange;

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged detail, partly in section, of the side molding of the rear panel;

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged detail, partly broken away, of a corner molding and cap molding attachment;

FIGURE 7 is a detail, partly in section, of wallboard mounted on the cap molding;

FIGURE 8 is a detail, partly broken away, of the fastening of the corner molding;

FIGURE 9 is a detail of the moldings of a side panel and back panel extending over the floor element;

FIGURE 10 is a detail of a left hand side panel molding; and

FIGURE 11 is an isometric view, partly broken away, of a walled-in enclosure with a sliding curtain and an enlarged enclosure shape.

Description of the preferred embodiments FIGURE 1 shows a finished shower enclosure recessed into a bathroom wall. The floor element is shown at 1, back panel at 2, left hand side panel at 3, and the wallboard in place at 4.

FIGURE 2 shows the same enclosure before applying wallboard. It shows the right hand side panel at 5, part of the studding at 6, a front molding 7 on the left hand side panel nailed to the studding, and cap moldings 8 on the top of the three panels. The cap molding is shown in FIGURE 6 nailed to the studs 6 and illustrates the use of shims 9, which are applied to straighten the panels if the studding is not quite plumb.

Each of the panels is in the form of a sandwich with an inner decorative phenolic-melamine laminate 11 provided with a suitable colored finish and/ or design, a rear phenolic laminate 10, both laminated to a polystyrene foam core 12. In the bottom of the panel there is cemented a metal channel 13, for example of aluminum, which fits on the flange 14 on three sides of the floor element. The front side of the floor element is flat in the form of a threshold 15. The flange 14 is also readily seen in FIG- URE 3, and the chall li .13 is also evident but the scale 4 is so much smaller than FIGURE 4 that the latter shows the channel more clearly.

After the rear panel is mounted on the flange 14, as shown in FIGURE 3, the side panels are slid in by tilting the panel, starting the channel 13 along the front of the flange 14 on the sides'of the shower base or floor element and then sliding the panel along the flange until its fits in the channel 17, which is shown in FIGURE 5. It should be noted that in order to show the channel 13 on the bottom of the rear panel 2, the side moldings 16 are not shown in FIGURE 3, but they are of course present, and at the bottom they have extensions 19 which fit over the outside of the shower base, as can be seen in FIG- URE 9.

After the cap moldings have been fitted along the tops of the panels and nailed to studding the corner moldings 24 are then applied, starting at the bottom and working up, as can be seen in FIGURE 2. The corner molding, which is a metal extrusion and which may be clad with suitable laminates to match the panels, is provided with a toothed leg 25, which can be seen in FIGURE 8. Starting at the bottom, the molding is placed and serrated leg hammered in until the molding fits tight. FIGURE 2 shows the start of the operation with the molding in place nearly to the top, and FIGURE 6 shows the top part with details of the procedure, including the padded block 26 which is used to prevent marring of the molding as the leg 25 is hammered in. Inthe preferred installation procedure, the corner moldings 24 are applied immediately after the cap moldings have been fitted to the tops of the panels and nailed. The wall board is applied after the corner moldings are applied. As shown in FIG- URE 6, the cap moldings are ready to receive the wallboard of the bathroom wall. The front flange of the cap molding 20 is provided with adhesive, FIGURE 7, and this is protected by a liner 21. After the wallboard 4 is mounted, the liner 21 is peeled off and conventional wallboard tape 22 is applied. The surface of the wallboard is then prepared with suitable grouting compound in the conventional manner to produce a smooth surface for painting. FIGURE 7 shows the operation, including the grouting compound 23.

FIGURE 11 illustrates the finished enclosure with a sliding panel of rigid cast acrylic panels, which has been referred to above. This figure also illustrates a rectangular shower base or floor element instead of a square one. A metal member 27 extends across from one front molding to another and is provided with three tracks 28. Three cast acrylic panels 29 with lips 30 are hung on hangers with nylon rollers which run along the tracks 28. As the paneled front wall or curtain forms no part of the present invention, the hangers are not shown since they are of standard construction for sliding closet doors. The cast panels are provided with lips 30 which inter-engage so that movement of the either end panel by the molded-in handle 31 will operate the three panels. Water-tightness is assured by an extruded metal dam 32 which mounts on the front threshold of the shower base. The present invention is, of course, not limited to any particular method of closing off the front of the shower enclosure and any known form, such as glass panels, fabric curtains, and the like, may be used.

We claim:

1. A shower enclosune comprising:

(a) a rectangular, concave shower base having a projecting flange along three of its four sides, the flange being set back from the inner surfaces of the shower base sides,

(b) three panels constituting back and two side panels, each panel having a decorative inner surface of a thermoset resin laminate, the bottom edge of each panel having a recessed channel of dimensions fitting the flanges on the three sides of the shower base,

(c) the rear panel being provided at each vertical edge with a molding having forwardly directed channel of a width corresponding to the thickness of the side panels and capable of receiving the rear vertical edges of the side panels,

((1) cap molding elements fitting the upper horizontal edges of the panels and shaped to permit concealed attachment to studding, and

(e) vertical moldings on the front edges of the side panels shaped to permit concealed attachment to studding, whereby the shower enclosure is shippable in knocked down form in a number of essentially flat packages of pre-cut lengths and can be assembled witho ut dimensional cutting of the elements by placing the shower base on the floor of the room in which the enclosure is to be built, lowering the rear panel until its bottom channel fits over the rear flange of the shower base, sliding the side panels onto the side flanges of the shower base and into the channels of the respective side moldings of the rear panel, applying the cap moldings and fastening the cap moldings and front moldings of the side panels to the room studdin g.

2. A shower enclosure according to claim 1 in which the panels are sandwiches of a thermosetting laminate with a decorative finish on their inner faces, a sec- 0nd thermosetting resin laminate on their rear faces, and a central cone of foam plastic, the three elements being bonded together under pressure to form a unitary sandwich structure.

3. A shower enclosure according to claim 2 in which the side moldings on the rear panel are provided with a second narrower channel and extrusion corner molding with a serrated leg mating with the second channel capable of being forced therein and locking, whereby the molding is tightly seated against rear and side panels at each corner.

4. A shower enclosure according to claim 3 in which the corner moldings are clad with thermosetting resin laminate to harmonize with the inner surface of the side and rear panels.

5. A shower enclosure according to claim 1 in which the side moldings on the rear panel are provided with a second narrower channel and extrusion corner molding board and an inner flange coated with adhesive positioned to receive wallboard tape for feathering the wallboard prior to decoration.

8. A shower enclosune according to claim 2 for inset mounting in a drywall in which the cap moldings are provided with a shelf of width corresponding to the dry wall board and an inner flange coated with adhesive positioned to receive wallboard tape for feathering the wallboard prior to decoration.

9. A shower enclosure according to claim 4 for inset mounting in a drywall in which the cap moldings are provided with a shelf of width corresponding to the dry wall board and an inner flange coated with adhesive positioned to receive wallboard tape for feathering the wallboard prior to decoration.

10. A shower enclosure according to claim 6 for inset mounting in a drywall in which the cap moldings are provided with a shelf of wide corresponding to the dry wall board and an inner flange coated with adhesive positioned to receive wallboard tape for feathering the wallboard prior to decoration.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,343,201 2/1944 Nilson 52264 JOHN E. MURTAGH, Primary Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R.

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