Abstract:
A bath environment, such as a tub or shower, has a seat upon which a user sits, and a first panel, usually glass, for enclosing a first portion of the bath environment proximal to the seat. The first panel has a width roughly correlated to a width of the seat to allow a user easy access to the seat and to the panel to manipulate the panel. The invention also has a second panel for enclosing a second portion of the bath environment. The second panel has a hinge and a pair of partitions connected by the hinge so that the partitions pivot about the hinge to allow access to the bath environment distal from the seat. Also included is a stanchion that is disposed on and extends upwardly from an outer edge of the bath environment to a given height. The first panel has a length that extends downwardly from an upper region of the bath environment and ends at the height of the stanchion.

Description:
REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/189,054 filed Aug. 15, 2008. Cross reference is made to copending U.S. patent applications Ser. No. 12/533,046 entitled “Bath System”; Ser. No. 12/533,094 entitled “Bath System”; Ser. No. 12/533,103 entitled “Bath System”; Ser. No. 12/533,238 entitled “Bath System”; Ser. No. 12/533,293 entitled “Bath System”; Ser. No. 12/533,404 entitled “Bath System”. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Bath showers and tubs have many features. Some baths and showers include seats and benches. Some seats are fixed to the interior of tubs and showers. Other seats are arranged on slides to allow a user to, in essence, ride the seat from the exterior of a tub to the interior of the tub and back. 
     Showers typically have a threshold over which a user must step to enter into a shower. The threshold typically serves to keep water from escaping from the shower. 
     Some bath and shower fixtures attach grab bars thereto to provide hand holds for users. 
     Both shower and shower/bath fixtures use doors, typically glass, and curtains, typically plastic, to keep water from escaping from the shower enclosure during use. 
     Some bath and shower units provide shelves for storage of bath materials such as soap, shampoo, toys and the like. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     According to the invention, a bath environment, such as a tub or shower, has a seat upon which a user sits, and a first panel, usually glass, for enclosing a first portion of the bath environment proximal to the seat. The first panel has a width roughly correlated to a width of the seat to allow a user easy access to the seat and to the panel to manipulate the panel. The invention also has a second panel for enclosing a second portion of the bath environment. 
     According to an embodiment of the invention, a second panel is included that has a hinge and a pair of partitions connected by the hinge so that the partitions pivot about the hinge to allow access to the bath environment distal from the seat. 
     According to a further embodiment of the invention, the bath environment also includes a stanchion that is disposed on and extends upwardly from an outer edge of the bath environment to a given height. The first panel has a length that extends downwardly from an upper region of the bath environment and ends at the height of the stanchion. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       These and other features of the present invention can be best understood from the following specification and drawings, the following of which is a brief description. 
         FIG. 1  illustrates a plan view of a shower surround; 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic sectional view of a handheld showerhead mounted to a handrail; 
         FIG. 3  illustrates a top perspective view of a shower surround; 
         FIG. 4  illustrates a shower surround according to another non-limiting embodiment; 
         FIG. 5  illustrates an embodiment of the shower chair of  FIG. 4 ; 
         FIG. 6  illustrates another schematic embodiment of the shower chair shown in  FIG. 4 ; 
         FIG. 7  illustrates a plan view of another embodiment of a shower chair shown in a shower surround; 
         FIGS. 8 ,  8 A and  8 B illustrate a shower surround showing an embodiment of a shower bench; 
         FIG. 9  illustrates a top view of a shower surround of  FIG. 8 ; 
         FIG. 10  illustrates a plan view of a tub surround; 
         FIG. 11  illustrates another plan view of a shower and tub surround; 
         FIG. 12  illustrates a top plan view of the shower and tub surround of  FIG. 11 ; 
         FIG. 13  illustrates a perspective view of an embodiment of a shower and tub surround including a storage compartment; 
         FIG. 14  illustrates a perspective view of an embodiment of a the storage compartment of  FIG. 13 ; and 
         FIG. 15  illustrates a phantom view of the storage compartment of  FIG. 14 ; 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a shower surround  20  that includes a pair of grab bars  25 ( a - b ) against a back wall  30  of the shower, a grab bar  35  at each end wall  40  of the shower, a floor  45  incorporating a zero threshold drain  50 , a knee wall  55  in the back wall  30  of the shower and a pair of shower doors  60  is illustrated. A fixed showerhead  63  may also be provided in or above one end of the shower surround  20 . 
     At the back wall  30  of the shower  20 , there is a vertically placed grab bar  25   a  and a cathedral shaped grab bar  25   b.  Similarly, grab bars  35  are placed on end wall  40  to provide hand holds for a user. The cathedral shaped grab bar  25   b  is placed in a recess  70  in the back wall  30 , the cathedral-shaped grab bar having a bottom portion  75 , two upwardly extending leg portions  80 , and an arcuate section  85  connecting the tops of the two leg portions is placed therein. The grab bars are attached to end and side walls  30 ,  40  by means known in the art by mounts  102  (see  FIG. 2 ). 
     As may be seen in  FIG. 1 , a hand-held shower head is appended to the cathedral shaped grab bar  25   b  to enable a user to hold a shower head in the desired position and wash himself as will be described hereinbelow. The hand-held shower head may also be appended to grab bars  35  and  25   a.    
     Referring now to  FIG. 2 , it is seen that the hand-held shower head  90  is held by conventional means ( 93 ) on a bracket  95  which has a clamping mechanism  100 . The clamping mechanism creates a friction fit with a grab bar and be either a flexible plastic piece having legs  101  that will grasp the grab bar and be flexible enough to be removed from the grab bar and still grab the grab bar, or a screw-down mechanism  102 , as is known in the art, that will hold the bracket in place on the cathedral-shaped grab bar  25   b  (or other grab bar  25  having a same diameter as grab bar  25   b ) so that the bracket may be disposed in any position a user deems necessary along that grab bar. The clamping mechanism  100  engages at least partially around handrail  25   b  so as to permit movement of the legs  101 . That is, the handheld showerhead  90  may slide from post to post around the entirety of the handrail/grab bars  25   b  to thereby position the handheld showerhead  90  at any position. If a user wishes to position the handheld showerhead  90  around a second pair of posts  90 , the clamping mechanism  102  must be detached and reattached therearound. By appending the hand-held to the cathedral-shaped grab bar, a user may then place the shower head in the ideal place to wash and rinse herself. It should be understood that the handrail may be configured with particular radiuses and shapes, even in the z-axis (see  FIG. 3 ) so as to permit this slideable movement. Furthermore, it should be understood that the handrail/grab bars  25 ,  35  may be of various configurations, shapes, orientations, and arrangements other than that illustrated herein to place the grab bar  25   b  both ideally to support a user and to place a shower head. The arcuate section  85  may extend into the shower  20  (see  FIG. 3 ). 
     By integrating the shower head with the grab bars, a user may understand that he can hold the shower head support if desired while manipulating the shower head because the shower head support is the grab bar. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 3 , the shower surround  20  includes the floor  45  that inclines slightly towards the integral drain  50  that is flush with the floor  45  of the shower and the floor  105  of the bathroom. The incline is slight so a wheel chair will not be impeded by the steepness of incline if entering the shower surround. The drain  50  has a plurality of slots and grooves  110  that are roughly transverse to an axis  115  of the drain so that water flowing from the shower floor  45  does not have a straight path to the bathroom floor  105  to minimize flow from the shower to the bathroom floor  105 . The drain and floor  45  create no threshold barrier that a user has to step over or that would likely impede access or egress to the shower  20 . One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the slots  110  may have different shapes or frequency to minimize the flow of water from the floor  45  to floor  105  of the bathroom. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 4 and 5 , an embodiment of a chair  125  that is designed for use in the shower  20  are shown. The chair  125  shown in  FIG. 4  is comprised of a seat  130 , a seat back  135 , a stabilizing bracket  140 , a spring  143  attached to the stabilizing bracket  140 , a pair of legs  150 , a weight distribution support  155  and support arms  160 . 
     The stabilizing bracket  140  is attached to the upper back  165  of the seat back  135  (see  FIG. 5 ) by conventional means like screws or brads (not shown) or is integral therewith (see  FIG. 6 ). The brackets have an arcuate portion  170  that has a diameter that is greater than a diameter of grab bars  35  and that curves less than 180° so that the bracket  140  and the chair  125  thereby are removably attached to the grab bars  25   a,    25   b,  or  35 . The brackets do not support the weight of a user but serve to prevent the chair  125  from tipping forward. The spring  143  is also attached to the bracket or is integral therewith and tends to resist force that pushes the spring back to the bracket. The weight of the user is transferred from the seat  130  to the floor  45  via legs  150  and weight distribution support  155 . 
     The seat back is attached to the legs  150  by means of support arms  160  which attach to the seat back below the stabilizing bracket  140  by conventional means and attach to a mid portion  175  of legs  150  also by conventional means. The seat has a pair of downwardly depending flanges  180  which conventionally attach to the legs  150  while allowing the seat to pivot thereabout. The legs  150  conventionally attach at their lower end to the weight distribution support  155  that serves to distribute the weight of a user across a greater area of the shower floor  45  to minimize the ends of the legs from damaging the floor  45 . 
     The chair  125  is made of water resistant material like plastic, wood or metal. As shown in  FIG. 5 , the seat has a plastic seat with a water-resistant foam top for user comfort. The chair  125  shown in  FIG. 7  is all plastic with slots  182  to allow for water run-off and quick drying. Also, the slots  182  in seat  125  are hygienically designed to allow a user to wash his or her undersides (not shown) without undue movement by directing spray from under the seat to that underside area. The slots tend to be wider at a user&#39;s underside portions to allow cleaning thereof. 
     To use the chair, one places the bracket  140  over a grab bar  25  while depressing the spring  143  to allow the grab bar  35  to nestle within the arcuate portion  170 , locates the weight distribution support  155  and flips down the seat  130 . When not in use, a user simply flips up the seat  130  and leaves the chair in place. If more space is necessary, or the chair needs cleaning, a user simply flips up the seat and, because of the dimensions of the arcuate portion  170 , simply depresses the spring  143  and lifts the chair and the bracket  140  up over the bar for removal. The spring minimizes the probability that the chair will be pushed off the bracket when it is not intended to remove the chair. If the chair is lifted or pushed upwardly, the spring catches the grab bar  35  and prevents removal of the chair from the grab bar. One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that other types of devices such as clamps, flexible over-center grips and the like may be used to prevent the removal of the chair if not desired by a user. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 7 , another embodiment of a chair is shown. Similar to  FIGS. 4-6 , the chair  125  is comprised of a seat  130 , a seat back  135 , and a stabilizing bracket  140 . However, the seat back also has: a pair of legs  150  whereby the seat back and legs are integrally formed; pair of horizontally disposed flanges  185  extending therefrom; and a plurality of horizontal slots  190  that increase in width from the top of the seat back to the bottom thereof both to allow water to drain and to present an appealing design. The legs  150  are wider at the bottom to distribute the weight of a user across a greater area of the shower floor  45  to minimize damage thereto. The seat  130  is conventionally attached to the flanges  185  to allow the seat to pivot upwardly. The stabilizing bracket  140  acts like the seat bracket as shown in  FIGS. 4-6 . It does not support the weight of a user and allows for easy removal of the chair from the any of the grab bars at the appropriate height, e.g.,  25   b,    35 , because the arcuate portion  170  of the stabilizing bracket is less than 180° and has a diameter that is greater than the diameter of the grab bars as stated herein above. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 8 , a shower surround  195  according to another non-limiting embodiment is illustrated. The shower surround  195  includes a zero threshold drain  50 , a knee-wall  205 , a bench seat  210 , and a pedestal  215  disposed at the front of the shower surround. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 9 , a top view of the shower surround of  FIG. 8  is shown. The pedestal  215  is essentially a rectangular solid, but as one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize, the pedestal may have other shapes and decorative features so long as it can support the bench seat  210 . The pedestal may be either permanently affixed to the shower floor  45  or may be removable therefrom to enable a user to have more room in the shower  195 . The knee wall may have a longitudinal portion  220  that juts away from the back wall  225  and the rest of the knee wall so that bench seat  210  is supported by the longitudinal area  220  and the pedestal  215 . The pedestal may also fit in groove  227  shown in  FIG. 8 .  FIG. 9  also shows a slot  320  in which a shower curtain may slide to minimize water splashing out of the shower if the hinge  222  for bench seat  210  is attached to the bench seat and a tub wall (not shown. 
     The bench seat may either sit on the longitudinal portion  220  of the knee wall and the pedestal  215  and thereby be easily removed from the shower surround  195  if desired, or may be fixedly hinged as shown in  FIG. 9  or hinged via an integrated, arcuate portion  230  that fits into a corresponding arcuate recess  231  in pedestal  215  and knee-wall  205 . The arcuate recess  231  is less than 180° so that the parts can be easily separated. One of ordinary skill can appreciated that the arcuate portion and arcuate recess can be in either of the seat or the knee-wall and the pedestal. A user would then be able to flip the bench seat up (or down) and out of the way, or removed by separating the pieces  230  and  231  from each other, if more space is desired. As with other seats disclosed herein, the seat may be slotted to allow for hygiene and water runoff; padded for user comfort; and, have other decorative and functional features. Also as noted herein, the bench seat  210  may be manufactured of wood, metal or other suitable material. 
     The bench seat  205  is generally flush with a pedestal  215  when flipped down ( FIG. 8 ) or on top of the pedestal (see  FIG. 8   a ) to allow a user to easily slide his bottom across the pedestal and sit on the bench seat  205 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 8 and 8(   b ), there are typically shower curtains (not shown) or translucent doors  240 ,  245  (see the Figures) to minimize splashing or other flows of water onto the showerroom floor. Door  240  is either a single panel or a bi-fold that prevents the flow of water onto the bathroom floor between the shower sidewall away from the bench seat by extending above shower head  90  (see  FIG. 8) . The other door  245  covers area at the back of the shower closest to the bench seat so that a user or an aide may have easy access to the bench seat. Door  245  typically has a narrower width than door  240 . The door  240 , if a bi-fold, facilitates access into the shower surround  195  while a swing out door  245  is located adjacent the bench seat  205 . The doors  240 ,  245  are readily accessed from a seated position. For instance, a user can open door  245  and door  240  from a wheelchair, slide himself across to bench seat  205 , reach to close door  245  which is close because of its relatively short horizontal width and grasp a bar  290  disposed on the bi-fold door  240  and pull door  240  closed. The user is now free to use the close controls  295 . It can be seen at  FIG. 8  that the  210  seat upon which a user may sits has its entire width W extending along a front edge (e.g., integral drain  50 ) and that the shower head  90  is disposed above the seat  210  such that a user may be covered by water passing from said shower head  90 . It can also be seen from  FIG. 8  that the door  245  encloses an area  301  that is in registration with a top  298  of the pedestal and the width W of the seat  210  and that extends above the seat to an area  302  above the shower head  90 . The door  245  has a width correlated to the width W of the seat  210  to allow a user easy access to the seat and to the door  245  to manipulate the door  245 . Door  245  encloses a third area  303  extending below the top edge of the seat and adjacent the second area. 
     According to an embodiment of this invention, the door  245  need only extend down to a top  298  of the pedestal thereby reducing the weight and cost of the door. In this embodiment, the pedestal and the shorter door cooperate (see abutted doors  40 ,  45  shown in  FIG. 1 ) to minimize water escaping from the shower surround. The doors  240 ,  245  are in plane with each other if closed (see  FIGS. 1 and 8 ) and define a front of said shower surround  20  (e.g., the environment). The pedestal  215  is in roughly in plane with door  245  is closed (see  FIGS. 1 and 8 ). 
     Referring now to  FIG. 10 , a shower/bath enclosure  300  is shown. The enclosure  300  includes an integral access bench  305  which extends from an outside wall  310  of the enclosure  300 . The integral access bench is about 18″ high to accommodate the usual height of wheel chairs which tend to be between 17 and 19 inches in height. The shower/bath enclosure is shown here as a shower but may also be used as a tub (see dotted lines  313  in  FIG. 10 ). The enclosure may further include a flip-up seat  315  as is taught herein. The access bench  305  is shown as an integrally molded portion having a half-circular sitting area  325 . One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the access bench may be of different sizes and shapes to improve the esthetics and functionality thereof as long as the access bench allows a user to sit on the bench, pivot, and slide over to the bench seat while lifting ones legs over the surround wall, if any, and thereby be enabled to use the shower. One of ordinary skill in the art will also recognize that the doors  240 ,  245  may also be used herein instead of a shower curtain to enable a user to take advantage of the short door  245  and the door  240  and still have easy access to both as taught hereinabove. Also, the slots  182  in seat  315  are hygienically designed to allow a user to wash his or her bottom area (not shown) without undue movement by directing spray from under the seat to that bottom area. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 11 and 12 , a tub surround  350  is illustrated and includes a transfer bench  355 , a head rest/pillow  360 , and armrests  365 . Arm rests  365  jut inwardly towards the interior of the tub surround  350  from front wall  370  and back wall  380 , and a sloping back rest  385 . The head rest/pillow  390  is attached to a top portion  395  (see  FIG. 12 ) of the back rest  385 . A seat  400  has a pair of side arms  405  that attach to the front wall  370  and back wall  380  by conventional means  410  so that the seat  400  may pivot up and out of the way if more room is desired in the tub surround  350 . The seat  400  also has a pair of downwardly displaced flanges  403  that rest on the armrests  365  The arm rests  365  also function as a support of the seat  400  via the flanges  403  when the seat is not pivoted up and if the user desires to sit thereupon. The arm rests and seat cooperate so that, when the seat is pivoted down, the seat is essentially flush with the front wall  370  so a user can slide across the front wall onto the seat if desired. 
     The arm rests  365  are contoured to mimic a comfortable position for a user&#39;s arms and, therefore, one will recognize that one of ordinary skill in the art may choose other shapes and contours as long as the arm rests conform with the seat to provide a surface that is comfortably flush with the front wall  370 . The side arms  405  of the seat  400  extend past the sides of a pillow  360  when the seat is pivoted down so that the pillow  390  can be placed in an ideal position behind the seat (see  FIG. 11 ) to support a user&#39;s head when the seat is pivoted upwardly and not interfere with the seat when the seat is pivoted downwardly atop the arm rests  365 . 
     The seat  400  may be spaced from the front wall  370  by a dimension that allows a shower curtain room to pass between the front wall and the seat to minimize an amount of water from escaping from the tub surround  350  (see  FIG. 9 ). One of ordinary skill in the art will also recognize that the doors  240 ,  245  as shown in  FIGS. 8 and 8(   b ) may also be used herein instead of a shower curtain to enable a user to take advantage of the functionality of the doors  245  and  240  and still have easy access to the shower surround as taught hereinabove. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 13-15 , a tub and shower surround  425  according to another non-limiting embodiment is illustrated. Because the front wall  430  is relatively low, about 14 inches high, as compared to a normal tub having a wall that is about 18 inches high, to allow easier access to the tub and shower surround  425 , water may not cover a user comfortably when bathing especially given the height of normal overflow drains (shown in phantom  435 ) placed under a tub spout  430 . Normal overflow drains allow water to be about 13 inches deep in a full tub. According to this invention, overflowing water accesses a drain  440  though a plurality of scuppers  445  across the top of the water side of the side, front or rear walls of the tub and shower surround. Because the scuppers are at the top of the walls beginning about 13 inches from the bottom of the tub, the water in the tub and shower surround is as deep as a normal tub to give a user a comfortable and similar soak even though the front wall is only about 14 inches high. The ratio of the height of a tub wall to the depth of water in a normal tub is 18 inches to 13 inches or about 1.38. The ratio of the height of a tub wall to the depth of water in the tub of the invention is 14 inches to 13 inches or about 1.08. 
     The drain  440  is disposed within a cavity  450  in the front wall  430  (or other wall) of the bath and shower surround and has enough volume to store goods such as soap, shampoo, bath toys and other items deemed necessary or preferable for the bathing experience. The bottom walls  455  of the cavity are sloped towards the drain  440  to allow for complete drainage in the event of an overflow condition. The cavity  440  may have a pivotable cover  460  that closes for esthetics and to give easy access to the tub and shower surround  425 . The cover should be flush with the top of the front wall so as not to provide an impediment to entering or exiting the tub. It should be understood that the cavity  450  may incorporate various other devices such as shower controls, separate handheld showers  455  that may be plumbed into the cavity as is known in the art, soap dispensers, as well as other devices (not shown). 
     The adjacent scuppers form a plurality of corbels  465  that are designed to support the cover if it is closed. The cover  465  may be relatively rigid to operate as a transfer seat or other support. 
     It should be understood that like reference numerals identify corresponding or similar elements throughout the several drawings. It should also be understood that although a particular component arrangement is disclosed in the illustrated embodiment, other arrangements will benefit herefrom. 
     The foregoing description is exemplary rather than defined by the limitations within. Various non-limiting embodiments are disclosed herein, however, one of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that various modifications and variations in light of the above teachings will fall within the scope of the appended claims. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced other than as specifically described. For that reason the appended claims should be studied to determine true scope and content.