GB2404687A

GB2404687A - Door assembly for a shower enclosure

Info

Publication number: GB2404687A
Application number: GB0316038A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Robert Gooding
Original assignee: Kohler Daryl Ltd
Current assignee: Kohler Daryl Ltd
Priority date: 2003-07-09
Filing date: 2003-07-09
Publication date: 2005-02-09
Anticipated expiration: 2023-07-09
Also published as: GB0316038D0; GB2404687B

Abstract

An inwardly-opening shower door, of the type in which the door pivot slides on or in a guide track at the shower entrance and the door is also supported by a radius arm extending from a position intermediate the width of the door to the corner of the entrance opposite the pivot rest position when the door is closed, in which an eccentric adjusting element 30 is interposed between first 20 and second 21 parts of a connection element (5, 7, figure 1) of the sliding pivot. Rotation of the element 30 displaces the first part with respect to the second part in a vertical direction.

Description

Door assembly for a shower enclosure The present invention relates to a door assembly for a shower enclosure and in particular an improved door assembly for an inwardly opening shower door. Many people prefer the convenience and efficiency (in terms of both time taken and water and energy usage) of a shower over a bath and increasingly homes are being equipped with purpose built shower enclosures or cabinets as an alternative or supplement to a bath rather than simply providing a shower unit over a bath. Shower enclosures are also frequently provided where there is insufficient space in a room for installation of a bath. Shower enclosures are usually formed from a plurality of large glass panes mounted in an metal or plastic framework and include a glass door mounted in a door frame, openable to permit access to the shower enclosure. A conventional door, hinged at one side, if often undesirable for a shower enclosure because if the door opens outwardly water will drip onto the outside floor and if the door opens inwardly it may prove difficult, if not impossible, for a user to enter the enclosure and subsequently close the door. Accordingly an inwardly opening door arrangement has been proposed comprising a door frame and a door for closing same, the door being pivotally mounted in the door frame by pivotal connection elements, which are arranged on the top and bottom ends of the door at or adjacent a first corner of each of said top and bottom ends, said pivotal connection elements being slidably mounted in or on guide means provided on or adjacent to top and bottom ends of the door frame, and upper radius and lower radius arms,the upper radius arm being pivotally connected at a first end to the top end of the door at a position intermediate the respective pivotal connection element and a second corner of the top end of the door and at a second end to an upper corner of the door frame and the lower radius arm being pivotally connected at a first end to the bottom end of the door at a position intermediate the respective pivotal connection element and a second corner of the bottom end of the door and at a second end to a bottom corner of the door frame. Such an arrangement is disclosed in GB 1 560 713 (see in particular Fig. 2 thereof). In the proposed door arrangement, as the door is opened, said pivotal connection elements move along the respective guide means and thus along a side of the enclosure adjacent the door frame, the radius arms guiding the movement of the door by constraining corresponding movement of the second corner of each of the upper and lower ends of the door in a direction substantially perpendicular to the door frame and inwardly thereof. Such an inwardly opening door arrangement is frequently referred to as a fold-in or inswing door. Typically each pivotal connection elements comprise a bogie having a set of parallel wheels or rollers mounted thereon adapted to run in an elongate channel or guide rail of the respective guide means. With such an inwardly opening door arrangement the weight of the door is borne between the radius arms and the guide means. The distribution of the weight borne by the radius arms and that borne by the guide means may vary during opening and closing of the door, which may cause the radius arms to elastically flex, leading to vertical displacement of the first ends of the radius arms. Such vertical displacement will further alter the proportion of the weight of the door that is transferred to the guide rail via wheels of each bogie. Such weight transfer may prevent smooth movement of the wheels along the guide rail and may even door cause the door to jam at certain points during opening and closing thereof. It is an object of the present invention to alleviate this problem by providing an adjustable connection between each pivotal connection element and the respective end of the door and/or the first end of each radius arm and the respective end of the door to permit a fine tuning of the load applied to each guide rail by the wheels of the respective bogie during opening and closing of the door. According to the invention there is provided a door assembly for a shower enclosure comprising a door frame and a door for closing same, the door being displaceably mounted in the door frame by a pair of first connection elements pivotally connected to top and bottom ends of the door at or adjacent a first corner of each of said top and bottom ends, said first connection elements being slidably mounted in or on respective guide means provided on or adjacent to top and bottom ends of the door frame, and by upper and lower radius arms connected at respective first ends to second connection elements pivotally connected to top and bottom ends of the door at positions intermediate the first connection elements and second corners of the top and bottom ends of the door,each of the first connection elements comprising a first part having at least one roller or wheel rotatably mounted thereon, said at least one wheel being adapted to run in a guide rail or channel of the respective guide means, and a second part pivotally connected to the respective top or bottom edge of the door, each of said second connection elements comprising a first part coupled to the first end of the respective radius arm and a second part pivotally connected to the respective top or bottom edge of the door, wherein an eccentric adjusting element is interposed between the first and second parts of the first connection elements and/or the first and second parts of the second connection elements, whereby rotation of said eccentric adjusting element relative to said first and second parts displaces said first part with respect to said second in a vertical direction. Preferably the adjusting element comprises an eccentric bushing fitted over a horizontally extending elongate cylindrical portion of the first part and disposed in an opening in the second part, at least a part of the periphery of the eccentric bushing co-operating with said opening such that rotation of the adjusting element relative to the cylindrical portion of the first part displaces the second part in a vertical direction perpendicular to the axis of said cylindrical portion. The opening of the second part is preferably configured to permit displacement of the second part with respect to the first part to a vertical direction while preventing displacement of the second part in a horizontal direction. In a preferred embodiment the opening of the second part into which the eccentric bushing is received comprises a first region having a width in a direction normal to the rotational axis of the eccentric bushing providing sufficient clearance between the inner surface of said region and the outer surface of the eccentric bushing to permit rotation of the eccentric bushing therein without any horizontal movement of the second part with respect to the first part and a height corresponding to the outer diameter of the eccentric bushing such that rotation of the eccentric bushing causes vertical displacement of the second part with respect to the first part and a second region, axially spaced from said first region, said second region having a width configured to receive a portion of the first part,preventing horizontal displacement of the first means relative to the second means in a direction perpendicular to the rotational axis of the eccentric bushing. The present invention will be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:- Fig. 1 is a partial perspective view of a lower region of a door assembly according to the invention; Fig. 2 is an exploded view of a first connection element of the door assembly of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is an exploded view of a second connection element of the door assembly of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is an end elevation of a first connection element of the door assembly of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the connection element of Fig. 4; Fig. 6 is a plan view of the connection element of Fig. 4;Fig. 7 is a sectional view of the connection element of Fig. 4 taken on line AA; and Fig. 8 to 11 are sectional schematic views showing the relative positions of the first and second parts of a connection element of the door assembly according to the invention during rotation of the eccentric bushing. Fig. 1 shows the lower region of a door assembly for a shower enclosure according to the invention. The upper region of the door assembly is a mirror image of the lower region and hence has not been shown. As shown in the drawings, the door assembly comprises a door frame 1 and a door for closing same, the door comprising a glass pane (omitted from Fig. 1 for clarity) having upper and lower mounting strips 4 secured to top and bottom edges thereof (only the lower mounting strip being shown in Fig. 1), each mounting strip having pivotally connected thereto a first connection element 5 slidably mounted in a guide channel 6 provided on respective upper and lower ends of the door frame 1 and a second connection elements 7 mounted on an end of a radius arm 8 pivotally connected at the other end to a corner of the door frame 1 such that the door opens inwardly and towards one side of the shower enclosure as described above in relation to the known inwardly opening shower door arrangement. Each first connection element 5 comprises a first part 10 including a bogie 11 having a plurality of guide wheels 12 arranged to be mounted in a respective guide channel 6 and a second part 13 including a pivot pin (not shown) received in a corresponding aperture in the respective door mounting strip 4. Each second connection element 7 comprises a first part 20 secured to a first end of a respective radius arm 8 and a second part 21 including a pivot pin 14 (Fig. 7) received in a corresponding aperture in the respective door mounting strip 4. An eccentric adjusting element 30, comprising an eccentric bushing, is interposed between respective first and second parts 10,13; 20,21 of each of the first and second connection elements 5,7, rotation of the respective eccentric adjusting element 30 relative to said first and second parts 10,13; 20,21 of each respective connection element displacing said first part 10;20 with respect to said second 13;21 in a vertical direction. Each eccentric adjusting element 30 is fitted over a horizontally extending elongate cylindrical portion 31 of a respective first part of the first and second connection elements, the eccentric bushing thereof being disposed in an opening 32 in the respective second part 13,21, a part of the periphery of the eccentric bushing co-operating with a portion 33 of the opening 32 such that rotation of the eccentric adjusting element 30 relative to the cylindrical portion 31 of a respective first part 10,20 displaces the respective second part 13,21 in a vertical direction perpendicular to the axis of said cylindrical portion 31. The opening of each second part 13,21 into which the eccentric bushing of the eccentric adjusting element 30 is received comprises a first region 34 having a width in a direction normal to the rotational axis of the eccentric adjusting element 30 providing sufficient clearance between the inner surface of said region and the outer surface of the eccentric bushing to permit rotation of the eccentric adjusting element therein without any horizontal movement of the second part with respect to the first part and a height corresponding to the outer diameter of the eccentric bushing such that rotation of the eccentric adjusting element causes vertical displacement of the second part with respect to the first part and a second region 35, axially spaced from said first region 34, said second region 35 having a width configured to receive a portion 40 of the first part 10,20,preventing displacement of the first part relative to the second part in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the rotational axis of the eccentric adjusting element 30. In order to permit rotation of the eccentric adjusting element 30, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, an end of the eccentric adjusting element 30 is provided with a pair of opposed flat cut out portions 36, 36' which engage corresponding projections 37,37' on the inner face of an adjusting member 38 adapted to fit over said end of the eccentric adjusting element 30, the outer surface of the adjusting member 30 having a plurality of flat faces thereon in the manner of a nut, permitting a spanner to be applied to the adjusting member 30 to rotate the eccentric adjusting element 30. A cap 39 is provided to cover to adjusting member to obtain an aesthetically pleasing finish and to prevent persons tampering with the adjusting member once 38 the desired adjustment of the connection elements 5,7 has been achieved. In use, the shower assembly is assembled and the opening of the door is assessed. Should the movement of the door not achieve the desired smoothness of operation or should any sticking points occur, the eccentric adjusting elements 30 of each of the first and second connection elements 5,7 can be adjusted by applying the relevant tool to the adjusting members 38 thereof to rotate eccentric adjusting members 30 in order to adjust the relative vertical position of each bogie 11 and/or each radius arm 8 with respect to the door. By careful adjustment of each connection element 5,7 the movement of the door can be fine tuned until the desired degree of smoothness of operation is achieved. Figs. 8 to 11 shows the relative position of the first and second parts 10,13 of a first connection element 5 during rotation of the eccentric adjusting element 30 thereof. It can be seen that a relative vertical displacement of the second part 13 with respect to the first part 10 is caused during rotation of the eccentric adjusting element relative to the cylindrical portion 31 of the first part 10 by action of the outer periphery of the eccentric bushing of the eccentric adjusting element 30 on a portion 33 of the inner surface of the first region 34 of the opening 32 of the second part 13.The remainder of the inner surface of the first region 34 of the second part 13 is dimensioned to provide sufficient clearance between the inner surface of the opening 32 and the outer surface of the eccentric bushing in a horizontal direction normal to the rotational axis of the adjusting element 30 to allow the eccentric bushing to rotate therein without causing relative movement of the first and second parts 10,13 in a horizontal direction normal to said rotational axis. Whilst the present invention has been described in relation to a shower door for shower enclosure, the invention may equally be applied to a door for any other purpose or even in relation to an openable window.

Claims

1. A door assembly for a shower enclosure comprising a door frame and a door for closing same, the door being displaceably mounted in the door frame by a pair of first connection elements pivotally connected to top and bottom ends of the door at or adjacent a first corner of each of said top and bottom ends, said first connection elements being slidably mounted in or on respective guide means provided on or adjacent to top and bottom ends of the door frame, and by upper and lower radius arms connected at respective first ends to second connection elements pivotally connected to top and bottom ends of the door at positions intermediate the first connection elements and second corners of the top and bottom ends of the door, each of the first connection elements comprising a first part having at least one roller or wheel rotatably mounted thereon, said at least one wheel being adapted to run in a guide rail or channel of the respective guide means, and a second part pivotally connected to the respective top or bottom edge of the door, each of said second connection elements comprising a first part coupled to the first end of the respective radius arm and a second part pivotally connected to the respective top or bottom edge of the door, wherein an eccentric adjusting element is interposed between the first and second parts of the first connection elements and/or the first and second parts of the second connection elements, whereby rotation of said eccentric adjusting element relative to said first and second parts displaces said first part with respect to said second in a vertical direction.

2. A door assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the adjusting element comprises an eccentric bushing fitted over a horizontally extending elongate cylindrical portion of the first part and disposed in an opening in the second part, at least a part of the periphery of the eccentric bushing co-operating with said opening such that rotation of the adjusting element relative to the cylindrical portion of the first part displaces the second part in a vertical direction perpendicular to the axis of said cylindrical portion.

3. A door assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein the opening of the second part is configured to permit displacement of the second part with respect to the first part to a vertical direction while preventing displacement of the second part in a horizontal direction.

4. A door assembly as claimed in claim 3, wherein the opening of the second part into which the eccentric bushing is received comprises a first region having a width in a direction normal to the rotational axis of the eccentric bushing providing sufficient clearance between the inner surface of said region and the outer surface of the eccentric bushing to permit rotation of the eccentric bushing therein without any horizontal movement of the second part with respect to the first part and a height corresponding to the outer diameter of the eccentric bushing such that rotation of the eccentric bushing causes vertical displacement of the second part with respect to the first part and a second region, axially spaced from said first region, said second region having a width configured to receive a portion of the first part, preventing horizontal displacement of the first means relative to the second means in a direction perpendicular to the rotational axis of the eccentric bushing.

5. A door assembly as claimed in claim 4, wherein an end of the eccentric bushing is provided with a pair of opposed flat cut out portions which engage corresponding projections on the inner face of an adjusting member adapted to fit over said end of the eccentric bushing, the outer surface of the adjusting member having a plurality of flat faces thereon in the manner of a nut, permitting a tool to be applied to the adjusting member to rotate the eccentric adjusting element.

6. A door assembly as claimed in claim 5, wherein a cap is provided to cover the adjusting member to obtain an aesthetically pleasing finish and to prevent persons tampering with the adjusting member.

7. A door assembly substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.