GRASP FOR SLIDABLE SHOWER DOOR
A grasp for a slidable shower door includes a main portion and a pivotable handle portion biased relative to the main portion for automatic retractment from an extended position to a retracted position. A shower door assembly includes a housing for a shower door, a shower door slidably mounted to the housing for movement between a first position and a second position. The grasp is fixed to the shower door. The grasp may be magnetically or adhesively fixed to the shower door. A mounting fixture may be attached to the grasp through an aperture in the shower door for mounting the grasp to the shower door.
This invention relates in general to shower door assemblies and to components and fixtures for shower doors.
Modern homes generally include interior baths, which may include a tub, a shower or combination tub-shower. In the case of a shower, bath tub, or tub-shower combination, a water barrier such as a shower curtain or shower door is typically provided in order to retain the shower water in the shower stall, bath tub, or tub-shower combination.
There are several types of shower doors, including hinged doors and sliding doors. One type of sliding shower door is the bypass door where a sliding shower door is mounted to a shower door housing to slide past another shower door or some other type of panel, such as a fixed partition. The bypass door may be a framed or frameless panel.
In such a sliding shower door arrangement, the shower door is typically mounted along tracks that are parallel to the other shower door or panel. The shower door is typically narrowly spaced away from the other door or panel as to minimize the amount of water that may escape from the shower stall or bath tub, and/or to minimize the amount of material required in the housing for the sliding shower door arrangement.
Shower doors used in such an arrangement often include a fixture such as a towel bar, knob or handle mounted on the side facing away from the other shower door or panel. In order to mount the fixture, and due to the minimal distance between the shower door and the other shower door or panel, a shallow fastener is passed through an aperture in the shower door that attaches to the fixture.
In such an arrangement, the fixture may be used to open or close a shower door facing into the shower stall, bath tub or tub-shower combination. However, no such fixture is available to open or close a shower door facing out of the shower stall, bath tub or tub-shower combination.
SUMMARYThis invention relates more specifically to a grasp for a slidable shower door and a shower door assembly including a shower door having such a grasp.
A grasp for a slidable shower door includes a main portion and a pivotable handle portion biased relative to the main portion for automatic retractment from an extended position to a retracted position.
The handle portion may extend beyond the main portion when extended and may extend no more than the main portion when retracted.
The grasp may further include a spring connected between the handle portion and the main portion for biasing the handle portion. The spring may be a stainless steel spring.
A shower door assembly includes a housing for a shower door, a shower door slidably mounted to the housing for movement between a first position and a second position. A grasp is fixed to the shower door.
The grasp may be magnetically or adhesively fixed to the shower door.
The door may have an interior side and an exterior side and define an aperture extending between the interior side and the exterior side. A mounting fixture may be attached to the grasp through the aperture for mounting the grasp to the shower door. The mounting fixture may be a towel bar, knob or handle.
The pivotable handle portion of the grasp may have a recess disposed toward the interior side of the shower door.
The shower door assembly may include a partition including an outer facing surface attached to the housing where, when the shower door is in the first position the interior side faces the outer facing surface with the handle portion in the retracted position, and when said shower door is in the second position the interior side is exposed from the outer facing surface with the handle portion extendable. The partition may be a second shower door slidably mounted to the housing or a panel mounted to the housing.
The handle portion may have an extended length normal to the interior side that is greater than the distance between the interior side and the outer facing surface when the shower door is in the first position.
Various aspects will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings.
Referring now to the drawings, there is illustrated in
A shower door 26 is slidably mounted to the housing 22 for movement relative to a partition, such as a second shower door 28. It must be understood however that the partition may by any type of panel, moveable or fixed, for dividing the interior of the shower stall or bath tub 24 from the exterior area. The second shower door 28 may also be slidably mounted to the housing 22 and may be generally be similar to the shower door 26.
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The second shower door 28 includes an outer facing surface 36 and an inner facing surface 38. As illustrated, when the shower door 26 moves between the first position A and the second position B the interior side 30 passed over the outer facing surface 36. The distance D between the interior side 30 and the outer facing surface 36 is preferably minimized as to minimize the amount of water that may escape from the shower stall or bath tub 24. It must be understood that the shower door assembly 20 may be installed and arranged such that when the shower door 26 moves between the first position A and the second position B the exterior side 32 is passed over the inner facing surface 38.
A grasp 40 and a mounting fixture 42 are attached through the aperture 34 for mounting the grasp 40 to the shower door 26. As illustrated, the mounting fixture 42 is a towel bar. However, it must be understood that the mounting fixture 42 may be any piece of hardware suitable to attach to grasp 40 for mounting to the shower door 26, such as a knob or handle. In the present example, the grasp 40 is mounted to the interior side 30. However, it must be understood that the grasp 40 may be mounted to the exterior side 32 in such an appropriate arrangement. Additionally, as further discussed below, it must be understood that the grasp 40 may be fixed to the shower door 26 in any suitable manner, with or without aperture.
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The pivotable handle portion has an optional recess 48 disposed toward the interior side 30 of the shower door 26. When the shower door is in the first position A, the handle portion 46 may have an extended length L normal, e.g. perpendicular, to the interior side 30 that is greater than the distance D between the interior side 30 and the outer facing surface 36.
The grasp 40 may further include one or more springs 50 connected between the handle portion 46 and the main portion 44 for biasing the handle portion toward the retracted position. The spring 50 may be a stainless steel spring or made of any other material suitable resilient to bias the handle portion 46 and resist corrosion in the shower environment.
While the shower door 26 of the shower door assembly 20 has been illustrated with a pair of grasps 40 attached to a singular mounting fixture 42. It must be understood that the shower door 26 may include any number of grasps 40 and mounting fixtures 42 as desired.
For assembly, the grasp 40 may optionally include a threaded shaft 52 for engaging a threaded bore 54 in the mounting fixture 42. The grasp 40 and the mounting fixture 42 may additionally or alternatively be secured with an Allen bolt or screw 56.
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In operation, when the shower door 26 is in the first position A the interior side 30 is exposed from the outer facing surface 36 with the handle portion 46 extendable from the main portion 44. When the shower door 26 is in the second position B the interior side 30 faces the outer facing surface 36 with the handle portion in the retracted position.
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While principles and modes of operation have been explained and illustrated with regard to particular embodiments, it must be understood, however, that this may be practiced otherwise than as specifically explained and illustrated without departing from its spirit or scope.
Claims
1. A shower door assembly, comprising:
- a housing for a shower door;
- a shower door slidably mounted to said housing for movement between a first position and a second position, said door having an interior side and an exterior side;
- a grasp fixed to said shower door, said grasp including a main portion and a pivotable handle portion biased relative to the main portion for automatic retractment from an extended position to a retracted position; and
- a partition attached to said housing, said partition including an outer facing surface;
- when said shower door is in the first position, the interior side is exposed from the outer facing surface with the handle portion extendable, and
- where, when said shower door is in the second position, the interior side faces the outer facing surface with the handle portion in the retracted position.
2. The shower door assembly of claim 1 where said shower door defines an aperture extending between the interior side and the exterior side and the shower door assembly further comprising a mounting fixture attached to said grasp through the aperture in said shower door for mounting said grasp to said shower door.
3. The shower door assembly of claim 2 where said mounting fixture is a towel bar.
4. The shower door assembly of claim 2 where said mounting fixture is a knob.
5. The shower door assembly of claim 2 where said mounting fixture is a handle.
6. The shower door assembly of claim 1 where the pivotable handle portion has a recess disposed toward the interior side of said shower door.
7. The shower door assembly of claim 1 where said partition is a second shower door slidably mounted to said housing.
8. The shower door assembly of claim 1 where said partition is a panel mounted to said housing.
9. The shower door assembly of claim 1 where the handle portion has an extended length normal to the interior side that is greater than the distance between the interior side and the outer facing surface when the shower door is in the first position.
10. The shower door assembly of claim 1 where the grasp further includes a spring connected between the handle portion and the main portion for biasing the handle portion.
11. The shower door assembly of claim 10 where the spring is a stainless steel spring.
12. The shower door assembly of claim 1 where said grasp is adhesively fixed to said shower door.
13. The shower door assembly of claim 12 where said grasp is adhesively fixed to said shower door with a UV curable glass-metal bonding adhesive.
14. The shower door assembly of claim 1 where said grasp is magnetically fixed to said shower door.
15. A shower door, comprising:
- a shower door including hardware for slidably mounting to a shower door housing, said door having an interior side and an exterior side;
- a grasp fixed to said shower door, said grasp including a main portion and a pivotable handle portion biased relative to the main portion for automatic retractment from an extended position to a retracted position; and
- where the main portion extends a distance from the interior side, and
- where the handle portion extends farther away from the interior side than the main portion when extended and extends no more than the main portion when retracted.
16. The shower door of claim 15 where said shower door defines an aperture extending between the interior side and the exterior side and the shower door assembly further comprising a mounting fixture attached to said grasp through the aperture in said shower door for mounting said grasp to said shower door.
17. The shower door of claim 16 where said mounting fixture is a towel bar.
18. The shower door of claim 16 where said mounting fixture is a knob.
19. The shower door of claim 16 where said mounting fixture is a handle.
20. The shower door of claim 15 where the pivotable handle portion has a recess disposed toward the interior side of said shower door.
21. The shower door of claim 15 where the grasp further includes a spring connected between the handle portion and the main portion for biasing the handle portion.
22. The shower door of claim 21 where the spring is a stainless steel spring.
23. The shower door of claim 15 where said grasp is adhesively fixed to said shower door.
24. The shower door of claim 23 where said grasp is adhesively fixed to said shower door with a UV curable glass-metal bonding adhesive.
25. The shower door of claim 15 where said grasp is magnetically fixed to said shower door.
26. A grasp for a slidable shower door, comprising:
- a grasp including a main portion and a pivotable handle portion biased relative to the main portion for automatic retractment from an extended position to a retracted position; and
- said grasp fixable to a slidable shower door; and
- where the handle portion extends beyond the main portion when extended and extends no more than the main portion when retracted.
27. The grasp of claim 26 where said grasp is attachable to a mounting fixture through an aperture in the slidable shower door.
28. The grasp of claim 26 where the pivotable handle portion has a recess.
29. The grasp of claim 26 where the grasp further includes a spring connected between the handle portion and the main portion for biasing the handle portion.
30. The grasp of claim 29 where the spring is a stainless steel spring.
31. The grasp of claim 26 further comprising a means for fixing said grasp to the slidable shower door.
Type: Application
Filed: Jul 8, 2010
Publication Date: Jan 12, 2012
Applicant: K.D.D., INC. (Naples, FL)
Inventors: Keith William Daubmann (Estero, FL), William Charles Daubmann (Bonita Springs, FL), Theodore Ross (Bonita Springs, FL)
Application Number: 12/832,546