Abstract:
Bathing enclosures, and methods for assembling them, are disclosed. They are provided with connectors in the form of first and second supports, a clip, and a fastener. The supports are mounted on the upper and lower portions of the enclosure respectively and have through bores and an outer projection. The clips attach on the exterior of the projections to align the supports. The fastener such as a bolt passes through the through bores to clamp the supports together. The clips permit one set of supports to be aligned and loosely bolted together while another set of supports are held apart by a washer in order to provide a defined gap for caulking with silicone or other sealant.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     Not applicable. 
     STATEMENT OF FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     Not applicable. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to shower enclosures, shower/tub enclosures, saunas and other walled bathing enclosures. More particularly, it relates to assemblies used to align and connect sections of such enclosures. 
     Bathing enclosures are often provided with tiled surrounding walls. However, the process of creating tiled walls is labor intensive, time consuming and requires considerable skill (and thus can be quite costly). 
     A lower cost alternative is to create a prefabricated enclosure from a plastic or other suitable material at a factory and then transport the enclosure to the installation site. However, many shower stalls are 48 to 60 inches wide. Further, combined bathtub/shower enclosures are now increasingly popular. Some of such structures, if formed and transported as a single piece, may be too big to fit into elevators or through conventional doorways. This makes it impossible for them to be used to replace existing plumbing in completed buildings, and greatly restricts what stage of construction the products must be delivered. In any event, the larger the product, the more difficult it is to carry up stairways or elsewhere. 
     Thus, the art developed “knockdown” type enclosures that are formed in multiple pieces that can be assembled on-site from smaller components. See e.g. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,316,295, 4,471,501, 4,578,832, and 5,263,208, and Canadian patent 1,276,404. These enclosures may be shipped in separate pieces, or they may be shipped as a single structure and then disassembled immediately before bringing them into buildings. 
     A designer of such enclosures must address how to avoid leaks at the seams between sections, how to align clamping elements together with a minimal number of workers and within a minimum amount of time, and the cost of creating the attachment members adjacent the seams. Further, long term reliability of the attachment mechanism is critical. 
     In systems where blocks are attached to separate upper and lower sections and then bolted together (e.g. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,471,501 and 4,578,832) it can be difficult to manually align the component enclosure sections to a sufficient degree so that the walls of the sections are flush and so that bolts can be easily inserted into holes within the blocks/brackets. This may require two or more workers to repetitively adjust the alignment until all the bolts can be inserted. In certain circumstances it is sufficiently difficult to align the existing holes of the blocks that new holes must be drilled in the blocks for the bolts. 
     Alternatively, in a system like Canadian patent 1,276,404, where the blocks of the upper panel must be slid onto guide pins projecting up from the lower blocks, it is necessary to blindly fit the shafts of the upper blocks onto the guide pins. There may be considerable difficulty in achieving proper alignment, particularly if panel sections have warped slightly. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,263,208 sought to address a number of these design concerns, and made substantial progress in that regard. However, the system disclosed in that patent required three different types of connection structures (a locator, a clamp and a separate alignment system). Also, the assembly was somewhat less intuitive than other systems, and further had somewhat higher cost than was optimal. 
     As such, a need still exists for improved systems for assembling “knockdown” type shower stalls. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In one aspect the present invention provides a bathing enclosure of the type having a multi-piece plumbing fixture wall structure. The structure has a first portion and a second portion (e.g. an upper section of enclosure walls and a lower section of a portion of the enclosure wall with a bathtub). The first portion has walls with edges which can be essentially aligned with opposed edges of walls of the second portion so as to define a seam there between. 
     The improvement of the present invention is that there is now a series of clamping/alignment components which facilitate the alignment and secure connection of the structure portions. There is a first support having a base mounted on the first portion of the wall structure, the first support having an internal channel extending there through and an outward projection. There is also a second support having a base mounted on the second portion of the wall structure, the second support also having an internal channel extending there through and an outward projection. 
     There is also a clip that is positionable over both the outward projection of the first support and the outward projection of the second support when the internal channel of the first support and the internal channel of the second support are essentially aligned. A preferred way of such positioning is to slide the clip along a vertical axis of both the supports. 
     There is also a fastener capable of being positioned in both the internal channel of the first support and the internal channel of the second support when the channels are so essentially aligned. This clamps the wall structure portions together, and can also optionally be used to loosely anchor the wall structure parts while the upper portion is being raised to provide a gap for adding silicone or other sealant to the seam between the upper and lower parts. 
     In preferred forms the outer projections are essentially C-shaped in cross section and the clip is essentially C-shaped in cross section, the internal channels both have a plurality of inwardly directing projections, and the clip and supports interfit using inward protrusions and notches. 
     In another preferred form both bases have feet sections that mount against the respective wall structure portions. There is an opening along the respective lengths of the internal channels between the respective feet of the respective supports. The fastener is in the form of a bolt having an enlarged head, a threaded end opposite from the head, and a clamping nut threadable on the opposite end. 
     In another form the invention provides a method of assembling a first portion and a second portion of a bathing enclosure together. One obtains the above enclosure, where there is also a second set of such supports, clip and fastener, and positions the wall structures in rough alignment. One then inserts the fastener in one set of supports and a washer between another set of supports. 
     The present system is designed to allow the clips to drive the supports into proper alignment, while allowing some relative movement of the upper section of the wall structure with respect to the lower section (until the final bolting is completed). Only one type of fastener assembly is needed, thereby reducing the number of parts needed. 
     The bathing enclosure is relatively inexpensive to manufacture, creates a tight, leak-proof seam, and is designed to be reliable on a long term basis. 
    
    
     The foregoing and other advantages of the invention will be evident from the following description. In the description, reference should be made to the accompanying drawings which form a part of the disclosure. Such embodiments and the description thereof do not, however, represent the full scope of the invention. Rather, the claims should be looked to for interpreting the full scale of the invention. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of components of the system of the present invention that can be used to connect bathing enclosure portions together; 
     FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line  2 — 2  of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line  3 — 3  of FIG. 1; and 
     FIG. 4 is a perspective view of exemplary panel components of a bathing enclosure on which several of the devices of the type shown in FIG. 1 are mounted at various stages of assembly. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring first to FIG. 1, a clamping/aligning device  5  is provided. There are extruded plastic supports  10 ,  20  and a generally C-shaped clip  30 . The supports are to be fastened to respective surfaces of a bathing enclosure, along respective edges of the surfaces that are intended to interface one another. For example, in FIG. 4 there are shown panels  100  and  102  (e.g., an upper wall of a shower enclosure and a lower wall of the same shower enclosure). More than one (and often twelve or more) of the devices  5  are used with any given cut line between two sections of any given enclosure. 
     Referring next to FIG. 2, the support  10  has a base  35  with two feet  40 . The feet  40  are designed to be glued on, glassed on, or otherwise attached to the respective side walls of the enclosure. In the most preferred form, a single unitary member comprising the length of supports  10  and  20  is glassed onto a shower stall. Both the shower stall and the support piece is then cut into two to yield the two enclosure portions with the separate pieces  10  and  20  now formed. 
     Alternatively, one could provide locator notches on the outer surface of the shower enclosure walls to help locate the feet. However, this is not necessary in all cases. 
     In any event, feet  40  of the base  35  support a convex outer projection  50 , which is essentially C-shaped. There is an inner cavity  60  that extends from between the feet  40  to within the projection  50 . A portion of the inner orifice  60  within the projection  50  is also substantially C-shaped in cross-section, and essentially forms a cylindrical conduit  65  extending the entire length of the support  10  along a longitudinal axis  66 . There is also a C-shaped clip  30  having inner surface  25  complementary to the projections  50  of the first and second supports  10 ,  20 . 
     When the clamping system is being assembled, first and second supports  10 ,  20  are positioned end-to-end in rough vertical alignment. The C-shaped clip  30  then can slide down onto the projections  50 . The supports  10 ,  20  and the C-shaped clip  30  are made from a relatively inflexible plastic or other material (or simply are not very flexible because of their rather thick dimensions). Nevertheless, the C-shaped clip  30  typically has some minimal flexibility so that the clip can be easily slid onto neighboring supports  10 , 20  even when those supports are slightly out of alignment. 
     The C-shaped clip  30  includes inward protrusions  15  along edges of the clip. The inward protrusions  15  are designed to fit within notches  75  along the sides of supports  10 ,  20 , between the respective projections  50  and feet  40 . Because the concave inner surface  25  and the convex projection outer surfaces  50  are generally complementary in shape, and also because of the interfacing of the inward protrusions  15  and notches  75 , the C-shaped clip  30  can tend to drive the projections  50  into even closer alignment. In certain embodiments, the protrusions  15  are tapered near the ends of the C-shaped clip  30  so that effectively the protrusions are reduced or nonexistent at the very ends of the clip. This can facilitate the sliding of the C-shaped clip  30  on and off of the projections  50 . 
     Also, the clip  30  limits transverse motion of the parts relative to each other. This thus serves the purpose of both achieving alignment, and then maintaining it through the bolting process. 
     In this regard, a bolt  70  can be inserted into and through the cylindrical conduits  65  of the respective supports once the supports are properly aligned. Then, the enlarged bolt head  95  will rest on the top support and a washer and nut  80 / 90  can be used to clamp the parts together. An additional washer  90  is inserted between the bolt head  95  and the top of the upper support. In some embodiments, the washers  90  restrict movement of the C-shaped clip  30  to prevent movement of the clip off of the projections  50 . While it is primarily the interaction of the C-shaped clip  30  and supports  10 , 20  that provides for alignment, the tightening of the bolt  70  and nut  80  further reinforces this alignment. 
     As shown particularly in FIG. 2, the cylindrical conduits  65  in the present embodiment can have three inward protrusions  97  that provide support for the bolt  70  and limit movement of the bolt relative to the cylindrical conduits. In alternate embodiments, such protrusions can be slightly flexible to assist the connection where the supports are still slightly out of alignment. 
     The bathing enclosure typically is shipped in assembled form (albeit with spacer washers positioned on the bolts  70  in between the supports  10 , 20  to prevent the scraping of adjoining sections of the bathing enclosure during transit) to an installation site, where it can be disassembled to fit through small doorways. For example, the nuts can be removed from the bolts and the bolts removed. A hammer can then be used to dislodge the C-shaped clips  30  from each of the pairs of supports. 
     A preferred method of assembly is described with reference to the FIG. 4 embodiment. The portions  100  and  102  can be positioned in rough alignment to thereby move all of the upper supports  20  in rough alignment with the lower supports  10 . Multiple such attachment assemblies (e.g. four for a side of the wall) will typically be provided. A greater number of such clamping systems is typically needed at locations such as door columns and corners. 
     Next, the C-shaped clips  30  are slid onto the supports  20 , and in the case of a subset of the clips all the way down to supports  10 . Because the C-shaped clips  30  are slightly flexible, the clips can be slid onto the supports  10 ,  20  even if the pairs are not perfectly aligned. However, because the C-shaped clips  30  are also elastic and resilient, and not very flexible, they tend to bring the supports into better alignment. Typically, once multiple clips  30  are slipped onto multiple sets of supports  10 , 20  along interfacing edges of adjoining sections of the bathing enclosure, the clips cooperate with one another to more perfectly align the respective pairs of supports  10 , 20  and adjoining sections. 
     After the C-shaped clips  30  are on the supports, the bolts  70  are inserted into the cylindrical conduits  65  of at least some of the aligned upper and lower supports. Washers  90  may also be used, and the nuts  80  are then affixed onto those bolts. 
     At this time, the nuts  80  are only partly turned onto the bolts  70  such that the bolts are only loosely suspended in the cylindrical conduits  65  by the heads  95  of the bolts. The upper wall structural portion is then raised in relation to the lower wall structural portion to create a slight gap  104  in between the panel components. Because of the C-shaped clips  30  and the bolts  70  at some of the attachment locations, the upper portion  100  can be raised in a controlled manner such that the essential alignment of the components is generally maintained. With the gap  104  thus exposed with respect to the devices not having the bolt yet, a washer or other spacing device can then be positioned into the gap  104  to maintain the gap so that sealant such as caulking or silicone can be directed into the gap. 
     In alternate embodiments, bolts  70  with nuts  80  affixed thereto can be positioned within each of the attachment locations, and spacing devices can be used to separate each of the pairs of respective supports  10 , 20 . 
     Once the sealant has been applied, the washers  90  can be removed so that the upper panel component  100  again rests upon the lower panel component  102  (with the sealant in between). At this time, the C-shaped clips  30  that were previously slid onto the supports that did not have the bolts can be slid all the way down onto the corresponding supports. The bolts  70 , nuts  80  and washers  90  corresponding to those devices  5  can then be assembled. At this time, all of the nuts  80  associated with each of the devices  5  (e.g., all four of the devices shown in FIG. 4) should be tightened to complete the clamping. 
     The present system and method are suitable for a wide variety of bathing enclosures. While horizontal seams are depicted, the system could also be used with a vertical seam structure. Also, the bathing enclosure could be split into more than two sections (compare Canadian patent 1,276,404). As such, the preceding preferred embodiments are not to be construed as the sole embodiments covered by the claims. 
     The present invention has many advantages. The upper panel needs to be roughly aligned with the lower one before it can be set down on the lower one. This greatly simplifies handling and minimizes the number of workers needed to manipulate the parts at this point. 
     Because the C-shaped clips  30  are somewhat flexible, the clips can be slid over the outer projections on the supports even when those outer surfaces are slightly out of alignment. Further, once in position, the natural tendency of the C-shaped clips  30  is to bring the convex outer surfaces of the projections  50  into more exact alignment. 
     Additionally, the system provides a temporary loose connection to keep relative alignment when the upper section is raised in order to insert a silicone stream between the sections. The clamping fasteners themselves are extremely inexpensive and reliable. If desired, the gap between the sections can be retained with washers positioned between some of the pairs of supports while the others are bolted. 
     INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY 
     The invention provides knockdown type shower stalls and other bathing enclosures provided with improved alignment and clamping systems.