Method for arranging an element, such as a shower board or shower drain, in a floor
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for arranging shower boards or shower drains in floors face challenges in achieving a watertight seal, particularly at corners where surfaces converge at right angles, often requiring wide adhesive edges to compensate for irregularities, which are not always available, and result in constructions that are not watertight or require additional tile adhesive.
Innovation Solution
A method involving an element with a strip of flexible watertight material standing upright along the corner of two straight edges, which can be folded downward to create a reliable seal without extending above the surface, allowing the element to be placed against walls or in the middle of a floor, using a strip that can be adjusted to fit between two walls and incorporating a watertight layer for sealing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a corner piece of flexible watertight layer is folded from a blank to create a corner seal, then a watertight seal is achieved, but a thickened portion is created that impedes placing wall tiles and requires additional tile adhesive
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible watertight layer is divided into a base layer and a separate corner piece. The corner piece is formed by folding a blank of flexible watertight layer to create a three-dimensional corner component that can be separately attached to the base layer, allowing the seal to be formed without creating a thickened portion that would interfere with tile placement
Solution Approach 2:
The corner piece is folded to extend in a direction substantially perpendicular to the base layer, creating a three-dimensional corner seal that fits into the corner formed by floor and wall surfaces. This dimensional transformation allows the seal to occupy the corner space without creating a thickened portion on the surface where tiles are placed
2Device complexity
If individual parts are assembled to form a corner piece, then the thickened portion is avoided, but a reliable watertight seal cannot be achieved at the convergence of bottom surface and side surfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The corner piece and base layer are combined by adhering the corner piece to the base layer. This merging creates a unified watertight assembly where the corner piece's folded structure provides the seal at the corner convergence, while the base layer provides the continuous watertight surface, achieving both structural integrity and reliable sealing without thickened portions
3Reliability
If a preformed corner piece is used during construction, then a reliable seal can be obtained, but an adhesive edge of at least 5 centimetres in width is required which is not always available
Solution Approach 1:
The corner piece is designed with a folded structure that concentrates the sealing function at the corner location rather than requiring a wide adhesive edge along the entire perimeter. The folding creates local sealing quality at the critical corner convergence point, allowing the use of narrower adhesive edges that are available in typical construction scenarios
4Reliability
If an element with corner piece pre-adhered in production environment is offered, then reliable adhesion is achieved, but additional stock keeping and ordering complexity is created
Solution Approach 1:
The element is designed with a universal interface that can accommodate both pre-adhered corner pieces (for wall installations) and elements without corner pieces (for middle-of-floor installations). This multi-functionality allows a single element design to serve multiple installation scenarios, eliminating the need to maintain separate stock inventories for different element types
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a method for arranging an element, such as a shower board or shower drain, in a floor, which method includes the steps of: providing an element which has an upper surface with at least two straight edges lying at an angle, preferably an angle of 90 degrees. The element has a strip of a flexible watertight layer standing upright from the upper surface along the corner of the two straight edges; folding the upright strip downward, wherein the folding edge is shaped adjacently of the two straight edges of the corner and wherein the strip of the flexible watertight layer hangs downward from this folding edge; and arranging the element in the floor. The upper surface of the floor lies flush with the upper surface of the element.