U.S. patent application number 11/361452 was filed with the patent office on 2007-08-30 for shower pan.
Invention is credited to Juan C. Herrera.
Application Number | 20070199145 11/361452 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 38442650 |
Filed Date | 2007-08-30 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070199145 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Herrera; Juan C. |
August 30, 2007 |
Shower pan
Abstract
A pre-fabricated shower pan provides the features of a custom
on-site constructed shower pan. The pre-fabricated shower pan
comprises a wood frame, a drain, a sloped floor, and a hot-mopped
tar covering. A box is constructed from a four by six dam on one or
two sides, one by six lumber on the remaining sides, and a plywood
floor. A drain is mounted in the center of the plywood floor. The
sloped floor is created by layers of composition shingles or
similar material. Tar is mopped over the shingles and on the inside
of the box to provide a watertight seal. The tar may further be
mopped over part or all of the outside of the box.
Inventors: |
Herrera; Juan C.; (Pico
Rivera, CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
AVERILL & VARN
8244 PAINTER AVE.
WHITTIER
CA
90602
US
|
Family ID: |
38442650 |
Appl. No.: |
11/361452 |
Filed: |
February 24, 2006 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
4/613 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47K 3/40 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
004/613 |
International
Class: |
A47K 3/022 20060101
A47K003/022; A47K 3/36 20060101 A47K003/36; A47K 3/34 20060101
A47K003/34 |
Claims
1. A prefabricated shower pan comprising: a box comprising: a
floor; at least one dam attached to the floor; at least one side
wall attached to the floor; and a rear wall attached to the floor;
a shower pan interior defined by a top surface of the floor and
inside surfaces of the walls and the dam; a drain approximately
centered on the floor; a filler on the floor creating a slope from
the dam and walls downward to the drain; and a waterproof coating
applied over the inside surface.
2. The shower pan of claim 1, wherein the floor is plywood.
3. The shower pan of claim 1, wherein the walls are solid wood
walls.
4. The shower pan of claim 1, wherein the dam is a solid wood
dam.
5. The shower pan of claim 1, wherein the filler comprises layers
of composite shingles.
6. The shower pan of claim 5, wherein the filler includes layers of
composite shingles forming a slope.
7. The shower pan of claim 1, wherein the drain is an instaset
drain.
8. The shower pan of claim 1, wherein the drain is a two-piece hot
mop shower pan drain.
9. The shower pan of claim 1, wherein the waterproof coating is
hot-mopped tar.
10. The shower pan of claim 1, wherein: an outside face of the dam
is even with a corresponding edge of the floor; and outside faces
of the walls are even with corresponding edges of the floor.
11. A prefabricated shower pan comprising: a box comprising: a
plywood floor; at least one solid wood dam attached to the floor;
at least one solid wood side wall attached to the floor; and a
solid wood rear wall attached to the floor; a shower pan interior
defined by a top surface of the floor and inside surfaces of the
walls and the dam; a drain approximately centered on the floor;
layers of composite shingles on the floor creating a slope from the
dam and walls downward to the drain; and hot mopped tar applied
over the inside surface and a top surface of the dam.
12. A method for constructing a pre-fabricated shower pan, the
method comprising: providing a floor; cutting a drain hole in the
floor; attaching a dam to a front edge of the floor; attached side
walls to the dam and to side edges of the floor; attaching a rear
wall to the side walls and to a rear edge of the floor; attaching a
drain to the floor, the drain residing in the drain hole; laying a
filler on the floor between the dam and walls and the drain to
create a sloped floor sloping downward towards the drain; covering
interior surfaces on the floor, dam, and walls with a water proof
sealant.
13. The method of claim 12, wherein covering interior surfaces on
the floor comprises covering interior surfaces on the floor while
leaving weep holes of the drain uncovered.
14. The method of claim 13, wherein covering interior surfaces on
the floor, dam, and walls with a water proof sealant comprises
covering interior surfaces on the floor, dam, and walls with hot
mopped tar.
15. The method of claim 14, further including cover the outside
surfaces of the shower pan with hot mopped tar.
16. The method of claim 12, further including installing the shower
pan comprising the steps of: cutting notches in studs to accept the
shower pan; positioning the shower pan in the notches; fixing the
shower pan to the studs; removing a drain grating; inserting a
length pipe into the drain and into a coupling residing below the
drain; and tightening a fitting in the drain around the pipe to
form a seal.
17. The method of claim 16, further including applying glue to the
length of pipe before inserting the length pipe into the drain and
into the coupling.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to shower construction and in
particular to a pre-fabricated shower pan.
[0002] Many homes, offices, and businesses include bathrooms or
restrooms with showers. While pre-fabricated single piece shower
liners are available, many prefer a more custom built tile shower
interior. Generally, such custom shower interiors are built by
first framing the shower, then building a shower pan in the base of
the shower, and then completing the shower. The step of building
the shower pan includes constructing an enclosed base, laying a
felt-like material inside the enclosed base, and mopping hot tar
over the felt. The sloped floor may be formed later using concrete,
and tile is laid over the concrete. While very good results are
provided by these steps, the method is tedious and unpleasant. The
tar is heated to over 400 degrees Fahrenheit for mopping and
produces fumes and heat, generally in an enclosed working area.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0003] The present invention addresses the above and other needs by
providing a pre-fabricated shower pan which provides the features
of a custom on-site constructed shower pan. The pre-fabricated
shower pan comprises a wood frame, a drain, a sloped floor, and a
tar covering. A box is constructed comprising a four by six dam on
one or two sides, one by six lumber on the remaining sides, and a
plywood floor. A drain is mounted in the center of the plywood
floor. The sloped floor is created by layers of composition
shingles or similar material. Tar is mopped over the shingles and
on the inside of the box to provide a watertight seal. The tar may
further be mopped over part or all of the outside surface of the
box.
[0004] In accordance with one aspect of the invention, there is
provided a prefabricated shower pan. The shower pan includes a box
having a plywood floor, at least one solid wood dam attached to the
floor, at least one solid wood side wall attached to the floor, and
a solid wood rear wall attached to the floor. A shower pan interior
defined by a top surface of the floor and inside surfaces of the
walls and the dam. A drain is attached to the floor approximately
centered on the floor. Composite roofing or similar material is
laid on the floor creating a slope from the dam and walls downward
to the drain and composite shingle material over the material. Hot
mopped tar is applied over the composite shingle material to
provide a water tight surface
[0005] In accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is
provided a method for constructing a pre-fabricated shower pan. The
method comprises providing a floor, cutting a drain hole in the
floor, attaching a dam to a front edge of the floor, side walls to
the dam and to side edges of the floor, and a rear wall to the side
walls and to a rear edge of the floor. A drain is attached to the
floor, residing in the drain hole. A sloped layer of a filler
material is laid on the floor between the dam and walls and the
drain to create a sloped floor sloping downward towards the drain.
The interior surfaces on the floor, dam, and walls are hot mopped
with tar.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING
[0006] The above and other aspects, features and advantages of the
present invention will be more apparent from the following more
particular description thereof, presented in conjunction with the
following drawings wherein:
[0007] FIG. 1 shows a prefabricated shower pan according to the
present invention attached to studs for constructing a shower.
[0008] FIG. 2 is a detailed perspective view of the prefabricated
shower pan.
[0009] FIG. 3A is a top view of the prefabricated shower pan.
[0010] FIG. 3B is a side view of the prefabricated shower pan.
[0011] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the prefabricated shower
pan taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 3A.
[0012] FIG. 5 is a wide second embodiment of the shower pan.
[0013] FIG. 6 is a third embodiment of the shower pan having two
dams.
[0014] Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding
components throughout the several views of the drawings.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0015] The following description is of the best mode presently
contemplated for carrying out the invention. This description is
not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the
purpose of describing one or more preferred embodiments of the
invention. The scope of the invention should be determined with
reference to the claims.
[0016] A prefabricated shower pan 10 according to the present
invention is shown attached to studs 12 for construct a shower. The
studs 12 include notches 14 to accept the shower pan 10.
[0017] A detailed perspective view of the prefabricated shower pan
10 is shown in FIG. 2. The prefabricated shower pan 10 comprises a
drain 16, side walls 18, a rear wall 20, a dam 22, and a floor 24.
The prefabricated shower pan 10 further is coated with a moister
sealing material, and is preferably covered by hot mopped tar. The
tar may be mopped onto the inside surfaces of the shower pan and
the top surface of the dam, or the entire shower pan, excluding the
drain, may be covered in tar. The tar is preferably approximately
1/4 inches thick and the notches 14 are preferably approximately
one inch deep to accommodate the thickness of the tar plus the
thickness of the side walls 18 and rear wall 20.
[0018] A top view of the prefabricated shower pan 10 is shown in
FIG. 3A and a front view of the prefabricated shower pan 10 is
shown in FIG. 3B. A cross-sectional view of the prefabricated
shower pan is taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 3A. The floor 24 is
preferably made from plywood and is preferably approximately 40.25
inches by 49.5 inches, and is preferably approximately 3/4 inches
thick. The floor 24 may alternatively be a manufactured material of
similar dimensions. A hole is cut in the approximate center of the
floor 24 for the drain 16. The walls 18 and 20 are preferably one
by six solid lumber finished on four sides, for example, 3/4 inches
actual thickness. The side walls 18 are preferably approximately
40.25 inches long and the rear wall is preferably approximately 48
inches long. The dam 22 is preferably four by six solid lumber
finished on four sides (S4S), for example, 3.75 inches actual
thickness and 5.75 inches actual height, and is preferably
approximately 48 inches long. The dam 22 may alternatively be
constructed from thinner lumber, for example, five layers of one by
six S4S lumber (each of which layer of one by six S4S lumber is
approximately 3/4 inches thick.)
[0019] The dam 22 is preferably attached to the floor 24 by 6D
(i.e. 6 penny) nails (for example an approximately two inch long
and approximately 0.120 inch diameter nail) and wood glue with the
outside face 22a of the dam 22 even with a corresponding edge of
the floor 24. The walls 18 and 20 are preferably attached to the
dam 22 and to the floor 24 by 6D nails and wood glue with the
outside faces 18a and 20a of the walls 18 and 20 even with
corresponding edges of the floor 24.
[0020] A cross-sectional view of the shower pan 10 taken along line
4-4 of FIG. 3A is shown in FIG. 4. The interior of the
prefabricated shower pan 10 includes a filler for forming a slope
towards the drain 16. The filler preferably comprises a floor layer
28a of composite shingle material laid over the floor 24.
Additionally, a wall layer 28b of the composite shingle material
may be laid against inside faces 18b and 20b of the walls 18 and
20, and inside face 22b of the dam 22. A slope is created by the
floor layer 28a, which slopes downward from the walls 18 and 20 and
dam 22 toward the drain 16, wherein the slope is preferably created
by varying a number of layers of composite shingle material.
[0021] The drain 16 is preferably an instaset drain (i.e., a
two-piece hot mop shower pan drain), and is preferably made from
cast iron. The drain 16 is preferably attached to the floor 24 by
an adhesive which is preferably heavy duty liquid nails, and is
sealed to the floor 24 using a mastic. Weep holes 17 in the drain
16 are exposed above the filler.
[0022] The shower pan 10 (see FIG. 3A) preferably has outside
dimensions of approximately 36 inches by approximately 40 inches. A
wider second embodiment 10a of the shower pan is shown in FIG. 5
having a longer rear wall 20a and a longer dam 22a. The shower pan
10a may have outside dimensions of approximately 36 inches by
approximately 60 inches. A third embodiment 10b of the shower pan
having two dams 22c and 22b is shown in FIG. 6.
[0023] A method for constructing the shower pan 10 is described in
FIG. 7. The method comprises providing a floor at step 60, cutting
a drain hole in the floor at step 66, attaching a dam to a front
edge of the floor at step 64, attaching side walls to the dam and
to side edges of the floor at step 66, attaching a rear wall to the
side walls and to a rear edge of the floor at step 68, attaching a
drain to the floor, the drain residing in the drain hole at step
70, laying a filler on the floor between the dam and walls and the
drain to create a sloped floor sloping downward towards the drain
at step 72, and covering interior surfaces on the floor, dam, and
walls with a water proof sealant at step 74. The step of covering
interior surfaces preferably comprises hot mopping the interior
surfaces.
[0024] The shower pan 10 of the present invention is constructed to
allow a simple connection of the drain 16 to stub drain pipe under
the installed shower pan. A method for connecting is described in
FIG. 8. The method includes cutting notches in studs to accept a
shower pan at step 80, positioning the shower pan in the notches at
step 82, fixing the shower pan to the studs at step 84, removing a
drain grating at step 86, applying glue to a length of pipe at step
88, inserting the pipe into the drain and into a coupling residing
below the drain at step 90, and tightening a fitting in the drain
around the pipe to form a seal at step 92. The length of pipe is
preferably a length of PVC pipe, and is preferably approximately
seven inches long. The pipe is preferably sealed to the drain by
tightening a caulking nut in the drain which expands a rubber
gasket to form a seal between the drain and the pipe.
[0025] While the invention herein disclosed has been described by
means of specific embodiments and applications thereof, numerous
modifications and variations could be made thereto by those skilled
in the art without departing from the scope of the invention set
forth in the claims.
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