Patent GB-1454337-A (GB)
Title: Antisplash wall for bath tubs or shower baths
IPC: A47K3/36
Filed: 1974-03-22
Abstract: 1454337 Folding walls for baths or showers H G BAUS 22 March 1974 [23 March 1973] 12822/74 Heading A4N [Also in Division E1] An antisplash folding wall for a shower bath or, as shown in Fig. 1, a bath tub 40, comprises rectangular screen sections 42, 44, 46, the screen sections each consisting of a panel 2 surrounded by a frame 1, the screen sections being pivotally connected to a wall batten (24), Fig. 5 (not shown) secured to a wall 4 of a room and also pivotally  connected to each other by means of hinges designed so that the screen sections can be unfolded and folded together, wherein single fulllength hinges extending over the entire height of the screen sections join adjacent screen sections together and that screen section 42 adjacent the wall 4 of the room to the wall batten (24), and wherein the hinge eyes (8, 9), Fig. 2 (not shown) and 10, (29), Fig. 6 (not shown) belong alternately to one of the screen sections and to either one of the other screen sections or to the wall batten (24) and are joined together by full-length hinge pins 12, Fig. 3. Arranged between the hinge eyes are brakes (54), Fig. 4 (not shown), the brakes each comprising an upper ring (15), (20) closely surrounding the hinge pins 12, with an integral sleeve surrounding either a helical compression spring (17) or a plate spring (21), and a lower ring (18), (22) introduced over part of its height into the sleeve against the force of the spring. The frame 1 comprises horizontal sections (7) and vertical sections (6), each vertical section (6) comprising outer flanks 13, 14 and inner flanks 48 joined together by webs 50, the hinge eyes, e.g. 10, being alternately integral with the aligning flanks of the two vertical sections 6 pivotally connected together, while the two opposing flanks, e.g. 13, 14, are so long that they abut against one another in a predetermined angular position of the hinge. The inner flanks of screen sections 42, 44 may be long enough to limit the angular pivoting of sections 42, 44 to 180 degrees, while the outer flanks of sections 44, 46 may be long enough to limit their angular pivoting to 90 degrees. The wall batten (24) comprises the hinge eyes (29) and a masking rail 3 extending vertically and at right angles to batten (24) and whose distance from the hinge eyes may be such as to limit the angular pivoting of screen section 42 to 90 degrees. The wall batten (24) further comprises two pairs of upstanding rails (30) which face the wall 4 of the room, the batten having threaded bores which carry adjustable hollow screws (25), Fig. 7 (not shown), which are movable to take up any irregularities of the wall 4, the screws (25) having threaded therein securing screws 27 which enable the batten (24) to be fastened to embedded plugs (28) in the wall 4. Magnets (not shown) may be arranged between the hinge eyes and the free flanks of the screen sections to aid opening out of the screen sections. Rubber buffers (not shown) may be arranged on the screen sections to prevent the screen sections striking one another with excessive force, and the screen sections may be provided at their bottom edges with rubber sealing strips (not shown) to provide a tight seal with the upper edge 5 of the bath tub 40. The hinge adjacent the wall 4 may be movable upwards by means of a lever to raise the screen sections above the edge 5 of the bath tub to aid in positioning the screen sections on the edge 5 of the bath tub.