Prefabricated shower pans and partially prefabricated shower pans having components manufactured using computer numerically controlled lathes and methods for making same

Abstract

Methods for creating tileable shower pans and resulting apparatus. In one embodiment, a method of manufacturing a tileable shower pan comprises the steps of: forming, through CNC lathing, a shower pan with a tileable shower pan floor containing a trench with a trench floor; selecting one or more additional tileable shower pan components selected from a group consisting of a standard drain, one or more sidewalls, one or more curbs, and one or more barrier free entrances; providing an aperture in the trench floor; and attaching a standard drain to the aperture in the trench at the time the trench is formed or any time thereafter. In another embodiment, a waterproof shower pan is disclosed comprising: a mortar bed or other handmade tileable shower pan floor; a trench formed through CNC lathing, the trench defining a drain aperture therein; a standard drain attached to the aperture at the time the trench is formed or any time thereafter; and one or more additional components of a tileable shower pan selected from the group consisting of one or more sidewalls, one or more curbs, and one or more barrier free entrances.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]N / A.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]1. Field of the Invention[0003]The present invention relates generally to showers and other drainable structures, and associated drains and trenches, and more particularly to ready-to-tile molded leak proof shower pans with a molded trench (as herein defined) or prefabricated trench (as herein defined) and a standard drain (as herein defined) attached to the bottom of such trench.[0004]2. Description of the Prior Art[0005]In the design and manufacture of shower bases, it is necessary to provide means by which water can be directed to one or more drain openings by gravity. This is done by way of pitching, or sloping, the floor surface(s) from higher to lower positions on the pan floor, the lower position(s) coinciding with the drain location(s). Given the myriad possible drain locations for any given shower arrangement, it has heretofore been necessary to create an entirely different tool for each drain...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The patent text describes various ways to integrate a trench drain with a prefabricated shower pan. This allows for the ready-to-tile manufacture of a shower pan with a ready-to-install drain. The drain can be integrally formed with the shower pan during manufacture or added later in the field. The integration of the drain and shower pan creates a seamless and efficient drainage system that blends into the surrounding flooring material. The trench drain can be a standalone drain body or a part of a larger prefabricated shower pan assembly. The technical effects of this patent include improved drainage efficiency, seamless integration with the shower pan, and flexibility in installation options.

Problems solved by technology

However, such arrangements are expensive, and it is commonplace for leaks to develop at the connections between (a) the trench drain and the mortar bed or other handmade shower pan, (b) the trench drain and the partially prefabricated shower pan, (c) any other seams in the mortar bed or other handmade shower pan, and (d) any other seams in the partially prefabricated shower pan, rendering such non-unitarily manufactured arrangements highly undesirable.

Likewise, there are no ready-to-tile partially prefabricated shower pans on the market today with (a) a standalone standard drain and a prefabricated trench as two components of a partially prefabricated shower pan assembly, (b) a prefabricated trench and a standard drain attached thereto as a single component of a prefabricated shower pan assembly, and (c) a prefabricated trench or a molded trench incorporated into a partially prefabricated shower pan floor to which a standalone standard drain is attached.

Similarly, a standalone standard drain and a prefabricated trench is not available on the market today for use in a mortar bed or other handmade shower pan.

Most existing stand alone trench drains are made of metal as an integrated unit and approved as such under various plumbing codes and have the actual floor drain hookup integrated as part thereof, resulting in a prohibitively expensive product.

Existing technology does not permit this kind of flexibility in connection with molded or prefabricated trenches and standalone standard drains used in connection with ready-to-tile prefabricated shower pans, ready-to-tile partially prefabricated shower pans, ready-to-tile mortar bed or other handmade shower pans, and non tileable shower pan trenches.

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