Abstract:
A shower stall configured to receive a removable bathing tub such that the shower stall does not have to be modified when the removable bathing tub is installed or removed, wherein the shower stall is easily converted from a shower stall and bathing tub combination to a shower stall standing alone.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to bathroom fixtures and, more particularly, to a shower stall configured to receive a removable bathing tub. 
     2. Brief Description of the Prior Art 
     Shower stalls typically include at least one wall and, generally, a planar floor having a shower drain wherein the wall and the floor define a shower cavity and an ingress and egress opening. A door, such as a pivotable door or a curtain, usually is provided across the ingress and egress opening to allow easy entry into the shower cavity and to create a privacy barrier. A water-dispensing head and a spigot is usually positioned adjacent to the at least one wall, wherein water flow to the water-dispensing head is controlled by the spigot. In operation, water flows through the spigot to the water-dispensing head, through the water-dispensing head into the shower cavity, and finally is received in the shower drain, along with soap, shampoo, and dirt. 
     Because shower stalls typically are not designed to retain a specified volume of water, the floor portion of the shower is usually only slightly recessed into a floor of the bathroom or raised slightly with respect to the bathroom floor. The inherent design of shower stalls is particularly advantageous in applications where enhanced access to the shower stall is desired, such as in those cases where a person is physically challenged. As a result, the typical shower stall design generally is not designed to provide for a partial submersion bath. 
     Because some people prefer to draw and temporarily retain a desired volume of water for a partial submersion bath, as well as shower, shower stalls are often combined with bathing tubs to form a shower stall and bathing tub combination bathing fixture. Bathing tubs generally include a tub body forming a bathing recess, wherein the bathing recess is configured for receiving and temporarily retaining water. The bathing tub is positioned on a bathroom floor and the shower stall is erected around the bathing tub. Water is then either drawn into the bathing recess for a submersion bath or routed to the water-dispensing head and dispensed into the shower cavity. However, because bathing tubs typically have at least one side wall extending in a direction substantially perpendicular to the bathroom floor across the ingress and egress opening, the accessibility advantages of the shower stall standing alone are effectively eliminated. 
     Because a shower stall and bathing tub combination is versatile, and because of the vast number of people who do not require enhanced access to a bathing fixture, many residential and leasehold structures are equipped with shower stall and bathing tub combination bathing fixtures. However, if the need for enhanced accessibility does arise, which is an ever increasing proposition as life expectancies increase, it is often an expensive and time-consuming proposition to convert a shower stall and bathing tub into a just a shower stall. Moreover, once the need for enhanced access ends, it is also expensive to convert a shower stall back into the preferred shower stall and bathing tub configuration. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a versatile bathing fixture having a shower stall configured to receive a removable bathing tub. 
     In one embodiment, the shower stall generally includes at least one wall and a floor portion, with the at least one wall and the floor portion defining a shower cavity. The floor portion further defines a shower drain configured to be connected to a wastewater conduit. 
     The removable bathing tub generally includes a tub body forming a bathing recess for receiving and holding water, a tub drain configured to be fluidly connected to the shower drain defined by the floor portion of the shower stall, an overflow orifice fluidly connected to the tub drain, the bathing recess, and a riser orifice. 
     When the need for enhanced accessibility is required, the shower stall stands alone, without the bathing tub. However, once the need for enhanced accessibility has ended, such as when a tenant vacates an apartment, the bathing tub can be fitted into the shower cavity. The conversion generally includes the steps of: 
     a. providing a watertight seal between the shower drain and the tub drain; 
     b. inserting the bathing tub into the shower cavity; and 
     c. caulking seams formed at intersections of the wall of the shower stall and the tub body. 
     Additional steps for reverting to the shower stall alone include: 
     d. removing caulk; 
     e. removing the bathing tub from the shower cavity; and 
     f. removing the watertight seal between the shower drain and the tub drain. 
     One important feature of the present invention is the ability to provide a bathing fixture configured to mirror the life cycle of an individual while simultaneously obviating the need for substantial remodeling or renovation. For example, when the child is young, the bathing tub allows a caregiver to bathe the child in a shallow bath. As the child grows older, and can bathe without assistance, the child has the choice of showering or drawing a bath. However, if the child should subsequently become physically challenged, either during childhood or much later in life, the bathing tub can be easily removed to provide enhanced access to the shower stall. Once the need for enhanced access to the shower stall passes, the bathing tub can be reinstalled according to the needs of a new user, without substantially disrupting plumbing or other objects surrounding the shower stall. 
     These and other advantages of the present invention will be clarified in the description of the preferred embodiments taken together with the attached drawings in which like reference numerals represent like elements throughout. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a sectional end view of a shower stall and bathing tub according to one embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a sectional end view of a portion of the shower stall and bathing tub shown in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a side view of the shower stall and bathing tub shown in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 4 is a plan view of the shower stall and bathing tub shown in FIGS. 1-3; 
     FIG. 5 is a sectional end view of the shower stall shown in FIGS. 1-4 with the bathing tub removed; 
     FIG. 6 is a top view of the shower stall shown in FIG. 5; 
     FIG. 7 is a side view of the shower stall shown in FIGS. 5 and 6; and 
     FIG. 8 is a sectional end view of the removable tub shown in FIGS. 1-4. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     FIGS. 1-4 show a bathing fixture  10  according to the present invention having a shower stall  12  and removable bathing tub  14 . However, in the interest of clarity, the shower stall  12  shown in FIGS. 5-7 and the bathing tub  14  shown in FIG. 8 will be discussed individually before the bathing fixture  10  combination shown in FIGS. 1-4. 
     A shower stall assembly  12  according to one embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 5-7. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the shower stall assembly  12  generally includes at least one wall  16 . It will be evident to one skilled in the art that commercially available shower stall assemblies, such as those provided by Clarion Bathware, assignee of the present invention, typically are a single wall of acrylic, fiberglass, or other suitable material, pre-formed into a specified shape or two or more walls which are connected to one another to form a desired shape. Therefore, both of these configurations are clearly contemplated. Moreover, the at least one wall  16  can be a wall or a series of connected walls which are clad in ceramic or other types of tile or wall coverings. La general, because the shower stall assembly is in contact with water, the shower stall assembly is made from a waterproof or water-resistant material, such as the acrylic, fiberglass, or ceramic tile materials discussed above, or any other suitable material known to those skilled in the art. 
     The at least one wall  16  rises in a direction Al (FIGS. 5 and 7) away from a floor portion  18  of the shower stall  12 . The floor portion  18  can be integrally formed with the at least one wall  16 . The at least one wall  16  and the floor portion  18  define a shower cavity  20  and an ingress and egress opening  22 . The floor portion  18  further defines a removable riser  19  to help prevent water leakage and a shower drain  24  configured to be connected to a wastewater conduit  26 , shown in FIG. 5. A shower stall door (not shown) may also be positioned across the ingress and egress opening  22  shown in FIGS. 5-7 to provide privacy and to help prevent water from exiting the shower stall  12 . 
     As shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, the at least one wall  16  preferably forms an alignment ridge  28  (discussed later). As previously discussed above, the at least one wall  16  is preferably formed from acrylic, fiberglass, or other suitable materials. Grab handles  30  are preferably secured to the at least one wall  16  by a reinforcing member  32  and are made from stainless steel, aluminum, or other suitable material as shown in FIG. 5, integrally formed with the at least one wall  16  as shown in FIG. 6, or mounted into a wall stud  34  as shown in FIG.  7 . 
     The removable bathing tub  14 , shown in detail in FIG. 8, generally includes a tub body  36  defining an alignment edge  38 , a bathing recess  40  for receiving and temporarily holding water, a tub drain  42 , an overflow orifice  44  fluidly connected to the tub drain  42  via an overflow conduit  46 , and a riser receiving orifice  47 . The tub body  36  is preferably a one piece design constructed from acrylic, fiberglass, or other suitable material and is preferably removable as a single unit. A base portion  48  of the bathing tub  14  also preferably includes a reinforcing plate  50  made from wood, such as balsa wood, or from another suitable material capable of providing reinforcement to the base portion  48  of the bathing tub  14 . In general, because the bathing tub is in contact with water, the bathing tub is made from a waterproof or water-resistant material, such as the acrylic, fiberglass, or ceramic tile materials discussed above, or any other suitable material known to those skilled in the art. Moreover, the bathing tub should be sturdy enough to be self-standing and strong enough to withstand the combined weight of a bather and bath water. 
     FIGS. 1-4 show the bathing tub  14  removably installed in the shower stall  12 . FIGS. 1 and 2 show the alignment edge  38  of the bathing tub  14  positioned adjacent to the alignment ridge  28  formed by the at least one wall  16  of the shower stall  12 . The tub drain  42  is preferably aligned with the shower drain  24 , with a sealing member  52  positioned between the shower drain  24  and the tub drain  42  to provide a watertight seal and to prevent water leakage between the bathing tub  14  and the floor portion  18  of the shower stall  12 . The sealing member  52  is preferable an O-ring made from rubber. However, an O-ring made from wax, plumbers putty, caulk, or other suitable material clearly is contemplated. Moreover, a hollow conduit or other suitable sealing member  52  may also be used. The riser  19  is fitted into the riser receiving orifice  47  of the tub body  36 . 
     As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, seams  54  formed by the intersection of the alignment edge  38  and the alignment ridge  28 , as well as at other intersections of the at least one wall  16  and the bathing tub  14 , are preferably caulked in a conventional manner to prevent water from seeping into the seams  54 . 
     With the bathing tub  14  installed in the shower stall  12 , the resulting bathing fixture  10  can be used for baths or showers. When the need for enhanced accessibility to the bathing fixture  10  is required, the bathing tub  14  and the sealing member  52  are removed from the shower stall  12 . Caulking at the seams  54  can be removed with petroleum distillate (naphtha). 
     The present invention therefore provides a versatile bathing fixture that can accommodate the particular preferences of an individual. If a shower stall is desired, without a bathing tub, the present invention can be installed without the bathing tub. If a bathing tub is subsequently needed, the shower stall is configured to receive a removable tub, without removing the shower stall. Once installed, the bathing tub can be subsequently removed, without significantly disturbing the shower stall. 
     The invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiment. Obvious modifications and alterations will occur to others upon reading and understanding the preceding detailed description. It is intended that the invention be construed as including all such modifications and alterations insofar as they come within the scope of the appended claims or the equivalents thereof.