Shower Arrangement
A shower arrangement has a long, flat profiled element to be vertically arranged, with a plane rear side embodied to be applied to a wall surface. A concealed fitting is arranged at the rear side, engaging inside a concealed box in a recess in the wall. With the exception of operating elements and the shower attachment, there are no protruding parts on the front side of the profiled element, enabling the arrangement to have a flat structure, with the space required for the sanitary fitting being behind the wall surface.
The invention refers to a shower head arrangement, with which a long stretched profile is fixed on a wall surface. The profile serves for accommodating water deliveries and accommodating parts of the fittings.
In a known arrangement of this type (IP 422 972), the profile features a protrusion on its front side, so that a sanitary fitting can be accommodated within the profile. The rest of the piping is accommodated within the profile. The profile is therefore meant for surface mounting.
It is likewise familiar to use a plate for covering a channel in a wall. Within the channel, i.e. concealed installation, the pieces of a sanitary fitting are accommodated.
The invention is based on the task of providing a shower head arrangement that is built flat so that the shower head arrangement can also find application in congested space conditions. Furthermore, the danger of getting hurt on projecting parts of the shower head arrangement should be reduced. Furthermore, it should be possible to use a profile for the manufacture of such shower head arrangements that can be easily shortened for different lengths and sizes of arrangements.
To solve this task, the invention proposes a shower head arrangement with the features mentioned in claim 1. Embodiments of the invention are subject matter of the subordinate claims.
The invention thus uses a combination of a flat profile that can essentially feature a uniform cross-section over its entire length, and a concealed fitting that can be accommodated in a channel of the wall or in an opening of a back-ventilated wall and which is fully covered by the profile towards the front. This creates an elegant view of a shower head arrangement without protruding parts, obviously with the exception of the shower head itself.
In particular, it can be provided in an embodiment of the invention that the fittings can be fixed on the profile. Obviously it is also possible that the fittings can be additionally fixed and secured with the help of the house installation piping.
In an embodiment of the invention it can be provided that the shower head arrangement features a concealed box that protects and covers the fittings and the connection parts outwards and can additionally serve to prevent the seepage of condensed water or similar into the wall.
The concealed box is normally fixed directly on the wall, for instance, laterally on the channel in which it is installed. It is also possible that the concealed box is fixed on its base in the channel. According to the invention it can be provided that the concealed box may be additionally or only fixed on the profile or, expressed otherwise, that the profile may be fixed on the concealed box.
Obviously, it is also possible that the fittings may be fixed both on the concealed box and on the profile as well.
In a development according to the invention it can be provided in an embodiment that the lateral extension of the concealed box and/or the concealed fitting is smaller than the width of the profile. This should ensure that the profile covers the fittings or the fitting body, so that it is not visible.
Since the profile features a certain thickness or height, namely in order to accommodate the piping and similar items, it can be provided according to the invention that the concealed fitting extends somewhat up to the interior part of the profile. This can compensate plaster thickness variations.
According to the invention the shower head arrangement can feature a shower handset and a holder for this shower handset, wherein the shower handset is connected by means of a hose. The water delivery for this hose can be provided within the profile through a channel formed there and/or through a hose routed in the profile.
It can be provided that the hydraulic connections between the profile and the fittings are formed as clamped joint connections, which interlock when assembling the profile on the fittings.
As an alternative the invention proposes connecting the fittings firmly with the profile and providing a clamped-joint connection with the water supply piping inside the wall.
This connection can then compensate plaster thickness and at the same time also be formed as a wall finish. This leads to a particularly simple installation. Also in the event of service, this has great advantages for the repair person.
In the version where the profile is fixed on the concealed box or on the fittings, instead of the screw-connection as a quick coupling, for instance, a bayonet fitting or a similar connection can be provided.
In any case, it can be provided that possible angular offset is provided between the parts fixed in the wall parts and the profile.
The profile or the shower head arrangement can at least, but preferably, feature several side shower heads. These side shower heads protrude only slightly above the surface of the profile, so that the space required still remains small. According to the invention it can be provided that several side shower heads are individually supplied with water controlled by the fittings.
Further features, details, and preferences of the invention result from the following description of a preferred embodiment of the invention, the patent claims, and the abstract, by both of which the wording is based on reference to the content of the description, as well as on the basis of the drawing. The following are shown:
Approximately in the middle area of the longitudinal extent of the profile 1, that means, about half-way of the height, adjusting and operating organs 5, 6 for a sanitary fitting are attached, arranged in the section on the rear side 2 of the profile. The sanitary fitting is surrounded by a concealed box 7 that protectively encloses the latter.
On the front side 3 of the profile 1 in the bottom and middle section, individual side shower heads 8 are arranged, which can be activated with the help of the operating organs 5, 6.
The front side of the profile 1, approximately in the middle between its two longitudinal edges in the upper section, has an undercut slot 13, in which the holding bracket 4 for the shower head is accommodated in a displace able manner.
The side shower heads 8 are positioned symmetrically along the center line, laterally offset.
The depicted shower head arrangement is mounted such that the concealed box, with the fittings it contains, is accommodated in a wall channel, so that the rear side 2 of the profile 1 lies on the wall surface. The arrangement is fixed in this position. The arrangement has the advantage that it is very flat. The thickness of the profile 1 is determined such that it must be accommodated in the profile piping and holding brackets.
The front side 3 and the rear side 2 are joined together by means of two webs 15. The webs 15 run slightly convex in order to accommodate the piping. The webs 15 run likewise over the entire length of the profile. They divide the interior of the profile in three chambers.
On the rear side of the front wall 3, still further channels 16 are formed inside the two external chambers, which are bounded by a slotted parallel wall 17. These flat channels 16 serve for accommodating the side shower heads, and will be described in the following passage.
In the section of the concealed box 7 the rear wall 2 of the profile 1 is cut out, so that here the fitting parts can have space. Also the front wall 3 is cut out, wherein a rosette can be attached here. The rosette is usually fitted to the fitting parts so that the profile must be formed specially for this purpose.
The concealed box 7 features a base 24 and a side wall 25 on which a flange 26 is aligned outwards. The flange 26 can serve for fixing the concealed box 7 on the wall.
With the embodiment depicted, strongly simplified in
Claims
1. A shower head arrangement, comprising:
- a flat profile with a rear side formed for support on a wall surface,
- at least one concealed fitting located in a section on the rear side of the profile, the concealed fitting being covered by the profile and arranged to be activated from a front side of the profile, and
- at least one shower head (8).
2. The shower head arrangement according to claim 1,
- wherein the fitting is fixed on the profile.
3. The shower head arrangement according to claim 1, further comprising a concealed box enclosing the at least one fitting.
4. The shower head arrangement according to claim 3, wherein the concealed box is fixed on the profile.
5. The shower head arrangement according to claim 3, wherein a side extension of at least one of the concealed box (7) and the at least one concealed fitting is smaller than a width of the profile.
6. The shower head arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the at least one concealed fitting partly extends into the profile.
7. The shower head arrangement according to claim 1, further comprising a shower handset and a holding bracket for the shower handset, and wherein the shower handset is connected by a hose.
8. The shower head arrangement according to claim 7, wherein water delivery to the shower handset passes through an interior of the profile through at least one of a channel formed inside the profile and the hose.
9. The shower head arrangement according to claim 1, further comprising at least a side shower head.
10. The shower head arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the at least one fitting comprises plural fittings which are concealed.
11. The shower head arrangement according to claim 1, comprising clamped-joint connections for hydraulic connection between piping associated with the profile and the at least one fitting.
12. The shower head arrangement according to claim 1, wherein at least one said fitting is connected with the profile, and connects at a clamped-joint connection with a house installation.
13. The shower head arrangement according to claim 2, further comprising a concealed box enclosing the at least one fitting.
14. The shower head arrangement according to claim 13, wherein the concealed box is fixed on the profile.
15. The shower head arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the at least one concealed fitting comprises plural fittings which separately operate side shower heads.
Type: Application
Filed: Feb 23, 2005
Publication Date: Aug 30, 2007
Inventors: Guenter Glunk (Fluorn-Winzeln), Reinhard Kube (Wolfach-Kirnbach)
Application Number: 10/598,364
International Classification: A47K 3/20 (20060101); A47K 4/00 (20060101);