Shower rod attachments

An attachment for tension mounted shower rods to provide decorative accents to the shower rod. The attachment includes an L-shaped bracket extending from a circular member adapted to be positioned between the end of the shower rod and the wall. The L-shaped bracket is designed to extend out in front of the shower rod and accepts a decorative accent. The accent piece frictionally engages the bracket allowing exchange of accents for a variety of ornamental appearances.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
I. Field of the Invention 
This invention relates to decorative accents for a shower rod and, in 
particular, to a bracket selectively mountable to a tension mounted shower 
rod and adapted to receive a decorative accent piece. 
II. Description of the Prior Art 
Home interior decorating has extended to every room of the home including 
the bathroom. Shower curtains that match window treatments and decorative 
accents on countertops and wallpaper are conventional means of adding 
decorative touches to the bath. The shower rod provides a means for adding 
decorative hardware to the bath. 
In the prior known shower rods, decorative designs may be formed directly 
in the body of the shower rod. However, such fixed designs provide no 
flexibility to the user and require substantial inventory to offer a 
complete line of designs. The designs may be formed along the length of 
the rod or as emblems molded or fixed to the rods. 
SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION 
The present invention overcomes the disadvantages of the prior known 
decorative accents for shower rods by providing a bracket removably 
mountable to the ends of the shower rod for securing decorative accents. 
The shower rod attachment of the present invention is selectively mountable 
to the end of a tension mounted shower rod to be positioned between the 
end of the rod and a wall of the bath. Although secured to the end of the 
shower rod to simplify installation of the rod, the attachment is held in 
place by the tension applied by the shower rod against the well. The 
attachment includes a circular member which is sandwiched by the tension 
fitting of the shower rod against the wall of the bath. In a preferred 
embodiment, the circular member is cup-shaped to matingly receive the end 
of the shower rod. 
Extending from the circular mounting member is an L-shaped bracket. The 
bracket includes a first arm connected to the circular member and a second 
arm integrally formed with the first arm disposed so as to extend parallel 
to the shower rod. The second arm includes means for mounting a decorative 
accent piece such that the accent is positioned out in front of the shower 
rod. The attachment of the present invention therefor facilitates 
ornamentation of a shower rod upon installation of the rod and allows 
choosing or interchanging of the decorative accent to suit the tastes of 
the consumer. 
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent 
from the following detailed description taken in connection with the 
accompanying drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE PRESENT INVENTION 
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 3, there is shown a shower rod 10 adapted to be 
mounted between two opposing walls (not shown) of a bath/shower stall. The 
shower rod 10 includes ends 12 preferably having an adjustable tension 
mechanism 14 for securing the shower rod 10 between the walls. As is well 
known, the tension mechanism 14 may be adjusted according to the distance 
between the walls and applies an outwardly directed force against the 
walls to hold the shower rod 10 in position. Once positioned, a shower 
curtain 16 may be slidably mounted to the shower rod 10. 
In order to provide decorative ornamentation to the shower rod 10, an 
attachment 20 is provided in accordance with the present invention. The 
attachment 20 is designed to be disposed between the ends 12 of the shower 
rod 10 and the corresponding wall in order to accessorize the ends of the 
shower rod 10. The attachment 20 includes a mounting member 22 
positionally captured between the end 12 of the shower rod 10 and the wall 
and a bracket arm 24 extending forwardly of the mounting member 22 in 
order to position a decorative accent piece 26 out in front of the shower 
rod 10. 
In a preferred embodiment of the attachment 20, the mounting member 22 has 
a cylindrical cup-shaped configuration adapted to matingly receive the end 
12 of the shower rod 10. To improve the gripping action of the shower rod 
10, an inner friction pad 28 may be mounted to an inner surface 30 of the 
mounting member 22 and an outer friction pad 32 may be mounted to an outer 
surface 34 of the mounting member 22. The inner pad 28 improves contact 
with the end 12 of the shower rod 10 while facilitating mounting of the 
attachment 20 to the shower rod 10 during installation. Similarly, the 
outer pad 32 improves engagement of the assembly to the shower wall. 
The bracket arm 24 integrally formed with and extending from the mounting 
member 22 includes means for removably receiving the accent piece 26. The 
arm 24 includes a first segment 36 extending substantially perpendicular 
to the axis of the mounting member 20 and shower rod 10. A second segment 
38 extends perpendicular to the first segment 36 to be disposed 
substantially parallel to the axis of the shower rod 10. As a result, the 
second segment 38 is positioned out in front of the shower rod 10. The 
second segment 38 includes an aperture 40 for receiving the accent piece 
26 such that the accent 26 is in front of the shower rod 10. The accent 
piece 26 preferably includes a stud 42 which is received in the aperture 
40 to removably mount the accent 26 to the attachment 20. Thus, the 
attachment 20 of the present invention provides a simple and convenient 
assembly for adding decorative accents to a shower rod 10. 
Additional decorative accents can be added to the hooks 50 used to hang the 
shower curtain 16. In addition to the inner stud 52 used to attach the 
curtain 16, outer stud 54 may be utilized to mount a decorative accent 56. 
The accent 56 is provided with a boss 58 which receives the outer stud 54. 
Accordingly, decorative accents 56 may be added to the curtain hooks 50 
which match the accents 26 secured at the ends 12 of the shower rod 10. 
The foregoing detailed description has been given for clearness of 
understanding only and no unnecessary limitations should be understood 
therefrom as some modifications will be obvious to those skilled in the 
art without departing from the scope and spirit of the appended claims.