Splash Guard For Bath Tub Showers

Abstract

A shower splash guard especially adapted for installation on a bath tub by an unskilled person and for the purpose of preventing water from an adjacent wall mounted shower head from splashing between the wall and the adjacent side edge of a suspended shower curtain.

Description

This invention relates to an improved shower splash guard especially adapted for permanent installation by "do-it-yourself" persons who may or may not be skilled workers, and which splash guard is adaptable for use with a bath tub especially for preventing water from a wall mounted shower head from splashing between the wall and an adjacent side edge of a suspended shower curtain.

Various forms of bath tub shower splash guards have been proposed heretofore, but they have not been entirely satisfactory to my knowledge for various reasons. For example, the splash guards proposed heretofore have been difficult to install, or they have been of bulky and/or cumbersome construction, or their configuration has been such that they have not served effectively to prevent leakage of water over the top of the bath tub, and/or they have been composed of many parts contributing to undesirably excessive cost of manufacture and/or installation thereof.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an improved shower splash guard which is simply constructed, easy to install by a skilled or unskilled person, and which otherwise eliminates or substantially reduces the aforementioned problems and difficulties encountered with the forms of shower splash guards proposed heretofore.

It is a more specific object of this invention to provide a shower splash guard adaptable for use with a bath tub especially for preventing water from a wall mounted shower head from splashing between the wall and the adjacent side edge of a suspended shower curtain, which splash guard includes an elongate, substantially rigid leg portion adapted to occupy an upright position, and heel and toe portions collectively forming a foot portion on one end of the leg portion with the toe portion flaring laterally outwardly from said one end of the leg portion. As preferred, splash guard is several feet in length or height with at least a major portion thereof being of a width of only several inches and also being relatively thin as compared to the width thereof. A first flange means, preferably in the form of a pair of opposing flanges, is connected to and extends along a longitudinal edge of the leg portion remote from the outwardly flaring toe portion, and a second flange means, also preferably in the form of a pair of opposing flanges, extends at substantially a right angle to said first flange means and is connected to and extends along the lower edge of the foot portion. The first and second flange means are preferably provided with pressure sensitive adhesive surfaces thereon which are normally covered by suitable release strips, which release strips may be removed for installation of the splash guard so that the first and second flange means are readily adapted for adhesive securement thereof to the wall and to the adjacent upper surface of the bath tub, respectively.

In one embodiment of the invention, the first and second flange means are in the form of longitudinally grooved frame members in which edge portions of the leg and foot portions of the splash guard are frictionally secured. In another embodiment of the invention, the first and second flange means are formed integral with respective molded leg and foot portions of the splash guard, and in still another embodiment of the invention, the foot portion is telescopically connected to and adjustable relative to the leg portion of the splash guard, with the first and second flange means also being integral with the respective leg and foot portions of the splash guard.

Some of the objects and advantages of the invention having been stated, others will appear as the description proceeds when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a bathroom shower area showing a pair of the improved shower splash guards of the first embodiment in installed positions;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged partially exploded perspective view of the first embodiment of the shower splash guard prior to installation thereof;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional plan view taken substantially along line 3--3 in FIG. 2, illustrating the condition of the corresponding flange means prior to connection of the body of the shower splash guard thereto;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional plan view through the leg portion and the adjacent flange means of the splash guard taken substantially along line 4--4 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the integral leg and foot portions of the splash guard shown in the right-hand portion of FIG. 2 and also showing, in exploded relation to the leg and toe portions, a protective cap molding which fits over the free edge of the body of the leg and toe portions of the splash guard;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary sectional plan view similar to that shown in FIG. 4, but showing the aforementioned cap mounted on the free edge of the body of the leg portion of the shower splash guard and also showing the flange means in phantom lines;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view through the cap taken substantially along line 7--7 in FIG. 5;

FIGS. 8, 9 and 10 are side elevations showing the body of the shower splash guard occupying various positions with respect to the substantially L-shaped frame formed of the flange means, and wherein FIG. 8 illustrates a condition in which the wall and the upper surface of the bath tub extend at an acute angle with respect to each other, with FIG. 9 illustrating a condition in which the wall and the bath tub extend at an obtuse angle with respect to each other, and with FIG. 10 illustrating a condition in which the vertically extending flange means is bent to accommodate an irregular wall configuration.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 1, but showing a second embodiment of the shower splash guard of the present invention;

FIG. 12 is an enlarged side elevation of one of the splash guards shown in FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is an elevation looking at the outer edge of the splash guard of FIG. 12;

FIG. 14 is an enlarged sectional plan view taken substantially along line 14--14 in FIG. 12 and illustrating the hollow body construction of the splash guard;

FIG. 15 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken substantially along line 15--15 in FIG. 12;

FIG. 16 is a fragmentary elevation, partially in section, taken substantially along line 16--16 in FIG. 14;

FIG. 17 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of the right-hand shower splash guard shown in FIG. 11 and showing how one side portion of a shower curtain may be detachably connected to the splash guard;

FIG. 18 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional plan view taken substantially along line 18--18 in FIG. 17;

FIG. 19 is a sectional plan view similar to FIG. 14, but showing a third embodiment of the shower splash guard in which the body thereof is of solid construction;

FIG. 20 is a fragmentary view similar to FIG. 12, but showing a fourth embodiment of the shower splash guard with the upper portion thereof broken away, and wherein the foot portion thereof is telescopically connected to the leg portion to permit relative angular adjustment therebetween;

FIG. 21 is an exploded perspective view of the fourth embodiment of the splash guard;

FIG. 22 is an enlarged sectional plan view through the fourth embodiment of the splash guard taken substantially along line 22--22 in FIG. 20; and

FIG. 23 is a view similar to FIG. 22, but being on a reduced scale, and showing a fifth embodiment of the splash guard wherein the bodies of the leg and foot portions of the splash guard are of solid construction as opposed to being of hollow construction in FIGS. 20, 21 and 22.

FIRST EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

Referring more specifically to the drawings, the first embodiment of the shower splash guard of this invention is illustrated in FIGS. 1-10. In FIG. 1, two of the shower splash guards are shown as they are installed in a bathroom area including a back wall 25 and spaced end walls 26, only one of which is shown. A bath tub 27 is positioned on the floor between and against end walls 26 and also against back wall 25. One of the end walls 26 has an elevated shower head 30 extending therefrom above bath tub 27. A suitable shower curtain 31 is shown suspended from a curtain rod 32 extending between end walls 26.

The splash guards of FIG. 1 are indicated at 40, 40' and, since they may be identical to each other, only the right-hand splash guard 40 will be described. As shown, in its preferred embodiment splash guard 40 comprises an elongate, substantially rigid body 43 adapted to occupy an upright position and comprising a leg portion 41, a heel portion 38 and a toe portion 42. The heel and toe portions 38, 42 collectively form a foot portion on one end of the leg portion 41, and the foot portion is wider than the leg portion so that toe portion 42 flares outwardly or forwardly from the front edge of the leg portion 41. In this embodiment of the invention, the leg portion 41, heel portion 38 and toe portion 42 are integral with each other. Body 43 is formed of a substantially flat, relatively thin and substantially rigid sheet material, such as plastic, fiberboard, wood, metal or any other desired material. The front upper edge portion of the leg portion 41 of body 43 preferably is of arcuate form, as at 44, and the arcuate portion thereof may have a radius about equal to or greater than the width of leg portion 41, as shown.

The splash guard 40 should be of sufficient height or length and width so that, when it is installed as shown in FIG. 1, it will prevent water from the wall mounted shower head 30 and from bath tub 27 from splashing between the wall 26 and the adjacent side edge of the suspended shower curtain 31. It is preferred, therefore, that the splash guard 40 is several feet in length or height with at least the major portion thereof being of a width of only several inches and it is also preferred that splash guard 40 is relatively thin as compared to the width thereof.

By way of example, body 43 may be about three to five feet long with the leg portion 41 thereof being about three to five inches wide and with the foot portion thereof, including heel and toe portions 38, 42, preferably being about two or three inches wider than leg portion 41 of body 43. In any event, splash guard 40 should be about two to four times as long as the height of the usual bath tub from the floor to the upper surface of the front portion of the tub. Body 43 may be about 1/16 to 5/16 inch thick depending upon the type of material of which body 43 is made.

A first flange means is connected to and extends along a longitudinal edge of leg portion 41 remote from the outwardly flaring toe portion 42. A second flange means extends at substantially a right angle to the first flange means and is connected to and extends along the lower edge of foot portion 38, 42. The first and second flange means are adapted for adhesive securement thereof to the corresponding bathroom wall 26 and the adjacent upper surface of tub 27, respectively. Accordingly, in the first embodiment of the invention, the rear longitudinal edge of body 43, remote from toe portion 42, is substantially straight and the lower edge of body 43 extends at substantially a right angle to the rear longitudinal edge of body 43.

The aforementioned first and second flange means comprise respective first and second elongate frame members 50, 51 (FIGS. 2, 3, 4 and 6-10) which preferably are of about the same or slightly longer length than the respective longitudinal and bottom edges of body 43. Thus, as shown in FIGS. 8-10 frame members 50, 51 extend substantially throughout the lengths of the respective leg and foot portions of body 43. It is preferred that frame members 50, 51 are formed of an extruded, bendable plastic material which may be deformed to some extent, but which preferably does not have a "memory" to such extent that it will return to its original form after it has been bent or deformed. A typical plastic material which may be used for this purpose is polyvinyl chloride foam. Other vinyl thermoplastic materials also may be used.

Since frame members 50, 51 extend at substantially a right angle relative to each other, they collectively form a substantially L-shaped frame and it is preferred that frame members 50, 51 are integral at their juncture to the extent that they are only partially cut away at their juncture in order to form a miter joint at the juncture of frame members 50, 51. Preferably, the lower corner of the L-shaped frame, at the juncture of frame members 50, 51, is rounded, as at 52, so that it may conform substantially to the concave juncture usually present between the upper perimeter of a bath tub and the adjacent bathroom wall or walls.

As best shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, each frame member 50, 51 preferably is of generally T-shape in cross-section with a longitudinally extending groove 53 being provided throughout the length thereof for matingly receiving therein the corresponding edge portion of body 43. The outer surfaces of frame members 50, 51 remote from body 43 are substantially flat throughout the length thereof so that frame members 50, 51 take the form of respective first and second pairs of opposing flanges extending along the rear longitudinal edge of leg portion 41 and along the foot end of shower splash guard 40.

The outwardly facing surfaces of frame members 50, 51 are provided with a pressure sensitive adhesive material thereon which is covered by suitable strips of release tape which are readily removable to permit adhesive securement of the first and second frame members 50, 51 to the wall and the adjacent upper surface of bath tub 27. Accordingly, the outwardly facing surfaces of frame members 50, 51 have respective first and second pressure sensitive adhesive strip members thereon which are permanently secured to the respective frame members 50, 51. Each pressure sensitive adhesive strip member is designated at 54 in FIGS. 3 and 4, and it is preferred that it is in the form of a relatively thin layer of relatively yieldable or resilient material, such as polyurethane foam, for example.

The adhesive outer surface of each resilient pressure sensitive adhesive strip member 54 normally has a strip of a suitable release tape 55, such as silicone paper or any other suitable material, adhesively and shieldingly positioned against the same. Each strip of release tape 55 may be easily removed from the adhesive surface of the respective pressure sensitive adhesive strip 54 to facilitate installation of the splash guard and to permit effective adhesive securement of frame members 50, 51, and the flanges formed thereby, against the corresponding bathroom wall 26 and the adjacent upper surface of the bath tub 27 as heretofore indicated. The resilient nature of pressure sensitive adhesive strip members 54 should be such that they may conform to relatively small irregularities engaged thereby and, thus, will permit securement of the frame members 50, 51 to wall 26 and bath tub 27 in such a manner as to prevent water from shower head 30 from leaking between the wall 26 and the longitudinal or substantial vertical edge of the corresponding shower splash guard 40, and also to prevent water from leaking between the upper surface of the bath tub 27 and the lower surface of shower splash guard 40.

It will be observed in FIG. 3 that opposing side walls defining the longitudinally extending groove 53 in each frame member 50, 51 converge slightly toward the open end of the corresponding groove and, additionally, each of the latter opposing side walls is provided with projections 56 thereon for engaging the opposite sides of the body 43 of splash guard 40 to aid in frictionally securing together the adjacent edge portions of body 43 and the respective frame members 50, 51. Since the proximal outer portions of opposing walls of each groove 53 converge toward the open edge of each respective frame member 50, 51, it is preferred that the rear and lower edges of body 43 are beveled slightly, as shown, so that they may be readily inserted in the grooves 53 of frame members 50, 51 and then will cause the walls of the grooves 53 to be in stressed-apart frictional clamping engagement with opposite sides of body 43. Further, it is preferred that the vertically extending rear portions of opposite sides of body 43 are serrated, knurled or otherwise roughened along the length thereof, as at 57 (FIG. 2), to aid further in firmly securing frame member 50 in mating relation to the rear longitudinal edge portion of body 43.

If desired, a suitable protective cap or molding strip 60 may be positioned on the exposed edges of body 43 of splash guard 40, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, so as to aid in preventing injury to a person using the bath tub 27 in the event that such person's body should rub against either of the splash guards 40, 40' of FIG. 1. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, protective cap 60 may be of substantially U-shaped cross-section and is preferably of resilient material so that opposing side walls thereof may be forced apart from each other when cap 60 is placed on body 43 to frictionally retain cap 60 on body 43.

It is preferred that the groove 53 in each frame member 50, 51 is of such depth that frame members 50, 51 may be bent to conform substantially to the wall and tub surfaces engaged thereby without the corresponding edges of body 43 being exposed with respect to frame members 50, 51 even though the wall may be uneven or extend at more or less than a right angle relative to the adjacent upper surface of the bath tub. Accordingly, it will be observed in FIG. 8 that, in the event of the wall 26 and the upper surface of tub 27 extending at an acute angle relative to each other, with the corresponding vertical and bottom edges of body 43 extending at a right angle with respect to each other, the lower rear corner of body 43 may be spaced upwardly from the bottom of the groove 53 in frame member 51 to compensate for the acute angular relationship between wall 26 and tub 27.

On the other hand, in the event of there being an obtuse angular relationship between wall 26 and the upper surface of tub 27, as in FIG. 9, it will be observed that the upper edge portion of body 43 may be tilted to conform to the plane of the wall 26 while toe portion 42 may be spaced slightly above the bottom of the groove 53 in bottom frame member 51 to compensate for the aforementioned obtuse angular relationship between wall 26 and the upper surface of bath tub 27 in FIG. 9. FIG. 10 simply shows that, although wall 26 may be in an uneven or bowed condition, the vertical frame member 50 may conform generally to the shape of wall 26, and the upper portion of body 43 may, in turn, be positioned against the back wall of the groove 53 in frame member 50 simply by spacing the lower rear portion or heel portion 38 of body 43 outwardly or forwardly with respect to the rearmost wall of the corresponding lower portion of frame member 50. As further shown in FIG. 10, the front end of toe portion 42 then may be spaced above the bottom of the groove 53 in second frame member 51, if necessary.

It is thus apparent that, by forming frame members 50, 51 of a bendable plastic material, this permits varying the angular relationship between the first and second flange means embodied in frame members 50, 51 so as to accommodate different angular relationships between each wall 26 and the adjacent upper surface of the respective bath tub in various installations. Accordingly, it also is apparent that the illustrations of FIGS. 8, 9 and 10 are representative of many different conditions which may exist with respect to wall 26 and the upper surface of tub 27 and which may be readily compensated for during the installation of the splash guard 40 of this invention.

Referring again to the projections 56 on the walls of groove 53 in first frame member 50 (FIG. 3), it is preferred that these projections are in the form of longitudinal ribs projecting about 0.003 to 0.010 inch from the walls of groove 53 and throughout the length of first frame member 50. Although similar ribs may be provided in second frame member 51, they may be omitted in frame member 51, and the lower portions of body 43 are not roughened in the manner of the rear portions of body 43, so as to permit ease in manual angular adjustment of frame members 50, 51 relative to each other and relative to body 43 after they have been connected to body 43. Thus, when manually adjusting frame members 50, 51 as described with respect to FIGS. 8-10, body 43 may be moved relative to second frame member 51 more readily than it may be moved relative to first frame member 50, as is desirable.

SECOND EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

Essentially, the second embodiment of the splash guard 40a shown in FIGS. 11-18 differs from the first embodiment 40 shown in FIGS. 1-10 in that the body of splash guard 40a is of hollow blow molded construction and the flange means thereof are molded integral with the body. Accordingly, those parts shown in FIGS. 11-18 which correspond to like or similar parts in FIGS. 1-10 will bear the same reference characters as are applied in FIGS. 1-10 with the letter a added, where applicable, to avoid repetitive description.

As indicated above, splash guard 40a of the second embodiment is of blow molded construction. Thus, with the exception of the pressure sensitive adhesive strip members and the strips of release tape used therewith, the entire body 43a, including the leg portion 41a and the foot portion 38a, 42a thereof, and the flanges thereon, may be of an integrally molded one-piece plastic construction. It will be observed in FIGS. 14 and 15 that body 43a is hollow and formed of two closely spaced substantially rigid wall members a interconnected at their front portions by a rounded front edge wall portion b.

In this second embodiment of the splash guard, the first and second flange means are embodied in respective first and second pairs of opposing flanges 50a, 51a (FIGS. 14 and 15). The two first and second flanges 50a, 51a on one side of body 43a are integral with the adjacent wall a while the other first and second flanges 50a, 51a are integral with the other of the walls a forming body 43a.

It is important to note that, although the wall members a are of relatively rigid form, as preferred, the outwardly extending flanges 50a, 51a are of relatively thin and relatively pliable form as compared to wall members a. Also, the opposing flanges of each pair 50a, 51a extend generally outwardly at an obtuse angle of about 105.degree. relative to the respective opposing side surfaces of body 43a (see FIGS. 14 and 15). This construction of the flanges 50a, 51a is desirable so that they may be readily deformed during installation of splash guard 40a (see FIGS. 17 and 18) and may conform to wall 26a and the upper surface of tub 27a, even though the bottom and rear edges of the splash guard 40a, per se, may extend at a right angle before installation of the splash guard but the wall 26a and the tub upper surface may be disposed in acute or obtuse angular relationship. Also, the flanges 50a, 51a will yield and thus will conform substantially to relatively small irregularities in the adjacent wall 26a (FIG. 11) and/or the adjacent surface of bath tub 27a.

Of course, as is the case with respect to the first embodiment of the shower splash guard 40, each of the flanges 50a, 51a of the second embodiment of the shower splash guard 40a in FIGS. 11-18 has a respective resilient, pressure sensitive adhesive strip member 54a permanently secured to the respective outwardly facing surface thereof, and a strip of release tape 55a is shieldingly positioned against the adhesive outer surface of each respective pressure sensitive adhesive strip member 54a. The strips of release tape 55a are readily removable from the adhesive surfaces of the pressure sensitive adhesive strip members 54a to permit adhesive securement of the first and second pairs of flanges 50a, 51a to the wall 26a and the adjacent upper surface of bath tub 27a, respectively.

As best shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, it will be observed that the flanges 50a, 51a are caused to extend in substantially right angular relation to wall members a of body 43a during installation of splash guard 40a as the workman applies rearward and downward force to the splash guard. Obviously, the adhesive material on strip members 54a then maintains flanges 50a, 51a in the desired positions relative to wall 26a and bath tub 27a.

As is well known, properly fitting shower curtains usually are of such size that their lower portions will drape inside the bath tub and they will substantially span the distance between the end walls of the bathroom. Thus, the shower splash guards of this invention when installed, normally may be sufficiently overlapped by the shower curtain to ensure that water from a wall mounted shower head normally will not splash between the wall and the adjacent side edge of the suspended shower curtain. However, in some instances, it may be desirable to attach the adjacent side edges of the shower curtain to the respective shower splash guards. To this end, it will be observed in FIGS. 17 and 18 that the inner surface of the body 43a of the installed splash guard 40a is provided with an outwardly projecting stob or hook member 62 which may be of a type having a pressure sensitive adhesive base thereon for adhesively securing the same to the corresponding surface of the splash guard body 43a. Several of the hooks or stobs 62 may be provided along the leg portion of the corresponding shower splash guard, and each of the stobs or hook members 62 may be engaged by a suitable grommet or projecting apertured member 64 carried by the corresponding side edge portion of shower curtain 31a in FIGS. 17 and 18. It is apparent that all of the forms of the shower splash guard disclosed herein may be provided with hook members 62 and grommets 64 may be provided on the adjacent shower curtain similar to those shown in FIGS. 17 and 18 for releasably attaching the corresponding side edge portions of the shower curtain to the adjacent shower splash guards.

THIRD EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIG. 19, there is shown a sectional plan view similar to FIG. 14, but showing a third embodiment of the shower splash guard broadly designated at 40b. The shower splash guard 40b may be identical to the shower splash guard 40a with the exception of the fact that the body thereof, including its leg, heel and toe portions, is of solid plastic material rather than being of hollow construction. Therefore, those parts of the shower splash guard 40b which are identical to or similar to parts of the splash guard 40a shown in FIGS. 11-18 will bear the same reference characters with the letter b added in place of the a, where applicable, to avoid repetitive description. Since the third form of shower splash guard 40b otherwise is clearly described by comparing the reference characters of FIG. 19 with those of the preceding FIGS. 11-18, a further description and illustration of shower splash guard 40b is deemed unnecessary.

FOURTH EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

In FIGS. 20, 21 and 22 there is shown a fourth embodiment of the shower splash guard broadly designated at 40c and which is quite similar to the second embodiment of the splash guard 40a, with the important exception that the foot portion, or at least the toe portion 42c thereof, is separable from leg portion 41c and a telescopic or mating connection therebetween permits relative angular adjustment between the foot portion or its toe portion 42c and leg portion 41c. Accordingly, those parts shown in FIGS. 20, 21 and 22 which correspond to like or similar parts in FIGS. 11-18 will bear the same reference characters as are applied in FIGS. 11-18 with the letter c added in place of the letter a where applicable, to avoid repetitive description. It should be understood that, although the upper portion of splash guard 40c is broken away in FIGS. 20 and 21, such upper portion may be identical to the upper portion of splash guard 40a as illustrated in FIGS. 11, 12 and 13.

Since the leg, heel and toe portions 41c, 38c, 42c of FIGS. 20-22 are molded, preferably of a suitable thermoplastic material, and the leg and foot portions are separable from each other, the reference numeral 43c denotes the body of leg portion 41c only, and the composite body of heel and toe portions 38c, 42c is designated at 45c. Further, the relatively rigid wall members of bodies 43c, 45c are respectively designated at a' and a" in FIG. 22.

It is preferred that the bodies 43c, 45c of the leg and foot portions of splash guard 40c are both of about the same thickness. Accordingly, in order to permit angular adjustment of the foot portion 38c, 42c relative to leg portion 41c while retaining a mating relationship therebetween throughout the length of the telescopic connection, the lower end of leg portion 41c extends at an acute angle with respect to the rear edge of body 43c as defined by the rear flanges 50c in this instance. Such acute angle may be in the range of about 15.degree. to 60.degree. but is preferably approximately 45.degree., as shown in FIG. 20. Additionally, the inclined lower edge of the body 43c of leg portion 41c is provided with a pair of spaced guideways 65 integral with the respective wall members a' and which project outwardly with respect to the outer surfaces of the wall members a', so as to slideably and matingly receive therein the angularly extending rear upper edge of the body 45c of foot portion 38c, 42c.

Preferably, the rearmost or heel portion 38c of foot body 45c extends upwardly a relatively short distance so that it may be properly aligned with the rear edge of leg body 43c. Accordingly, it will be observed in FIGS. 20 and 21 that the second pair of flanges 51c not only extend throughout the length of foot portion 38c, 42c and define the foot end of the splash guard 40c, but they also extend upwardly a relatively short distance at the rearmost edge of body 45c so as to be positioned substantially in alignment with the first pair of flanges 50c, as best shown in FIG. 20. It should be noted that the rear lowermost corner of heel portion 38c of shower splash guard 40c is rounded, as at 52c, to accommodate the usual curvature of the upper outermost edge of the bath tub at its juncture with the corresponding vertical wall of the bathroom area in the manner described with respect to the rounded corner 52 of the first embodiment of the splash guard 40, with particular reference to FIG. 2.

It is thus seen that, in addition to the first and second pairs of flanges 50c, 51c being yieldable to permit the proper installation of splash guard 40c at the juncture of a bathroom wall and the adjacent upper surface of a bath tub which might not be disposed in right angular relationship, the fact that the foot portion 38c, 42c is angularly adjustable relative to the leg portion 41c permits the installation of the shower splash guard 40c at the juncture of a bathroom wall and the upper surface of a bath tub wherein the bathroom wall may extend at an unusually acute or obtuse angle with respect to the upper surface of the adjacent bath tub. In other respects, the shower splash guard 40c of FIGS. 20-22 may be the same as, and may be installed in substantially the same manner as, the second embodiment of the shower splash guard 40a of FIGS. 11-18. Accordingly, a further description of shower splash guard 40c is deemed unnecessary.

FIFTH EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIG. 23, there is shown a sectional plan view similar to FIG. 22, but being on a reduced scale and showing a fifth embodiment of the shower splash guard broadly designated at 40d. The shower splash guard 40d may be identical to splash guard 40c with the exception of the fact that the bodies 43d, 45d of the respective leg and foot portions of splash guard 40d are molded of solid plastic material rather than being of hollow construction. In other respects, the fifth embodiment of the shower splash guard 40d may be identical to the fourth embodiment of splash guard 40c. Therefore, a further description of shower splash guard 40d will not be given, and those parts of shower splash guard 40d which are identical to or similar to parts of shower splash guard 40c will bear the same reference characters with the letter d added in place of the letter c, where applicable, to avoid repetitive description.

It is thus seen that I have provided several embodiments of an improved shower splash guard of simple construction which may be easily installed by a skilled or unskilled person without the need for utilizing any special tools or equipment for effecting the installation, and wherein the splash guard is several feet in length or height, but is of a width of only several inches and is relatively thin as compared to the width thereof so that the splash guard can effectively prevent water from a wall mounted shower head from splashing between the wall and adjacent side edge of a suspended shower curtain, without the shower splash guard materially encumbering anyone entering or leaving the bath tub.

In the drawings and specification there have been set forth several embodiments of the invention and, although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.

Claims

That which is claimed is:

1. A shower splash guard adaptable for use with a bath tub especially for preventing water from a wall mounted shower head from splashing between the wall and the adjacent side edge of a suspended shower curtain, said splash guard comprising an elongate, substantially rigid leg portion adapted to occupy an upright position, a heel portion and a toe portion collectively forming a foot portion on one end of said leg portion with said toe portion flaring laterally outwardly on said one end of said leg portion, said splash guard being several feet in length with at least the major portion thereof being of a width of only several inches and also being relatively thin as compared to the width thereof, first flange means connected to and extending along a longitudinal edge of said leg portion remote from said outwardly flaring toe portion, second flange means extending at substantially a right angle to said first flange means and connected to and extending along the lower edge of said foot portion, and said first and second flange means being adapted for adhesive securement thereof to a wall and to the adjacent upper surface of a bath tub, respectively.

2. A shower splash guard according to claim 1 wherein said first flange means comprises a pair of opposing flanges connected to and extending substantially throughout the length of said longitudinal edge of said leg portion.

3. A shower splash guard according to claim 1, wherein said second flange means comprises a pair of opposing flanges connected to and extending along the lower edge of said foot portion.

4. A shower splash guard according to claim 1, wherein said first and second flange means are provided with respective outwardly facing pressure sensitive adhesive outer surfaces thereon, and a strip of release tape shieldingly positioned against each adhesive outer surface and being removable therefrom to permit adhesive securement of said first and second flange means to the wall and the adjacent upper surface of the tub.

5. A shower splash guard according to claim 1, wherein said first and second flange means are provided with respective outwardly facing strip members secured thereto and having pressure sensitive adhesive outer surfaces thereon, and a strip of release tape shieldingly positioned against each adhesive outer surface and being removable therefrom to permit adhesive securement of said first and second flange means to the wall and the adjacent upper surface of the tub.

6. A shower splash guard according to claim 5, wherein said outwardly facing strip members are formed of a resilient material.

7. A shower splash guard according to claim 1, wherein said foot portion is integral with said leg portion.

8. A shower splash guard according to claim 7, wherein said first and second flange means comprise respective elongate frame members of substantially greater width than the thickness of said leg and foot portions and having respective longitudinal grooves along medial portions thereof for matingly receiving therein said longitudinal edge of said leg portion and said lower edge of said foot portion, respectively.

9. A shower splash guard according to claim 8, wherein said elongate frame members of said first and second flange means are integral with each other so that they collectively form a generally L-shaped frame, and wherein the elongate frame members are formed of a bendable plastic material permitting varying the angular relationship between said first and second flange means to accommodate different angular relationships between a wall and a respective bath tub in various installations.

10. A shower splash guard according to claim 8, wherein the elongate frame member of at least said first flange means is of a bendable plastic material capable of being readily bent to conform substantially to irregularities which may be present on the wall.

11. A shower splash guard according to claim 8, wherein opposing walls defining the grooves in said elongate frame members are provided with projections thereon for engaging the sides of the respective leg and foot portions to aid in securing said leg and foot portions to the respective first and second flange means.

12. A shower splash guard according to claim 11, wherein said projections are in the form of spaced longitudinally extending ribs.

13. A splash guard according to claim 8, wherein opposing walls defining the grooves in said elongate frame members are in clamping frictional engagement with opposite sides of the respective leg and foot portions.

14. A shower guard according to claim 8, wherein opposite sides of said leg portion are provided with roughened surfaces adjacent said longitudinal edge to aid in maintaining a frictional interconnection between said first flange means and said leg portion.

15. A shower splash guard adaptable for use with a bath tub especially for preventing water from a wall mounted shower head from splashing between the wall and the adjacent side edge of a suspended shower curtain, said splash guard comprising an elongate, substantially rigid body adapted to occupy an upright position, a first pair of opposing flanges connected to and extending along one longitudinal edge of said body, a second pair of opposing flanges extending at substantially a right angle to said first pair of opposing flanges and connected to and extending along one end edge of said body and defining a foot end on the splash guard, said first and second pairs of flanges having respective outwardly facing surfaces thereon, a pressure sensitive adhesive material on each of said outwardly facing surfaces, and a strip of release tape shieldingly positioned against the adhesive material on each of said outwardly facing surfaces and being removable therefrom to permit adhesive securement of said first and second pairs of flanges to a wall and to the adjacent upper surface of a bath tub, respectively.

16. A shower splash guard according to claim 15, including a resilient strip member secured to each flange and defining the respective outwardly facing surface thereof, and said pressure sensitive adhesive material being present on the outer surfaces of said resilient strip members.

17. A shower splash guard according to claim 15, wherein said first and second pairs of flanges comprise respective elongate frame members of substantially greater width than the thickness of said body and have respective longitudinal grooves along medial portions thereof for matingly receiving therein the respective longitudinal and end edges of said body.

18. A shower splash guard according to claim 17, wherein said elongate frame members are integral with each other and collectively form a generally L-shaped frame, and wherein said frame is formed of a bendable plastic material permitting varying the angular relationship between said first and second pairs of flanges to accommodate different angular relationships between a wall and a respective bath tub in various installations.

19. A splash guard according to claim 17, wherein opposing walls defining the grooves in said elongate frame members are provided with projections thereon for engaging the sides of said body to aid in securing said body to said elongate frame members.

20. A splash guard according to claim 19, wherein said projections are in the form of spaced longitudinally extending ribs.

21. A splash guard according to claim 17, wherein opposite sides of said body, adjacent the longitudinal edge thereof, are provided with roughened surfaces to aid in maintaining a frictional interconnection between said first pair of flanges and said body.

22. A shower splash guard adaptable for use with a bath tub especially for preventing water from a wall mounted shower head from splashing between the wall and the adjacent side edge of a suspended shower curtain, said splash guard comprising a relatively thin, substantially flat and substantially rigid body having an elongate leg portion, a heel portion and a toe portion collectively forming a foot portion integral with one end of said leg portion with said toe portion flaring outwardly from said one end of said leg portion, said body being several feet in length with at least the major portion thereof being of a width of only several inches, the leg portion of said body having a longitudinal rear edge remote from said toe portion, said foot portion having a lower edge which also defines the lower edge of said body and extends substantially at a right angle to said rear edge, a substantially L-shaped frame including first and second frame members connected to and extending along the respective rear and lower edges of said body, each frame member having a pressure sensitive adhesive other surface thereon, and a strip of release tape positioned against the pressure sensitive adhesive outer surface of each frame member and adapted to be removed to permit adhesive securement of the frame members to a wall and an adjacent upper surface of a bath tub for installation of the splash guard.

23. A shower splash guard according to claim 22, wherein said first and second frame members are provided with longitudinally extending grooves along their respective front and upper surfaces and in which the respective rear and lower edge portions of said body are frictionally positioned, and said frame members being angularly adjustable relative to each other and relative to said body to accommodate different angular relationships between a wall and a respective bath tub upper surface in various installations.

24. A structure according to claim 22, wherein said L-shaped frame is formed of a bendable plastic material and is matingly connected to said splash guard body, said first and second frame members being integrally interconnected at their juncture, and at least one of said frame members being angularly adjustable relative to the adjacent edge of said body and relative to the other frame member to accommodate varying angular relationships between a wall and a respective bath tub upper surface which may be present in various installations.

25. A shower splash guard according to claim 22, wherein said first and second frame members of said L-shaped frame are provided with longitudinally extending grooves along their respective front and upper surfaces for frictionally receiving therein respective rear and lower edge portions of said body, and said first and second frame members being formed of bendable plastic material and being integrally interconnected at their juncture so that said frame members may be angularly adjusted relative to said body and relative to each other to accommodate varying angular relationships between a wall and a respective bath tub upper surface which may be present in various installations.

26. A shower splash guard adaptable for use with a bath tub especially for preventing water from a wall mounted shower head from splashing between the wall and the adjacent side edge of a suspended shower curtain, said splash guard comprising an elongate plastic leg portion adapted to occupy an upright position, a plastic heel portion and a plastic toe portion collectively forming a foot portion on one end of said leg portion, said splash guard being several feet in length with at least the major portion thereof being of a width of only several inches and also being relatively thin as compared to the width thereof, said toe portion flaring laterally outwardly from said leg portion, a first pair of opposing flanges extending along a longitudinal edge of said leg portion remote from said toe portion, a second pair of opposing flanges extending at substantially a right angle to said first pair of flanges and along the lower edge of said foot portion, said flanges also being of plastic, and said first and second pairs of flanges being adapted to be adhesively secured to the wall and to the adjacent upper surface of the tub, respectively.

27. A shower splash guard according to claim 26, wherein said foot portion is integral with said leg portion.

28. A splash guard according to claim 26, including pressure sensitive adhesive outer surfaces on said first and second pairs of flanges, and a strip of release tape shieldingly positioned against each pressure sensitive adhesive outer surface for removal therefrom to permit adhesive securement of said first and second pairs of flanges to the wall and the upper surface of the tub.

29. A splash guard according to claim 26, wherein said leg and foot portions are of integrally molded construction and form a common relatively rigid plastic body, wherein said flanges are integral with and extend generally outwardly at an obtuse angle relative to the respective opposite sides of said body, and wherein said flanges are relatively thin and pliable as compared to said body so that they may be deformed to permit accommodation of the first and second pairs of flanges to variations in angular relationships between a wall and a respective bath tub upper surface which may be present in various installations.

30. A shower splash guard according to claim 26, wherein at least the toe portion of said foot portion is separable from and telescopically connected to said leg portion so that said toe portion may be angularly adjusted relative to said leg portion.

31. A shower splash guard according to claim 26, wherein said foot portion is telescopically connected to said leg portion for angular adjustment relative to said leg portion, said leg and foot portions comprising respective substantially flat bodies having the respective first and second pairs of flanges thereon, and each of said flanges being relatively thin and pliable as compared to said bodies so that said flanges may be deformed to conform substantially to relatively small irregularities in the wall and/or the upper surface of the bath tub.

32. A shower splash guard according to claim 31, wherein said pairs of opposing flanges extend generally outwardly at an obtuse angle of about 105.degree. relative to opposite side surfaces of the respective bodies of said leg and foot portions.

33. A shower splash guard according to claim 26, including a relatively thin and resilient strip of foam material secured to the outer surface of each of said flanges, a pressure sensitive adhesive outer surface on each strip of foam material, and said pressure sensitive adhesive outer surfaces being adapted to engage the wall and the upper surface of the tub for securing the respective first and second pairs of flanges thereto.

34. A shower splash guard adaptable for use with a bath tub especially for preventing water from a wall mounted shower head from splashing between the wall and an adjacent side edge of a suspended shower curtain, said splash guard comprising an elongate molded plastic leg portion adapted to occupy an upright position and including a substantially flat and rigid body, molded plastic heel and toe portions collectively forming a foot portion on one end of said leg portion with said toe portion flaring laterally outwardly from said leg portion, a first pair of opposing flanges extending along a longitudinal edge of said leg portion remote from said toe portion, a second pair of opposing flanges extending at substantially a right angle to said first pair of flanges and along a lower edge of said foot portion, said flanges being of plastic and integral with the respective leg and foot portions, said first and second pairs of flanges being adapted to be adhesviely secured to a wall and to the adjacent upper surface of a bath tub, respectively, and said flanges also being relatively thin and pliable as compared to said rigid body of said leg portion so that they may be deformed to conform substantially to relatively small irregularities which may be present on the wall and/or the bath tub.

35. A shower splash guard adaptable for use with a bath tub especially for preventing water from a wall mounted shower head from splashing between the wall and the adjacent side edge of a suspended shower curtain, said splash guard comprising an elongate molded plastic leg portion adapted to occupy an upright position, molded plastic heel and toe portions collectively forming a foot portion on one end of said leg portion, at least one first flange carried by, extending along and defining a longitudinal edge of said leg portion remote from said toe portion, at least one second flange extending at substantially a right angle to said first flange, said second flange being carried by and extending along the lower edge of said foot portion, said foot portion comprising a substantially flat body telescopically connected to said one end of said leg portion for permitting angular adjustment of said foot portion relative to said leg portion, and said first and second flanges being adapted to be adhesively secured to the wall and to the adjacent upper surface of the tub, respectively.

36. A shower splash guard according to claim 35, wherein said leg and foot portions are provided with telescoping edge portions which complement each other and extend at an angle intermediate the angle between said first and second flanges.