| WO/2006/111772 | IMPROVEMENTS TO SHOWERS AND BATHS |
| WO/2005/081815 | MULTI-PIECE WALL BATHING ENCLOSURE |
| WO/2021/116507 | IMPROVED SHOWER CUBICLE |
VAN DER MEER DANIA (AU)
VAN DER MEER DANIA (AU)
| GB2265084A | 1993-09-22 | |||
| CA960956A | 1975-01-14 | |||
| US20040007335A1 | 2004-01-15 | |||
| US5606752A | 1997-03-04 |
Claims The claims defining the invention are as follows:
1. A system for retaining a shower curtain and allowing it to be pulled taught and closed between two rigid sides of a shower enclosure with a waterproof seal formed on either side of the shower curtain, between said shower curtain and said rigid sides of the shower enclosure. The system is comprised of the following parts which run the full vertical length of said shower curtain: i. a 'leading edge retainer', one side of which attaches to one vertical edge of said shower curtain and the other side of which interlocks with: ii. a 'locking edge' that is fixed to a rigid side of the shower recess; iii. a 'fixed edge retainer', one side of which attaches to the other vertical edge of said shower curtain and the other side of which is fixed to a rigid side of said shower recess; iv. two 'clips' which secure the edges of the shower curtain to said leading edge retainer and said fixed edge retainer.
2. A system for retaining and closing a shower curtain as claimed in claim 1 , where the leading edge retainer has a V shaped hook protruding from it and running the full length of one side of said retainer and the locking edge has a corresponding identical V shaped hook protruding from it and running the full length of one side of said locking edge. The system is designed such that said V shaped hooks can interlock thereby maintaining the shower curtain in a closed position, and forming a water resistant seal along the length of the interlocking parts.
3. A system for retaining and closing a shower curtain as claimed in claims 1 and 2 where the leading edge retainer and fixed edge retainer each have a protruding nib running the full length of one side of each said part that fits into the corresponding opening of a 'fastening clip' such that said fastening clip can be secured over the nib the full length of each said edge retainer part with the shower curtain between the clip and the nib, thus securing said edge retainer part to the edge of the shower curtain. The fastening clips can be removed to free the curtain from said edge retainer parts.
4. A system for retaining and closing a shower curtain according to any of claims 1-4 where all parts of the invention described are manufactured by extrusion and made from rigid plastic or other rigid material such as aluminium where each of the parts as listed in claim 1 are extrusions of approximately 1.8 to 2.0 metres in length. 5. A system for retaining and closing a shower curtain as herein described with reference to figures 1-7 of the accompanying drawings.
6. A system for retaining and closing a shower curtain as herein described, where any or all of the parts referred to in claims 1-5 may also be applied for the purpose of retaining any other type of flexible sheet of material (eg. cloth, vinyl, plastic, leather) against one rigid wall (or side) or held taught between two rigid walls (or sides) of any enclosure or otherwise. A typical example would be the application of this invention for retention of a window blind or curtain. |
System for retaining and closing a shower curtain
There is need to provide a secure means of retaining both vertical edges of a shower curtain used to retain water within a showering area. As the vertical edges of shower curtains generally hang freely this does not allow for creation of a watertight seal and allows the curtain to billow inwards reducing the space available in the showering area and clinging to the occupant while having a shower.
This invention has been devised to overcome these problems by providing a system which allows both edges of a shower curtain to be fixed to the sides of the shower or bath enclosure. The invention allows for one side to remain fixed permanently and the other side to be opened and closed as required. When the curtain is closed it is pulled taught which prevents it from billowing inwards. Two watertight seals are also formed on either side of the shower curtain, preventing water from escaping the shower enclosure. An additional advantage of this invention is that it allows for a shower curtain to be made from less material as excess material for folds is no longer required.
A shower curtain closure system in accordance with this invention comprises two curtain edge retaining parts and one locking edge part. The edge retainer parts are fixed to the curtain with fastening clips that run the full length of the edge retainer parts. Once in position the edge retainer parts hold firmly onto the curtain but can be removed by pulling the fastening clip off the edge retainer part.
On one side of the curtain, the 'fixed edge retainer' is attached to the wall or rigid side of the shower recess by means of a strip of double sided adhesive material. On the other side of the curtain, the 'leading edge retainer' is allowed to hang freely on a curtain ring, forming the leading edge of the curtain which can be moved to allow the curtain to be opened and closed. To close the curtain, the leading edge is pulled to the wall or rigid side of the shower recess where the 'locking edge' is attached (on the opposite side to where the fixed edge retainer is attached). The leading edge can be hooked onto the locking edge and secured in position by an interlocking V configuration that runs the full length of both the leading edge retainer and the locking edge. The locking edge is fixed to said wall or rigid side of the shower recess by means of a strip of double sided adhesive material.
The shower curtain closure system is preferably made from rigid plastic, such as rigid PVC, however other materials such as aluminium may also be used. The parts can be made in a variety of colours and have been designed to be manufactured by extrusion. Each part, when manufactured will be approximately 2m long and can be cut to the desired length with a sharp knife or hacksaw. The length required will depend on the length of the shower curtain and / or distance from the floor, of the rod on which the curtain hangs. The invention may be better understood with reference to the illustrations of embodiments of the invention. The illustrations are horizontal cross- sections of the parts.
Figure 1 is the 'locking edge' part that is fixed to a wall or rigid side of the shower recess by means of a strip of double sided adhesive material (1). Protruding from this part is the V hook (2).
Figure 2 is the 'leading edge retainer' part with a V hook (3) protruding on one side of the part. When the shower curtain is in the closed position, the V hooks (2) and (3) are interlocked as shown in figure 5. This secures the curtain in the closed position and forms a water resistant seal along the length of the interlocking v's.
To close the curtain and secure it in the closed position, the leading edge retainer is grasped by the handle (4) on either side of said retainer and moved towards the locking edge. The V shaped opening of the leading edge retainer is moved just beyond the V shaped opening of the locking edge and the two parts are then brought together until said parts are touching as shown in figure 6. There will be some tension at this point as the shower curtain is being pulled taught. Upon release of some of this tension, while holding the leading edge retainer against the locking edge, the V openings will interlock and remain in this position as shown in figure 5. To open the curtain from the secured closed position, said steps as described above for closing the curtain and securing it in the closed position are followed in reverse.
The leading edge retainer (figure 2) is attached to the curtain using the fastening clip (figure 3a) as per the following explanation. The opening of the fastening clip (8) fits over the round-shaped end (5) of the protruding nib (6). As the fastening clip is pushed over the round-shaped end (5) along the full length of the leading edge retainer (with the full
length of the edge of the shower curtain positioned between the protruding nib and the clip), the clip sides (7) open outwards until the round-shaped end of the nib (5) is completely past the clip's restriction points (9). As the round-shaped end of the nib passes the restriction points of the fastening clip, the sides of the clip (7) close back inwards and lock the round-shaped end of the nib (5) into the space in the fastening clip (10). The clip is now fastened over the nib with the shower curtain firmly secure between the two parts. The clip can be removed by simply gripping it and pulling it off the protruding nib thereby releasing the curtain.
Figure 4 is the 'fixed edge retainer' part that is fixed to a wall or rigid side of the shower recess, on the opposite side to where the locking strip is fixed, by means of a strip of double sided adhesive material (12). The curtain is attached to the fixed edge retainer using the fastening clip (figure 3b) as per the explanation above, where the nib (11) on the fixed edge retainer is identical to the nib (6) on the leading edge retainer.
The complete system for retaining and closing a shower curtain in the closed position (cross-section view) is shown in figure 7. In summary, one side of the shower curtain thus remains fixed to the wall or rigid side of the shower recess at the point of the fixed edge retainer. At the opposite wall or rigid side of the shower recess the locking edge also remains fixed. The leading edge retainer can be hooked onto the locking edge and the curtain will remain in the closed position, or unhooked from the locking edge to allow the curtain to be opened.