GB2315410A - Shower screen assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

A shower screen assembly (1) comprises a shower screen (2), and sealing means (7) formed separately from the shower screen. The sealing means is in the form of an elongate member which forms a fluidtight seal between the surface of a bath and the shower screen when the shower screen is in use. Preferably, the sealing means is hingedly movable between a first stored position and a second operative position.

Description

SHOWER SCREEN This invention relates to a shower screen, and particularly, but not exclusively, to a shower screen for an "over-bath" shower.

Showers are often installed over baths particularly in bathrooms which are short of space, or in situations where a shower is installed after the bathroom has been originally built.

By installing a shower over a bath, space is saved and it is not necessary to provide additional drainage for the water from the shower, as the drainage system for the bath can be used.

In order to contain water from the shower within the bath, it is necessary to prevent the water from splashing into parts of the bathroom adjacent the bath.

It is known to use a shower curtain to prevent such splashing of water.

It is also known to use a shower screen which is regarded by many as being more attractive than a shower curtain.

Typically, a shower screen is fixed to a wall above the bath to which the shower is also attached. The screen may be hingeably fixed to the wall so that when the shower is in use the screen will fit over a rim of the bath, but-the screen may also be moved away from the bath to allow access to the bath.

Many shower screens comprise a single screen. The screen has a seal running along the length of a lower edge of the screen. When it is desired to use the shower, the screen is positioned such that its lower edge runs substantially parallel to a rim of the bath. The seal attached to the lower edge of the screen forms a seal between the screen and the rim of the bath.

It may also be desirable to have a shower screen comprising a plurality of screen panels each screen panel being hingeably connected to an adjacent screen portion.

An advantage of such a screen is that when the screen is not in use the screen panels may be folded relative to one another in a concertina manner so that when not in use, the screen fits neatly in a small space.

Adjacent screen panels must be hingeably and sealingly connected to one another.

The lower edges of the screen panels each comprise a seal which is used to form a watertight seal between the lower edges of the screen panels and the rim of the bath.

When the screen is in use, the screen panels are unfolded such that the lower edges of the screen panels form substantially a straight line, with all of the plurality of screen panels lying substantially in a single plane.

The lower edges of the screens are positioned over an edge of the bath and the seals attached to the lower edges of each of the plurality of the screens form a watertight seal between the screen panels and the edge of the bath.

Shower screens of the type comprising a plurality of smaller screen panels are known as compact screens because they may be compactly folded away when not in use.

A disadvantage of compact shower screens is that it has been found that the seal between the lower edges of the screen panels and the edge of the bath is never truly watertight.

In addition, it is sometimes difficult to maintain the screens in a position which ensures that the lower edges of the screen panels form substantially a straight line. If the screens move out of this position, then the risk of water splashing onto adjacent areas of the bathroom is increased as parts of the screen panels may extend beyond the edge of the bath, thus allowing water to trickle onto, for example, the bathroom floor around the bath.

According to the present invention there is provided a shower screen assembly positionable along a surface and comprising: a screen; and sealing means formed separately from the screen, and positionable on the surface such that in use when the screen is positioned over the surface, the sealing means forms a fluidtight seal between the screen and the surface.

According to the second aspect of the present invention there is provided sealing means forming part of a shower screen assembly positionable along a surface, which sealing means are formed separately from the shower screen assembly and serve to form a fluid tight seal between the seal assembly and the surface.

By means of the present invention, a water-tight seal is formed between a shower screen and a surface which may be for example a rim of the bath.

The inventors have realised that the seal does not have to be formed integrally with the screen but may be formed separately. It had previously always been thought that the seal must be attached to the lower edge of the screen or screen panels.

Preferably, the screen comprises a plurality of screen panels each screen panel being hingeably connected to an adjacent screen panel.

Conveniently, the screen assembly further comprises attachment means for attaching the screen to a support.

Advantageously, the sealing means comprises an elongate member.

Preferably, the elongate member is hingedly attachable to the attachment means.

Preferably, the sealing means are shaped to fit within the attachment means.

The sealing means is hingedly moveable between a first stored position in which the sealing means is housed within the attachment means, and a second position in which the sealing means is positioned in fluidtight contact with the surface.

When the screen is not in use, the screen may be folded by folding adjacent screen panels relative to one another in a concertina manner.

The sealing means may be housed within the attachment means so that the sealing means is stored conveniently away when the screen is not in use.

Advantageously, the sealing means comprises screen receiving means for receiving the lower edges of the screen panels when the screen assembly is in use.

When the screen assembly is in use therefore the sealing means is positioned on the surface which may for example be the surface of a bath rim. The screen panels are then unfolded so that the lower edges of the panels form a substantially straight line.

The screen assembly is then located in the receiving means of the sealing means. Because the sealing means is itself an elongate member which is substantially linear, the screen assembly is held in a position in which the lower edges of the screen panels form substantially a straight line. This further increases the integrity of the seals between the screen assembly and the surface of the bath.

The invention will now be further described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a schematic representation of the screen assembly according to the present invention with the sealing means in a stowed away position; Figure 2 is a schematic representation of the screen assembly of Figure 1 in which the sealing means is positioned on a surface of a bath; Figure 3 is a more detailed representation of the screen panels means forming part of the present invention; and Figure 4 is a more detailed representation of a portion of the screen panels forming the screen.

Referring to the Figures a screen assembly according to the present invention is designated generally by the reference numeral 1. The screen assembly comprises a plurality of screen panels 2 each of which is hingeably connected to an adjacent panel 2 by means of hinges 3. The screen assembly 1 further comprises attachment means 4 which allow the screen assembly to be attached to a wall above a bath for example by means of screws 5. When the screen assembly is not in use, the screen panels are folded relative to one another in a concertina manner so that they may be stored neatly away when not in use.

The attachment means comprises a channel 6 into which is positioned sealing means 7 when the screen assembly is not in use (See Figure 1).

When it is required to use the screen assembly, the sealing means 7 which is hingeably connected to the support means 4 by means of hinge 8 may be pulled out of the channel 6 and positioned on the surface 9 of a bath 10. The sealing means comprises a seal 11 on an underside of the sealing means and is substantially L-shaped in cross-section having a first portion 12 and a second portion 13 positionable on top of the seal 11.

The panels 2 are pulled apart until the lower edges 14 of the panels 2 form a substantially straight line. The panels 2 are then located over the sealing means 7. The weight of the panels 2 completes the seal 11 by pushing down the seal 11 on the surface 9 thus making a substantially fluidtight seal.

The first portion 12 of the sealing means 7 serves as an abutment for the panels 2 and also holds the panels 2 in a position such that the lower edges of the panels 2 form a substantially straight line.

By means of the present invention therefore the integrity of a seal between a shower screen and for example a bath is improved thus reducing the likelihood that water will leak out of the shower area onto surrounding areas. In addition, the screen assembly is held in a position in which the screen panels lie substantially in a straight line thus further increasing the integrity of the seal.

Claims (10)

CLAIMS:

1. A shower screen assembly positionable along a surface and comprising: a screen; and sealing means formed separately from the screen, and positionable on the surface such that in use when the screen is positioned over the surface, the sealing means forms a water tight seal between the seal and the surface.

2. A shower screen assembly as claimed in claim 1, further comprising attachment means for attaching the screen to the support.

3. A shower screen assembly according to claim 1 or claim 2, comprising a plurality of screen panels, each screen panel being hingedly connected to an adjacent screen panel.

4. A shower screen assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the sealing means comprises an elongate member.

5. A shower screen assembly as claimed in claim 4, wherein the sealing means is hingedly attachable to the attachment means.

6. A shower screen assembly as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the sealing means is hingedly moveable between a first stored position in which the sealing means is positionable within the attachment means, and a second position in which the sealing means is positionable in contact with the surface.

7. A shower screen assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the sealing means comprises screen receiving means for receiving the lower edges of the screen panels when the screen assembly is in use.

8. A sealing means forming part of the shower screen assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding calms.

9. A shower screen assembly substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

10. Sealing means substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawing.