Abstract:
A recessed storage compartment is for adding additional space within a showering environment without sacrificing precious shower space. The recessed storage compartment includes a housing, a drawer, and a front panel. The drawer and front panel are attached, creating a compartment for common showering items, and this compartment is completely enclosed within the housing. The storage compartment is recessed within a shower wall and opens with a bottom-hinged opening mechanism, allowing quick and easy access to its contents.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/384,616, filed on Sep. 20, 2010, and incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT 
     Not Applicable. 
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to storage compartments, and more particularly, to a recessed container inside of a shower or bathing environment. 
     DISCUSSION OF RELATED ART 
     A bathing environment is generally a private area where individuals can attend to and maintain their own personal hygiene. Bathing environments come in many shapes and sizes. The two most common types are showers and bath tubs. A shower typically provides a standing environment with a running water source, while a bath tub typically provides a sitting or lying environment within a pool of water. 
     A shower typically consists of an indoor, enclosed, private space where the user can stand under a nozzle, or shower head, that distributes water over their body. This water is then removed from the showering unit with a drain. Showers range in size, from individually sized units to larger ones. In larger units, seats and benches are incorporated for an alternative means of cleaning one&#39;s body. 
     The walls of a bathing environment must be water-resistant due to their frequent exposure to water and moisture. Tile is commonly used in bathrooms and showers to seal the walls from unwanted water leaks. A cement board is typically used as a tile backing board as opposed to drywall or gypsum board because cement boards will not mold, mildew, or physically break down due to the constant presence of moisture. For tile walls, the cement board is nailed or screwed to the wall studs and the tile is then placed vertically onto the cement board. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 6,289,529 to Harvey on Sep. 18, 2001, describes a shower seat and basket combination where the user can sit on a ledge and store items underneath the ledge in a basket. The basket, hanging underneath the ledge, can be slid outward to access its contents. Furthermore, the basket includes perforations to allow water to drain from the basket. While extra items can be stored within a bathing environment, the basket and seat will take precious space within a showering unit. 
     U.S. patent application Ser. No. US 2008/0052816 to Gillis on Mar. 16, 2008, describes a shower shelf and storage compartments for common showering items. The invention is designed to fit within a cavity of the shower wall and to provide a means to prevent water from entering the compartments. While the invention provides additional storage space, the compartments are not suited for expelling water, the compartment doors are not convenient when inside of the shower, and the device is further complicated with a heating means for the compartments. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 6,688,238 to Alexiou on Feb. 10, 2004, describes a shower accessory organizing system where common showering items can be stored. A vertical support is provided with several shelves for storing the items, each shelf having a means for draining water. While this invention provides additional storage capacity inside of a showering environment, the shelves are not recessed and will take up valuable space. 
     While many showers incorporate ledges and other means for holding soap, shampoo, and other cleaning products, they do not provide a means for providing additional storage without sacrificing additional space within a bathing environment. Therefore, a need exists for an additional storage means inside of the showering area that is convenient, will not sacrifice valuable space, and can remove water from its storage compartment. The present invention accomplishes these objectives. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides a means of storing items inside of a shower or bath. This is accomplished by providing a recessed storage compartment inside of the showering unit. The storage compartment comprises a front panel, drawer, and housing. The storage compartment will be easily accessible and will provide ample space for several items to be stored. The front panel will provide a knob or handle to allow access to the storage compartment. 
     The storage compartment will be exposed to constant water while the showering unit is in use. As such, the storage compartment must have a means of removing water from its storage compartment. Therefore, the storage drawer and the housing will each be sloped and include drain holes to remove the water from the storage compartment. Furthermore, the front panel may provide a means of preventing water from entering into the storage compartment with a rubber or plastic seal. 
     The storage compartment will be placed within a recessed portion of the shower wall. As such, the storage compartment will take no additional space within the showing environment and will be flush with the wall. Alternatively, the storage compartment may be placed beneath a seat within the showering unit or other unused location. The storage compartment may be made of fiberglass, acrylic, tempered glass, granite, plastic, or any other suitable material. 
     The storage compartment will provide a bottom-hinged opening mechanism, allowing access to its contents quickly and easily. The storage compartment may be spring-loaded to force the compartment to close after use. The storage compartment may have a snapping means to ensure the compartment is closed. The storage compartment may also have a locking means to keep its contents safe. 
     The present invention is a container that provides additional storage means inside of a showering area that is convenient, will not sacrifice valuable space, and can remove water from its storage compartment. Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following more detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the recessed shower container according to one embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a side elevation view of the recessed shower container according to one embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 3  is a top view of the recessed shower container according to one embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the housing installed in a shower wall according to one embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the drawer according to one embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the drawer and front panel according to one embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view of the recessed shower container in the closed position according to one embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective view of the recessed shower container in the open position according to one embodiment of the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Illustrative embodiments of the invention are described below. The following explanation provides specific details for a thorough understanding of and enabling description for these embodiments. One skilled in the art will understand that the invention may be practiced without such details. In other instances, well-known structures and functions have not been shown or described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the description of the embodiments. 
     Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, throughout the description and the claims, the words “comprise,” “comprising,” and the like are to be construed in an inclusive sense as opposed to an exclusive or exhaustive sense; that is to say, in the sense of “including, but not limited to.” Words using the singular or plural number also include the plural or singular number respectively. Additionally, the words “herein,” “above,” “below” and words of similar import, when used in this application, shall refer to this application as a whole and not to any particular portions of this application. When the claims use the word “or” in reference to a list of two or more items, that word covers all of the following interpretations of the word: any of the items in the list, all of the items in the list and any combination of the items in the list. 
       FIG. 1  illustrates a new method for adding additional storage to a showering environment. The storage compartment  10  comprises a housing  11 , a drawer  21 , and a front panel  31 . The front panel  31  is fixedly attached to the drawer  21 , which is hingably attached to the housing  11 . The housing  11  is intended to be recessed within a shower wall, saving valuable space within the showering environment. 
     The housing  11  is open faced, comprising two opposing side walls  35 , a rear wall  36 , a floor  13 , and a generally curved ceiling  14 . The walls  35 ,  36 , floor  13 , and ceiling  14  create an enclosed space capable of enclosing the drawer  21 . A flange  12  surrounds the entire perimeter of the open face of the housing  11  and extends outward, parallel to the rear wall  36 . The floor  13  is sloped downward from the rear wall  36  to the front flange  12  to allow water to drain from the storage compartment  10 . A rubber stopper  39  is on the floor near the open face of the housing  11 . A pair of opposing housing outward protrusions  16  are positioned on the bottom of each side wall  35  adjacent to the flange  12 . 
       FIG. 4  illustrates the storage compartment  10  according to one embodiment. The housing  11  is recessed within a shower wall to save space, and will ideally be installed during bathroom construction. Specifically, the flange  12  is positioned between the cement board  18  and tile  19  of the shower wall. The flange  12  is fastened to the cement board  18  for security, and the tile  19  will be applied afterward to protect the cement board  18  and flange  112 , now hidden, from water and moisture. 
     The drawer  21  is open at its top and front, comprising a pair of opposing side walls  26 , a rear wall  27 , and floor  22 . A flange  23  extends outward from the front of the side walls  26  and floor  22  of the drawer  21  parallel to the rear wall  27 . The floor  22  is sloped downward from the rear wall  27  to the front flange  23  to allow water to escape through drain apertures  28  at the front of the drawer  21 . 
     The housing  11  and drawer  21  are each molded individually. The housing  11  will be molded as shown in the figures, while the drawer  21  will be molded in a similar shape as the housing  21 , but with the ceiling and additional flanging removed. The housing  11  and drawer  21  may be made of fiberglass, acrylic, tempered glass, granite, plastic, or any other suitable material. The size and placement of the storage compartment  10  will vary depending on the size and available space in the showering unit. 
     The front panel  31  comprises a panel  31  with a fixedly attached handle  32 . As shown in  FIG. 5 , the side of the front panel  31  opposite the handle  32  is fixedly attached to the flange  123  (hidden) of the drawer  21 . Once attached, the front panel  31  operates like a front wall for the drawer  21 , and along with the side walls  26 , rear wall  27 , and floor  22 , creates a compartment where the user can store commonly used shower items. The drawer  21  may also have several compartments to sort its contents. Furthermore, while a handle  32  is currently illustrated, a knob, groove, indentation, or other gripping means may be used. 
     The side walls  26  of the drawer  21  comprise outward protrusions  24  with beveled edges on their open sides, the protrusions  24  extending through the flange  23 . Each protrusion  24  further comprises a small shaft  25  which extends outward from the side walls  26 , parallel to the rear wall  27  and flange  23 . The small shafts  25  are pivotally connected to bores  17  on the bottom of each side wall  35  of the housing  11 . As such, the drawer  21  is bottom-hinged, allowing access to its contents by simply pulling on the handle  32 . 
       FIG. 7  illustrates the storage compartment  10  assembled and in its closed position. The attached drawer  21  and front panel  31  are completely enclosed within the housing  11 , the drawer  21  generally resting horizontally and the front panel  31  generally resting vertically. In the closed position, the top of the front panel  31  will rest on a rubber edge  15  of the housing  11 , just below the flange  12  and immediately in front of the curved ceiling  14 . The rubber edge  15  will operate as a means to absorb the impact when the drawer  21  and front panel  31  close, as well as a sealing means to prevent water from entering into the storage compartment  10 . 
       FIG. 8  illustrates the storage compartment  10  assembled and in its open position. Here, force has been applied outwardly on the handle  32  to rotate the drawer  21  and front panel  31  until the bottom of the front panel  31  comes in contact with the stopper  39 . The drawer  21  and front panel  31  will open to a generally 45-degree angle from the housing floor, that angle dictated by the location of the stopper  39 . The curved ceiling  14  of the housing  11  will allow the rear side  27  of the drawer  21  to rotate upward without interference. Furthermore, the outward protrusions  24  of the drawer  21  provide additional clearance between the side walls  35  of the housing  11  and the side walls  26  of the drawer  21 . To return to the closed position from the open position, inward force needs to be applied to the handle  32  or top of the front panel  31 . 
     In an alternative embodiment, the small shafts  25  are each surrounded by a torsion spring, with one end of the spring fixedly attached to the housing  11  and the other fixedly attached to the drawer  21 . As such, when the drawer  21  and front panel  31  are rotated from the closed position to the open position, the torsion spring will store energy, and when the force is released, the stored energy will return the storage compartment  10  to its closed position. Alternatively, a tension spring will attach directly between the housing  11  and drawer  21  or front panel  31  to return an opened storage container  10  to its closed position. 
     In a further alternative embodiment, the present invention may have a means of securing the storage compartment  10  in its closed position by snapping the front panel  31  onto the rubber edge  15 . In an even further alternative embodiment, a lock may be implemented to protect the contents of the storage container  10  from unwanted access. In still a further embodiment of the invention, the shaft  25  will dictate the range of motion of the storage compartment  10  by either limiting the rotation of the tension spring or with a small protrusion from the shaft body  25 . 
     The above detailed description of the embodiments of the invention is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed above or to the particular field of usage mentioned in this disclosure. While specific embodiments of, and examples for, the invention are described above for illustrative purposes, various equivalent modifications are possible within the scope of the invention, as those skilled in the relevant art will recognize. Also, the teachings of the invention provided herein can be applied to other systems, not necessarily the system described above. The elements and acts of the various embodiments described above can be combined to provide further embodiments. 
     Changes can be made to the invention in light of the above “Detailed Description.” While the above description details certain embodiments of the invention and describes the best mode contemplated, no matter how detailed the above appears in text, the invention can be practiced in many ways. Therefore, implementation details may vary considerably while still being encompassed by the invention disclosed herein. As noted above, particular terminology used when describing certain features or aspects of the invention should not be taken to imply that the terminology is being redefined herein to be restricted to any specific characteristics, features, or aspects of the invention with which that terminology is associated.