EP2336439B1

EP2336439B1 - Adjustable support for a drain

Info

Publication number: EP2336439B1
Application number: EP10015030A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Juan José Pérez Salas; Isabel Aznar Alameda
Original assignee: Jimten SA
Current assignee: Jimten SA
Priority date: 2009-12-21
Filing date: 2010-11-26
Publication date: 2013-03-27
Anticipated expiration: 2030-11-26
Also published as: RU2010151917A; RU2480559C2; ES1071622Y; ES1071622U; EP2336439A1; PL2336439T3; ES2414637T3

Description

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a drain for showers in which the floor of the bathroom acts as the shower base and its walls consist of wall tiling, and where everything has the appearance of being integrated and the drain is scarcely noticed since it is at the level of the floor.
The drain forming the object of the present invention is of the kind that incorporates a support whose height is adjustable when being installed and which can also advantageously be adjusted in terms of its depth for its perfect adaptation to the different possible thicknesses of the wall tiles.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Triangular drains are known that are fitted in new showers, in which the bathroom floor acts as the shower base, and the vertical tiling becomes the walls of the shower. Everything has the appearance of being integrated and the drain is scarcely noticed since it is at the level of the floor.
In order to install this kind of drain, a support is normally fixed to which the drain body will then be attached along with the other elements making up the drain. This support is fixed to the wall in a position that permits the drain body to be installed in such a way that the unit remains at floor level. Also, a minimum of precautions and measures are required so that the unit does not move upwards when creating the concrete floor, either by securing it to the wall, or by securing it from an upper position using means existing in the state of the art, until the concrete of the floor has dried, after which these means are then removed.
The above presents the problem that the different thicknesses of tiling can alter the aesthetic appearance of the drain since it is fixed to the wall in terms of height only when being fitted. When the wall is laid with tiles or ceramic, these can overlap and hide part of the grating of the drain diminishing the aesthetic appearance of the shower. Access, removal and, in general, maintenance of the drain can all be made more difficult even, if the drain is partially hidden by the tiling being superimposed on it by a few centimetres. In this latter case, a situation can be reached in which it becomes necessary to break the lower tiles in order to be able to remove the drain or gain access to it for maintenance.
Several attempts have been made to adjust the position of the drains during their assembly. Thus, document DE20 2006002077U1 describes a device that incorporates a support that includes guide holes for vertical regulation.
In order to obtain an additional horizontal regulation temporary brackets have been used. Said brackets include two legs one horizontal and the other vertical wherein slotted holes are incorporated as described in document EP1914355A1 . Such solution solves only partially the problem, as the temporary bracket must be withdrawn prior to proceeding with the wall tiling.
Finally, the document EP2184414A1 describes a device wherein a drain pan rests in a support, which is permanently fixed to the wall. The latter includes ragged holes pierced by a screw joined to the drain pan, being fixed to the support by tightening a nut. Regulation is very difficult, as it is a device that only presents two extreme positions, completely free or completely fixed. The risk of inadvertently moving the drain pan in respect to the support is very high. The position of the screw under the drain pan, complicates furthermore the process.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The object of the present invention is to overcome the problems described above by means of a drain incorporating a support permitting its depth to be adjusted avoiding the risk of inadvertenly moving the drain pan in respect to the support.
Said adjustment of depth allows the location of the drain to be adapted to the thickness of the vertical tiling, therefore the whole of the grating will always be able to be perfectly visible, with the same width on all its sides.
To achieve this, some openings have been provided in the form of slotted holes in the support piece for the body of the drain, which will be traversed by some studs incorporated in the body. In this way, the body can slide horizontally with respect to the support piece according to the length of travel of the slotted holes. The fixing of the support piece and the body is done by means of some clips which secure the position of the unit at the desired distance from the wall depending on the thickness of the tiling.
The solution proposed replaces the standard washer and nut, by fastening clips, by means of which a force necessary for the relative displacement between the drain pan and the support is always present, which is determined by the elasticity of the lateral arms of the clip, being independent of the pressure exerted on its screw. Thus the drain pan is always fixed to the support but its relative position can be modified with a certain effort, manually or using a tool (screwdriver). No action is needed from the bottom part.
In this way, a shower is obtained whose drain can be seen completely, independently of the thickness of the ceramic or tiles of the wall. The appearance of the drain will always be the same, without any need to produce models with different dimensions for different thicknesses of vertical tiling, and also permitting comfortable maintenance and access for the drain without any need to destroy part of the vertical tiling.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The following figures are included with the aim of facilitating an understanding of the invention:

Figure 1: view of an integrated drain installed in a shower.
Figure 2: perspective view of an integrated drain unit removed from the shower, without the support.
Figure 3: exploded view of the components of the integrated drain forming the object of the present invention, incorporating slotted holes.
Figure 4: lower plan view of the drain body installed in a support, incorporating slotted holes and holes, and where the securing of the unit by means of clips can be seen.
Figure 5: side view of the union of the drain and of the support without showing the clips.
Figure 6: perspective view of part of the support with slotted holes and a clip.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

Figure 1 shows part of a shower in which the drain (1) is integrated in such a way that the floor (2) of the bathroom acts as the shower base and its walls consist of wall tiles (3), the whole having the appearance of being integrated, and with the drain appearing at floor level, with just the grating (8) of the drain (1) and its frame (7) being visible (see figure 2).
In figure 3 the elements making up the drain (1) forming the object of the present invention can be seen, which consist of a drain (1) which incorporates a support (4) that is adjustable in height by means of some vertical guide holes (9), and adjustable in depth permitting the location of the drain (1) to be adapted to the thickness of the vertical tiling (3). Therefore the grating (8) and its frame (7) as a whole will at all times be perfectly visible, with equal width on all its sides. The grating (8) is incorporated into a frame (7) which is fixed to a pressing rim union (6) of the drain body (or external piece of the drain body) (5), which houses inside itself an internal piece (5') which can be removed and exchanged in case of maintenance.
The entire foregoing unit (5 to 8) is assembled to form the drain (1) as can be seen in figure 2.
Figures 3 to 5 show the fastening of the drain (1) to its support (4), with the latter being fixed to the wall of the shower.
In figure 3 it can be seen that for the horizontally displaceable fastening of the body of the drain (5), and therefore of the drain (1) itself, to its support (4), the latter (4) incorporates some slotted holes (10) and the former (5) some studs (11) which traverse said slotted holes (10) as can be seen in figures 4 and 5.
In this way, the body of the drain (5) and the internal piece (5') can be displaced horizontally with respect to the support piece (4) according to the length of travel of the slotted holes (10). The fixing of the external piece of the drain body or body of the drain (5) to the support piece (4) is done by means of some clips (12) which fasten the position of the drain-support assembly at the desired distance from the wall depending on the thickness of the tiling.
As can be seen in figures 3 and 4, the clip (12) is traversed by a nut (13) which threads into the threaded base of the corresponding stud (11). In figure 6 a detail can be seen of the clip (12) and the nut or screw with a spiral thread (13). The traversing element can also be a nail or equivalent.
It can also be seen in figure 4 that the slotted holes (10) can optionally be complemented on both sides thereof with other auxiliary slotted holes (10') or with a succession of aligned holes (not represented) acting as a guide for the fastening clips (12) via some small studs (12') which the latter (12) incorporate in their lateral ends and which are introduced in these auxiliary slotted holes (10'), as can be seen in figure 6, and which prevent the latter (12) from turning when they are tightened.
The present integrated drain can be used for purposes other than its use in showers.

Claims

Integrated drain of the type that comprises at least a grating (8) attached to a drain body unit (5), and a support (4),
- the support (4) having horizontal elements for supporting the drain body unit (5), and vertical elements for fixing the drain body unit (5) to a wall,

- the position of said drain body unit (5) being horizontally adjustable with respect to said support (4) by means of slotted holes (10) located in horizontal elements of the support (4) which are traversed by studs (11) incorporated in the underside of the drain body (5) facing said horizontal elements of the support (4),

- the position of the support (4) being adjustable in height with respect to the wall by means of guide holes (9) in vertical elements of the support (4),
characterized in that the fixing of the drain body (5) to the support (4) is done by means of at least one clip (12) which supports itself on at least one of the said horizontal elements of the support (4) via the opposite surface to the position of the drain body (5), and which is traversed by an element (13) which is fixed to one of said corresponding studs (11).
Drain according to claim 1, characterized in that said elements (13) traversing the clips (12) are screws.
Drain according to claim 1, characterized in that said elements (13) traversing the clips (12) are nails.
Drain according to claim 1, characterized in that said elements (13) traversing the clips (12) are nails with a spiral thread.
Drain according to claim 1, characterized in that provided on both sides of at least one of said slotted holes (10) there is an auxiliary slotted hole (10') which acts as a guide for said clip (12).