Patent Publication Number: US-6336232-B1

Title: Shower curtain

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Conventional shower stalls typically include opposed side walls, a back wall and a low front wall, typically referred to as a front sill. The low front wall or sill serves as a water barrier at the floor level of the shower stall to preclude water from running out of the stall. A shower door or curtain typically cooperates with the front sill to enclose the front opening into the shower stall to thereby prevent water from splashing out of the stall. 
     Although prior art shower stall installations including a low front sill cooperating with a shower door or curtain do work well to retain water within the stall, these shower stall designs are not well suited for use by handicapped individuals that find it difficult to step over the front sill into the shower stall. These shower stalls clearly can not be used easily by individuals confined to a wheelchair and that need to remain in the wheelchair while taking a shower. 
     It is highly desirable to design shower stalls for handicapped people such that there is no front wall or sill that provides an obstacle to the person entering the stall. In other words, in a preferred shower stall design for use by handicapped individuals there should be a clear, unobstructed path from the floor region located outside of the stall onto the floor of the stall. Although these latter shower stalls can be used by handicapped individuals, including individuals that are confined to wheelchairs, there has not been a truly satisfactory design for effectively sealing the front opening into the stall to prevent the undesired escape of water therefrom. This invention is directed to a shower curtain for achieving this latter objective. 
     In addition, handicapped individuals taking a shower often require assistance from an attendant, who preferable will remain outside of the shower stall to provide such assistance when and as it is required. In order to provide the individual taking a shower with the desired privacy, and also to eliminate the need for the attendant to directly enter the stall while the individual is showering to provide assistance, it is highly desirable to permit the attendant to access the interior of the stall from an outside region without permitting excess water from flowing or splashing out of the stall. The present invention provides a convenient access opening in the curtain to accomplish this latter objective. 
     OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION 
     It is a general object of this invention to provide a shower curtain that is particularly adapted for use in enclosing a front opening into a shower stall of the type that does not include a low front wall or sill. 
     It is yet a further object of this invention to provide a shower curtain that effectively seals the opening into a shower stall, even if the shower stall does not include a low front wall or sill. 
     It is still a further object of this invention to provide a shower curtain that is neat in appearance and easy to use. 
     It is yet a further object of this invention to provide a shower curtain that permits easy access through it to permit an attendant located outside of the stall to assist an individual taking a shower. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The above and other objects of this invention are achieved by a shower curtain including a flexible sheet member having a transversely extending upper edge, a transversely extending bottom edge and opposed elongated side edges. The flexible sheet member is attached in an upper region adjacent to the upper edge thereof to an upper supporting member adjacent a front opening of the shower stall for movement between an extended, generally planar orientation closing the front opening into the stall, and a collapsed, generally folded orientation permitting access into the shower stall through the front opening thereof. Elongate side regions or panels of the sheet member adjacent to the elongate side edges include fastening members along an elongate section thereof for cooperating with fastening members on the opposed sidewalls of the shower stall to thereby close the opposed sides of the front opening into the shower stall. The fastening members on the elongate side panels are on the outside surface, thereby being disposed to cooperate with the fastening means on the side walls of the shower stall. Weights are disposed transversely along a lower region of the sheet member, and the sheet member includes a lower, inwardly directing transversely extending bottom panel spaced below the weights for engaging the floor of the shower stall. In the preferred embodiment of this invention the vertical distance between the transversely extending center line of the weights and the transversely extending bottom edge of the sheet material is at least four inches, with the distance between the transversely extending center line of the weights and the floor of the shower stall being no greater than two inches. In this manner, it is assured that the bottom panel of the sheet member, will actually lie flat on the shower floor to provide an effective water seal at the floor level of the stall. 
     In the preferred embodiment of this invention the weights are disposed transversely along the sheet material and terminate at opposed transverse ends spaced inwardly from the opposed elongate side edges of the sheet material, such that each of the elongate side regions or panels of the sheet material that includes the fastening members thereon have a transverse dimension extending substantially from one of the transverse ends of the weights to an adjacent elongate side edge of the flexible sheet material. In a preferred embodiment of this invention, the transverse direction of each of the elongate side regions is at least two inches, and more preferably at least three inches. 
     In the preferred embodiment of this invention, the weights that are disposed transversely along a lower region of the sheet material include a plurality of discrete members spaced transversely along the lower region of the sheet material, thereby permitting the sheet material to fold in regions between adjacent weights when the curtain is moved into a collapsed orientation to permit an individual to enter a shower stall from the front opening thereof. 
     In the most preferred embodiment of this invention, the weights are retained in a transversely extending passageway of an elongate, tubular weight-retaining housing that is attached to the flexible sheet member of the curtain, with the passageway being sealed at its opposed ends and with the regions between the weights being sealed to maintain the weights in their desired positions. Most preferably the tubular weight-retaining housing is retained within an elongate, transversely extending passageway of a second, outer housing, with the passageway in the second outer housing being sealed at its opposed ends and with said outer housing being directly secured to the front panel of the sheet member of the curtain to thereby attach the weights to the flexible sheet member. In the most preferred embodiment of this invention the outer housing is secured to the sheet member by being bonded thereto along a transversely extending, upper region of said outer housing. 
     In the most preferred form of the invention the upper region of the sheet member includes a row of transversely spaced apart openings therethrough for receiving members attachable to, or attached to the upper supporting member for the shower curtain, with the transversely spaced apart openings in the row being vertically offset from the spaces between the weight members. Moreover, the end openings of the row are spaced inwardly from the elongate side edges of the sheet material so as not to be located in the elongate side regions or panels of the sheet member. 
     In accordance with another aspect of this invention the flexible sheet member forming the shower curtain includes a panel section that can be at least partially separated from adjacent regions of the sheet member to provide communication between the inside and outside of a shower stall when the curtain is in an extended, generally planar orientation closing the front opening into the shower stall. 
     Most preferable the panel section is connected to adjacent regions of the sheet member by at least one fastening device that is operable both to secure the panel section to adjacent regions of the sheet member, and thereby completely seal the front opening into the shower stall, and to at least partially separate the panel section from the adjacent regions of the sheet material to permit at least limited access into the shower stall from a region outside of the stall. In the most preferred embodiment of this invention at least two fastening devices are employed and these fastening devices are most preferably zipper members. 
     In the most preferred embodiment of this invention the panel section can be separated from adjacent regions of the front panel of the shower curtain along opposed side regions and a top region of said panel section, said panel section including a bottom region permanently secured to the front panel of the shower curtain, and actually constituting a continuous extension of each front panel. In this preferred embodiment, one of the zipper members is moveable in a downward direction from the top of one of the opposed side regions to the bottom region, and the other of the zipper members is moveable in a downward direction from the top of the other of the opposed side regions to the bottom region. Moreover, at least one of the zipper members is moveable into a region for both fastening and separating the top region of the panel section to adjacent regions of the sheet member. In this manner the two zippers can be employed either to only partly open the panel section, or to completely open the panel section, as is desired. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
     Other objects and many attendant features of this invention will become readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a shower curtain embodying the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line  2 — 2  of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the circled area identified as “FIG.  3 ” in FIG. 2; 
     FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the circled area identified as “FIG.  4 ” in FIG. 2; 
     FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line  5 — 5  of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line  6 — 6  of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 7 is a fragmentary isometric view of the lower right inner corner of the shower curtain embodying this invention; and 
     FIG. 8 is an isometric view of a shower curtain embodying the present invention showing its relative position to a shower stall. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring to the drawings, a shower curtain embodying the features of this invention is shown generally at  10  in FIGS. 1 and 8. 
     Referring to FIGS. 1 and 8, the shower curtain includes a flexible sheet member  12  of any desired fabric or material provided that it has sufficient durability to function as a shower curtain. In a preferred embodiment of this invention the flexible sheet member is made of a vinyl material and most preferably, is a three layer laminate including outer vinyl layers  12 A of approximately 3½ mil thickness and a central polyester mesh layer  12 B. (See FIG. 6) As will be explained in greater detail hereinafter, the shower curtain  10  is particularly adapted for use with a shower stall  11  that is handicap accessible, e.g., a shower stall that does not include a low front wall to impede entry by handicapped individuals; even handicapped individuals that are relegated to a wheelchair. 
     As can be seen best in FIGS. 1 and 8, the flexible sheet member  12  includes a transversely extending upper edge  14 , a transversely extending bottom edge  16  and opposed elongate side edges  18 . (See FIG. 8) 
     In the illustrated embodiment a transverse rod is connected to opposed side walls  22 ,  24  of the shower stall  11  to provide a support for the shower curtain  10 . An upper region  26  of the flexible sheet member  12  adjacent the upper edge  14  includes a plurality of grommets  28  of a conventional construction for receiving hooks  30  or other fastening means therethrough. 
     As can be seen best in FIGS. 1,  2  and  8 , these hooks  30  extend through the grommet  28  and about the supporting rod  20 . 
     As can be seen best in FIG. 3, the upper region  26  of the flexible sheet member  12  is reinforced by folding the sheet member upon itself to form a three layer structure. In addition, a stiffening woven mesh  32  is disposed between the innermost layer  34  and intermediate layer  36  in the upper region  26 . It should be understood that any desired arrangement can be provided for stiffening the upper region; the specific construction of the upper region not constituting a limitation on the broadest aspects of the present invention. For example, depending upon the strength of the flexible sheet member  12  it may be possible to eliminate the woven mesh  32 . Also, it may be possible to provide a single fold of the sheet material only along upper edge  14  to provide only a two layer upper region, with or without an additional stiffening mesh, e.g.  32 . 
     Referring specifically to FIGS. 1,  2 , 7  and  8 , the flexible sheet member  12  includes a front panel  34 , which encloses the front opening into the shower stall when in an extended, generally planar orientation, and elongate side regions or panels  36  disposed between the front panel  34  and the elongate side edges  18  of the sheet member  12  to seal against the side walls  22 ,  24  of the shower stall  11 , in a manner to be described in detail later in this application. 
     Referring specifically to FIGS. 2,  7  and  8 , the flexible sheet member  12  also includes a lower, generally horizontal bottom panel  38 , which extends inwardly of the shower stall  11  and aids in providing a barrier to prevent water from splashing out of the shower stall under the bottom of the shower curtain  10 . 
     The inwardly directed bottom panel  38  and the inwardly directed opposed side panels  36  are formed by initially forming the flexible sheet member  12  with a bottom panel segment having a generally vertical dimension corresponding to the inwardly directed horizontal dimension “L” of the panel in the completed curtain  10 , and a transverse dimension between transversely spaced apart edges  40  (only one of which is shown in FIG. 7) terminating short of the elongate side edges  18  of the front panel  34  of the curtain  10 . The elongate side panels  36  and inwardly directed bottom panel  38  are formed by folding the bottom panel segment upwardly and the side panel sections inwardly and then stitching the confronting ends of the bottom panel segment to the lower edges of the side panel sections; one of said stitched regions being shown at  42  in FIG.  7 . 
     Referring to FIGS. 2 and 8, each of the side panels  36  is provided with spaced apart fastening members  44 . In the illustrated embodiment there are three fastening members on each side panel  36 ; one fastening member being adjacent the bottom edge  16  of the flexible sheet member  12 , a second fastening member being located in the reinforced upper region  26  of the side panel and a third fastening member being located generally in a central region of the side panel, between the upper and lower edges  14  and  16  of the flexible sheet member  12 . However, the number and location of the fastening members can be varied. 
     In the illustrated embodiment, the fastening members  44  attached to the side panels  36  are male or female fasteners of a Velcro fastening system, with the mating (e.g., female or male) fastening members being secured to the opposed side walls  22 ,  24  of the shower stall  11 . It should be understood that, in accordance with the broadest aspects of the invention, other fastening members may be employed, such as cooperating magnets. 
     Referring specifically to FIGS. 1,  2 , 4  and  6  through  8 , the shower curtain  10  of this invention employs a unique weighting system to aid in maintaining the inwardly directed bottom panel  38  adjacent the floor  46  (FIG. 2) of the shower stall  11  to provide an effective dam or barrier area for water being ejected out of the shower head. 
     Referring to FIGS. 1,  4  and  8 , in the illustrated embodiment the shower curtain  10  includes six (6) discrete elongate weight members  48 ,  50 ,  52 ,  54 ,  56  and  58 . The four (4) central weight members  50 , 52 ,  54  and  56  are approximately six (6) inches long and each weighs approximately 3.3 ounces. The two (2) end weights  48 ,  58  are approximately three (3) inches long and each weighs approximately 1.65 ounces. As can be seen best in FIG. 4, the individual weights are disposed in a transversely extending passageway  60  of an elongate, tubular weight-retaining housing  62 . The housing  62  can be made of any desired material, such as a vinyl material, and the passageway  60  preferably is sealed in the regions between the weight members and at the opposed ends by stitching  64 , or by any other suitable means to maintain the discrete weight members in a desired fixed position relative to each other. Stitching  64  is an acceptable means for sealing the passageway  60  in the internal tubular weight-retaining housing  62 , since this internal housing is not exposed to scum and other foreign debris encountered by the shower curtain  10 . 
     Still referring to FIGS. 2,  4  and  7 , the inner tubular housing  62  that includes the weights therein is disposed within an elongate, transversely extending passageway  66  of an outer housing  68  that also can be made of a vinyl material or any other desired material. The passageway  66  in the outer housing  68  preferably is sealed at opposed ends  70 ,  72  by a suitable bonding mechanism, such as a dielectric heat sealing operation, and the outer housing is directly secured to the flexible sheet member  12  of the curtain along the upper elongate edge thereof to thereby positively attach the weights  48 - 58  to the flexible sheet member  12 . In the preferred embodiment the outer housing is attached to the sheet member along the upper elongate edge thereof by a suitable electronic heat sealing operation, e.g., dielectric heating. This heat sealing mechanism is highly desirable for use in bonding vinyl material to itself. Thus, when the outer housing  68  and the flexible sheet member  12  of the curtain  10  are both vinyl, a dielectric heating operation is highly effective to establish the connection of the weights to the shower curtain. 
     Referring specifically to FIGS. 1 and 8, it should be noted that the weights are provided only on the front panel  34  of the shower curtain  10 , and do not extend into the region of the side panels  36 . In fact, in the preferred embodiment of this invention the width of each of the side panels  36  corresponds essentially to the distance between the distal edge of the outermost weights  48 ,  58  and the corresponding side edges  18  of the flexible sheet member  12 . 
     Referring specifically to FIGS. 1,  5 ,  6  and  8 , the shower curtain  10  is designed so as to permit the flexible sheet member  12  to collapse in regions between the grommets at the upper region  26 , and in regions between the individual weight members adjacent the bottom region thereof. Specifically, to create the desired regions of outward folds in the shower curtain the shower curtain is puckered at  74 ,  76  and  78  midway between alternate pair of grommets  28 , by stitching the material together, as is best seen in FIG.  5 . These puckered regions provide a force-concentrating section to cause the flexible sheet member  12  to fold outwardly thereat along fold lines  74 A,  76 A and  78 A (FIG.  1 ). This causes unpuckered regions of the flexible sheet member  12  between alternating pairs of grommets to fold inwardly along fold lines  80  and  82  (FIG.  1 ). As is seen best in FIG. 1, the fold lines, in all cases, are in the regions between the adjacent weights (also see the relationship between the fold lines and weights in FIGS.  5  and  6 ). 
     It also should be noted that, in the preferred embodiment of this invention, there are no grommets provided in the upper region  26  of the side panels  36  of the flexible sheet member  12 . This is important since the side panels are required to be flexible so that they can be bent inwardly and be attached to the opposed side walls  22 ,  24  of the shower stall  11 , to thereby provide an effective dam for water directed into the stall from the shower head. 
     In a preferred embodiment of this invention, the width of each of the side panels  36  is at least 2 inches, and most preferably is in the range of 2½ to 4 inches, and the unconstrained distance between the horizontal transverse center line of the weights and outer edge  86  (FIGS. 2 and 7) of the bottom panel  38  is approximately 4 inches. However, the distance between the horizontal transverse center line of the weights and the floor  46  of the shower stall  11  is less than the unconstrained distance between the transverse center of the weights and the outer edge  86  of the bottom panel (e.g., approximately 2 inches), to thereby provide assurance that the weighted lower region of the shower curtain will cause the bottom panel  38  to seat against the floor of the shower stall to provide an effective dam against the escape of water from the stall. 
     Referring specifically to FIGS. 1 and 8, an additional feature in accordance with a preferred embodiment of this invention is that the shower curtain  10  is designed to permit access to the inside of the stall  11  by an attendant located outside of the stall. In particular, there are often situations in which a handicapped person taking a shower requires some assistance, which can be rendered from a location outside of the shower. In prior art systems it was necessary to retract the shower curtain in order for an attendant to gain access to the patient. With the shower curtain retracted, it is very easy for water to escape from the shower stall; excessively wetting the attendant as well as areas outside of the stall. 
     In accordance with a preferred embodiment of this invention, the front panel  34  of the flexible sheet member  12  includes a separable panel section  90  that can be partially separated, or opened, from adjacent regions of the front panel to provide communication between the inside and outside of the shower stall  11  when the curtain is in an extended, generally planar orientation closing the front opening into the stall. 
     As can be seen best in FIGS. 1 and 8, the panel section  90  is removably connected to adjacent regions of the front panel  34  through a generally inverted U-shaped connection area by a pair of fastening means; preferably in the form of zippers  92 ,  94 . As is illustrated, the panel section  90  includes a bottom region permanently joined to the front panel  34 ; actually constituting a continuous extension of the front panel  34  in this region. The panel section  90  has edges that can be separated from adjacent edges of the flexible sheet member  12  by movement of the zippers  92 ,  94  along opposed sides defining the legs of the inverted U-shaped connection area and along the top, constituting the base of said connection area. 
     As can be seen best in FIG. 1, one of the zippers  92  has a linear path of travel along one side edge, and the other zipper  94  has an L-shaped path of travel along atop edge and opposed side edge of the separable panel  90 . The zippers  92 ,  94  are constructed so that they close, or secure the panel section  90  to adjacent edges of the flexible sheet member  12  when the head or gripping ends of the zippers  92 A,  94 A, respectively, are adjacent to each other at a corner, where one of the legs of the inverted U-shaped connection area joins the base thereof, as shown in FIG.  1 . This arrangement of the zippers permits the panel section to be only partially opened, as desired. For example, if it is desired to only open the panel halfway, the linear zipper  92  is unzipped halfway down the linear leg and the L-shaped zipper  94  is unzipped along the entire top edge of the panel section  90  and down one half of the opposed leg. This permits one-half of the panel section  90  to be opened. FIG. 8 shows the linear zipper number  92  unzipped slightly more than one-half of its linear extent of travel, and the L-shaped zipper  94  in an intermediate position partially unzipped from the top edge of the panel section  90 . 
     Without further elaboration, the foregoing will so fully illustrate our invention that others may, by applying current or future knowledge, readily adapt the same for use under various conditions of service.