Shower door guide assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017328107-A1
Application number	US-201715668033-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 3, 2017
Priority date	Jul 31, 2015
Publication date	Nov 16, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

A shower door guide assembly is provided with a pair of spaced apart brackets. Each bracket has a receptacle formed therein. A crossbeam is provided with a guide formed therein for cooperation with a roller assembly of a door. The crossbeam has a cross-section sized so that terminal ends of the crossbeam are each received in one the receptacles of the pair of brackets for pivoting about a lengthwise axis of crossbeam and translation in the receptacle during installation of the crossbeam terminal ends into receptacles of the pair of brackets. The receptacles and the crossbeam are sized so that each terminal end of the crossbeam can be received in only one receptacle at only one orientation of the installed crossbeam to prevent improper installation. An alignment configuration extends from each bracket to engage a pair of wall jambs for alignment of the brackets to the wall jambs.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A shower door guide assembly comprising:
a pair of spaced apart brackets, each bracket being adapted to be mounted to a support surface, and each bracket having a receptacle formed therein, wherein each receptacle is provided with a lower contact region, and a pair of lateral side contact regions, wherein one of the pair of lateral side contact regions has a height less than a height of the other of the pair of lateral side contact regions; and a crossbeam with a guide formed therein for cooperation with a roller assembly of a door, the crossbeam having a cross-section sized so that terminal ends of the crossbeam are each received within one of the receptacles and sized to prevent a vertical drop-in of the crossbeam into the receptacles.

2 . The shower door guide assembly of claim 1 wherein the cross-section of the crossbeam is sized so that the crossbeam must be pivoted about a lengthwise axis of the crossbeam and translated in the receptacle during installation of the crossbeam terminal ends into the receptacles of the pair of brackets.

3 . The shower door guide assembly of claim 1 wherein the crossbeam has a generally consistent cross-section along its length.

4 . The shower door guide assembly of claim 1 wherein the receptacles are each formed into the corresponding bracket in a lengthwise direction of the crossbeam with a receptacle opening in the bracket adjacent the receptacle for extension of the crossbeam from the bracket.

5 . The shower door guide assembly of claim 4 wherein an ingress opening is formed in at least one bracket intersecting the receptacle and the receptacle opening for installation of the crossbeam terminal end into the receptacle.

6 . The shower door guide assembly of claim 5 further comprising a retainer sized to fasten to the bracket to at least partially block the ingress opening and retain the crossbeam in the receptacle.

7 . The shower door guide assembly of claim 5 wherein the ingress opening is formed generally normal to the lengthwise direction.

8 . The shower door guide assembly of claim 7 wherein the ingress opening is formed through one of the pair of lateral side contact regions.

9 . The shower door guide assembly of claim 1 wherein each receptacle is provided with an upper contact region to constrain the terminal end of the crossbeam between the upper and lower contact regions to minimize deflection of the crossbeam.

10 . The shower door guide assembly of claim 9 wherein at least one ingress opening is formed through the upper contact region and one of the pair of lateral side contact regions.

11 . The shower door guide assembly of claim 1 wherein the receptacles and the crossbeam are sized so that each terminal end of the crossbeam can be received in only one receptacle at only one orientation of the installed crossbeam to prevent improper installation.

12 . The shower door guide assembly of claim 1 further comprising:
a pair of wall jambs each adapted to be mounted to one of the support surfaces; and
an alignment configuration extending from each bracket to engage one of the pair of wall jambs for alignment of the pair of brackets relative to the pair of wall jambs.

13 . A shower door assembly comprising:
a shower door guide assembly according to claim 1 ; at least one shower door; and a roller assembly mounted to the at least one shower door for cooperation with the guide of the crossbeam.

14 . A shower assembly comprising:
a shower unit with support surfaces; and a shower door assembly according to claim 13 .

15 . A method of installing a shower door guide assembly comprising the steps of:
providing a shower door guide assembly according to claim 1 ; installing the pair of brackets to the support surfaces; inserting the terminal ends of the crossbeam into the receptacles; and translating while pivoting the crossbeam into the receptacles.

16 . The shower door guide assembly of claim 1 wherein the pair of lateral side contact regions is provided with different shaped contact surfaces.

17 . The shower door guide assembly of claim 16 wherein the crossbeam has a pair of external lateral side contact surfaces that are each sized to be received by only one of the pair of lateral side contact regions of the receptacle.

18 . The shower door guide assembly of claim 17 wherein one of the pair of lateral side contact regions of the receptacle is generally flat; and
wherein another of the pair of lateral side contact regions of the at least one receptacle is generally curved.

19 . The shower door guide assembly of claim 18 wherein one of the pair of external lateral side contact surfaces of the crossbeam is generally flat; and
wherein another of the pair of external lateral side contact surfaces of the crossbeam is generally curved.

20 . A method of installing a shower door guide assembly comprising the steps of:
providing a pair of brackets, each with a receptacle with a lower contact region, and a pair of lateral side contact regions with varying heights; installing the pair of brackets to a pair of support surfaces; providing a crossbeam with a guide formed therein for cooperation with a roller assembly of a door, the crossbeam having a cross-section sized so that a vertical drop-in of the crossbeam into the receptacles is not permitted; inserting terminal ends of the crossbeam into the receptacles; and translating while pivoting the crossbeam into the receptacles.

Assignees

• Liberty Hardware Mfg Corp

Inventors

• Schultz Nathaniel Faltin Dutton
• Austin Iii James Allen
• Boehnen Patrick

Classifications

• E05D15/0678 Primary

  on balls or floating rollers · CPC title

• A47K3/34

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

• E06B3/4636

  for doors (E06B3/4609 and E06B3/4654 - E06B3/4681 take precedence; sliding shower doors A47K3/34) · CPC title

• E05D15/0691

  Top guides · CPC title

• E05Y2900/114

  for showers · CPC title