US4646491A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Partition with pivotable door for use in shower stalls
Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1985-07-30
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Granted: 1987-03-03
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Expires: 2005-07-30
Abstract
Abstract A partition which constitutes one wall of a shower stall has a fixedly mounted upright wall member and an upright door member which is pivotable relative to the wall member about a vertical axis between a closed position in which one upright marginal portion of the door member is adjacent to the inner side and overlies the adjacent upright marginal portion of the wall member and at least one open position in which the door member extends outwardly beyond the outer side of the wall member. The door member is coupled to the wall member by several hinges each of which is secured to the door member as well as to a discrete horizontal bar which can serve as a towel bar, which is adjacent to the outer side of the wall member and which is slidable relative to and is releasably connected with several bearings mounted on the wall member by distancing elements. One of the bearings can be anchored in or separably affixed to a further wall of the shower stall. Slidability of the bars relative to their bearings renders it possible to compensate for manufacturing and/or assembling tolerances.
Inventors
- 👤 Paul-Jean Munch
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-10 01:16
CPC Classifications
A; A47; A47K; A47K3/00; A47K3/28; A47K3/30; A47K3/36; E; E05; E05D; E05D5/00; E05D5/02; E05D5/0246; E05D5/06; A47K2003/307; E05Y; E05Y2800/00; E05Y2800/67; E05Y2800/672; E05Y2900/00; E05Y2900/10; E05Y2900/114
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 30
Claim 1
Independent Claim
127 words
A partition, particularly for use in shower stalls, comprising a fixedly mounted wall member; a door member; and means for movably coupling said door member to said wall member, including a hinge defining a pivot axis about which said door member is swingable with reference to said wall member, and means for mounting said hinge on said wall member so as to permit for adjustments of said door member with reference to said wall member at least in directions at right angles to said pivot axis, said mounting means comprising a substantially horizontal component including a first portion which supports said hinge and a second portion, and several aligned bearings for said second portion, said second portion being movable with reference to said bearings in said directions.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
127 words
A partition, particularly for use in shower stalls, comprising a fixedly mounted wall member; a door member; and means for movably coupling said door member to said wall member, including a hinge defining a pivot axis about which said door member is swingable with reference to said wall member, and means for mounting said hinge on said wall member so as to permit for adjustments of said door member with reference to said wall member at least in directions at right angles to said pivot axis, said mounting means comprising a substantially horizontal component including a first portion which supports said hinge and a second portion, and several aligned bearings for said second portion, said second portion being movable with reference to said bearings in said directions.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
18 words
The partition of claim 1, wherein at least one of said members includes an upright light transmitting pane.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
49 words
The partition of claim 1, wherein said members have neighboring marginal portions and said door member is swingable between a closed position of substantial parallelism with said wall member and at least one open position, said marginal portions overlapping each other in the closed position of said door member.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
50 words
The partition of claim 3, wherein said mounting means is disposed at one side of said wall member and the marginal portion of said door member overlaps the marginal portion of said wall member at the other side of said wall member in the closed position of said door member.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
33 words
The partition of claim 1, wherein said component includes an elongated bar or rod and at least one of said bearings includes a tubular member wherein said component is slidable in said directions.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
37 words
The partition of claim 5, wherein said pivot axis is at least substantially vertical and said members are disposed in substantially vertical planes, said component being slidable in substantial parallelism with the plane of said wall member.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
20 words
The partition of claim 1, further comprising means for releasably fixing said component to at least one of said bearings.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
45 words
The partition of claim 1, wherein said hinge comprises a first section which is rigid with the first portion of said component and a second section which is rigid with the door member and is pivotable with reference to the first section about said axis.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
78 words
The partition of claim 8, wherein one of said sections is at least substantially arcuate and said members have neighboring upright marginal portions, said door member being swingable with reference to said wall member between a closed position in which said marginal portions overlap each other and at least one open position, said one section extending around and being out of contact with the marginal portion of said wall member in the closed position of said door member.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
42 words
The partition of claim 9, wherein said one section is said second section and said first section is integral with the first portion of said component, said hinge further comprising an at least substantially vertical pintle connecting said sections to each other.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
52 words
The partition of claim 1, wherein one of said bearings includes a substantially tubular element wherein said second portion is slidable in said directions and another of said bearings includes a socket, said second portion having a free end which is receivable in said socket in an end position of said component.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
34 words
The partition of claim 11, further comprising a fixed wall adjacent to said socket, said socket having an end wall and further comprising fastener means for securing said end wall to said fixed wall.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
52 words
The partition of claim 1, further comprising a fixed wall adjacent and disposed substantially at right angles to said wall member, said bearings including a first bearing nearer to and a second bearing more distant from said hinge, and means for at least indirectly affixing said second bearing to said fixed wall.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
17 words
The partition of claim 13, wherein said affixing means comprises an arm rigid with said second bearing.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
35 words
The partition of claim 13, wherein said affixing means comprises a first device for connecting said second bearing to said wall member and a second device for connecting said first device with said fixed wall.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
33 words
The partition of claim 1, wherein said bearings include a first bearing nearer to and a second bearing more distant from said hinge and distancing elements connecting said bearings with said wall member.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
58 words
The partition of claim 16, wherein said distancing elements include spacers which are rigid with the respective bearings and are adjacent to one side of said wall member, said mounting means further comprising fasteners having first portions at the other side of said wall member and second portions extending through said wall member and engaging the respective spacers.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
22 words
The partition of claim 1, further comprising means for adjustably affixing at least one of said one bearing to said wall member.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
76 words
The partition of claim 18, wherein said affixing means comprises a distancing element rigid with said one bearing, a second element carried by said wall member, and a fastener provided on said distancing element and engaging with and being eccentric to said second element so that the position of said distancing element relative to said wall member is changed in response to angular displacement of said second element relative to said wall member about said fastener.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
24 words
The partition of claim 1, further comprising a grub screw for releasably securing the second portion of said component to one of said bearings.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
81 words
The partition of claim 1, wherein said hinge comprises an arcuate first section which abuts against one side of said door member and a second section rigid with the first portion of said component, and further comprising means for securing said first section to said door member including a fastener having an enlarged portion adjacent to the other side of said door member and a second portion extending through said door member and engaging with the first section of said hinge.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
29 words
The partition of claim 21, wherein said members have neighboring elongated marginal portions and said fastener is adjacent to but spaced from the marginal portion of said door member.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
37 words
The partition of claim 1, wherein said bearings include a first bearing nearer to and a second bearing more distant from said hinge, that part of said component which extends between said bearings constituting a towel bar.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
92 words
The partition of claim 1, wherein said wall member has an inner side and an outer side and said component is adjacent to said outer side, said members having neighboring elongated marginal portions and said door member being swingable about said pivot axis between a closed position in which its marginal portion is adjacent to the inner side and overlaps the marginal portion of said wall member and at least one open position in which at least a portion of said door member extends beyond the outer side of said wall member.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
17 words
The partition of claim 1, further comprising means for holding said component against rotation in said bearing.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
43 words
The partition of claim 25, wherein said component includes an elongated bar of at least substantially circular outline and said holding means comprises a spline in said bar and a tongue provided on said bearing and extending into said spline or vice versa.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
11 words
The partition of claim 1, wherein said component is a tube.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
12 words
The partition of claim 1, wherein said component is a solid rod.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
57 words
The partition of claim 1, wherein said members are disposed in substantially vertical planes and said pivot axis is substantially vertical, and further comprising additional coupling means disposed at a level other than said first named coupling means and having a hinge defining a second pivot axis at least substantially coinciding with said first named pivot axis.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1990-03-02 | 1990-09-01 | 1991-03-03 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1994-03-02 | 1994-09-01 | 1995-03-03 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1998-03-02 | 1998-09-01 | 1999-03-03 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |