SHOWER PAN HAVING NO VISIBLE DRAINAGE MEANS
Shower pans are provided with a perimeter wall defining a perimeter of the shower pan and a plurality of generally triangular support wall sections. One wall of the support wall sections is opposed to the perimeter wall and defines therebetween a perimeter channel of the shower pan. Other pairs of walls of the support wall sections are opposed to one another and define drain channels which fluid-connect the perimeter channel to the drain port. The other walls of the support wall sections have upper edges which establish an apex of the shower pan near the central drain port and slope downwardly and outwardly from the apex to the perimeter channel. The drain channels are sloped downwardly and inwardly from the perimeter channel to the central drain port. In such a manner, water may be shed by gravity from the finished floor supported on the upper edges of the other pairs of walls downwardly and outwardly into the perimeter channel whereby it then flows downwardly and inwardly through the drain channels to the drain port.
The embodiments disclosed herein relate generally to the field of shower pans, that is, pan structures which serve to support flooring materials of a shower stall.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONShowers having no visible drainage means (i.e., so-called infinity showers) have become popular with consumers. In general, such infinity showers have a floor which slopes practically imperceptibly to the peripheral edges of the shower floor where it may then be redirected by suitable pan slope to a centrally located floor drain positioned under the shower flooring material. Visually therefore the floor drain is hidden physically by the shower floor material and thus water appears to in essence disappear at the junction between the peripheral edge of the shower floor and the upright walls of the shower facility.
One prior proposal for an infinity shower pan has been disclosed in US Patent Application Publication 2006/0236452 A1 (hereinafter “the US '452 publication”, the entire content of which is expressly incorporated hereinto by reference). The infinity shower pan disclosed in the US '452 publication in general discloses a shower pan having a draining base portion having a plurality of support structures upwardly extending therefrom for supporting a floor slab. The support structures thus define a floor support plane which slopes toward one of the edges of the floor slab. The shower pan is then sloped toward a central below the floor slab so that water run-off from the edge of the floor slab will be directed by gravity to the central floor drain.
While the shower pan of the US '452 publication may be satisfactory for its intended purpose, further improvements to infinity shower pans are still desired. For example, it would especially be desirable if an infinity shower pan was provided that could be especially well suited for use with finished tile flooring materials, instead of monolithic slabs. In this way, the floor could be sloped in a generally radial manner from a raised central region of the shower floor toward the peripheral edges thereof so as to facilitate better water run-off. It is therefore towards fulfilling such needs that the present invention is directed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONAccording to certain embodiments of the present invention, shower pans are provided with a perimeter wall defining a perimeter of the shower pan and a plurality of generally triangular support wall sections. One wall of the support wall sections is opposed to the perimeter wall and defines therebetween a perimeter channel of the shower pan. Other pairs of walls of the support wall sections are opposed to one another and define drain channels which fluid-connect the perimeter channel to the drain port. The other walls of the support wall sections have upper edges which establish an apex of the shower pan near the central drain port and slope downwardly and outwardly from the apex to the perimeter channel. The drain channels are sloped downwardly and inwardly from the perimeter channel to the central drain port. In such a manner, water may be shed by gravity from the finished floor supported on the upper edges of the other pairs of walls downwardly and outwardly into the perimeter channel whereby it then flows downwardly and inwardly through the drain channels to the drain port
These and other aspects and advantages will become more apparent after careful consideration is given to the following detailed description of the preferred exemplary embodiments thereof.
Reference will hereinafter be made to the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals throughout the various FIGURES denote like structural elements, and wherein;
Accompanying
As is perhaps shown best in
A series of radially extending drain channels 10-3 extend from the perimeter channel 10-1 to the drain port 10-2. As such, the perimeter channel 10-1 and the drain port 10-2 will be fluid-connected to one another. Each of the drain channels 10-3 is sloped downwardly and inwardly from the perimeter channel 10-1 toward the drain channel 10-2 so as to allow water received by the former to drain by gravity into the latter.
The perimeter channel 10-1 is defined between the perimeter wall 10-4 and an opposed wall 10-5a of generally triangular wall sections 10-5. The opposed walls 10-5b and 10-5c associated with generally triangular wall structures 10-5 therefore define the drain channels 10-3 therebetween. It will be observed particularly in
As shown in
The shower pan 10 as depicted in the accompanying drawing
Similarly, the material from which the shower pan 10 is constructed is not particularly limited. Thus, metal and plastics materials may be employed in the fabrication of the shower pan. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the shower pan 10 is molded from a fiber-reinforced plastics material which provides sufficient rigidity to provide sufficient support for the flooring material. Alternatively, the components may be constructed on site from wood and then coated with a water-proof layer (e.g., polyurethane, epoxy or the like) to provide the necessary support structure for the flooring materials.
Thus, while the invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiment, but on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.
Claims
1. A shower pan comprising:
- a perimeter channel;
- central drain port; and
- a plurality of paired support walls having upper support edges for supporting a finished flooring material; wherein
- the upper edges of the support walls establish an apex of the shower pan near the central drain port and slope downwardly and outwardly from the apex to the perimeter channel; and wherein
- the paired support walls define respective drain channels therebetween which are sloped downwardly and inwardly from the perimeter channel to the central drain port.
2. The shower pan as in claim 1, further comprising a perimeter wall defining the perimeter channel.
3. The shower pan as in claim 1, wherein the drain port is positioned in a geometric center of the shower pan.
4. The shower pan as in claim 3, wherein the drain channels radiate from the drain port and extend to the perimeter channel.
5. A shower pan comprising:
- a perimeter wall defining a perimeter of the shower pan; and
- a plurality of generally triangular support wall sections wherein
- one wall of the support wall sections is opposed to the perimeter wall and defines therebetween a perimeter channel of the shower pan; and wherein
- other pairs of walls of the support wall sections are opposed to one another and define drain channels which fluid-connect the perimeter channel to the drain port.
6. The shower pan as in claim 5, wherein the other walls of the support wall sections have upper edges which establish an apex of the shower pan near the central drain port and slope downwardly and outwardly from the apex to the perimeter channel.
7. The shower pan as in claim 6, wherein the drain channels are sloped downwardly and inwardly from the perimeter channel to the central drain port.
8. The shower pan as in claim 5, wherein the drain channels are sloped downwardly and inwardly from the perimeter channel to the central drain port.
9. A shower stall which comprises a shower pan as in claim 1 or 5.
10. A shower stall as in claim 9, further comprising a finished floor system installed on the upper edges of the support walls.
11. A shower stall as in claim 10, wherein the finished floor system comprises a removable plug aligned with the drain port.
12. A shower stall as in claim 10, wherein the finished floor system comprises a subfloor panel attached rigidly to the support edges and a finished floor layer installed on the subfloor panel.
13. A method of constructing a shower stall comprising:
- installing a shower pan as in claim 1 or 5 in a floor region of a shower stall; and thereafter
- installing a flooring system onto the support edges of the shower pan.
Type: Application
Filed: Jun 25, 2008
Publication Date: Dec 31, 2009
Inventors: B. Christopher WISEMAN (Madison, MS), Neal T. LARGENT (Clinton, MS)
Application Number: 12/146,404