LOW STEP SHOWER UNIT AND METHOD
A method of installing a low step entryway in a bathtub wall structure which comprises a front wall portion, a rear wall portion and an upper edge portion which together define an interior wall space. A portion of the front wall is cut away to form a cutout which is shaped in the form of the entryway which is being installed. After the open entryway is formed, a saddle structure is installed in the entryway. This saddle structure is shaped the same as the entryway opening which is being provided, and it comprises a lower middle portion forming a horizontal bottom wall, and two side saddle members extending upwardly extending components of alignment, with these providing side surfaces for the entryway.
This application claims priority benefit of U.S. Ser. No. 61/083,107, filed Jul. 23, 2008.
BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSUREa) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to low step shower units, and more particularly to converting a conventional bathtub or the like to a low step shower unit by cutting out a portion of a containing wall and substituting it with an entryway structure.
b) Background of the Invention
Over the last twenty years or more, there have been various designs of accomplishing this conversion of the bathtub to a low step shower unit, and there are a number of challenges to be met. For example, one of these challenges is that the existing wall of the bathtub can vary substantially with regard to its shape, and this makes it difficult to have uniformity in providing the entryway. Also, in cutting away some of the bathtub structure to make an entryway, this can weaken the structure. Further, there could be a problem of leakage of the water from and around the tub where the entryway is made.
It is toward these types of challenges that the system and method of the embodiments of this present invention are directed.
SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSUREThe present invention is directed toward the method of converting a conventional bathtub or the like to a low step shower unit by providing the low step entryway. This invention is also directed toward the end product itself. One of the main advantages of the present invention is that it is possible to accomplish this task repeatedly even though there are a wide variety of the sidewall structures of the tub in which the entryways are to be made.
In the method of the present invention the first task is to cut out a portion of the tub sidewall into a configuration which is substantially the same as the desired size and configuration of the entryway. Then the method involves the use of what is termed a “saddle structure” to provide the main part of the support structure for the entryway. It comprises a lower center horizontal saddle section which is positioned in the low central part of the cutout to provide a support surface and left and right saddle sections which are attached thereto, with these arranged so that they extend upwardly and outwardly to provide side support surfaces.
The embodiments and methods of the system of the present invention are directed primarily toward the task of converting an existing bathtub to a low step shower unit. This is done by modifying the configuration of the front wall of the bathtub by removing a portion of the front wall of the bathtub and replacing it with an entryway assembly which provides a low-level entryway leading into the bathtub.
The configuration of the wall or walls of the bathtub can vary substantially from one bathtub to another. However, the system of this invention is arranged so that the entryway assembly is able to be installed for substantially all tubs and/or tub/shower units that are presently in use in the United States, and possibly in other countries.
For example, in
Further, the structure of the entryway assembly of these embodiments is such that it has substantial structural strength to bear the weight of a large person. Also, the system is arranged so that leakage of water from and around the tub is avoided. In addition to that, the entire process of the removal of the portion of the front wall of the tub and configuration are accomplished in a relatively short time frame (e.g. a half a day), and are able to be done rather conveniently and economically.
Introduction to the Main Components and Method of the SystemIn
In
In the method of the system, there is the first step of cutting out a portion of the front wall 11 to provide a cut-out region 17 for the entryway (see
Another feature of the method of the system of the present invention is that it is arranged so that the overall size of the entryway 18 can be conveniently selected so that it can have a larger or smaller overall cross-sectional area and also so that the bottom support surface 20 of the entryway 18 can be at a lower or higher level. By way of example, two different sized entryways 18 are shown in
To describe the saddle structure 13 in more detail, reference is now made to
The slant of the two side saddle sections 26 and 28 could be made the same, or these two slopes could be different from one another. However, there is one requirement which is that each of the two saddle side sections 26 and 28 must have a slope with a substantial upward slope component so that each is steep enough to provide the function of a side surface of the entryway 18.
The three saddle sections 24, 26 and 28 have the same basic configuration. For clarification, the center saddle section 24 will now be described in reasonable detail, giving the three components of the central section 24 numerical designations. Then the left saddle section 26 will be described, and those components which are the same as, or similar to, corresponding components of the middle horizontal section 24 will be given like numerical designations with an “a” suffix distinguishing those of the second left vertical saddle section 26. This same procedure will be followed in describing the basic components of the right saddle section 28, using the corresponding numerical designations of the middle section 24, but with a “b” suffix distinguishing those of this third saddle section.
With continuing reference to
Since, as indicated above, the middle, right and left saddle sections 24, 26 and 28 have basic structures quite similar to, or the same as, each other, each has a center planar rectangular plate section 30a and 30b respectively, and a front and rear laterally extending flanges 32a and 32b, respectively, which are positioned to be perpendicular to their plate sections 30a and 30b, respectively.
The three front flanges 32, 32a and 32b are all interconnected to form an entire continuous front flange, and the three rear flanges 34, 34a and 34b are similarly connected to form a continuous inner flange. With the entire saddle structure 13 being made as one integral structure, all three of the plates 30, 30a and 30b, and the flanges 32, 32a, 32b, 34, 34a and 34b, form a saddle structure that is in and of itself a unitary waterproof structure.
To now turn our attention to the two previously mentioned cap seats 14 and 15, these are shown in
Reference is now made to
The template tool shown in
-
- i) an upper vertical positioning section 48 to raise or lower the tool; and
- ii) a lower enclosing plate section 50 which comprises front and rear plates 52 and 56 which have side and lower edges which match the contours of the lower and side of inner surfaces of the saddle contour, and are used to trace the lines where cuts are made at the front and rear wall portions.
The two plates 52 and 56 are connected to one another by an upper wooden plate or plank 58 (see
The upper positioning section 48 functions to raise or lower the plate section 50 of the template tool 46 by using the four corner height adjustment positioning bolts 62 which extend through stationary interiorly-threaded bolt-receiving members (not shown) in the upper plate or plank 58. By rotating the wing shaped heads 64 of the bolts, these bolts 62 can be rotated so as to be moved upwardly or downwardly relative to the plank 58. The lower end portions of each of the bolts 62 has a rotatable, but also axially fixed, connection to a lower positioning member in the form of a positioning plank 66 so that the positioning plank 66 is moved upwardly and downwardly with the upward and downward movement of the lower ends of the bolts 62. In this manner, the entire template tool 46 can be positioned at the desired height location by engaging the positioning plank 66 on the top edge surface of the front wall 11 of the bathtub and rotating the bolts 62 to raise or lower the entire enclosing plates 52 and 54 and the plank 58.
Thus, by moving the lower positioning plank 66 downwardly from the upper plank 58, the plates 52 and 56 of the plate section 52 can be raised. Thus, it can be seen that in order to make a larger entryway 18 with greater depth, the entire plate section 50 can be brought to a lower position which will place the bottom middle section 24 of the through entryway at a lower location and have the two side sections 28 and 26 spaced further from one another at their upper end portions. Or by raising the template plate section 50, the smaller opening of
To illustrate this, reference is made to
It is to be understood that the terms such as “plate” or “plank” are not to be interpreted in accordance with the dictionary definitions, but are to be interpreted to be members which perform the functions as described.
To turn our attention back to
When the cutting lines 74 have been drawn on the bathtub wall 11, the template tool is removed (see
At this point, the saddle section 22 should be temporarily placed into the earlier mentioned cutout region 17 to be sure that the saddle structure 22 is making a proper fit with the cutout region 17. The upper surface of the saddle structure 22 should be even with the upper edge surface 14 of the front wall 12. Therefore, if the saddle structure 22 does extend higher than that level of the cutout region 17, the jigsaw can again be used to cut off the upper portion or portions of the saddle structure 13 that is or are above the upper edge 14 of the front wall 12 of the bathtub 10. Or, this could be done later, but before the cap seats 14 and 15 are put in place (see
After the fit of the saddle structure has been found to be satisfactory, the saddle structure 13 is removed temporarily, and this brings us to the next steps which are shown in
In the portion of the text that follows there will be discussions of items which would involve the front wall 11, and to have consistent terminology the two wall portions that make up the front wall structure will simply be called the “front wall portion 45” and the other wall portion of the rear of the wall 11 will be called the “rear wall portion 46”. The contained region between the two will be designated the “front wall void 47”.
It is evident that cutting out this rather substantial portion of the front wall 11 to form the cutout region would to some extent weaken the structure of the bathtub 10. Further, since the interior of the wall structure of the bathtub 10 would usually be enclosed empty space (i.e., would be a void), and since forming the cutout region 17 opens up a substantial portion of the void or empty chambers of the front wall 11, then it would be highly desirable to arrange the installation of the entryway structure 22 so that the interior region of the front wall 11 is closed off so that water would not seep in and/or out. This brings us first to
It is believed that a better understanding of the following text relating to completing the installation will be obtained by first reviewing some background information relating to the varying configurations of the walls of the tub 10. Earlier in this text, it was stated that one of the features of the embodiments of this invention is that they are adapted for use with bathtubs having varying configurations of the wall of the bathtub in which the entryway installation is accomplished. It is believed that a clearer understanding of how this is accomplished with the present system will be gained by selecting at least one example of a bathtub wall which has some variations from a bathtub wall that would simply have totally planar parallel side surfaces spaced evenly from one another.
Accordingly, in the following discussion and in the drawings, the front wall 11 of the tub, which is being described in this text and shown in the drawings, has deviations from the tub wall with the planar parallel wall configuration. One typical example has been selected, and this selected wall construction will now be discussed briefly with reference to
With that background information being given, let us now return to the subject of completing the installation of the entryway assembly 16.
Proceeding with the Initial Installation Procedures
In
The originators of the present invention have found that a practical course of action is to have various shaped “blocks” or other wood members, and shaping some of these at the actual location where the apparatus of the invention of the embodiment is being installed. This way any measurements can be taken and the wood members could be made to size and shape. For example, a stationary power saw could be used, or a hand held saw (e.g. a circular saw). With the building materials which are currently made and also the structural characteristics of calking materials and the like enable these to be installed so as to provide a waterproof characteristic and also provide adequate structural support.
To proceed further with the description of the blocks, as shown in
The remaining reinforcing members (i.e., the two blocks 91 and 92) are very similar to one another, and we will direct our attention first to the left reinforcing member 91 (which will be called the “block 91”).
With reference to
Then there is the second similar block 92 which can be seen in
The term “caulking”, whether used as a noun or verb, is not be limited to a dictionary definition, but is intended to include the various techniques or practices which could be used to seal liquid leaks or prevent any leaks from occurring.
Earlier in this text, it was pointed out that caulking would be used at various locations to make the entryway assembly 16 sufficiently waterproof so that there would not be leakage from or around the region of the bathtub 10. In general, some sort of caulking or similar steps would be taken where there is an interface between two separate components.
Reference is made to
To discuss this further, reference is first made to
Attention is next directed to
It will be noted in
These numerals 122 and 124 are to indicate two portions of adhesive ribbons which can be used to provide a better seat for the application of the caulking.
To discuss these adhesive ribbons 122 and 124 further, reference is made to
After all of the applications of caulking have been made as discussed previously and with reference to
When this has been accomplished, then, as shown in
With the saddle structure 13 being secured in place, the final step is to install the two cap seats 14 and 15 onto the upper surface portions of the front wall immediately next to the side walls of the assembly 16. In
Reference is made to
In preparation for the installation of the cap seat 15, an adhesive caulking material 136 is distributed over the entire upper surface portion of the upper edge surface portion 136 of the wall 11, and also in the area of the adjacent upper portion panel structure. Then the entire cap seat 15 is lowered into place and becomes bonded to become part of the entryway assembly 16.
With this last task, with the cap seat 15 completed, the restructured tub with its new entryway 18 is ready for full operation.
A Brief Presentation of Location RelationshipsAt the very bottom of
Attention now is directed to
The second embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to
Earlier in this text, the present invention was introduced by stating that it is capable of installing the entryway assembly in the front wall of the tub in all, or most all, of the tubs that are currently available in the United States, and possibly outside the United States. In the first embodiment which is described earlier in this text, the situation is presented where the wall 11 of the tub has a cross sectional configuration where the upper and lower parts of the wall differ from one another. It was pointed out that this creates certain problems. In the first embodiment it is shown how the method can be adapted to install the entryway assembly under those circumstances.
It was indicated in the third paragraph under the heading “Description of the Embodiments” that
In
This same front wall is shown in side elevational view in
Now we turn our attention to
The inventors of the present patent application have previously done surveys of the various types of bathtubs which are available in the United States, and the width dimension of the walls of these bathtubs at the locations where the entryway would be made were found to be slightly over 7¼ inches and slightly less than 8 inches. Accordingly, in structuring the apparatus of the present invention, the spacing between the inside surfaces of the front and rear flanges 32 and 34, 32a and 34a and 32b and 34b, as indicated at “F” in
In
While the present invention is illustrated by description of several embodiments and while the illustrative embodiments are described in detail, it is not the intention of the applicants to restrict or in any way limit the scope of the appended claims to such detail. Additional advantages and modifications within the scope of the appended claims will readily appear to those sufficed in the art. The invention in its broader aspects is therefore not limited to the specific details, representative apparatus and methods, and illustrative examples shown and described. Accordingly, departures may be made from such details without departing from the spirit or scope of applicants' general concept.
Claims
1. A method of installing a low step entryway in a bathtub wall structure which comprises a front wall portion and a rear wall portion and an upper edge wall portion which together define an interior wall space, with the method being characterized as being capable of installing the entryway in at least two different situations, namely a first situation where the front and rear wall portions are generally parallel with one another and spaced from one another at a substantially uniform width dimension and a second situation where at least one of the front and rear wall portions is shaped to have a contoured wall structure portion so that at least a portion of one of the front and rear wall portions is closer to or further from the other, said method comprising:
- a. ascertaining planned border locations of the entryway to be installed and cutting out a separate section of the bathtub to create a cutout region with cutout edges that comprise a lower and two side cutout edge portions that match the border locations of the entryway;
- b. providing a saddle structure comprising the following: i. a lower central saddle section and left and right saddle sections connected to outer opposite end portions of the center saddle section and extending therefrom in a direction with a substantial upward direction component; ii. each of said three saddle sections comprising a middle plate section, with the middle plate section of the middle saddle section providing an upwardly facing surface to provide a person with vertical support in the entryway and said left and right saddle sections arranged to provide left and right inwardly facing entryway side surfaces for the entryway; iii. each of said three saddle sections also having front and rear flanges, each of which having a connecting edge portion connected to an adjacent edge portion of its related plate section and extending from its related plate section at approximately a right angle to its related plate section;
- c. positioning the saddle structure over the cutout region in a manner that the flanges of the saddle sections at least partly overlap the perimeter locations of the cutout region and connecting the saddle structure to the bathtub wall structure to provide the entryway with the three middle plate sections forming the bottom and side surfaces of the entryway.
2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein said planned border locations of the entryway are determined by providing a template having an edge portion or portions corresponding to the border location or locations and making a line location or locations on the bathtub where it is to be cut to create the cutout region.
3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein said saddle structure is provided with its pair of flanges spaced sufficiently far apart so as to be as great as a width dimension of one of the bathtub walls in which the entryway is to be made.
4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the width dimension of the pair of flanges is no less than the width dimension of the front wall where the entryway is to be located.
5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the width dimension of the flanges of the saddle structure shall be at least as large as seven inches, and no greater than about eight inches.
6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein each of the left and right saddle sections are positioned on opposite sides of the entryway, and each of these has a substantial upward alignment component, with either or both of these left and right saddle sections being be at a more horizontal position or a more vertical position.
7. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein each of said left and right saddle sections is arranged to have an upward alignment component from about a right angle from horizontal and about one-half of a right angle from the horizontal.
8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein after the saddle structure is in place in the entryway, the next step is to place the left and right seat caps which are positioned at opposite sides of the entryway and being positioned to conceal upper end portions of the left and right saddle structure sections and also adjacent portions of the adjacent upper edge portions of the front wall, with the cap seats mounted in place.
9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein said middle left and right saddle sections are formed as one unitary structure as the saddle structure.
10. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising providing a template tool to draw lines along the front wall along which cuts are to be made to create an open area, comprising two sections, namely a positioning section to raise or lower a tool, and a lower enclosing plate section which comprises front and rear plates with side and lower alignment edges which match the contours of the lower and side surfaces of the saddle contour, and positioning these to the proper elevation.
11. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein prior to positioning and connecting the saddle structure in the operating location, positioning one or more reinforcing members in a wall interior to provide additional structural strength to said bathtub wall structure in the vicinity of one or more locations where a wall structure portion or portions has been removed.
12. The method as recited in claim 1, including placing at least one reinforcing member at a location or adjacent to a location where one of the saddle sections is to be located.
13. The method as recited in claim 1, including providing reinforcement at a location where an upper end portion of one of the right and left saddle sections is located.
14. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein with bathtub wall being in the second category, placing one wall portion spaced from a wall portion which it is facing so that there is a gap next to the wall portion, said method further comprising providing a reinforcing member that is sized to block said gap and inserting said reinforcing member in said gap and provide caulking as needed.
15. The method as recited in claim 1, accomplishing different sizes of the entryway by providing a saddle structure of a larger size or a smaller size where with the middle saddle section being horizontally aligned at a base location, upper end portions of the left and right saddle sections being made to be located at a higher level for the larger entryway and at a lower level for a smaller entryway, while maintaining the middle saddle section parallel to a line between upper end portions of the left and right saddle sections and positioning the saddle structure at a higher or lower level so that the level of the support surface of the entryway is lower or higher, respectively.
16. An apparatus which has been transformed into a low step shower unit, comprising:
- a. a bathtub structure having a front wall which has been modified so that the front wall has an entryway assembly in which the entryway is located;
- b. said entryway assembly comprising: i. a lower central saddle section and left and right saddle sections connected to outer opposite end portions of the center saddle section and extending therefrom in a direction with a substantial upward direction component; ii. each of said three saddle sections comprising a middle plate section, with the middle plate section of the middle saddle section providing an upwardly facing surface to provide a person with vertical support in the entryway and said left and right saddle sections arranged to provide left and right inwardly facing entryway side surfaces for the entryway; iii. each of said three saddle sections also having front and rear flanges, each of which having a connecting edge portion connected to an adjacent edge portion of its related plate section and extending from its related plate section at approximately a right angle to its related plate section;
- c. said saddle structure being positioned over the cutout region in a manner that the flanges of the saddle sections overlap at least partially the perimeter locations of the cutout region and connect the saddle structure to the bathtub wall structure to provide the entryway with the three middle plate sections forming the bottom and side surfaces of the entryway.
Type: Application
Filed: Jul 22, 2009
Publication Date: Feb 18, 2010
Inventors: David W. Spiker (Rathdrum, ID), Stanley R. Fasel (Rathdrum, ID)
Application Number: 12/507,760
International Classification: A47K 3/02 (20060101);