Base member for a shower door assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10791880-B2
Application number	US-201916423533-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 28, 2019
Priority date	Aug 17, 2016
Publication date	Oct 6, 2020
Grant date	Oct 6, 2020

Abstract

A shower door assembly includes a door panel having an inner surface to face a bathing enclosure, and a base member having an upper surface positioned between an inner side and an outer side. The base member inner side is positioned between the door panel inner surface and the base member outer side. The inner side at least partially defines a recess and is shaped to receive liquid from and divert liquid back to the bathing enclosure. A base for a moveable door has a substrate defining upper and lower surfaces extending between first and second edge regions, and a first leg section extending from the substrate lower surface and offset from the first edge region. The first leg section and the first edge region of the substrate cooperate to define a liquid diverter extending longitudinally to redirect flow away from the substrate upper surface.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A lower frame member for movable doors comprising a base extending along a longitudinal axis, the base having an upper surface positioned between a first inner side and a second outer side, the first inner side of the base defining an innermost edge of the lower frame member, the first inner side defining a diverter surface having a tangent line oriented at an acute angle relative to the upper surface thereby forming a recessed area beneath the innermost edge.

2. The lower frame member of claim 1 wherein at least a section of the upper surface of the base is substantially planar.

3. The lower frame member of claim 1 wherein the diverter surface extends continuously and longitudinally along the lower frame member.

4. The lower frame member of claim 3 wherein the diverter surface extends from a first end to a second end of the base.

5. The lower frame member of claim 1 wherein the diverter surface is at least partially formed by a chamfer.

6. The lower frame member of claim 1 wherein the diverter surface is at least partially formed by a fillet.

7. The lower frame member of claim 1 wherein the diverter surface is formed at least partially by a concave surface.

8. The lower frame member of claim 7 wherein the concave surface is defined by a radius of curvature.

9. The lower frame member of claim 1 wherein the base forms a flange extending outwardly from the upper surface, the flange extending longitudinally along the base.

10. The lower frame member of claim 9 wherein the flange is positioned adjacent to the second outer side.

11. The lower frame member of claim 10 wherein the upper surface is a substantially planar surface extending between the flange and the first inner side.

12. The lower frame member of claim 10 wherein an outer surface of the flange is co-planar with the second outer side of the base.

13. The lower frame member of claim 1 wherein the diverter surface is shaped to receive liquid from a bathing enclosure via a lower edge portion of a door panel and divert liquid back to the bathing enclosure.

14. The lower frame member of claim 1 wherein the base has a lower surface extending between the first inner side and the second outer side.

15. The lower frame member of claim 14 wherein the base forms a first leg section extending outwardly from the lower surface, the first leg section extending longitudinally along the base.

16. The lower frame member of claim 15 wherein the first leg section is offset transversely from the innermost edge to form a portion of the first inner side, wherein the first leg section cooperates with the first inner side to define the diverter surface.

17. The lower frame member of claim 16 wherein the base forms a second leg section extending outwardly from the lower surface, the second leg section extending longitudinally along the base, the second leg section spaced apart from the first leg section.

18. The lower frame member of claim 17 wherein the base forms a flange extending outwardly from the upper surface, the flange extending longitudinally along the base; and
wherein the flange and the second leg section cooperate to form a continuous surface for the second outer side.

19. The lower frame member of claim 15 wherein the upper surface is defined by a radius of curvature; and
wherein an outer surface of the first leg section is continuous with the upper surface to provide a continuous curve that extends from the upper surface of the base and along the outer surface of the first leg section to an underlying threshold.

Assignees

• Liberty Hardware Mfg Corp

Inventors

• Austin Iii James Allen
• Schultz Nathaniel Faltin Dutton

Classifications

• A47K2003/305

  Sealings between screen and bath- or showertub · CPC title

• A47K3/34 Primary

  Slidable screens (A47K3/36 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A47K3/36

  Articulated screens · CPC title